in the song yankee doodle dandy, 'macaroni' was a slang term denoting a man who dressed effeminately. the melody predates the current song by at least 3 centuries, and was popular across europe and scandinavia.

the modern lyrics were meant to be a slur on american soldiers by the british troops, but the american militia adopted the song. it has been a patriotic song ever since.

cheese wheels that are exposed to hip hop music have a stronger flavor.

although 'auld lang syne' was attributed to composer robert burns, the song is at least a century older than its publication date. burns was just the first person to write it down.

goldfish can tell the work of one composer from another's.

receptive agnosia refers to an inability to understand or appreciate music. sufferers often compare the music they hear to noise, such as drills.

'ring of fire' was written by june carter, not johnny cash. it is about her falling in love with cash while he was still married to his first wife.

bagpipes were invented in persia (modern day iran), not scotland.

59.3% of white parents read to their toddlers, but just 24.7% of black parents do. a little less than 70% of both sing to their toddlers.

'i write the songs', barry manilow's biggest hit, was written by bruce johnston.

the string tension in a traditional (non-digital) piano averages 18 tons.

zildjian, the cymbal maker, was founded in constantinople more than 400 years ago by an alchemist. he was trying to turn other metals into gold when he hit upon the perfect mix of copper, tin, and silver to make really loud, crashy disks, which the ottoman empire used to frighten their enemies.

the 'blaster beam', a musical instrument resembling a guitar made out of an 18 foot long pool gutter, was invented as a sound effect for the first 'star trek' movie, by a fellow named craig huxley.

the instrument has an interesting side effect - when amplified and used during a concert in central park, it caused many of the women in the audience to become aroused, to the point of having spontaneous orgasms.

(because amplified guitar always does that.)

bagpipes were originally invented in persia.

blue whales sometimes stop singing in the middle of a song and then start again from that exact same spot in the sing 6 months later. only the whales know why.

'the star-spangled banner' was originally a drinking song called 'the anacreontic song'.

the norse god loki was the first rapper, and rapping itself goes back to the 5th century.

according to the writers and editors of rolling stone, billboard, etc., the top 10 greatest classic rock albums:

1. led zeppelin iv - led zeppelin
2. hotel california - the eagles
3. dark side of the moon - pink floyd
4. the doors - the doors
5. sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band - the beatles
6. the wall - pink floyd
7. rumours - fleetwood mac
8. are you experienced - the jimi hendrix experience
9. who's next - the who
10. wish you were here - pink floyd

(whole lotta pink floyd lovin' goin' on.)

according to a computer study of more than 1 million songs recorded since 1955, the mid-60's were the last period in which truly original music was written. since then, regardless of genre, music has become simpler and louder - and that's about it.

most people's musical choices are locked down between the ages of 14 and 17.

a musical device called an appoggiatura can make you cry. don't believe me? when was the last time you listened to 'the rainbow connection' as sung by kermit the frog, or adele's 'someone like you'?