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Music Features

Sunday

In New Orleans, 'Indian Red' Is The Anthemic Sound Of Tradition

Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (right) and members of his Golden Eagles tribe in March 2019 in New Orleans. Erika Goldring/Getty Images hide caption

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Erika Goldring/Getty Images

American Anthem

In New Orleans, 'Indian Red' Is The Anthemic Sound Of Tradition

African-Americans in the city have paraded in spectacular regalia inspired by Native American motifs for more than a century. The song of the Mardi Gras Indians exudes joy, defiance — and mystery.

In New Orleans, 'Indian Red' Is The Anthemic Sound Of Tradition

Listen · 8:44
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Friday

As 'Gully Boy' Inches Indian Hip-Hop Into The Mainstream, Its Underground Soldiers On

Ranveer Singh, one of the stars of the recent film Gully Boy, at a publicity event in Mumbai on Jan. 9, 2019. The film has put a spotlight on Indian hip-hop, to the chagrin of some working in it. Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty Images

As 'Gully Boy' Inches Indian Hip-Hop Into The Mainstream, Its Underground Soldiers On

A new Bollywood hit may have been based on their lives, but the rappers and producers of India's hip-hop underground saw no money, and little exposure, from it. And they don't seem to care.

Tuesday

What Does 'Born In The U.S.A.' Really Mean?

Bruce Springsteen onstage during the Born in the U.S.A. Tour in 1984. Shinko Music/Getty Images hide caption

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Shinko Music/Getty Images

American Anthem

What Does 'Born In The U.S.A.' Really Mean?

It's not enough to say the Bruce Springsteen hit is misunderstood. Its contrasts — between grim verses and a joyous chorus, damning facts and fierce pride — are what give it its anthemic power.

What Does 'Born In The U.S.A.' Really Mean?

Listen · 7:01
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Friday

Jenny Lewis Puts Her Emotions 'On The Line': 'It Can Get Ugly Sometimes'

Jenny Lewis returns with On The Line, out now. Autumn De Wilde/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Autumn De Wilde/Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Jenny Lewis Puts Her Emotions 'On The Line': 'It Can Get Ugly Sometimes'

Lewis speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about the catharsis of making her latest album, On the Line, and grappling with accusations made against her album collaborator, Ryan Adams.

Jenny Lewis Puts Her Emotions 'On The Line': 'It Can Get Ugly Sometimes'

Listen · 6:46
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The Old Disappearing-Reappearing Band Trick

Duster was one of hundreds of bands in the late 1990s who made music that was loved by a small audience, then disbanded and assumed its story was over. Then a new generation of fans discovered the band. Courtesy of Numero Group hide caption

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Courtesy of Numero Group

The Old Disappearing-Reappearing Band Trick

Duster released a few space-rock records at the turn of the millennium then nearly disappeared. Then, somehow, a small, devoted group of fans from an entirely different generation found the band.

Wednesday

Sunday

Nat King Cole Still Remains 'One Of The Great Gifts Of Nature' 100 Years Later

Nat King Cole plays with his jazz orchestra on the stage of The Apollo Theater, in Harlem, N.Y. in the 1950s. Eric Schwab/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Eric Schwab/AFP/Getty Images

Music News

Nat King Cole Still Remains 'One Of The Great Gifts Of Nature' 100 Years Later

The jazz legend and barrier breaker was born on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Ala.

Nat King Cole Still Remains 'One Of The Great Gifts Of Nature' 100 Years Later

Listen · 7:03
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Friday

Thursday

How 'This Land Is Your Land' Roamed And Rambled Into American Life

Woody Guthrie circa 1940. Al Aumuller/Courtesy of Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. hide caption

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Al Aumuller/Courtesy of Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc.

American Anthem

How 'This Land Is Your Land' Roamed And Rambled Into American Life

Woody Guthrie was born into the Dust Bowl's devastation and displacement. His signature song, taught in classrooms and sung at protests, offers an expansive, inclusive idea of what home can be.

How 'This Land Is Your Land' Roamed And Rambled Into American Life

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Tuesday

Friday

At 92, The Man Who Wrote The Book On Berlioz Resumes His Case

French composer Hector Berlioz died 150 years ago. He has been a lifelong favorite of the British author David Cairns, who wrote Berlioz's biography and edited and translated his memoirs. Émile Signol/Académie française/Villa Médicis, Rome hide caption

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Émile Signol/Académie française/Villa Médicis, Rome

Deceptive Cadence

At 92, The Man Who Wrote The Book On Berlioz Resumes His Case

To mark the sesquicentennial of the composer's death — and a new box set of recordings — Berlioz biographer David Cairns celebrates the one-time musical misfit from France.

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday