Hello everyone!
There's a phenomenon that exists only auditorily, wherein certain sounds or musical phrases can elicit a response similar to having sex, eating fried food or doing recreational drugs. You feel a chill down your spine, you get goosebumps on your skin, and you become slightly euphoric (due to the sudden flood of dopamine).
While infrequent, this response to certain musical phrases or sounds makes the act of listening to music one of the most pleasurable activities in which one can engage. I've therefore spent a good amount of time digging through my mental trove of sounds that cause me to react this way, and have shared them with you below.
You can copy and paste the string of characters below to the end of Youtube's homepage URL (or replace that same part of the URL of any specific Youtube video) to be taken to the exact part of the song I've specified.
The harmonica solo in Beautiful Way by Beck:
/watch?v=wQS9_ei66Co&t=3m22s
The synth breakdown in Hustler by Simian Mobile Disco:
/watch?v=I_64fZcttGg&t=2m38s (even more fitting as the melody undergoes changes to the attack, decay, sustain and release while being played...coincidentally the name of the album)
The rockabilly guitar lick in Julius by Phish:
/watch?v=pCtsvVRsqv0&t=4m9s (this one's hard to distinguish from the rest of the music, but it's faded towards the right channel if that helps)
The entirety of Gossipo Perpetuo by Jean-Jacques Perrey:
/watch?v=cxvzl9k-FXE
The start/stop of the beginning of Deathbag by Hannibal Montana
/watch?v=cB3aOlvdlmk
The key change in Alfonso Muskedunder by Todd Terje:
/watch?v=ozAswe6R0ts&t=2m40s
The ascending and descending guitar lick in Machu Picchu by The Strokes:
/watch?v=3JxoUo43Zg8&t=1m3s (this one's also hard to make out, and also in the right channel)
The galloping, arpeggiated synth throughout Rydeen by Yellow Magic Orchestra:
/watch?v=r23gU7JzGNc
The ascending transition in Arcades by C2C:
/watch?v=KqjwlBFwZHw&t=2m29s
The first several notes of Like a Ghost in Your Own Life by Ulrich Schnauss:
/watch?v=HAmkg15zCKI
The main section of Mass by Virtual Boy:
/watch?v=C3DPxfs2v8o&t=1m59s
I'd love to hear from you all if there are any pieces of music that make you react in this same way. Feel free to email me as I'd love to hear them!
Danny
[email protected]
New York City, New York State, One Oh One Oh Eight