Switched on Pop - One Direction: Our Modern Day Castrati

Episode Date: May 29, 2015

One Direction is one of the biggest bands in pop, but unless you’re a preteen or the parent of one, like us you’ve probably never heard a second of their music. Until now. Let’s see if we’ve been missing out, on the latest from Switched on Pop. FEATURING One Direction – Story Of My Life One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful One Direction – Live While We’re Young One Direction – You And I One Direction – Night Changes The Wanted – Glad You Came Alessandro Moreschi (The Last Castrato) – Ave Maria  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you're tired of endless scrolling to figure out where to eat, same. I'm Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief of Eater. We've just launched the new-ish and way better Eater app. It has all the restaurants we love, gives you personalized picks wherever you are, and serves up smarter search results just for you. You can find my list of the best places for martinis and fries in New York City. And save your favorite spots, share lists, follow editors, and book right in the app. Download the Eaterer.

app at eater app.com. It's free for iOS users. Charlie is furious at me right now because he's just discovered that the topic of our latest episode of Switchdown Pop is One Direction. And he's looking at me with daggers across the table. I find it interesting because, well, One Direction, I think I know exactly two things about them. Which are...

There's a person named Harry Styles. Correct. And they've recently lost a member. Yes. I actually know a third fact. Okay.

They're probably one of the biggest pop bands of now. Yes. I have no idea who they are. Yes. So this is Switched on Pop where two almost 30-year-old men listen to tween boy bands and cast judgment on them.

You're listening to Switched on Pop? My name's Charlie Harding. And I'm Nate Sloan. And today, there's a direction we're going. Which direction? One direction. First, okay, before we even get in it, let's just talk about this name. What does it mean?

It's a fascist name. Right. I mean, that is, it's kind of a dangerous name because by committing yourself to one direction, what if that direction is down? Maybe it's why I don't want to like them, because they're commanding me to go in the one direction. It does beautifully condense down to two letters, or two characters, rather, the number one and the letter D, which is pretty sublime, 1D. And just to give a little, very brief background to the group, they were, of course, started on a reality show, in this case, X factor. Is that right?

None other than Simon Cowell was the mastermind behind putting these five individual contestants together into a boy of. Literally the man behind the manufactured machine. Yes, he still got it. His show was just canceled. Oh, well, he's got something. And just like that, they went into, they got a bunch of Swedish producers and, as you do, and cranked out their first hit song that landed these five handsome young men on the covers of Tiger Beats all over the world. What makes you beautiful?

You're insecure. So I'm sitting with my arms crossed And I'm quite confused I'm flipping my air But Charlie is not overwhelmed He seems very underwhelmed Charlie you cannot lie that your face lit up When those drums came in before the chorus

I would be lying to say anything but Tell me what you liked about that The drums go crazy Yeah It's like a One Direction fan going crazy before the chorus hits, the drums just totally lose it. They fall apart. What's going on? It's a 13-year-old girl losing her mind.

Yes. We've been in 4-4 time, and we've been dividing each of those beats by two. One and two and three. But all of the sudden, right before we go into the chorus, these drums seemingly out of another song, come in, and they divide the beat into three. Ah. Not two.

Okay. So this is them going crazy. 1E and 2E and 3E and 4E and Wow Yeah so they're just momentarily Putting a whole other Metric Division into the song So Charlie come on admit it

You like you like that And the drums are amazing What I'd like to pose is starting from What perhaps we'll end up seeing as the Nader of their Their musical career This band, our friends at 1D Actually get better

Or that's what I'm going to try and convince you Let's fast forward. Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. They have another song? They do. They have four albums, Charlie. Wow. Yeah.

And we're going to do a little sampling of each of them. And the rhythmic invention that we found in what makes you beautiful is now highlighted in the beginning of the single off this album, Live While We're Young. So I want to ask you something. Yeah. Shoot. I want to know how this is a progression because what I hear is I hear they've done a really good job

of developing their own sonic palette. They have these super crunchy guitars with really powerful drums. Someone is hitting the drums as hard as they can. And the very crisp auto-tune vocal. So I'm hearing

a lot of the same. So how is this a progression? Baby steps, Charlie. I'm not saying, They're going from... So we're going from tween to tweenager. Yeah. The first thing I love about this song is what happens from the moment you press play. Okay.

So let's start over. Okay. Simple question. Where's the one? Right? Yeah, exactly. Like right up, it's right when it lands. It's like most songs.

It's the first note you hear is the downbeat. Typical. But then let's keep list. They flipped it on us. They flipped it on us. They flipped it. They gloria Stefan, the song. Indeed, they turned the beat around. And I think that's pretty cool because this song is all about living while you're young. Right.

And this opening is like a big F you to... Authority. Yeah. Of established norms. It's like you think I'm this thing, but I'm actually another. And that, I think that's pretty cool. All right, I give you that. The rest, maybe the rest of the song isn't a great evolution from what makes you beautiful. Okay, baby steps. But that's a cool little trick.

That's a new trick. And then we move to 2013, midnight memories. Well, each album is building on itself, right? It is. It's kind of its own meta-narrative. What was the first one? Where have we gone? We've gone.

Up all night. Follow by... Take me home. Follow by Midnight Memories The night's getting better And then the last album It's just called four

Oh, what a letdown Super letdown I feel like had they gone any further It would no longer be PG's And they just had to go four Four parentheses times Maria you have a podcast now And you need to start acting like it

What's the first step as a podcaster? Well, you have to ask lots of questions I'm Maria Sharpova And I'm hosting a new podcast called Pretty Tough Every week I'm sitting down with trailblazing women at the top of their game to discuss ambition, work ethic, and the ups and downs that come on the path to achieving greatness. I have a few pretty tough questions for you.

Okay. Ready? Ready. Do not sugarcoat something for me. No. No. We'll dive into their stories and get valuable insights from top executives, actors, entrepreneurs, and other individuals who have inspired me so much in my own journey.

Pretty tough is your front row seat to the women who have demonstrated the power in being unapologetic in their pursuits. I hope you'll join us. New episodes drop Wednesdays on YouTube or in your favorite podcast app. Immigration may be Donald Trump's signature issue. President Trump is now targeting predominantly democratic cities for ice raids and deportations. Dozens of protesters clashing with immigration and customs enforcement agents in Minneapolis Tuesday. We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. But what we want to do in this space. It's talk about America and politics beyond the current president. So what do most Americans think about deportation and border security, period? I think that Americans are definitely

against the kind of violent displays that we've seen in the street from ICE. When it comes to the question of deportation, the answer is more complicated. My sense is that people want border at the border. They don't like the idea of having no idea who's coming into the United States at any given time. the view on immigration from the bottom up instead of the top down. That's this week on America Actually, every Saturday in your audio and video feeds. So leave me at midnight memories. What do we got? Okay, fair enough. I'm going to start bringing out some big guns.

Okay. We're going to you and I. Ooh. Okay, this I know you're going to appreciate. Okay. Let's check out the verse and chorus of you ampersand I. I know how it goes for wrong and right. Silence and sound.

Did they ever hold each other tight like us? Did they ever fight like us? Wow. All right, all right. Yeah. There was a moment there. There's a moment. So what happens in the chorus?

Yeah, what was that? I felt like, okay, I'm just like slogging along. Here we got some boring ballad. And then all of a sudden, my eyes lit up. Yeah, and I think, like, this is now one direction really coming into their own, because the verse, this boring, slogging part that you're describing, is all about watching a relationship become old and predictable and dull and dying. Oh, just like the music.

And then... But you and I are different, and right at that. at moment, this crazy modulation. Oh, it's a modulation. From the key of G major to the key of F major, which at once is very close. It's only a step away, but is not where you would expect to modulate from the key of G. And it feels it's very jarring to feel that. You're in a new place harmonically.

Totally new spot. And there's a new story being written about you. And I, Charlie, not them, not the boring old people whose relationship is crumbling. You and I are starting a new relationship in a new key together. I'm ready to go there with you. What do you think? Are you convinced? Wait, so I just want to get this straight. So the chords are changing or modulating from one place to a very unexpected spot.

Yes. The relationship is taking that same step. We've modulated the relationship. We've modulated the key. You're saying that they know what they're doing. I'm saying they're starting to learn. They're starting to exhibit signs. Oh, okay.

They're growing up. The boys are growing up. And then we get to the most recent album, last year's four. And I want to zero in on the song, Night Changes. Ooh. So maybe we're going to go PG-13. They're definitely growing. up, as we said, getting a little

more mature, a little more adult. And in fact, what I'd like to propose is that Night Changes is one of the most boldly experimental pop songs that we've seen on the charts in many years.

Going out tonight changes into something red. Her mother doesn't like that kind of dress. Everything she never had. She's showing up. Did you detect what I found to be so bold? One of them had a raspy voice.

This song doesn't have a single exact rhyme in it. Oh. There's not one moment where one word rhymes perfectly with another word. Huh. There are many slant rhymes such as red and dress, lately and crazy, head and cigarette. And that's basically it. And so none of those are exact rhymes. They're all slant rhymes, some of which are not very close even.

So you think this is intentional? Yeah, I do. I think this is a decision. And then the chorus ends on a vowel, ooh, me and you, that doesn't connect to any other ooh in the chorus. It comes out of nowhere. What does this mean for the whole song? Because I can tell you're still skeptical. Yeah.

I think this is a very, I think it's a bold thing to do in general in a pop song. Absolutely. And I think in this song, which is about getting older and things changing and they're not being as much certainty, the lyrics match that, that sense of we're directionless. I don't know where this is headed. Things aren't the same. You can't lock into even a clear rhyming structure here. All right. I take that.

I actually don't even think that you're reaching too far. That makes a lot of sense that it wouldn't. it would be totally inappropriate for them to rhyme baby with maybe because it would lock the words in, seal the relationship. It's leaving it open and uncertain. Glad you're moved by my argument, but in case you weren't, I brought some extra ammunition, which I might as well deploy now because I know you are a sucker for a harmonic modulation up a whole step at the end of a song.

And baby, let's hear these night changes. You know that I'm a sucker for a last minute modulation up a whole step. And I thought it was really artful. I thought that doing it over the, ooh, was kind of ominous. Yeah. It was beautiful. Yeah, totally. Not at the beginning of the chorus, but actually at the end of the chorus.

Kind of. Oh, you're right. That's very typical. It's usually the last chorus. You go up and you're like, oh, my gosh, it's all elevated. They didn't hear it actually, it continues to state that uncertainty, that uncertainty is still there. I was also impressed. It's okay.

You can say it. It's a safe space. Dare I say, after that last chorus, they actually just let go of all the music and carried it with their voice. Yeah. Little auto tune, if any. It was a nice voice. Voice can sing. It will never change, baby.

I will admit that I have moved my post. position a few steps. My arms are no longer crossed. A kimbo. But you wouldn't call yourself a, what do they call, what are their fans call themselves? Directionless. That's not fair. That's really not fair. I want to not like them because they're a manufactured pop band. But you can't carry a career on one hit, you have to evolve. No, I think you make a good point, you know. There's plenty of boy bands out there full of five good-looking young men who would seemingly be equally able to capture the public's imagination.

Right. There's no magic in that. The magic is in the music. And it needs to be good. And it needs to be evolving, as you said. And it needs to resonate with people. Otherwise, you're like that, what was the wanted was the other boy band. Oh, really?

The other British boy band that were competing with them, and they kind of fell by the wayside. Of course, the adulation and obsession over young men who can sing well is nothing new. Not at all. Does it go deeper? Can we go any further? I think we can. What do you got? What I got is.

the boys choir of the Sistine Chapel from roughly the 16th century all the way through the 19th century. And these boys were very special. How so? Do you sometimes wish that Harry Stiles never grew up, that his voice just would stay pure and angelic and youthful for his whole life? Oh no. There's a way. There were these choirs at the Sistine Chapel, and including many of the opera stars of later centuries were, in fact, Castrati.

Don't tell me. Yes. It isn't so. It was. It was very prevalent during this time. And did they hold the same level of stardom? They were superstars. They were, in fact, the first superstars in music.

They were fawned over by women. They were held up as icons of sexuality. even though they did a lot of cross-dressing because they would play the soprano roles in many popular operas of the time. You know who else does a lot of cross-dressing? One direction. Really?

But anyway. Is this true? Yeah, and the video for Best Song Ever, a few of them are dressed up as secretaries. So, yeah, so the Castradi, this is more in the operas, were divos. I mean, they were strewn with gifts

and their pictures were published in the early version of 17 or the 17th century version. So what I'm taking away is that there's always going to be boy bands. And we expect them to stay eternally youthful. But we also want them to grow and evolve just keep their voices really fresh and young.

Yeah. It's a lot of demands we have. So I've gotten Charlie to reluctantly admit that there's something of merit in these One Direction hits. Very reluctantly, I've taken a few steps forward. Yeah, definitely. Now we want to kick it out to Radio Land. What about you? Are you a One Direction fan?

Let's hear what you think. Yeah. So if you'd like, tweet at us at Switched On Pop. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the show, please go check out more episodes at the iTunes story. Apple Podcast app or on SoundCloud. You can also find us at www. www.Switchdownpop.com. Charlie Harding is our lead engineer, technical master, and crafter-in-chief.

Nate Sloan is our writer-producer, an executive mensch. Luke Harris redesigned our logo. You can see more of his work at Luke Harris.com. Thanks for listening. On the new Good Girl Jasmine Absolute of Caroline Herrera, a fragrance intense with a character curman and addictive. Imagine a jasmine-envolventy, caramelized and tonka-tosted.

A combination that seduce from the first instant and it's aweller. Good Girl Jasmine Absolute, hypnotic, irresistible. Discover it a hoy and let you embolever for its essence. Convier your passion in a new with Shopify and bathe records of the with the form of the pay

with a better conversion of the world. You've heard of it. The best conversion of the world. The incredible system of Pago of Shopify facilitation on your site web, in the reds social, and in any place.

That is music for your ears. No, you'll be more vets. Your business will be a super-exit with Shopify. Empecies your period of a month for a euro at a month in Shopify. com.s bar records.