What do John C. Reilly and Taylor Swift have in common? The Great American Songbook

What do John C. Reilly and Taylor Swift have in common? The Great American Songbook

Author: Vulture October 14, 2025 Duration: 57:12
John C. Reilly joins to discuss Mr. Romantic, his theatrical tribute to the Great American Songbook that treats Irving Berlin and Tom Waits as equals in the canon of timeless American song. Reilly recorded live in one room with his band using vintage ribbon microphones, embracing the squeaks and imperfections while layering in cinematic sound effects—crickets outside a lover's window, a collect call from prison—to transform each standard into an immersive scene. But what makes a song from the 1920s feel eternal? Music data scientist Chris Dalla Riva, author of the forthcoming Uncharted Territory and the newsletter Can't Get Much Higher, breaks down how composers like the Gershwins wrote for amateur musicians playing sheet music at home, creating universal lyrics and AABA structures where the hook comes first. That accessibility is precisely what draws Reilly to this repertoire. He sees himself in the lineage of interpreters like Sinatra, not selling his own story but passing along music that already belongs to all of us, like holding up a seashell and saying, "Isn't this one beautiful?" More Get Chris Dalla Riva's book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves Subscribe to Chris Dalla Riva's Can't Get Much Higher Songs Discussed Taylor Swift "The Last Great American Dynasty" George Gershwin "I Got Rhythm" Village People "Y.M.C.A." Billie Eilish "Bad Guy" Frank Sinatra "On the Sunny Side of the Street" Judy Garland "Over the Rainbow" Ella Fitzgerald "My Romance" George Gershwin "But Not for Me" Elvis Presley "Are You Lonesome Tonight" The Beatles "We Can Work It Out" The Beatles "Get Back" The Beatles "Yesterday" John C. Reilly "Moonlight Serenade" John C. Reilly "Dreams" John C. Reilly "Johnsburg, Illinois" John C. Reilly "Falling in Love Again" John C. Reilly "What'll I Do" John C. Reilly "Picture in a Frame" John C. Reilly "Just Another Sucker on the Vine" Randy Newman "Ragtime" John C. Reilly & David Garza "What's Not To Love" Harry Nilsson "Coconut" Judy Garland "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Dooley Wilson "As Time Goes By" The New Vaudeville Band "Winchester Cathedral" Andy Williams "The Days of Wine and Roses" Nat King Cole "The Frim Fram Sauce" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder why a certain pop song gets stuck in your head for days, or how a simple chord change can make you feel a specific way? Switched on Pop digs into those questions with a unique blend of expert analysis and genuine curiosity. Hosts Nate Sloan, a musicologist, and Charlie Harding, a songwriter, act as friendly guides through the intricate world of popular music. They don't just review hits; they dissect them, exploring the craft behind the catchiness. In each episode, you'll hear them break down a track's structure, its historical context, and the production techniques that give it its emotional punch. This isn't a dry academic lecture, though. It's a conversation between two people who love music, unpacking everything from timeless classics to today's viral trends to reveal why pop works the way it does. The Switched on Pop podcast, from Vulture, makes the familiar strange again, encouraging you to listen more deeply. You'll start to hear the clever harmonies hidden in a chart-topper, the rhythmic patterns borrowed from decades past, and the lyrical choices that resonate with millions. It's for anyone who has ever tapped a foot to a radio song and then wondered about the mechanics of that reaction. Tune in and you might just find that your favorite songs have layers you've never noticed before.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Switched on Pop
Podcast Episodes
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Sound: How to actually listen to the album [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:28
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, whe…
The Power of the Trio (ft. Trousdale live at USC) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:39
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'…
Doja Cat is the new Janet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:35
This summer, one singular artist could be heard everywhere from the new Cardi B album to the TikTok charts: Janet Jackson. The incomparable Queen of Pop has had her fingerprints all over pop music for the past few months…
The music theory behind K Pop Demon Hunters' chart dominance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:26
It's time. Nate and Charlie break down the K Pop Demonhunters soundtrack to uncover the musical secrets behind its unprecedented success. From West Side Story to Gregorian chant, Phrygian modes to musical theater clichés…
The architecture of the album with Djo (Joe Keery live at NYU) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:11
Halfway through the opening track of Joe Keery's The Crux, a line emerges that sounds like casual conversation: "My dog is at my house again, but I live somewhere else." The song refuses to settle into predictable pop ar…
Finneas and Ashe want you to start a band [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:09
Everyone should be in a band at some point—and Finneas and Ashe prove why. The Grammy-winning producer and rising singer-songwriter discuss how their friendship evolved into The Favors, a new band debuting their album Th…
Fleetwood Mac's Missing Link Album Returns After 50 Years [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:25
Fleetwood Mac has had a phenomenal resurgence in recent years, from TikTok viral fame to Broadway plays and streaming TV series inspired by the band. Their growing fandom among a new generation has created demand for the…
The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:35
You've heard those shimmering disco strings in Miley Cyrus's "Flowers," the cinematic arrangements on Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher, and the orchestral flourishes across Taylor Swift's catalog, but you probably didn't know t…
All roads lead to Pharrell: Tyler, Clipse, and Cardi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:36
The conversation around the new music this summer has been a dour one. Some of the biggest songs in the country right now are downtempo stomp-clap anthems and wistful Cranberries pastiche. Even on this very show, Nate an…