Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters

'Switched on Pop' illuminates the essential musical concepts behind two decades of chart-topping songs. The text moves through close studies of 16 modern pop classics by artists from Beyoncé to Zedd, each chapter bringing out key aspects of a particular song as well as introducing core concepts such as rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and timbre. As the work progresses, more complex concepts such as syncopation, counterpoint, rhyme, and modulation are covered, culminating in an examination of genre, identity, and musical meaning. Accessible prose and engaging illustrations break down pop hits and musical ideas in clear, jargon-free language, and point toward a new way of listening to the modern soundtrack of pop.