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"Listen to the Music" is a classic rock song by the American band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1972 as part of their second album, Toulouse Street. Written by Tom Johnston, it became the band's first major hit and remains one of their most recognizable and beloved tracks.
The Listen to the Music features a smooth, soft shuffling rhythm and Johnston's distinctive vocal performance. It has been praised for its feel-good quality and ability to get listeners' feet tapping. The track's popularity has endured over the decades, becoming a staple on adult contemporary and classic rock radio stations.
The Doobie Brothers often use the song as an encore during live performances. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band released a virtual performance of the song, showcasing their ability to come together musically even while physically apart.
Johnston told Songfacts that the song "was all based around this somewhat Utopian view of the world. The idea was that music would lift man up to a higher plane, and that world leaders, if they were able to sit down on some big grassy knoll where the sun was shining and hear music - such as the type I was playing - would figure out that everybody had more in common than they had not in common, and it was certainly not worth getting in such a bad state of affairs about. Everybody in the world would therefore benefit from this point of view. Just basically that music would make everything better. And of course I've since kind of realized it doesn't work that way."
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