391 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

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.

    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
    Is Beyoncé's music #sponcon? And other mysteries LIVE in Brooklyn

    Is Beyoncé's music #sponcon? And other mysteries LIVE in Brooklyn

    Live from On-Air Fest in Brooklyn, Nate and Charlie investigate listeners’ burning musical mysteries, such as: Is Beyoncé’s reference to Lexus in “Texas Hold ’Em” product placement? And, could we be tuning all our music the wrong way? These stories have twists, turns, and a live parody performance that no asked for.

    Thanks to Steve Stoute, Lucas Keller, Samer Ghadry, Helen Zaltzman, and Phil Pappas for contributing to this episode.

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    Songs Discussed:

    Beyoncé – TEXAS HOLD ‘EM

    RUN DMC – My Adidas

    Busta Rhymes – Pass The Courvoisier Part II

    Taylor Swift – Out of the Woods

    Outkast – Hey Ya!

    Jason Aldean – Take A Little Ride

    Justin Timberlake – I'm Lovin' It

    Chris Brown – Forever

    Pitbull – Rain Over Me (ft. Marc Anthony)

    Lady Gaga – Telephone (ft. Beyoncé)

    Beyoncé – SUMMER RENAISSANCE

    Beyoncé – Crazy In Love (ft. Jay-Z)

    LFO – Summer Girls

    Aqua – Barbie Girl

    Moonlight Sonata (432hz)

    Here Comes the Sun (432hz)

    Deep Focus Music with 432 Hz Tuning and Binaural Beats for Concentration - Study Music


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    • 44 min
    Jacob Collier unites the world

    Jacob Collier unites the world

    One of the most inventive and gifted musicians working today is none other than Jacob Collier. Maybe you know him from his YouTube videos, or co-writing SZA’s “Good Days,” or even performing alongside Joni Mitchell at this year’s Grammys. Jacob is a musician with thunderous chops, proficient on multiple instruments and with a voice that ranges from bass to soprano. over the past few years, he’s managed to release several records, net collaborations with everyone from Michael McDonald to T-Pain, and become the first British artist to receive a Grammy Award for each of his first four albums. His latest album Djesse 4 is the conclusion to his Djesse quadrilogy, and it features a kaleidoscopic range of style, from Indian sitar to Colombian reggaeton to a haunting Simon and Garfunkel cover. This week, we’re going to take a look inside the work and process of a musical mad scientist – our resident songwriter Charlie Harding sat down with Jacob to learn about his new record, his collaborators, and the beautifully unique way he sees and thinks about music.

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    SONGS DISCUSSED
    Jacob Collier - In My Room, 100,000 Voices, A Rock Somewhere, Little Blue, She Put Sunshine
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    • 1 hr
    Beyoncé's Country

    Beyoncé's Country

    Renaissance Act II truthers, your time has come: There’s new music from Beyoncé, and boy, is it country. Her two new singles dropped two weeks ago, and in the time since, they’ve both climbed up the chart and taken the internet by storm. There’s the barnstorming stomp and holler ditty “TEXAS HOLD 'EM,” which just notched the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and the dark horse “16 CARRIAGES,” a autobiographical work song detailing Beyoncé’s roots in Houston, Texas. Charlie and Nate unpack both of these two songs, highlighting their structures, inspirations, and collaborators, from Raphael Saddiq to Rhiannon Giddens. Then, producer Reanna Cruz speaks to music journalist Taylor Crumpton, whose article for Time, “Beyoncé Has Always Been Country” lays out the cultural implications of this sonic pivot for one of the biggest artists of all time. 

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    Songs Discussed

    Beyoncé - Texas Hold 'Em, 16 Carriages, Break My Soul, Formation, Daddy Lessons

    Dink Roberts - Georgia Buck

    Carolina Chocolate Drops - Hit 'Em Up Style

    Elvis Presley - Mystery Train

    Unidentified African American Chain Gang - Waterboy, Run

    James Carter and the Prisoners - Po Lazarus

    Robert Randolph and the Family Band - Find a Way

    Vince Gill ft Justus West- High Lonesome Sound

    More
    Read Taylor Crumpton's article Beyoncé Has Always Been Country
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    • 44 min
    Adult Contemporary, but make it cool (with CHROMEO)

    Adult Contemporary, but make it cool (with CHROMEO)

    The Canadian Electro-Funk duo CHROMEO have made consistently funky, highly danceable music for twenty years. They’ve released five studios albums, done the Coachella festival circuit and have been nominated for a Grammy for their sound that’s been compared to Prince, Zapp and Hall and Oates. Now with their latest album, Adult Contemporary, they are challenging preconceptions of adult contemporary music by redefining its whole meaning.

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    Songs discussed
    CHROMEO - (I Don't Need A) New Girl, BTS, Coda, Fancy Footwork, Needy Girl, Replacements, Clorox Wipe, Six Feet Away
    Dolly Parton - Nine to Five
    Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money
    Gwen Guthrie - Ain't Nothin' Goin' on but the Rent
    Kenny G - Songbird, You're Beautiful
    Kenny Loggins - This Is It
    Kenny Rodgers - We've Got Tonight, You And I
    Michael Bolton - How Am I Supposed To Live
    Michael Bublé - Home
    Michael Jackson - Human Nature, Working Day and Night
    NWA - Straight Outta Compton
    Steely Dan - Black Cow, Ricky Don't Lose That Number, Time Out of Mind
    The Bee Gees - Staying Alive
    Toto - I'll be Over You
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    • 29 min
    The Star Spangled Banger!

    The Star Spangled Banger!

    Who is the biggest Diva of them all? The U.S. National Anthem, which borrows its melody from a historic British drinking song, has undergone enormous musical change in the hands of pop music vocalists. Famously, José Feliciano, Marvin Gaye and Whitney Houston each changed the meaning of "The Star Spangled Banner" by finding new approaches to the performance. Countless others have followed in their footsteps. Now every major sporting event is an excuse for pop divas to make their own creative interpretation. So who does it best? Or worst? Jan Diehm and Michelle McGhee, data journalists at The Pudding, analyzed the pitch fluctuations of over a hundred famous performances to answer these questions and more.

    Check out Jan and Michelle's full analysis at pudding.cool

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    • 53 min

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