Storycorps airs stories that focus on the big and small facets of the human experience.
In “A Couple Reflects On The Crossroads of Their Relationship” Tom and JoAn Peters, a couple that met in 1999, do just as the title says; they reflect on a chosen termination of a pregnancy they had early in their relationship.
What might for some be a weighty topic, is treated with a delicate hand by the couple and the producers. Annie Russell, the host of this story, states in the beginning that the couple had never shared this story before. The couple discussed the termination as a decision they have made peace with; JoAn said, “I never questioned our decision. I never regretted it.” In the outro of the story, JoAn and Tom discuss the daughter they decided to have once they were sure they were ready to commit to one another.
The music chosen for the intro and outro is “Filing Away” by Blue Dot Sessions, a lyricless song that perfectly encapsulates the tone the couple takes when discussing the termination. This track toes the line between solemn and hopeful. The swells of a deep bass line lay the foundation for the melody performed by a keyboard and an acoustic guitar.
“Filing Away” quickly sets the tone in the beginning while it plays by itself for two seconds before host Annie Russell begins the spoken introduction, and the music quietly plays in the background of her talking. The music stops when the couple begin to explain their story, and Annie jumps in to provide some further context.
At the end, JoAn states “I can’t get enough of the two of you [her husband and daughter] together. You love her and it shows, and she adores you. You’re everything I wanted. And she is, too.” As JoAn makes this profound proclamation, the music fades back in and plays by itself for the rest of the episode, quickly fading out during the last few seconds.
In “Two Bartenders Remember the Highs and Lows of Working at Brooklyn’s Historic Starlite Lounge,” Albert Johnson and Donna Cuthbert reminisce on the time they spent working at one of New York City’s first Black-owned gay bars, Starlite Lounge.
The host of this story and the music in the beginning of the story are uncredited. However, similarly to the music in Tom and JoAn’s story, this acoustic guitar intro plays independently for two seconds before the host interjects with the introduction, and the music continues to play at a softer volume while she speaks. Unlike the first story, this one does not feature the host after her beginning statement.
No music plays while Albert and Donna discuss their feelings about bartending on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Although Albert discussed his dislike for working on New Year’s Day, both bartenders seemed to remember their time at Starlite Lounge fondly.
AJ: I’m glad I got to be a part of that.
DC: Oh, I’m definitely glad I had that experience.
AJ: As long as I live, will be those nine years standing behind that bar at the Starlite Lounge, and the wonderful people…
During this exchange, music fades in that is different from the music used in the beginning of the story begins to play; a track called “The Gold Lining” by Broke For Free plays. As this is a more lighthearted story than the first, this song is more carefree than “Filing Away,” the song used in Tom and JoAn’s story.
“The Gold Lining” utilizes synths to create an upbeat and happy tune with hints of 2010s nostalgia. This song plays by itself for the last 20 seconds and slowly fades out during the last few seconds of the story.
Both stories, although much different in theme, have that signature NPR sound. Some of the NPR sound can be attributed to hosts’ news-like cadences, but in a 2016 Mental Floss story, Shaunacy Ferrero discusses how NPR gets such a crisp sound to their radio:
NPR is a radio programming powerhouse, and it uses top-of-the-line Neumann U87 microphones. These microphones are specifically tuned to make NPR voices clearer to people listening in their cars by filtering out very low frequencies (below 250 hertz).