"The Star Spangled Banner" has been played at major sporting events as far back as the Civil War, even before it was officially named the national anthem. How and why did the tradition stick?
Confessional and funny, boastful and self-deprecating, poetic and profane all at once, Mitski's songwriting captures the experience of youth in the 21st century.
With a slippery face and a thousand voices, the Swedish artist uses her music in Fever Ray and The Knife to pull into frame what society would prefer stay hidden.
Before Pure Heroine, Ella Yelich-O'Connor was just a teen from suburban New Zealand trying to kill time. Instead, she snatched the mic, ushering in a sonic shift towards minimalism and dark pop.
The Kelly Clarkson smash wasn't just a great pop song: In 2004 it was a cultural bellwether, a sign that the walls between mainstream and underground were starting to crack.
It's no question that the streaming percentage of songs in Spanish has skyrocketed over the last year. But what does this increase in visibility mean to Puerto Ricans, post-María?
While it's not wrong to observe decorum and sombre reflection in the wake of such a loss, there's no reason that honoring a life as monumental as Aretha's can't be joyful — and yes, entertaining.
The ways in which Spalding's music is the most radical are perhaps the most easily overlooked: how, through her singing and playing, she challenges gender norms across styles.