Will you help us hit our goal? We’re aiming to add 4,500 contributions in the next 30 days, to help keep Vox free.

Earworm

Estelle Caswell takes you on a musical journey to discover the stories and sounds behind your favorite songs. Watch Earworm on Vox's YouTube channel and subscribe for updates.

Truck driver against a vinyl record spinning backdrop

How trucker country music became a ’70s fad

Long-haul truckers were once country music’s heroes.

By Estelle Caswell and Antonella Crescimbeni

Teddy Pendergrass and Aretha Franklin sing against a glowing radio wave backdrop

How slow jams took over the radio

Quiet Storm is a staple of late-night Black radio.

By Estelle Caswell

Alisa Weilerstein plays the cello

That famous cello prelude, deconstructed

By Estelle Caswell January 31, 2020

Astroworld album cover

Where Sicko Mode’s weirdest moments came from

By Estelle Caswell and Tyrice Hester August 20, 2019

Marvin Gaye belts a high note

We measured pop music’s falsetto obsession

By Estelle Caswell and Tyrice Hester August 13, 2019

How Chicago built house music from the ashes of disco

By Estelle Caswell and Tyrice Hester July 16, 2019

Stevie Wonder’s irresistible ode to jazz, explained

By Estelle Caswell and Tyrice Hester July 5, 2019

The devilish history of the explicit lyrics sticker

By Estelle Caswell and Mona Lalwani April 26, 2019

Why disco made pop songs longer

By Estelle Caswell April 26, 2019

How smooth jazz took over ’90s radio

By Estelle Caswell January 5, 2019

How one designer created the “look” of jazz

By Estelle Caswell January 2, 2019

The most feared song in jazz, explained

By Estelle Caswell December 4, 2018

Does the USA need a new national anthem?

By Joss Fong and Estelle Caswell July 4, 2018

Here’s how you can trace an ’80s hip-hop beat back to 1910

By Rani Molla May 30, 2018

The sound that connects Stravinsky to Bruno Mars

By Estelle Caswell May 17, 2018

How this legendary hip-hop producer humanized a machine

By Estelle Caswell December 6, 2017

Why this awful-sounding album is a masterpiece

By Estelle Caswell October 28, 2017

Why we really, really, really like repetition in music

By Estelle Caswell October 13, 2017

How the triplet flow took over rap

By Estelle Caswell September 18, 2017

Why more pop songs should end with a fade out

By Estelle Caswell September 1, 2017

How a recording studio mishap shaped ’80s music

By Estelle Caswell August 18, 2017

The secret rhythm in Radiohead’s “Videotape”

By Estelle Caswell August 4, 2017

How sign language innovators are bringing music to the deaf

By Estelle Caswell March 27, 2017

How Grey Poupon became hip-hop’s favorite condiment

By Estelle Caswell and Sarah Frostenson October 12, 2016

Kanye deconstructed: the human voice as the ultimate instrument

By Estelle Caswell September 1, 2016

Why so many queer female characters die on TV

By Estelle Caswell and Caroline Framke July 13, 2016

How They Might Be Giants influenced art-rapper Open Mike Eagle

By Estelle Caswell June 7, 2016

Rapping, deconstructed: the best rhymers of all time

By Estelle Caswell May 19, 2016

A guide to Broad City's weird and wonderful world of jokes

By Caroline Framke and Estelle Caswell April 20, 2016

Comedian Lauren Lapkus’s oddball characters, in 3 minutes

By Estelle Caswell March 31, 2016

The famous dream sequence from Vertigo referenced in Pushing Daisies.

28 times TV winked at its favorite films

By Estelle Caswell March 18, 2016

Rihanna preforming "Diamonds" at SNL.

How seapunk went from meme to mainstream

By Estelle Caswell February 29, 2016