The Millennial Whoop

There is a three note progression hiding inside an enormous amount of modern pop music. Once you hear it, you'll never be able to unhear the so-called “Millennial Whoop.”

Its ubiquity, and the fact that very few people recognized it before one musician spotted and wrote about it, is a great reminder that sometimes the only reason we like one song better than another is because it seems more familiar.

Familiarity is one of the most underrated forces in whether we love something or ignore it. Musicians clearly know this. Most of the rest of us only notice once someone points at the pattern and gives it a name.