A few weeks ago, I saw this first track below reposted several times on Facebook and other social medias, this is what happens when people like something a lot, they repost and repost… The recording is actually quite old, and I am not sure why it suddenly resurfaced, but this is the internet, we recycle things all the time, especially things like these. However, very few people were questioning the track itself. Just listen to it, it’s called God’s Chorus of Crickets/crickets audio recording slowed way down by Jim Wilson, and a woman is explaining that we are hearing crickets recordings, that there are two tracks, one being played at regular speed and the other being slowed down… and she is claiming that no instrument or voice were added to the recording! I am already rolling my eyes…
The recording is celestial, eerie, and totally circular, it goes on and on for an hour, with this ghostly and diffuse operatic voice behind the crickets’ noise to everyone’s stupefaction. There is even Tom Waits’ approval on the same page:
‘Wilson, he’s always playing with time. I heard a recording recently of crickets slowed way down. It sounds like a choir, it sounds like angel music. Something sparkling, celestial with full harmony and bass parts – you wouldn’t believe it. It’s like a sweeping chorus of heaven, and it’s just slowed down, they didn’t manipulate the tape at all. So I think when Wilson slows people down, it gives you a chance to watch them moving through space. And there’s something to be said for slowing down the world.”
Source: “Woyzeck to run at Freud Playhouse”. Daily Bruin (USA), by Andrew Lee. December 3, 2002’
Now, I love Tom Waits, but this can’t be only crickets right? I don’t care how slowed down their chirping sound was, it is not possible. And if you click on the other links on the page (not even hidden!!) you get the explanation! Sorry, but there is a human voice, this scienceblog explains everything. Crickets make complicated sounds and different species even make different patterns of noise but this recording has also opera singer Bonnie Jo Hunt’s amazing voice as it is explained:
‘So yes, you are listening to two cricket tracks: crickets at normal speed (in Jim Wilson’s backyard), crickets slowed down with the pitch dropped (by Wilson and possibly Robbie Robertson), but it’s also accompanied by Bonnie Jo Hunt‘s beautiful, human singing. Still beautiful, still fascinating, but not just crickets alone!’
She thought the crickets’ singing sounded exactly like a well-trained church choir, and yeah, if you listen attentively, you can hear this humming coming back in waves, but the high haunting voice is human. So why isn’t the woman explaining the recording is not mentioning it? Why is it called God’s Chorus? Why is this page not even mentioning Bonnie Jo Hunt?
You’re gonna say science always ruins everything! Did we need to spoil this for everyone, people were so happy to believe it was a divine intervention of mother nature! I hardly revealed anything because the info was there, on the page, but people were posting and reposting the thing without even checking the other links,… because they wanted to believe, because it was too beautiful. I have read other comments about this recording and some people are saying there’s more into the story as slowing down a cacophony of crickets is far from reproducing something even close to a melody or a choir like the track above!
A guy named Dave D’aranjo did some experiments with slowed-down crickets recordings, and it sounds quite different! (second recording below), but some people are totally pissed off and in total denial, when they are facing the truth. Even when it comes to music, some people prefer to believe in fairy tales, hey there’re even some people who still believe the Earth is 6,000 year old, so why not a God’s chorus of crickets! Other people prefer the truth. That’s said, with or without crickets, Jim Wilson’s recording is truly beautiful and haunting.