Switched on Pop Vox Media Podcast Network
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- Music
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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.
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Is pop music just fast food? (with Gastropod)
Where were you when you learned that the McDonald's jingle "I'm lovin' it" was originally part of a full-fledged pop song by Justin Timberlake and Pharrell that flopped on the charts but found staying power as a slogan? For us, it was recording our live episode about sponsored content in pop back in March 2024, and we have not been the same since. Shaken by this revelation, we found ourselves asking, "What else don't we know about fast food jingles?"
Turns out, it's a lot. From Taco Bell to Popeye's to Chili's, the music of fast food represent some of the most familiar melodies in society, across state lines and generations. But the stories behind those songs, and the way that fast food production and pop music production often move in parallel, was something we never saw coming once.
Since we are music experts but amateur foodies, we invited the brilliant hosts of Eater's Gastropod podcast, Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, to help serve up the history of fast food and its changing role in culture. Tune in and pig out with us as we listen and debate the artistic and ethical implications of the sounds of fast food.
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Check out more episodes of Gastropod
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Rosie Tucker's unending bliss
Tongue twisters that mock techno-optimism and cite critical theory don’t usually make for catchy song lyrics. But indie rocker Rosie Tucker’s Utopia Now! finds beauty in the dross of late capitalism. Over 13 songs backed by distorted guitars and blazing drum fills, Tucker’s searing vocals bemoan the inherent dislocation of our modern world while searching for moments of truth and human connection.
The night before Tucker embarked on a tour, Nate visited their home studio to speak to them about the inspirations behind their latest album. Although it deals with “big” topics, Tucker stressed that it all comes back to the individual and that the world we have reflects the world we make. “I am trying to reckon with both processing personal resentment,” they told Nate, “and recognizing my own role in my own misery.”
Songs Discussed:
Rosie Tucker - All My Exes Live In Vortexes, Lightbulb, Paperclip Maximizer, Unending Bliss
Erik Satie - Gymnopedie No 1
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Eurovision 2024: from Baby Lasagna to Windows95Man
It’s that time of year again when the entirety of Europe (and a few other countries) come together to celebrate kitschy, bombastic songwriting through the Eurovision Song Contest! This year’s competition, held in Malmo, Sweden, features everything from rave-pop on behalf of the Netherlands, to folk-rapping hybrids courtesy of Ukraine – and Charlie and Nate are here to musicologically unpack the craziest tracks that have the potential to win it all.
For more on the controversy surrounding this year’s contest, check out Charlie’s appearance on Vox’s podcast Today, Explained.
Songs discussed:
Joost – Europapa
Angelina Mango – La noia
alyona alyona, Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria
Nemo – The Code
Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
Windows95Man – No Rules!
Kaleen – We Will Rave
Olly Alexander – Dizzy
Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue
Ladaniva – Jako
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Justice is never-ending
Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay of the French electronic duo Justice speak with cohost Charlie Harding about their new album Hyperdrama.
Song Discussed
Justice - Phantom Pt II, D.A.N.C.E., Neveender, New Jack, Genesis, Horsepower, Civilization, One Night-All Night, Dear Alan, Incognito, Moonlight Rendez-vous, Audio Video Disco, Afterimage, The End, Generator, Pleasure
The Who - My Generation
The White Stripes - Black Math
The Human League - Human
John Carpenter - Night
Serge Gainsourg & Jane Birkin - Je T’aime… moi non plus
Michel Berger - Le Paradis Blanc
Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
Chaka Khan - Fate
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Best of 2024 so far: hip hop feuds, Hozier’s pop surprise and espresso shots
The beginning of 2024 has brought new music aplenty. Some big releases are in the form of big-ticket albums by the world’s biggest superstars (shoutout Taylor and Beyoncé); some are in the form of soon-to-be radio-friendly staples (we love you, "Espresso"); and some are in the form of personal earworms (Justice! Rosie Tucker! Dua!).
This episode of Switched on Pop, we take a look at the records that we can’t stop listening to from the past few months, from Metro Boomin to Kacey Musgraves to Willow Smith.
Songs discussed:
Metro Boomin, Future, Kendrick Lamar – Like That
J Cole – 7 Minute Drill
Drake – Push Ups
Rick Ross – Champagne Moments
WILLOW – Big Feelings
Hozier – Too Sweet
Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
Justice, Tame Impala – One Night/All Night
Justice – Generator
Rosie Tucker – All My Exes Live In Vortexes
Lizzy McAlpine – I Guess
Kacey Musgraves – Too Good To Be True
Maggie Rogers – The Kill
Dua Lipa – Illusion
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
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Taylor Swift's Literary Era
The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, finds the songwriter in the world of literature. She interweaves personal romance with mythical creation and quotations from high and low culture: Genesis, Peter Pan and even Playstation. Despite calling herself a "modern idiot," less-than-subtle nods to Sylvia Plath, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Dylan Thomas, and Patti Smith reveal the artist’s literary aspirations and “legendary” status. The full length Anthology version contains a bookshelf of many genres: pulp fiction, diary entries, period pieces, epic poems, and her very own genre, Taylor Swift.
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