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Switched on Pop

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Vulture

A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears & our culture. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

#434

The virtuosity of Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder may very well be our modern-day Mozart. A child prodigy, he joined Motown as a preadolescent, marketed as “Little Stevie Wonder.” He amazed audiences with his virtuosic command of the piano, harmonica, drums, and, of course, his vocals. At just 13, he achieved his first number one hit with “Fingertips Part II,” an unusual chart-topper that featured a live recording of mostly improvised music, with Wonder switching between instruments as the audience cheered him on. However, his talent far surpassed this early novelty. In the 1970s, Wonder broke free from the constraints of his initial recording contract, gaining both artistic and financial independence. Between 1971 and 1976, during what is now known as his "classic period," he released five of the most iconic albums in popular music, beginning with Music of My Mind and culminating in Songs in the Key of Life. These albums showcased his musical genius and included timeless songs that have become part of the modern pop canon, touching on themes of love, heartbreak, justice, and spirituality. Few child prodigies fulfill their potential as profoundly as Stevie Wonder. In this episode of Switched on Pop, with the help of Wesley Morris, NYT critic and host of the audio series The Wonder of Stevie, the show reflects on some of Wonder’s most powerful compositions, exploring what makes him our contemporary musical maestro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

17 hrs Ago

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:06

17 hrs Ago

#433

The last decade of pop explained

We celebrate Switched On Pop's 10th anniversary by taking a deep dive into the last decade of pop music. From bubblegum pop to EDM, trap, and K-pop, we explore how the sound of pop has continually evolved—even when it feels like it’s all the same. Plus, we pull back the curtain on the show with a special interview: Sean Rameswaram, host of Vox's Today Explained, puts Nate and Charlie in the hot seat to reveal their best—and most cringe-worthy—moments from the past decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

15 Oct 2024

54 MINS

54:02

15 Oct 2024

#432

Learning to love: Coldplay

Coldplay is one of the biggest musical acts in the world, ranking #6 on Spotify and boasting one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Yet, despite their global success, they've often been a critical punching bag. The New York Times once branded them “the most insufferable band of the decade.” The Independent described them as “pompous, mawkish, and unbearably smug.” But Coldplay has never claimed to be the hardest rock band—they’ve instead built a legacy on their softer sound and uplifting message. With the release of their 10th studio album, Moon Music, we dive deep into their catalog and ask the question: can we learn to love Coldplay? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

08 Oct 2024

49 MINS

49:45

08 Oct 2024

#431

Fall Out Boy and the worst earworm ever

Marianne Eloise has had the same Fall Out Boy song stuck in her head for over three years. "It’s Hard to Say 'I Do,' When I Don’t," an relatively obscure cut from the band's 2007 album Infinity on High has taken up permanent residence in her brain as the ultimate earworm. Everybody has had a riff or a melody stuck in their head, but not at this . Eloise, a journalist and music writer, decided to turn her malady into a story. Her pursuit of the science behind "stuck songs" led her to our unique bureau of forensic musicology. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate talk about earworms: what they are, why are they so catchy, and how we might get rid of them. Then, Nate confronts his own stuck song: The Lemon Twigs's "In My Head," and in talking to the two brothers behind the group, finds a novel approach to giving an unwanted musical guest the boot. Songs Discussed --- Fall Out Boy - It’s Hard to Say “I Do,” When I Don’t --- The Lemon Twigs - In My Head --- Kylie Minogue - Can’t Get You Out of My Head --- Gene Wilder - Pure Imagination --- Dave Harrington Group - Pure Imagination More ---Read Marianne Eloise’s Vulture article, “ [My Quest to Exterminate an Earworm] (https://www.vulture.com/article/my-quest-to-exterminate-an-earworm.html) ” ---Catch the [Lemon Twigs on Tour] (https://thelemontwigs.com/) (at your own peril) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

01 Oct 2024

41 MINS

41:51

01 Oct 2024

#430

Mexican pop is bigger than you think

Last month, our producer Reanna Cruz had the opportunity to attend Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito, Mexico, a three-day Latin music festival set on the Mexican coastline. While they were there, they got the chance to tap into what's happening in the world of Mexican music – from romantic tumbados and lovesick R&B to multi-language crossovers and genre experimentation. This episode, Reanna takes us through the newest gems of the Mexican pop scene, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Songs discussed: ---Xavi – La Diabla ---Xavi – La Victima ---LATIN MAFIA – Julieta ---LATIN MAFIA – Julietota ---Peso Pluma, DJ Snake – TEKA ---Peso Pluma, Cardi B – PUT EM IN THE FRIDGE ---Tito Double P – MARAVILLA ---Son Rompe Pera – Cumbia is the New Punk ---Ivan Cornejo – Aquí Te Espero Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

24 Sep 2024

44 MINS

44:36

24 Sep 2024

#429

How Megan Thee Stallion brought Japanese hip hop to the Hot 100

"Mamushi," the fourth single from Megan the Stallion’s album Megan, was not supposed to be a huge hit. But thanks to a viral dance, the song has become the first song on the Billboard Hot 100 to feature Japanese lyrics since 1963. With a feature from rapper Yuki Chiba and a beat from producer Koshy, "Mamushi" creates the kind of cross-cultural musical collaboration that helps correct a long record of U.S. pop stars appropriating Japanese culture. Songs Discussed Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Yuki Chiba) - Mamushi Megan Thee Stallion - Hiss, Boa, Cobra, Savage, Megan's Piano, Otaku Hot Girl Kyu Sakomoto - Sukiyaki A Taste of Honey - Sukiyaki Selena - Sukiyaki Pikotaro - PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) Hikaru Utada, Skrillex - Face My Fears Gwen Stefani - Harujuku Girls Avril Lavigne - Hello Kitty More Hannah Lee of the [Japan Society] (https://japansociety.org/) NPR on the story of " [Sukiyaki] (https://www.npr.org/2013/06/28/196618792/bittersweet-at-no-1-how-a-japanese-song-topped-the-charts-in-1963) " Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

17 Sep 2024

42 MINS

42:30

17 Sep 2024

#428

Learning to love: Oasis

Oasis, the Manchester band led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, conquered the charts in the 1990s with rock anthems like "Wonderwall." This month, they did something no one saw coming: Announced a reunion. In 2025, the band will play 19 dates in five cities across the UK and Ireland, their first shows with both brothers in the lineup since breaking up in 2009 due to long-simmering tensions between them. Formed in 1991 with Noel as chief songwriter and guitarist and Liam as lead vocalist, the band helped define the sound of Britpop alongside peers like Blur, Suede, and Pulp. Noel’s and Liam’s feuding made it seem like the band would never reunite, so this upcoming tour has generated a minor frenzy, resulting in insane ticket prices, the band’s songs surging in popularity on streaming services, and countless diehard fans zipping up their parkas in anticipation. As two casual listeners to the band, we want to understand the hype behind this long-awaited reunion, so we went through the band’s catalog to uncover what makes this working-class Mancunian outfit so beloved, and see whether we can learn to love Oasis. Songs Discussed Oasis - Wonderwall, Supersonic, Shakermaker, Don't Look Back In Anger, Champagne Supernova, All Around The World, Go Let It Out, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Little By Little, The Turning The New Seekers - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) John Lennon - Gimme Some Truth, #9 Dream Sheryl Crow - If It Makes You Happy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

10 Sep 2024

53 MINS

53:18

10 Sep 2024

#427

Newcomers: Porter Robinson

Porter Robinson has a unique relationship with being famous. With his new record SMILE! :D, the 32 year old producer and DJ steps front and center into the spotlight for the first time in his career, working through his thoughts on fame in the process — something he says he’s “addicted” to. The first track on the record, “Knock Yourself Out XD,” is a hook-laden radio pop hit destined to sit on a neon green iPod shuffle, filled with chiptuned synth textures and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about what it means to contend with nuclear levels of celebrity. Robinson’s voice is also front and center, unencumbered by the vocal manipulation and heavy production defining his two previous albums. “”Knock Yourself Out XD” was me indulging that fantasy of like, This is so not a Porter Robinson song. Everyone's gonna hate this,” he said. “But this is what seems really fun to me right now.” The rest of SMILE! :D juggles two truths about Robinson: his innate desire for a positive relationship with the culture that surrounds him, and his dark, introspective nature, highlighted on tracks with stark names like “Is There Really No Happiness?”. But “Knock Yourself Out XD” is deeply silly – filled with cheeky lyrics like the line “Bitch, I’m Taylor Swift.” It’s new territory for him, but Robinson’s inclinations are, always, to “burn everything down and start fresh.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

06 Sep 2024

34 MINS

34:47

06 Sep 2024

#426

Sabrina Carpenter is more than Short n' Sweet

On her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter moves seemlessly between pop, country, folk and R&B. For Carpenter, genre is merely a musical tool to help construct a song. Listen to how she bends genre to her will. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

03 Sep 2024

40 MINS

40:23

03 Sep 2024

#425

Newcomers: Jhayco

Jhayco, the artist formerly known as Jhay Cortez, feels different from the rest of the Latin music machine. He considers himself a “melody freak,” has a wide variety of influences – “Alternative music, indie music, deep house, rap, trap, salsa, bachata, scores for music” – and is intimately involved in every step of the creative process, writing, producing, and performing his brand of glossy, melancholic reggaeton. Since his breakout hit “No Me Conoce” in 2019, the Puerto Rican multihyphenate has become one of the most listened to artists in the world, thanks to collaborations with superstars including Bad Bunny and J Balvin — which have amassed several billion streams on Spotify —, along with writing credits on smash hits like Cardi B’s “I Like It” and Natti Natasha’s “Criminal.” Jhayco's newest record, Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X) is out September 6th, and is a three-part, 29-track behemoth highlighting Jhayco's globalist production style, his keen eye for melody, and his unique tastemaker status in the industry. “There's only a few people I know who do this,” he says, “and thank God I'm one of those people.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

30 Aug 2024

22 MINS

22:46

30 Aug 2024

#424

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars bring back the duet

It seemingly a terrible time to launch an over-the-top sentimental duet. This style of production peaked in the 80s and has had few chart topping success since. But as a sort of counter programming, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' duet "Die With A Smile" is an unexpected smash. This oddity from two beloved legacy artists may be more than a stand alone hit hit to promote Mars' Vegas residency and Gaga's upcoming film role in Joker: Folie à Deux. "Die With A Smile" more than hints at being interwoven to that film's universe, while also adhering to a forgotten musical traditional: the devotional duet in the style of Sonny & Cher. In the movie, Joker and Gaga's character Harley Quinn, have shared musical delusions about performing in a murderous Sonny & Cher like TV duo. But does this single come credit sequence song stand up to the best duets from the past? Listen to find out. Songs Discussed ---Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - "Die With A Smile" ---Sonny & Cher - "I Got You Babe" ---Bread - "Make It On Your Own" ---Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - "The Closer I Get To You" ---Lionel Richie & Diana Ross - "Endless Love" ---Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - "Islands in the Stream" ---Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald - "On My Own" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

27 Aug 2024

46 MINS

46:57

27 Aug 2024

#423

Newcomers: Magdalena Bay

Few pop groups are making music as imaginative as Magdalena Bay. The Los Angeles-based duo of singer Mica Tenenbaum and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Lewin, have been steadily releasing music since 2016, eventually breaking out with their viral hit “Killshot,” four years later. In the last four years, their work has dabbled in everything from 70’s disco-pop to Y2K pastiche. Their music, often narrative-based and paired with equally stunning visuals, excels in balancing tension; there’s gossamer-sounding production juxtaposed with dark, conceptual lyrics, or chaotic cacophony placed alongside ironic euphoria. Their sophomore album Imaginal Disk is out today, and is no exception. The record is a concept album of sorts, as it follows the story of a character named True, after receiving a “consciousness upgrade” in the form of the titular “imaginal disk.” Over the course of fifteen songs, Tenenbaum and Lewin tell a story about identity, technology, and what it means to be a human. It’s a lofty record, so Switched On Pop’s Reanna Cruz sat down with Magdalena Bay to talk about how this album manages to sound so gorgeous — and took some cues from ABBA in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

23 Aug 2024

23 MINS

23:02

23 Aug 2024

#422

Tinashe’s “Nasty” takes on Janet and Beyoncé + Are songs getting simpler?

If you've spent any time on the internet this summer, you may have encountered a certain refrain accompanying particularly fierce dance videos—"I've been a nasty girl. Nasty, nasty, nasty." This track, "Nasty" by the R&B singer and songwriter Tinashe, is a jam in its own right. Far from just a piece of viral content, "Nasty" is one of the songs of the summer, a chance for an burgeoning artist to reach a new level of success, and the latest in a long line pop songs from Janet Jackson to Beyoncé and Destiny's Child, taking the term "nasty" and spinning its on its head. "Nasty" is also a song that, in some ways, is ridiculously simple. And the simplicity of pop music has been in the news after a new scientific study argued that pop hits have become less complex over time. We dig into the study's methodology to see if we agree with its conclusion, or to put it another way, whether its conclusions match our freak. Songs Discussed Tinashe - Nasty, Save Room For Us, 2 On Charli XCX - I might say something stupid Janet Jackson - Nasty Destiny's Child - Nasty Girl Ariana Grande - Nasty Paul Simon - Still Crazy After all These Years More Read more from the [New York Times] (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/04/science/song-melodies-getting-simpler.html) about the study exploring pop's melodic complexity through history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

20 Aug 2024

46 MINS

46:15

20 Aug 2024

#421

Kesha v Katy + Tayla Parx on pop’s obsession with eras

On June 17 the pop world was rocked by three letters: LOL. Kesha tweeted the acronym immediately after Katy Perry announced her new single "Woman's World," which was co-written by Dr. Luke. Since Kesha had accused Dr. Luke of sexual assault a decade earlier, many read her "LOL" as directed at her one-time friend Perry. Kesha, meanwhile, released her own single a week before Perry's, a wild "Joyride" featuring hyperactive accordion, percussive handclaps, and quasi-operatic vocals. Both pop stars have much at stake with their new songs. For Kesha, it's her first independent release since finishing her multi album contract with Dr. Luke's record label. For Katy Perry, it's her attempt to reconquer the charts after her last attempt fizzled. On this episode, we listen closely to both songs to hear how each artist is navigating a pivotal moment in their career. Since we are talking about the changing eras of some of our biggest stars, we knew we had to speak to an expert on the subject: Tayla Parx, the singer and songwriter whose newest track "Era" considers the tension between letting the moment define you, or defining it yourself. Songs Discussed: Kesha - Joyride, Tik Tok, Eat the Acid, Raising Hell, Praying Katy Perry - Womans World, I Kissed a Girl, California Gurls, Daisies Lady Gaga - Born This Way Madonna - Express Yourself Tayla Parx - Era Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

13 Aug 2024

44 MINS

44:25