Narrowing 27 songs down to 10 was a challenge! I considered using some sort of bracket or system to rank them, but ultimately I listened to them all and then went with my gut. I tried to choose songs that represent a range of human feelings and emotions and didn’t worry about the presence of vocals or language and considered them as an instrument since it’s unlikely that any life form stumbling on the record would have a shared language with a culture on Earth. My selections were:

  • Senegal, percussion, recorded by Charles Duvelle. 
  • Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México. 
  • Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor. 
  • “Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry.
  • Stravinsky, Rite of Spring, Sacrificial Dance, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Igor Stravinsky, conductor.
  • Holborne, Paueans, Galliards, Almains and Other Short Aeirs, “The Fairie Round,” performed by David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London.
  • Mozart, The Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria, no. 14. Edda Moser, soprano. Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor.
  • Bulgaria, “Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin,” sung by Valya Balkanska.
  • “Melancholy Blues,” performed by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven.
  • India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar. 

Focusing on how the music felt and the emotions or mood conveyed made the most sense to me rather than trying to represent specific geographical areas, languages, or genres of music. I recently listened to a You’re Wrong About podcast episode about the heavy metal Senate hearings that featured Tipper Gore, Dee Snider, Frank Zappa, and others. One fact that stayed with me from this episode is that research that looked at the effect of heavy metal music on aggression found no difference in the effects of traditional heavy metal and heavy metal with Christian lyrics and themes. That affirmed my decision to treat any singing as an instrument and to try to disregard the lyrics when making my decisions about songs. 

So I went with my gut to choose songs that represented the human experience and its range of emotions.