How Charlie Puth honored Whitney Houston for 125 million people (live at Berklee NYC)

How Charlie Puth honored Whitney Houston for 125 million people (live at Berklee NYC)

Author: Switched on Pop April 3, 2026 Duration: 56:34
Charlie Puth joins Switched On Pop in Studio A at Power Station at Berklee NYC, live before a room of current students, ten days after performing the national anthem at Super Bowl 60 and weeks before releasing his fourth album, Whatever's Clever. The conversation is grounded in one question: how do you absorb the music you love and turn it into something that actually sounds like you? Puth traces his national anthem arrangement through a lineage running from Jose Feliciano's 1968 World Series performance to Marvin Gaye's 808-driven 1983 All-Star Game version to Whitney Houston's 1991 Super Bowl rendition. The through-line: citation is letting your influences dissolve into your hands until they become unrecognizable. That principle runs throughout the new record, from the Quincy Jones guitar tone on "Cry" to the Chick Corea quotation buried in "Boy" that Puth didn't realize was there until after writing it. Songs Discussed Bruce Springsteen – "Born in the USA" Madonna – "Like a V...

Ever wondered how a pop song gets its hooks into you? Switched on Pop digs into that question, peeling back the glossy layers of mainstream music to explore the craft and theory that make hits work. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding, this podcast is a conversation that feels like eavesdropping on two friends who are deeply passionate about the music everyone is hearing. They break down the mechanics of a track, from a surprising chord progression in a Taylor Swift bridge to the rhythmic patterns driving a Dua Lipa anthem, all while keeping the discussion accessible and engaging. Each episode focuses on a specific song, artist, or trend, treating pop not just as entertainment but as a rich subject worthy of serious, playful analysis. You’ll hear audio examples that illustrate their points, making the musical concepts tangible even if you’ve never read a note. It’s for anyone who has ever found themselves humming a tune and then stopped to ask why it’s so compelling. By connecting music theory to cultural impact, Switched on Pop offers a fresh lens on the soundtrack of our daily lives, revealing the intelligence and intention behind the music on the charts. Tune in and you might just find your listening habits forever changed.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Switched on Pop
Podcast Episodes
The power of singing together (ft. Tiny Habits) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:51
Throughout pop history, groups from The Ink Spots to the Beach Boys to Fleetwood Mac all forged their sound in the alchemy of vocal harmonies, harnessing the magic that happens when different voices join as one. Then sud…
Questionable Country [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:11
For the first time in history, five country songs were at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Ella Langley, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift and Stella Lefty all have songs that range from two-stepping hits to borderline Americ…
Phoebe Bridgers opens her Moleskine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:07
Many of us keep a journal, but few of us are able to turn our unvarnished thoughts into cultural moments touching on love, death, and guitars quite like Phoebe Bridgers. Her new album Lost Weekend isn’t just throwing the…
We have Confessions to make... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:43
Madonna has returned this summer with Confessions II: an album full of huge hooks, pounding bass, and sincere emotion. It’s the queen of pop's first record in seven years, and serves as a sequel to her 2005 smash hit, Co…
A piano lesson that will change how you listen (ft. Lang Lang) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
For many people – including Charlie and Nate – studying classical piano as a child always felt like a chore. Now, as adults, there’s a newfound appreciation for classical music, but the art form isn’t always accessible.…
IV. Take It to the Bridge (ft. Tayla Parx) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:23
Bridges open up the world of a song: they're a breath of fresh air and a point of contrast, typically delivered right before the final chorus. But sometimes they accomplish even more, changing the whole meaning of a song…
III. Preaching to the Chorus (ft. B-Real and Trevor Horn) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:31
The chorus was once the part of the song that brought us together, the place we gathered to sing. Now it's the most engineered thirty seconds in music. Legendary producer Trevor Horn and hip-hop icon B-Real of Cypress Hi…
Justice for the verse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:05
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…
Let's get it started [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:25
Research says you judge a song in under half a second. So why write an intro at all? On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate kick off their Netflix launch and probe what an intro means in today's musical lan…
Switched On Pop on Netflix July 14th [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03
We're coming to the big screen with a four part mini series starting July 14th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices