Switched on Pop
Vulture
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4.9
(13)
1 Creator
21 Listeners
4.9
(13)
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Best episodes
Top 10 Switched on Pop Episodes
Best episodes ranked by Goodpods Users most listened
We *do* talk about Bruno
Switched on Pop
02/01/22 • 26 min
4.0
The number one song on the charts is a bit of a mystery. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the unlikely hit from Disney’s sleeper animated musical Encanto. Set in a mountainous village in Colombia, the film was a middling commercial success when it was released in Nov 2021. But in recent months it has become a pop culture phenomenon for a confluence of reasons: an expansive discourse on Colombian representation in media, fan videos on TikTok, and of course it's ear-wormy hits.
The musical is yet another notch in the belt for Lin Manuel Miranda (the auteur behind Hamilton and In The Heights) who wrote the now chart-topping song book. While Disney certainly commands vast commercial success, its musicals rarely see such crossover attention. The last #1 Disney musical number was “A Whole New World” from the animated Aladdin back in 1993. Where that song was literally uplifting, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is quite the opposite.
Bruno is the uncle of the Madrigal family, whose skill for seeing the future portends gloom and sends him into exile. In his namesake song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” an ensemble cast trade verses about his ghostly presence (Bruno haunts the family home, living inside its walls). It is an odd ball song, with dark and bizarre lyrics. Sure it starts with a story about rain on a wedding day (which is not ironic), but then it takes a hard left into tales of dead fish, middle aged weight gain, and creeping rats. So then what makes it a hit? A distinctive concoction of salsa piano rhythms, familiar Lin Manuel Miranda-isms, and contemporary pop connections to Camila Cabello, Britney Spears, J Balvin, Bad Bunny and Cardi B.
Listen to Switched On Pop to solve the mystery of what makes “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” a hit.
Songs Discussed
- Lin Manuel Miranda - We Don’t Talk About Bruno, In The Heights, Helpless, Satisfied, My Shot, Wait For It, Say No To This
- Cardi B, J Balvin, I Like It
- Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee - Despacito
- Camila Cabello, Young Thug - Havana
- Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
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02/01/22 • 26 min
4 Listeners
3 Comments
3
Invasion of the Vibe Snatchers
Switched on Pop
09/13/22 • 26 min
5.0
Why do so many songs sound familiar? Because the number of chart topping interpolations — songs built off of old hits — has roughly doubled in the five years. It’s everywhere, you can’t escape because many people are embracing it.
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09/13/22 • 26 min
3 Listeners
1 Comment
1
32 Albums in, Elvis Costello is Just Getting Started
Switched on Pop
01/25/22 • 34 min
5.0
Elvis Costello burst onto the music scene in 1977 with the album My Aim Is True. Songs like “Alison” established him as a powerful new voice in rock. His next album, This Year’s Model, introduced hits like “Pump it Up,” which has resounded through stadiums and arenas across the country ever since.
From then on he released album after album, decade after decade, becoming a force to be reckoned with in pop music. Now, Costello has released his 32nd studio album, The Boy Named If, and it's a kaleidoscopic journey through many of the sounds and styles that he's experimented with over the years.
We spoke with Elvis about his wrong notes and open-ended lyrics, his much-publicized defense of Olivia Rodrigo, and why he turned down working with Adele
Songs Discussed:
Elvis Costello - Farewell, OK, Magnificent Hurt, Alison, Pump It Up
Richie Barrett - Some Other Guy
Olivia Rodrigo - Brutal
Chuck Berry - Too Much Monkey Business
Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
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01/25/22 • 34 min
2 Listeners
1 Comment
1
08/23/22 • 34 min
5.0
A lot has happened in the world of Kpop this summer, from Girls’ Generation sugar coated banger “Forever 1” marking a triumphant return from a five year hiatus, to the ascendance of newcomers NewJeans, whose R&B infused sounds have quickly taken over the charts. But it's the return of BLACKPINK that has lit up the world literally in pink. Get a full deep dive on the songs at the top of the Kpop charts on the latest episode of Switched On Pop, where hosts Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan speak with journalist Kristine Kwak.
Songs Discussed
- Psy, SUGA - That That
- J-hope - MORE
- BLACKPINK - Pink Venom
- Girls’ Generation
- IVE - LOVE DIVE
- NewJeans - Attention
- SWV - I’m So Into You
- Rihanna - Pon De Replay
- Missy Elliot - Work It
- 50 Cent - Just A Lil Bit
- Taylor Swift “Look What You Made Me Do”
- Panjabi MC, JAY-Z - Mundian to Bach Ke
- Britney Spears, Madonna - Me Against the Music
- Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around Comes Around
- Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It’s Hot
- Snoop Dogg - I Wanna Rock
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Kick in the Door
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08/23/22 • 34 min
2 Listeners
1 Comment
1
07/26/22 • 23 min
5.0
Baz Luhrmann’s hit box office hit biopic Elvis has spurred new interest in the music of The King. Elvis Presley’s streaming subscribers has grown by two million listeners on Spotify since the film’s release according to ChartMetric, and if you’re hearing a lot more “Hound Dog” these days, it might be partially due to the success of Doja Cat’s hit song “Vegas,” which updates – and interpolates – the song for contemporary listeners.
Doja Cat’s version samples from the original 1953 “Hound Dog,” sung by Big Mama Thornton and written by acclaimed songwriter team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (whose credits also include Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” and Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”). The original is a sauntering blues song with a raunchy tale about a two timing man; Presley, who is frequently said to have stolen the song from Thorton, instead sings a tepid lyric about an actual dog, and radically changes the groove.
But in an interview with Rolling Stone, Stoller says Presley didn’t steal the song at all. Rather, he adapted one of many covers of the song, specifically the version performed by the Las Vegas lounge act Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Their “Hound Dog” borrows its upbeat rhythm from a song responding to the original “Hound Dog,” titled “Bear Cat.” It’s a similar rhythm to the one we hear on the contemporary Doja Cat version, “Vegas,” which heavily features samples of Thornton’s original vocals: listening closely reveals a song that synthesizes a complicated music history by uniting the best parts of the many versions of “Hound Dog.”
Listen to the latest episode of Switched On Pop and uncover the long legacy of “Hound Dog.”
Songs Discussed
- Big Mama Thorton - Hound Dog
- Elvis - Hound Dog
- Doja Cat - Vegas
- Esther Phillips - Hound Dog
- Jack Turner - Hound Dog
- Rufus Thomas - Bear Cat
- Freddie Bell and the Bellboys
- T.L.C. - No Scrubs
- Sporty Thievz - No Pigeons
- W.C. Handy - St. Louis Blues
- Duke Ellington - Conga brava
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn’t It Rain
- Fats Domino - Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Dave Bartholomew - Country Boy
- Little Richard - Slipping’ And Sliding’
- Jack Harlow - Dua Lipa
- Future - Puffin on Zootiez
- Hitkidd, Gorilla - F.N.F. (Let’s Go)
- Bad Bunny - Después de la Playa
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07/26/22 • 23 min
2 Listeners
1 Comment
1
CHVRCHES and the sound of 80s horror
Switched on Pop
09/14/21 • 33 min
CHVRCHES is well-known for their comprehensive use of synthesizers and their updated take on “synthpop”, a subgenre of pop we most closely associated with the 1980s. While gearing up to make their second album in 2015, CHVRCHES members Iain Cook and Martin Doherty spent much of the recording budget buying up many of the original synthesizers used to make those iconic 80s dance tracks. Contemporary replicas of those synth sounds are now commonplace with pop acts like Dua Lipa and The Weeknd. But CHVRCHES has been wielding these sounds for more than a decade, and their newest project is a great reminder of how closely we link that synth sound with not just to a bygone era, but specifically to the eerie sound of horror film.
Screen Violence is their new album. It draws inspiration from classic horror films like John Carpenter's Halloween. With its horror frame, the lyrics explore dark themes, like the violent online abuse CHVRCHES lead singer Lauren Mayberry has endured for much of the band’s existence, a hyper consciousness of her own mortality brought on by that abuse, and fears of losing her grip on reality. Switched On Pop’s co-host Charlie Harding spoke with Lauren, Ian, Martin from CHVRCHES about the making and meaning of Screen Violence.
MORE
Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry: 'I will not accept online misogyny'
SONGS DISCUSSED
- CHVRCHES - Never Ending Circles
- Dua Lipa - Physical
- The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
- CHVRCHES - California
- CHVRCHES - Lullabies
- CHVRCHES - Final Girl
- CHVRCHES - Violent Delights
- CHVRCHES - He Said She Said
- CHVRCHES - Asking For A Friend
- John Carpenter - Halloween Theme
- Suspiria - Markos
- John Carpenter - Christine
- John Carpenter - Turning The Bones (CHVRCHES Remix)
- CHVRCHES - Good Girls (John Carpenter remix)
- CHVRHCES - How Not To Down (with Robert Smith)
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09/14/21 • 33 min
1 Listener
The Mystery of Montero AKA Lil Nas X (feat. Take A Daytrip)
Switched on Pop
04/27/21 • 37 min
Lil Nas X has a talent for creating productive controversy. First with “Old Town Road,” he challenged expectations about blackness in country music. Now with “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” he takes aim at anti LGBTQ+ messages propagated by the religious dogma from his youth (he came out as gay during Pride 2019). The song describes a romantic encounter without innuendo. Sure it’s raunchy, but the song doesn’t especially stand out on Billboard where explicit sexual fantasy is commonplace. But his use of religious iconography in his video and merchandise created an immediate backlash. In the video to “Montero,” Lil Nas X rides a stripped pole into hades where he gives a lap dance to Satan (also played by Lil Nas X). Despite the obvious commentary on repressive orthodoxy, religious conservatives failed to see the subtext. The song became a lightning rod. But as pundits fought on social media about the song's meaning, most critics failed to look into the song’s musical references. Produced by Take A Daytrip, the duo behind Shek Wes’ “Mo Bamba” and Lil Nas X’s “Panini,” “Montero'' mashes up genres that take the listener on a global journey, sharing his message of acceptance across cultures.
Music
Lil Nas X — Montero, Old Town Road, Panini
24kGoldn, iann dior - Mood
Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Misirlou
Tetos Demetriades - Misirlou
Aris San Boom Pam
Silsulim - Static & Ben El
Shek Was — Mo Bamba
Lehakat Tzliley Haud
Bouzouki recording from xserra from FreeSound under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
More
Listen to Gal Kadan’s project: Awesome Orientalists From Europa on Bandcamp
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04/27/21 • 37 min
1 Listener
Why ABBA songs just hit different
Switched on Pop
11/02/21 • 34 min
Swedish supergroup ABBA is releasing their first album in forty years, making this the perfect time for Nate and Charlie to investigate what makes their music so beloved and reviled in equal measure. For every ABBA stan, there’s a hater lurking, like legendary pop critic Robert Christgau, who once said of the group: “We have met the enemy, and they are them.” That suspicion was earned through ABBA’s musical catchiness and lyrical earnestness, but regardless of how you feel about their music, their compositional acumen cannot be denied.
The longevity of their songs is testament to that musical brilliance. So after breaking down the vocal contrast, musical maximalism, and studio wizardry used to concoct world-beating hits like “Super Trouper,” “Mamma Mia,” and “Dancing Queen,” Nate and Charlie turn their ears to the band’s latest singles, “Don’t Shut Me Down” and “I Still Have Faith in You,” to determine whether the newest releases represent a return to classic form or a departure into new sonic realms.
Songs Discussed
ABBA - Super Trouper, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Don’t Shut Me Down, I Still Have Faith in You
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11/02/21 • 34 min
1 Listener
06/09/20 • 32 min
5.0
In a Rolling Stone article titled “He Shook The World: George Floyd’s Legendary Houston Legacy”, writer Charles Holmes reveals the musical past of the man who has become an international symbol for justice since his murder. Known as “Big Floyd” in his Houston community, he was part of the city’s Screwed Up Click, a hip-hop collective centered around the now-legendary producer DJ Screw. This underground scene created a style of slowed-down “chopped and screwed” hip-hop that seeped into mainstream hip-hop, and has even been appropriated by bubblegum Top 40. In this episode we unpack how this chopped and screwed sound took over pop and shine a light on George Floyd’s involvement with the Screwed Up Click.
MORE
Read Charles Holmes’ Rolling Stone article: '”He Shook the World': George Floyd's Legendary Houston Legacy”
SONGS DISCUSSED
- DJ Screw - Sittin On Top Of The World ft. Big Floyd
- Mike Jones - Still Tippin’
- Mikes Jones - Back Then
- Chamillionaire - Ridin
- Chamillionaire - Roll Call
- Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz
- Nelly - Grillz ft Paul Wall
- Kanye West, Paul Wall - Drive Slow
- Drake - November 18th
- A$AP Rocky - Purple Swag
- The Weeknd - Initiation
- Beyoncé - Bow Down
- THE SCOTTS - THE SCOTTS
- Travis Scott - Sicko Mode
- Travis Scott - R.I.P. Screw
- DJ Screw - In The Air Tonight
- E.S.G. DJ Screw - Swangin and Bangin
- DJ Screw - Screwed Up Click - Red pt 2
- DJ Screw - 3 In The Morning
- DJ Screw - June 27th Freestyle
- DJ Screw and Lil’ Keke - Pimpin Tha Pen
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06/09/20 • 32 min
1 Listener
1 Comment
1
06/23/20 • 52 min
In 1999 filmmaker Baz Luhrmann released the song “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen,” a 7-minute-long graduation speech set to downtempo electronic music. It was a highly unlikely hit that made its way across continents and eventually into the ears of a young Avery Trufelman via the album NOW That’s What I Call Music Volume 2. For over 20 years, Trufelman has applied the song’s advice to her daily life: “wear sunscreen... be nice to your siblings... do one thing every day that scares you.” This unusual song has left a lasting impression, and yet for Trufelman, it makes no sense that “The Sunscreen Song” was commercially successful. We investigate the song’s many architects — novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich and Baz Luhrmann himself — to unpack one of the internet’s first conspiracy theories that turned into Billboard’s greatest outlier.
SONGS DISCUSSED
Baz Luhrmann - Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Think - Once You Understand
MORE
The BBC documentary on “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cszvtr
Another speech set to music, Byron MacGregor/Gordon Sinclair’s “Americans,” peaked at #4 in 1974
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06/23/20 • 52 min
1 Listener
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FAQ
How many episodes does Switched on Pop have?
Switched on Pop currently has 358 episodes available.
What topics does Switched on Pop cover?
The podcast is about Music, Podcasts, Music Interviews and Music Commentary.
What is the most popular episode on Switched on Pop?
The episode title 'We *do* talk about Bruno' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Switched on Pop?
The average episode length on Switched on Pop is 37 minutes.
How often are episodes of Switched on Pop released?
Episodes of Switched on Pop are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Switched on Pop?
The first episode of Switched on Pop was released on Oct 27, 2014.
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Comments
4.9
out of 5
13 Ratings