Nate Sloan to release new book about mechanics of popular music

Popular music scholar and Musicology faculty member Nate Sloan will release a new book, “How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters,” on Dec. 13, co-authored with songwriter and podcasting partner Charlie Harding. The pair host the popular podcast “Switched on Pop,” which, like their forthcoming book, makes pop music history accessible and deconstructs the mechanics of what makes a hit song.

While the podcast analyzes a wide range of pop songs and artists, “How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters” will focus on sixteen chart-toppers from the past two decades, including music by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Outkast.