Words are often seen as powerful tools. But in his new book, “Sonic Persuasion: Reading Sound in the Recorded Age,” Greg Goodale, assistant professor communication studiescritically analyzes how a wide range of real sounds—from recordings of US presidents to cartoon soundtracks—have been used as persuasive devices, often giving greater meaning to interpretations of identity, culture, and history.
When did politicians begin to realize that sounds could be used to persuade, and how did this idea evolve?
Around the turn of the 20th century, phonographs became increasingly ubiquitous and appeared in many public places. The first political recordings we have are of actors impersonating Grover Cleveland in 1892 and William McKinley in 1896, but Theodore Roosevelt was the first to really discover the power of sound. His predecessors were often overly eloquent, stressing vowels and pausing between words because they were speaking to large crowds. But Roosevelt realized that his voice could be heard in people's homes and living rooms through the phonograph.
Later, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first great communicator to realize the power of radio. When FDR says in his 1933 inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he pauses after “is,” creating a question before answering “fear itself”—understanding the power of that moment for millions of Americans listening intently.
From analyzing the persuasiveness of different sounds, did you discover other influential figures?
Billie Holiday really mastered the sound in the 1930s and changed the way singers sing, particularly through syncopation — or the intentional disruption of rhythm. In her song, “Strange Fruit,” she turns words into their definitions through reverse onomatopoeia. It condenses the word “sudden” into a single sound, making it feel very sudden. At the word “fall,” her voice drops. It added a whole new dimension to the music.
How have noise and other sounds been used as effective persuasive devices?
An example is the sound of a bomb falling when Wile E. Coyote falls in the “Road Runner” cartoons. The initial falling noise was a variety of sounds, including dive bombers and violins going down the scale. But after the release of the civil defense film, “Duck and Cover” in 1952, Chuck Jones, the cartoon's producer, changed it to the bomb-dropping one. In a strange way, it was a comforting sound because the Americans were supposed to be the ones bombing others. “Duck and Cover” taught children to be afraid. Jones was trying to dispel that fear.
Also, the sound of trains – the volume, the bells and whistles, the clatter – represents industrialization, and many writers have written that this sound is disturbing. In reaction, the train was incorporated into American sound in the 1890s, primarily in music to reduce the threat posed by trains. In his 1940 song “Special Streamline,” Bukka White turns noise into music, making locomotive sounds comforting—especially for African-American audiences migrating from the South to the North, many of whom had never heard that sound before.
