The biggest theme song fail
Switched on Pop14 Jan 2025

The biggest theme song fail

What happens when your podcast’s theme song—cobbled together from GarageBand loops—gets called “game show music” and likened to a cereal commercial? You rewrite it. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of Switched on Pop’s sonic makeover, from scathing critiques by music industry heavyweights to the creation of a lush, layered soundscape inspired by Wendy Carlos and PBS science shows. With expert advice from sonic branding maestro Dallas Taylor (Twenty Thousand Hertz) and the composers Zach Tenorio and Jocie Adams (Arc Iris), we dissect every step of transforming our theme into a timeless sonic identity. Tune in for the full story and hear how we turned a jingle crisis into a musical triumph. More Musicares.org is supporting LA based musicians in need of assistance from the destruction of the fire Billboard has compiled more forms of support and assistance Recommendations Read Cat Zhang at The Cut Read Lauren Michelle Jackson’s White Negros and columns at The New Yorker Listen to Ian Fitchuk’s work Listen to Song Exploder hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway Listen to NYTimes Popcast hosted by Jon Caramanica Listen to Twenty Thousand Hertz hosted by Dallas Taylor Songs Discussed The Monkees: "Theme Song (Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees)" Radiohead: "Kid A" No Name: "Yesterday" Mort Garson: "Ode to an African Violet" Wendy Carlos Switched On Bach Whitney Houston: "The Star-Spangled Banner" (1991 Super Bowl performance) Jimi Hendrix: "The Star-Spangled Banner" (Woodstock performance) Friends theme Song "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts Reading Rainbow theme song “Butterfly in the Sky” by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir Bill Nye the Science Guy theme Song composed by Mike Greene 3-2-1 Contact theme Song composed by Tom Anthony Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(526)

Quitting Spotify (ft. Deerhoof)

Quitting Spotify (ft. Deerhoof)

In June 2025, indie veterans Deerhoof scrubbed their entire catalog from the world’s dominant streaming platform. The catalyst wasn't low royalties, but Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek’s investment in AI...

25 Nov 202544min

Is there a Disney curse?: Demi, Selena, and Miley

Is there a Disney curse?: Demi, Selena, and Miley

This year, there were a few records that delivered less-than-optimal returns on either the Hot 100 or the Billboard 200 – and they all came from former Disney pop stars.  Demi Lovato’s latest album p...

18 Nov 202548min

Rosalía's 'LUX' brings the symphony to the club

Rosalía's 'LUX' brings the symphony to the club

Spanish pop star Rosalía is back with her new album, Lux. Over eighteen tracks, she trades in the dembow beats that filled her last record Motomami for maximalist orchestral sounds more in line with B...

11 Nov 202544min

Lily Allen and Tate McRae revive the revenge anthem

Lily Allen and Tate McRae revive the revenge anthem

They say the best revenge is living well, but if you’re a pop star going through a break up, that’s false. The best revenge is releasing a searing scorched-earth revenge banger that calls out your ex ...

4 Nov 202533min

Can “professor” Charlie Puth pass our qualifying exam?

Can “professor” Charlie Puth pass our qualifying exam?

Charlie Puth breaks down his new single "Changes," a maximalist eighties production hiding a melancholy story about drifting friendships. As he prepares for fatherhood, the singer-songwriter reflects ...

28 Okt 202538min

How D'Angelo changed music, in three songs

How D'Angelo changed music, in three songs

On October 14th, the visionary musician D’Angelo passed away at 51 years old. Only releasing three albums during his lifetime, he synthesized influences from gospel, jazz, rock, and hip-hop to create ...

21 Okt 202537min

What do John C. Reilly and Taylor Swift have in common? The Great American Songbook

What do John C. Reilly and Taylor Swift have in common? The Great American Songbook

John C. Reilly joins to discuss Mr. Romantic, his theatrical tribute to the Great American Songbook that treats Irving Berlin and Tom Waits as equals in the canon of timeless American song. Reilly rec...

14 Okt 202557min

Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Sound: How to actually listen to the album

Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Sound: How to actually listen to the album

Taylor Swift's twelfth album has sparked endless speculation about who each song is "really about," but that might be the wrong question entirely. The Life of a Showgirl isn’t biography, it’s polyphon...

7 Okt 20251h 9min

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