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PODCAST

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH

RISC_OBFUSCATED

Best Arts & Culture podcast Webby 2020 winner 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. You’ll fall in love with music you didn’t even know you liked.

music music commentary

All Episodes

00:23:49

One Direction: Our Modern Day Castrati

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/05/29

One Direction is one of the biggest bands in pop, but unless you’re a preteen or the parent of one, like us you’ve probably never heard a second of their music. Until now. Let’s see if we’ve been missing out, on the latest from Switched on Pop. FEATURING One Direction – Story Of My Life One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful One Direction – Live While We’re Young One Direction – You And I One Direction – Night Changes The Wanted – Glad You Came Alessandro Moreschi (The Last Castrato) – Ave

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00:08:02

The Final Dropout

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/05/15

How does a good pop song end? With a bang, right? As it turns out, explosive endings are kinda over. Songwriters are instead opting to end with a final dropout. Even the biggest pop anthems close with a quiet final moment. In this musical short, Nate, our resident musicologist, offers some theories as to why. FEATURING Taylor Swift – Blank Space One Republic – Counting Stars One Direction – Kiss You Rihanna – Don’t Stop the Music Mozart – Symphony No.41 in C K.551 “Jupiter” 4. Motto Allegro Taylor

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00:21:13

Hidden Sounds in FourFiveSeconds

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/05/06

FourFiveSeconds is one of the more surprising collaborations in recent pop history. Rhianna, Kanye, Sir Paul McCartney. The motley lineup doesn’t dissapoint, serving up one of the most unexpected songs of the year—though not for the reason you’d think. Tune in and wile out while we wax on this whale of a power ballad. FEATURING Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney – FourFiveSeconds Kanye West – Gone Rihanna – We Found Love Rihanna – Don’t Stop the Music The Beatles – Revolution 9 & I’m So Tired (in

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00:22:14

Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/04/15

Carly Rae Jepsen might be the patron saint of Switched on Pop, the show first hatched by Charlie and Nate on a trip down CA-1 while the stereo blasted “Call Me Maybe.” So when we heard she had a new single out we knew we had to stop everything, put off our taxes for one more day, and dig into “I Really Like You” to see if Saint Jepsen could ward off the beguiling sophomore slump. You’ll really really really really really really like this one. Special thanks to the high school students from Nate’s

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00:17:28

Hozier’s Waffling of Faith in Take Me To Church

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/04/02

Written in the Hozier family basement, Take Me To Church has risen up to be one of the biggest pop hits of the year. But this is not a typical pop song. The unsettling music and provocative lyrics about faith and relationships irk many listeners. But this marriage of form and content also strikes a chord with our own foibles of faith. FEATURING Hozier – Take Me to Church Wintley Phipps – Amen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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00:15:57

Taylor Swift’s Beethovian Blank Space

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/03/26

Taylor Swift’s Blank Space is about emptiness of the heart. This motif of Blank Space is contained through the entire piece: from the drums, to the melody, to the lyrics. We pull away the sonic structures to show how Taylor recreates that empty feeling and explores the predictable devolution of fiery romance. FEATURING Taylor Swift – Blank Space NY Magazine – Why You Keep Mishearing That Taylor Swift Lyric This episode first broadcast on the Very Loose Women podcast on Resonance 104.4FM Learn more

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00:47:32

A Cappella Dreams

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/03/16

A cappella, Italian for in the style of the church, refers to music for unaccompanied voices. Just a decade ago it was nowhere near the radio dial. Now it’s everywhere: college campuses, Hollywood blockbusters, prime time reality television, and the Grammys. A cappella hasn’t been this big since Gregorian chant. Why has a cappella returned with such a vengeance? We try to find out why in this four part episode. [Introduction] The Tallis Scholars – Missa Brevis: Kyrie Middlesex A Cappella – Sound of

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00:30:10

Radio Africa

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/02/19

Reporting live from Kenya, we search for African pop that is making its way into global dance music. The barriers to producing high quality audio are reduced to merely owning a laptop. Now, regional artists are reaching a global audience. We speak to Blinky Bill, leader of the dance/pop/hip-hop group Just A Band, about their unique sound that attracts fans from Tokyo to Nairobi. And we also speak to Jeff Maina, lead designer at Waabeh, the Spotify for African content. FEATURING Fuse ODG – Azonto

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00:27:49

Star Spangled

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/01/28

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 has been shaped by sporting events and the spin pop artists put on it has altered our conception of the national song. FEATURING Beyoncé, Jose Feliciano, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston – The Star Spangled Banner Iceland Symphony Orchestra

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00:33:53

Mark Ronson: Funk Politics

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2015/01/15

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 has been shaped by sporting events and the spin pop artists put on it has altered our conception of the national song. FEATURING Beyoncé, Jose Feliciano, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston – The Star Spangled Banner Iceland Symphony Orchestra

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00:31:22

The Imperative Jingle Bells

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2014/12/20

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 widely played song? FEATURING She & Him The Cast of Glee Nate Sloan’s Madrigal Singers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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00:31:54

To Be Young

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2014/12/11

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 makes them tick. Featuring Kesha – Die Young Fun – We Are Young Wiz Khalifa – Young, Wild and Free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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00:29:08

Boom Bang Pow

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2014/11/14

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 insides of our minds? FEATURING Charli XCX – Boom Clap Vengaboys – Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! Jessie J – Bang Bang The Blacked Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow Little Richard – Tutti Frutti John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom Cher – Bang Bang Richard Savino & El Mundo:

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00:39:58

The Oeuvre of Taylor Swift

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2014/10/28

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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00:26:22

Heartbreak

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2014/10/28

Why do we love listening to heartbreak songs? What do songwriters do to emote such strong feelings? FEATURING Adele – Someone Like You Kacey Musgraves – I Miss You CeeLo Green – F*** You! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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00:02:23

Why You Should Get Switched On Pop

Switched on Pop — THE 5TH ·

2014/10/27

Welcome to Switched on Pop, a show about how popular music works and why it matters hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding. We break down the music in pop hits to help you find those "a-ha" moments. Whether you’re a pop fanatic or skeptic, teenager or octogenarian, non-musicians or professional composer, every music lover will discover something ear-opening in Switched on Pop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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