Switched on Pop

Four songs on the Hot 100 pop chart reveal the new directions in which music is headed. Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode" boasts an unprecedented formal structure that points to the future of hip hop. Meanwhile, in the world of country, Jason Aldean, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Dan + Shay are putting a modern spin on one of the style's oldest tropes: drinking bourbon. Together these tracks make up the vanguard of their respective genres, but are fans willing to take the plunge?Featuring:Travis Scott - Sicko ModeSkrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice SpritesJohn Zorn - Cat o Nine TailsJason Aldean ft Miranda Lambert - Drowns the WhiskeyMitchell Tenpenny - Drunk MeAdele - HelloJustin Bieber - SorryDan + Shay - TequilaRecommend Reading: Kathryn Schulz on Chris Janson's "Drunk Girl"Recommended Viewing: Rich Redmond's studio drumming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emily Warren is one of the great rising stars of contemporary songwriting. Her song "Side Effects" with The Chainsmokers is currently rising up the charts. You’ve also heard her writing on Dua Lipa’s "New Rules." She’s collaborated with many of the best performers in music earning her a Grammy and multi-platinum success with “Don’t Let Me Down.” She's also recently released her single "Paranoid." Emily is a real songwriters songwriter. Her process is as much therapy as art. Together we break down her latest work and uncover her creative process. Her album "Quiet Your Mind" is out on October 5th.Songs discussedThe Chainsmokers - Side EffectsBach - Prelude in F# Minor from the Well Tempered ClavierEmily Warren - Paranoidbülow - You & JenniferTeyana Taylor - Gonna Love MeNick Jonas - Touch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drake, per usual, has been inescapable this summer. "In My Feelings" and "Nice For What" top the charts, but there's depth to these bangers. We argue for hearing one as a meditation on fragile masculinity, the other as a paean to NOLA Bounce.Continue the conversation with us on Instagram and Twitter: @SwitchedOnPopSongs discussed:Drake - In My FeelingsDrake - Nice For WhatLauryn Hill - Ex FactorThe Showboys - Drag Rap (Triggaman)Cameron Paul - Brown BeatCheeky Blakk - Let Me Get That OutchaBeyonce ft. Big Freedia - FormationBig Freedia - Karaoke ft Lizzo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The final episode of our Switched on Summer throwback series finds us deconstructing more early aughts bangers.Under consideration: two of the biggest hits since Y2K, Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" and the Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling." Tune in to dig how these tracks keeps the temperature rising through harmonic suspension, and to ask if will.i.am cribbed "Chopsticks."Switched On Summer Winner: Slow DanceCongrats to Slow Dance for winning our Switched On Summer contest with their song "I'm Your Guy Tonight." Listen to the whole track here: https://soundcloud.com/slowdancemusic/im-your-guy-tonightYou can get all of our song of summer chord loops, song packs and listen to the awesome entires to our Splice Firestarter competition on <a href="https://splice.com/">Splice</a> here: http://splice.com/onpopSongs Discussed:• Beyoncé - Crazy in Love• The Chi-lites - Are You My Woman• Jay Z - 99 Problems • Black Eyed Peas - I Got a Feeling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What made summer jams of the aughties like Nelly's "Hot in Herre" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" so hot? The answer: big, sweaty, doses of harmonic tension. Specifically, each track relies on the Baroque technique of the ground bass. Wait, we mean: the Baroque technique of PEDAL POINT! When the chords in these songs don't match up with their bass notes, the ratcheting tension adds heat—fueling both dance moves, and controversy.Featuring:Nelly - Hot in HerreKaty Perry - I Kissed a GirlKaty Perry - Teenage DreamAll summer Switched On Pop & Splice have been diving into the DNA of summer hits, and now we want you to show us what you’ve learned. Get inspired by sound packs and chord progressions created by Switched on Pop and share your best song of summer with us and the world. Hosts Nate & Charlie will be listening and will choose their favorite submission to win a year of Splice Sounds and have their track played on the podcast.Check out all the details at http://splice.com/onpop-fireAnd, read Owen Pallett's excellent article on the use of harmonic tension in Teenage Dream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Switched on Pop Summer Throwback Series continues! This time, with a deep dive into the musical detritus of the 1990s.In true 90s fashion, our episode is inspired by a pair of classic VH1 shows; "Behind the Music" and "Where Are They Now?"Our subjects are two songs representing the lunatic fringe of 90s culture, "Cotton Eyed Joe" and "How Bizarre."In the course of our musicological investigation, we uncover dark truths about these seemingly anodyne hits that will make you question everything you know about pop music.And in the end, we reach a definitive answer to a perennially vexing question: "WTF was 90s music so weird?"Songs DiscussedRednex:Cotton Eye JoePop in an OakThe Way I MateCotton Eyed Joe:Fiddlin John CarsonBob Wills and his Texas PlayboysKaren DaltonChieftainsNina Simone OMC:How BizarreRight ONStart making your summer hit track on Splice and check out our chord pack at splice.com/onpop-chords Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Switched on Summer Throwback Series continues with "Dancing in the Street," the 1964 Motown hit by Martha and the Vandellas that was co-written by none other than Marvin Gaye.Over 50 years and countless covers later, we explore how this song still manages to get people off their feet and onto the streets—not just to dance, but also to raise their voices in joy, catharsis, and protest.Also, start making your own summer hits with our Switched On Summer repack on Splice at www.splice.com/onpop-pack and use promo code ONPOP for a 1 month free trial.Featuring:Martha and the Vandellas - Dancing in the StreetMarvin Gaye - Stubborn Kind of FellowThe Mamas and the Papas - Dancing in the StreetThe Grateful Dead - Dancing in the StreetVan Halen - Dancing in the StreetMick Jagger and David Bowie - Dancing in the StreetKendrick Lamar - AlrightPharrell Williams - Happy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Switched on Summer throwback mini-series begins in the heart of the 1960s, with the Beach Boys' perennial school's-out jam "I Get Around."We explore how every aspect of Brian Wilson's two-minute-long masterpiece is perfectly calculated to literally "get around"—harmonically, melodically, and lyrically—creating that unbeatable feeling of cruising all over town with the top down on a hot summer's night.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Part I: The Doctors Are In! We diagnose a listener's musical malady, namely: "why does Charlie Puth's new jam 'BOY' make us feel so weird?!"Part II: Guest Hanif Adburraqib, author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, helps break down Carly Rae Jepsen's epic "Cut to the Feeling" to understand why CRJ is a different kind of pop star.Featuring:•Charlie Puth - BOY•Ismael Miranda - Recordando•Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Nobody's Baby•The Beatles - She's a Woman•The Cars - Since You're Gone•Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No 5 in C Minor, I•Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut to the FeelingCheck out more of Hanif's work at his website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parliament Funkadelic has had waves of influence on popular music. Their Afrofuturist message and infectious grooves built the backbone of 70s funk, was revived in the 90s with Dr. Dre's G-Funk, and is once again in vogue with in the music of Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis. Bootsy Collins, bass player of Parliament Funkadelic, collaborated with Kali Uchis and Tyler the Creator on the track "After The Storm," which draws on the P-Funk sound. Similarly, Clipping pay homage to the P-Funk lineage through their Hugo nominated song "The Deep," which was produced in collaboration with This American Life. The story explores a mythology created by the band Drexciya. In the story, an underwater civilization birthed from African slaves crossing the Atlantic battles their makers to save their habitat. Listen to hear what makes both infectious tracks so effective.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices