25 Melodic Music Facts You'll Love

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published July 23, 2022

Rod Stewart hosted the world's largest free concert—his 1994 New Year's Eve concert on Copacabana Beach in Brazil. An estimated 4.2 million people attended the performance._[12]
Singing in a group benefits participants both physically and emotionally. When you sing with others, the body releases happy hormones, such as oxytocin, and reduces stress-causing hormones, such as cortisol._[11]
Listening to music can enhance physical performance and helps people train more efficiently._[10]
The most expensive musical instrument sold at auction was the "Lady Blunt" Stradivarius violin, at over $15 million._[16]

One of the most expensive musical instruments ever is the is Lady Blunt Violin

The top three "ear worms" are 1) "We Will Rock You" by Queen, 2) "Happy" by Will Pharrell, and 3) "We are the Champions" by Queen._[19]
The country with the most metal bands per capita is Finland. It has 53.5 metal bands per 100,000 people. Sweden and Norway round out the top three._[4]
Loud music in bars motivates patrons to drink more alcohol in less time._[20]
The U.S. rock band Metallica was the first band to play on all seven of Earth's continents._[14]
Scholars are unsure whether music is a type of proto-language, if it is a result of language, or if music and language have a common ancestor._[2]

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.

- Albert Einstein

Famous musicians who didn't know how to read music are Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, and Elvis Presley._[8]
The oldest musical composition in the world is the Seikilos Epitaph, a first-century AD Greek tune._[1]
Because our brains develop rapidly between the ages of 12 and 22, if we make a connection with a song during that time, it's a strong neurological connection._[5]
Three flutes found at the Geisenklosterle Cave archeological site are the oldest instruments in the world. Two of the flutes are made of the bones of mute swans, and one is made from mammoth ivory. Researchers believe they are between 42,000 and 43,000 years old._[17]
Modern musicians have a shorter lifespan than the general population, by 25 years._[13]

Suicide and homicide rates among musicians were also higher than those of the general population

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) wrote "Cat's Fugue" after he was inspired by his cat running across his harpsichord keyboard._[3]
Though definitions of what music is are varied, music is a cultural universal._[2]
Charles Darwin theorized that music developed as a type of sexual selection, such as a mating call._[18]
Speculations as to why music arose include the following: to improve the range of long-distance communication, to enhance communication with the divine, to streamline communication between families, or to frighten predators._[18]
When you listen to a song that resonates with you, your brain releases dopamine, the same "feel-good" hormone released during sex and eating._[5]

Listening to music has a wide range of health benefits

"Prisencolinensinainciusol” is an Italian pop song that is just nonsense words. It is meant to mimic the way English sounds to non-English speakers._[9]
The most covered song ever written is the Beatles' song "Yesterday."_[2]
The earliest form of musical notation was found on a cuneiform tablet in Babylonia (today's Iraq) from about 1400 BC._[18]
The song "Macarena" is about a woman trying to cheat while her boyfriend is being drafted into the military._[15]
The novel Lord of the Rings inspired several famous songs, including Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On," Joni Mitchell's "I Think I Understand," Black Sabbath's "The Wizard," and Megadeath's "This Day We Fight."_[7]
In 1942, the BBC banned the song "Deep in the Heart of Texas" because they were worried factory workers would clap along with the song rather than work._[6]