The Power of Sound in Music

has long stuck with me going back to the 1950s. A lot of the appeal of certain songs had to do with the voice of the singer/s or the band, but also the way/s in which they were recorded.

A good case in point was Johnny Mathis’s haunting “Chances Are” with massive echo and the recurring tinkling ivories. I can long remember hearing that song at different points in my life and still feeling a certain palpable shiver and emotional response to the whole effect.