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Charlie Harding

Charlie Harding

Co-host Switched On Pop

Executive producer and co-host of Switched On Pop, Vox’s podcast about the making and meaning of popular music

Latest articles by Charlie Harding

Why hit songs suddenly matter more than the stars that sing them
Culture

Streaming services’ playlists make listening easy. But they’re also breaking fans’ relationships with artists.

By Charlie Harding
Podcasts
Why Beethoven’s 5th Symphony matters in 2020Why Beethoven’s 5th Symphony matters in 2020
Podcast
Podcasts

The final episode of Switched on Pop’s podcast The 5th considers the symphony’s legacy in 2020.

By Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
Culture
How Beethoven’s 5th Symphony put the classism in classical musicHow Beethoven’s 5th Symphony put the classism in classical music
Podcast
Culture

Beethoven’s most famous work changed the way we listen, and how we’re supposed to listen.

By Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
Culture
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is a lesson in finding hope in adversityBeethoven’s 5th Symphony is a lesson in finding hope in adversity
Podcast
Culture

The Fifth isn’t just a famous melody — it’s a story of despair, Beethoven’s deafness, and establishing the will to go on.

By Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
Explainers
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, explainedBeethoven’s 5th Symphony, explained
Podcast
Explainers

Introducing The 5th, a podcast series with the New York Philharmonic and Vox’s Switched on Pop.

By Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
Music
“I’m a bit of an overwriter”: How Carly Rae Jepsen whittled 200 songs down to 12“I’m a bit of an overwriter”: How Carly Rae Jepsen whittled 200 songs down to 12
Podcast
Music

The hosts of Switched on Pop speak with the star who inspired the podcast’s creation.

By Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan
Culture
The mythology behind the Tiger King’s country musicThe mythology behind the Tiger King’s country music
Podcast
Culture

How Joe Exotic’s songs helped make him an antihero — even if he didn’t sing them.

By Charlie Harding
Culture
Billie Eilish, the neo-goth, chart-topping teenage pop star, explainedBillie Eilish, the neo-goth, chart-topping teenage pop star, explained
Podcast
Culture

From SoundCloud to Coachella, Eilish has paved her own path to become a generational icon.

By Charlie Harding
Culture
Why every small-plates restaurant has the same playlistWhy every small-plates restaurant has the same playlist
Podcast
Culture

Tired of hearing inoffensive indie music everywhere you eat? Blame gentrifying millennials.

By Charlie Harding