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The Women Behind The Songs: Ester Dean

Ester Dean arrives for the premiere of Pitch Perfect 3 in Hollywood, Calif. in 2017. Dean's songs give you a three-minute escape from the daily grind. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

The Women Behind The Songs: Ester Dean

Fun, fearless and freethinking, Ester Dean's vivacious personality comes across in her work. The songwriter has written hits for Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry.

The Women Behind The Songs: Ester Dean

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Only Ariana Grande And The Beatles Have Accomplished This Musical Feat

Pop singer Ariana Grande made music history this week. She is the first act to nab the top-three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 since The Beatles in 1964.

Only Ariana Grande And The Beatles Have Accomplished This Musical Feat

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A Thousand People In The Street: 'For What It's Worth' Captured Youth In Revolt

Stephen Stills (left) performs with Buffalo Springfield on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images hide caption

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CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images

American Anthem

A Thousand People In The Street: 'For What It's Worth' Captured Youth In Revolt

Though often associated with the Vietnam War, Buffalo Springfield's signature song was inspired by a confrontation back home, which erupted on a few famous blocks in Los Angeles.

A Thousand People In The Street: 'For What It's Worth' Captured Youth In Revolt

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An Italian Town Fell Silent So The Sounds Of A Stradivarius Could Be Preserved

Wim Janssen, one of the musicians involved in the recording project, plays a viola made by master luthier Girolamo Amati in 1615. Courtesy of Native Instruments hide caption

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Courtesy of Native Instruments

World

An Italian Town Fell Silent So The Sounds Of A Stradivarius Could Be Preserved

The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments — note by note — for posterity.

National

Singer-Songwriter Ryan Adams Faces Allegations Of Emotional Abuse And Harassment

A New York Times report alleges singer-songwriter Ryan Adams emotionally abused women and offered career advances in exchange for sex. NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with reporter Melena Ryzik.

Singer-Songwriter Ryan Adams Faces Allegations Of Emotional Abuse And Harassment

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On Her New Single, Singer-Songwriter TeaMarrr Captures The Hot Mess Of Love

"There was no way I was letting anybody know I wanted to do music, but I just kept getting pushed in musical directions," TeaMarrr says. Tryen Redd/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Tryen Redd/Courtesy of the artist

New Music

On Her New Single, Singer-Songwriter TeaMarrr Captures The Hot Mess Of Love

The songwriting of this Boston-born artist is sly, mellifluous and bitingly honest. Her latest, "Whorey Heart," illustrates the emotive see-saw of trying to cut someone off.

Michelle Obama Didn't Give Her Mom A Heads Up About Her TV Appearance

Former first lady Michelle Obama was on the Grammy Awards over the weekend. Marian Robinson texted her daughter: "I saw it, because (someone else) called me."

Michelle Obama Didn't Give Her Mom A Heads Up About Her TV Appearance

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From Funerals To Festivals, The Curious Journey Of The 'Adagio For Strings'

Dutch superstar DJ Tiesto (seen here performing in Miami in February 2019) released a massively popular electronic reworking of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings in 2005. Paras Griffin/Getty Images for E11EVEN Miami hide caption

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Paras Griffin/Getty Images for E11EVEN Miami

American Anthem

From Funerals To Festivals, The Curious Journey Of The 'Adagio For Strings'

How did Samuel Barber's stirring, lush work for strings — music that has become America's semi-official music of mourning — morph into a beloved and endlessly remixed dance floor anthem?

From Funerals To Festivals, The Curious Journey Of The 'Adagio For Strings'

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The Women Behind The Songs: Holly Knight

Songwriter Holly Knight is known for pushing hitmakers to new heights and depicting female empowerment in her songs. Matthew Beard/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Matthew Beard/Courtesy of the artist

The Women Behind The Songs: Holly Knight

As a songwriter, Knight helped define the sound of '80s pop music. Her songs often felt like feminist anthems, even if they didn't start out that way.

The Women Behind The Songs: Holly Knight

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Gillian Welch And David Rawlings Perform Oscar-Nominated 'Buster Scruggs' Song

David Rawlings and Gillian Welch wrote "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" for the Joel and Ethan Cohen Film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Henry Diltz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Henry Diltz/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Gillian Welch And David Rawlings Perform Oscar-Nominated 'Buster Scruggs' Song

"When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings," originally sung by Tim Blake Nelson and Willie Watson in the film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, gets a delicate reworking ahead of the Oscars.

DJ Marshmello's 'Fornite' Concert Has The Music World Buzzing

What does DJ Marshmello's Fortnite concert mean for the future of music performance? The 10-minute virtual concert was one of the largest digital gatherings ever.

DJ Marshmello's 'Fornite' Concert Has The Music World Buzzing

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Kacey Musgraves And Childish Gambino Win Top Awards At Grammys

Kacey Musgraves won the night's top honor, album of the year, for Golden Hour — which also won country album of the year. Childish Gambino won record and song of the year for "This Is America."

Kacey Musgraves And Childish Gambino Win Top Awards At Grammys

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