This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You
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- Create Date：2022-10-18 07:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Susan Rogers
- ISBN：0393541258
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Summary
This Is What It Sounds Like is a journey into the science and soul of music that reveals the secrets of why your favorite songs move you。 But it’s also a story of a musical trailblazer who began as a humble audio tech in Los Angeles to became Prince’s chief engineer for Purple Rain， and then create other No。 1 hits （including Barenaked Ladies' "One Week"） as one of the most successful female record producers of all time。
Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience， Susan Rogers leads readers to musical self-awareness。 She explains that we each possess a unique “listener profile” based on our brain’s natural response to seven key dimensions of any song。 Are you someone who prefers lyrics or melody？ Do you like music “above the neck” （intellectually stimulating）， or “below the neck” （instinctual and rhythmic）？ Whether your taste is esoteric or mainstream， Rogers guides readers to recognize their musical personality， and offers language to describe one's own unique taste。 Like most of us， Rogers is not a musician， but she shows that all of us can be musical—simply by being an active， passionate listener。
While exploring the science of music and the brain， Rogers also takes us behind the scenes of record-making， using her insider’s ear to illuminate the music of Prince， Frank Sinatra， Kanye West， Lana Del Rey， and many others。 She shares records that changed her life， contrasts them with those that appeal to her coauthor and students， and encourages you to think about the records that define your own identity。
Told in a lively and inclusive style， This Is What It Sounds Like will refresh your playlists， deepen your connection to your favorite artists， and change the way you listen to music。
Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience， Susan Rogers leads readers to musical self-awareness。 She explains that we each possess a unique “listener profile” based on our brain’s natural response to seven key dimensions of any song。 Are you someone who prefers lyrics or melody？ Do you like music “above the neck” （intellectually stimulating）， or “below the neck” （instinctual and rhythmic）？ Whether your taste is esoteric or mainstream， Rogers guides readers to recognize their musical personality， and offers language to describe one's own unique taste。 Like most of us， Rogers is not a musician， but she shows that all of us can be musical—simply by being an active， passionate listener。
While exploring the science of music and the brain， Rogers also takes us behind the scenes of record-making， using her insider’s ear to illuminate the music of Prince， Frank Sinatra， Kanye West， Lana Del Rey， and many others。 She shares records that changed her life， contrasts them with those that appeal to her coauthor and students， and encourages you to think about the records that define your own identity。
Told in a lively and inclusive style， This Is What It Sounds Like will refresh your playlists， deepen your connection to your favorite artists， and change the way you listen to music。
Reviews
Alexis Petty
，
4。5
elif
，
Listening to music is my favorite pastime: whether I'm listening to music while at work， on the commute， or at home reading a book， music is all around me and I've made it my hobby to learn what everybody else is listening to， where the songs and artists fall in music history， and artists they're inspired by and similar to。 In this regard， This Is What It Sounds Like was a match made in heaven: each chapter describes the brain science behind registering and processing music with easy prose， apt Listening to music is my favorite pastime: whether I'm listening to music while at work， on the commute， or at home reading a book， music is all around me and I've made it my hobby to learn what everybody else is listening to， where the songs and artists fall in music history， and artists they're inspired by and similar to。 In this regard， This Is What It Sounds Like was a match made in heaven: each chapter describes the brain science behind registering and processing music with easy prose， apt anecdotes， and plenty examples to compare to。 Rogers and Ogis made an amazing job at conveying the information given， and the love for music really shines through， especially from Rogers。 All to the end I wasn't sure if I had a sweet spot with novelty and timbre and whatnot - I listen to so much music and I like so much of it - but then I decided to give one of the songs mentioned a chance: "Mojo Pin" by Jeff Buckley。 The song was so overwhelming that I had to stop everything I was doing and close my eyes and take it all in。 That's when everything the book was talking about clicked to place。 。。。more
Deb Spiers
，
I have always loved music while I have absolutely no musical ability beyond an understanding of how to read music （which is really more math than art）…this book helped me understand my limitations （not tone deaf， but cannot sing nor discern a beat） and made me think more about Why I love certain records…I listened to the book， but wish I had read it…
Melissa
，
When it comes to music， I have always considered myself a bit of a simpleton。 I liked pop music when I was a kid and I still do。 Being so self-conscious about my taste in music， a book about music tastes normally wouldn't be a book I would even give a second thought。 But there is one major factor about this book that made it a "must-read" for me， it is co-written by Susan Rogers who was Prince's engineer during his high period of 1983 to 1987。 （The title This is What it Sounds Like is a nice hom When it comes to music， I have always considered myself a bit of a simpleton。 I liked pop music when I was a kid and I still do。 Being so self-conscious about my taste in music， a book about music tastes normally wouldn't be a book I would even give a second thought。 But there is one major factor about this book that made it a "must-read" for me， it is co-written by Susan Rogers who was Prince's engineer during his high period of 1983 to 1987。 （The title This is What it Sounds Like is a nice homage to the Prince's song， This is What It Feels Like off of his 2014 Art Official Age album）。 I came for the kernels of information about Prince （which there are many and they are amazing）， but I stayed to learn the neuroscience behind why people are drawn to particular songs。 I learned a lot about myself。 I tend like songs that have strong rhythm （more hips than head & heart）。This book would be a personal journey for anyone who listens to music。 。。。more
Olga
，
I don’t know， it felt like everything was overly simplified， like I couldn’t dig deep into any concept。 I didn’t learn anything， it didn’t spark any joy， inspiration， or curiosity。 The title definitely overpromises compared to what we can actually find in the book。
Lindsey Thomas
，
Not rating， because while it was done very well and I learned some things and it made me appreciate music and the production of it even more， I sometimes wondered why any of us need to know some of these things instead of just enjoying the grooves。 So I enjoyed my time listening to it and alternating it with the corresponding playlist on Spotify， and I’m deeply impressed by the author/narrator as a person and music professional， but it does read more like a text book than what I generally prefer Not rating， because while it was done very well and I learned some things and it made me appreciate music and the production of it even more， I sometimes wondered why any of us need to know some of these things instead of just enjoying the grooves。 So I enjoyed my time listening to it and alternating it with the corresponding playlist on Spotify， and I’m deeply impressed by the author/narrator as a person and music professional， but it does read more like a text book than what I generally prefer in my nonfiction。 I feel like I earned a college credit！ 。。。more
Sharman
，
A terrific book that helps you understand how and why some records makes you swoon and others make you retch。There's a playlist for each chapter that was very helpful in understanding the points that author， Susan Rogers was writing about。 A terrific book that helps you understand how and why some records makes you swoon and others make you retch。There's a playlist for each chapter that was very helpful in understanding the points that author， Susan Rogers was writing about。 。。。more
Ryan Miller
，
Read with headphones and your favorite streaming music service。 The authors do a credible job of connecting the scientific with the artistic to determine how to self-analyze the music that hits our sweet spots。 Thoroughly enjoyable for musicians and music lovers。
Claudia
，
At first the book seemed to be written from the perspective of a listener， but not long before changing to the author's perspective。 I must say， I was curious to learn about my listener's profile， but all I got was the author's。Here's the premise:"The dimensions of your listener profile [authenticity， realism， novelty， melody， lyrics， rhythm， and timbre] serve as distinctive routes through which your body and brain can fall in love with a piece of music。 Each dimension contains a personal， neura At first the book seemed to be written from the perspective of a listener， but not long before changing to the author's perspective。 I must say， I was curious to learn about my listener's profile， but all I got was the author's。Here's the premise:"The dimensions of your listener profile [authenticity， realism， novelty， melody， lyrics， rhythm， and timbre] serve as distinctive routes through which your body and brain can fall in love with a piece of music。 Each dimension contains a personal， neural "sweet spot" where music can provide you with your deepest experience of musical joy。This leads to a natural question， the question that drives this book: What is it about you that makes you feel the thrill of resonance when you hear one record but the chill of apathy when you hear another？ [。。。] More simply， what makes a person fall in love with a record？"But there is no scientific answer to that。 Not to mention that the subtitle of the book is completely misleading: there is nothing to explain what says about any of us the music we love。 There are numerous examples of what the author， and her co-author， and some of her students like， and why they like it， but that's pretty much all。At one point， the author says that music that evokes memories are best loved。 I can't speak for others， but I have a strong feeling that is not the case for the vast majority of music lovers。 Maybe just those who are in a bad time of their lives that hear a song which evokes good past times， and they love it for that。"We each seek out different sorts of experiences and emotional rewards from our musical encounters。 Some listeners favor songs that evoke sweet nostalgia， while others crave a groove that matches their inner rhythm。 Some listeners prefer to let their imaginations wander freely when they enjoy their favorite records， while others visualize specific scenes evoked by a song's lyrics。 Some listeners covet innovative sound design， while for others it's all about that bass。"That's obvious， isn't it？ But I'm a bit of all of the above， with a sweet spot for bass guitar and drums。 The book doesn't mention any of it。The records selected as exemplification in regard to different styles， instruments used， timbre， and other traits are chosen from just a few genres， and the most majority （if not almost all） are american musicians。 The author loves most soul， blues， and jazz， and those are the most discussed records。 Also， there are plenty of memories from her times as a producer， which didn't add any value to the topic。 The neuroscience is tangential， at best。 There are very few scientific explanations on how the brain works when listening to music， and those mostly feel like phrases from a learning book thrown in here， to sound more pompous。 I'm disappointed， to say the least。 The book should have been entitled: My memories from the music industry: what I did and who I worked with， and then I wouldn't have picked it。 If interested， there is a site dedicated to this book， with links to some subjects addressed briefly in the book， and the playlist chosen for each chapter: https://www。thisiswhatitsoundslike。com/But if you want a really good book on the topic， I wholeheartedly recommend Music， Math， and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music， by David Sulzer， aka Dave Soldier， who activates in the same music industry。>>> ARC received thanks to Random House UK， Vintage， Bodley Head via NetGalley <<< 。。。more
Least
，
There was much to enjoy here。 I liked the idea of the book， and learning a bit about being a music producer and a lot about the facets of music that might affect your reception to it。 And I enjoyed the author’s enthusiasm for music that reminded me of my own， and her total lack of snobbery。 But I kept finding bits that just didn’t apply to me so I’m not sure to what degree the information presented here is universal。
Katie Clarke
，
DNF。 The writing was a little difficult to get through。
Spadge Nunn
，
“Gaining insight into a friend’s musical tastes can be an intimate experience that reveals how they see themselves in relation to the world， the value of aesthetic experiences in their lives， or who they want to be when they grow up （or who they wanted to be）。”Well first of all， this book has changed how I will listen to music forever… （in the best way！）Second of all， I think every book should now come with an accompanying playlist。 It was such a wonderfully immersive and educational experience “Gaining insight into a friend’s musical tastes can be an intimate experience that reveals how they see themselves in relation to the world， the value of aesthetic experiences in their lives， or who they want to be when they grow up （or who they wanted to be）。”Well first of all， this book has changed how I will listen to music forever… （in the best way！）Second of all， I think every book should now come with an accompanying playlist。 It was such a wonderfully immersive and educational experience to be able to hear and understand what was being discussed in the text。 The satisfying effect blew my mind， honestly。 I get why this book was called “This is what it sounds like” （the author is a talented female music producer / professor who worked with Prince for years） but it’s more accurately a book that explains technically， physically and scientifically， why we ‘fall in love at first listen’ with certain songs。 A recipe that is， of course， unique to us all。 Music taste says so much about us; our incredibly individual lives and experiences shape the kind of listeners we become， but this book dives into the production techniques that helps music pass through our ears and straight into our hearts。“Every deviation from our rhythmic predictions feels like watching a magician make a card disappear。”Ooft。 Enticing， yes？ Music is so intimate。 And our expectations can be fulfilled or violated in a split second。 Music production really is such an exact science， a specialist skill that I never fully appreciated until reading this book。I highly recommend delving inside it， too。 。。。more
Annarella
，
This is an interesting book if you are a music lover interested in learning what happens in your brain when you listen to music。It's a well researched and informative book even if a bit too technical at times。I recommend it if you are interested in neuroscience and musicMany thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine This is an interesting book if you are a music lover interested in learning what happens in your brain when you listen to music。It's a well researched and informative book even if a bit too technical at times。I recommend it if you are interested in neuroscience and musicMany thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Laurel
，
Not my cup of reading tea 🍵I’ve just been brainwashed by copious listening of BTS， IU， SNSD， CNBLUE and other Korean artists — and lots of pop rock along the way sprinkled with musical soundtracks and Top 40 hits - I’m not that musically deep。
Amy Lively
，
We don’t choose the music we prefer any more than we choose our hair color or height。 We are just prewired to like — or not — the music we hear。 I don’t know a thing about neuroscience， so the fact that I could follow along with this book at all is a testament to how the authors make this information accessible。 What really made it click was the part about music being on the same realism/abstract spectrum as other art。 I， apparently， am a realist and that is what shapes my musical tastes。 It mak We don’t choose the music we prefer any more than we choose our hair color or height。 We are just prewired to like — or not — the music we hear。 I don’t know a thing about neuroscience， so the fact that I could follow along with this book at all is a testament to how the authors make this information accessible。 What really made it click was the part about music being on the same realism/abstract spectrum as other art。 I， apparently， am a realist and that is what shapes my musical tastes。 It makes so much sense now！My takeaway is not to be a music snob。 We all have a sweet spot for music and you aren’t any more refined or knowledgeable because you don’t like pop or think disco sucks。 If you are a music nerd， I recommend this and I especially recommend stopping to listen to the songs that are suggested to illustrate the authors’ points。 It’s like a little musicology course and definitely has me thinking about the songs that I love and why I love them。 。。。more
Sharyn
，
I am currently at 25% in this book and what was interesting and engaging is turning into a bit of a slog。 The science is getting deeper and whilst quite interesting it's not what I really want to read。 Susan Rogers has had an interesting life in music and it was the mention of Prince and the Purple Rain album that drew me in to request the ARC from NetGalley。 Well researched and one I shall leave on my kindle and probably go back to after a break。 I am currently at 25% in this book and what was interesting and engaging is turning into a bit of a slog。 The science is getting deeper and whilst quite interesting it's not what I really want to read。 Susan Rogers has had an interesting life in music and it was the mention of Prince and the Purple Rain album that drew me in to request the ARC from NetGalley。 Well researched and one I shall leave on my kindle and probably go back to after a break。 。。。more
Gem ~
，
I love my music and have quite a varied taste in genres and eras so to read this book where Susan Rogers explains the neuroscience， psychology and other factors that influence your listener profile to create personal tastes and reactions to records & songs。 Very interesting and with lots of little snippets of insider gossip & a playlist you can listen along to with all the references I thoroughly enjoyed this book
Innerspaceboy
，
I've just read Susan Rogers' new book， This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Love Says About You。 Special thanks to my librarian cousin for the recommendation！ The book is written in an accessible style to readily aid any music lover in discovering their unique “listener profile。” I'll share my results from reading the text as an example of what you'll find。 Check it out at Innerspace Labs！ https://innerspacelabs。wordpress。com/。。。 I've just read Susan Rogers' new book， This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Love Says About You。 Special thanks to my librarian cousin for the recommendation！ The book is written in an accessible style to readily aid any music lover in discovering their unique “listener profile。” I'll share my results from reading the text as an example of what you'll find。 Check it out at Innerspace Labs！ https://innerspacelabs。wordpress。com/。。。 。。。more
Steve Garfield
，
This book made little sense to me。 The author sounded more like a silly groupie than a professor。 Nothing about this book spoke to me。 A study of why intellectuals like bad music maybe？
Samantha
，
This is a really intriguing read if you love music and I certainly learned a lot from it， even if I’m still not sure how to answer the question of why I like the music that I do。The book sets out to answer exactly that question。 And while I learned a lot about subjective taste and some terrific stuff on the tech side of music， I’m not sure the book ever got around to satisfactorily answering its own central query。That said， it’s a fascinating read anyway， and highly informative particularly if y This is a really intriguing read if you love music and I certainly learned a lot from it， even if I’m still not sure how to answer the question of why I like the music that I do。The book sets out to answer exactly that question。 And while I learned a lot about subjective taste and some terrific stuff on the tech side of music， I’m not sure the book ever got around to satisfactorily answering its own central query。That said， it’s a fascinating read anyway， and highly informative particularly if you’re interested in psycho acoustics。The book’s interactive components are compelling as well。 Stopping to listen to the selected pieces of music as instructed by the author greatly enhances the experience of reading the book， though be warned: many of the interactive elements for which the author directs the reader to go to the book’s website are not actually there。 This ends up being pretty disappointing when you’re intrigued enough by the premise to go and hunt these things down as directed。Rogers does a great job of featuring an excellent variety of music to illustrate her points， and I loved the experience of listening to unfamiliar tracks as well as seeing old favorites used to demonstrate a concept。 Although I still can’t for the life of me understand the appeal of Old Town Road。*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Ritu Bhathal
，
An interesting book about the psyche behind your favourite music， and why that may be the case。Definitely one for the hardcore music fans。It was good to listen to the music and songs referred to in the chapters to deepen the experience。Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。
Rebecca Matchette
，
Got a bit technical in places but just means I need to learn more！ Would have been nice to have a 'quiz' associated to get a better understanding without having to know all that a sound technician and producer knows！ Loved references to various songs and learning about the creative process of working with musicians。 If you a music lover， this a must read。 Got a bit technical in places but just means I need to learn more！ Would have been nice to have a 'quiz' associated to get a better understanding without having to know all that a sound technician and producer knows！ Loved references to various songs and learning about the creative process of working with musicians。 If you a music lover， this a must read。 。。。more
Amy Ellis
，
This was an interesting look at how neuroscience can explain our music preferences and how specific parts of music resonate more or less with listeners （authenticity， lyrics， rhythm， timbre， melody， novelty， and realism）。 When it comes down to it， musical preference can be as unexplainable and as unique as our personalities。 While I wish there were more examples of records and listener profiles， I found this whole book really fascinating， and it made me think a lot about why my favorite songs ar This was an interesting look at how neuroscience can explain our music preferences and how specific parts of music resonate more or less with listeners （authenticity， lyrics， rhythm， timbre， melody， novelty， and realism）。 When it comes down to it， musical preference can be as unexplainable and as unique as our personalities。 While I wish there were more examples of records and listener profiles， I found this whole book really fascinating， and it made me think a lot about why my favorite songs are so meaningful to me。 。。。more
Susan
，
If you've ever wondered why a specific record gives you goosebumps， but has no effect whatsoever on your friend， this is the book for you。 Rogers， who engineered records for Prince， Barenaked Ladies and many others， describes the seven key attributes of a given record （authenticity， realism， novelty， rhythm， melody， lyrics and timbre） and provides examples for the extremes of each， so you can develop your own "listener profile。" She lost me a little when she got all science-y about our brain's v If you've ever wondered why a specific record gives you goosebumps， but has no effect whatsoever on your friend， this is the book for you。 Rogers， who engineered records for Prince， Barenaked Ladies and many others， describes the seven key attributes of a given record （authenticity， realism， novelty， rhythm， melody， lyrics and timbre） and provides examples for the extremes of each， so you can develop your own "listener profile。" She lost me a little when she got all science-y about our brain's various areas and neural pathways， but considering she started college in her 40s and is now a professor of cognitive neuroscience， she's allowed to show off a bit。 There is a website associated with the book that has links to all of the songs that are mentioned; check it out to listen to old and possibly new favorites。 。。。more
Caitie
，
Gaining insight into a friend’s musical tastes can be an intimate experience that reveals how they see themselves in relation to the world， the value of aesthetic experiences in their lives， or who they want to be when they grow up （or who they wanted to be）。Your random neural wiring， your exposure to musical culture in the time and place you grew up， and the sheer chance of hearing this record and not that record at crucial moments in your life all shaped the kind of listener you are and influe Gaining insight into a friend’s musical tastes can be an intimate experience that reveals how they see themselves in relation to the world， the value of aesthetic experiences in their lives， or who they want to be when they grow up （or who they wanted to be）。Your random neural wiring， your exposure to musical culture in the time and place you grew up， and the sheer chance of hearing this record and not that record at crucial moments in your life all shaped the kind of listener you are and influenced the kind of music you can fall in love with。I had never thought about how specific music impacts your brain before I saw this book。 And it was incredibly fascinating to me to learn that music impacts your brain in a specific way because everyone's brain is literally wired differently。。。so someone might like the Beatles and another person might like the Rolling Stones better。 Super interesting！ Highly recommend this one！ 。。。more
Olive Fellows （abookolive）
，
This book is my JAM！Click here to hear my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel， abookolive！ This book is my JAM！Click here to hear my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel， abookolive！ 。。。more
Ben
，
Thanks to W。W。 Norton and NetGalley for an ARC of this bookI came into this book， based on the subtitle， thinking it was going to be a bunch of pop science "here's a bunch of neuroscience on why your brain like melodies that do [thing]， but DOESN'T like melodies that sound [other thing]" in a very music primer-y way that ultimately feels dated in a few years。 I should have known better with someone like Susan Rogers behind the mixing board。This is a great book if you want to become a better list Thanks to W。W。 Norton and NetGalley for an ARC of this bookI came into this book， based on the subtitle， thinking it was going to be a bunch of pop science "here's a bunch of neuroscience on why your brain like melodies that do [thing]， but DOESN'T like melodies that sound [other thing]" in a very music primer-y way that ultimately feels dated in a few years。 I should have known better with someone like Susan Rogers behind the mixing board。This is a great book if you want to become a better listener of music。 Susan and her co-author break down the different "layers" of what makes up a song - both the actual melody/rhythm/timbre for sure， but also what your brain registers as "authenticity"， and what a producer brings to the mix - and why that affects the sort of music you like。 It's accessible and smart without talking down to those of us with musical theory training。 The final section where a bunch of different listeners each talk about a song that has meaning to them sort of lost me after an otherwise stellar beginning， but there's a lot to like here that goes much deeper than a project with this sort of topic would be expected to go。 。。。more
Latitude
，
This book is incredible， and I find myself wanting to reference it all the time。 I loved finding out all about what makes a person tick with regards to music， and these two authors are conversational and include anecdotes as well as serious science and studies。 The result is a book that’s approachable， really cool， and seriously interesting。 I do recommend keeping an open musical mind and your phone with you to look up the songs referenced。 Four and a half stars， rounded up。
Janice Fitzgerald
，
Brilliant
Kuki
，