Lost & Found: The Drama of Pop Form with Emily King

EPISODE #108

Live from SXSW: Grammy nominee songwriter Emily King didn’t set out to write a perfect pop song with “Remind Me.” Instead, she bent the rules of song structure to fit her message: the magical feeling when you find something you’ve been long missing. Mirroring this theme, the chorus doesn’t come when you expect it. The climax arrives late, after an “aha” moment that fills in the forgotten details. Each instrument fits perfectly together like a lost memory coming into focus. Even after she finds what she’s been missing in her life, she deceived us once again with a diminutive ‘down chorus.’ At every turn, King shows how songwriting mastery opens up immense creative freedom, even within the constraints of a prototypical pop song.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Emily King – Remind Me

Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey – The Middle

Sam Smith, Normani – Dancing With A Stranger

Taylor Swift – Delicate