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Switched on Pop

Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson) ICYMI

6/23/202644 min

In case you missed it:

How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stockholm Syndrome: we've all become captives to their sound without realizing it. Listen to the crystalline vocal production and deceptively simple chord progressions in tracks by Lisa, Childish Gambino, and Addison Rae, and you're hearing Sweden's sonic fingerprint so embedded in pop's DNA that it now defines the genre itself. We sit down with pop star Zara Larsson to explore her love letter to home, "Midnight Sun." As she puts it, "I can't really leave Sweden; it's just something that's like a part of who I am," a sentiment that captures how Swedish pop's unique blend of melancholy and euphoria, mirroring the country's extreme seasons, has made us all willing prisoners of Stockholm's musical empire.

Songs Discussed

  • Lisa ft. Rosalia: "New Woman"
  • Childish Gambino: "Lithonia"
  • Addison Rae: "Fame Is a Gun"
  • Bleachers: "Tiny Moves"
  • Zara Larsson: "Midnight Sun"
  • Robyn: "Show Me Love"
  • Robyn: "Dancing on My Own"
  • Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
  • Brad Mehldau: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

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Clips

Singing in Swedish Feels Too Vulnerable
Will AI Write Pop Hits?
Endless Daylight Memories
Springtime Sunflower Moments

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Speaker 10:00

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  2. Speaker 20:28

    [suspenseful music] We all do it. You have a night for yourself but don't like the sound of the silence, so you turn on the TV just for the ambiance. It's a little trick that helps you feel like you've got company and aren't alone. And other insurers, well, they may make you feel alone, but when you switch to GEICO, you've got claims reps available around the clock. So whenever you need, you'll have people around to help. And let's turn on the washing machine, [laughs] just for good measure. [washing machine rumbles] [laughs] Isn't that soothing?

  3. Nate Sloan· Host0:56

    It feels good to have support. It feels good to GEICO.

  4. Speaker 4· Soundbite1:00

    [upbeat music] Switched on Pop.

  5. Charlie Harding· Host1:04

    [upbeat music] Welcome to Switched on Pop. I'm songwriter Charlie Harding.

  6. Nate Sloan· Host1:10

    And I'm musicologist Nate Sloan.

  7. Charlie Harding· Host1:12

    Conspiracy theory alert.

  8. Nate Sloan· Host1:14

    Uh-oh.

  9. Charlie Harding· Host1:14

    Nate, does Sweden secretly control all of pop music?

  10. Nate Sloan· Host1:17

    This is a new one.

  11. Charlie Harding· Host1:19

    You're thinking about it.

  12. Nate Sloan· Host1:19

    Well, Max Martin is probably the biggest hit maker of the last three decades. He's Swedish.

  13. Charlie Harding· Host1:24

    Yeah.

  14. Nate Sloan· Host1:25

    Maybe there's something there, Chuck.

  15. Charlie Harding· Host1:26

    [laughs] Okay, okay, and he's making a comeback. Taylor

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