Switched on Pop

Vulture

Listen closer to pop music, and hear how it moves us. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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546 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes546

Newest first

Jan 15, 2015 · 33 min
Mark Ronson: Funk Politics
Did you know the melody to the Star Spangled Banner was once a British drinking song? In preparation for the Super Bowl, we uncover how the national anthem has been co-opted and reinterpreted by mega pop-stars. Our understanding of how this song sounds...
Dec 20, 2014 · 31 min
The Imperative Jingle Bells
You’ve heard it a million times, you know how to sing it, its ubiquitous during the holiday season, but you’ve never heard a definitive recording. Where does it come from, why is it so catchy, and why of all holiday songs is Jingle Bells the most widel...
Dec 11, 2014 · 31 min
To Be Young
Pop music and youth go together like peanut butter and pickles. The music we hear when we’re young shapes our identities forevermore. In this episode we take three songs that promise an eternal adolescence and put them under microscope to see what make...
Nov 14, 2014 · 28 min
Boom Bang Pow
We look at the Rhythms that make us dance, those primal beats, the “Boom Bang Pow” that make us want to move. We’ll ask what makes them work and why is that we’re hearing that untz untz everywhere we go from the dance floor, to the coffee shop, to the ...
Oct 28, 2014 · 34 min
The Oeuvre of Taylor Swift
We uncover the common songwriting techniques and chart the musical evolution of Taylor Swift. Featuring songs from her early country period, transitional indie period and her latest pop album, 1989.
Oct 28, 2014 · 26 min
Heartbreak
Why do we love listening to heartbreak songs? What do songwriters do to emote such strong feelings?FEATURINGAdele – Someone Like YouKacey Musgraves – I Miss YouCeeLo Green – F*** You!

Switched on Pop

Mark Ronson: Funk Politics

The Imperative Jingle Bells

To Be Young

Boom Bang Pow

The Oeuvre of Taylor Swift

Heartbreak