Madonna has returned this summer with Confessions II: an album full of huge hooks, pounding bass, and sincere emotion. It’s the queen of pop's first record in seven years, and serves as a sequel to her 2005 smash hit, Confessions on a Dance Floor. The record ties together threads that have existed throughout Madonna’s entire discography, but it also serves a greater purpose. Confessions II is Madonna’s biopic, allowing her to tell her story on her own terms. On this episode of Switched on Pop, producer (and Madonna superfan) Reanna Cruz walks Charlie and Nate through the record, and makes the case for it being the best Madonna record of the last twenty years.

CREDITS 

• Reanna Cruz: Producer 
• Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 
• Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 
• Dion Lee: Art Director 
• Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 
• Nick Ripps: Video Editor 
• Nate Sloan: Host 
• Lissa Soep: Editor 
• Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers 

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ 

Songs discussed:

• Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter – Bring Your Love
• Madonna – Express Yourself
• Madonna – Hung Up
• Madonna – Danceteria
• Madonna – Vogue
• Lou Reed – Walk On the Wild Side
• Madonna – Get Together
• Madonna – I Feel So Free
• Donna Summer – I Feel Love
• Madonna – One Step Away
• Madonna – Nothing Fails
• Madonna – Everything
• Madonna – Fragile
• Madonna – Frozen

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For many people – including Charlie and Nate – studying classical piano as a child always felt like a chore. Now, as adults, there’s a newfound appreciation for classical music, but the art form isn’t always accessible. One of the people trying to change that is the world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, classical piano’s greatest interpreter. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie sits down with Lang Lang at the Steinway showroom in New York City to see how taste changes over time, the different ways a master pianist can interpret a work, and ultimately, why classical music is still important.

CREDITS 

• Reanna Cruz: Producer 
• Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 
• Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 
• Dion Lee: Art Director 
• Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 
• Nick Ripps: Video Editor 
• Nate Sloan: Host 
• Lissa Soep: Editor 
• Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers 

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ 

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Bridges open up the world of a song: they're a breath of fresh air and a point of contrast, typically delivered right before the final chorus. But sometimes they accomplish even more, changing the whole meaning of a song by introducing a note of doubt, or even defiance. This is what the best artists do, from Beyoncé to the Beatles to Taylor Swift, but some critics are concerned that the bridge is in danger of being demolished. On this episode, Charlie and Nate speak to songwriter and artist Tayla Parx, who's worked with everyone from Ariana Grande to Panic! At the Disco, to learn why the bridge matters more than ever — and why an artist might still want to skip it altogether.

CREDITS 

• Reanna Cruz: Producer 
• Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 
• Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 
• Dion Lee: Art Director 
• Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 
• Nick Ripps: Video Editor 
• Nate Sloan: Host 
• Lissa Soep: Editor 
• Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers 

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ 

Songs discussed:

• James Brown, "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine"
• Led Zeppelin, "The Crunge"
• Aretha Franklin, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
• Judy Garland, "Over the Rainbow"
• "On the Sunny Side of the Street"
• The Beatles, "No Reply"
• The Beatles, “We Can Work It Out"
• The Beatles, "Something"
• Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
• Chappell Roan, "Good Luck, Babe!"
• Maisie Peters, "I'm Trying (Not Friends)"
• OutKast, "Hey Ya!"
• Taylor Swift, "Cruel Summer"
• Taylor Swift, "Getaway Car"
• Ariana Grande, "7 rings"
• Ariana Grande, "pov"
• JENNIE, "like JENNIE"
• Ravyn Lenae, "Saturday Night"

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The chorus was once the part of the song that brought us together, the place we gathered to sing. Now it's the most engineered thirty seconds in music. Legendary producer Trevor Horn and hip-hop icon B-Real of Cypress Hill help Charlie and Nate answer the question on their minds: when everything's a hook, is anything a chorus?

CREDITS 

• Reanna Cruz: Producer 
• Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 
• Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 
• Dion Lee: Art Director 
• Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 
• Nick Ripps: Video Editor 
• Nate Sloan: Host 
• Lissa Soep: Editor 
• Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers 

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ 

Songs discussed:

• Whitney Houston, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
• Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the U.S.A."
• Handel, "Hallelujah Chorus" (from Messiah)
• Pete Seeger, "Oh! Susanna"
• Odetta, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
• Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, “Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
• Handel, "Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted" (from Messiah)
• Joan Morris & William Bolcom, "After the Ball" 
• Judy Garland, "Over the Rainbow"
• Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode"
• The Beatles, “Yesterday"
• The Beatles, "Getting Better"
• Otis Redding, "Respect"
• Aretha Franklin, "Respect"
• Dolly Parton, "I Will Always Love You"
• Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You"
• The Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star"
• Prince, "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
• Katy Perry, "Roar"
• Calvin Harris, “I Need Your Love" (ft. Ellie Goulding)
• Britney Spears, "(You Drive Me) Crazy"
• Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"
• Maroon 5, "Payphone" (ft. Wiz Khalifa)
• Bad Bunny, “Si Veo a Tu Mamá"
• Drake, "Janice STFU"
• Lykke Li, "I Follow Rivers"
• Charli xcx, "Rock Music"

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Everybody sings the chorus, but superfans quote the verse. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate trace the verse from Shakespeare through opera to TikTok, and songwriter Audrey Hobert shares her philosophy of specific verses and anthemic choruses: you can't have the payoff without the setup.

CREDITS

Reanna Cruz: Producer

Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator

Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer

Dion Lee: Art Director

Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer

Nick Ripps: Video Editor

Nate Sloan: Host

Lissa Soep: Editor

Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠

Songs discussed:

• Aretha Franklin, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
• Edward Meeker, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
• Third Eye Blind, "Semi-Charmed Life"
• Zara Larsson, "Lush Life"
• John Denver, "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
• Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up"
• William Smith, Choir of New College, Oxford, Edward Higginbottom, "Opening Versicles and Responses"
• Georges Bizet, Michel Plasson, Angela Gheorghiu, Les Éléments, Orchestre National Du Capitole De Toulouse, "Bizet: Carmen, WD 31, Act 1: Habanera. "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Carmen, Chœur)"
• Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
• Built to Spill, "Joyride"
• The Killers, "Mr. Brightside"
• Gracie Abrams, "That's So True"
• Audrey Hobert, "Sue me"
• Lizzo, "About Damn Time"
• Audrey Hobert, "Drive"
• Audrey Hobert, "Bowling alley"

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Research says you judge a song in under half a second. So why write an intro at all? On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate kick off their Netflix launch and probe what an intro means in today's musical landscape, alongside special guests like Aaron Dessner (Taylor Swift, The National, Gracie Adams), who helps build the case for intros and reveals the surprising sources that form the opening sounds of Taylor Swift's “cardigan.”

CREDITS
Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator
Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer
Dion Lee: Art Director
Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps: Video Editor
Nate Sloan: Host
Lissa Soep: Editor
Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers
Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠

• Black Eyed Peas, "Let's Get It Started"
• Shawn Colvin, “Sonny Came Home”
• Smashing Pumpkins, “Tonight Tonight”
• The Cranberries, "Zombie"
• The Cranberries, "Linger"
• Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"
• Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get It On"
• Britney Spears, "Toxic"
• Miles Davis, "Freddie Freeloader"
• Robyn, "Call Your Girlfriend"
• The Beatles, "All You Need Is Love"
• Led Zeppelin, "Over the Hills and Far Away"
• Beyoncé, "Irreplaceable"
• Deee-Lite, "Groove Is in the Heart"
• Missy Elliott, "Get Ur Freak On"
• Missy Elliott, "Work It"
• Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee, "Despacito"
• Kendrick Lamar & SZA, "Luther"
• Mariah Carey, "Fantasy"
• The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again"
• Stevie Wonder, "Superstition"
• The Temptations, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
• Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up"
• Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black"
• The Supremes, "Baby Love"
• The Kinks, "Sweet Lady Genevieve"
• The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows"
• Erik Satie, "Je te veux"
• D'Angelo and the Vanguard, "Back to the Future (Part I)"
• The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey, "Closer"
• Sabrina Carpenter, "Taste"
• Benson Boone, "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else"
• Stella Lefty, "Boston"
• Taylor Swift, "Cardigan"
• The National, "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness"
• Taylor Swift, "So Long, London"
• Gracie Abrams, "Hit the Wall"
• Noah Kahan, "End of August"

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We're coming to the big screen with a four part mini series starting July 14th.

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The quadrennial soccer (or fútbol, depending who you talk to) competition is upon us again: it's the FIFA World Cup! And while the World Cup is a sporting event, it's still relevant to the folks at Switched On Pop, because every four years a new crop of songs gets commissioned to drum up excitement for the games.

This year, the official song is by Shakira and Burna Boy, but offerings from IShowSpeed and a madcap collaboration between Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, and Megan Thee Stallion also play the field. On this episode, Charlie and Nate explore them all – including the Shakira and Ricky Martin songs of World Cups past.

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube

Songs discussed:

• Shakira, Burna Boy – Dai Dai
• K'NAAN – Wavin' Flag
• Tears For Fears, Lil Baby – The World Is Yours To Take
• Jelly Roll, Carin León – Lighter
• LISA, Anitta, Rema – Goals
• Jung Kook, BTS – Dreamers
• Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE, Megan Thee Stallion – DNA (More Than A Game)
• IShowSpeed – Champions (WC 26)
• Ed Sheeran – Shape of You
• Shakira, Carlinhos Brown – La La La (Brasil 2014)
• Shakira, Freshlyground – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)
• Zangalewa – Zangalewa
• Ricky Martin, Pablo Flores – The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)
• Ricky Martin – Livin' La Vida Loca

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In case you missed it:

How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stockholm Syndrome: we've all become captives to their sound without realizing it. Listen to the crystalline vocal production and deceptively simple chord progressions in tracks by Lisa, Childish Gambino, and Addison Rae, and you're hearing Sweden's sonic fingerprint so embedded in pop's DNA that it now defines the genre itself. We sit down with pop star Zara Larsson to explore her love letter to home, "Midnight Sun." As she puts it, "I can't really leave Sweden; it's just something that's like a part of who I am," a sentiment that captures how Swedish pop's unique blend of melancholy and euphoria, mirroring the country's extreme seasons, has made us all willing prisoners of Stockholm's musical empire.

Songs Discussed

• Lisa ft. Rosalia: "New Woman"

• Childish Gambino: "Lithonia"

• Addison Rae: "Fame Is a Gun"

• Bleachers: "Tiny Moves"

• Zara Larsson: "Midnight Sun"

• Robyn: "Show Me Love"

• Robyn: "Dancing on My Own"

• Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

• Brad Mehldau: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

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In the last episode of our feral pop miniseries, we take a look at the 22 year old rapper primed to take over the world: 2hollis. Splitting the difference between hardstyle and hip-hop while emanating an aura best described as “vampiric,” he’s been one of the most hyped musicians coming out of the underground. His music is distorted, chaotic, and over the top – literally – but he reflects a larger sentiment from younger audiences: the more sonic chaos the better.

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube

Songs discussed:

• Ninajirachi – Fuck My Computer
• underscores – Music
• 2hollis – poster boy
• SUICIDAL-IDOL – ecstacy
• 2hollis – flash
• 2hollis – beginning
• 2hollis – sidekick
• underscores, 8485 – your favorite sidekick
• 2hollis – crush
• 2hollis – 3
• Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

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This week on Switched On Pop, we’re looking at all things feral pop, the microgenre that takes pop music to its most wild extremes. And no feral pop artist is more tapped into that ethos than underscores. Her music synthesizes dubstep, trance, and Timbaland with ease, and her latest album ‘U’ is filled with boundless energy. She’s already opened up for 100 gecs, PinkPantheress, and Porter Robinson; this fall, she’ll open up for Charli XCX on her upcoming Music, Fashion, Film tour. She said it best on her debut album, Fishmonger: “it’s the new wave of the future!”  

Links: ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠YouTube

Songs discussed:

• underscores – Music
• SOPHIE – Ponyboy
• underscores, 8485 – your favorite sidekick
• Nelly – Country Grammar (Hot Shit)
• Madonna – Music
• Madonna – American Life
• underscores – Do It
• Britney Spears – Piece of Me
• PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson – Stateside
• Justin Timberlake – SexyBack

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