Charlie Harding 2/23/21 Charlie Harding 2/23/21

JP Saxe Didn’t Mean for His Grammy Hit ‘If the World Was Ending’ to Be So Literal

JP Saxe wrote the song “If the World was Ending” with acclaimed songwriter Julia Michaels in 2019 about a fictional cataclysm that presaged the pandemic.

Charlie Harding 2/16/21 Charlie Harding 2/16/21

Adrian Younge's new project sounds like James Baldwin meets Marvin Gaye

Adrian Younge crafts an unapologetic critique of racism in America — and a funky paean to its greatest Black musicians

Nate Sloan 2/9/21 Nate Sloan 2/9/21

The Scandalous Sounds of Bridgerton (w Kris Bowers)

The Netflix series Bridgerton has hooked audiences with its bodice-ripping sex scenes, a colorblind approach period drama casting, and a soundtrack featuring recreations of modern bangers from pop stars like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish arranged in the style of a classical string quartet.

Charlie Harding 2/2/21 Charlie Harding 2/2/21

How The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” used retro sounds and modern bass to break every record

On Switched on Pop’s first episode as part of Vulture, we break down how “Blinding Lights” blends lyrical relatability with musical familiarity, earning The Weeknd the biggest and perhaps most misunderstood hit of his career.

Charlie Harding 1/26/21 Charlie Harding 1/26/21

Epik High is our gateway into Korean hip hop (with Tablo)

A conversation with Tablo about Epik High Is Here Part 1

Charlie Harding 1/19/21 Charlie Harding 1/19/21

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is a full throttle power ballad

The power ballad peaked in the 90s. Is it making a comeback?

Charlie Harding 1/12/21 Charlie Harding 1/12/21

D.O.C. (Death of the Chorus) with Emily Warren

Pop music will never be the same

Charlie Harding 12/21/20 Charlie Harding 12/21/20

Wham! Op. 84 “Last Christmas” with Chilly Gonzales

George Michael & “A Very Chilly Christmas”

Charlie Harding 12/15/20 Charlie Harding 12/15/20

"evermore" of a good thing

Taylor Swift’s "folklore" followup

Charlie Harding 12/8/20 Charlie Harding 12/8/20

Women's Rap Renaissance

Megan Thee Stallion, Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty, Flo Milli, and CHIKA

Charlie Harding 12/1/20 Charlie Harding 12/1/20

Red Hot + Blue with Meshell Ndegeocello

How one record company fought the AIDS pandemic

Charlie Harding 11/24/20 Charlie Harding 11/24/20

The Cyndi Lauper Conspiracy (with Sam Sanders)

Every song Cyndi Lauper writes is pop perfection according to Sam Sanders … except for one mysterious synth solo.

Charlie Harding 11/17/20 Charlie Harding 11/17/20

ANTHEMS: Missy Elliott — Work It

Cultural critic Ivie Ani breaks down how Missy Elliott broke into the pantheon of anthems, and how she changed the scope of who could belong.

Charlie Harding 11/10/20 Charlie Harding 11/10/20

ANTHEMS: Smash Mouth - All Star

How “All Star” became an anthem played in sports arenas, soundtracked by Hollywood, and embedded into seemingly every internet meme.

Charlie Harding 11/3/20 Charlie Harding 11/3/20

ANTHEMS: Jock Jams — Get Ready For This

n 1995, ESPN launched Jock Jams Volume 1, a compilation record that would define the sound of sports for the next quarter century.

Charlie Harding 10/27/20 Charlie Harding 10/27/20

ANTHEMS: Queen — We Are The Champions

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles’ album “Something To Say” makes you want to get up and dance as much as it makes you want to take action.

Charlie Harding 10/20/20 Charlie Harding 10/20/20

Cory Henry Has Something To Say

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles’ album “Something To Say” makes you want to get up and dance as much as it makes you want to take action.

Charlie Harding 10/13/20 Charlie Harding 10/13/20

The Pop Music Forecast (with Lauren Michele Jackson)

What Shawn Mendes, BTS, Alicia Keys, Dua Lipa, 24kGoldn, Justin Bieber & Chance The Rapper can tell us about the state of pop music.

Charlie Harding 10/6/20 Charlie Harding 10/6/20

Brandy Clark’s Life Is A Record

Brandy Clark’s album “Your Life Is A Record” is a masterclass in country songwriting

Charlie Harding 10/2/20 Charlie Harding 10/2/20

Keith Urban on The Speed of Now Part 1

Keith Urban is a legend of country. His new album, The Speed Of Now Part 1, has Urban disregarding country convention as he’s known to do.

Mini Series

Featured

Listening 2 Madonna: Ray of Light

The third essential aspect of Madonna's holy trinity is her ever-shifting spirituality.

Listening 2 Madonna: Spanish Eyes

To understand Madonna is to see her music as a cultural melting pot.

Listening 2 Madonna: Who's That Girl?

The way Madonna communicates gender is integral to understanding her and her music.

Featured

Newcomers: Porter Robinson

The new sound of Porter Robinson

Newcomers: Jhayco

Jhayco moves from the background to the foreground

Newcomers: Magdalena Bay

Few pop groups are making music as imaginative as Magdalena Bay.

Featured

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Random Access Memories

The robots gain a heart and soul - and self-destruct in the process

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Human After All / Alive 2007

The French duo’s anti-utopian disco-rock record makes us question, are they robot, or are they human?

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Discovery

On their second album Discovery, Daft Punk fully lean into the artificial – singing through robotic vocoders that correspond with their now-iconic robot helmets.

Listening 2 Daft Punk: Homework

On their first album, Homework, Daft Punk stretched the boundaries of electronic music and began wiring the circuits that would become their robot alter-egos, asking a fundamental question: where does the human end and the machine begin?

Featured

Listening 2 Britney: Gimme More

Leave Britney’s (voice) alone

Listening 2 Britney: Toxic

How Bollywood strings, surf guitar, and Britney’s ethereal vocals add up to pop perfection

Listening 2 Britney: I’m A Slave 4 U

Enter The Neptunes – Britney’s Virginia Beach Era

Listening 2 Britney: ...Baby One More Time

Breaking down the unmistakeable voice of Britney Spears

Featured

Modern Classics: Carina del Valle Schorske on Cat Power's "Manhattan"

Why every song about Manhattan is a pop song

Modern Classics: Mark Ronson on Ginuwine's "Pony"

The "Uptown Funk" hitmaker breaks down the innovations behind pop's biggest smashes

Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and the Longevity of Soul

“I realized that Classic Soul can exist with everything and somehow not lose its potency.”

Modern Classics: Labrinth's "Sexy MF" (with Sam Sanders)

“They're all these little secrets and surprises that pop up...it's like bespoke, maximalist, power pop.”

Featured

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT IV, What Beethoven Would Have Wanted

When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear that's it more than a museum piece, it’s a living testament to self-expression and determination.

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT III, Putting the Classism in Classical

Before Beethoven’s time, classical music culture looked and sounded quite different. In episode III we explore how Beethoven’s symphony was used to generate the strict culture of classical music — and the politics that undergird those norms of behavior.

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT II, From Struggle to Victory

In movements II , III and IV, Beethoven keeps trying to overcome his dark fate with bright major melodies, and keeps getting defeated.

THE 5TH — MOVEMENT I, A Battle Brewing

The first four notes of the piece are more than a modern meme, they’re the main character in a drama life and death.

Featured

ANTHEMS: Missy Elliott — Work It

Cultural critic Ivie Ani breaks down how Missy Elliott broke into the pantheon of anthems, and how she changed the scope of who could belong.

ANTHEMS: Smash Mouth - All Star

How “All Star” became an anthem played in sports arenas, soundtracked by Hollywood, and embedded into seemingly every internet meme.

ANTHEMS: Jock Jams — Get Ready For This

n 1995, ESPN launched Jock Jams Volume 1, a compilation record that would define the sound of sports for the next quarter century.

ANTHEMS: Queen — We Are The Champions

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles’ album “Something To Say” makes you want to get up and dance as much as it makes you want to take action.