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podcast2014–present

Switched on Pop

Disciplines:
music theory & popular music analysis

Summary

Switched on Pop (musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding) analyses the music theory embedded in contemporary pop songs, explaining harmony, rhythm, and production decisions to non-specialist audiences.

Core Contribution

Made formal music theory accessible and entertaining by anchoring analysis to current chart hits; created a repeatable format for musically rigorous popular culture commentary.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • 2018 NYT editorial partnership
  • Olivia Rodrigo analysis virality 2021
  • 2023 Taylor Swift Eras Tour episodes

Historical Influences

Leonard Bernstein NPR MusicAdam Neely

Intellectual Lineage

Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts musicology traditionNPR Music criticism

Allied Works

Switched on Pop bookNYT audio episodesSong Exploder

Contemporaries & Peers

Song Exploder Dissect Podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz

Minds Influenced

12tone YouTube channel music theory analysis video genrepopular music journalism incorporating theory

Intellectual Posterity

Has become a reference for music theory popularisation; excerpts used in music education; model for similar analytical music content.

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Switched on Pop

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