Switched on Pop

Latest Episodes:

Top 40 Activism with Justin Tranter Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Can political protest exist within the confines of commercial popular music? Songwriter Justin Tranter is equal parts songwriter and activist. You've likely heard his contributions to songs by Britney Spears, Julia Michaels, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monae and Ariana Grande, but unless you were paying close attention, you may have missed the essential subtext in his work. As an LGBTQ activist and board member of GLAAD, Justin brings his activism into Top 40 pop music lyrically and otherwise. On this episode, he breaks down his newest hit "Swan Song" which was co-written with Dua Lipa. This song is a triple threat serving as the end credits for the film Alita: Battle Angel, a Billboard hit, and a protest against the silencing of marginalized people. Justin shows us how representation in songwriting is inseparable from politics. And he's creating an open mic for new voices and stories that have been historically ignored by the pop industry.

Songs Discussed:

Dua Lipa - "Swan Song"Charlie Puth - "Attention"Selena Gomez - "Good For You"Imagine Dragons - "Believer"Taylor Swift - "Love Story"Halsey - "Bad At Love"Haydn - "Farewell" Symphony No. 45Shea Diamond - "Seen It All"

Listen to D. Orxata's Queering Pop Music playlist.

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What Makes An Award Winning Song? Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

What if music awards were given out for only musical qualities? It may seem like celebrity and spectacle are more important than ever at the 61st Grammy Awards, but we believe many of this years winners earned their accolades with noteworthy music. Still, we thought the winners should be heralded by new, more musical categories. Find out how

And The Awards Go To:

Best Chord Progression: H.E.R. - "Hard Place" & "Focus"

Best Throwback: Silk City & Dua Lipa ft. Diplo & Mark Ronson - "Electricity"

Worst Metaphor: Lady Gaga ft. Bradley Cooper "Shallow"

Best Conceptual Song: Childish Gambino - "This Is America"

Best Bridge: Kacey Musgraves - "Rainbow"

Also Featured

The Weeknd - "Often"

Khalid - "Location"

Alison Limerick - "Where Love Lives"

Cher - "Strong Enough"

Elton John - "Mellow"

Bonus

Listen to Ezra Klein's discussion with Jill Lepore on America's two revolutions

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What Makes a Song Sexy? Feb 05, 2019

Show notes

Author Courtney Smith joins to offer her expertise on an urgent topic in advance of Valentine's Day: Can we abstract the sexiest songs of all time into a universal list of arousing musical qualities? We try our best by examining five decades of pop sexiness, discovering lyrical lingerie, and consider the most (and least) seductive instruments.

Featuring:

Nina Simone - I Want Some Sugar in My Bowl

Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby

INXS - Need You Tonight

Portishead - Glory Box

Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire

The Weeknd - Often

Check out Courtney's article Let's Talk About Sex, Baby: Every Trick You Need to Seduce Someone with a Playlist on Refinery29

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The Deep History of '7 Rings' Jan 29, 2019

Show notes

"7 Rings" is Ariana Grande's latest smash, a glittering banger that owes much to Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 classic "My Favorite Things." 60 years later, Grande updates the track for a modern audience, making her the latest artist to repurpose this anthem from the "Sound of Music." When it comes to Ari's flow, however, questions of appropriation arise. Author Lauren Michele Jackson joins to break down who has the right to repurpose sonic history.

Featuring:

• Ariana Grande - 7 Rings

• Julie Andrews - My Favorite Things

• John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

• The Doors - Light My Fire

• Lauryn Hill - Black Rage

• Migos - Bad and Boujee

• Princess Nokia - Mine

• Two Chainz - Spend It

• Soulja Boy - Pretty Boy Swag

Check out Lauren Michele Jackson's article, "To Whom Does '7 Rings' Owe its Sound?," hear more connections between Coltrane and the Doors in this NPR story, and discover the triplet Migos flow on Vox's Earworm.

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Do You Believe in Life After Autotune? Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

Auto-Tune may be the most divisive effect in music. Artists have protested it publicly at the Grammys, and critics have derided the effects for its inauthentic reproduction of the voice. And yet, nearly a decade since Jay-Z prophesied the death of Auto-Tune, the sound is alive and thriving in contemporary pop and hip-hop. Journalist Simon Reynolds has written a definitive history of Auto-Tune for Pitchfork that fundamentally changed how we hear this sound. This deep dive criss crosses geology, technology, and the evolution of pop as we know it.

Songs Discussed:Cher - BelieveKaty Perry - FireworkRihanna - DiamondsFuture - F*ck Up Some CommasEmma Robinson - Stay (Cover) Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek Zapp & Roger - Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing) T. Pain - Chopped N Screwed ft. Ludacris Lil Wayne - “How To Love”Kanye - “Heartless”The Black Eyed Peas “Boom Boom Pow”Jay-Z - Death Of Auto-TuneElvis - Mystery TrainThe Beatles - Tomorrow Never KnowsWhispering Jack Smith - Baby FaceKesha - Tik Tok Bon Iver - WoodsFuture & Juice WRLD - Jet Lag ft. Young Scooter Shek Wes - Mo BambaThe Carters - Apeshit

Further Reading:Simon Reynolds - “How Auto-Tune Revolutionized the Sound of Popular Music" Simon Reynolds -Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture

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Slay Bells, All Year Long Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

This winter season unwrap a deep dive through a pop subgenre of monumental importance: non-holiday songs that feature sleigh bells, from Bonnie Tyler to Nas, On Side B, we rebroadcast our episode on Mariah Carey's classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You"...and more sleigh bells.

Featuring:

•The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

•Gustav Mahler - 4th Symphony, I

•Michael Jackson - Jam

•Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart

•Miles Davis - On the Corner

•Nas - Halftime

•Kygo ft. Conrad Sewell - Firestone

•Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas Is You

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Look What You Made Us Do Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

Four years into Switched On Pop, Charlie and Nate finally reveal what was behind the entire series. We may have not been totally honest with you from the beginning. Back in 2014 we were more pop skeptics than fanatics. The genre was, to some degree, the sugar that made the musical analysis medicine go down. And then something happened. Just as people started to listen to the show, we too began to open our ears. Now, in our 100th episode, Charlie interviews Nate about how transforming the way you listen to pop can truly make life better. And we get raw about the constraints of pop and where we plan to go in our next 100 episodes.

Songs discussed:

Beethoven's 7 & 9Santana - "Smooth" Martha and the Vandellas - "Heat Wave" Zedd - "Stay" Pink Floyd - "The Great Gig in the Sky" Adelle - "Hello"

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Entering Beard Phase with Mike Posner Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

Mike Posner has written hits for himself like "I Took a Pill in Ibiza," and for stars from Justin Bieber ("Boyfriend") to Maroon 5 ("Sugar"), so he has insights for days on what makes a pop song work.

We dig into Mike's excellent new track "Song About You," which leads to an exploration of songs that reuse the same melody for verse and chorus—from Prince to The Boss to Post Malone. Last, we consider "beard phase": a moment of artistic reinvention that every artist has in their career, whether you're Mike Posner, Ludwig van Beethoven, or Taylor Swift.

Featuring:

Mike Posner - Song About You

Jean Ritchie - Barbary Allen

Original Sacred Harp Singers - New Britain (Amazing Grace)

Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover

Prince - Let's Go Crazy

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.

Post Malone - Rockstar

Beethoven - String Quartet No 1 Op. 18/1

Beethoven - String Quartet No 10 Op. 74/III

Beethoven - String Quartet "Grosse Fuge"

Taylor Swift - Teardrops on My Guitar

Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It?

Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever

Dennis Wilson - River Song

Peaches ft. Iggy Pop - Kick It

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How Dirty Projectors Make You Feel Energy (with David Longstreth) Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

Dirty Projectors are known for their kaleidoscopic soundscapes. They make strange bedfellows of music techniques like 14th vocal harmonies and African guitar rhythms. But in the backdrop of their obscure orchestrations you will hear the indelible marks of pop music. Longstreth has recently collaborated on songs with Solange, Rihanna, Kanye and Paul McCartney. On his new track "I Feel Energy" we can hear that pop influence shine through. Together we break down his unpredictable 808s to see what gives you energy. We also build connections between Dirty Projectors and other artists in the top 100 including Marshmello, Ella Mai and Khalid.

Songs Featured:Dirty Projectors - I Feel EnergyDirty Projectors - Up In HudsonMarshmello ft. Bastille - HappierElla Mai - TripKhalid - Better

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Stairway To Hell: Greta Van Fleet’s Scorching Album Review That Went Viral Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

Classic rock climaxed a half century ago, yet it still survives in two places: FM radio & Greta Van Fleet. The later are an upstart of four boys from Michigan who have found stardom by dusting off the mantle of guitar driven rock. Their latest album, Anthem Of The Peaceful Army, bares an uncanny sonic resemblance to Led Zeppelin. Jeremy D. Larson, senior editor of Pitchfork, gave the album a 1.6 out of 10 calling it "stiff, hackneyed, overly precious retro-fetishism." His vicious and hilarious takedown went viral and caused a rift amongst music fans on the internet. We ask Jeremy to join us to reveal what it means to earn such a bad review. After, we do something we've never done before: a track-by-track album breakdown. In a game of musical Pictionary, Charlie challenges Nate to find every Led Zeppelin reference on the album to answer the question: is it a copy or an homage? We have a feeling this will be a divisive episode...

Songs Discussed:

Greta Van Fleet - Age of Man

Led Zeppelin - Rain Song

Led Zeppelin - In The Light

Led Zeppelin - What Is And What Should Never Be

Led Zeppelin - Your Time Is Gonna Come

Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir

Greta Van Fleet - The Cold Wind

Led Zeppelin - Custard Pie

Greta Van Fleet - When the Curtain Falls

Led Zeppelin - Wanton Song

Greta Van Fleet - Watching Over

Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You

Greta Van Fleet - Lover, Leaver

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love

Spirit - Taurus

Muddy Waters - You Need Love

Small Faces - You Need Love

Willie Dixon - I Can't Quit You Babe

Greta Van Fleet - You're the One

Led Zeppelin - What Is And What Should Never Be

Greta Van Fleet - The New Day

Led Zeppelin - Over The Hills And Far Away

Greta Van Fleet - Mountain of the Sun

Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day

Greta Van Fleet - Brave New World

Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand

Greta Van Fleet - Anthem

Led Zeppelin - Tangerine

Lover Leaver (Taker, Believer)

Read the Pitchfork review of Greta Van Fleet's Anthem Of A Peaceful Army

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