Which artist mimicked the buzzing of a house fly in the 1971 song 'Fly'?

• A. John Cage
• B. David Bowie
• C. Yoko Ono
• D. Frank Zappa

Answer: (C)

A key idea here is that some artists treat everyday sounds as musical material rather than mere background. In Yoko Ono’s 1971 track Fly, the buzzing of a housefly is used as a central sonic texture, not just as sound effects. Ono layers that fly buzz with spoken or whispered vocal elements to create a piece that challenges conventional musical timbre and invites attention to sound itself. This distinctive use of a real environmental sound is a hallmark of Ono’s experimental approach in that era.

John Cage is renowned for explorations of silence and chance operations, which shaped his influence on avant-garde music, but this particular track isn’t his work. Frank Zappa produced many complex and playful experimental pieces, yet not this fly-centered track. David Bowie explored many styles, but again, this specific piece with a housefly’s buzz comes from Ono. So, the artist responsible for mimicking or incorporating that buzzing sound in this 1971 song is Yoko Ono.