Switched On Pop

On her single 'Butterflies,' Kacey Musgraves demonstrates a tour de force of songwriting. This song is a wild success because it incessantly reinforces one core emotional concept: that queasy anxious feeling in your stomach. No we're not talking about your leftover lunch, we're talking about love. But this is not just a simple little love song. It is a masterclass of creativity. Musgraves uses every element of music to reinforce her core idea. The lyrics fold back onto themselves with dual meanings as the harmony, melody, orchestration and rhythm all interweave to literally give the listener butterflies. Caution: this song may induce feeling of tender sorrow and longing for mutual crushes and anxious kisses.Songs Discussed: Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go Round Kacey Musgraves - Butterflies

In which Nate tries to convince Charlie that Lil Pump's SoundCloud Rap hit "Gucci Gang" warps the perceptual present.Featuring:Lil Pump - Gucci GangGustav Mahler - Der Abschied / Das Lied von der ErdeFranz Schubert - String Quintet / AdagioConlon Nancarrow - Study for Prepared Piano 21Check out Jonathan Berger's article on musical time in Nautilus.

"Make Me Feel," is the first hit from Janelle Monáe's upcoming album Dirty Computer. It is a sensual song about the fluidity of desire. In the pre-chorus, the singer proudly expresses that she is a "sexual bender." Fans have embraced the song for breaking free of normative sexual expectations. But these non-binary statements aren't limited to the lyrics. The message is reinforced with musical concepts drawn from the blues, Prince and Michael Jackson. To help break down this track, Nate and Charlie are joined by singer/rapper Lizzo. She and Monáe both collaborated with Prince, making Lizzo uniquely qualified to unwind his influence on the song (Prince was recently named as a collaborator on the track). We also discuss Lizzo's song "Truth Hurts" and her podcast "Good As Hell" where she talks to the queens of hip hop. Hands down, Lizzo is one of the most talented, knowledgable and fun guests. You don't want to miss this episode.Songs Discussed Janelle Monáe - Make Me Feel Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel Michael Jackson - Beat It Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill Prince - Kiss Ying Yang Twins - Wait (The Whisper Song) Lizzo - Truth Hurts Sister Nancy - Bam Bonus Material Get tickets for Lizzo's Sister Sister Sister tour with Haim: www.lizzomusic.com Don't miss Lizzo's podcast "Good As Hell" on Spotify Also if you haven't read it, Quincy Jones Vulture interview is utterly mad

In Camila Cabello's "Havana" we hear both her Cuban roots and the modern sounds of Atlanta. Though the singer and featured guest Young Thug reference these two geographic identities, the song says so much more through its core musical elements. A Roland TR-808 kick drum evokes an entire repertoire of Atlanta Hip Hop, while the track's supporting piano montuno descends from a Cuban style lamenting the loss of one's traditional home. Also in this episode, we discuss Camila's unlikely path to number one with writer Hannah Steinkopf-Frank — and the musical glass ceiling that holds so many young women artists back.Recommendations Switched On Pop recommends the podcast about sound: Twenty Thousand Hertz  Hannah recommends the book: Girl Groups Girl Culture by Jacqueline Warwick Check out more music and writing from Kwami Coleman at his website You can listen to you playlist of 808s and Montunos on Spotify Featured Songs Camila Cabello - Havana TI - Whatever You Like 2NE1 - I Am The Best Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri - Always Be My Baby Outkast - So Fresh, So Clean Lil Jon - Get Low Gucci Mane ft. Migos - I Get The Bag Compay Segundo - Guajira Guantanamera Cuarteto Caney - Guajira Guantanamera Big Mama Thorton - Hound Dog Elvis - Hound Dog Little Mix & Missy Elliott- How Ya Doin? The Shangri Las - Leader Of The Pack Sleater-Kinney - I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone Spice Girls - Wannabe Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life The Ronettes - Be My Baby The Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow TLC - No Scrubs

Gina Delvac of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast and Darryl W Bullock, author of David Bowie Made Me Gay, join Nate and Charlie to dig into the poetry of Troye Sivan's "My My My!", the history of LGBT pop music, and the songs we love to hate. And also be sure to check out: Darryl Bullock's playlist of LGBT pop, from his book David Bowie Made Me Gayand the brilliant Call Your Girlfriend podcast, produced by Gina. Featuring:•Troye Sivan - My My My!•Taylor Swift - Style•West Side Story - Cool•Billy Murray - Pretty Baby•Ma Rainey - Prove it on Me•Irving Kaufman - Masculine Women, Feminine Men•Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me•Jackie Shane - Any Other Way•Lavender Country - Back in the Closet Again•John Grant - Glacier•Alex Clare - Too Close

The 90s are back. It is as if pop music entered a black hole and came out 25 years in the past. Today's artists are reviving the new jack swing and vocal R&B, creating a wave of 90s nostalgia. Uncover how they trick us into somehow loving those days when we got beat up in the middle school parking lot. Spotify 90s Nostalgia playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/switchedonpop/playlist/3beUwxOxzbTZ8M3aymZlg5Featuring: Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B - Finesse Charlie Puth ft. Boyz II Men - If You Leave me Now Guy - Groove Me Eternal - Stay Bell Biv Devoe - Poison Cardi B - Bodack Yellow Christopher Williams - I'm Dreamin Boyz II Men - Motownphilly Boyz II Men - On Bended Knee Hamilton - The Room Where It Happened

What's up with Justin Timberlake? Two years ago he gifted us the ebullient family-friendly jam "Can't Stop the Feeling," now he's on the cusp of a deeply serious new record called "Man of the Woods," whose first single, strangely, is a bit of electro-funk snarl expertly produced by long-time collaborators Timbaland and Danja. What's going on here—who is JT trying to be? We listen deep to his latest, "Filthy," to try and understand its creator's conflicting musical worlds. Featuring:Justin Timberlake - FilthyJustin Timberlake - Cry Me A RiverBernard Hermann - PsychoKen Nordine - My Baby

Charlie talks laments, Baroque opera, and gender politics in Dua Lipa's sleeper hit "New Rules" with writer Emily Bootle.

Charlie and Nate breakdown Mariah Carey's classic "All I Want for Christmas is You" and revisit their favorite tracks of 2017. Sleigh bells abound. Featuring• Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas• Laura Marling - Semper Femina• Lorde - Melodrama• Khalid - Location• Dua Lipa - New Rules• Logic - Everybody / 1-800-273-8255• Childish Gambino - Redbone• Sampha - (No One Knows Me) Like the piano in my mothers house• Father John Misty - Pure Comedy• Jay-Z: 4:44• Perfume Genius - No Shape• Aimee Mann - Mental IllnessAnd more...

Björk is uniquely both a pop star and avant-garde composer. Though her music often challenges our ears, underneath her records you'll find more in common with today's pop music than you'd expect. Pieced together, you'll hear that she paints emotional landscapes composed of all the complexities of human experience. We give you a way to enjoy listening to her music. Using this hybrid pop/modernist method, we deconstruct her latest album Utopia. Plus Nate & Charlie fall in love all over again. Featured ClipsBjörk - LosssBjörk - Human BehaviourBjörk - It's Oh So QuietBjörk - HyperballadBjörk - JogaBjörk - ThunderboltBjörk - LionsongBjörk - Arisen My SensesBjörk - StonemilkerBjörk - QuicksandBjörk - NotgetBjörk - UtopiaBjörk - Blissing MeBjörk - The Gate 

Taylor Swift unveils a new, darker identity on her latest album "Reputation," and many have read the lyrics on her latest as not-so-subtle volleys in an ongoing celebrity feud. Still, a question remains: how does Swift cast this dark personality in music? Two songs offer evidence. Melodic drops and temporal gaps in "I Did Something Bad" signal the album's themes of descent and decay. On "Getaway Car," however, some of Swift's old songwriting tricks may betray her new persona.We also dug into Reputation and other great listener questions in our Reddit AMA.Featuring:Taylor Swift:• I Did Something Bad• Getaway Car• Trouble• Love Story• You Belong With Me• Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys - Away Out There• Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek• The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face

[AUDIO FIXED] At the top of the pop charts, Taylor Swift and Cardi B, two artists with seemingly little in common, exploit the same compositional technique to hook listeners in. Meanwhile, across time and space, electro producers Clean Bandit ft. Julia Michaels, channel the thematic tricks of French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz in his 1830 Symphonie Fantastique. Featuring Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do  Cardi B - Bodak Yellow Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy Clean Bandit ft. Julia Michaels - I Miss You Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique performed by Berliner Philharmoniker Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique performed by DuPage Symphony Orchestra

With Charlie off the grid, Nate sits down with singer/producer Amber Mark to explore the different levels of Kendrick's hit HUMBLE.. Then, they turn to the diverse influences (including house music, Carnatic samples, and autodidactic piano chords) behind Mark's own track "Lose My Cool."Featuring:Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.Amber Mark - Lose My CoolAmber Mark - SPACE

Demi Lovato's latest, "Sorry Not Sorry" is at once an unapologetic anthem of defiance and a super catchy mashup of multiple genres. As we'll see, every small musical choice is here for a reason, together fostering Lovato's message of ascension—or even, transcendence. And as we pick apart "Sorry Not Sorry," we'll go to some surprising places ourselves including: Klezmer melodies, spiritual pretzels and musical dementors. Featuring:•Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry•Cardi B - Bodak Yellow•Dave Tarras - Freilach Yidelach

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.Featuring Calvin Harris - Feels (ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams and Big Sean) James Brown - I Got The Feeling James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing DNCE - Cake By The Ocean George & Ira Gershwin - Blah Blah Blah (performed by 2012 Original Broadway Cast)