Switched on Pop

How do you create a hit that both breaks sound barriers and chart records? Drake has done this with a unique mix of international sounds from Africa, the Caribbean, the U.K. and Canada. But is his chart topping success musical appropriation or celebration? A deep listening reveals diverse influences and musical rhythms that have crossed oceans centuries before "One Dance" was even conceived. Plus, we debut Blinky Bill's "So Strong," his first single off his upcoming solo album. FEATURING - Drake - One Dance (feat. Whizkid & Kyla) - Ojuelegba Remix - Wizkid ft. Drake & Septa - 2Baba - Coded Tinz ft. Phyno, Chief Obi - DJ Maphorisa - Soweto Baby feat Wizkid & Dj Buckz - Crazy Cousinz - Do You Mind ft. Kyla - The Revolutionaries - General For General - Barrington Levy - Dance Are Changing - Joh Thomas - Ghetto Dance - Papa Biggie - Youth Them Have To Grow - Yellowman - Adam & Eve - Mighty Diamonds - Love Me Girl - Drake - Hotline Bling - Timmy Thomas - Why Can’t We Live Together - D.R.A.M. - Cha Cha - Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - Take Care Of You - Drake - Take Care ft. Rihanna - Drake - JunglePaul Simon - Graceland - Paul Simon - I Know What I Know - Moby - Natural Blues - Vera Hall - Trouble So Hard - David Guetta - Hey Mama (ft. Nicki Minaj) - Sangkala - Gamelan Degung - Joel Francisco Perri - Las llamas de Potosi - Habib Koité - Africa - Kwaa Mensah - Odo Me, Me Sum No DoChico O’farrell - Sin Titulo - Trio Matamoros - El Que Siembra Su Maíz - Joseph Kabasele - Africa Bola Ngombi - E.T. Mensa & The Tempos - Fom Fom - Fela Kuti - Lagos Baby - Fela Kuti - Elbe Moi (Carry Me) - Fela Kuti - LadyWizkid - Show You The Money - Blinky Bill - So Strong Check out Blinky's music at www.soundcloud.com/blinkyb Supported by Casper and Amazon Prime Music's Song of Summer Playlist Amazon www.amazonsongsofsummer.com/pop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have more information about pop stars lives than ever before, but this transparency is not always uplifting for music lovers. Just as we may enjoy following the intimate lives of celebrities on Instagram, we simultaneously uncover how stars abuse their power to marginalize others, commit heinous crimes and inspire mass atrocity. Sometimes skeletons in the closet turn our to be literal skeletons. As listeners, this undoubtedly colors the way we hear our old favorite songs. Join us as we explore how to listen to good music that happens to bad people. FEATURING Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls Of Fire The Righteous Brothers - You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling Garry Glitter - Hey R. Kelly - Ignition (Remix) Wagner - Ride Of The Valkyries The Ronettes - Be My Baby Queen - You’re My Best Friend Drake - Keep The Family Close Wagner - Tristan Und Isolade: Prelude Wagner - Tristan Und Isolade: Liebestod Wagner - Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summer heat is upon us and so are the jams. Our ears are hooked on Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling." What you may not know is that this song leans on the success of mononymous giants: Pharrell, Michael and Handel. If you think that pop is a modern phenomenon, you may be surprised by medieval references and techniques comped by JT. Join us as we break down the hidden hooks and musical tricks that make this song an ear worm. Featuring Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling! Pharrell Williams - Happy Michael Jackson - Thriller Michael Jackson - Rock With You Elvis Costello - Allison M.C. Hammer - U Can't Touch This Electric Six - Improper Dancing Nicki Minaj - Feeling Myself ft. Beyonce Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River Bernart De Ventadorn - Can Vei La Lauzeta Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Meghan Trainor's new singles "No" and "Me Too" ubiquitous on the radio dial, a larger discussion about the uneasy relationship between social movements and selling records takes a feminist bent. Memories of the polarizing 2014 hit "All About that Bass" come to the surface, reigniting debates over whether Trainor's songs express radical thought or package it for mass consumption. Or is that distinction a distraction, forgetting that manufactured pop can still pack a political punch? That might depend on how you listen. Andi Zeisler, author of "We Were Feminists Once," professor Robin James, blogger Jenny Trout and writer Andrea Warner join for a dive into the complexities of feminist pop politics. FEATURING Meghan Trainor - Me Too Meghan Trainor - No Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass Spice Girls - Wannabe Big Sean - Dance (A$$) Taylor Swift - Shake It off Demi Lovato - Confident Grimes - Flesh Without Blood The Slits - Typical Girls Sleater-Kinney - #1 Must Have Jonathan Hoyle - Never Ending Road Lizzo - Good As Hell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A battle between brothers is playing out on the pop charts, a sibling rivalry the likes of which the music industry hasn't seen since 1987, when Michael and Janet Jackson's 1987 "Bad" and "Let's Wait Awhile" jockeyed for peak position on the Hot 100. Today, Nick, the youngest of the Jonas Brothers, looks for redemption from their boy band past in the moody, adult love song "Close" ft. Tove Lo, while middle brother Joe and his band DNCE use the explosive, retro "Cake By the Ocean" to replace a squeaky-clean look with a profane party anthem. Tune in to learn how these two songs, sounding so different on the surface, have something very surprising in common. Then, stick around for a deep dive through the wonders of the Jonas back catalog, along with a detour to the life and music of another troubled child prodigy named Wolfgang, that will leave you thinking of the frère Jonas in a whole new light. FEATURING - Nick Jonas - Close - DNCE - Cake By The Ocean - Beach Boys - Misirlou - Jonas Brothers - Mandy - Jonas Brothers - Burnin’ Up - Demi Lovato - La La Land - Mozart - Laureate Dominum - Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Mozart - Batiene Und Bastienne - Mozart - Bona Nox! bist a rechts Ox, K. 561 - Jonas Brothers - Bounce - Mozart - Requiem in D minor K626: I Requiem - Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492: Overture: Wiener Philharmoniker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It has been a period of musical loss and celebration. On the same week we lost Prince, the world was gifted Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Both artists contain multitudes of musical traditions, collaborators and themes that weave throughout their song. In the first half of the show, we break down Beyoncé's “Hold Up,” an exemplary piece about Lemonade's main theme of marital distress. But the song is not as simple as it may seem. Its compositional restraint suggests more complex ideas about love. Speaking of love, Prince may have published more songs on the subject than any other recording musician. In the second half of the show, we speak with scholar and Musiqology contributor Matthew Valnes about Prince’s musical legacy. Featuring - Beyoncé - Pray You Catch Me - Beyoncé - Freedom - Beyoncé - Formation - Beyoncé - Love Drought - Beyoncé - Sorry - Beyoncé - All Night - Beyoncé - Daddy Lessons - Beyoncé - Hold Up - Major Lazer & DJ Snake - Lean On - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps - Vampire Weekend - Obvious Bicycle - Beyoncé - Don’t Hurt Yourself - Prince - Musicology - Joshua Redman - How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore - Prince - How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore - Prince - When Doves Cry - Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You - Prince - Super Bowl Press Conference Performance - Marcus Miller - Jean Pierre (live at North Sea Jazz Festival) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Q8Ual3coM You can read Matthew Valnes' article "When Doves Cry" over at Musiqology: http://musiqology.com/blog/2016/04/25/when-doves-cry-prince-and-black-popular-music-history/ Also check out Behind The Linear Notes’s latest episode on the history of the Castrati featuring a clip from our episode on One Direction: http://www.betweenthelinernotes.com/episodes-1/castrato Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Life Of Pablo is Kanye West’s latest album. Despite its lack of hits, it has been at the fulcrum of pop music for months. With its gradual online release and its changing track lists, this shapeshifting album is difficult to grasp. We recruit Andrew Marantz from The New Yorker Magazine to break down Pablo and the “Wolves,” a song that embodies the multiplicities of West’s larger project and connects his work to the classical past of Bach and Prokofiev. Featuring: - Kanye West: Wolves - Jay Z: Where's Th e Love - Kanye West: All Falls Down - Kanye West: Gold Digger - Kanye West: Heartless - Kanye West: All Of The Lights - Kanye West: Black Skinhead - Gary Glitter: Rock N Roll Part 2 (Hey!) - Kanye West: I Love Kanye - Bach: Canon Perpetuus - Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf (narrated by David Bowie) - Paul McCartney: Driving Rain - Drake: Jumpman (featuring Future) - Missy Elliot: Work It - R. Kelly: The Zoo - Justin Timberlake: Give Me What I Don't Know - DJ Snake: Birdsong - Pink Floyd: Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Out of nowhere, Twenty One Pilots has rocketed to the top of the charts with their surprise hit "Stressed Out." Charlie and Nate pull this millennial anthem apart to discover a deep political resonance, the kind that rarely hits the Hot 100. Tracing this sound back in time reveals further connections, to Compton, Motown, and the alternate universe of Parliament/Funkadelic. And, a trip further down the chart suggests that political pop still has no party affiliation. Featuring: •Twenty One Pilots—Stressed Out •NWA—Alwayz Into Somethin' •Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg—Nuthin' but a G Thang •Parliament/Funkadelic—Aquaboogie •Stevie Wonder—Livin' for the City •G-Eazy x Bebe Rexha—My Myself and I •Iggy Azalea—Team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you collaborate with five people to write a song that captures that national temperature? The stakes may seem high with stars like Alex Da Kid, Candice Pillay, Kanye West and Rihanna, but Sam Harris from X Ambassadors has unlocked the secret. Having penned much of Rihanna's hit American Oxygen, Sam gives an honest account of his process to create a hit and capture the American Dream. And we also get an exclusive peak at X Ambassador's version of the song. Featuring X Ambassadors - Renegades Rihanna - American Oxygen Bruce Springsteen - Born In The U.S.A. Radiohead - Pyramid Song X Ambassadors - American Oxygen You can download X Ambassador's newly released version of American Oxygen from Interscope Records and KIDinaKORNER on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/AmericanOxygenXA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen carefully to almost any hit song these days and you’ll hear musicians screaming “Hey!” What’s the matter with them? Do they really need our attention? We uncover the reason and history behind this phenomenon with guest host Alex Kapelman, producer of the narrative music podcast Pitch. We also listen to new music by Aoife O’Donovan in a new segment called Off The Charts. And we have the fourth and final installment of Nate’s journey back into the popular music of the 20s and 30s. Featuring Katy Perry - Roar Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You Grimes - Venus Fly (ft. Janelle Monáe) Arian Grande - Break Free (ft. Zed) One Direction - Steal My Girl Scenes from the film Get On Up James Brown - Cold Sweat James Brown - Get Up Off That Thing Little Richard - Hey Hey Hey Hey The Lumineers - Hey Ho Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks Edward Sharpe and the Magnetics - Home One Direction - Perfect Kanye West - Black Skinhead Justin Bieber - Sorry Duke Ellington and Ivie Anderson - Raisin’ The Rent Harold Arlen - We’re Off To See The Wizard Ethel Waters - Stormy Weather Frank Sinatra - I’ve Got The World On A String Maxine Sullivan - Primitive Premadonna Check out Pitch at www.pitchpodcast.org Listen to the Say Hey playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/switchedonpop/playlist/2w4BPUPQBMWhMeVefSMDvr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the biggest voices in pop music has no face: Sia. She started her career as a ghostwriter for stars like Rihanna and Beyoncé. Recently she found pop star success with her hit "Chandelier." So with her new album, "This Is Acting," you'd expect to see her front and center. Instead, she hides her face from the media spotlight, covered by wigs, hats and other foreign objects. Lindsay Zoladz from NYMag joins us to discuss Sia's the musician and Sia the media spectacle. Featuring: Sia - Chandelier Rihanna - Diamonds Sia - Alive Sia - Reaper Rihanna - Work (ft. Drake) Sia - Bird Set Free Duke Ellington - Cotton Club Stomp Duke Ellington - East St. Louis Toodle-O Duke Ellington - Ko-Ko JC Burnett - Amazing Grace Charlie Johnson - The Boy In The Boat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do Usher, The Band Perry and Bieber have in common? They all sing with Mama Jan, one of the best vocal coaches and producers in the music business. On this mini episode, Mama Jan talks about what happens backstage before the biggest performance of a lifetime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it a love song or is it a breakup song? Charlie joins the women of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast to break down their namesake song by Robyn. Also, advice on how to build the perfect wedding playlist. And we check back in with Nate to listen to Cab Calloway on a time traveling adventure back to the 1930s. Featuring Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend Whitney Houston - Dance With Somebody (cappella) Eddie Johns - More Spell On You TLC - Waterfall (Bixel Boy's Remix) Village People - YMCA The O’Jays - Love Train David Bowie - Lets Dance Daft Punk - Get Lucky R. Kelly - Ignition (remix) Beyoncé - Love On Top Elvis Presley - Hound Dog Don Redman - Gee Ain’t I good to you Don Redman - Gotcha Cab Calloway - Minnie The Moocher Cab Calloway - Kicking The Gong Around Cab Calloway - Reefer Madness Louis Armstrong - St. James Infirmary Frankie “Half-Pint” Jackson - Willie The Weeper Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray Check out more Call Your Girlfriend at www.callyourgirlfriend.com Listen to Zach’s DJ sets at soundcloud.com/zachseely Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do presidential candidates, professional wrestlers and improv comics have in common? Walk on theme music. As the primary season heats up we dig into the history, meaning and controversies of campaign anthems. Also, comedian and guest co-host Chris Duffy shares some of his favorite lyrics with hidden humor. And we time travel with Nate to 1931 to visit late night Harlem jazz clubs. FEATURING Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out? String Quartet No. 19 in C Major K 465 IV Ride Of The Valkyries - Wagner Conducted by George Szell John Williams - The Imperial March Howard Da Silva - Tippacanoe and Tyler Too Oscar Brand - Rockabye Baby Peter Janovsky - Get On The Raft With Taft Woodie Gutherie - This Land is Your Land The Police - Every Breath You Take Tom Petty - Won’t Back Down Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run Metallica - Enter Sandman Mozart String Quartet No15 D Minor K. 421 I. Allegro Moderato Metallica - Master Of Puppets Kelly Clarkson - Stronger Zac Brown Band - Homegrown REM - End of the world Phantom of the Opera (Single Album Version) Carly Simon - You’re So Vain Beck - Devil’s Haircut Brad Paisley - Working On A Tan Quindon Tarver - Free To Wear Sunscreen Neil Young - Rockin’ In The Free World Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein Lil’ Jon - Get Low Lil’ Jon - Snap Your Fingers Rihanna - What’s My Name (ft. Drake) Van Halen - Why Can’t This Be Love Pitbull - Give Me Everything David Guetta - Sexy Bitch (ft. Akon) Don Redman - Song Of The Weeds Don Redman - Shacking the African Sir Mix Alot - Big Butts Nikki Minaj - Anaconda Flo Rida - Low Project Pat - Twerk It Don Redman - Nagasaki Don Redman - Song Of The Weeds Don Redman - The Man From Harlem Don Redman - Gee, Ain’t I Good To You Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charlie and Nate reveal the life changing magic of how to tidy up the music you missed from last year. Annually, hundreds of publications release best of lists. These lists are supposed to make it easier to discover and celebrate the year in music. But with so many lists how can we know what is truly the best? Well we’ve found the definite source what’s great: Rob Mitchum’s Top Albums in 2015. Also, the major trends you might have missed and Jake Birch’s Mixed On Pop about The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face.” Featuring: Wiz Khalifa – See You Again Taylor Swift – Blank Space Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk Adele – Hello Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face Duke Ellington – Prelude To A Kiss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Celebrate 50 years of A Charlie Brown Christmas and his eponymous holiday album. If you’re feeling worn out on holiday music, this one never wears old. Its gone triple platinum and charts almost every year on the holiday Billboard. Join us as we dive deep into the brilliance of Vince Guaraldi, the pianist and composer behind Linus and Lucy. We bet you might be hearing the song all wrong. Featuring Vince Guaraldi – What Child Is This, Christmas Is Coming, Linus and Lucy, O Tannenbaum, Christmas Time Is Here, El Matador, Cast Your Fate To The Wind The Supremes – Oh Holy Night Leonard Bernstein – Carol Of The Bells Bobby Timmons – This Here Lee Morgan – The Rumproller Julian “Cannonball” Adderley – One For Daddy-O (featuring Miles Davis) Jack Gleason – Unforgettable This episode was sponsored by VNYL. Subscribe at my.vnyl.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two unlikely anthems of individuality are rocketing up the charts: Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love” and Alessia Cara’s “Here.” One is from an established star, the other from a total unknown, but both use similar musical techniques to make their voices heard against the madding crowd. Tune in to hear how the radio dial is richer for the presence of such non-conformist and anti-social jams. Featuring: Lady Gaga – Just Dance Selena Gomez – Same Old Love Alessia Cara – Here Michael Jackson – Billie Jean Kesha – Tik Tok Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) George Bizet – Carmen Suite No. 2. Habanera Purcell – Dido’s Lament L’Arpeggiata – Amor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most omnipresent figure in pop music is also the most elusive: Karl Sandberg, AKA Max Martin, the mad Swedish genius who’s ruled the charts for 20 years. With the help of New Yorker writer John Seabrook, author of The Song Machine, and comedian Chris Duffy, host of You’re The Expert, we go deep into a 21st century pop classic to try and locate the secret formula behind Max Martin’s success. FEATURING Taylor Swift – Blank Space The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way Kelly Clarkson – Since You Been Gone Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You Katy Perry – California Girls Taylor Swift – We Are Never Getting Back Together Ariana Grande – Problem N’Sync – It’s Gonna Be Me Britney Spears – Oops I Did It Again Taylor Swift – Bad Blood Icona Pop (ft. Charlie XCX) – I Love It Tove Lo – Talking Body Backstreet Boys – We’ve Got It Going On Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drake and Adele are two megastars who may not seem to share much in common on the surface, but their recent hits exhibit some surprising parallels. Both revisit past relationships over the phone and both conceal inner anguish beneath subtle musical shifts. Featuring special appearances by the game Snake, Lord Byron and Drake and Adele themselves*, you don’t want to miss this episode. Plus, we check in with Justin Bieber as he completes his epic existential pop suite. For more songs about love on hold, check out our Spotify playlist. And check out Sean Rameswaram’s final episode of Sideshow on Studio 360. Featuring Drake – Hotline Bling Adele – Hello Timmy Thomas – Why Can’t We Live Together Justin Bieber – Sorry Jack Ü – Where Are Ü Now? Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean? Breakmaster Cylinder & Charlie Harding – Why Am I Here? *not really Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As much as we might have crazy love for pop music, pop music also loves to drive us crazy. Earworms that grab you and won’t let go; cookie-cutter compositions that bedevil in their unoriginality; strange new sounds that vex, rankle, confound. How does pop music possess the unique ability to get under our skin? We pull apart some of the stickiest songs to try and find out. And listen to our playlist of songs that drive you mad on Spotify. FEATURING The Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy The Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way Katy Perry – California Girls Kesha – Tik Tok Mozart – Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K.466 Grady Smith – Why Country Music Was Awful in 2013 Grady Smith – Country Stars Who Don’t Like Their Own Records Fletcher Hederson – The Stampede Skrillex – Bangarang Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bieber’s two new hits, “Where Are Ü Now” and “What Do You Mean,” showcase the prodigal pop star’s soberer side. In each, his realization of the fictive nature of relationships is musicalized through slippery piano chords and disembodied voices. But just two songs does not make a true existential suite, so we collaborated with the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder to propose a third stanza for Bieber’s epic poem of love and loss. FEATURING Jack Ü – Where Are Ü Now (ft. Justin Bieber) Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean Justin Bieber – Boyfriend Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk Want to finish Justin Bieber’s trilogy? Listen to “Why Am I Here?” and download the track on Breakmaster Cylinder’s Soundcloud. Then, record your vocal and send it to [email protected]. We’re looking at you Justin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Weeknd’s deliriously funky chart topper “Can’t Feel My Face” has sparked sweat-soaked dance sessions across the country, but dark notes lurk at the outskirts of this ebullient jam. Chromatic intrusions and Classical laments crowd the scene and invite more clandestine interpretations. What’s this song really about? The secret lies in the scale. FEATURING The Weeknd – Wicked Games The Weeknd – Earned It The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face L’Arpeggiata – Monteverdi ‘s Amor (Lamento Della Ninfa, Rappresentativo) Skrillex & Diplo – Where Are Ü Now (with Justin Bieber) * You can find more deceptively addictive songs in our Spotify playlist. **Alex Ross’s great chapter on the long lineage of the Lament is indispensable. Find it in his book Listen to This and a précis of it at his blog The Rest is Noise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The sax is back. This surprisingly funky reed keeps popping up in pop hits from Derulo to Grande. But where did the sax come from? And where did it go? Tighten your embouchure, because we journey to the center of sax in this week’s episode. Also, songs featured in this episode and other great sax tracks are in our Spotify Playlist. *In this episode we incorrectly identified Mr. Sax’s home country as Germany (face palm). He was a native of Belgium. Our apologies to the Sax family. FEATURING Katie Perry – Last Friday Night John Coltrane – Giant Steps M83 – Midnight City Bill Clinton on Arsenio Hall Ariana Grande – Problem Flo Rida – GDFR WAR – Low Rider Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street George Michael – Careless Whisper George Gershwin – Rhapsody In Blue conducted by Leonard Bernstein Jules Demersseman – Fantasie Sur On Theme Original Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five – Muskrat Rumble Fletcher Henderson – Stampede Duke Ellington – Prélude To A Kiss King Curtis – Sister Sadie Sonny Rollings – St. Thomas Jason Derulo – Talk Dirty The Klezmer Lounge Band – Hava Nag ila Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna – Bhajare Sriramam – Vakulabharanam Sami Shawa – Jordan – Mawam Bayati Selim Sesler & Orchester – Saniye’m Spanish Tapas Bar, Vol. 2 – Malaguena Balkan Beat Box – Hermetico Fifth Harmony – Worth It Too Many Zooz – To The Top The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can you be a country star and critical of the country at the same time? Grammy Award Winner, Kacey Musgraves, has two hit albums that challenge the small-town clichés of modern country music. Is she bucking the trend of big trucks and dirt roads, or embracing an old tradition of transgressing social norms? To answer […] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first-ever LIVE edition of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate enter an epic debate over what track should be crowned 2015’s definitive Song of Summer. Charlie’s candidate is the retro anthem “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, while Nate argues for Jason Derulo’s hot and heavy “Want to Want Me.” Meanwhile, the studio audience on Block Island has their own ideas about what makes a true Song of Summer, raising the stakes even higher. Who will emerge victorious? Only one song can beat the heat and rule the dog days of August. You don’t want to miss this epic Summer Jam Showdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fetty Wap’s Trap Queen is an unlikely contender for the top 10. It straddles genres between hip-hop and pop in subtle yet mesmerizing ways. Is it a drug song? Is it a love song? Or is it both at the same time? Join us to find out why you can’t get this ear worm out of your head. FEATURING Fetty Wap – Trap Queen Dr. Dre – Still Dre Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Maria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Swift – Trouble Lady Gaga – Alejandro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 reverse) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 “Why Music Matters” course at Stanford University Summer Institutes, who helped develop the analysis of “Call Me Maybe.” FEATURING Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe The Cardigans – Lovefool Don Henley – The Boys of Summer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Silence Pentatonix – Daft Punk [Act 1: Undercover Barbershop, featuring journalist Kevin Roose] Buffalo Bills Barbershop Quartet – The Only Girl In The World Dion & The Belmonts – I Wonder Why Barbershoptags.com – I Love to Sing ‘Em The Barbershop Singers – My Wild Irish Rose Buffalo Bills – As Time Goes By Vocal Spectrum – When I See An Elephant Fly OC Times – Come Fly With Me [Act 2: How To Become A Youtube Star In 3 Easy Steps, featuring musician Matthias Harris] Halestorm – Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover) Matthias Harris – Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye a cappella arrangement) The Stiff Dylands – Ultraviolet Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) Mike Tompkins – Teenage Dream & Just The Way You Are (Katy Perry a cappella arrangement) Matthias Harris – Boyfriend (Justin Bieber arrangement) Matthias Harris – Home [Act 3: Sing On / Sing Off featuring Manjula Raman from Element] Element – Royals (Lorde a cappella arrangement) Element – Raise Your Glass (Pink a cappella arrangement) [Act 4: A New Golden Era] Pentatonix – Daft Punk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 (learn the dance!) Sauti Sol – Sura Yako Diplo – Crown Just A Band – Looking for Home Just A Band – Life of the Party Just A Band – Probably for Lovers Just A Band – Huff + Puff Just A Band – Dunia Ina Mambo Charlie’s high school a cappella group – Give Up the Funk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 – Finlandia, Op. 26 Ensemble Almageste – La Mantovana Songs from the the Star Spangled Music Foundation Sura Yako – Sauti Sol Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 – Finlandia, Op. 26 Ensemble Almageste – La Mantovana Songs from the the Star Spangled Music Foundation Sura Yako – Sauti Sol Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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: Il primo libro di canzone: Ciaconna The King’s Singers – La Guerre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices