With Nate’s birthday around the corner, it’s time to admit that our go-to birthday song is actually the worst to sing to someone. There are reasons both musicological and cultural why this wooden celebratory number needs to go, ranging from funereal rhythms to Wagnerian opera to the Wizard of Oz. Tune in to uncover the horror of “Happy Birthday” and consider some of the alternatives on offer, including a recent Anne-Marie hit that takes birthday wishes and turns them around 180º.

Songs Discussed
Frédéric Chopin - Piano Sonata No 2 in B-Flat Minor, III
John Williams - The Imperial March
Judy Garland - Over the Rainbow
Richard Wagner - Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
The Beatles - Birthday
Anne-Marie - Birthday
Fetty Wap ft. Monty - Birthday
Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday
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"Happy Birthday" is the Worst (with Anne-Marie)

A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears & our culture. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Music

Music Interviews

Music Commentary

Music History

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

Song Discussed

Justice  - Phantom Pt II, D.A.N.C.E., Neveender, New Jack, Genesis, Horsepower, Civilization, One Night-All Night, Dear Alan, Incognito, Moonlight Rendez-vous, Audio Video Disco, Afterimage, The End, Generator, Pleasure

The Who - My Generation

The White Stripes - Black Math

The Human League - Human

John Carpenter - Night

Serge Gainsourg & Jane Birkin - Je T’aime… moi non plus

Michel Berger - Le Paradis Blanc

Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You

Chaka Khan - Fate


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Justice is never-ending

The beginning of 2024 has brought new music aplenty. Some big releases are in the form of big-ticket albums by the world’s biggest superstars (shoutout Taylor and Beyoncé); some are in the form of soon-to-be radio-friendly staples (we love you, "Espresso"); and some are in the form of personal earworms (Justice! Rosie Tucker! Dua!).
This episode of Switched on Pop, we take a look at the records that we can’t stop listening to from the past few months, from Metro Boomin to Kacey Musgraves to Willow Smith. 

Songs discussed: 

Metro Boomin, Future, Kendrick Lamar – Like That

J Cole – 7 Minute Drill

Drake – Push Ups

Rick Ross – Champagne Moments

WILLOW – Big Feelings

Hozier – Too Sweet

Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso

Justice, Tame Impala – One Night/All Night

Justice – Generator

Rosie Tucker – All My Exes Live In Vortexes

Lizzy McAlpine – I Guess

Kacey Musgraves – Too Good To Be True

Maggie Rogers – The Kill

Dua Lipa – Illusion

Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well


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Best of 2024 so far: hip hop feuds, Hozier’s pop surprise and espresso shots

The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, finds the songwriter in the world of literature. She interweaves personal romance with mythical creation and quotations from high and low culture: Genesis, Peter Pan and even Playstation. Despite calling herself a "modern idiot," less-than-subtle nods to Sylvia Plath, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Dylan Thomas, and Patti Smith reveal the artist’s literary aspirations and “legendary” status. The full length Anthology version contains a bookshelf of many genres: pulp fiction, diary entries, period pieces, epic poems, and her very own genre, Taylor Swift.
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Taylor Swift's Literary Era

Lost Notes by KCRW explores how Fela Kuti’s time in LA in 1969 was instrumental in the creation of his legendary Afrobeat sound. Hosted by Michael Barnes and Novena Carmel. Find a full transcript of Lost Notes at KCRW. And subscribe to the show.
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Lost Notes: How Fela Kuti Found Afrobeat in LA

There are few artists pushing the boundaries of their respective genres like Maryland rapper Rico Nasty and German-Iraqi electronic producer Boys Noize. The two have run in the same circles for over half a decade, but their joint collaboration has reached an apex with their three song EP, HARDC0RE DR3AMZ, a dance-floor ready project that owes as much to Berlin techno as it does to Dutch gabber music. Rico and Boys Noize – a.k.a. Alexander Ridha – are also incredible friends with a lot of love for one another, and for producer Reanna Cruz, all of these reasons make the duo’s EP one of the best projects of the year.

On the heels of Berlin techno being added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage for Germany, Reanna sat down with Rico and Alex for this episode of Switched on Pop.
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"Happy Birthday" is the Worst (with Anne-Marie)

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