Janet Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation’ crashed some Windows laptops for years. Content Warning.
Janet Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation’ Crashed Some Windows Laptops for Years — Here’s Why
The bizarre story of how a pop song destroyed computers stands out among the bizarre tech stories. Yes, that is correct. Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson's 1989 hit, had the unintended ability to crash some Windows laptops for years, and it wasn't caused by a software bug or virus. Something a lot stranger and rooted in the physics of sound and hardware design was the cause. In 2022, a Microsoft engineer named Raymond Chen wrote about this odd vulnerability on his blog, and it became widely known. Chen claims that a major laptop manufacturer discovered that when Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" was played close to some of its older models, the laptops would crash, not just the one playing the song but also any devices in the vicinity. A Dangerous Frequency-Changing Song A phenomenon known as resonance is at the root of the issue. Resonance is a term used in physics when an object vibrates at the same natural frequency as sound waves in its surroundings. By hitting the right note, an opera singer can break a wine glass using the same principle. It turned out that the song "Rhythm Nation" had a frequency that corresponded to the natural resonant frequency of a particular 5400 RPM laptop hard drive. These hard drives had vibrating magnetic platters and used spinning platters. The drive's components would vibrate in sync with that frequency when the song's audio was played through the laptop's speakers or even speakers nearby. The result? The system would crash, freeze, or completely shut down as a result of the hard drive's inability to function properly. Not merely a Myth This wasn't just a joke about the tech industry or an urban legend. The issue was taken seriously by the manufacturer, who documented it in their system. They ended up including a workaround because the issue was so specific: they added a custom audio filter to the affected laptops, which would detect and eliminate the problematic frequency whenever “Rhythm Nation” was played. To prevent accidental crashes, the laptop was basically programmed to self-censor that particular tone. Because the issue was not limited to playing the song locally, this workaround was necessary. The resonance effect could still be the cause of the crash, even if the song was played loudly by another nearby device, like a colleague's computer or a radio. This meant that multiple laptops could unexpectedly spiral out of control in a shared workspace where Janet Jackson was playing. Why “Rhythm Nation”?
