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 mag...
Three artists quietly reshaped pop music in 2024, though you might not know it from your Spotify Wrapped. As listeners question the accuracy of their year-end streaming stats, we explore the innovative sounds bubbling up just below the algorithmic radar. Tampa's "Swamp Princess" Doechii brings narrative depth back to hip-hop through her chameleonic vocal approach. Bedroom producer Mk.gee discovers entirely new possibilities for the electric guitar by deliberately recording "wrong." And BLACKPINK's ROSÉ challenges K-pop industry constraints while building bridges to Western pop on her revolutionary solo album. These artists point toward an exciting future where pop continues to evolve in unexpected ways, even as streaming platforms try to predict and package our musical tastes. Plus: Our producer Reanna Cruz presents evidence that their Spotify Wrapped might be fibbing, and Nate reveals his most-played track of 2024 was... Jeremy Irons singing "Be Prepared" from The Lion King? The algorithm works in mysterious ways.
Songs Discussed
Doechii: "Girls," "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake," "NISSAN ALTIMA," "Denial Is A River," "Boom Bap"
Mk.gee: "I Know How You Got," "Big Mics," "Are You Looking Up," "Alesis"
BLACKPINK"Boombayah," "Kill This Love," "How You Like That," "Pink Venom,"
ROSÉ: "On The Ground," "APT." (featuring Bruno Mars), "Toxic Till The End"
Taylor Swift: "Shake It Off"
Avril Lavigne: "Girlfriend"
Toni Basil: "Mickey"
Tom Petty: "American Girl"
Bo Diddley: "Bo Diddley Beat"
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42:41
The best (and worst) of holiday music in 2024
It's an annual tradition: Every December, artists release their bids to join the hallowed halls of holiday music history. The gold standard remains Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which reportedly earns the pop star $2.5 million annually in royalties. This year's crop of seasonal offerings spans from ambitious originals to reimagined classics, with artists trying everything from AI-generated lyrics to funk renditions of Hanukah hymns. To evaluate this year's entries, we're introducing our definitive sleigh bell ranking system: five sleigh bells marks a future holiday classic destined to join Mariah in the pantheon, while one sleigh bell promises pop obscurity.
Songs Discussed:
•Kelly Clarkson - You For Christmas
•Orville Peck - Happy Trails
•Conan Gray - Holidays
•Dan and Shay - Take Me Home for Christmas
•Amy Grant - Tennessee Christmas
•Kesha - Holiday Road
•Ben Folds - Xmas Aye Eye
•Jennifer Hudson - Santa for Someone
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36:54
Kendrick Lamar: from Pulitzer to pop
In 2024, Kendrick Lamar pulled off what seemed impossible: winning hip-hop's biggest rap battle in recent history, securing the Super Bowl halftime show, and dropping GNX, a surprise album that might be the year's defining pop record. But this triumphant return wasn't guaranteed. Two decades into his career — well past the average life expectancy of a rap career — Kendrick faced a critical challenge: how to balance his legendary artistic complexity with mainstream accessibility.
Songs discussed:
Kendrick Lamar – squabble up
Kendrick Lamar – luther (feat. SZA)
Kendrick Lamar – tv off (feat. Lefty Gunplay)
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41:21
We're off to see the "Wicked"
The year's hottest movie is, against all odds, a musical. Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, just hit theaters, and tells the tale of how a green-skinned girl named Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West. And with any musical, the songs are just as important as the narrative. On this episode of Switched On Pop, Charlie, Nate, and Reanna hop on their broomsticks to break down the music powering this cultural phenomenon.
Songs Discussed
The Wizard And I - Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh
The Wizard And I - Carole Shelley, Idina Menzel
Popular - Ariana Grande
Popular Song - MIKA, Ariana Grande
Defying Gravity - Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande
What Is This Feeling? - Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo
Defying Gravity - Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel
You'll Be Back - Jonathan Groff, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
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40:46
Listening 2 Madonna: Ray of Light
TIME Magazine once said, “there are few figures more closely associated with religion in pop culture than Madonna.” And looking at her catalog, it’s hard to disagree. From cheeky double entendres on “Like A Prayer,” to explorations of alternative philosophies on Ray of Light, spiritual practice has always been a core aspect of Madonna’s work. And as she dips her toes in different ideologies, she eventually comes to mold her own special religion in the process.
On our final episode of our week-long Listening 2 Madonna series, we take a look at the third essential part of Madonna’s holy trinity: spirituality.
Songs discussed:
Madonna – "Like A Prayer"
Madonna – "American Life"
Sister Cristina – "Like A Virgin"
Ray Charles – "What I'd Say"
Madonna – "Live to Tell"
Madonna – "Oh Father"
Madonna – "X-Static Process"
Madonna – "Bedtime Story"
Björk – "Hyperballad"
Madonna – "Ray of Light"
Madonna – "Nothing Really Matters"
Madonna – "The Power of Good-bye"
Madonna – "Sky Fits Heaven"
Madonna – "Shanti / Ashtangi"
Addison Rae – "Aquamarine"
Madonna – "Vogue"
Madonna – "Music"
Madonna – "Isaac"
Madonna – "Like It Or Not"
Madonna – "Get Together"
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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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