Lifestyle

This Specific Chord Makes Music Sound Like Christmastime

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” came out in 1994, yet it’s constantly played alongside old hymns and Christmas songs from the 40s. You probably heard it at least 10 times in the past month while you shopped for Christmas gifts! Vox wanted to explore why this 90s song is so appealing and feels so downright “Christmassy.”

In order to explore the sounds of the season, they compared a couple of other extremely popular holiday songs to Carey’s new classic. The build-up of Phil Spector’s “Baby Please Come Home” is surprisingly similar to “All I Want For Christmas is You.” Professor Adam Ragusea from Mercer University goes on to explain that the similar chord structure of Bing Crosby’s version of “White Christmas” along with Carey’s song triggers listeners brains to think “Christmas.”

Watch the video below for the full explanation along with a demonstration of the chords. Once you hear the “special chord” it really will make your heart melt with the feeling of Christmas. It’s amazing how effective it is!

After you learn all of these interesting Christmas music factoids, you can impress your family by explaining the intricacies of a hugely popular song we hear all season long.