Do cows really love music, and jazz in particular?
Despite the fact that I grew up in the countryside, I was petrified of cows. Maybe it was my millennial upbringing that involved seeing Johnny Knoxville be upended by a bull regularly meant I always feared the worst.
But my admission isn’t anything abnormal, is it? I think the fear of an animal twice the size of me is relatively understandable.
Perhaps the more abnormal aspect of it all was how I experienced a U-turn. In the spirit of “finding myself”, I decided to spend four months of the surprisingly cold South Australian winter working on a dairy farm. I confronted several fears that winter: extremely early mornings, relative detachment from a pub within walking distance, and, most importantly, cows.
Without falling into the trap of romantacising chapters of my gap year and overstating the philanthropic impact of any given experience, I can safely the say confronting the last of those fears was ultimately enlightening. Because what I learned through lengthy periods of solitude where a herd of cows were largely my main source of interaction, was that they are intelligent animals who respond empathetically to human behaviours.
Maybe they sensed something in me that winter that helped form that bond. Naturally, such a decision to make hinted towards the life crossroads I found myself in. It was a time when I began to make decisions about what professional career I wanted to pursue, and I can safely say that those four months, endlessly listening to music, largely pointed me in this direction. If you allow me to indulge in one more chapter of this memory, I will recall the exact song, performance and moment when I knew I career covering music was desired.
While tearing around an open field in a banged-up pick-up, mending fences and filling up feeding zones, I listened to Triple J. Their famed Like A Version segment was in session and a Grey Area era Little Simz was performing her Gorillaz cover. At this point, her 2019 album had soundtracked my solitude and upon hearing this performance, I was overwhelmed with questions, feelings and opinions on the modern music landscape. I wanted to be involved.
But of course, jobs with the cows awaited, and with the loop of her adapted guitar line in my ear, I returned. It began the final stretch of my time there, and an inspired shift in my mood made every minute spent at the farm a joy. It was at this moment my final fear fully dissolved, and I was left wondering if that mood was sensed, because it was later told to me that cows also love music.
Do cows really like jazz in particular?
My long-winded and self-indulgent story has finally led us here. To the question we’ve all wanted answered. Do cows really like jazz? Well, the source of this intrigue is where all great myths are ruminated on, and that is of course TikTok. In the past year, a catalogue of videos showing my four-legged friends vibing to the sultry sounds of jazz have run amuck.
Naturally, it has had punters questioning if they have a particular penchant for the genre, or better yet, some higher musical understanding. But Charles Goadby, a dairy farmer, spoke to the BBC and tried to give some knowledge to the entire conspiracy.
“Cows are the most inquisitive animals you’ll find,” he said, “They would have heard the sound, they’ve seen the people, and they have come over to be nosey”.
While he more generally describes their curiosity, there is a more scientific angle that would point towards smooth jazz being the genre that peaks it the most.
He explained, “The cows walk in, they hear the music, and it is almost like a trigger to stimulate the hormones and get the milk production flowing. They will milk faster, people believe, or release that milk a little bit quicker. It makes everything a bit nicer for the cows, and nicer for the people working in there.”
While I certainly ran the risk of overstating my emotional connection to cows and the role music played in facilitating that, it’s encouraging to hear there is some legitimacy in my experience. Now all that’s left is for me to wonder just how my last few weeks would have fared, were I to share Little Simz’ cover of ‘Feel Good Inc’ with them.
