The Sound of Being Human cover art

The Sound of Being Human

How Music Shapes Our Lives

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The Sound of Being Human

By: Jude Rogers
Narrated by: Jude Rogers
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About this listen

The Sound of Being Human explores, in detail, why music plays such a deep-rooted role in so many lives, from before we are born to our last days. At its heart is Jude's own story: how songs helped her wrestle with the grief of losing her father at age five; concoct her own sense of self as a lonely adolescent; sky-rocket her relationships, both real and imagined, in the flushes of early womanhood, propel her own journey into working life, adulthood and parenthood, and look to the future.

Shaped around twelve songs, ranging from ABBA's 'Super Trouper' to Neneh Cherry's 'Buffalo Stance', Kraftwerk's 'Radioactivity' to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' 'Heat Wave', the book combines memoir and historical, scientific and cultural enquiry to show how music can shape different versions of ourselves; how we rely upon music for comfort, for epiphanies, and for sexual and physical connection; how we grow with songs, and songs grow inside us, helping us come to terms with grief, getting older and powerful memories. It is about music's power to help us tell our own stories, whatever they are, and make them sing.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Jude Rogers (P)2022 Orion Publishing Group Limited Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Heartfelt

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All stars
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It took me a little while to get used to the narrators style but once I did I really liked how she left room to consider around her words which really encouraged me to think of some of the songs differently.

For some reason, audio on a few of the chapters was clipped at the end, not sure if there was a glitch but happily it came with PDF backup.

If you love the power of music as an art form you’ll really enjoy this book, as I did.

Lovely balm for music lovers

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Lessons about humanity's multifaceted relationship with song, spliced with wonderful anecdote and feeling. I found the book absolutely fascinating and the musicality of Rogers' voice was like a verbal comfort blanket. I loved the weaving of autobiography through the medium of song. Diolch x

This will change the way you listen to music

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Thoroughly enjoyed this book poignant and truly heartfelt, some really interesting song facts in there

Great read

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This is a beautiful and moving musical memoir,
But Jude Rogers also weaves in some fascinating science about why we listen to music and why it’s important to the human experience.
Plus the featured songs make a very cool playlist.
I also love that she reads it herself, evoking those personal memories and the songs that have meant so much to her. It adds another layer to what is already a superb book.

A brilliant exploration of music and its influence on what it it is to be human

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Such a moving and heartfelt book - I loved every minute of it. If music is something that is woven into the fabric of your being, then I know you’ll enjoy it too.

An utter joy

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This in a fascinating book around the science of music and how we listen to it but it’s best as a story when the author talks about the impact on her life and relationship with her dad. I don’t know anything about the author but found her story compelling and charming.

Music matters

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I had heard Jude Rogers recently talking to Joel Morris on his latest brilliant podcast show which investigates those pieces of music or film that acted like a ‘comfort blanket’ to the interviewee. I had read Jude Rogers’ articles but what struck me here was her dissection of a Wham song. I had recently allowed my inner pop music fan out - I’m nearly 60 and too old to be ‘cool’ anymore - and was walked through why Freedom (the first one) was even better a composition that I had originally realised. And so I thought I had to read her book and promoted it to the top of my Wish List. And I’m so glad I did. This is a beautiful and very personal account - with snippets of neuroscience interwoven to underpin her hypothesis and attempt to grasp why music can mean so much to us - which you either ‘sing along with’, divert off to listen to the ‘tracks of her years’ or simply listen to her homage to music and her dad. Read beautifully as well - voice cracking here and there maybe? - Jude’s lovely Welsh lilt means you read the book just as you were supposed to. Wonderful book, so glad she shared. Stuart

A beautiful and uplifting account

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