I’ve been listening to a lot of classical music lately, mostly because the absence of words makes finding my own that much easier. Last night, while researching upcoming historical events — funny phrase — for this very site, my Spotify shuffled over to Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007.”

You know this tune — even if your only exposures to classical music are film and TV, you know it; it’s one of the most famous pieces of music in the world. To refresh your memory, here’s Yo-Yo Ma performing it.

See? That song. Again, it’s super famous — but it wasn’t always this way.

Though Bach penned his cello suites between 1717-1720, these tracks were neglected for over two centuries; they didn’t gain widespread exposure or popularity until 1936, after cellist Pablo Casals, who stumbled across the music in a vintage shop, recorded them at Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles and Pink Floyd later recorded. Soon Bach’s 300-year old Cello Suite No. 1 was inescapable, becoming one of the most hottest singles in the world — or something like that.

You know, just in case you’re interested….