Brian Eno composed the iconic startup sound for Microsoft Windows 95, despite never using a PC. Microsoft gave him a list of requirements and adjectives to follow. The setup software required 13 floppy disks and the Rolling Stones were paid millions to use “Start Me Up” in the promotional campaign.
Brian Eno has been in the music business for decades, but one of his most iconic works probably isn’t something you want a recording of, even if you may already have it. Eno composed the startup sound for Microsoft Windows, which was originally built into the Windows 95 operating system. According to an interview on the BBC radio show The Museum of Curiosity, Microsoft commissioned Eno to write the sound and provided him with a detailed list of requirements , like limiting its length to less than 4 seconds (the final version ended up being almost 7 seconds long). Microsoft also gave him 150 adjectives (including “futuristic,” “optimistic,” and “sentimental”) to think about as he composed. While that seems a bit restrictive for a creative artist, Eno took his revenge: he composed the startup sound on a Mac, not a PC. He told the BBC that he has “never used a PC in my life”. Eno, an English musician and record producer known for his ambient sounds, also described himself as a “non-musician”.
Remember Windows 95?
The Windows 95 setup software required 13 floppy disks.
Microsoft paid the Rolling Stones millions of dollars to use their song “Start Me Up” in their Windows 95 promotional campaign.
Friends cast members Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston starred in a “cyber sitcom” to showcase the best features of the operating system.
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