In 1974 country music, singer songwriter, Dolly Parton got wind that Elvis Presley wanted to record her new song, “I Will Always Love You.“ According to Dolly, the deal fell through when Elvis's manager demanded 50% of the publishing revenue. Dolly refused, released the song herself, and years later arranged a more equitable deal with Whitney Houston, who of ... Show More
Oct 7
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Sound: How to actually listen to the album
Taylor Swift's twelfth album has sparked endless speculation about who each song is "really about," but that might be the wrong question entirely. The Life of a Showgirl isn’t biography, it’s polyphonic auto-fiction, where Swift writes from multiple character perspectives while b ... Show More
1h 9m
Oct 3
The Power of the Trio (ft. Trousdale live at USC)
There's no lead singer in Trousdale. The trio of Quinn D'Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones, has shared vocal duties equally since they started singing together as students at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. Since then, they've touring the ... Show More
48m 39s
Jul 2020
Taylor Swift Loves Indie, Too
Last week, Taylor Swift surprised her fans with the announcement of the imminent release of a new 16-track album, entitled folklore. The National’s Aaron Dessner co-wrote or co-produced 11 of the songs, and it also features collaborations with Bon Iver and Jack Antonoff. “Most of ... Show More
24m 31s
Nov 2023
Culture chat: the unknowable Dolly Parton
This Friday, we’re talking about the deification of Dolly Parton, or, as we like to call her, Saint Dolly. Her new release Rockstar comes out today – a 30-track rock album that features duets with artists such as Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John and Stevie Nicks on cover version ... Show More
22m 23s
Oct 2021
Diane Warren: Songwriter Extraordinaire
If you’ve sung along to a power ballad in the last 30 years, chances are you’re already intimately familiar with Diane Warren’s songs. Some of her biggest hits include Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss ... Show More
42m 41s
Oct 2023
Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Fights Over Song Credits
Matt is joined by Howard King, a music industry expert and trial lawyer who has represented Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and many major artists in the music industry, to shed light on the complicated world of copyright infringement in the music industry songwriting credits, and w ... Show More
32m 23s
Aug 2020
Lianne La Havas's Bittersweet Memories
British singer/songwriter Lianne La Havas recently released her third album, a self-titled collection of songs about love, heartbreak, and independence. Pitchfork editor Puja Patel recently spoke with Lianne at home in London over video chat for Pitchfork’s Listening Club. They t ... Show More
21 m