Guest Essay

Needles in Haystacks: The Lostwave Story

In one internet subculture, people desperately try to find the origins of songs without attribution. Sometimes they strike gold. Sometimes they get lost…

Oct 3 •

Chris Dalla Riva

Hey Jude, Are Song Titles Showing Up Later?

Chris Gunther stops by to investigate an unexpected song-titling trend

Sep 12 •

Chris Dalla Riva

Why Archival Releases Fascinate Me (and Should Fascinate You Too)

Reveling in the buried treasure of outtakes, studio chatter and other previously-unreleased goodies

Aug 15 •

Chris Dalla Riva

and

Robert C. Gilbert

Why AllMusic Broke Up with Bryan Adams

Trying to determine exactly why Bryan Adams no longer has a presence in the all-encompassing music industry database AllMusic.

Aug 8 •

Chris Dalla Riva

and

Record Store Chafes

Because the customer isn't ALWAYS right

Apr 25 •

Chris Dalla Riva

and

How Have One-Hit Wonders Changed Over Time?

Daniel Parris returns to Can't Get Much Higher for a deep dive on one hit wonders.

Mar 21 •

Avril Lavigne and the Future of Musical Translation

In 2007, Avril Lavigne released her hit song "Girlfriend" in 7 languages. George Ball chronicles how this might have been a harbinger for a larger…

Mar 7 •

When Jessica Simpson Said My Name

In a bizarre marketing scheme, Jessica Simpson once released 500 versions of her song “A Public Affair.” Two decades later, they can't be found…

Jan 25 •

Chris Dalla Riva

Every Song Bob Dylan Has Ever Played Live

I worked with Ray Padgett of Flagging Down the Double E's to analyze every Bob Dylan setlist in the last 60 years.

Jan 7 •

Chris Dalla Riva

The Medium is the Message: Changes in Popular Music Since the 1950s

Stat Significant takes over Can't Get Much Higher to show us how radically popular music has changed over the last few decades.

Sep 21, 2023 •

Chris Dalla Riva

Pirouettes Like Jagger: The Weird World of Ballet Hits

Upon taking up dance, guest writer Catherine Sinow learned of a little-discussed genre known only to ballerinas

Jul 27, 2023 •

Chris Dalla Riva

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