Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and the Longevity of Soul
Switched on Pop27 Jul 2021

Modern Classics: Yola on Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and the Longevity of Soul

In this installment of Modern Classics we speak to the amazing four-time Grammy Nominee musician, singer and songwriter Yola about her new record, Stand For Myself, and how hearing Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and all its references to 1970s funk encouraged Yola to unlock her own unprecedented mix of symphonic soul and classic pop. As Yola tells it, it’s not just a sound from the past that she’s conjuring, it’s a sense of possibility. The way that progenitors like Funkadelic, Minnie Ripperton, and the O'Jays combined political protest with deep grooves, what Yola calls “the Mary Poppins philosophy of music” (the groove being the spoonful of sugar to help the socially-conscious medicine go down). With this marriage of sound and statement, Yola makes retro sounds relevant again, as on the title track “Stand For Myself,” where she uses throwback slap bass, fuzz guitar, and orchestral strings to craft a distinctly modern messages about her identity as a Black woman, cultural allyship, and UK politics. Also, why she likes mixes that sound like they have a “big old booty.” Songs Discussed Yola - Stand For Myself, Diamond Studded Shoes, Starlight, Barely Alive, Be My Friend, If I Had to Do it All Again Childish Gambino - Redbone, Riot Bootsy Collins - I’d Rather Be With You Funkadelic - Can You Get to That The O’Jays - Back Stabbers Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(525)

Doja Cat is the new Janet

Doja Cat is the new Janet

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...

30 Sep 202535min

Stockholm syndrome: Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson)

Stockholm syndrome: Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson)

How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stock...

23 Sep 202543min

The music theory behind K Pop Demon Hunters' chart dominance

The music theory behind K Pop Demon Hunters' chart dominance

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 ...

17 Sep 202542min

The architecture of the album with Djo (Joe Keery live at NYU)

The architecture of the album with Djo (Joe Keery live at NYU)

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 int...

15 Sep 202555min

Finneas and Ashe want you to start a band

Finneas and Ashe want you to start a band

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 deb...

9 Sep 202552min

Fleetwood Mac's Missing Link Album Returns After 50 Years

Fleetwood Mac's Missing Link Album Returns After 50 Years

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 cr...

2 Sep 202554min

The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music

The classical rebel who infiltrated pop music

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 pr...

26 Aug 202551min

All roads lead to Pharrell: Tyler, Clipse, and Cardi

All roads lead to Pharrell: Tyler, Clipse, and Cardi

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 thi...

19 Aug 202552min

Populært innen Underholdning

papaya
harm-og-hegseth
enkel-servering
tore-og-haralds-podkast
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
tusvik-tnne
big-5-med-nils-og-harald-2
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
konspirasjonspodden
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
hovla
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
kjendiscrush-med-sofie-karlstad
nare-venner
vitnemal
gi-meg-alle-detaljene
christine-dancke
rss-gammal-maiden
feedback-med-egon-holstad
rss-backstage-historier-om-legender