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Switched on Pop
Switched on Pop
Vulture

A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain... more

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Episodes

Learning to love: Tate McRae

Tate McRae's billions of streams and perfectly crafted hits can feel almost algorithmic, like an AI trained on 20 years... more

18 Feb 2025 · 45 minutes
Does It Trance? The Weeknd & FKA Twigs

In last month's episode predicting the coming year in pop, one of the team's predictions was that trance music – the... more

11 Feb 2025 · 46 minutes
Liz Pelly's Mood Machine says the playlist isn't the product — you are

Behind Spotify's promise of infinite music lies a carefully engineered system that shapes not just what we hear, but how... more

04 Feb 2025 · 53 minutes
25 Predictions for 2025: Grammys, J-pop, kazoos and more

2024 was an unpredictable year, and 2025 seems to be cut from the same cloth. So for this episode of... more

28 Jan 2025 · 57 minutes
Bad Bunny's love letter to Puerto Rico

The first great release of 2025 is already here: Bad Bunny's newest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Over the course... more

21 Jan 2025 · 46 minutes
Our jingle sucks. Let’s change it.

What happens when your podcast’s theme song—cobbled together from GarageBand loops—gets called “game show music” and likened to a cereal... more

14 Jan 2025 · 41 minutes
Have Disney musicals lost their edge?

Critics are not feeling the love tonight when it comes to Disney's latest sequels, Mufasa and Moana 2. They've called... more

07 Jan 2025 · 41 minutes
Going Off Book

On this very special episode, we join forces with the hilarious podcast OFF BOOK. When our powers combine, Zach and Jess... more

31 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 31 minutes
Auto-Tune always and forever

Popular music changes all the time, but there’s been one consistent element in practically everything released in the last two... more

24 Dec 2024 · 1 hour, 2 minutes
Santa Claus is coming to town and stalking America

The first time you hear "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," it probably registers as just another cheery holiday standard.... more

20 Dec 2024 · 33 minutes
Breaking Through: Doechii, Mk.gee, Rosé

Three artists quietly reshaped pop music in 2024, though you might not know it from your Spotify Wrapped. As listeners... more

17 Dec 2024 · 42 minutes
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... more

13 Dec 2024 · 36 minutes
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... more

10 Dec 2024 · 41 minutes
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,... more

03 Dec 2024 · 40 minutes
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... more

29 Nov 2024 · 44 minutes
Listening 2 Madonna: Spanish Eyes

Throughout her forty-year career, Madonna has managed to travel the globe, both literally and musically. Despite being a white woman... more

27 Nov 2024 · 44 minutes
Listening 2 Madonna: Who's That Girl?

Madonna is the world's biggest female pop star. She's influenced everyone from Beyoncé to Britney Spears; is the most successful... more

25 Nov 2024 · 49 minutes
Fleetwood Mac perfected turning drama into hits

In 1973, before their ascent to rock superstardom with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were just two young... more

19 Nov 2024 · 52 minutes
Still Freaky After All These Years: Gaga, Tyler, The Cure

A musical "freak," to us here at Switched On Pop, is an artist who is unique, non-conforming, and always manages... more

12 Nov 2024 · 33 minutes
Did Kendrick Lamar kill hip-hop?

Over the summer, the culture was shaken by the biggest rap beef this decade, between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. From... more

05 Nov 2024 · 58 minutes
Where are all the scary songs?

It’s the spookiest time of the year; Halloween is right around the corner. But unlike the winter holidays like Christmas... more

29 Oct 2024 · 32 minutes
The virtuosity of Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder may be our modern day Mozart. A child prodigy, he joined Motown as a preadolescent where he was... more

22 Oct 2024 · 1 hour, 7 minutes
The last decade of pop explained

We celebrate Switched On Pop's 10th anniversary by taking a deep dive into the last decade of pop music. From... more

15 Oct 2024 · 54 minutes
Learning to love: Coldplay

Coldplay is one of the biggest musical acts in the world, ranking #6 on Spotify and boasting one of the... more

08 Oct 2024 · 49 minutes
Fall Out Boy and the worst earworm ever

Marianne Eloise has had the same Fall Out Boy song stuck in her head for over three years. "It’s Hard... more

01 Oct 2024 · 41 minutes
Mexican pop is bigger than you think

Last month, our producer Reanna Cruz had the opportunity to attend Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito, Mexico, a three-day Latin... more

24 Sep 2024 · 44 minutes
How Megan Thee Stallion brought Japanese hip hop to the Hot 100

"Mamushi," the fourth single from Megan the Stallion’s album Megan, was not supposed to be a huge hit. But thanks... more

17 Sep 2024 · 42 minutes
Learning to love: Oasis

Oasis, the Manchester band led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, conquered the charts in the 1990s with rock anthems... more

10 Sep 2024 · 53 minutes
Newcomers: Porter Robinson

Porter Robinson has a unique relationship with being famous. With his new record SMILE! :D, the 32 year old producer... more

06 Sep 2024 · 34 minutes
Sabrina Carpenter is more than Short n' Sweet

On her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter moves seamlessly between pop, country, folk and R&B. For Carpenter,... more

03 Sep 2024 · 40 minutes
Newcomers: Jhayco

Jhayco, the artist formerly known as Jhay Cortez, feels different from the rest of the Latin music machine. He considers... more

30 Aug 2024 · 22 minutes
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars bring back the duet

It seemingly a terrible time to launch an over-the-top sentimental duet. This style of production peaked in the 80s and... more

27 Aug 2024 · 46 minutes
Newcomers: Magdalena Bay

Few pop groups are making music as imaginative as Magdalena Bay. The Los Angeles-based duo of singer Mica Tenenbaum and... more

23 Aug 2024 · 23 minutes
Tinashe’s “Nasty” takes on Janet and Beyoncé + Are songs getting simpler?

If you've spent any time on the internet this summer, you may have encountered a certain refrain accompanying particularly fierce... more

20 Aug 2024 · 46 minutes
Kesha v Katy + Tayla Parx on pop’s obsession with eras

On June 17 the pop world was rocked by three letters: LOL. Kesha tweeted the acronym immediately after Katy Perry... more

13 Aug 2024 · 44 minutes
Introducing One Song

If you like how Switched On Pop breaks down songs, you’re going to love the show One Song hosted by... more

09 Aug 2024 · 1 hour, 14 minutes
brat but it's a podcast about the album by CharliXCX

CharliXCX's latest album, brat, has created an internet fever dream. This club record celebrating messiness, partying, and brutal honesty has... more

06 Aug 2024 · 41 minutes
Why Chappell Roan is the sound of 2024

For months, listeners have been peppering us with the same question: “When are you going to cover Chappell Roan?” We... more

30 Jul 2024 · 34 minutes
Is country the new hip hop?

For decades, hip hop has been the most successful genre on the charts. Then, in 2023, a shift occurred. For... more

23 Jul 2024 · 35 minutes
The music industry's AI fight

The Verge's Nilay Patel and David Pierce chat with Switched on Pop's Charlie Harding about the RIAA lawsuit against Al... more

19 Jul 2024 · 49 minutes
Switched-On Wendy Carlos

The synthesizer was invented in the 1890s. But for people to really start using it, it took half a century,... more

17 Jul 2024 · 37 minutes
The song of the summer is DEAD with Today Explained

Long live the song of the summer with Today Explained. But wait! Switched on Pop's Charlie Harding disagrees. And Rolling... more

15 Jul 2024 · 26 minutes
Lawrence: the eight-piece family band reshaping the music business

In today’s volatile music industry, many artists struggle to navigate the pitfalls of touring, the whims of social media, and... more

09 Jul 2024 · 49 minutes
The Imperfect Feminine: Camila, Charli, and Sabrina

The first half of 2024 has been for the “pop girlie.” It seems like every major artist who’s dominated the... more

02 Jul 2024 · 46 minutes
Empress Of asks for your consideration (with Empress Of)

There’s many things to love about Los Angeles: low-rider cars, roadside taco stands, and, come awards season, the omnipresent “For... more

25 Jun 2024 · 37 minutes
Bootsy Collins is gonna funk you up (with Bootsy Collins)

Bootsy Collins is, perhaps, the funkiest man of all time. Over the course of his nearly six decade career, Collins... more

18 Jun 2024 · 40 minutes
Freaking out about songwriting with Nile Rodgers

There is no contemporary pop music without Nile Rodgers. Born in 1952, Rodgers grew up playing classical music on flute and... more

11 Jun 2024 · 35 minutes
Begging songs and basketball's musicality (with Hanif Abdurraqib)

There's no music writer like the essayist and poet Hanif Abdurraqib: whether he's narrating the beautiful awkwardness of a Carly... more

04 Jun 2024 · 29 minutes
Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist (with Charlie Puth)

On her latest album, Taylor Swift “declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.” No one was more surprised by... more

28 May 2024 · 39 minutes
Billie Eilish hits both hard and soft

On Billie Eilish’s third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, Eilish finally graduates from her signature anti-pop persona into full... more

21 May 2024 · 43 minutes
Gastropod: Why are restaurants so loud? Plus the science behind the perfect playlist

When you go out for a meal, it’s not just what's on your plate that matters, it's what's in your... more

17 May 2024 · 44 minutes
Is pop music just fast food? (with Gastropod)

Where were you when you learned that the McDonald's jingle "I'm lovin' it" was originally part of a full-fledged pop... more

14 May 2024 · 39 minutes
Rosie Tucker's unending bliss

Tongue twisters that mock techno-optimism and cite critical theory don’t usually make for catchy song lyrics. But indie rocker Rosie... more

10 May 2024 · 23 minutes
Eurovision 2024: from Baby Lasagna to Windows95Man

It’s that time of year again when the entirety of Europe (and a few other countries) come together to celebrate... more

07 May 2024 · 33 minutes
Justice is never-ending

Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay of the French electronic duo Justice speak with cohost Charlie Harding about their new... more

04 May 2024 · 41 minutes
Best of 2024 so far: hip hop feuds, Hozier’s pop surprise and espresso shots

The beginning of 2024 has brought new music aplenty. Some big releases are in the form of big-ticket albums by... more

30 Apr 2024 · 53 minutes
Taylor Swift's Literary Era

The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, finds the songwriter in the world of literature. She interweaves personal... more

23 Apr 2024 · 46 minutes
Lost Notes: How Fela Kuti Found Afrobeat in LA

Lost Notes by KCRW explores how Fela Kuti’s time in LA in 1969 was instrumental in the creation of his legendary Afrobeat... more

20 Apr 2024 · 32 minutes
Berlin's Hottest Club is Rico Nasty & Boys Noize

There are few artists pushing the boundaries of their respective genres like Maryland rapper Rico Nasty and German-Iraqi electronic producer... more

16 Apr 2024 · 44 minutes
Chasing old sounds: Djo's "End of Beginning" with Joe Keery

Joe Keery is best known for his acting roles, such as the reformed jock Steve Harrington in "Stranger Things" and... more

09 Apr 2024 · 39 minutes
Cowboy Carter: This Ain't Country

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is her foray into country music, but this isn't just dirt roads, blue jeans and whiskey. Her... more

02 Apr 2024 · 39 minutes
Hip-hop's Sea Change at Rolling Loud

Hip-hop is in a weird place right now. Research says that the genre, in both streaming and chart performance, has... more

26 Mar 2024 · 42 minutes
Rhapsody in Blue, Reimagined

What do Duke Ellington, United Airlines, and the K Pop group Red Velvet share in common? They've all covered George... more

22 Mar 2024 · 30 minutes
Eternal Sunshine of Ariana Grande's Mind

Sidestep the gossip and focus on the music in Ariana Grande’s latest album Eternal Sunshine. The music is an exercise... more

19 Mar 2024 · 44 minutes
How to DIY a Music Career (with Amelia Meath and David Gray at SXSW)

In a landscape where the music industry seems designed to stifle creativity and independence, Amelia Meath stands as a beacon... more

15 Mar 2024 · 37 minutes
Is Beyoncé's music #sponcon? And other mysteries LIVE in Brooklyn

Live from On-Air Fest in Brooklyn, Nate and Charlie investigate listeners’ burning musical mysteries, such as: Is Beyoncé’s reference to... more

12 Mar 2024 · 44 minutes
Jacob Collier unites the world

One of the most inventive and gifted musicians working today is none other than Jacob Collier. Maybe you know him... more

05 Mar 2024 · 1 hour,
Beyoncé's Country

Renaissance Act II truthers, your time has come: There’s new music from Beyoncé, and boy, is it country. Her two... more

27 Feb 2024 · 44 minutes
Adult Contemporary, but make it cool (with CHROMEO)

The Canadian Electro-Funk duo CHROMEO have made consistently funky, highly danceable music for twenty years. They’ve released five studios albums,... more

20 Feb 2024 · 29 minutes
The Star Spangled Banger!

Who is the biggest Diva of them all? The U.S. National Anthem, which borrows its melody from a historic British... more

13 Feb 2024 · 53 minutes
Switched on Pop
Rhapsody in Blue, Reimagined
Switched on Pop
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Listen now on

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Podcast Addict
Pocket Casts
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Description

What do Duke Ellington, United Airlines, and the K Pop group Red Velvet share in common? They've all covered George Gershwin's piano... more