SWITCHED ON POP Switched On Pop How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters Nate Sloan Charlie Harding AND Iris Gottlieb ILLUSTRATIONS BY Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Nathaniel Sloan and Charles Harding 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. CIP data is on file at the Library of Congress ISBN 978–0–19–005665–0 eISBN 978–0–19–005667–4 The Switched on Pop logo is a copyright (2020) of Rock Ridge Productions, LLC, designed by Courtney Leonard and Vox Media. All time markers refer to the version of each song included in the accompanying Spotify playlist, https://spoti.fi/31ZZmYK. Listed dates for each song reflect when it was first released in the U.S. For Whitney and Bess Contents Introduction: Switched On Pop Carly Rae Jepsen—“Call Me Maybe” 1. Y’all Don’t Want to Hear Me, You Just Want to Dance Meter: Outkast—“Hey Ya!” 2. A Star’s Melodic Signature Melody: Taylor Swift—“You Belong with Me” 3. The Harmonic Hero’s Journey Harmony: Fun ft. Janelle Monáe—“We Are Young” 4. When the Drop Broke the Pop Song Form: Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris—“We Found Love” 5. A Voice without a Face Timbre: Sia—“Chandelier 6. Painting a Musical Masterpiece Lyric: Justin Timberlake—“What Goes Around . . . Comes Around” 7. What Makes Pop So Catchy The Hook: Ariana Grande ft. Zedd—“Break Free” 8. Sometimes the Truth Don’t Rhyme Rhyme: Drake—“God’s Plan” 9. Drunk on Rhythm Syncopation: Kendrick Lamar—“Swimming Pools (Drank)” 10. Music Takes You Higher Modulation: Beyoncé—“Love on Top” 11. The Performance of Identity Counterpoint: Britney Spears—“Oops! . . . I Did It Again” 12. Is Collage a Crime? Sampling: M.I.A.—“Paper Planes” 13. Shock, Awe, and Synthesis Sound Design: Skrillex—“Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” 14. Finding Home in the Harmonic Diaspora Tonal Ambiguity: Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee—“Despacito” 15. Does Pop Have a Sound? Genre: Kelly Clarkson—“Since U Been Gone” 16. I Like Everything . . . Except Country and Hip Hop Musical Identity: Jay Z and Kanye West ft. Frank Ocean | Toby Keith—“Made in America” Conclusion: The Past, Present, and Future of Silly Little Love Songs Paul McCartney—“Get Enough” ACKNOWLEDGMENTS NOTES INDEX Switched On Pop Introduction Switched On Pop Carly Rae Jepsen—“Call Me Maybe” How perfect are those lines? They feel as old as the earth, like something archaeologists would discover carved in stone at an ancient Druid burial ground. But of course it’s not just the words that resonate; it’s the music that is subconsciously added to them by anyone who has heard Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 #1 hit “Call Me Maybe.” It’s the rhythm, melody, and harmony of the line that make the lyric so effective. The music thrusts listeners into the position of the song’s narrator, into the state of suspended animation that comes from doing one of the bravest and scariest things in the world: asking someone out. The preceding verse finds Jepsen in a more contemplative mood, narrating her interior emotions. But in the chorus, Jepsen—and her listeners—suddenly plunge into real time. Through four lines, over four measures of music, Jepsen and her co- writers Tavish Crowe and Josh Ramsay generate heart-pounding suspense. Jepsen delivers her first lyric, “Hey, I just met you.” Then, she pauses, as if waiting for a response, but there is none. The silence isn’t filled by another voice, only by synthesized strings sounding out the syncopated rhythm “daa da da.” Inconclusive, at best. How will the object of her affection respond? Jepsen continues, “And this is crazy.” Another pause, another syncopated string stab. “But here’s my number.” Another string hit. “So call me, maybe?”