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Your Brain on Music: Rock History in 6 Songs

By Erinivey - Friday May 29, 2009 - 9:54 am

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In This is Your Brain on Music, Daniel Levitin writes about a scientist friend who was totally disconnected from modern music and asked for a CD of 6 songs that represent rock 'n' roll. He'd heard Elvis Presley, so Elvis was left off the list:

1. Long Tall Sally by Little Richard
2. Roll Over Beethoven by The Beatles
3. All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix
4. Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
5. Little Red Corvette by Prince
6. Anarchy in the U.K. by the Sex Pistols

What are your 6?

I polled my friends for more examples to get you started...

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Perdendosi | Points: +1 | Thursday June 18, 2009, 17:18 PM

What an unfair question to ask! First, it's not your "favorite," or even "influential" songs that you need, but rather the most prototypical music to "represent" rock & roll. Second, how do you define "rock & roll"? The evolution of straight ahead, "classic" rock? A tour of (some of) the major genres (Pop, Rock, Disco, R&B, Punk, Metal?) The most protoypical music of each decade? What everyone was listening to? What everyone SHOULD have been listening to? And, come on, a CD with only 6 songs? I'm no rock musicologist, but here's my best shot: (1) I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Beatles (2) Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin (3) Stairway to Heaven, Led Zepplin (4) Heart of Glass, Blondie (5) Billie Jean, Michael Jackson (6) Usher, Yeah! So many holes...