396 episodes

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.

Switched on Pop Vox Media Podcast Network

    • Music Commentary
    • 3.0 • 1 Rating

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.

    Chasing old sounds: Djo's "End of Beginning" with Joe Keery

    Chasing old sounds: Djo's "End of Beginning" with Joe Keery

    Joe Keery is best known for his acting roles, such as the reformed jock Steve Harrington in "Stranger Things" and his chilling performance in season 5 of "Fargo." But he's also a spectacular musician. Rising through the Chicago music scene in college, he has self-released two albums under the moniker 'Djo.' His latest work, "Decide" from 2022, serves as a coming-of-age story and a meditation on navigating modern life. Despite strong initial reviews, the album only gained widespread attention two years later when its breakout hit "End of Beginning" became a soundtrack for youthful nostalgia on TikTok, casting Keery as an accidental pop star. Joe Keery joined "Switched On Pop" to discuss the creation and significance of "Decide."

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    • 39 min
    Cowboy Carter: This Ain't Country

    Cowboy Carter: This Ain't Country

    Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is her foray into country music, but this isn't just dirt roads, blue jeans and whiskey. Her country music distills all of American pop: blues, gospel, R&B, soul, house, hip-hop and yes, country. If this ain't country, what is?
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    • 39 min
    Hip-hop's Sea Change at Rolling Loud

    Hip-hop's Sea Change at Rolling Loud

    Hip-hop is in a weird place right now. Research says that the genre, in both streaming and chart performance, has declined over the last decade. And while rap artists can still get number one songs on the Hot 100, it’s a far cry from the peak of trap circa 2017, when Nielsen data named hip-hop as the most popular genre in the U.S.
    So what does that mean for the future of rap? To find out, producer Reanna Cruz spent all weekend reporting from Inglewood, CA, at the California edition of the world’s largest hip-hop festival: Rolling Loud. Through talking to attendees and catching the weekend’s hottest sets, they learned about the current state of hip-hop – the good and the bad – as well as what the future may hold.
    To read Reanna’s highs and lows from the festival, check out their Vulture article here. 

    Special thanks to Antonio Cruz for his production help on this episode.

    Songs Discussed:

    OsamaSon – Pop

    Nicki Minaj – BARBIE DANGEROUS

    ¥$, Kanye West, & Ty Dolla $ign – EVERYBODY (live)

    ¥$, Kanye West, & Ty Dolla $ign – BACK TO ME (live)

    Junior H – Y LLORO

    Natanael Cano – Pacas de Billetes

    Fuerza Regida – Enculado

    That Mexican OT, Lefty SM – Barrio (with Lefty SM)

    That Mexican OT – Cowboy Killer (live)

    KenTheMan – Not My N**** – Extended

    KenTheMan – Poppin Sh!t

    KenTheMan – Keep Going (live)

    Kaliii – Area Codes

    Action Bronson & Statik Selektah – Respect the Moustache

    Drake, SZA, & Sexyy Red – Rich Baby Daddy (live)

    Sexyy Red, Sukihana – Born By the River (feat. Sukihana)

    Sexyy Red, Chief Keef – Skee Yee (live)

    Nettspend – shine n peace (live)

    Nettspend – deftones snippet (live)

    Matt Ox – Overwhelming

    Nettspend – What they say

    SOPHIE – BIPP


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    • 42 min
    Rhapsody in Blue, Reimagined

    Rhapsody in Blue, Reimagined

    What do Duke Ellington, United Airlines, and the K Pop group Red Velvet share in common? They've all covered George Gershwin's piano concerto, Rhapsody in Blue. First premiered in 1924, the piece became an immediate hit for the way it blended American jazz with the European symphonic tradition. Gershwin had a number of successes as a composer in his day—his aria "Summertime" from the opera Porgy and Bess is by some measures the most covered song ever—but the staying power of the Rhapsody make it a rare instrumental piece that's instantly familiar. Maybe too familiar.
    In 2024, there will be many centennial performances of this iconic piece, but pianist Lara Downes wanted to do something more than just the sound the notes of Gershwin's score for the umpteenth time. Downes commissioned Puerto Rican musician Edmar Colon to create a new version of Gershwin's composition, one that brought in the full spectrum of American life in 1924: fiery improvisation, Latin percussion, and dance rhythms. The resultant piece both pays tribute to an American icon while adding a new set of modern counterpoint.
    Nate sat down with Lara to ask her if she was nervous to rewrite such a canonic piece, why a concerto is like a musical kaleidoscope, and the surprising family connection to Gershwin's musical world she discovered while researching Rhapsody in Blue.

    Songs Discussed
    George Gershwin, Lara Downes, Edmar Colon - Rhapsody in Blue Reimagined
    Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
    Gershwin - 3 Preludes: II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
    Sarah Vaughan - Nice Work if You can Get It
    Sam Cooke - Summertime
    Chet Baker - But not For ME
    Louis Armstrong - Aint Misbehavin
    Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies
    Red Velvet - Birthday
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    • 30 min
    Eternal Sunshine of Ariana Grande's Mind

    Eternal Sunshine of Ariana Grande's Mind

    Sidestep the gossip and focus on the music in Ariana Grande’s latest album Eternal Sunshine. The music is an exercise in nostalgia: 70s Disco, 90s R&B, and 00s pop and dance music. As she moves through the musical past, her lyrics tear through past relationship. But its the way her lyrics interweave with the deft melodies and harmonies that reveal the meaning of the record. 

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    Songs Discussed

    Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine, Bye, Don’t Wanna Break Up Again, True Story, The Boy Is Mine, We Can’t Be Friends, Imperfect For You

    Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft

    Barry White - Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Babe

    Britney Spears - Oops I Did It Again, Gimme More

    Brandy, Monica - The Boy Is Mine

    Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody

    Ginuwine - Pony

    Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend, Show Me Love


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    • 44 min
    How to DIY a Music Career (with Amelia Meath and David Gray at SXSW)

    How to DIY a Music Career (with Amelia Meath and David Gray at SXSW)

    In a landscape where the music industry seems designed to stifle creativity and independence, Amelia Meath stands as a beacon of resistance. Through her involvement in bands like Sylvan Esso, Mountain Man, and The A's, and as a founder of label Psychic Hotline, Meath defies the narratives that label success in music. This conversation dives into the systemic challenges musicians face today—from the pitfalls of streaming economics to the trials of touring and beyond. Yet, it's not just about the hurdles; it's a conversation on solutions, embodied by Meath's multifaceted career and the inspirational journey of David Gray, whose story of grassroots success with "Babylon" serves as a case study in artistic resilience and independence.

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    Songs Discussed
    David Gray - Babylon, Shine, What Have I Become, Skellig
    Sylvan Esso - Coffee, Die Young

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    • 37 min

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