The working manuscript for "American Pie," Don McLean's 1971 pop epic, sold at auction for $1.2 million US on Tuesday. An anonymous bidder claimed the 18-page piece of music memorabilia.

The lyrics of the song, which topped the charts for four weeks in 1972, are largely enigmatic. In short, it's about the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper — "the day the music died." But the rest of the song is left up to interpretation, and people have been interpreting it for 44 years.

The song tells the story of American music in the '50s and '60s, but the characters and events are up for debate. Is "the jester" supposed to be Bob Dylan? Does "the quartet practised in the park" refer to the Beatles at Shea Stadium or a folk act in a park? "The King" is Elvis, but who is "the Queen"? And who are the "Father, Son and Holy Ghost"? McLean settled the Dylan theory in an interview, but the rest is still up in the air.

Each day, Rich Terfry and Radio 2 Drive wraps up your day with music and stories about the interesting things going on in the world.

Rich's Pick:

"Get It Up For Love" by Ned Doheny (lost yacht rock classic) 

Junk In The Trunk:

Cat protects little boy from potential danger

Little boy realizes his dad is driving the train

Tiny dog, tiny shopping cart

Rear View Mirror: 

Every week, Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-view Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days. This week, Dolly Parton and "Jolene".

There are several myths and legends about Dolly Parton's song "Jolene." It's been said that the song is about a bank teller who had been flirting with her husband. There's another story about a ten-year-old girl named Jolene who asked Parton for her autograph after a concert. But the real story is that of Parton striking out on her own after parting ways with her long-time mentor, Porter Wagoner.

Wagoner gave Dolly Parton her first big break in 1967 when he invited her into his fold and gave her a spot on his wildly popular TV and road shows. Soon he became her manager and helped negotiate her first record deal. Single handedly, Wagoner put Parton on the map.

They sang countless duets together and were named vocal group of the year in 1968 by the Country Music Association. For the next several years, it seemed the duo could do no wrong. Together they made hit after hit. But as this was happening, Parton's solo recordings were being ignored. She had every reason to believe she'd be nothing without Porter Wagoner.

But Dolly, being the fiercely driven performer that she is, needed to prove to herself and the world that she could do it on her own. So, in 1973, she made the painful decision to start cutting her ties with the man who opened the door for her. She poured that anguish into a song called "I Will Always Love You."

Boston's mayor, Marty Walsh, has officially declared Thursday, April 9, Riot Grrrl Day in the city, reports the Boston Globe. It’s to coincide with original riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna's performance the same night at the Wilbur Theatre.

The Riot Grrrl Day proclamation lists 10 reasons for the occasion, beginning with "The riot grrrls rose up in the early 1990s like a formidable wave — the third wave, in fact — with one combat boot on the shoulders of Patti and Siouxsie, the other combat boot on the shoulders of Gloria and Angela."

Another line: "A $10 Bikini Kill record isn't worth $7.70, and a woman today should not make 23% less than a man."

And ending with: "Our young women can’t be what they can’t see. Girls need to see other girls picking up drumsticks, basses, and microphones. They need to see other girls picking up paintbrushes and pens, and telling their stories. Loudly."

"Kathleen was all about the collective, and it was a real team effort putting this together," Boston's chief of policy, Joyce Linehan, told Vanyaland. "There are a lot of riot grrrls in the building [at City Hall]."

Girls to the front! Read the full proclamation below.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(Source: Vanyaland)

Related

Riot grrrls, Kurt Cobain and Lilith Fair: WTF happened to '90s feminism in music

Written by Laura Stanley and  Madeleine Cummings

Canadians may not be as openly patriotic as their southern neighbours, but many of our country’s biggest musicians make frequent reference to their home and native land by sprinkling Canadiana into their song lyrics.

Whether it's nailing a uniquely Canadian problem or shouting out to a neglected hometown, rock stars, rappers, pop bands and solo artists have all made a point to call out Canada in song.

We've collected the most perfectly Canadian song lyrics out there — the cheesy and the cliché, but in the best possible way — and if you've ever fallen in love with a hockey player or lived through more than one Canadian winter, you'll relate.

As beleaguered Canadians limp through the cruel month of April, we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that music festival season is quickly approaching. And more specifically, the CBCMusic.ca Festival.

Yes, our fest is back in Toronto on Saturday, May 23, at TD Echo Beach. Performers include Bahamas, Patrick Watson, Shad, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Coeur de pirate, the Strumbellas, Lindi Ortega, Jenn Grant, Choir! Choir! Choir! and Tanika Charles, with still more to be announced.

In preparation for the festival — and festival season in general — we asked the Strumbellas to share their tips for festival dos and don'ts. Check it out below.

Tickets for the CBCMusic.ca Festival are already on sale. General admission is $39.50 (plus FMF and service charges), free for kids 12 and under. Tickets are available at LiveNation.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at 1-855-985-5000. The show is suitable for all ages.

Have you been bitten by the Coub bug yet? A video-sharing website founded in Moscow in 2012, Coub has been called Russia's answer to the GIF.

A Coub is a looped video up to 10 seconds long with a full-length (usually unlooped) audio track added. As we've discovered here at CBC Music, browsing the website is dangerously addictive.

Naturally, we're drawn to the Coubs pertaining to music. Here are some of our favourites.

Schnittke!

Coub: where the sublime (the third movement of Alfred Schnittke's String Quartet No. 3) meets the ridiculous (campy, '70s fight scene).

Teenage jazz group

We love how the enthusiasm of this air band matches the vibe of this fun track from KOAN Sound.

Time-lapse bats

Mother Nature supplied these furry little guys with opera capes, and their resemblance to the Three Tenors is uncanny.

'Blue in Green'

We thought the Miles Davis original was perfect on its own until this.

Guns N' Tchaikovsky

Finally a good use for firearms!

Glenn Gould blisses out

Replace Bach with a Billy Idol remix, and suddenly Gould is that guy you hope doesn't sit next to you on the bus.

'Get Lucky'

Of the many cat covers on Coub, this is our favourite. (We never told you this was going to be educational.)

Dog Vader

Hey John Williams fans: respect the Roomba.

Pole-dance clarinet

Warning: you won't be able to unsee this.

Follow Robert Rowat on Twitter: @rkhr

Our first round of voting for Searchlight, the hunt for Canada's best new artist, is soon coming to a close!

You have until Monday, April 13, to cast your votes for your favourite Searchlight artists so that they proceed to the next round, which will be the regional top 25.

With that said, check out another batch of my first-round standout picks, and let me know your thoughts in the comments section below or tweet us @CBCMusic with the hashtag #Searchlight!

One Searchlight artist is going to be crowned the winner, a.k.a. the best new artist in Canada, in May, winning $20,000 in new music equipment and a slot at the CBCMusic.ca Festival in Toronto, among other prizes.

And if you are a fan and listener, be sure to take part in our Searchlight Yamaha fan giveaway!

French juggling group Les Objets Volants have found a way to mix Bach's Prelude in C Major with a low-impact, highly organized cardio workout.

Using a set of musical plastic tubes called boomwhackers, the group cleverly bangs out some Bach. As the piece of music gets more intricate they get more physical and more impressive.

Watch:

We want to connect with you via Twitter and Instagram! Follow us on Twitter (@CBCMusic) or Instagram (@cbc_music) and tell us who you're voting for in Searchlight using our #VoteSearchlight hashtag. Winners will be drawn from those use have used the hashtag.

You can also enter to win the old fashioned way (via form entry) right here.

CONTEST RULES

CBC’s Searchlight 2015 Giveaway (“Contest”)

From Thursday April 9, 2015 at 12:00pm ET to Friday May 8, 2015 at 12:00pm ET

(“Contest Period”)

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (“CBC”)

1. HOW TO ENTER

No purchase required. To enter the Contest, Tweet or Instagram who you will be voting for in CBC’s Searchlight 2015 Contest using the hashtag “#VoteSearchlight”  during the Contest Period.

To be valid, entries for each draw must be received each Friday by 12:00p.m. ET including and until Friday, May 8, 2015 at 12:00p.m. ET.

Limit of one entry per person per day. If you attempt or are suspected of attempting to enter more than once per day, or use robotic, automatic, programmed or any other methods of participation not authorized by these Rules, it shall be deemed as tampering and will void your entries, votes or other results of such participation.  

2.      ELIGIBILITY

Contest is open to all Canadian residents. For any contestant who has not reached the age of majority, parent or guardian consent is necessaryto enter the Contest. Where appropriate, the terms “contestant” and “winner” mean parent or guardian of that person. 

Employees of CBC, as well as such employees’ immediate family (father/mother, brother/sister, son/daughter) or persons living under the same roof are not eligible to enter this Contest.

3.      PROCEDURE FOR AWARDING PRIZES

A random draw will be made each week during Contest Period [on Fridays at 3:00pm ET] from among all eligible entries received up to the time of the random draw excluding previous winning entries.

Winner(s) will be contacted by the social platform they used to be eligible for the Contest (i.e. Twitter or Instagram) in the form of “@mention”during the week following the random draw and should claim their prize as instructed by CBC by no later than 1 day after the date they are initially contacted. If a winner cannot be reached within 1 days following the first attempt of contact, incorrectly answers the mathematical skill-testing question, declines the prize, or fails to return the required release form, the prize shall be forfeited and CBC has the right, at its sole discretion, to select another winner.

4.      DESCRIPTION OF PRIZE(S)

Each week during the Contest Period (first winner drawn on Friday, April 10, 2015) one winner will receive a prize of either:

(1) a pair of Yamaha HPHPRO400 Headphones (approximate retail value of $349),

(2) a Yamaha NXP100 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (an approximate retail value of $229) or

(3) a Yamaha RN-500 Stereo Receiver (approximate retail value of $599).

The prize includes only what is specifically described and no other allowance will be granted.

5.         GENERAL RULES

5.1.     To be declared a winner, the selected contestant must first correctly answer a mathematical skill-testing question.

5.2.     Each winner shall sign a release declaring their eligibility as stipulated in Section 2 of these Rules; agreeing that their name, image and/or voice may be used for advertising purposes related to this Contest free of charge; and releasing CBC as well as its respective directors, officers and employees (the “Contest Parties”) from all liability for any damage or loss arising from participation in this Contest or from the awarding, acceptance or use of the prize.

5.3.     The prize shall be accepted as is and may not be exchanged or refunded for an amount of money, sold or transferred. No substitutions will be allowed. Any unused portion of a prize will be forfeited.

5.4.     If the prize cannot be awarded as described in these Rules, CBC reserve(s) the right to substitute a prize or prize component with another of comparable value, as determined in its sole discretion.

5.5.     Refusal to accept the prize releases the Contest Parties from any obligation toward the winner.

5.6.     If a contestant makes any false statement, (s)he will be automatically disqualified from the Contest.

5.7.     The Contest Parties assume no liability for any loss, damage or injury, including without limitation: (i) lost, stolen, delayed, damaged, misdirected, late, destroyed, illegible or incomplete entries; (ii) loss, theft or damage to software or computer or telephone data, including any breach of privacy; (iii) fraudulent calls; (iv) inability of any person to participate in the Contest for any reason including mistaken addresses on mail or e-mail; technical, computer or telephone malfunctions or other problems with computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, or software; congestion on the internet or at any website, or any combination of the foregoing; (v) damage to any person’s computer, including as a result of playing or downloading any material relating to the Contest; (vi) any delay or inability to act resulting from an event or situation beyond their control, including a strike, lockout or other labour dispute at their location or the locations of the organizations and businesses whose services are used to administer this Contest; or (vii) prizes that are lost, damaged or misdirected during shipping.

5.8.     Contestants found tampering with or abusing any aspect of this Contest, including but not limited to acting in violation of these Rules, attempting to participate in the Contest more than the maximum number of times allowed, to be acting with the intent to disrupt the normal operation of this Contest, as determined by CBC, will be disqualified. The discovery of any use of robotic, automatic, macro, programmed, third party or like methods to participate in the Contest will void any attempted participation effected by such methods and the disqualification of the contestant utilizing the same in CBC's sole and absolute discretion.

5.9.     When the Contest Rules allow entry via Facebook, Twitter or any other social network, the terms of use of these social networks apply and the social network, as well as its directors and officers, assume no liability whatsoever in connection with the Contest.

5.10.  CBC reserves the right to cancel or suspend this Contest should a virus, bug or other cause beyond their reasonable control corrupt the security or proper administration of the Contest. Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or to undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws.  Should such an attempt be made, CBC reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution.

5.11.  All personal information, such as name and contact information, is collected by CBC solely for the purposes of administering this Contest and shall not be used for any other purpose without your express consent. By providing this information, you consent to it being used for the stated purposes. Please see CBC’s privacy policy at http://www.cbc.ca/aboutcbc/discover/privacy.html.

5.12.  If the identity of a contestant is disputed, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry will be deemed to be the contestant.  The individual assigned to the e-mail address for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address is considered the authorized account holder.  A selected contestant may be required to provide proof that (s)he is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the selected entry.  All entries must be submitted from a valid e-mail account that may be identified by reverse domain name search. The sole determinant of time for the purposes of receipt of a valid entry in this Contest will be the Contest server.

5.13.  Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries.  All entries that are incomplete, illegible, damaged, irregular, have been submitted through illicit means, using any robotic, automatic programmed method that artificially increases the odds of winning or do not conform to or satisfy any condition of the rules may be disqualified by the CBC.  CBC is not responsible for any errors or omissions in printing or advertising this Contest.

5.14.  CBC reserves the right to amend the Contest Rules or to terminate the Contest at any time without any liability to any contestant. Any amendments to these Contest Rules will be posted on the Website.

5.15.  By entering, you agree to abide by the Contest Rules and the decisions of CBC which decisions are final and binding on all contestants.

5.16.  Contest Rules are available on http://music.cbc.ca/blogs/2015/4/Win-awesome-gear-from-Yamaha

5.17.  If you have any accessibility requirements or special needs, please contact the contest coordinator, as noted below.

April 10, 2015

Nicolle Weeks

Producer

CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Each day, Rich Terfry and Radio 2 Drive wraps up your day with music and stories about the interesting things going on in the world.

Rich's Pick: 

"I Walk Alone" by Marijata

Junk In The trunk: 

The 10 worst ceremonial first pitches

The cat's partially out of the bag

30 facts about chocolate (100 lbs of chocolate are consumed in the US every second) 

Click here to vote on the #R220!

This week, you get five new songs including ones by ex-Civil Wars woman Joy Williams, Great Lake Swimmers and Ron Sexmith. Beth Moore jumps high and Whitehorse bump into the number two slot.

What do you think of Joy Williams's "Woman (Oh Mama)"?

1. Of Monsters and Men, "Crystals"

2. Whitehorse, "Baby What's Wrong"

3. Joel Plaskett, "Credits Roll"

4. Mumford and Sons, "Believe"

5. Yukon Blonde, "Saturday Night"

6. Terra Lightfoot, "Never Will"

7. James Bay, "Hold Back the River"

8.  Beth Moore, "OK OK" 

9. Gabrielle Papillon, "With Our Trouble"

10. Ron Hawkins, "Saskia Begins"

11. The Weepies, "No Trouble" 

12. Great Lake Swimmers, "I Must Have Someone Else's Blues" *NEW*

13. Decemberists, "The Wrong Year"

14. Death Cab For Cutie, "No Room in Frame"

15. Elliot Maginot, "Monsters at War"

16. Ivan and Alyosha, "All This Wandering Around" *NEW*

17. Joy Williams, "Woman (Oh Mama)" *NEW*

18. Ron Sexsmith, "Can't Get My Act Together" *NEW*

19. Jenn Grant, "Bring Me a Rose"

20. Lord Huron, "Fool For Love" *NEW*

For the first time ever, My Playlist features not one, but two fabulous musicians, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland from the band Whitehorse.

Before joining musical forces in 2010, Doucet and McClelland were acclaimed solo artists. He was a guitarist who could play just about anything and she had one of the best voices in the country. Both were strong songwriters. Between them, they’d stacked up 10 solo albums in less than 10 years and worked with everyone from Sarah McLachlan and Blue Rodeo to Matthew Good and Bryan Adams.

They're also a married couple, and last year announced the birth of their baby boy, Jimmy, who joins them on tour.

Their latest album continues the evolution of the Whitehorse sound. It’s called Leave No Bridge Unburned.

This week on My Playlist, they take turns introducing 10 of their favourite tracks including the New Pornographers' "The Bones of an idol", "Who's Been Talkin'" by Howlin' Wolf, Liz Phair's "Polyester Bride" and "I'll Never Tear You Apart" by Rheostatics lead man Martin Tielli.

My Playlist airs Sunday at 3 p.m. (3:30 NT) and Wednesday at 7 p.m. (7:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2.

What do you think of Luke and Melissa's picks? Which other artists would you like to see on My Playlist? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @cbcradio3.

The East Coast Music Awards gala gave out its first batch of awards last night in Torbay, N.L., and artists Kim Harris, Hey Rosetta! and In-Flight Safety brought home some hardware.

Halifax-based In-Flight Safety won album of the year for Conversationalist, while Corner Brook-born, Halifax-based Harris nabbed rising star recording of the year (after taking home three Music Nova Scotia Awards back in November). Cape Breton's the Town Heroes, also from N.S., took home three: group recording of the year, fans’ choice entertainer of the year and fans’ choice video of the year (they also took home Music Nova Scotia Awards last year: five of them). Another Cape Breton win: Carleton Stone was awarded solo recording of the year.

Newfoundland’s own Hey Rosetta! won song of the year for "Kintsukuroi," while fellow Newfoundlanders the Once won for folk recording of the year.

That’s not it for the week, though: more awards will be given out over the weekend, as this is the first year the ECMAs have hosted their gala on the Thursday night of East Coast Music Week instead of the usual Sunday evening affair. Stay up to date on all the winners here.

Harris was also going to perform an ode to her late mother last night, which we’d like to see, FYI internet.

To follow along with the East Coast Music Week festivities throughout the weekend, check out #CBCatECMW’s live blog.

Related:

In-Flight Safety takes over Grammy Week 2015

Kim Harris: the mightiest voice coming out of the East Coast

Each day, Rich Terfry and Radio 2 Drive wraps up your day with music and stories about the interesting things going on in the world.

Rich's Pick:

"Akazehe" by Musique du Burundi

Junk In The Trunk: 

Spongebob loves bass

Hygienic handshakes

Weather in an elevator

Rear View Mirror: 

Every week, Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-view Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days. This week, the story behind The Beach Boys "Sloop John B"

As musically adventurous as Brian Wilson has been in his career, he was never terribly interested in folk music. So when the Beach Boys covered an old sea shanty from the Bahamas in 1965, Brain Wilson had to be tricked into doing it.

Renowned ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax made a field recording of a song called "The John B. Sails" while on a trip to the Bahamas in 1935.

By the end of the '50s, versions of the song had been recorded by The Weavers,

Jimmie Rodgers,

Johnny Cash,

and The Kingston Trio.

Al Jardine of the Beach Boys loved the song and brought it to Brian Wilson, suggesting the band record a version of their own while they were in the studio recording their now-legendary Pet Sounds album. When Jardine played it, Wilson reacted dismissively saying, "I don't like The Kingston Trio."

Jardine didn't give up on the idea. He figured the tune was too simple for Wilson's tastes, so he played it again, but in a signature Beach Boys style. He made it more complex, modifying the chord changes and adding some musical intrigue. When he finished playing, he got up from the piano and walked away. Not a word was said.

The next morning, Jardine received a phone call and was asked to return to the studio. When he arrived, Wilson played a song for him. It was a finished version of the song we now know as "Sloop John B."

Brian Wilson built the entire track from the ground up, by himself, in less than 24 hours. He made a few changes to the lyrics and incorporated Jardine's chord arrangement and ended up with a masterpiece. The song was released the following spring and was a big hit. It was the Beach Boys' fastest seller to date, moving half a million copies in less than two weeks and reached number two on the charts.

Jardine was never credited for his contribution, but described the experience of bringing this song to the band as "very rewarding" nonetheless.

Here are some other great editions of Rear-view Mirror:

Amy Winehouse "Rehab"

New York Dolls "Personality Crisis"

Modern Lovers "Roadrunner"

George Jones "He Stopped Loving Her Today"

Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA"

The Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends"

Rolling Stones 'Miss You'

The Coasters 'Run Red Run'

Elvis Costello, 'Alison'

James Brown, 'Hot (I Need to be loved loved loved)'

Inner Circle, 'Tenement Yard'

Ray Charles, 'I Don't Need No Doctor'

Curtis Mayfield, 'Freddy's Dead'

Gang Starr, 'Beyond Comprehension'

Bo Diddley, 'Bo Diddley'

Aretha Franklin, 'Rocksteady'

CCR, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'

Howlin' Wolf, 'Smokestack Lightning'

Bobby Womack, 'Across 110th Street'

Roy Orbison, 'In Dreams'

Foggy Hogtown Boys, 'Man of Constant Sorrow'

Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here'

Neil Young, 'Cortez The Killer'

Bob Dylan, 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'

Little Eva, 'Loco-Motion'

Elvis Costello, 'Watching the Detectives'

Jimmy Cliff, 'The Harder They Come'

The Verve, 'Bittersweet Symphony'

Roberta Flack, 'Killing Me Softly with his Song'

R.E.M., 'Radio Free Europe'

Radiohead, 'No Surprises'

Led Zeppelin, 'Ramble On'

Glen Campbell, 'Wichita Lineman'

Rolling Stones, 'Beast of Burden'

Next week, CBC Music is going boldly into the area where science and music collide, and presenting our first-ever Science Week!

Over the course of the week, we will answer questions about how music works, including:

- Can an opera singer break a glass?
- Can sound physically knock someone over?
- Why do some sounds, like nails on a blackboard, cause pain?
- Why do our ears ring after a loud concert? 
- How does bass make objects move?
- How does the human voice work?
- How do horns make sound?
- Can music help plants grow?

We will look at the technological innovations that changed music, and bring you a playlist of songs by some of the world's leading scientists.

We'll find out how to design the perfect concert hall with one of the leaders in the field, and we'll check out top studies about science and music.

(Did you know that bass can make you feel more powerful? That teens who listen to songs that mention alcohol drink more? And that listening to classical music changes your genes?)

We'll also revisit the very best music and science interviews from CBC Radio One’s beloved science program, Quirks & Quarks, and much more.

Make sure to visit CBCMusic.ca/Science all week to get the latest.

Here are a couple of items to get you started:

How Music Works: why do my ears ring after a loud concert?

Listen to the mysterious sound that seems to change pitch without actually changing pitch

Also, for your listening pleasure, a musical refresher of all the elements in the periodic table:



We'd like to introduce you to a sound that will twist your brain around and haunt your dreams. It's called the Shepard scale, after cognitive scientist Roger Shepard. Here it is, with psychedelic visual accompaniment, playing continuously for ten hours, after which point you might just lose your mind:

The remarkable thing about the Shepard scale — aside from its tendency to make you feel like you're falling into a bottomless pit of horrors and sorrows — is that it appears to rise or fall in pitch, but it never actually does. It's an aural illusion that tricks our brains into ignoring crucial elements of the sound. Vsauce's Michael Stevens calls it a "sonic barber pole." He explains it further in this video:  

Shepard scales are even creepier when you hear an ascending one and a descending one at the same time. (Note: This video only has audio in one ear. That way, only half of your brain will explode. Safety first.)

Basically, listening to the Shepard scale is like looking at an M.C. Escher illustration with your ears — but unlike an Escher drawing you'll want to delete it from your mind forever.

Find more great Science Week stories here.

Follow Matthew Parsons into the infinite void @MJRParsons

This week is CBC Music's Science Week, and all week, we will look at tech innovations that changed music, bring you the best science songs, find out how to design the perfect concert hall, meet music-making robots, check out the latest studies about music and more.

We're also going to answer questions about how much works. Can an opera singer break a glass? Can sound physically knock someone over? Why do some sounds, like nails on a blackboard, cause pain? How do horns make sound?

So today we're going to kick it off with a question that anybody who has gone to a loud concert can appreciate: Why do my ears ring after a loud concert?

Here is your answer:

You go out to see a loud concert, and for hours or even days after the musicians have left the stage, you can hear a sustained buzz, hum, ring, hiss or high tone in your ears. So what’s happening?

According to Harvard Medical School, that ringing you’re hearing is actually tinnitus—a condition that nearly everyone experiences for short spells, but that millions of North Americans suffer from chronically.

When people hear normally, sound waves travel into the ear canal and into the middle and inner ear, where thousands of hair cells in the cochlea transform sound waves into electrical nerve signals. Those signals then travel through the auditory nerve to the brain’s auditory cortex, where they are perceived as sound.

But when those hair cells get damaged by loud noises, the brain doesn’t receive those signals it’s expecting. That in turn stimulates abnormal neuron activity as the brain in effect “boosts the volume,” trying to find the missing signal. (Think of it like turning up the volume while you’re trying to find a station on a car radio.) That abnormal activity leads to the illusion of sound.

Certain medications, ear wax and other ear conditions can also create the phenomenon, and the condition is strongly associated with hearing loss, so it disproportionately affects people who are 65 or older. Depression, anxiety, insomnia and pain can also worsen the severity of the condition.

Celebrities who suffer from tinnitus include Chris Martin of Coldplay, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Barbra Streisand, Bono, Steve Martin and many more.

In order to reduce the risk of tinnitus, physicians recommend using ear protection when exposed to loud sounds, because you can’t grow those hair cells back—so wear those earplugs!

For more answers to top questions, and plenty more great Science Week content, make sure to visit our Science Week page.

Every week, Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-view Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days. This week, the story behind The Beach Boys "Sloop John B"

As musically adventurous as Brian Wilson has been in his career, he was never terribly interested in folk music. So when the Beach Boys covered an old sea shanty from the Bahamas in 1965, Brain Wilson had to be tricked into doing it.

Renowned ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax made a field recording of a song called "The John B. Sails" while on a trip to the Bahamas in 1935.

By the end of the '50s, versions of the song had been recorded by The Weavers,

Jimmie Rodgers,

Johnny Cash,

and The Kingston Trio.

Al Jardine of the Beach Boys loved the song and brought it to Brian Wilson, suggesting the band record a version of their own while they were in the studio recording their now-legendary Pet Sounds album. When Jardine played it, Wilson reacted dismissively saying, "I don't like The Kingston Trio."

Jardine didn't give up on the idea. He figured the tune was too simple for Wilson's tastes, so he played it again, but in a signature Beach Boys style. He made it more complex, modifying the chord changes and adding some musical intrigue. When he finished playing, he got up from the piano and walked away. Not a word was said.

The next morning, Jardine received a phone call and was asked to return to the studio. When he arrived, Wilson played a song for him. It was a finished version of the song we now know as "Sloop John B."

Brian Wilson built the entire track from the ground up, by himself, in less than 24 hours. He made a few changes to the lyrics and incorporated Jardine's chord arrangement and ended up with a masterpiece. The song was released the following spring and was a big hit. It was the Beach Boys' fastest seller to date, moving half a million copies in less than two weeks and reached number two on the charts.

Jardine was never credited for his contribution, but described the experience of bringing this song to the band as "very rewarding" nonetheless.

Here are some other great editions of Rear-view Mirror:

Amy Winehouse "Rehab"

New York Dolls "Personality Crisis"

Modern Lovers "Roadrunner"

George Jones "He Stopped Loving Her Today"

Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA"

The Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends"

Rolling Stones 'Miss You'

The Coasters 'Run Red Run'

Elvis Costello, 'Alison'

James Brown, 'Hot (I Need to be loved loved loved)'

Inner Circle, 'Tenement Yard'

Ray Charles, 'I Don't Need No Doctor'

Curtis Mayfield, 'Freddy's Dead'

Gang Starr, 'Beyond Comprehension'

Bo Diddley, 'Bo Diddley'

Aretha Franklin, 'Rocksteady'

CCR, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'

Howlin' Wolf, 'Smokestack Lightning'

Bobby Womack, 'Across 110th Street'

Roy Orbison, 'In Dreams'

Foggy Hogtown Boys, 'Man of Constant Sorrow'

Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here'

Neil Young, 'Cortez The Killer'

Bob Dylan, 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'

Little Eva, 'Loco-Motion'

Elvis Costello, 'Watching the Detectives'

Jimmy Cliff, 'The Harder They Come'

The Verve, 'Bittersweet Symphony'

Roberta Flack, 'Killing Me Softly with his Song'

R.E.M., 'Radio Free Europe'

Radiohead, 'No Surprises'

Led Zeppelin, 'Ramble On'

Glen Campbell, 'Wichita Lineman'

Rolling Stones, 'Beast of Burden'

John Cougar Mellencamp, 'Pink Houses'

For 23 years, Jurgen Gothe brought plain-spoken intelligence to CBC Radio 2 on DiscDrive, the eclectic afternoon show that ran from 1985 to 2008. Gothe died Thursday afternoon, prompting an outpouring of affection from fans and fellow broadcasters on Twitter:

— Stephen Quinn (@CBCStephenQuinn) April 10, 2015

— Jen Woltemade (@JAWoltemade) April 10, 2015

— Janet McDonald (@ursedated) April 10, 2015

— Chris Coburn (@TheChrisCoburn) April 10, 2015

— Tim Tamashiro (@TimTamashiro) April 10, 2015

— Catherine Kustanczy (@catekustanczy) April 10, 2015

Gothe hosted DiscDrive from "scenic subterranean Studio 20" in CBC Vancouver. The studio still bears a plaque commemorating the popular show. But, from time to time, the DiscDrive team would take the show on the road, and Gothe would broadcast in front of a live audience — and that's where he really came to life.

Long-time DiscDrive producer Grant Rowledge recalled that "when we were out in public, he'd be out just engaging individual listeners in conversation, to the point where our director, or me, would have to come and wrangle him and say 'Jurgen, 30 seconds! 20 seconds! Get back to the mic!'"

Here's a look at one of those public broadcasts from Toronto in 1993, showing Gothe as many remember him best — sweater-clad; surrounded by paraphernalia relating to music, food and cats; and every bit as companionable in conversation as on the airwaves.

The Strombo Show runs the gamut this Sunday night, keeping the spirit of radio alive by delivering the best records in the best order. It's a show for music lovers by music lovers, ranging over three hours of commercial-free music to honour both old and new.

George Stroumboulopoulos waxes poetic with his vinyl collection, honouring the pops and scratches that cross genres, eras and expectations. He is joined by some very special friends throughout the program from Alvvays to the Sheepdogs, Stevie Van Zandt to Lionel Richie. 

Also: we celebrate Record Store Day 2015 coast to coast as a cavalcade of Canadian shop owners call in to request their favourites, such as Halifax's Taz Records, New Brunswick's Backstreet Records, Quebec's Le Knock Out, Hamilton's Dr. Disc, Saskatoon's Vinyl Diner, Edmonton's Listen Records, Vancouver's Dandelion Records and many, many more. 

As always, we tip our hats to those groundbreakers and game-changers with a Nod to the Gods, spinning the best new tracks, paying tribute to Tom Waits on Ten with Tom and we send you into the horizontal with the Big Lie Down.

Lock it. Crank it. Join the collective!

For further musical exploration with George Stroumboulopoulos, tune in to The Strombo Show every Sunday night on CBC Radio 2 or CBC Music from 8 to 11 p.m. for three hours of uninterrupted music for music lovers.