Switched on Pop

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.”

CREDITSReanna Cruz: ProducerIris Gottlieb: IllustratorCharlie Harding: Host, Executive ProducerDion Lee: Art DirectorBrandon McFarland: Audio EngineerNick Ripps: Video EditorNate Sloan: HostLissa Soep: EditorZach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme ComposersSwitched 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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