Switched on Pop
LC Class | ML3470 .S6 2020 |
Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters is a 2019
Background
Nate Sloan is a musicology professor at the
Overview
The book contains 16 chapters. Each chapter focuses on a pop song from the previous twenty years and uses it to explain a specific musical concept. For example, "
Musical concept | Song title | Artist |
---|---|---|
Meter | "Hey Ya!" | Outkast |
Melody | "You Belong with Me" | Taylor Swift |
Harmony | " We Are Young " |
Fun. |
Form | "We Found Love" | Rihanna |
Timbre | "Chandelier" | Sia |
Lyric | "What Goes Around... Comes Around" | Justin Timberlake |
Hook | "Break Free" | Ariana Grande |
Rhyme | "God's Plan" | Drake |
Syncopation | "Swimming Pools (Drank)" | Kendrick Lamar |
Modulation | "Love On Top" | Beyoncé |
Counterpoint | "Oops!... I Did It Again" | Britney Spears |
Sampling | "Paper Planes" | M.I.A. |
Sound design | "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" | Skrillex |
Tonal ambiguity | "Despacito" | Luis Fonsi |
Genre | "Since U Been Gone" | Kelly Clarkson |
Musical identity | "Made in America" | Jay-Z and Kanye West |
Reception
Switched on Pop received positive reviews from critics. Hannah Giorgis of The Atlantic praised the book, writing "Switched on Pop is a far less foreboding sensory experience than 'Swimming Pools,' but it’s no less immersive."[8] Emily Bootle of the New Statesman noted that the "required understanding of music theory leads to necessarily laborious explanations, but also allows for the authors' most illuminating insights".[9] Neil Shah of The Wall Street Journal lauded the book for its "sophisticated but accessible discussion" of the selected musical tracks.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c McKenna, Max (January 16, 2020). "'Switched on Pop' Schools the Academy". PopMatters. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Amar, John (May 15, 2020). "Beethoven to Beyoncé: Switched on Pop Authors and Podcast Hosts Reveal the Powers of Popular Music". Houston Press. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Johnson, Ellen (December 9, 2019). "Switched On Pop Hosts Charlie Harding & Nate Sloan Tell You Why You Should Care About Pop Music in New Book". Paste. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Wafai, Yasmeen (January 16, 2020). "Why do the catchy lyrics always get stuck in your head? This book about pop music explains". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Hancock, Amanda (September 29, 2019). "Why Lewis Capaldi's sad banger 'Someone You Loved' has become an unlikely pop hit". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Shah, Neil (December 10, 2019). "The Secret Sauce Behind Pop-Music Hits". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-190-05665-0.
- ^ Giorgis, Hannah (December 19, 2019). "Diving Into Pop Music's Hidden Depths". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ Bootle, Emily (January 8, 2020). "Switched On Pop: a nerdy appreciation of pop music". New Statesman. Retrieved August 21, 2020.