Songs

On a spring morning, when every bird seems to be chirping at the same time, European starlings can focus on one song of their own species amid the chatter, Johns Hopkins University scientists have found.The feat parallels the human ability to tune into one conversation at a crowded bar and eventually may offer insight into how babies and toddlers can filter out the patterns of language amid all the background noise.Hopkins scientists made several tapes, combining songs from starlings, brown thrashers, nightingales and mockingbirds.

AMERICA was born singing. The first settlers brought their songs with them, like their language and faith, the clothes they liked and the diet they preferred, the plans for their own style of home. They sang as they prayed. They sang as they worked. And they went on singing in play and courtship, in joyful reunion and in sad isolation.The songs and melodies of old were a comfort to new arrivals in a strange and new world. Each group clung to its traditional music like a security blanket. Only PeterKumpaafter a time were there adaptations and changes, and not until the approach of the Revolutionary War was there a need for new and original American songs.

Even though Raffi has no kids -- in fact, never plans to -- he sure can make you feel like a bad parent.Forget about making sure your children brush their teeth, or go to the best school. The kids' music superstar wants to know if you're doing enough for the environment. And if you're doing enough to ensure that your child's self-esteem is as secure as Barney's.It's not that Raffi thinks parents are slouching. He just believes there's serious work to be done. And kids can help.Raffi started singing in coffeehouses in the late '60s.

Because Mary Chapin Carpenter went from coffeehouse singer to country music star, there has been an ongoing debate over much of the last decade about what her success really means. Some say that Carpenter's success came because she adapted her singer/songwriter ideas to fit country music standards; others argue that Carpenter in fact subverted the Nashville process, and effectively changed country music from within.Carpenter, for her part, merely giggles."I just think it's so funny," she says, stifling a laugh.

Although it's only September, The Last Five Years just might be the best 90 minutes you can spend in a theater this season. Receiving its Baltimore premiere at Everyman Theatre, this modest, two-person musical showcases the abilities of an extraordinary songwriter as well as a talented cast and orchestra. Jason Robert Brown has written only three musicals - Parade, which won him the 1999 Tony Award for best score; a revue, Songs for a New World (produced at the Spotlighters Theatre in July)

Because he himself seems so low-key and likable, it's only natural to assume there's something equally amiable about Tom Petty's songs. They're certainly catchy enough to pass for feel-good rock, and even though they sometimes focus on life's unfortunates, there's never any of the anger or ugliness that marks the work of more anti-social rock stars.Don't be fooled, though. Even though "Wildflowers" (Warner Bros. 45759, arriving in stores today) relies on the same sort of laconic melodies and low-key anomie Petty has used all along, there's a darkness beneath the surface of the music, a sense that people are rotten, life isn't fair, and he isn't surprised by any of it.Thing is, he doesn't actually come out and say any of this.

Go ahead and sue, thousands of Internet users told the Recording Industry Association of America: We're still going to download music files. Grokster, one of the largest services where people swap songs, said last week that there had been no change in the number of people sharing files or the number of files being traded, despite RIAA's threats last month to sue people who share copyrighted music. Wayne Rosso, president of the service, was clearly pleased by the strong support from Grokster's users.

LOS ANGELES - You flip the radio dial and hear a blurry wash of rock guitars. Ah, it's one of the season's signature rock songs, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day. No, wait - isn't that Liam Gallagher's wavering, nasal voice? The song must be the Brit-pop classic "Wonderwall" by Oasis. Hold on - now it sounds like Travis and, uh, can that really be Aerosmith? Don't adjust your radio or bother trying to sing along. You're caught in a mash-up. We live in a culture of reruns, recycling and "re-imaginings," and the example of the moment is the song described above, one of several "mash-ups" that are being played on progressive radio stations in Los Angeles.

Quickly, now: ABBA, Elvis and Gershwin. What do these three have in common? Disparate as their music may sound, all three have supplied the scores for Broadway "songbook" musicals. Sometimes called "trunk" musicals, these are shows in which a plot is grafted onto an existing catalog of songs. By far, the most successful example is Mamma Mia!, a show that has grossed more than $750 million and been seen by more than 10 million people since the original production opened in London five years ago. Eleven productions are now running on stages worldwide, from Las Vegas to Japan.

Suddenly, a Happy Meal doesn't seem like such a brilliant idea. Any schmo can throw a plastic toy in a bag, but it takes genuine passion to open your soul and sing about hash browns, a loyal waitress or a hot cup of joe. So until Ronald McDonald and Mayor McCheese start a garage band to sing about Big Macs, the culturally conscious diner will always opt for a booth near the jukebox at Waffle House, where the syrup and songs both flow sticky and sweet....