Announcing Switched On Summer Throwback Series
This summer we’re going to be doing a Switched On Summer series, breaking down your favorite summer pop hits from the 60s to the present. We’re talking about Beach Boys to Beyonce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1m Jun 22, 2018
1m
The Pure Pop of Charlie Puth + Carly Rae (ft Hanif Abdurraqib)
Part I: The Doctors Are In! We diagnose a listener's musical malady, namely: "why does Charlie Puth's new jam 'BOY' make us feel so weird?!" Part II: Guest Hanif Adburraqib, author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, helps break down Carly Rae Jepsen's epic "Cut to the Feeling" to understand why CRJ is a different kind of pop star.Featuring:•Charlie Puth - BOY•Ismael Miranda - Recordando•...
47m Jun 14, 2018
47m
86: Afrofuturism in Kali Uchis & Clipping (with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes)
Parliament Funkadelic has had waves of influence on popular music. Their Afrofuturist message and infectious grooves built the backbone of 70s funk, was revived in the 90s with Dr. Dre's G-Funk, and is once again in vogue with in the music of Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis. Bootsy Collins, bass player of Parliament Funkadelic, collaborated with Kali Uchis and Tyler the Creator ...
50m May 31, 2018
50m
85: Finding Equanimity In 'No Tears Left To Cry'
Ariana Grande has returned with a track that is jarring yet simultaneously catchy. She uses sophisticated musical techniques to tell a story of healing, resiliency, and hope after the attack at her concert in Manchester. Listeners will learn techniques like tempo rubato, modal interchange and amen breaks, which weave together this equanimous narrative.Songs featured:Ariana Grande - No Tears Lef...
38m May 17, 2018
38m
84: Can AI 'Algorhythms' Write Pop Songs? (With Taryn Southern)
There is a lot of scare about the impending future of artificial intelligence making humans irrelevant. Musician Taryn Southern examines this narrative through her song “Life Support,” written with the aid of AI composition tools. We dispel current myths about AI music and discuss its future opportunities. In the second half of the show we run a musical 'Turing test' to see if you can identify ...
56m May 03, 2018
56m
Listening Differently to Lorde | with MARIAN HILL
Samantha Gongol and Jeremy Lloyd are songwriting duo Marian Hill are here to share their annoyingly sharp insights on music. They come bearing the wistful pop of Lorde's "Ribs," and we deconstruct its primordial roots in classical composers like Scelsi, Beethoven and Haydn. Then, we turn to Marian Hill's forthcoming "Differently" to uncover the subtle musical shifts that outline a complex dialo...
43m Apr 19, 2018
43m
Kacey Musgraves Gives Us Butterflies
On her single 'Butterflies,' Kacey Musgraves demonstrates a tour de force of songwriting. This song is a wild success because it incessantly reinforces one core emotional concept: that queasy anxious feeling in your stomach. No we're not talking about your leftover lunch, we're talking about love. But this is not just a simple little love song. It is a masterclass of creativity. Musgraves uses ...
30m Apr 05, 2018
30m
Gucci Gang and the Neural Substrate of Subjective Time Dilation
In which Nate tries to convince Charlie that Lil Pump's SoundCloud Rap hit "Gucci Gang" warps the perceptual present.Featuring:Lil Pump - Gucci GangGustav Mahler - Der Abschied / Das Lied von der ErdeFranz Schubert - String Quintet / AdagioConlon Nancarrow - Study for Prepared Piano 21Read more about musical time in Jonathan Berger's Nautilus article.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
28m Mar 22, 2018
28m
How to 'Make Me Feel' with Lizzo
Janelle Monáe's "Make Me Feel" is a sensual song about the fluidity of desire. In the pre-chorus, the singer proudly expresses that she is a "sexual bender." Fans have embraced the song for breaking free of normative sexual expectations. But these non-binary statements aren't limited to the lyrics. The message is reinforced with musical concepts drawn from the blues, Prince and Michael Jackson....
51m Mar 09, 2018
51m
808 Havana Heartbreak
In Camila Cabello's "Havana" we hear both her Cuban roots and the sounds of East Atlanta. Though the singer and her featured guest, Young Thug, collectively represent these two identities, the song says much more in its musical references. The Roland TR-808 kick drum evokes an entire repertoire of Atlanta Hip Hop. The supporting piano rhythms descend from Cuban mountain towns, through sorrowful...
57m Feb 22, 2018
57m
My My My! Troye Sivan + Queer Pop (w Gina Delvac, Darryl Bullock)
Gina Delvac of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast and Darryl W Bullock, author of David Bowie Made Me Gay, join Nate and Charlie to dig into the poetry of Troye Sivan's "My My My!", the history of LGBT pop music, and the songs we love to hate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
59m Feb 08, 2018
59m
90s Nostalgia in Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth
The 90s are back. It is as if pop music entered a black whole and came out 25 years in the past. Today's artists are reviving the past through nostalgic reference to music of their childhood. Uncover how they trick us into somehow loving those days when we got beat up in the middle school parking lot. Spotify 90s Nostalgia playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/switchedonpop/playlist/3beUwxOxz...
34m Jan 25, 2018
34m
Justin Timberlake's Identity Crisis
What's up with Justin Timberlake? Two years ago he gifted us the ebullient family-friendly jam "Can't Stop the Feeling," now he's on the cusp of a deeply serious new record called "Man of the Woods," whose first single, strangely, is a bit of electro-funk snarl expertly produced by long-time collaborators Timbaland and Danja. What's going on here—who is JT trying to be? We listen deep to his la...
37m Jan 11, 2018
37m
BONUS: Dua Lipa's Minor Mantra (w Emily Bootle)
Charlie talks laments, Baroque opera, and gender politics in Dua Lipa's sleeper hit "New Rules" with writer Emily Bootle.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18m Dec 28, 2017
18m
All I Want for Xmas is a Year in Review Episode
Charlie and Nate breakdown Mariah Carey's classic "All I Want for Christmas is You" and revisit their favorite tracks of 2017. Sleigh bells abound. Featuring•Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas•Laura Marling - Semper Femina•Lorde - Melodrama•Khalid - Location•Dua Lipa - New Rules•Logic - Everybody / 1-800-273-8255•Childish Gambino - Redbone•Sampha - (No One Knows Me) Like the piano in my mo...
41m Dec 14, 2017
41m
Björk's Emotional Landscapes
Björk is uniquely both a pop star and avant-garde composer. Though her music often challenges our ears, underneath her records you'll find more in common with today's pop music than you'd expect. Pieced together, you'll hear that she paints emotional landscapes composed of all the complexities of human experience. We give you a way to enjoy listening to her music. Using this hybrid pop/modernis...
39m Nov 30, 2017
39m
72. Taylor Swift - I Did Something Bad + Getaway Car
Taylor Swift unveils a new, darker identity on her latest album "Reputation," and many have read the lyrics on her latest as not-so-subtle volleys in an ongoing celebrity feud. Still, a question remains: how does Swift cast this dark personality in music? Two songs offer evidence. Melodic drops and temporal gaps in "I Did Something Bad" signal the album's themes of descent and decay. On "Getawa...
41m Nov 16, 2017
41m
BONUS: Switched On Pop Reddit AMA this Monday at 2pm EST
Charlie and Nate will be answering your questions on www.reddit.com/r/iama under the user name 'switchedonpop.' Bring questions about your favorite pop songs, unresolved issues from past episodes or anything you want to know about the show. See you on Reddit on Monday, November 13th at 2pm EST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1m Nov 13, 2017
1m
BONUS: Switched On Pop Reddit AMA Monday Nov 13th 2-4pm EST
Nate and Charlie will answer any question you have about pop music you love, unresolved questions from past episodes, or anything about the podcast. Just visit www.reddit.com/r/ama/ on Monday Nov 13th 2-4pm EST and ask us your questions.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1m Nov 12, 2017
1m
71. Unlikely Mashups: Taylor + Cardi B | Clean Bandit + Berlioz
At the top of the pop charts, Taylor Swift and Cardi B, two artists with seemingly little in common, exploit the same compositional technique to hook listeners in. Meanwhile, across time and space, electro producers Clean Bandit ft. Julia Michaels, channel the thematic tricks of French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz in his 1830 Symphonie Fantastique. FeaturingTaylor Swift - Look What You Made...
47m Nov 03, 2017
47m
70. Kendrick Lamar's HUMBLE w. guest Amber Mark
With Charlie off the grid, Nate sits down with singer/producer Amber Mark to explore the different levels of Kendrick's hit HUMBLE.. Then, they turn to the diverse influences (including house music, Carnatic samples, and autodidactic piano chords) behind Mark's own track "Lose My Cool."Featuring:Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.Amber Mark - Lose My CoolAmber Mark - SPACELearn more about your ad choices....
34m Oct 19, 2017
34m
69. Demi Lovato is Not Sorry
Demi Lovato's latest, "Sorry Not Sorry" is at once an unapologetic anthem of defiance and a super catchy mashup of multiple genres. As we'll see, every small musical choice is here for a reason, together fostering Lovato's message of ascension—or even, transcendence. And as we pick apart "Sorry Not Sorry," we'll go to some surprising places ourselves including: Klezmer melodies, spiritual pretz...
38m Oct 06, 2017
38m
68. How to 'Feels' the Groove
How does a song with nonsense lyrics capture our attention, making us want to move? It is called the groove. Enter Calvin Harris' "Feels" (ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and Big Sean). Known for mainstreaming EDM, Harris throws out the software and picks up hardware instruments on this track. Upon first listen, this might seem like a sleeper hit, but as the loop repeats, you're going to want...
33m Sep 22, 2017
33m
67. Anthems of Resilience - Kesha and Imagine Dragons [LIVE]
This episode of Switched on Pop comes at you live from Block Island, RI, recoded in front of an audience of friends and family following a solar eclipse. Fittingly, the two songs discussed that day formed their own kind of syzygy. Kesha's "Praying" and Imagine Dragon's "Believer" are inverse anthems of resilience. Both tracks seek catharsis - one through prayer, the other through pain.Featuring...
42m Sep 07, 2017
42m
66. The Many Worlds of "Despacito"
What has catapulted Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" to the top spot on the Billboard charts? Sorry, typo—to its status as the biggest song in the world? Your hosts explore the many worlds of "Despacito" in search of an answer.Featuring:Lusi Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee - DespacitoLuis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee y Justin Bieber - Despacito (Remix)Luis Fonsi y Juan Luis Guerra - Llegaste TúMajor La...
33m Aug 10, 2017
33m
65. Selena Gomez: Bad Liar, Psycho Songwriter
Selena Gomez's "Bad Liar" stands out on the charts by doing things a little differently: it's a subtle, at times even awkward, summer surprise. Breaking down this pop morsel reveals it has teeth, though—and not just because it borrows a bass line from the Talking Heads' macabre "Psycho Killer." This is a fun one. Come along for the ride. Featuring:• Selena Gomez - Bad Liar• Julia Michaels - Iss...
45m Jul 13, 2017
45m
64. Breaking Down Alanis Morissette (and our own Preconceptions) with guest Andrea Warner
Author, critic and podcaster Andrea Warner joins for a throwback episode exploring politics in Lilith Fair, harmonic anger in Alanis Morissette's iconic "You Oughta Know," and the blind spots in your host's assessment of women in rock. Featuring:•Alanis Morissette - You Oughta KnowArtists mentioned by Andrea Warner:SZAIbeyiThe OvercoatsLizzo
33m Jun 29, 2017
33m
63. Morgan Page Reveals the Rule of 3 in Julia Michaels and Maroon 5
Your brain can only hear three things at the same time. What you may not know is that musicians use this cognitive limitation to guide your listening all the time. Charlie and Nate are joined by Grammy Nominee music producer Morgan Page to reveal the secrets of this ubiquitous technique. Listening to Julia Michaels' hit "Issues," we unveil how the rule of three is used to draw our attention and...
46m Jun 16, 2017
46m
62. DJ Khaled - I'm The One... six... four... five
DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo from Migos and Lil Wayne have allied for a new smash hit: "I'm The One." Despite the star power present, the resulting track is less than the sum of its parts—repetitive, derivative, uninventive. And yet, the lackluster "I'm The One" sits comfortably at the top of the charts, which raises the question: why?? Our answer: because Khaled and compa...
39m Jun 01, 2017
39m
61. Musical Architecture in Charlie Puth + HAIM
Two new songs have captured the attention of your hosts—Charlie Puth's "Attention" and HAIM's "Want You Back." On the surface, these two songs appear to have little in common. A closer look, though, reveals the subtle musical architecture undergirding each track, a perfect balance of symmetry and asymmetry that keeps reeling us in for more.  Featuring: • Charlie Puth ft. Meghan Trainor - Marvin...
42m May 19, 2017
42m
60. The End Of Pop Music As We Know It: Fall Out Boy & Charli XCX
Is it true that all pop music sounds the same today? For the past year the “pop-drop” has dominated the airwaves. This new form of EDM infused pop came out of DJ culture and has infused its sound with every mainstream act like Lady Gaga and Coldplay. Tiring of this sound, some artists are finding creative ways to parody this pop trope. The rock outfit Fall Out Boy’s “Young And Menace” demonstra...
48m May 04, 2017
48m
59. Harry Styles, Eschatology and Teen Girl Fandom
One Direction wunderkind Harry Styles has just released his first ever single, "Sign of the Times," and it's a doozy. Strap in for a discussion of the apocalypse, late Beatles, teen wisdom, and the amen cadence—among other demons exorcised in this most peculiar pop tune. Featuring:•Beethoven 5th Symphony - Scherzo•Harry Styles - Sign of the Times•Prince - Sign o' the Times•David Bowie - Space O...
46m Apr 20, 2017
46m
58. What's to Love About Ed Sheeran? (guest Ross Golan)
Songwriter Ross Golan comes over to start up a conversation, encouraging us to follow his lead and give Ed Sheeran's chart-annihilating record "Shape of You" a chance. Ross, a studio vet with multiple #1 hits (including  numbers discussed on this very podcast, such as Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman" and Selena Gomez's "Same Old Love") is the ideal guest to convince a skeptical Charlie and Nat...
44m Apr 07, 2017
44m
57. Stay ft. Grey
Charlie and Nate sit down with up-and-coming producer duo Grey—fresh off their hit "Starving" with Zedd and Hailee Steinfeld—to uncover the secrets behind Alessia Cara and Zedd's dramatic dance track "Stay" and Grey's own deep cut "I Miss You" (ft Bahar)i. Snare drums as currency, Game of Thrones samples and screaming into the void are all discussed in this deep dive into the world of pop orche...
46m Mar 23, 2017
46m
56. Chained to the Green Light: Katy Perry + Lorde
Two artists who haven't released new music since 2013 recently remerged into the limelight: Katy Perry, with her dystopian disco banger "Chained to the Rhythm" and Lorde, with the melodramatic-yet-uplifting anthem "Green Light." Listening carefully, a fact becomes apparent, despite Lorde's insistence that she "hears new sounds" in her mind: there's something familiar lurking beneath both these ...
37m Mar 10, 2017
37m
55. Oscar Week!: La La Land ft. Genevieve Koski
With the Academy Awards around the corner, Charlie and Nate try something new: a break down of the movie musical La La Land through two of its key songs, "City of Stars" and "Start a Fire." These numbers, one by composer Justin Hurwitz, the other by Hurwitz and John Legend, might represent the two poles of the film's dramatic structure. But a deep dive into their musical construction reveals le...
53m Feb 24, 2017
53m
54. Zayn, Taylor Swift & The Grammys
"I Don't Wanna Live Forever," the new track from Zayn and Taylor Swift, finds two members of the pop pantheon joining forces with producer Jack Antonoff to craft an inexorable hit song. But this duet—between a former One Direction heartthrob aiming to avert the sophomore slump and a megastar returning to the limelight—is far from triumphant. Instead, "Forever" delves into themes of loss and sep...
33m Feb 09, 2017
33m
53. The Puzzle of Ariana Grande's "Into You" (with K. Flay)
"Into You" was one of the biggest hits of 2016, the stellar production of reclusive legend Max Martin combining with the acrobatic vocals of Ariana Grande to create an undeniable, ubiquitous earworm. With "Into You" still burning up the charts, we dive deep to uncover the insane puzzles, Trompe-l'oiel tricks and Baroque games that lie under the surface of this morsel of pop perfection. PLUS, br...
48m Jan 27, 2017
48m
52. Seduced by the Sound: The Weeknd + Daft Punk
"I Feel it Coming" might be the slowest burning jam to hit the charts in ages, in which the Weeknd enlists the robotic hum of Daft Punk to help craft a perfectly calibrated climate of desire. Brilliant, sexy songs don't just appear out of thin air, though, so we reveal how this song's perpetual excitement is hard-won through references to past stars of sultriness like Michael and Marvin while e...
25m Jan 12, 2017
25m
51. Dreaming Of A White Christmas
White Christmas holds the Guinness World Record for most singles sold and has been covered over 500 times. Pop stars from Elvis to Ella have recorded it, with interpretations from doo-wop to country to punk rock. With new covers each year, it seems listeners have not grown tired of this Tin Pan Alley chestnut. We use our scientific formula for holiday hit success to break down what makes this s...
39m Dec 16, 2016
39m
50. How to Listen to Music in 4 Easy Steps
50 episodes in, hosts Charlie and Nate take a step back to think about how they listen to music and try to define what might be called The Switched on Method™. "Hallelujah," by the late, great Leonard Cohen, acts as a perfect test case for breaking down listening into four key layers: 1) The Liner Notes, 2) The Needle Drop, 3) The Scratch, and 4) The Remix. Through this patented process, artist...
44m Dec 01, 2016
44m
49. Tove Lo - Cool Girl
On the surface, Tove Lo's new hit "Cool Girl" boasts a snappy, earworm chorus and an empowering message of self-reliance. Beneath its chill exterior, though, Lo's song burns with a passion bordering on rage, and sinister sonic undertones suggest an unreliable narrator who doesn't always mean what she says. The more layers one pulls back from this song, the more Lo's source material—the novel an...
31m Nov 17, 2016
31m
48. Made In America: Toby Keith & Jay-Z
Back in 2011, two pop songs dropped with the same patriotic title: "Made in America." But the similarities pretty much end there. Toby Keith's country smash and Jay Z, Kanye West and Frank Ocean's soulful hip hop anthem have little in common except a firm conviction that each song knows what it really means to be American. Five years later, these tracks have a lot to tell us about the role musi...
51m Nov 03, 2016
51m
47. Good Artists Borrow, Great Artists Steal - The Chainsmokers, 'Closer'
Host Charlie spent the last two weeks listening to every song on the Billboard Hot 100. What did he discover? That the sonic similarities of most chart-toppers sound closer than ever. Except for the #1 song in America, as of this episode's release - "Closer" by The Chainsmokers, ft. Halsey. This one is different than the rest...or is it? We dive into the styles of the moment to re-learn the old...
45m Oct 20, 2016
45m
46. The World In A Grain Of Sound
We tend to consider cellphone rings as somewhat antithetical to music. There is a whole subset of YouTube videos dedicated to the perverse thrill of watching a delicately beautiful musical moment ruined by the harsh cry of a default ringtone. In this episode, we zoom in on one of these annoying melodies to see if there's not some hidden musical craft present in the ubiquitous bleeps and bloops ...
41m Oct 06, 2016
41m
45. Lady Gaga Is A Perfect Illusion
Lady Gaga's new single, "Perfect Illusion," is the apotheosis of her artistic statement. She is well known for her visual style that too often overshadows her music. But when taken together, it is evident that Lady Gaga is playing all of us because the non-conformity of her outward appearance is reflected back in her compositions. On first listen, her songs may sound like just another catchy po...
1hr 1m Sep 23, 2016
1hr 1m
45. Lady Gaga Is A Perfect Illusion
Lady Gaga's new single "Perfect Illusion" is the apotheosis of her artistic statement. She is well known for her visual style that too often overshadows her music. But when taken together, it is evident that Lady Gaga is playing all of us because the non-conformity of her outward appearance is reflected back in her compositions. On first listen, her songs may sound like just another catchy pop ...
1hr 2m Sep 22, 2016
1hr 2m
44. How Beyoncé to The Beatles Modulate Your Emotions
Certain pop songs have that moment, when everything seems to change but still remain the same, when the drama gets ratcheted up, when the tension increases and our emotions take an elevator ride to the heavens. From Beyoncé to Johnny Cash, savvy pop songwriters know a well-placed harmonic modulation can leave listeners reeling. But what is this mysterious musical trick, and how does it work? Tu...
37m Sep 09, 2016
37m
44. How Beyoncé to The Beatles Modulate Your Emotions
Certain pop songs have that moment, when everything seems to change but still remain the same, when the drama gets ratcheted up, when the tension increases and our emotions take an elevator ride to the heavens. From Beyoncé to Johnny Cash, savvy pop songwriters know a well-placed harmonic modulation can leave listeners reeling. But what is this mysterious musical trick, and how does it work? Tu...
37m Sep 09, 2016
37m
43. Pop Drops and Chipmunk Soul
A strange syndrome is wreaking havoc on the voices of our biggest pop stars. From Rihanna to Justin Bieber, no one is safe from having their beautiful vocals chopped up, screwed down, repitched and repurposed. As dance music takes over the charts and new software grants vocal manipulation at the click of a button, this uncanny production technique has become nearly ubiquitous. But is this ultra...
41m Sep 02, 2016
41m