Switched on Pop

How does a song with nonsense lyrics capture our attention, making us want to move? It is called the groove. Enter Calvin Harris' "Feels" (ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and Big Sean). Known for mainstreaming EDM, Harris throws out the software and picks up hardware instruments on this track. Upon first listen, this might seem like a sleeper hit, but as the loop repeats, you're going to want to move your feet. With intricate rhythmic interplay, the bass, drums, keys and guitar seem to talk to each other. Listen closely to hear how he does it. Also, we'll reveal why Katy Perry is so into going fishing.

FeaturingCalvin Harris - Feels (ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and Big Sean)James Brown - I Got The FeelingJames Brown - Get Up Offa That ThingDNCE - Cake By The OceanGeorge & Ira Gershwin - Blah Blah Blah (performed by 2012 Original Broadway Cast)

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This episode of Switched on Pop comes at you live from Block Island, RI, recoded in front of an audience of friends and family following a solar eclipse. Fittingly, the two songs discussed that day formed their own kind of syzygy. Kesha's "Praying" and Imagine Dragon's "Believer" are inverse anthems of resilience. Both tracks seek catharsis - one through prayer, the other through pain.

FeaturingKesha - Tik TokKesha - PrayingMozart - The Queen of the Night AriaWhitney Houston - I Will Always Love YouMariah Carey - EmotionsLalah Hathaway - SomethingImagine Dragons - RadioactiveImagine Dragons - Believer

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What has catapulted Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" to the top spot on the Billboard charts? Sorry, typo—to its status as the biggest song in the world? Your hosts explore the many worlds of "Despacito" in search of an answer.

Featuring:

Lusi Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee - Despacito

Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee y Justin Bieber - Despacito (Remix)

Luis Fonsi y Juan Luis Guerra - Llegaste Tú

Major Lazer ft Justin Bieber - Cold Water

Los Del Rio - Macarena

Daddy Yankee - Gasolina

Avril Lavigne - Complicated

Toto - Africa

Further reading:

Petra River-Rideau Interview in The Atlantic

Remezcla Roundtable on Despacito w Isabel Herrera and Julianne Escobedo Shepherd

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Selena Gomez's "Bad Liar" stands out on the charts by doing things a little differently: it's a subtle, at times even awkward, summer surprise. Breaking down this pop morsel reveals it has teeth, though—and not just because it borrows a bass line from the Talking Heads' macabre "Psycho Killer." This is a fun one. Come along for the ride. 

Featuring:

• Selena Gomez - Bad Liar

• Julia Michaels - Issues

• Selena Gomez - Same Old Love

• Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

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Author, critic and podcaster Andrea Warner joins for a throwback episode exploring politics in Lilith Fair, harmonic anger in Alanis Morissette's iconic "You Oughta Know," and the blind spots in your host's assessment of women in rock. 

Featuring:

•Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know

Artists mentioned by Andrea Warner:

SZA

Ibeyi

The Overcoats

Lizzo

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Your brain can only hear three things at the same time. What you may not know is that musicians use this cognitive limitation to guide your listening all the time. Charlie and Nate are joined by Grammy Nominee music producer Morgan Page to reveal the secrets of this ubiquitous technique. Listening to Julia Michaels' hit "Issues," we unveil how the rule of three is used to draw our attention and keep us free from sonic distraction. And we look at how Maroon 5's "Cold" uses the same technique but creates an exceptionally different sound. Of course, it wouldn't be Switched On Pop if we didn't dig into the classical past to find out if this rule really holds up in the history of music. 

Featuring: Morgan Page - Fight My WayJulia Michaels - Issues Julia Michaels - Issues (Acoustic)Maroon 5 - Cold ft. FutureSkrillex - First Of The Year (Equinox)Ed Sheeran - Shape Of YouDJ Khaled - I'm The OneSelena Gomez - Bad LiarThe Beatles - When I'm Sixty FourArnold Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire - III - Der MondfleckDead & Company - Live at the Hollywood Bowl 6-1-17The Beatles - A Day In The LifeIke & Tina Turner: Deep River Mountain HighSwedish House Mafia - One

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DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo from Migos and Lil Wayne have allied for a new smash hit: "I'm The One." Despite the star power present, the resulting track is less than the sum of its parts—repetitive, derivative, uninventive. And yet, the lackluster "I'm The One" sits comfortably at the top of the charts, which raises the question: why?? Our answer: because Khaled and company understand the bewitching power of tonal harmony, and they've utilized the most surefire chord progression in pop history to ensure their success, a simple sequence of chords that has captivated listeners for almost a century: I - vi - IV - V.

Check out our playlist of songs using this progression — and please send us any others that you identify!

Featuring:

• DJ Khaled - I'm The One

• Dean Martin - Blue Moon

• Ben E. King - Stand By Me

• Hoagy Carmichael - Heart & Soul

• The Police - Every Breath You Take 

• Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

• fun. - We Are Young

• Justin Bieber - Baby

• Jean-Philippe Rameau - Les Sauvages

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Two new songs have captured the attention of your hosts—Charlie Puth's "Attention" and HAIM's "Want You Back." On the surface, these two songs appear to have little in common. A closer look, though, reveals the subtle musical architecture undergirding each track, a perfect balance of symmetry and asymmetry that keeps reeling us in for more. 

Featuring:

• Charlie Puth ft. Meghan Trainor - Marvin Gaye

• Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See You Again

• Charlie Puth ft. Selene Gomez - We Don't Talk Anymore

• Charlie Puth - Attention

• Haim - Want You Back

• Dvorak - Carnival Overture (United States Marine Band)

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Is it true that all pop music sounds the same today? For the past year the “pop-drop” has dominated the airwaves. This new form of EDM infused pop came out of DJ culture and has infused its sound with every mainstream act like Lady Gaga and Coldplay. Tiring of this sound, some artists are finding creative ways to parody this pop trope. The rock outfit Fall Out Boy’s “Young And Menace” demonstrates equal parts mastery and mockery of the pop-drop. And PC Music, a rising art-music label out of London, skewers the whole of pop cliché on their mixtape collaboration with Charli XCX. After this episode, we promise you’ll be ready to move on to new sounds. Luckily, listeners have collaborated to create a new favorites playlist to help you cleanse your palette.

Featuring:The Chainsmokers - CloserKygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain’t MeLady Gaga - The CureFall Out Boy - Sugar We’re Going DownFall Out Boy - Young And MenaceJay Z - D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)Ariana Grande - Into YouKaty Perry feat. Skip Marley - Chained To The RhythmDrake - PassionfruitPostmodern Jukebox - Sugar We’re Going Down SwingingBritney Spears - Oops! I Did It AgainSkrillex - BangarangDJ Snake - MiddleBeyoncé - Love On TopIcona Pop - I Love It (feat. Charlie XCX)Iggy Azalea - Fancy ft. Charli XCXSelena Gomez - Same Old LoveCharli XCX - 3AM (Pull Up) (feat. MØ)Hannah Diamond - Every NightBronze - Thy SlaughterDanny L Harle - Super Natural (ft. Carly Rae Jepsen)SOPHIE - JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYEA.G. Cook - SuperstarAriana Grande - Side To SideCoon Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra - I'm Gonna Charleston Back To CharlestonSpotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/switchedonpop/playlist/1LeUhwRJfMGdlPkSMR9Uxu

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• The Chainsmokers - Closer
• Kygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain’t Me
• Lady Gaga - The Cure
• Fall Out Boy - Sugar We’re Going Down
• Fall Out Boy - Young And Menace
• Jay Z - D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)
• Ariana Grande - Into You
• Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley - Chained To The Rhythm
• Drake - Passionfruit
• Postmodern Jukebox - Sugar We’re Going Down Swinging
• Britney Spears - Oops! I Did It Again
• Skrillex - Bangarang
• DJ Snake - Middle
• Beyoncé - Love On Top
• Icona Pop - I Love It (feat. Charlie XCX)
• Iggy Azalea - Fancy ft. Charli XCX
• Selena Gomez - Same Old Love
• Charli XCX - 3AM (Pull Up) (feat. MØ)
• Hannah Diamond - Every Night
• Bronze - Thy Slaughter
• Danny L Harle - Super Natural (ft. Carly Rae Jepsen)
• SOPHIE - JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE
• A.G. Cook - Superstar
• Ariana Grande - Side To Side
• Coon Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra - I'm Gonna Charleston Back To CharlestonSpotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/switchedonpop/playlist/1LeUhwRJfMGdlPkSMR9Uxu