D.O.C. (Death of the Chorus) with Emily Warren

Switched on Pop

Listen to Top 40 pop over the last decade and you’ll notice something weird is happening. The chorus—the emotional apotheosis of a pop song, its dizzying high, its cathartic sing-along center—is disappearing. In its place, artists from Bad Bunny to Taylor Swift are toying with new, chorus-lite song forms that introduce a new musical grammar to the sound of contemporary pop. We may not think much about pop structure when listening to our favorite songs, but this is a big deal—the last time pop experienced such a seismic shift was when the chorus first came into fashion, back in the 1960s. What does this mean for modern musicians and listeners? Emily Warren, songwriter for new-guard stars like Dua Lipa and Khalid, joins to break down why the sea change in pop form represents a new horizon of creative possibility.

Songs Discussed

Bad Bunny - Si Veo a Tu Mamá

Future & Drake - Life Is Good

Billie Holiday - Blue Moon

Beyonce - Formation

Travis Scott - Sicko Mode

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Drake - Laugh Now Cry Later (ft. Lil Durk)

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