The music of the world's closing subway doors

August 13, 2021 2:24 PM

"Ted Green has been collecting the sounds and sights of transit systems for more than a decade... the telltale chimes — beeps, ding-dongs, jingles and arpeggios that warn riders around the world to stand clear." This SLNYT multimedia piece lets you hear Toronto's "calming downward arpeggio," Rio's "homage to bossa nova," and Paris' "sustained chime," while explaining the backstories behind these sounds that play background to so many urban lives.
posted by hungrytiger (22 comments total)

That was interesting. And very pretty to read, which is a description I’ve never written before.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 2:53 PM on August 13, 2021

SNCF ftw.
posted by kersplunk at 2:53 PM on August 13, 2021 [3 favorites]

Sydney Trains: Doors closing, please stand clear.
posted by zamboni at 3:19 PM on August 13, 2021

SNCF you say? Doot da danna

official SNCF remix

I really enjoyed the layout of this article, and listening to all the music. The Vancouver Skytrain one made me feel so nostalgic; I've been listening to that for literally the last 35 years.

I often record sounds on my phone while I am travelling and I like to play them back to remember my trips. Sounds (and smells) are both so evocative, I find. I can totally believe that guy's door closing video got over a million views.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:36 PM on August 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

Somewhat cliché for the period, I spent a lot of time in Prague in the late 90's. Somehow I was always really taken with the cadence of the Prague Metro departure announcement: "Ukončete, prosím, výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají"
posted by deadbilly at 4:39 PM on August 13, 2021 [4 favorites]

Paywall alert. Is there an alternative site we could hear this?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:50 PM on August 13, 2021

I have to use my human mouth to do the warning on some of our services. The horror!

Something that has been pointed out to me about Sydney Trains recorded announcements is that all the warning/safety messages use a male voice but the more informational ones (stopping pattern etc) use a female voice.
posted by onya at 4:50 PM on August 13, 2021

Empress Callipygos: the Wayback Machine page works
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:58 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Sydney Trains: Doors closing, please stand clear.

The Tangara chime is just vastly superior to the shrill beeps of all the newer sets.

Also it makes me want to listen to Music for 18 Musicians.
posted by Panthalassa at 6:47 PM on August 13, 2021

I like Rio's a lot. Especially how the voice comes in before the last note fades.

This article was fun to interact with as well. Good design all around!
posted by Panthalassa at 6:52 PM on August 13, 2021

This is Grand.
posted by art.bikes at 7:39 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

"mind the gap"
posted by bendy at 7:55 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Paywall alert. Is there an alternative site we could hear this?

@Empress Callipygos: Bypass paywalls in Chrome/Edge/Firefox
posted by geoff. at 8:13 PM on August 13, 2021

I use the SNCF sound for my phone calls and my spouse uses it for texts. Both of us are constantly reaching for our phones at the wrong times.
posted by jwest at 9:07 PM on August 13, 2021 [3 favorites]

deadbilly: "Somewhat cliché for the period, I spent a lot of time in Prague in the late 90's. Somehow I was always really taken with the cadence of the Prague Metro departure announcement: "Ukončete, prosím, výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají""

You weren't the only one -- it forms the basis for one of Radiohead's best B-sides, 1997's "A Reminder."
posted by Rhaomi at 12:36 AM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

That was a fun read. Although I don't recognize the one for my city (it sounded more like doors opening in the convenience store), and their little factoid ("In Tokyo, each station has its own custom jingle to signal departures") is completely off-base, but it's an entertainment piece, not a scholarly journal, so whatever.
posted by Umami Dearest at 1:03 AM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

The JR platform jingles need a bump. Start at Yoyogi (3:57) for the good stuff; Ebisu is an overachiever. Other lines have other music, and there's a tune per direction, so this specific video is not a comprehensive selection.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 1:57 AM on August 14, 2021

their little factoid ("In Tokyo, each station has its own custom jingle to signal departures") is completely off-base

This article suggests they’re a thing, so I’d be interested in knowing what the full story is. Is it that they’re not all custom to a specific station?
posted by zamboni at 7:13 AM on August 14, 2021

This article suggests they’re a thing, so I’d be interested in knowing what the full story is.

I guess it's kind of nitpicky, but customized station jingles are really more a thing for the private above-ground railroad lines (like JR) rather than the Tokyo subways, which tend to be kind of boring.

The article you linked does mention my favorite, the Astro Boy theme, which is played every time a train leaves JR Takadanobaba station, where the fictional boy-robot in the cartoon was created in a laboratory nearby.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:28 AM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

Oh man, and I thought that the Montreal chimes were an ELP/Montreal '76 homage. But it's been so long since I've ridden the STM metro, I hadn't noticed that the door chimes matched the motor switching tones. With its fierce acceleration from rubber tyres, those three notes are the last thing a Toronto tourist hears before falling over on the metro …

I live so close to Kennedy (Toronto) subway that I can hear the door chimes in my house, especially after the earthworks for the Crosstown opened up part of the station. I particularly like it when two trains close doors one note apart, so instead of a simple G5 E5 D5, you get G5 (E5 G5) (D5 E5) D5.

Another less graphical breakdown, more focused on musical intervals: Transit chimes by chord interval
posted by scruss at 12:25 PM on August 14, 2021

This seems like the right moment to repost, for anyone who doesn't already know it, the story of why the 'Mind the Gap' announcement on the northbound Northern Line platform at Embankment station is different from everywhere else, by MeFi's own garius (previously; YouTube).
posted by verstegan at 2:56 PM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

I of course have fond (if not always rosy!) associations with the Toronto subway door chime, but what I really love is the little jingle that plays before announcements on the platform. I can't find it or even know how to describe it, but that "doodle do do do do" -- I love that and can't help myself from tapping my foot.
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 2:59 PM on August 14, 2021