Music | The Guardian: There’s surely only one thing that unites Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, the 1974 comedy horror Young Frankenstein and The Muppets’ most recent special on Disney+. Regrettably, it is not Kermit the Frog. The thing that appears in all of these works has no easily recognisable familiar name, although it is perhaps one of the most recognisable three-beat musical phrases in history. It starts with a dun; it continues with a dun; it ends with a duuun!
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I rarely consider the history behind pop culture references and trends. Because of how mainstream a lot of these sounds, phrases, objects, etc. are, I allow them to easily integrate themselves into my everyday experience without wondering where they came from or what inspired them. This specific sound is something I have encountered often, from youtube clips to movie moments. I had no idea it dates back to as early as possibly 1912! This makes me think about the power things have to become timeless. Despite the fact that this was created possibly 100 years ago, it still stands up culturally. As an artist, I think about this in terms of larger pieces too, such as scripts, paintings, songs, etc. There is the possibility that something an artist creates will last way beyond their lifetime based on how society responds to it. That is incredible to me! There is also the possibility that your art will not impact anyone until many years after you die, and you would have no idea of its importance. That is what I love about art, there is a level of timelessness to it. You could impact 1 person today, or 3,000 20 years in the future.
I have a funny story. Haha!– I stumbled upon this article seconds after I had learned what the infamous Wilhelm scream is. Similar to the “Dun, Dun Duuun!” effect, the famous “AHHHH!” has become one of pop culture’s most recognizable sound effects. As Louise points out, and as I am sure most of us do (or for that matter do not), I rarely consider the history behind prop culture references such as these. Furthermore, a simple Google Search (as the article explains) reveals numerous theories as to the origins of the sounds. Despite the honestly confusing, somewhat misleading theories, the famous sound has been recreated by countless studios– at first as a response to sound effects necessity to be live (especially at a time where sound libraries did not exist). Finally, what’s even more shocking, at least to me, is the idea that a produced work of art can outlive its creator.
The “dun, dun, dun” sound effect is no less than iconic; its appearance and impact in nearly every form of modern media is widespread and impressive. The history of this famous sound effect somewhat surprised me. There has been no concrete or solid evidence found or established regarding the origin of this dramatic sting, but it has been speculated that it has existed at least since 1912, even before radio plays and dramas. It is also very interesting to me how the meaning and effect of the sound has transformed over the years. The “dun, dun, dun” sound was originally used as a sound effect to create a suspenseful or fearful feeling, but in recent times it has since become far more comedic and ironic in its usage. This sort of evolution that specific sound effects are able to undergo while still being preserved in content and influence is quite remarkable.
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