Is it the Whiskey or the Wine?

The Sound LA had their "A-Z Week" gimmick goin' on this past week. War's 'Cisco Kid' hit the airwaves on Tuesday. I couldn't get enough volume out of my speakers - it was just phenomenal. The simplicity of the lyrics, the repetition, the phenomenal bridge. It was all there. Check it our for your self:

Mitchell Powers (an old friend – smart guy) once told me that some important person (a beat poet I think, but I'm not sure - it was long time ago we had the conversation) said "music is the only art form you feel inside your body." Because of the fundamental way sound works, sound waves can actually be felt hitting your nerves, creating a unique, body-wide sensation. Years later I brought this little tid-bit up to my wife, the visual artist, and an argument ensued of visual vs. aural arts. I'm not going to go down that road because you can't really compare the two artforms and well, I'm only thinking about the audio arts right now.

So back to War and music that get's the blood brewing. What is it about music that stirs us so?  And as a marketer, can we find that special elixir and bottle it? You may have read Malcolm Gladwell's article on "making hits" using a "The Formula."  Or you may have read the research on "Purchase occasion influence on the role of music in advertising." I'm going to take some to look into this – will be back to discuss! In the mean time, if you have some thoughts/ideas/leads, I'd love to hear about them - please leave your comments.