---
product_id: 7708617
title: "The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature"
price: "€ 33.00"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/7708617-the-world-in-six-songs-how-the-musical-brain-created
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature

**Price:** € 33.00
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## Description

The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature [Levitin, Daniel J.] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature

Review: Great Book - This book was one of the best I have ever read about song, the psychology of song, and the import of song in society and the development of civilization. The book is well-written, informative, thought-provoking and fun-to-read. I particularly enjoyed Daniel Levitin's use of current songs to exemplify the points he is making. I am now able to think about music, and song in particular, with an historical lens, a clearer view and a broadened perspective. I would also highly recommend Daniel Levitin's "This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsessession." It's another fascinating book to be savored. Can't wait for Daniel Levitin's next book.
Review: Songs in the key of life - This fascinating book explores the powerful force music has played in shaping our common humanity. It's evolution, with a backbeat. Author Levitin makes the case that six basic types of songs have existed throughout the course of human history, all over the world. Mankind, apparently, shares a soundtrack. The six broad categories of music are songs about friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love. Each has a different function, but all serve to bind us together. They make us stronger as a species. Levitin, a musician and scientist, cites anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, neurosurgeons, psychologists, and many famous musicians in this book. He includes lyrics from a great range of songs, including "At Seventeen," "The Hokey Pokey," "I Walk the Line," "Twist and Shout," and "Log Blues" from Ren & Stimpy. Music can be so evocative. A snippet of song can take you back to the exact moment you heard it in childhood or high school or whenever. It's like there is a direct link that exists in the human brain between music and memory. This books tells us that Americans spend more money on music than they do on prescription drugs or sex, and the average American hears more than five hours of music per day. It's obviously important to us. After reading The World in Six Songs, you'll have a much better idea why. Here's the chapter list: 1. Taking It from the Top or "The Hills Are Alive..." 2. Friendship or "War (What Is It Good For)?" 3. Joy or "Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut" 4. Comfort or "Before There Was Prozac, There Was You" 5. Knowledge or "I Need to Know" 6. Religion or "People Get Ready" 7. Love or "Bring `Em All In"

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #197,107 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #34 in Physics of Acoustics & Sound (Books) #195 in Music History & Criticism (Books) #491 in Biology (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (245) |
| Dimensions  | 5.3 x 0.81 x 7.96 inches |
| ISBN-10  | 0452295483 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0452295483 |
| Item Weight  | 10.4 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 384 pages |
| Publication date  | July 28, 2009 |
| Publisher  | Dutton |

## Images

![The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718bMf8kD5L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Book
*by L***I on October 6, 2009*

This book was one of the best I have ever read about song, the psychology of song, and the import of song in society and the development of civilization. The book is well-written, informative, thought-provoking and fun-to-read. I particularly enjoyed Daniel Levitin's use of current songs to exemplify the points he is making. I am now able to think about music, and song in particular, with an historical lens, a clearer view and a broadened perspective. I would also highly recommend Daniel Levitin's "This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsessession." It's another fascinating book to be savored. Can't wait for Daniel Levitin's next book.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Songs in the key of life
*by J***L on August 24, 2008*

This fascinating book explores the powerful force music has played in shaping our common humanity. It's evolution, with a backbeat. Author Levitin makes the case that six basic types of songs have existed throughout the course of human history, all over the world. Mankind, apparently, shares a soundtrack. The six broad categories of music are songs about friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love. Each has a different function, but all serve to bind us together. They make us stronger as a species. Levitin, a musician and scientist, cites anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, neurosurgeons, psychologists, and many famous musicians in this book. He includes lyrics from a great range of songs, including "At Seventeen," "The Hokey Pokey," "I Walk the Line," "Twist and Shout," and "Log Blues" from Ren & Stimpy. Music can be so evocative. A snippet of song can take you back to the exact moment you heard it in childhood or high school or whenever. It's like there is a direct link that exists in the human brain between music and memory. This books tells us that Americans spend more money on music than they do on prescription drugs or sex, and the average American hears more than five hours of music per day. It's obviously important to us. After reading The World in Six Songs, you'll have a much better idea why. Here's the chapter list: 1. Taking It from the Top or "The Hills Are Alive..." 2. Friendship or "War (What Is It Good For)?" 3. Joy or "Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut" 4. Comfort or "Before There Was Prozac, There Was You" 5. Knowledge or "I Need to Know" 6. Religion or "People Get Ready" 7. Love or "Bring `Em All In"

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The World in Six Songs, by Daniel Levitin
*by A***0 on September 25, 2009*

This is an enjoyable, very interesting and thought-provoking book by someone who knows music from both the commercial/industry and scientific sides. Levitin advances a number of ideas, based largely on science, but which really amount to conjecture -- he doesn't posit them, but he repeats them often enough that it is clear that he really believes them. I found a number of these ideas to be plausible but not necessarily convincing. This is not a criticism, but rather to say that I have other ideas and/or am not so sure that his conjectures are right. Indeed, some of these ideas seem downright simplistic. More of a criticism -- though this may be a criticism of me, not Levitin -- is that he extensively makes references to contemporary popular music and musicians to give examples of what he is writing. Being raised on classical music, I found most of these examples useless. I haven't read it, but, from what I have heard, another of Levitin's books, "This Is Your Brain on Music," sounds like a better and more scientifically based book. I intend to read it next.

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*Last updated: 2026-02-27*