Music

Scars on Broadway American rock band formed by Daron Malakian as a side project of System of a Down members, blending alternative metal, hard rock and experimental influences with shifting lineups a…

Scat singing Scat singing is a vocal jazz technique that uses improvised, wordless syllables to create instrumental-like solos, developed in early jazz and popularized by performers such as Lou…

Scentless Apprentice (Nirvana song) Scentless Apprentice A heavy track from Nirvana's 1993 album In Utero, inspired by the novel Perfume and notable for being co-credited to all three band members; recorded with Steve Albini and often pe…

Scheherazade (Rimsky‑Korsakov): orchestral suite inspired by Arabian Nights Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov) Scheherazade is an 1888 orchestral suite by Nikolai Rimsky‑Korsakov, celebrated for its vivid orchestration, violin solo as the storyteller, four narrative movements, and later bal…

Scherzo (musical form) Scherzo A scherzo is a lively musical movement, typically in triple meter, that replaced the minuet in many Classical and Romantic works and appears as an independent piano piece and in sy…

Schlager: sentimental popular song tradition of Central Europe Schlager music Schlager is a mainstream Central European pop style noted for simple, catchy melodies and sentimental lyrics. It grew from operetta and 20th-century popular music and remains a mas…

Scissor Sisters American pop-rock band formed in New York in 2001, known for a theatrical blend of glam, disco, rock and dance, a hit cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” and four studio albu…

Scooch (British pop group) Scooch Scooch are a British bubblegum pop/dance quartet formed in 1998. Best known for their Eurovision 2007 entry "Flying the Flag (for You)", they combined catchy hooks, choreographed s…

Scordatura: alternate tunings for bowed and plucked strings Scordatura Scordatura is the deliberate retuning of stringed instruments to change timbre, extend range, or simplify fingering. Used from lute and viol to modern violin and guitar repertoire.

Scorpions (band): German hard rock and heavy metal group Scorpions (band) Scorpions are a German hard rock and heavy metal band formed in Hanover, known for hits like "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Wind of Change" and for selling over 100 million recor…

Scotts (band) — Swedish modern dansband from Lidköping Scotts (band) Scotts are a Swedish modern dansband formed in Lidköping in 1992, known for competing on Dansbandskampen and Melodifestivalen and for bringing contemporary arrangements to the danc…

Scratching (DJ technique) Scratching Scratching is a turntablist technique of moving a record back and forth to create rhythmic, percussive sounds. It developed in hip hop and expanded into other genres, with distinct…

Screaming Bloody Murder (Sum 41 album) Screaming Bloody Murder Fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Sum 41, released in March 2011. Noted for a darker, heavier sound; includes singles like "Screaming Bloody Murder" and the Grammy-nominated…

Screaming Trees (American grunge band) Screaming Trees Screaming Trees were an American rock band from Ellensburg, Washington, active mainly 1985–2000; they blended garage, punk and classic rock influences and were part of the early 19…

Screamo (music genre) Screamo An intense, expressive offshoot of emo and hardcore punk from the mid-1990s, characterized by screamed vocals, dynamic contrasts, dissonant guitars and an often passionate undergro…

Sechs Kies — South Korean first-generation K-pop boy band Sechs Kies Sechs Kies is a six-member South Korean boy band formed in 1997. Widely regarded as one of the founding first-generation K-pop idol groups, they broke up in 2000 and reunited in 20…

Second Viennese School: Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and the Birth of Atonality Second Viennese School Early 20th‑century group of Vienna composers led by Arnold Schoenberg who developed atonality and twelve‑tone serialism; principal members include Alban Berg and Anton Webern.

Secret (Madonna song) 1994 single by Madonna from the album Bedtime Stories. A mid‑tempo R&B‑inflected pop song about a hidden lover; reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold in…

See You Again (Miley Cyrus and Wiz Khalifa songs) See You Again Two well-known songs that share the title "See You Again": a 2007 pop single by Miley Cyrus and a 2015 tribute ballad by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, associated with Furious…

See You Again — Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth See You Again (Wiz Khalifa song) A 2015 single by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, written as a tribute to Paul Walker for the Furious 7 soundtrack; a piano-led pop-rap ballad that achieved global commercial su…

Selena (1989 studio album) Selena (album) Debut studio album released October 17, 1989 by EMI Latin. Early Tejano/Latin-pop work that raised Selena's profile, produced by A.B. Quintanilla and featuring the single "Contigo…

Selena: videography and video releases Selena videography Overview of Selena's music videos and video/live albums, production contexts, notable releases, posthumous videos and legacy, plus a selected videography list with links to related…

Selena y Los Dinos Selena y Los Dinos was the family band that backed Mexican-American singer Selena, blending Tejano, pop and regional styles and shaping a major crossover legacy before 1995.

Semiramide (Rossini) — Italian opera in two acts Semiramide Semiramide is an 1823 two-act opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Gaetano Rossi after Voltaire. A late Italian opera seria, it is known for virtuosic vocal writing, a fam…

Semitone: the smallest interval in Western tonal music Semitone A semitone (half step) is the smallest standard interval in Western music—one twelfth of an octave in equal temperament—used in scales, tuning, and notation to measure adjacent pit…

Send In the Clowns A signature song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, written for Glynis Johns and widely recorded; a reflective ballad about missed opportunities and ir…

Send My Love (To Your New Lover) Adele's upbeat pop single from her third album 25, produced with Max Martin and Shellback. Released as the album's third single in May 2016, notable for its lighter production, par…

Sepultura: Brazilian metal band and its musical evolution Sepultura Sepultura is a pioneering Brazilian heavy metal band formed in 1984, known for blending thrash, death and groove metal with regional influences and for significant lineup changes a…

Sequence dance Sequence dance: a form of dance with prearranged steps set to specific music, spanning ballroom, line, square and circle formations; historically older than modern ballroom and pra…

Serenade (musical form and practice) Serenade A serenade is a musical performance — vocal or instrumental — offered in honor of someone. This article explains its origins, evolving forms from medieval courting song to orchestr…

Serialism (musical technique) Serialism Serialism is a compositional approach that arranges musical elements—most famously pitches—into ordered series to structure entire works; it influenced 20th-century modernism and l…

Serious (Gwen Stefani song) A track from Gwen Stefani's 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby., written with No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal and produced with Mark "Spike" Stent; noted for 1980s-influen…

Serpent (musical instrument) The serpent is a large S-shaped bass wind instrument with a wooden body and brass-style mouthpiece, used from the Renaissance through the 19th century and revived by historical ens…

Service (Anglican choral music) Service (music) A Service is a choral setting of the fixed liturgical texts used in Anglican worship—canticles, responses and Eucharistic acclamations—written for choir with or without organ accom…

Set Fire to the Rain (Adele song) Set Fire to the Rain Adele's single from the album 21; a dramatic pop–soul ballad that reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, earned multi‑Platinum sales and became one of her most widely heard son…

Seven Nation Army 2003 single by the White Stripes noted for its distinctive riff, minimalist production and widespread adoption as a chant, cover subject and cultural touchstone across sports and p…

Sevendust Sevendust is an American rock band formed in Atlanta in 1994, noted for combining heavy, riff-driven music with soulful, melodic vocals and a long history of albums and touring.

Sevens (Garth Brooks album) Sevens (album) Sevens is the seventh studio album by American country artist Garth Brooks, released in 1997. It topped U.S. and U.K. country charts, crossed into mainstream pop charts, and produc…

Sex Pistols (British punk band) Sex Pistols British punk band formed in 1975, noted for the 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, incendiary singles, confrontational image and outsized influence on punk and alternative music s…

Sexy and I Know It (LMFAO song) Sexy and I Know It Overview of LMFAO's 2011 dance-pop single “Sexy and I Know It”: release, composition, chart success, music video, cultural impact, notable appearances and covers.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song) Title track of The Beatles' 1967 concept album. A short, theatrical rock number that introduces the album's fictional band and recurs as a brisk reprise; widely covered and central…

Shaddap You Face A 1980 novelty song by Joe Dolce (Joe Dolce Music Theatre) about a rebellious Italian boy; an international No. 1 hit that sold millions and became a widely recognised pop-culture…

Shai Hulud — American hardcore band blending melodic and progressive metal elements Shai Hulud (band) Shai Hulud is an influential American hardcore band formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, known for combining aggressive hardcore punk with complex, melodic and progressive metal appro…

Shake Away (Ojo de Culebra) — album by Lila Downs Shake Away Shake Away (Ojo de Culebra) is a bilingual album by Mexican singer Lila Downs blending folk, rock, blues and electronic textures, noted for collaborations and reinterpretations of…

Shake It Off — Taylor Swift song (lead single from 1989) Shake It Off (Taylor Swift song) Overview and context for Taylor Swift's 2014 lead single 'Shake It Off': creation, style, release, chart impact, music video, live performances and notable reactions.

Shakuhachi (Japanese end-blown bamboo flute) Shakuhachi The shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese end-blown flute, known for its bamboo construction, breath-based sound control, role in Zen suizen, and repertoire from meditative solo pie…

Shallow (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper song) “Shallow” is a 2018 duet from the film A Star Is Born performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper; it achieved global chart success, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and…

Sham 69 Sham 69 is an English punk rock band from Hersham, formed in 1975; known for working-class anthems, energetic live shows, and influence on street-punk and Oi! scenes.