Metro sounds : dou-dou-dou doomed

by alanah

If my post last week about the Montreal’s meto art was a little cynical, I apologize. It’s not that I’ve got anything against investing in installations that often ressemble monumental wads of bubble-gum, it’s just that my favourite metro idiosyncrasy wasn’t calculated into anyone’s budget. I’m talking about the lovely chord the trains make when they start up - you know, the one featured in the campy 70’s metro ad “Il fait beau dans le metro.“

According to perfect-pitch-Jason, the notes are F-Bflat-F, essentially a Bb5 chord. He suggests Beethoven’s 4th or Elton John’s Can you Feel the Love Tonight as good musical matches for your metro-riding enjoyment.

The STM explains in more technical detail than I can grasp that the dou-dou-dou sound is a by-product of the 1970s vintage current-chopper. The three frequencies are caused by the incremental increase of current to the motor, custom-engineered for MR-73 metro cars, which means that Montreal’s subway system is unique in running to the tune of Bb5.

Sadly, it seems that the dou-dou-dou is, in the long run, doomed, as the 30-year-old trains are to be replaced with new, more hushed technology. But knowing the pace of all things STM, we have a few years to go before Il fait beau dans le metro has to go acapella…