Everybody sings the chorus, but superfans quote the verse. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate trace the verse from Shakespeare through opera to TikTok, and songwriter Audrey Hobert shares her philosophy of specific verses and anthemic choruses: you can't have the payoff without the setup.
CREDITS
Reanna Cruz: Producer
Iris Gottlieb: Illu ... Show More
Jun 30
Music only the World Cup could make
The quadrennial soccer (or fútbol, depending who you talk to) competition is upon us again: it's the FIFA World Cup! And while the World Cup is a sporting event, it's still relevant to the folks at Switched On Pop, because every four years a new crop of songs gets commissioned to ... Show More
37m 38s
Oct 2025
'The Life of a Showgirl' | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
Lights, camera, showtime! It's time to talk about Taylor Swift's newest album: 'The Life of a Showgirl.' Nora and Nathan talk about their initial reactions to the record and why this is an album you should just have fun with (1:00), how Swift's reunion with Max Martin and Shellba ... Show More
2h 26m
Aug 2025
Everything You Want to Know About TS12
Nora and Nathan are not quite done talking about Taylor Swift's forthcoming album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' so they opened up the mailbag to answer some listener questions. They talk about what some of the songs could be about based on their names (1:00), whether Taylor will rel ... Show More
1h 6m
Oct 2025
A Post–'The Life of a Showgirl' Mailbag | Every Single Album: Taylor Swift
It's been a week since the release of 'The Life of a Showgirl,' and it's time for a debrief. First, Nora and Nathan talk about Taylor Swift breaking Adele's record for first-week album sales (1:00), then they open up the mailbag to answer questions about favorite discoveries made ... Show More
1h 18m
Sep 2025
A Pre-'The Life of a Showgirl' Anxiety Dump
We're 8 days out from the release of Taylor Swift's newest album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' so it's time to work through some feelings. Nora and Nathan talk about all of the promo (or lack of) leading up to the release (1:00), how the success of this album might impact Swift's le ... Show More
1h 10m
Apr 2024
Popcast (Deluxe): Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured’ Era
A discussion about the singer’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift’s “imperial era,” the use of her rumored relationships and production choices. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podc ... Show More
1h 20m
Aug 2025
‘The Life of a Showgirl’: Everything We Know (and Are Predicting) About TS12
Nora and Nathan are breaking down a big week of Taylor Swift news. They talk about the lead-up to the announcement of her new album, her appearance on the New Heights podcast, and everything we learned from it, and speculate as to what ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ could sound like. H ... Show More
1h 29m