“It's a song with enough twists and quirks to make it stand out from the pop landscape”: A music professor breaks down Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe! By Ethan Hein published 8 July 24 We put Chappell Roan's breakthrough hit under the musical microscope
“How does the vocal melody fit the chords? It kind of… doesn’t”: A music professor breaks down the “song of the summer“, Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso By Ethan Hein published 29 May 24 We put this "finely engineered product of the pop machine" under the musical microscope
“She’s slightly behind the beat but this doesn’t make her sound sloppy; to the contrary, it shows an effortless command of musical time”: A music professor breaks down Amy Winehouse's Back to Black By Ethan Hein published 8 May 24 With Winehouse's biopic in the cinemas, we put her best-loved song under the musical microscope
"This track is an undeniable banger, but it’s also extremely weird": The borrowed hooks and unstable grooves behind Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' By Ethan Hein published 16 April 24 We put one of MJ's best-loved tunes under the musical microscope and explore the unlikely origins of its iconic hook
“Part of a beautiful American tradition”: A music theory expert explains the country roots of Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em, and why it also owes a debt to the blues By Ethan Hein published 20 March 24 The lead single from Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s forthcoming country album, goes under the musical microscope
What makes an Oscar-winning song? We break down the music theory behind Billie Eilish's What Was I Made For? By Ethan Hein published 11 March 24 We put Eilish's haunting contribution to the star-studded Barbie soundtrack under the musical microscope
"The verse melody is subtly strange, and it took me a while to figure out why": A music professor breaks down the theory and production behind Tracy Chapman's Fast Car By Ethan Hein published 16 February 24 We put Chapman's moving 1988 single under the musical microscope after Luke Combs' Grammy-nominated cover thrusts it back into the charts
Lament bass, varispeed and Eric Clapton: A music professor breaks down the key theory, playing and production ingredients of The Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps By Ethan Hein published 8 February 24 We put one of The Beatles' most beloved tunes under the musical microscope