Episodes

  • A brief history of terrible lyrics (with Sam Sanders)

    A brief history of terrible lyrics (with Sam Sanders)
    Aug 12 2025
    Why do bad lyrics happen to good people? From "suckin' on a chili dog" to "making love to his tonic and gin," even the biggest hits from our favorite artists can feature lyrical turns that make us feel quizzical, offended, or even downright nauseated. With the help of Sam Sanders, brilliant host of The Sam Sanders Show, we plumb the depths of the worst pop lyrics of all time—culled from hundreds of submissions form Switched on Pop listeners—to try categorize, historicize, and, perhaps, celebrate the art of the lyrical faux pas. Follow Sam on Instagram and check out The Sam Sanders Show for more hot takes on entertainment and culture. We recommend you start here. Songs Discussed Benson Boone - Mystical Magical Velvet Sundown - Rebel Shout Live - Lightning Crashes Captain and Tennille - Muskrat Love John Mellencamp - Jack and Diane Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry, London Bridge Katy Perry - Firework Billy Joel - Piano Man Richard Harris - MacArthur Park Imagine Dragons - Sharks Des'ree - Life, You Gotta Be One Direction - Don't Forget Where You Belong, Little Things Taylor Swift - Willow, Anti Hero, I Hate it Here, ME! Train - Hey Soul Sister, Meet Virginia, Drops of Jupiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Summer Bummer (with Commotion’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud)

    Summer Bummer (with Commotion’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud)
    Aug 5 2025
    Every music critic seems to agree: 2025 has no true song of summer. Last August, Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominated the charts. This year…Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominates the charts. What’s going on? Why is there no new summer song to unite us in collective listening, and will there ever be again? Elamin Abdelmahmoud, host of the CBC’s daily culture podcast Commotion, joins Nate and Charlie to discuss the dearth of seasonal bops, and suggest some possible contenders for sleeper summer hits, from the soundtrack of the anime film KPop Demon Hunters to the latest from the Haim sisters. Despite the moribund status of the Hot 100, there is no shortage of great music to be found in the dog days of summer if you’re willing to listen closely. More Check out more music commentary from Elamin and Commotion, like their dive into Bruce Springsteen’s unreleased albums, or their dissection of Bieber’s latest with our very own Reanna Cruz. Songs Discussed HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA - Golden Tyler Childers - Eatin’ Big Time Haim - Relationships Ravyn Lenae - Love Me Not Amber Mark - Sweet Seratonin Sly and the Family Stone - Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Justin Bieber's Lo-fi Bedroom Swag

    Justin Bieber's Lo-fi Bedroom Swag
    Jul 29 2025
    Justin Bieber is back with his seventh studio album: the aptly-titled SWAG. The lo-fi, reverb-laden record is a remarkably candid look inside the world of Bieber, using the palette of both underground pop and 90's R&B to accentuate lyrics about his wife, his struggles, and his "standing on business." Notably, it's his first album post-split with manager Scooter Braun, and the first where Bieber has been in full artistic control. On this episode of Switched On Pop, we tap into the SWAG mindset and attempt to understand Bieber's newfound vision, what it's saying, and ultimately, if it even still matters. Songs discussed: Justin Bieber – DAISIES Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar, Giveon – Peaches Justin Bieber, Sexyy Red – SWEET SPOT The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber – STAY Justin Bieber, Druski – STANDING ON BUSINESS Justin Bieber – ALL I CAN TAKE Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes Justin Bieber – GO BABY Justin Bieber – TOO LONG Justin Bieber, Gunna – WAY IT IS Justin Bieber, Dominic Fike – Die For You Justin Bieber, Burna Boy – Loved By You Justin Bieber, Lil B – DADZ LOVE Mk.gee – Alesis Mk.gee – Are You Looking Up Dijon – The Dress Justin Bieber – WALKING AWAY Haim – Don't Wanna Justin Bieber, Dijon – DEVOTION Justin Bieber – One Less Lonely Girl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • How podcasting got its sound ft. Breakmaster Cylinder

    How podcasting got its sound ft. Breakmaster Cylinder
    Jul 22 2025
    What if the entire sound of modern podcasting can be traced back to a single Grateful Dead song uploaded in 2001? We uncover the musical lineage that connects NPR's classical gravitas to dubstep wobbles, from the very first RSS feed experiment to the mysterious masked composer who's scored over 200 podcast themes and shaped what millions of people hear when they hit play. This deep dive reveals how podcast music evolved from classical public radio strings into today's signature blend of plinking pianos, breakbeats, and irreverent sampling—plus an exclusive interview with the enigmatic Breakmaster Cylinder, the "Hans Zimmer of podcasting" who's been hiding behind a robot helmet for over a decade. MORE Subscribe to our newsletter SONGS DISCUSSED Grateful Dead "Truckin'" Adam Curry "Daily Source Code" theme NPR "All Things Considered" theme Don Voegeli "All Things Considered" original theme (1971) Don Voegeli "All Things Considered" jazz funk version (1976) NPR "All Things Considered" orchestral version (1983/1995) The Daily theme WNYC "On the Media" theme by Ben Allison "Disposable Genius" Christopher Lydon "Radio Open Source" theme by Dafnis Prieto Disparition "The Ballad of Fiedler and Mundt," (Welcome to Night Vale theme) Serial theme Joe Rogan Experience theme Call Her Daddy theme Snap Judgment theme The Breakfast Club theme WTF with Marc Maron theme by John Montagna "Lock the Gate" Reply All theme by Breakmaster Cylinder Breakmaster Cylinder "Outside In" theme Breakmaster Cylinder "Bird Note" (Claire de Lune with loon calls) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • Is that new song you like AI? Here’s how you can tell

    Is that new song you like AI? Here’s how you can tell
    Jul 15 2025
    The robots have arrived, and they're making protest songs about boots on the ground. When an AI band called The Velvet Sundown fooled over a million Spotify listeners with their psychedelic folk anthems, it raised an unsettling question: have the machines gotten so good we can no longer hear the difference? Charlie puts Nate to the test with a game of "AI or Human?" featuring Wu-Tang deepfakes, phantom instruments, and songs that sound like Dire Straits and Tom Petty had a baby. Along the way, they uncover the five telltale signs that expose artificial music, from juvenile rhyming patterns to voices that shapeshift between tracks. But here's the terrifying part: just six months ago, AI music was unlistenable chaos. Now it's disturbingly competent. And it's only getting better. Songs Discussed The Velvet Sundown - "Dust on the Wind" Post Malone - "Chemical" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Ohio" The Velvet Sundown - "Freedom Song" Kansas - "Dust in the Wind" The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun" Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" The Velvet Sundown - "Where War Remains" Pink Floyd - "Wish You Were Here" The Velvet Sundown - "Ash and Velvet" Buffalo Springfield - "For What It's Worth" The Velvet Sundown - "For the Ones We Couldn't Keep" The Velvet Sundown - "Mirrors in the Smoke" Pink Floyd - "Breathe" The Velvet Sundown - "Rebel Shout" The Velvet Sundown - "Smoke in Silence" The Velvet Sundown - "Marching Shadows" The Velvet Sundown - "As the Silence Falls" The Velvet Sundown - "How Did This Go Wrong?" Hip Hop Intelligence - "Bar Fight" (AI Wu-Tang) Hip Hop Intelligence - "Party with Me" (AI Eminem) Temple of the Acid Fist Records - "Woman Gone Blues" (AI) "Echoes of Twilight" (AI student example) The Velvet Underground - "Sweet Jane" "Whispers of Chaos" (Charlie's AI generation) Mungo Jerry - "In the Summertime" Almost Vinyl - "Phil Wildo's Door to Door Dildos" (AI) Joey Two Legs - "I Shouldn't Have Done That" (hybrid) Bill Evans AI track (untitled, by Nobody in the Computer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • The Benson Boone-Doggle

    The Benson Boone-Doggle
    Jul 8 2025
    In which we explore the unlikely rise, and surprising backlash against, one Benson Boone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • Can Recession Pop predict the market?

    Can Recession Pop predict the market?
    Jul 1 2025
    Why does the economy look great on paper but feel terrible in your wallet? There might be a more revealing economic indicator hiding in your Spotify queue. "Recession Pop" first emerged during the Great Recession and exploded into playlists, radio formats, and DJ sets in 2024. From melancholy indie anthems to escapist dance tracks, the songs we gravitate toward during uncertain times might predict where the economy is headed next. Host Jonquilin Hill explores this musical phenomenon on Vox's "Explain it To Me," with Charlie joining in the second half to decode what our streaming habits reveal about financial anxiety and economic forecasting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • How Americana helped mainstream country find its soul

    How Americana helped mainstream country find its soul
    Jun 27 2025
     As we've been examining over the course of Country Week, country music has found a larger audience, in part by widening its sonic palette. For the final episode of this series, we take a look at a genre on the outskirts of country – Americana music – and how it's being used to connect to the scene's musical roots.   Historically, Americana has embraced an acoustic sound, traditional repertoire, and an appetite for virtuosic technique. In bluegrass artists like Billy Strings and roots musicians like Sierra Ferrell, Nate and Charlie see if there's an antidote to be found for the issues that plague modern, mainstream country music. Songs discussed: The Punch Brothers – Rye Whiskey Sierra Ferrell – In Dreams Dolly Parton – Jolene Sierra Ferrell – I Could Drive You Crazy Sierra Ferrell, Zach Bryan – Holy Roller Billy Strings – Dust in a Baggie Billy Strings, Willie Nelson – California Sober Tyler Childers – In Your Love Tyler Childers – Phone Calls and Emails Tyler Childers – Rustin' In The Rain Don Gibson – Oh, Lonesome Me Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson – Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys The Chicks – Long Time Gone The Steeldrivers – Higher Than the Wall Beyoncé – Texas Hold'em I'm With Her – Espresso Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    35 mins