Switched on Pop

When Smash Mouth wrote "All Star,” they knew that it was going to change their lives. But they never expected it would become an anthem played in sports arenas, soundtracked by Hollywood, and embedded into seemingly every internet meme. Darryn King joins the show to break down "The Never-ending Life of Smash Mouth's 'All Star.'"

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In 1995, ESPN launched Jock Jams Volume 1, a compilation record that would define the sound of sports for the next quarter century. We listen to the album's biggest songs to define what makes a "Jock Jam," and tell the story of how this record came to define the sound of the stadium.

MORE

Read Emily VanDerWerff's article: “The Jock Jam” megamix inadvertently plays out ESPN’s inner tensions

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Freddie Mercury and team made one of the most unusual anthems of all time. “We Are The Champions” has a somber beginning, an uncertain ending and a sprinkling of operatic allusions. Yet more than 40 years after this slow burners debut, it continues to be a staple at sporting events. In the first episode in a four part series, ANTHEMS, Nate and Charlie break down the song’s fundamental elements that place this song in the anthemic pantheon. 

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Cory Henry is a remarkably gifted multi-instrumentalist. Growing up in the church, he started playing the Hammond B3 organ at age 2 and played his first gig at Apollo theater in NYC at age 6. As a professional musician he’s played along side Bruce Springsteen, Boyz II Men, The Roots, Kirk Franklin and many others including the acclaimed group Snarky Puppy which earned 3 Grammys during his tenure playing keys. Now he leads his band Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles who are releasing an album on Oct 30th called Something To Say, which features all of Henry’s gifts, but especially his voice in an album that makes you want to get up and dance as much as it makes you want to take action. 

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Shawn Mendes, BTS, Alicia Keys, 24kGoldn, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber & Chance The Rapper are all in the Hot 100 with songs that attempt to cope with the state of the world. What do they tell us about the sound of popular music and our collective psyche? Charlie is joined by writer, critic and friend of the podcast, Lauren Michele Jackson to offer a meteorological reading of music in late 2020.

MORE

Read Aja Romano's article "With 'Dynamite,' BTS beat the US music industry at its own cheap game" on Vox.com

SONGS DISCUSSED

Shawn Mendes - Wonder

Alicia Keys - Underdog

Hamilton - My Shot

Dua Lipa - Break My Heart

INXS - Need You Tonight

BTS - Dynamite

Justin Bieber - Holy ft. Chance The Rapper

24kgolden - Mood ft. iann dior

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There is a type of country song that loves flawed characters lost on a winding journey ... likely down a dit road. One of the best songwriters in this style is acclaimed artist Brandy Clark. Her credits include a whose-who of country music—Kacey Musgraves, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Lean Rimes—and her albums have received overwhelming critical acclaim. And her debut record, 12 Stories, earned her a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

We spoke with Brandy about her new album Your Life Is A Record, which asks what if your life’s journey fit on one LP. The songs are honest, and buck the all too familiar pop-country clichés. Clark writes songs about anti-heroes who make imperfect choices (“Who You Thought I Was,” “The Past Is The Past.”) All together her songs portray one whole life. 

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Keith Urban is a legend of country. He’s been releasing hit records for two decades now. Each album he describes as a portrait of his life in that moment. On his latest work, The Speed Of Now Part 1, has Urban disregarding country convention (as he’s known to do), and collaborating with a diverse roster of musicians who contribute an eclectic array of sounds funk guitar, breakbeat drums and even EDM style programming. The result is less straight ahead country and more the unique sound of Keith Urban. In this conversation, we discuss his music, how he stays creative, and why he believes music can still be a uniting force.

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Mickey Guyton spent a decade of fits and starts trying to make a career in country music. But now in recent months she’s having a country music moment releasing vulnerable songs that use her experiences of rejection, exclusion and racism as inspiration. Charlie speaks with Guyton about her breakout songs “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” and “Black Like Me,” as well as what it took for her to make it onto one of country musics most beloved stages, the American Country Music Awards.

Songs Discussed

Mickey Guyton - What Are You Gonna Tell Her

Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers - Islands In the Stream

Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors

Mickey Guyton - Safe (Acoustic)

Mickey Guyton - Heartbreak Song

Mickey Guyton - Why Baby Why

Mickey Guyton - Better Than You Left Me

Mickey Guyton - Black Like Me

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Howard and Guy Lawrence, the brothers behind Disclosure, found global acclaim in 2012 with their song “Latch” ft. Sam Smith which blended house and dubstep in a doo-wop time signature. Since, they have collaborated with many of pop’s most sought after vocalists (The Weeknd, Lore and Khalid to name a few) in an ever evolving vision of dance music. On their latest album release, “Energy,” Disclosure channels sounds and samples from the global south. Listen to find out how they make the energy flow. 

Survey

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When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear a testament to self-expression and determination. Which means that we get to decide how to honor this symphony today, whether that means taking a break from Beethoven to commission new works from underrepresented composers, bringing new audiences into the fold by staging concerts in communities outside of the concert hall, or re-writing Beethoven’s works to make them reflect our present moment. 

Featuring:

Anthony McGill, Clarinet

Andrea Moore, Musicologist

Deborah Borda, CEO and President

David Lang, Composer

Jaap van Sweden, Conductor

Leelanee Sterett, Horn

Sherry Sylar, Oboe

Music Featured:

Carlos Simon, Loop

Tania Léon, Stride

David Lang, Prisoner of the State

Recoding of Beethoven Symphony 5 by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Jaap van Sweden used by permission from Decca Gold.

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Before Beethoven’s time, classical music culture looked and sounded quite different. When Mozart premiered his Symphony 31 in the late 1700s, it was standard for audiences to clap, cheer, and yell “da capo!” (Italian for “from the beginning!”) in the middle of a performance. After Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony debuted in the early 1800s, these norms changed — both because the rising industrial merchant class took ownership of concert halls and because of shifts in the music itself.

As we explored in episodes I and II of the Switched On Pop podcast series The 5th, the musical complexity of Beethoven’s symphony required a different kind of listening. The Fifth’s four-note opening theme occurs and recurs in variations throughout the symphony, slowly shifting from minor to major keys and mirroring Beethoven’s experience with deafness. The Fifth’s creative rule-breaking — subverting the classical sonata form in the first movement, for example — requires close listening to fully grasp. Over time, these norms crystallized into a set of etiquette rules (e.g., “don’t clap mid-piece”) to enhance the new listening experience. In the third episode of The 5th, we explore how Beethoven’s symphony was used to generate the strict culture of classical music — and the politics that undergird those norms of behavior.

Music Discussed

Recording of The New York Philharmonic performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 conducted by Jaap van Zweden used by permission from Decca Gold.

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In the first movement of his famous symphony, Beethoven sets up a battle between hope and despair. The dark side of that spectrum is represented by the anguished opening notes of the first movement: DUN DUN DUNNN. Over the course of the next three movements, Beethoven keeps trying to overcome his dark fate with bright major melodies, and keeps getting defeated.

With each high and low, we begin to understand that this battle isn't just about major and minor keys, it's about the will to live in the face of adversity. How do you perform such an emotional rollercoaster? We talk to the members of the New York Philharmonic about what it's like to sound a symphony whose stakes are life and death.

Jaap van Zweden, Conductor

Leelanee Sterrett, Horn

Kyle Zerna, Percussion

Frank Huang, Violin

Anthony McGill, Clarinet

Sherry Sylar, Oboe

Recording of The New York Philharmonic performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 conducted by Jaap van Zweden used by permission from Decca Gold.

Hear new episodes of our four-part miniseries The 5th every Tuesday and Friday starting September 8th.

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You know Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. You’ve heard it in films, advertisements, parodied in Saturday morning cartoons and disco-ized in Saturday Night Fever. The Fifth Symphony is a given, so much so that it blends into the background. You know this piece, but how well? Of all the symphonies of the bewigged classical "greats," why is this one still stuck in our heads over two centuries later?

To answer these questions, we’re giving Beethoven’s famous symphony the same treatment we give to pop songs. And we’re doing so with the help of an orchestra that’s been performing this piece since 1842, the New York Philharmonic.

In Movement I, we hear how the famous opening notes of the symphony aren't just melody: they’re the main character in a drama that will unfold over four movements.

Featuring:

Frank Huang, Violin

Anthony McGill, Clarinet

Sherry Sylar, Oboe

Recording of The New York Philharmonic performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 conducted by Jaap van Zweden used by permission from Decca Gold.

New episodes of our four-part miniseries The 5th drop every Tuesday and Friday starting September 8th.

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Our Switched on Summer Throwback Series continues with “Dancing in the Street,” the 1964 Motown hit by Martha and the Vandellas that was co-written by none other than Marvin Gaye. Over 50 years and countless covers later, we explore how this song still manages to get people off their feet and onto the streets—not just to dance, but also to raise their voices in joy, catharsis, and protest.

SPONSOR

We use Reason Studios to make music on Switched On Pop. You can use Reason too free for 30 days: http://reasonstudios.com/onpop

SONGS DISCUSSED

Martha and the Vandellas – Dancing in the Street

Marvin Gaye – Stubborn Kind of Fellow

The Mamas and the Papas – Dancing in the Street

The Grateful Dead – Dancing in the Street

Van Halen – Dancing in the Street

Mick Jagger and David Bowie – Dancing in the Street

Kendrick Lamar – Alright

Pharrell Williams – Happy

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How does it feel to become a global pop star under lockdown? Benee’s “Supalonely” had been out for over 5 months when in March of 2020, it quickly became the second most popular song on TikTok. The song’s hook “I’ve been lonely… Supalonely” clearly reflected a global collective malaise about the pandemic—and people wanted to dance to it. She wrote this “sad banger” to help get over a breakup. And now the song changed her life. Not along before she’d dropped out of college to make music while working at a pizza place. Her first EP had found an audience in her home country, New Zealand. Now, with her TikTok success Benee has ascended the top 100 in 30 countries. All of this happened from the solitude of her childhood bedroom, where like so many people, she’s taking zoom calls all day. She tells Switched On Pop about using levity to overcome personal difficulty and what’s like to achieve global recognition from home.

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Matt Daniels, editor of the publication The Pudding, wanted to find out what songs from his youth would last into the future. So he designed a study that would test if Gen-Z had a grip on 90s culture. Hundreds of thousands of participants provided over 3 million data points. Daniels parsed through the data for insights. Sadly, the majority of his most beloved songs have not survived even one generation. Though most had been forgotten, he found that just a few songs had staying power across generations — what he defined as the emerging 90s music canon. Find out what songs make it and which have fallen to the wayside. 

MORE

The Pudding’s study on Defining the 90s Canon

Take The Pudding’s quiz yourself

SONGS DISCUSSED

Spice Girls - Wannabe 

Mariah Carey - Fantasy!

Lou Bega - Mambo #5

Los Del Rio - Macarena

Boys II Men - Motown Philly

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

Savage Garden - I Want You

The Barenaked Ladies - One Week

Jewel - You Were Meant For Me

Jennifer Lopez - If You Had My Love

Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On

Britney Spears - Baby One More Time

Smash Mouth - All Star

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

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Bruno Major blends old song structures from The Great American Songbook with contemporary production on his new album “To Let A Good Thing Die.” The result is a nostalgic, yet contemporary collection of love songs for the Netflix and chill generation. We speak with Bruno Major about how he draws inspiration from the past to craft something new. He breaks down his songs "Nothing," "To Let A Good Thing Die," and "The Most Beautiful Thing," which he wrote with Finneas. And we unpack how Bruno Major found success only after being dropped from his record label.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Bruno Major - Nothing

Autumn Leaves - Nat King Cole

Fly Me to The Moon - Frank Sinatra

Stella By Starlight - Tony Bennett

There Will Never Be Another You - Nat King Cole

Like Someone in Love - Chet Baker

Deep in a Dream - Frank Sinatra

All The things you are - Ella Fitzgerald

Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years

Wes Montgomery - In Your Own Sweet Way

Bruno Major - Wouldn't Mean A Thing

Bruno Major - Bad Religion (Live)

Bruno Major - I'll Sleep When I'm Older

J Cole - KOD

J Dilla - La La La

Bruno Major - The Most Beautiful Thing

Bruno Major - To Let A Good Thing Die

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Beyoncé' has released "Black Is King," a visual album based off of music that she released last year. We're rerunning that piece so that you can place the visual component of "Black Is King" in context to the music. For the live action remake of the Lion King, Beyoncé, (who voices Nala in the film), recorded and curated a companion soundtrack called The Gift. She worked with leading Afropop stars to expose the music of the continent to a global audience. In her piece, “Diversity Is in the Details: What Beyoncé’s ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ Gets Right and Wrong,” Okayplayer music editor Ivie Ani argues that the album highlights music while unintentionally treating the continent as a monolith. Ani joins Switched On Pop to break down this album and what it means for Afropop.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Childish Gambino, Oumou Sangaré – MOOD 4 EVA

Oumou Sangaré – Diaraby Nen

Burna Boy – JA ARA

Fela Kuti – Water No Get Enemy

Fena, MDQ, Mayonde, Kagwe, Blinky Bill – PARTY NATION

BONUS

Listen to Blinky and Ivie’s East African playlist recommendations

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Taylor Swift has released folklore, her unexpected eighth studio album. It is an understated work that firmly puts celebrity gossip behind her (there are no who's-dating-who easter eggs to be found). Instead we're gifted Swift's greatest strength: songwriting. The lyrics blur "fantasy and reality." There are imagined teenage love trysts, recreated dynasties and intimate reflections on modern love. We break down the sounds and lyrics that make up Swift's strongest album yet.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Taylor Swift - the 1, illicit affairs, my tears ricochet, august, epiphany, cruel summer, this is my trying, hoax, peace, you belong with me, mirrorball, epiphany, our song, cardigan, the last great american dynasty, betty

The National - Light Years

Bon Iver - 666

BONUS

The correct term for the piano line is a "turn"

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Nu-Metal, the mid 90s creation that blended metal, rap and pop, is one of the most critically derided pop genres. So it is strange that this genre is having a comeback. But whereas its first incarnation was dominated by men, now women are leading the way. Artists like Poppy, Grimes and Rina Sawayama have recast the heavy guitars, sung-rap lyrics and gaudy aesthetic to fight back the patriarchy.

CORRECTION: Charlie does not play pinch harmonics, but rather natural harmonics

SONGS DISCUSSED

• Korn - Freak On A Leash
• Rina Sawayama - STFU!
• Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff
• Poppy - I Disagree
• Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole
• Grimes, Hana - We Appreciate Power
• Rina Sawayama - XS
• Britney Spears - Gimme More
• Britney Spears - Toxic

MORE

Check out Finn McKenty's YouTube channel The Punk Rock MBA starting with his video on what killed Nu-Metal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATllyNXF3Kg&t

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Listen closely to the start of the 2015 hit "Hey Mama" by David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Afrojack, and Bebe Rexha and you'll hear voices intoning a chant: "Be my woman, girl, I'll be your man." It's sample from a 1948 recording called "Rosie," and it's the propulsive hook of "Hey Mama," driving the song to over a billion views on YouTube. The voices in the sample belong to CB Cook and ten other unidentified prisoners at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, aka Parchman Farm. These men never got credit for their work, even though it's been reused by everyone from Guetta to the Animals to Nina Simone. We investigate the story of "Rosie" to understand an inequity that lies at the heart of the music business and our national consciousness.

Songs Discussed

David Guetta ft Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha, and Afrojack - Hey Mama

CB Cook and Axe Gang - Rosie

The Animals - Inside Looking Out

Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking OUt

KRS-One - Sound of Da Police

Jay Z - Takeover

Nina Simone - Be My Husband

Check out Kembrew McLeod's and Peter DiCola's book Creative License to learn more about the law and culture of digital sampling.

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The 2020 song of summer competition is underway. We asked you for your favorite songs and put them in a head-to-head tournament. Find out which is the song for this very unusual summer. 

ROUND 1 - TikTok Jams

SAINt JHN - "Roses" Imanbek Remix 

Megan Thee Stallion - Savage Remix (Feat. Beyoncé)

The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

ROUND 2 - Protest Anthems

Beyoncé - Black Parade

Anderson .Paak - Lockdown 

YG - FTP

ROUND 3 - Breezy Bops

Dua Lipa - Physical

Chloe x Halle - Do It

Harry Styles - Watermelon Sugar

ROUND 4 - Bummer Bangers

Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer

Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness

HAIM - Up From A Dream

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Lady Gaga’s 6th album is a conceptual release about a future that is neither utopian nor dystopian. Despite its sci-fi visuals, the album looks more to the past and present than the future. Chromatica gives us a world that sounds like 90s house music made for this summer’s cancelled Pride parties. It is lyrically somber, but musically upbeat, a productive tension that inspires hope. Gaga shared that she made this album to help her and her ‘little monsters’ dance through the pain. So we called on our listeners to dig up the most meaningful moments on the album and help us tour the world of Chromatica.

SONGS DISCUSSED

• Lady Gaga - Chromatica I, 1000 Doves, Alice, Bad Romance, Stupid Love, Fun Tonight, Paparazzi, The Fame, Rain On Me, Since From Above, Babylon
• Gwen McCray - All This Love
• Cassius - Feeling For You
• Avicci & Sebastien Drums - My Feelings For You

MORE

"Welcome To Chromatica" playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6nIb85jPqtjhjuOB3DUI49?si=Vy9LLNWcSAeih_V2Amq6Aw

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Shea Diamond has experienced so many facets of America as a black trans woman, and with songwriter Justin Tranter, she's woven those experiences into "I Am America," a blistering, funky anthem about community and belonging. Her track is also the theme song for the new HBO show "We're Here," which follows a team of a drag queens bringing drag shows to small towns across the country, challenging our assumptions about who makes up the "real America."

We sit down with Diamond and Tranter to discuss singing as preaching, what it means to release this track during Pride month, why the flat seventh hits so good, and how the horns on the song feature producer Eren Cannata's dad Richie on sax, making this bop a true family affair.

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In 1999 filmmaker Baz Luhrmann released the song “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen,” a 7-minute-long graduation speech set to downtempo electronic music. It was a highly unlikely hit that made its way across continents and eventually into the ears of a young Avery Trufelman via the album NOW That’s What I Call Music Volume 2. For over 20 years, Trufelman has applied the song’s advice to her daily life: “wear sunscreen… be nice to your siblings… do one thing every day that scares you.” This unusual song has left a lasting impression, and yet for Trufelman, it makes no sense that “The Sunscreen Song” was commercially successful. We investigate the song’s many architects — novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich and Baz Luhrmann himself — to unpack one of the internet’s first conspiracy theories that turned into Billboard’s greatest outlier. 

SONGS DISCUSSED

Baz Luhrmann - Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Think - Once You Understand

MORE

The BBC documentary on “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cszvtr

Another speech set to music, Byron MacGregor/Gordon Sinclair’s “Americans,” peaked at #4 in 1974

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Quarantined in his family’s music room, musician Jacob Collier has been remarkably productive. Known for his polymathic musical talents, Collier has used this time to reflect on, and release new music. His latest song “All I Need,” was created with new technology that let him record remotely with his collaborators Mahalia and Ty Dolla $ign. The song is uplifting. It modulates into arcane keys that evoke the euphoria of newfound love. Collier’s also been convening live streams with artists like Tori Kelly and Chris Martin where Collier seemingly defies the laws of physics to collaborate, in time, over long-distance video chat. Collier is a hopeful voice, demonstrating how music can boost our spirits in dark times.

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The pandemic has upended the art and business of making music. Producing, performing and releasing — every aspect is new and uncharted. The need for social distancing means that it’s unsafe to collaborate in small studios or perform for large crowds — not to mention finding the right thing to sing about in such a charged moment. We’re telling three stories about how artists are working within these constraints: Ricky Reed and John-Robert have found a way to generate a creative spark remotely, Jacob Collier has defied the laws of physics to master live performance over the internet, and Dua Saleh has released a powerful new track that helps support the protests in Minneapolis. Everything is radically different than it was a few months ago, but these stories shine a light on why making music matters more than ever in 2020. 

SONGS DISCUSSED

Lizzo - Juice

John-Robert, Ricky Reed, Zach Sekof - Favorite Boy

Bill Withers - Lean On Me performed by Ty Dolla Sign & Jacob Collier

Jacob Collier - All I Need

D’Angelo - Feel Like Making Love

Stevie Wonder - You And I performed by Tori Kelly and Jacob Collier

Dua Saleh - Body Cast

Dua Saleh - Sugar Mama

Dua Saleh - Moth

Dua Saleh - Smut

Sister Rosetta Tharp - This Little Light Of Mine

MORE

Watch Nice Live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC24tNtu1NuD9yZ9t2YUATIQ

Dua Saleh's "Body Cast" BandCamp campaign: https://duasaleh.bandcamp.com/track/body-cast

Listen to Dua Saleh's new album Rosetta: https://duasaleh.bandcamp.com/album/rosetta

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In a Rolling Stone article titled “He Shook The World: George Floyd’s Legendary Houston Legacy”, writer Charles Holmes reveals the musical past of the man who has become an international symbol for justice since his murder. Known as “Big Floyd” in his Houston community, he was part of the city’s Screwed Up Click, a hip-hop collective centered around the now-legendary producer DJ Screw. This underground scene created a style of slowed-down “chopped and screwed” hip-hop that seeped into mainstream hip-hop, and has even been appropriated by bubblegum Top 40. In this episode we unpack how this chopped and screwed sound took over pop and shine a light on George Floyd’s involvement with the Screwed Up Click.

MORE

Read Charles Holmes’ Rolling Stone article: '”He Shook the World': George Floyd's Legendary Houston Legacy”

SONGS DISCUSSED

• DJ Screw - Sittin On Top Of The World ft. Big Floyd
• Mike Jones - Still Tippin’
• Mikes Jones - Back Then
• Chamillionaire - Ridin
• Chamillionaire - Roll Call
• Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz
• Nelly - Grillz ft Paul Wall
• Kanye West, Paul Wall - Drive Slow
• Drake - November 18th
• A$AP Rocky - Purple Swag
• The Weeknd - Initiation
• Beyoncé - Bow Down
• THE SCOTTS - THE SCOTTS
• Travis Scott - Sicko Mode
• Travis Scott - R.I.P. Screw
• DJ Screw - In The Air Tonight
• E.S.G. DJ Screw - Swangin and Bangin
• DJ Screw - Screwed Up Click - Red pt 2
• DJ Screw - 3 In The Morning
• DJ Screw - June 27th Freestyle
• DJ Screw and Lil’ Keke - Pimpin Tha Pen

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They say you should never meet your idols, that you’ll only be disappointed. We had this possibility in mind going into our first interview with Carly Rae Jepsen, the pop star who inspired us to start our podcast Switched on Pop when Nate taught “Call Me Maybe” as a case study in music theory. Six years later and hundreds of pleading emails later, the time had come to meet the muse and unpack her latest offering, Dedicated Side B. In the course of composing her last two albums, E•MO•TION and Dedicated, Jepsen wrote over 200 songs. Many of her favorite works didn’t make it on either final album, so she’s started a tradition of releasing “Side B” records on the one-year anniversary of her last release. Her newest collection of unreleased music fluidly crosses decades of musical history and spans a vast emotional range. We spoke with Jepsen over Zoom about how she curated her latest B-Side release from a massive body of work. Would this beatific figure, once described by poet Hanif Abdurraqib and the “most honest pop musician working,” live up to her reputation? Listen to find out.

SONGS DISCUSSED

• Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe, Julien, Party For One, Now That I’ve Found You, No Drug Like Me, Want You In My Room, Cut To The Feeling, Run Away With Me, Window, This Love Isn’t Crazy, Solo
• Squeeze - Tempted By The Fruit
• Irving Berlin - God Bless America performed by Kate Smith
• Vulfpeck - Back Pocket

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Lo-Fi hip-hop has emerged as a hugely popular genre and internet subculture. Its millions of loyal fans rely on curated lo-fi playlists and live-streams to write to, study to and even fall asleep to. Heck, we even wrote a good chunk of our book to Spotify’s lo-fi beats playlists. There’s just something about those ambient, spacey, plodding beats that place us in a state of determined zen. But what of its musical roots? Who are its stars? And why, despite its mass following on YouTube, Spotify and elsewhere, is it nearly impossible to spot on the Billboard? We trace lo-fi from its godfathers to its moments in the sun, to the complex creative ecosystem playing out on streaming platforms today.

MORE

You can find music from this episode on this week’s Spotify playlist

Sign up for Cherie Hu’s newsletter Water & Music that sent us down the lo-fi hip hop rabbit hole

Check out Seneca B on Spotify:

Check out weird inside on Spotify

Check out eevee on Spotify

SONGS DISCUSSED

Brenky - Bye

Brenky - People

J Dilla ft. Common, D’Angelo - So Far To Go

Isley Brothers - Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love), Pts. 1&2

Charlatan - Wasted Jazz

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Like many events, the international song competition Eurovision 2020 has been canceled. Sadly, there will be no champion crowned this year... or will there?! Charlie and Nate comb through the emotional, the catchy, and the downright bizarre entries, then—with some help from our audience and 2018 Eurovision winner Netta—pick the best song in all the land. Come for the Lithuanian moose dance, stay for the unshakeable power of pop glory in a world gone mad.

Songs discussed

Netta - Toy

Netta - Ricki Lake

Senhit - FREAKY!

Tornike Kipiani - Take Me as I am

Go-A - Solovey

Efendi - Cleopatra

Gjon’s Tears - Repondez-moi

The Roop - On Fire

Dadi Freyr - Think About Things

Roxen - Alcohol You

Little Big - Uno

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When BBC America reached out to do a piece about the music of Killing Eve, we jumped at the opportunity. The series antagonist, Villanelle, is an unpredictable assassin. On a dime she shifts from cold and calculating to child-like and jocular. Her personality swings are accompanied by a captivating psychedelic pop soundtrack. Whether you are familiar with the series or not, this no spoilers episode breaks down music from the 1960s that has earned its place on primetime. 

SPONSORED BY BBC AMERICA

Songs Discussed

• Unloved - We Are Unloved 
• Psychotic Beats - Killer Shangri-:ah
• The Ronettes - Walking In The rain
• The Beatles - Strawberry Fields
• Brigitte Bardot - Contact
• Betty Hutton - It’s Oh So Quiet
• Björk - It’s Oh So Quiet
• Jo Stafford - Some Enchanted Evening
• Duke Ellington - Skin Deep
• Roxette - Listen To Your Heart
• Jacqueline Taieb - La Plus Belle Chanson
• The Beatles - Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!

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Since 1996, Fiona Apple has only ever had one hit, “Criminal.” Nonetheless, every album she’s released has been nominated for a Grammy. Her newest work, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, has received near universal acclaim. Apple’s songs are simultaneously idiosyncratic and relatable, tackling unusual themes for pop songs: middle school bullies, uncomfortable dinner conversation, toxic masculinity and female friendship. Apple accompanies her idiosyncratic lyrics with homemade percussion and only minimal piano. The final product is on the borderline between crafted composition and impromptu improvisation. It is this duality which makes the work relatable and timeless. Her two song suite “I Want You To Love Me” and “Shameika” have connections to Beethoven, Yeats, and Patti Smith, which we break down in the first half. And listeners call in during the second half to share what moved them about the album. 

Songs Discussed

• Fiona Apple - Fast As You Can, Criminal, Under The Table, I Want You To Want Me, Shameika, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, Ladies, Heavy Balloon 
• Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
• Patti Smith - Gloria: In Excelsis Deo
• Van Morrison - Gloria

Support explainer journalism — all things pop included — by making a contribution to Vox today: Visit bit.ly/givepodcasts.

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Doja Cat has gatecrashed the Top 40 with her effervescent hit “Say So.” How did this Internet personality best known for a song whose chorus is “B***h, I’m a cow!” join the ranks of Dua Lipa, Drake, and The Weeknd? The answer involves a voice that careens from gentle soul to fierce rapping, a catchy chorus that grabs you from the first measure, and most importantly, interpolating the guitar patterns of Nile Rodgers, the secret sauce behind four decades of smash hits. 

Songs featured:

Doja Cat - Say So, Juicy, Fancy, Moo

Chic - Good Times

Sugarhill Gang - Rappers Delight

Diana Ross - I’m Coming Out

David Bowie - Let’s Dance

Daft Punk - Get Lucky

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A lot of people miss the old Kanye. The last time we reviewed his music was back in 2016 when he released the work-in-progress album “The Life Of Pablo.” Since then, Kanye has put out four albums: Ye, Kids See Ghost (with Kid Cudi), Jesus Is King, and Jesus Is Born (with the Sunday Service Choir). In the same period he’s also caused a media ruckus with his union to the Kardashian family and his foray into political punditry. His public persona has largely overshadowed his musical offerings. But what does the music communicate when we separate it from its messenger? We take the opportunity to listen with an open mind, especially to his most recent two albums. In the first half we examine his recent innovations as one of hip-hop’s best produced with the help of RapAnalysis.com’s Martin Connor. In the second half we speak with music industry veteran and gospel expert Naima Cochrane in order to place Kanye’s spiritual turn in a larger arch of gospel history. 

Songs Discussed

Kanye West - Follow God, Closed On Sunday, Father Stretch My Hands, Freestyle 4, Every Hour, Golddigger, Famous, Jesus Is Lord, I Thought About Killing You 

Fat’s Domino - The Fat Man

Run DMC - Walk This Way (ft. Aerosmith)

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The band 5 Seconds Of Summer have just released their fourth studio album, Calm. Lead vocalist Luke Hemmings and bassist Calum Hood join us to talk about some of Australia’s biggest hits. In the first half of our conversation we discuss the catchy rhythms and vocals in Tame Impala’s song “Borderline,” a song driven more by vibe than conventional structures. Then on side B, 5SOS break down their new single single “Wildflower” and its countless 80s references. One sound in particular, the “stab” or “orchestral hit” in "Wildflower's" chorus, truly evokes the 80s. The song’s producer, Rami Yacoub, had used the sound before on Britney Spears “Lucky,” as had 100s of other artists who first got their hands on this sample from an Australian inventor who forever changed the sound of music.

Songs Discussed

• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Who Do You Love
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Lie To Me (ft. Julia Michaels) 
• AC/DC - Highway To Hell
• Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning 
• Tame Impala - Same Ol Mistakes 
• Tame Impala - Borderline
• Post Malone - Circles
• Slipknot - Before I Forget 
• Massive Attack - Teardrop 
• Tom Petty - Wildflowers
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Wildflower 
• Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
• Cindy Lauper - Time After Time
• Oasis - Wonderwall
• INXS - Need You Tonight
• Talk Talk - It’s My Life
• Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
• Enya - Orinoco Flow
• Stravinsky - Firebird Suite
• Afrika Bambaataa- Planet Rock
• Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
• Britney Spears - Lucky 
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - Red Desert 

More

Estelle Caswell’s Earworm Video on Peter Vogel’s Fairlight CMI and her playlist of Orchestral Hits

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Scandal and intrigue surround Joe Exotic, the central character of the new Netflix documentary Tiger King. Among the many bizarre traits of this zoo keeper, Exotic tries his hand at country music. Interspersed throughout the series, Joe sings about his love of big cats as well as his hatred for his nemesis in a gruesome murder ballad. But it turns out that amongst his many lies, Exotic’s country career may be yet another fabrication. Charlie speaks with journalist Robert Moor, host of the podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King about who’s really behind the music. 

Songs Discussed

• Joe Exotic - I Saw A Tiger
• Vince Johnson Band - He’s Loving You
• Jake Owen - Down To The Honkytonk 
• Lonestar - My Front Porch Looking In
• Joe Exotic - Here Kitty Kitty
• Spindrift - Speak To The Wind
• Johnny Cash - Long Black Veil
• Joe Exotic - This Is My Life
• George Straight - Living For The Night
• Sean Watkins - I Saw A Tiger

More

• Robert Moor’s Twitter Thread on what Tiger King left out
• NY Mag: Tiger King Joe Exotic and His American Animals 
• Podcast: Joe Exotic: Tiger King

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In the year 2000, D'Angelo released Voodoo—with some help from Questlove, Angie Stone, Raphael Saadiq, and a band of jazz veterans—an album that has cast a long shadow with its unique sound of stripped-down soul, Faith Pennick, who literally wrote the book on the record, joins to break how D'Angelo broke the "shiny suit" regime of R&B, explore how he conjured the spirits of J Dilla, Prince, and Roberta Flack, and consider how one video almost derailed his career.

Check out D'Angelo's Voodoo by Faith Pennick, from Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 Series

Songs discussed:

• D'Angelo - The Line, The Root, Spanish Joint, Chicken Grease, Untitled (How Does it Feel)
• Rev JC Burnett - Amazing Grace
• Prince - Kiss
• Justin Timberlake - Damn Girl
• Thundercat - Them Changes
• Slum Village - CB4
• Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola - There Used to be a Nightclub There
• Roy Hargrove - Strasbourg / St. Denis
• Solange - Cranes in the Sky

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With Nate’s birthday around the corner, it’s time to admit that our go-to birthday song is actually the worst to sing to someone. There are reasons both musicological and cultural why this wooden celebratory number needs to go, ranging from funereal rhythms to Wagnerian opera to the Wizard of Oz. Tune in to uncover the horror of “Happy Birthday” and consider some of the alternatives on offer, including a recent Anne-Marie hit that takes birthday wishes and turns them around 180º.

Songs Discussed

Frédéric Chopin - Piano Sonata No 2 in B-Flat Minor, III

John Williams - The Imperial March

Judy Garland - Over the Rainbow

Richard Wagner - Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde

The Beatles - Birthday

Anne-Marie - Birthday

Fetty Wap ft. Monty - Birthday

Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday

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Latin Trap megastar Bad Bunny may be best known to American audiences for his feature on Cardi B’s #1 “I Like It’, but the Puerto Rican native is known to music-lovers worldwide for more than just those few bars. Bunny started off as a student in Universidad de Puerto Rico studying audio visual communications. He was bagging groceries at a supermarket in PR when he posted his song ‘Diles’ on SoundCloud. That moody, 808-fueled track turned into a record deal, as well as huge feature opportunities with bigger acts like Becky G, and of course--Cardi. His newest project, YHLQMDLG (an acronym that stands for the Spanish translation of “I do what I want”) is currently smothering the Hot Latin Billboard Chart. The albums opening track, "Si Veo a Tu Mamá" had us listening to the origins of Bossa nova, and investigate how elevator music-sounding samples and overused chord progressions add up to latin trap magic for El Conejito Malo. 

Special thanks to Bad Bunny super fan and listener Maita, for never giving up hope :)

Songs discussed:

Bad Bunny - Diles

Becky G ft. Bad Bunny - Mayores

Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny, J Balvin - I Like It

Bad Bunny ft. Drake - MIA 

Bad Bunny - Si Veo a tu Mamá

Antônio Carlos Jobim - The Girl From Ipanema

Bad Bunny - Soliá

Bad Bunny ft. Kendo Kaponi, Arcangel - P FKN R

Bad Bunny ft. Jowell & Randy, Nengo Flow - Safeara

Missy Elliot - Get Ur Freak On

Bad Bunny - <3

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Gone are the days of a clear dividing line between “mainstream pop” and “conscious” music. Many of the world’s highest-grossing pop stars are climbing the charts with lyrics that seem to get right at the very weight of human existence. They’re tackling climate change, and drug addiction, crippling anxiety, inequality, sexism and racism. It’s a fascinating shift to witness.

That’s why this week, we’re especially thrilled to be chatting with folk-pop duo Overcoats. JJ Mitchell and Hana Elion are known for otherworldly harmonies that sound more like a single voice diverging in two rather than the other way around. We discuss two singles off their new album “The Fight” (out now), and reflect on how seemingly small decisions about a song’s arrangement can make things like anxiety and microaggressions feel a bit easier to carry. Here’s a teaser quote from the episode that we’ll be thinking about for a while:

“We often use repetition as a way of saying something until you believe it...that’s very true for this song as well. We’re singing ‘There’s a fire / There’s a fury’...it feels apocalyptic. But the more you say ‘We’ll get through it’ and the more voices join in, it starts to feel true, and starts to feel hopeful.”

SONGS DISCUSSED

Overcoats - The Fool

Overcoats - Fire & Fury

The Supremes - Stop In The Name Of Love

LCD Soundsystem - Watch The Tapes

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This week, Charlie talks to Lauv, the singer, songwriter and producer behind unfailingly catchy tracks such as “Mean It” and “I Like Me Better.” Lauv’s a master at making the sad feel fun—masking themes of anxiety and betrayal with upbeat, percussive production. He even does a bit of the opposite, too, by infusing his joyful songs with vulnerability and emotional complexity. You’ll soon be able to hear all of that and more on his debut studio album, ~how I’m feeling~, out later this week. Our conversation explores Lauv’s song-making process and touches on everything from T Swift (Lauv counts himself a fan), “mind” rhymes, and the particular nuances of loneliness in the internet age. Today’s episode also features the voices of some of our wonderful listeners--special thanks to Katy, Sadie, Robert, Genevieve, Keen and everyone else who wrote in with questions for Lauv.

Songs Discussed:

• Lauv with Anne-Marie - fuck, i'm lonely
• Lauv & LANY - Mean It
• Lauv - I Like Me Better
• Lauv & Troye Sivan - i’m so tired...
• Lauv - Changes
• Lauv - Modern Loneliness

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When Bristol-based producer Laxcity logged onto Twitter to find out that Justin Bieber sampled his music, he was at first unphased. The sampled material came from a royalty-free sample pack on Splice.com, free for Splice users to add to their track. Then accusations of theft started rolling in. Another artist, Asher Monroe, had used the same sample just a few weeks earlier and he accused Bieber of copying the idea. Laxcity inserted himself into the argument to show that the so-called offending sound, was in fact his, but not limited to anyone’s use. This mixup led to Bieber shouting out Laxcity, giving the nascent producer a career boost. On his episode we speak with Laxcity, Splice CEO Steve Martocci, PEX COO Amadea Choplin and Verge reporter Dani Deahl (who first reported the story) to unpack how sampling works in today’s music. Then we hear how Beiber’s new album, “Changes,” interprets the sample to convey Bieber’s personal evolution in the public eye.

Songs Discussed

Laxcity - Good Morning (Splice Sample)

Asher Monroe - Synergy

Justin Bieber - Running Over, Sorry, Available, Yummy, Intentions

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In 2019 guitar made a comeback in the top 10. According to analysis from Hit Songs Deconstructed, about a third of all songs featured the electric guitar, a nearly 10% jump from the year before. In 2020 this trend isn’t stopping. Recent releases by Halsey, 5 Seconds of Summer and Joji all prominently feature electric guitars tones. They reference 90s nu-metal, grunge and metal genres. More than a nostalgic nod, these songs draw from an era that was self-consciously “alternative” to convey disaffection, frustration and longing.

SONGS DISCUSSED

• Khalid, Normani - Love Lies
• Juice WRLD - Lucid Dreams
• Halsey - Without Me
• Joji - Slow Dancing In The Dark
• Joji - Run
• Metallica - Enter Sandman
• Santo & Jonny - Sleep Walk
• Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
• Buddy Holly - That’ll Be The Day
• LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge
• 5 Seconds Of Summer - No Shame
• Nirvana - Come As You Are
• Halsey - Experiment On Me
• Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade
• Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff

MORE

Listen to our conversation about MIA’s “Paper Planes” and Drake’s “God’s Plan” with Sam Sanders on NPR’s It’s Been A Minute

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Selena Gomez has her first #1 song on the Hot 100. “Lose You To Love Me” is a confessional look at her past five years of heartbreak and health challenges. By contrast, her single “Look At Her Now” is a testament to moving on and moving up. Each of these songs inhabits a different musical and lyrical world and we were lucky to get to speak with her collaborators on the songs to take us behind the scenes of how they came to be. Justin Tranter and Ian Kirkpatrick are two of today’s most in-demand writers. They walk us through how Selena takes her personal emotions and translates them into public catharsis on her album “Rare.”

Songs Discussed

• Selena Gomez - Vulnerable, Lose You To Love Me, Look At Her Now
• Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmmm
• Dua Lipa - New Rules

More

Watch Selena Gomez interviewed by Zane Lowe on Beats One.

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The boy band One Direction has been on hiatus for nearly five years, yet only now have all of the members of the group released a solo album. But how do these efforts from Niall, Liam, Harry, Louis and Zayn stack up? Vox Writer (and One Direction fan) Alexa Lee compares albums as a challenge for each member to rise to their greatest artistic potential.

SONGS DISCUSSED

• Zayn - Let Me
• Zayn - Entertainer
• Niall Horan - Nice To Meet You
• Niall Horan - Put A Little Love On Me
• Liam Payne - Strip That Down
• Liam Payne - Hips Don't Lie
• Louis Tomlinson - Walls
• Louis Tomlinson - Kill My Mind
• Harry Styles - Adore You
• Harry Styles - Watermelon Sugar
• Harry Styles - Cherry

MORE

Read Alexa’s piece “2 winners and 3 losers from One Direction’s solo albums”

Listen to Nate convince Charlie to love One Direction in an early episode of Switched On Pop

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Post Malone has confounded your hosts since he emerged on the scene, so this week we sit down to try and get to the bottom of our cycles of attraction and repulsion through deep analysis of his current hit, "Circles." Along the way, we discuss trenchant questions such as: How is the minor IV always the saddest of all chords? Why does Posty tend to sound like a certain ruminant mammal? And, what happens when you plug Tchaikovsky into a Wu Tang name generator?

Songs Discussed:

• Post Malone - Circles, Rockstar, Stay, Congratulations, Candy Paint,
• Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
• Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 6, Finale

And don't forget to enter the Wu Tang Name Generator

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Mac Miller, Future and Billie Eilish all have good and bad news to share. On Miller’s posthumous album, Circles, he exposes personal struggles with fame, addiction, and mental illness — sobering topics given his unintentional drug overdose last year. Yet at the same time we hear him searching for “good news,” practicing self care and accepting that “there's a whole lot more” waiting. Future & Drake’s celebration of material excess also finds them “working on the weekend” just to keep up appearances. Similarly, Billie Eilish has achieved “everything [she] wanted,” but dreams of death and darkness overwhelm her. But she’s buoyed by the support of her brother FINNEAS. Many pop songs are about a single emotion: love, heartbreak or exuberant joy. But these great songs evoke more complex emotions, existing somewhere in a liminal space between our hopes and fears.

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Dua Lipa remembers the disco era in her hit “Don’t Start Now.” What may sound like just another dance floor track, upon deeper listening unfolds as a celebration of the genre. References to Gloria Gaynor, Chic, Giorgio Moroder and The Bee Gees are all waiting here for the curious listener to uncover. But so are the Italian and Daft Punk inspired bass lines. Yet the song is more than just one big disco ball cliché. It is brilliantly written too. We asked our listeners to help us highlight the best moments of the song as this is a song that continues to sound anew upon each playback. In 2020, the influence of Disco is still very much alive and Dua Lip’s “Don’t Start Now,” written with Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren and Ian Kirkpatrick, is a shining example of a great contemporary disco track. 

Songs Discussed

• Dua Lipa - Don’t Start Now
• Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
• Chic - Good Times
• Giorgio Mordoer - Baby Blue
• The Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing
• The Michael Zager Band - Let’s All Chant
• MFSP - TSOP
• Todd Terje - Strandbar Piano
• Fred Falke and Alan Brav - Intro
• Daft Punk - Voyager
• Ryan Paris - Dolce Vita
• Madison Avenue - Don’t Call Me Baby
• Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up

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The sound of R&B is difficult to pin down. Since the 1950s, the label has been used both as a genre and as a catch-all for the entirety of black popular music. Soul, funk, disco and even hip-hop have at times been covered by this "R&B" umbrella. On Chance The Rapper's new album, The Big Day, all of these influences come through—and he's not alone. On recent Kehlani records, 90s R&B and 2000s trap both play a role. But both these artists are a far cry from the 50s R&B sounds of Sam Cooke. To understand how R&B has changed over time, we consult with Trevor Anderson, manager of Billboard's R&B/Hip Hop chart. Then we speak with R&B super-producer Oak Felder to understand how R&B is progressing and what it might become.

Songs Discussed

Chance The Rapper – Hot Shower

Chance The Rapper – I Got You

Sam Cooke – You Send Me

Elvis Presley – Crying In the Chapel

The Temptations – I Can’t Get Next To You

Mtume – Juicy Fruit

Biggie – Juicy

Toni Braxton – Breath Again

Janet Jackson – That’s The Way Love Goes

Boys II Men – I’ll Make Love To You

Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop (That Thing)

Diddy – I’ll Be Missing You (feat. Faith Evans & 112)

Nelly – Dilemma

Kehlani – Distraction

SWV – Weak

Aaron Hall – I Miss You

Usher – You Make Me Wanna

Brandy – Sit-in Up In My Room

Dru Hill – In My Bed

Silk – Freak Me

Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry

Jodeci – Cry For you

Mariah Carey – Vision of Love

Kehlani Everything Is Yours

Chance The Rapper – All Day Long

Queen – Fat Bottom Girls

Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out

For an in depth history of R&B on Billboard, read Chris Molanphy's feature on Pitchfork.

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