12 Mind-Blowing Music Facts You Never Knew
7. The CIA Used The Blues Brothers To Break Prisoners
It had been widely reported that Guantanamo Bay interrogations used heavy metal albums played loudly and on repeat to wear down terror suspects, but one of the lesser reported aspects of musical torture comes from the CIA's use of The Blues Brothers' song Rawhide against suspects.
Rather than using the song to wear down their captives, the CIA played this song prior to interrogations that often featured a variety of unpalatable torture techniques, including waterboarding and sleep deprivation.
By playing the song in this methodical manner, CIA interrogators were able to have prisoners associate the music with the pain and suffering they were about to be subjected to. This meant that, after enough time had passed, they were able to play the song and elicit a compliant and fearful response without employing any other methods.