Switched on Pop Podcast: 4-part Britney Special - ALL EPISODES NOW RELEASED

[filmandstage13]

2 minutes ago, DonMegaX said:

What U Need. It's a full song of a Britney we have never heard on a type of song we haven't heard from her. It's a fun surprise.

Not only that, it should work on the album, but it does. It sticks out like a sore thumb, but it does work, both on it's own as a song and as part of the album.

And yet, a part of me feels like it won a Grammy because it was the "safe" pick of the album. The rest of the album was "too urban" for the Recording Academy, Everytime too "controversial," so Toxic got nominated. And it was an (unexpected) hit. And you mean to tell me this is the only song she's released worthy of a Grammy win? But that's part of a larger "race and music" theorem I have about pop music in general and in no way colors my feeling of the song. I like it, I just think it's overrated because ANYBODY can cover it in ANY genre and it works.

Ooooh I also love What U Need! Very unexpected!

Totally agree this should not be her only Grammy. By now she should have at least 5 under her belt imho. But I’ve always said if Toxic had been done by any other artist it would have swept the Grammys. No critic wanted to praise anything Britney did because she was like the critics’ third rail - like if they praised anything she did, they would lose their own credibility because in their minds she stood for everything that was wrong with pop music. Toxic was just too good to be ignored and was her critical breakthrough. Like this Pitchfork review from 2004 where they praise the song and literally end the review with: “Thanks a lot, Britney, now who the **** am I gonna irrationally hate?” https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5933-top-50-singles-of-2004/?page=5

To me, Best Dance Recording was a consolation prize. I mean, Ray Charles and Norah Jones won record of the year for a song I don’t even remember. But I do think Everytime should have been up for Song of the Year that focuses solely on writing. And ITZ for Album of the Year.

But if you are aware of any podcasts or essays about What U Need, I’m totally here for it! It’s a great song.

[Psammead]

This is good news. I love Switched On Pop.

[TimeLoveJoySpaceKnee]

Thanks for sharing! I just listened to the first 2 episodes today and I really enjoyed it. The parts where they strip away the music and only play her raw vocals are so magical to me. Great technical analysis of her range by the hosts. Confirms for me why I could never imagine anyone else being able to do what she could do with those songs. Anyone who doubts her musical prowess should really have a listen. 

[Urbanney]

The final episode came out yesterday. I’m only 5 minutes in, and it’s already made me notice things I never noticed in Gimme More, which is literally my most-listened to song of all time. 

Spoiler about the episode:

Spoiler

They raise a very interesting point/observation about how, beginning with Blackout and throughout the second part of her career, a lot of the “Britneyisms” are taken away, and a lot of the processing of her vocals intensifies. It’s interesting, it reminds me of how, throughout the conservatorship, we seemed to get less and less of Britney as time went on as she became more and more isolated from us (and everyone). It’s interesting to see that pointed out in her music as well.

Edit: they just summed it up perfectly: “In retrospect, it’s hard not to see the metaphor here. Her voice receding into the songs while she’s also basically silenced by a conservatorship.”

Edit #2: They also bring up how, when she started vocalizing her dissatisfaction with the conservatorship more loudly in 2016, some of the “Britneyisms” started appearing again with her album, Glory.

 

[Tar_isa]

Just finished these 4 episodes, I thought they were really good, and it's nice to listen to Britney related stuff that focuses on her voice. Really loved the first episode, and the one focused on Toxic was really interesting. I wish they were longer, especially the last one, I expected it to be more focused on Blackout as a whole but I think they raised very interesting points.

I've been listening to other episodes too and I think the podcast is very interesting overall.

[filmandstage13]

I just finished as well! I love the deep dive into Gimme More. I’m curious: the stuttering symphony at the bridge and the deep “more” at the chorus - are those Britney’s voice and just altered, or is that Danja? I know they make a point of saying it’s “not Britney,” but I wasn’t sure if they meant that literally or just that they were extremely processed and not recognizably her.

I think their interpretation of the shift in her voice after Blackout is very interesting, connecting the parallel to her loss of agency overall, with a return to form with Glory. I think that could be right, but I also have my own theory:

Britney’s always viewed her voice as an instrument and has amazing instincts into how she can use it to play off of and enhance the production. She has songs where her voice itself is the showcase (a la her early ballads), but her genius is in establishing a trademark sound that doesn’t rely on vocal runs or more traditional demonstrations of vocal strength. Because of this, she’s more willing to experiment with her voice and work with producers who might be interested in getting very experimental. Other artists may have been more concerned about using songs that show off their voice in a more traditional way.

This is what gave her the agency to explore new sounds with Blackout. She wasn’t tied to the traditional expectations of what a female singer should sound like, so she felt free to get weird and experimental. And it paid dividends! Blackout really laid the groundwork for the EDM explosion that followed. And a signature component of this new era has always been modified vocals. Think of the verses on Poker Face which came out the next year. Gaga’s voice is distorted beyond recognition. And Ke$ha also played into the autotune and modulated vocals, and was huge in the era. Both of these despite having excellent voices. And while a lot of times the distortion pushes the bounds of what is recognizable, Britney’s nasal tone still comes through, so people are still much more likely to recognize her through all the production.

Other more traditional singers struggled more with this transition. I know there are big Bionic fans on here, but I honestly think this is a big reason it didn’t succeed. The transition to EDM was too stark a departure for Christina and didn’t work as well.

I also think Brit was great at using this production and distortion to tell a story. Mannequin has some of her most heavily produced vocals, but literally the point of the song is being impersonal and emotionless. The chorus of He About to Lose Me feels like she’s already lost, drifting out into the ether. Unusual You has a hazy feel that feels like she’s coming out of a cloud of confusion. And speaking of “hazy” she still finds opportunities to showcase her old trademark sounds… the word “hazy” in HIAM is so unmistakably her. 

Anyway, all this to say, I do think the parallel of her voice change after Blackout and until Glory is interesting and has merit. But I also think it might be as simple as: she helped to popularize a sound that often used extremely filtered vocals and found a way to thrive in that world. And as the EDM craze passed, so did those production techniques on her vocals.

But I guess until Britney herself comments on it, we can only speculate 

[ICouldntThinkOfOne]

I'm so glad Glory got recognised for her vocal ability on the album. As fans, we noticed the shift in how her vocals were presented for years under the conservatorship. Glory, to me, truly feels like an album Britney could sing live now, and it would sound almost perfect, I say this about the Britney album too.

Based on her live vocals from 2017 through to now, the tone and ways in which she delivers songs could easily be applied to the tracks. Her vocal run video could easily fit to a track like What You Need. Her New York, New York video fits with songs like Just Luv Me.

I hope we hear her voice, not just as a beautiful skill but as a vehicle for the expression of an incredible artist, if ever she chooses to return to music

 

[Universal]

I listened to the first episode today and it was SO good! Really refreshing take on Britney's creative genius.