Switched on Pop

4.7 (332)
Music Commentary
Updated Weekly

Listen closer to pop music, and hear how it moves us. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

10 hrs ago

III. Preaching to the Chorus (ft. Cypress Hill and Trevor Horn)

The chorus was once the part of the song that brought us together, the place we gathered to sing. Now it's the most engineered thirty seconds in music. Legendary producer Trevor Horn and hip-hop icon B-Real of Cypress Hill help Charlie and Nate answer the question on their minds: when everything's a hook, is anything a chorus? CREDITS Reanna Cruz: Producer Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer Dion Lee: Art Director Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer Nick Ripps: Video Editor Nate Sloan: Host Lissa Soep: Editor Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions. Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ Songs discussed: Whitney Houston, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the U.S.A." Handel, "Hallelujah Chorus" (from Messiah) Pete Seeger, "Oh! Susanna" Odetta, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Handel, "Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted" (from Messiah) Joan Morris & William Bolcom, "After the Ball" Judy Garland, "Over the Rainbow" Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode" The Beatles, “Yesterday" The Beatles, "Getting Better" Otis Redding, "Respect" Aretha Franklin, "Respect" Dolly Parton, "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You" The Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star" Prince, "I Wanna Be Your Lover" Katy Perry, "Roar" Calvin Harris, “I Need Your Love" (ft. Ellie Goulding) Britney Spears, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream" Maroon 5, "Payphone" (ft. Wiz Khalifa) Bad Bunny, “Si Veo a Tu Mamá" Drake, "Janice STFU" Lykke Li, "I Follow Rivers" Charli xcx, "Rock Music" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 21

II. Justice for the verse (ft. Audrey Hobert)

Everybody sings the chorus, but superfans quote the verse. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate trace the verse from Shakespeare through opera to TikTok, and songwriter Audrey Hobert shares her philosophy of specific verses and anthemic choruses: you can't have the payoff without the setup. CREDITS Reanna Cruz: Producer Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer Dion Lee: Art Director Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer Nick Ripps: Video Editor Nate Sloan: Host Lissa Soep: Editor Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions. Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠ Songs discussed: Aretha Franklin, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Edward Meeker, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" Third Eye Blind, "Semi-Charmed Life" Zara Larsson, "Lush Life" John Denver, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up" William Smith, Choir of New College, Oxford, Edward Higginbottom, "Opening Versicles and Responses" Georges Bizet, Michel Plasson, Angela Gheorghiu, Les Éléments, Orchestre National Du Capitole De Toulouse, "Bizet: Carmen, WD 31, Act 1: Habanera. "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Carmen, Chœur)" Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" Built to Spill, "Joyride" The Killers, "Mr. Brightside" Gracie Abrams, "That's So True" Audrey Hobert, "Sue me" Lizzo, "About Damn Time" Audrey Hobert, "Drive" Audrey Hobert, "Bowling alley" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 14

I. Let's get it started (ft. Aaron Dessner)

Research says you judge a song in under half a second. So why write an intro at all? On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate kick off their Netflix launch and probe what an intro means in today's musical landscape, alongside special guests like Aaron Dessner (Taylor Swift, The National, Gracie Adams), who helps build the case for intros and reveals the surprising sources that form the opening sounds of Taylor Swift's “cardigan.” CREDITSReanna Cruz: ProducerIris Gottlieb: IllustratorCharlie Harding: Host, Executive ProducerDion Lee: Art DirectorBrandon McFarland: Audio EngineerNick Ripps: Video EditorNate Sloan: HostLissa Soep: EditorZach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme ComposersSwitched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions. Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠ Black Eyed Peas, "Let's Get It Started" Shawn Colvin, “Sonny Came Home” Smashing Pumpkins, “Tonight Tonight” The Cranberries, "Zombie" The Cranberries, "Linger" Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe" Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get It On" Britney Spears, "Toxic" Miles Davis, "Freddie Freeloader" Robyn, "Call Your Girlfriend" The Beatles, "All You Need Is Love" Led Zeppelin, "Over the Hills and Far Away" Beyoncé, "Irreplaceable" Deee-Lite, "Groove Is in the Heart" Missy Elliott, "Get Ur Freak On" Missy Elliott, "Work It" Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee, "Despacito" Kendrick Lamar & SZA, "Luther" Mariah Carey, "Fantasy" The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again" Stevie Wonder, "Superstition" The Temptations, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up" Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black" The Supremes, "Baby Love" The Kinks, "Sweet Lady Genevieve" The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows" Erik Satie, "Je te veux" D'Angelo and the Vanguard, "Back to the Future (Part I)" The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey, "Closer" Sabrina Carpenter, "Taste" Benson Boone, "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else" Stella Lefty, "Boston" Taylor Swift, "Cardigan" The National, "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" Taylor Swift, "So Long, London" Gracie Abrams, "Hit the Wall" Noah Kahan, "End of August" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 14

Switched On Pop on Netflix July 14th

We're coming to the big screen with a four part mini series starting July 14th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 30

Music only the World Cup could make

The quadrennial soccer (or fútbol, depending who you talk to) competition is upon us again: it's the FIFA World Cup! And while the World Cup is a sporting event, it's still relevant to the folks at Switched On Pop, because every four years a new crop of songs gets commissioned to drum up excitement for the games. This year, the official song is by Shakira and Burna Boy, but offerings from IShowSpeed and a madcap collaboration between Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, and Megan Thee Stallion also play the field. On this episode, Charlie and Nate explore them all – including the Shakira and Ricky Martin songs of World Cups past. Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube Songs discussed: Shakira, Burna Boy – Dai Dai K'NAAN – Wavin' Flag Tears For Fears, Lil Baby – The World Is Yours To Take Jelly Roll, Carin León – Lighter LISA, Anitta, Rema – Goals Jung Kook, BTS – Dreamers Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, Megan Thee Stallion – DNA (More Than A Game) IShowSpeed – Champions (WC 26) Ed Sheeran – Shape of You Shakira, Carlinhos Brown – La La La (Brasil 2014) Shakira, Freshlyground – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) Zangalewa – Zangalewa Ricky Martin, Pablo Flores – The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida) Ricky Martin – Livin' La Vida Loca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 23

Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson) ICYMI

In case you missed it: How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stockholm Syndrome: we've all become captives to their sound without realizing it. Listen to the crystalline vocal production and deceptively simple chord progressions in tracks by Lisa, Childish Gambino, and Addison Rae, and you're hearing Sweden's sonic fingerprint so embedded in pop's DNA that it now defines the genre itself. We sit down with pop star Zara Larsson to explore her love letter to home, "Midnight Sun." As she puts it, "I can't really leave Sweden; it's just something that's like a part of who I am," a sentiment that captures how Swedish pop's unique blend of melancholy and euphoria, mirroring the country's extreme seasons, has made us all willing prisoners of Stockholm's musical empire. Songs Discussed Lisa ft. Rosalia: "New Woman" Childish Gambino: "Lithonia" Addison Rae: "Fame Is a Gun" Bleachers: "Tiny Moves" Zara Larsson: "Midnight Sun" Robyn: "Show Me Love" Robyn: "Dancing on My Own" Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Brad Mehldau: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 18

2hollis is the underground’s genre-hopping vampire

In the last episode of our feral pop miniseries, we take a look at the 22 year old rapper primed to take over the world: 2hollis. Splitting the difference between hardstyle and hip-hop while emanating an aura best described as “vampiric,” he’s been one of the most hyped musicians coming out of the underground. His music is distorted, chaotic, and over the top – literally – but he reflects a larger sentiment from younger audiences: the more sonic chaos the better. Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube Songs discussed: Ninajirachi – Fuck My Computer underscores – Music 2hollis – poster boy SUICIDAL-IDOL – ecstacy 2hollis – flash 2hollis – beginning 2hollis – sidekick underscores, 8485 – your favorite sidekick 2hollis – crush 2hollis – 3 Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 17

Pop music for an internet-pilled generation

This week on Switched On Pop, we’re looking at all things feral pop, the microgenre that takes pop music to its most wild extremes. And no feral pop artist is more tapped into that ethos than underscores. Her music synthesizes dubstep, trance, and Timbaland with ease, and her latest album ‘U’ is filled with boundless energy. She’s already opened up for 100 gecs, PinkPantheress, and Porter Robinson; this fall, she’ll open up for Charli XCX on her upcoming Music, Fashion, Film tour. She said it best on her debut album, Fishmonger: “it’s the new wave of the future!” Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube Songs discussed: underscores – Music SOPHIE – Ponyboy underscores, 8485 – your favorite sidekick Nelly – Country Grammar (Hot Shit) Madonna – Music Madonna – American Life underscores – Do It Britney Spears – Piece of Me PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – Stateside Justin Timberlake – SexyBack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Trailer

Switched On Pop on Netflix July 14th

We're coming to the big screen with a four part mini series starting July 14th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charlie Harding

Host
Nate Sloan

Host
Audrey Hobert

Guest
Aaron Dessner

Guest
Arc Iris

Guest
Samara Cyn

Guest
Hrishikesh Hirway

Guest

4.7

out of 5

332 Ratings

Nerding out is the new cool

2024-06-27

jeanstown2023

There is something truly magical in listening to knowledgeable people get into the intricacies of what makes music music and all the stylistic choices along the way. I am not musically talented myself but you help me to appreciate songs in a more nuanced and imaginative way. I would 100% listen to a 5 hour audio cast with Charlie Puth re the making of a full album!
Loosing What Made The Show Unique

2025-02-15

Cossy Boi

I used to really enjoy the show, you used to analyze pop music and explain its importance, it’s intertextual and intersectional meaning. However, for awhile now the show is marginalizing artists and music that it doesn’t like. On this episode about trance for example, the show largely dismisses the album as uninteresting. Even if you didn’t like it, there was a lot of interesting things to talk about.
So good! But Stromae next please! Merci!

2022-03-21

leboued

Fantastic podcast, I share épisodes on songs/artists with friends who would like it all the time. Stromae is one of the most celebrated francophone artists of all time, & he just released a new album! Also his last album a decade ago Racine Carré is still iconic to this day, as is his break out hit Alors on Danse. Lyrically socially conscious and musically inventive he deserves an episode! Merci mille fois!!
Very good

2023-09-22

Firstborn summer

I love this podcast of songs I would love if we did more like viral. TikTok music and on about Taylor swifts eras tour

Listen closer to pop music, and hear how it moves us. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.