22. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
As much as we might have crazy love for pop music, pop music also loves to drive us crazy. Earworms that grab you and won’t let go; cookie-cutter compositions that bedevil in their unoriginality; strange new sounds that vex, rankle, confound. How does pop music […]
33m Oct 22, 2015
33m
21. Justin Bieber’s Existential Suite
Bieber’s two new hits, “Where Are Ü Now” and “What Do You Mean,” showcase the prodigal pop star’s soberer side. In each, his realization of the fictive nature of relationships is musicalized through slippery piano chords and disembodied voices. But just two songs does not […]
29m Oct 07, 2015
29m
20. The Weeknd: Dance of Deception
The Weeknd’s deliriously funky chart topper “Can’t Feel My Face” has sparked sweat-soaked dance sessions across the country, but dark notes lurk at the outskirts of this ebullient jam. Chromatic intrusions and Classical laments crowd the scene and invite more clandestine interpretations. What’s this song […]
23m Sep 23, 2015
23m
19. Let’s Talk About Sax
The sax is back. This surprisingly funky reed keeps popping up in pop hits from Derulo to Grande. But where did the sax come from? And where did it go? Tighten your embouchure, because we journey to the center of sax in this week’s episode. […]
33m Sep 09, 2015
33m
18. Kacey Musgraves: Transgressing Country
Can you be a country star and critical of the country at the same time? Grammy Award Winner, Kacey Musgraves, has two hit albums that challenge the small-town clichés of modern country music. Is she bucking the trend of big trucks and dirt roads, or embracing an old tradition of transgressing social norms? To answer […]
24m Aug 14, 2015
24m
17. Song of Summer: LIVE!
In the first-ever LIVE edition of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate enter an epic debate over what track should be crowned 2015’s definitive Song of Summer. Charlie’s candidate is the retro anthem “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, while Nate argues for […]
27m Jul 30, 2015
27m
16. The Dual Meaning of Fetty Wap’s Trap Queen
Fetty Wap’s Trap Queen is an unlikely contender for the top 10. It straddles genres between hip-hop and pop in subtle yet mesmerizing ways. Is it a drug song? Is it a love song? Or is it both at the same time? Join us to find […]
18m Jul 15, 2015
18m
15. One Direction: Our Modern Day Castrati
One Direction is one of the biggest bands in pop, but unless you’re a preteen or the parent of one, like us you’ve probably never heard a second of their music. Until now. Let’s see if we’ve been missing out, on the latest from Switched […]
21m May 29, 2015
21m
14. The Final Dropout
How does a good pop song end? With a bang, right? As it turns out, explosive endings are kinda over. Songwriters are instead opting to end with a final dropout. Even the biggest pop anthems close with a quiet final moment. In this musical short, […]
5m May 15, 2015
5m
13. Hidden Sounds in FourFiveSeconds
FourFiveSeconds is one of the more surprising collaborations in recent pop history. Rhianna, Kanye, Sir Paul McCartney. The motley lineup doesn’t dissapoint, serving up one of the most unexpected songs of the year—though not for the reason you’d think. Tune in and wile out while […]
19m May 06, 2015
19m
12. Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You
Carly Rae Jepsen might be the patron saint of Switched on Pop, the show first hatched by Charlie and Nate on a trip down CA-1 while the stereo blasted “Call Me Maybe.” So when we heard she had a new single out we knew we […]
19m Apr 15, 2015
19m
11. Hozier’s Waffling of Faith in Take Me To Church
Written in the Hozier family basement, Take Me To Church has risen up to be one of the biggest pop hits of the year. But this is not a typical pop song. The unsettling music and provocative lyrics about faith and relationships irk many listeners. […]
15m Apr 02, 2015
15m
10. Taylor Swift’s Beethovian Blank Space
Taylor Swift’s Blank Space is about emptiness of the heart. This motif of Blank Space is contained through the entire piece: from the drums, to the melody, to the lyrics. We pull away the sonic structures to show how Taylor recreates that empty feeling and […]
13m Mar 26, 2015
13m
09. A Cappella Dreams
A cappella, Italian for in the style of the church, refers to music for unaccompanied voices. Just a decade ago it was nowhere near the radio dial. Now it’s everywhere: college campuses, Hollywood blockbusters, prime time reality television, and the Grammys. A cappella hasn’t been […]
45m Mar 16, 2015
45m
08. Radio Africa
Reporting live from Kenya, we search for African pop that is making its way into global dance music. The barriers to producing high quality audio are reduced to merely owning a laptop. Now, regional artists are reaching a global audience. We speak to Blinky Bill, […]
28m Feb 19, 2015
28m
07. Star Spangled
Did you know the melody to the Star Spangled Banner was once a British drinking song? In preparation for the Super Bowl, we uncover how the national anthem has been co-opted and reinterpreted by mega pop-stars. Our understanding of how this song sounds has been […]
25m Jan 28, 2015
25m
06. Mark Ronson: Funk Politics
Funk is back! Mark Ronson, hit maker and sage of pop music, has a No. 1 hit with his album Uptown Special. The distinct sounds of 70s funk are clearing out the radio of overplayed and increasingly stale electronic dance music. Why did funk ever […]
31m Jan 15, 2015
31m
05. The Imperative Jingle Bells
You’ve heard it a million times, you know how to sing it, its ubiquitous during the holiday season, but you’ve never heard a definitive recording. Where does it come from, why is it so catchy, and why of all holiday songs is Jingle Bells the […]
29m Dec 20, 2014
29m
04. To Be Young
Pop music and youth go together like peanut butter and pickles. The music we hear when we’re young shapes our identities forevermore. In this episode we take three songs that promise an eternal adolescence and put them under microscope to see what makes them tick. […]
29m Dec 11, 2014
29m
03. Boom Bang Pow
We look at the Rhythms that make us dance, those primal beats, the “Boom Bang Pow” that make us want to move. We’ll ask what makes them work and why is that we’re hearing that untz untz everywhere we go from the dance floor, to […]
26m Nov 14, 2014
26m
02. The Oeuvre of Taylor Swift
We uncover the common songwriting techniques and chart the musical evolution of Taylor Swift. Featuring songs from her early country period, transitional indie period and her latest pop album, 1989.
37m Oct 28, 2014
37m
01. Heartbreak
Why do we love listening to heartbreak songs? What do songwriters do to emote such strong feelings? Featuring Adele – Someone Like You Kacey Musgraves – I Miss You CeeLo Green – F*** You!
25m Oct 28, 2014
25m