Switched on Pop

Throughout her forty-year career, Madonna has managed to travel the globe, both literally and musically. Despite being a white woman from the midwest (Michigan, to be exact), her discography has been influenced by countless different cultures and sounds. Even from her very first single, Madonna has frequently paid homage to those she has encountered, reflecting (and sometimes appropriating) the cultures that surrounded her. But because she's the world's biggest pop star, this globalist approach created space in the mainstream for artists from different cultures to follow in her footsteps. This episode of Switched On Pop, we're Listening 2 Madonna and exploring the second aspect of her Holy Trinity: multiculturalism. Songs discussed: Madonna – "Everybody" La India – "Dancing on the Fire" Miami Sound Machine – "Dr. Beat" Madonna – "Holiday" Shannon – "Let the Music Play" Madonna – "Music" Madonna – "Vogue" Madonna – "La Isla Bonita" Madonna – "Spanish Eyes" Madonna – "Who's That Girl?" Ricky Martin – "Livin' La Vida Loca" Los Lobos – "La Bamba" Lady Gaga – "Alejandro" Malcolm McLaren – "Deep In Vogue – Introducing Lourdes & Willie Ninja" Madonna – "Deeper and Deeper" Derrick May – "Strings of Life" Ariana Grande – "yes and?" Beyoncé – "Break My Soul – The Queens Remix" Madonna – "Faz Gostoso" Blaya – "Faz Gostoso" Anitta – "Funk Rave" Madonna – "Batuka" Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B – "Bongos" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Madonna is the world's biggest female pop star. She's influenced everyone from Beyoncé to Britney Spears; is the most successful solo artist in Hot 100 chart history; and is the best-selling female recording artist of all time. Her career – which has spanned over forty years – has seen her continually reinventing herself and her sound over fourteen studio albums, from her early years in the New York City underground dance scene, to collaborating with artists like Maluma, Sam Smith, and the Weeknd. Throughout all this, though, she has also managed to remain an enigma. Much has been said about Madonna, but through her work, a holy trinity of themes has emerged. And through these themes – gender exploration, multiculturalism, and spirituality – we can unpack one of the most iconic catalogs in pop music. This week on Switched On Pop, we're Listening 2 Madonna, and releasing three special episodes focused on the Material Girl, going Deeper and Deeper to understand the Queen of Pop. On this episode, we take a look at how Madonna conveys gender in her work, from "Like A Virgin" to "What It Feels Like For A Girl." Songs discussed: Madonna – "Vogue" Madonna – "Borderline" Madonna – "Like A Virgin" Madonna – "Material Girl" Deniece Williams – "Let's Hear It For The Boy" Madonna – "True Blue" Madonna – "Live to Tell" Madonna – "Papa Don't Preach" Madonna – "Express Yourself" Madonna – "Justify My Love" Madonna – "Deeper and Deeper" Madonna – "Waiting" Madonna – "Bad Girl" Madonna – "What It Feels Like For A Girl" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1973, before their ascent to rock superstardom with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were just two young lovers making music in Los Angeles. Their debut album, Buckingham Nicks, though commercially unsuccessful at the time, would prove to be the catalyst that changed their lives. When Mick Fleetwood happened to walk into Sound City Studios and overheard Buckingham's masterful guitar work, he knew he'd found what his band desperately needed given the departure of their guitarist Peter Green. Fleetwood invited Buckingham to join the group, and Buckingham agreed on one condition: his musical and romantic partner, Stevie Nicks, would come too. This fateful meeting would birth the legendary lineup that created Fleetwood Mac and Rumours, albums that would define a generation. Yet all this time, the band's origin story, captured in Buckingham Nicks, has remained locked away in aging vinyl archives – until now. Grammy-winning guitarist Madison Cunningham and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird have breathed new life into this historic recording with their interpretation, Cunningham Bird. Cunningham, celebrated for her sophisticated fingerpicking and intricate compositions, joins forces with Bird, whose distinctive violin work and plaintive vocals have earned him critical acclaim. Their reimagining of this pivotal album offers fresh insight into both Fleetwood Mac's enduring influence and the rocky romance that sparked their success. I sat down with the duo to discuss their approach to this legendary material and what drew them to resurrect these long-lost songs. Switched On Pop spoke with Madison Cunningham and Andrew Bird about how they adapted Buckingham Nicks into Cunningham Bird Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A musical "freak," to us here at Switched On Pop, is an artist who is unique, non-conforming, and always manages to surprise. We're living in some freaky times right now, so there's no better way to honor that than to listen to pop's freakiest artists. The past few weeks have seen new releases from Lady Gaga, Tyler, the Creator, and The Cure – the latter releasing their first new album in sixteen years. This episode of Switched On Pop, we unpack these songs and get to the bottom of their freakiness. Songs discussed: Lady Gaga – Disease Tyler, The Creator – Noid The Cure – Alone More Subscribe to Jesse Cannon Music Marketing Trends newsletter Follow Jesse Cannon Musformation YouTube channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices