Once upon a time, classical music was pop, so today it's worth stepping back and asking: where does one genre stop and the other begin? Can classical ever be popular again? And why do only some classical tracks makes for good samples? Luckily James Bennett II of classical station WQXR is on hand to break down these and other musical conundrums, including but not limited to: killer opera clowns, Bach hip hop hybrids, and the namesake album of this very podcast.
Songs discussed:
Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra - Chaconne
Enrico Caruso - Vesti la Giubbia
Mario Lanza - Because You’re Mine
Wendy Carlos - Prelude and Fugue in C Minor
Jackie Evancho - Nessun Dorma
Jackie Evancho - Burn
Lindsay Stirling - Underground
Vitamin String Quartet - Shallow
Florence Price - Symphony 1
Nas - I Can
Black Eyed Peas - Back 2 Hip Hop
Victoria - Impropreia
Kanye West - Gone

Check out more of James's writing here: https://www.wqxr.org/people/james-bennett-ii/
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When Pop and Classical Collide (with James Bennett II)

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

Joe Keery is best known for his acting roles, such as the reformed jock Steve Harrington in "Stranger Things" and his chilling performance in season 5 of "Fargo." But he's also a spectacular musician. Rising through the Chicago music scene in college, he has self-released two albums under the moniker 'Djo.' His latest work, "Decide" from 2022, serves as a coming-of-age story and a meditation on navigating modern life. Despite strong initial reviews, the album only gained widespread attention two years later when its breakout hit "End of Beginning" became a soundtrack for youthful nostalgia on TikTok, casting Keery as an accidental pop star. Joe Keery joined "Switched On Pop" to discuss the creation and significance of "Decide."

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Chasing old sounds: Djo's "End of Beginning" with Joe Keery

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is her foray into country music, but this isn't just dirt roads, blue jeans and whiskey. Her country music distills all of American pop: blues, gospel, R&B, soul, house, hip-hop and yes, country. If this ain't country, what is?
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Cowboy Carter: This Ain't Country

Hip-hop is in a weird place right now. Research says that the genre, in both streaming and chart performance, has declined over the last decade. And while rap artists can still get number one songs on the Hot 100, it’s a far cry from the peak of trap circa 2017, when Nielsen data named hip-hop as the most popular genre in the U.S.
So what does that mean for the future of rap? To find out, producer Reanna Cruz spent all weekend reporting from Inglewood, CA, at the California edition of the world’s largest hip-hop festival: Rolling Loud. Through talking to attendees and catching the weekend’s hottest sets, they learned about the current state of hip-hop – the good and the bad – as well as what the future may hold.
To read Reanna’s highs and lows from the festival, check out their Vulture article here. 

Special thanks to Antonio Cruz for his production help on this episode.

Songs Discussed:

OsamaSon – Pop

Nicki Minaj – BARBIE DANGEROUS

¥$, Kanye West, & Ty Dolla $ign – EVERYBODY (live)

¥$, Kanye West, & Ty Dolla $ign – BACK TO ME (live)

Junior H – Y LLORO

Natanael Cano – Pacas de Billetes

Fuerza Regida – Enculado

That Mexican OT, Lefty SM – Barrio (with Lefty SM)

That Mexican OT – Cowboy Killer (live)

KenTheMan – Not My N**** – Extended

KenTheMan – Poppin Sh!t

KenTheMan – Keep Going (live)

Kaliii – Area Codes

Action Bronson & Statik Selektah – Respect the Moustache

Drake, SZA, & Sexyy Red – Rich Baby Daddy (live)

Sexyy Red, Sukihana – Born By the River (feat. Sukihana)

Sexyy Red, Chief Keef – Skee Yee (live)

Nettspend – shine n peace (live)

Nettspend – deftones snippet (live)

Matt Ox – Overwhelming

Nettspend – What they say

SOPHIE – BIPP


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Hip-hop's Sea Change at Rolling Loud

What do Duke Ellington, United Airlines, and the K Pop group Red Velvet share in common? They've all covered George Gershwin's piano concerto, Rhapsody in Blue. First premiered in 1924, the piece became an immediate hit for the way it blended American jazz with the European symphonic tradition. Gershwin had a number of successes as a composer in his day—his aria "Summertime" from the opera Porgy and Bess is by some measures the most covered song ever—but the staying power of the Rhapsody make it a rare instrumental piece that's instantly familiar. Maybe too familiar.
In 2024, there will be many centennial performances of this iconic piece, but pianist Lara Downes wanted to do something more than just the sound the notes of Gershwin's score for the umpteenth time. Downes commissioned Puerto Rican musician Edmar Colon to create a new version of Gershwin's composition, one that brought in the full spectrum of American life in 1924: fiery improvisation, Latin percussion, and dance rhythms. The resultant piece both pays tribute to an American icon while adding a new set of modern counterpoint.
Nate sat down with Lara to ask her if she was nervous to rewrite such a canonic piece, why a concerto is like a musical kaleidoscope, and the surprising family connection to Gershwin's musical world she discovered while researching Rhapsody in Blue.

Songs Discussed
George Gershwin, Lara Downes, Edmar Colon - Rhapsody in Blue Reimagined
Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
Gershwin - 3 Preludes: II. Andante con moto e poco rubato
Sarah Vaughan - Nice Work if You can Get It
Sam Cooke - Summertime
Chet Baker - But not For ME
Louis Armstrong - Aint Misbehavin
Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Skies
Red Velvet - Birthday
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Rhapsody in Blue, Reimagined

Sidestep the gossip and focus on the music in Ariana Grande’s latest album Eternal Sunshine. The music is an exercise in nostalgia: 70s Disco, 90s R&B, and 00s pop and dance music. As she moves through the musical past, her lyrics tear through past relationship. But its the way her lyrics interweave with the deft melodies and harmonies that reveal the meaning of the record. 

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Songs Discussed

Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine, Bye, Don’t Wanna Break Up Again,  True Story, The Boy Is Mine, We Can’t Be Friends, Imperfect For You

Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft

Barry White - Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Babe 

Britney Spears - Oops I Did It Again, Gimme More

Brandy, Monica - The Boy Is Mine

Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody

Ginuwine - Pony

Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend, Show Me Love


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When Pop and Classical Collide (with James Bennett II)

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