Questionable Country

For the first time in history, five country songs were at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Ella Langley, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift and Stella Lefty all have songs that range from two-stepping hits to borderline Americana: what do these songs say about the state of country music?

CREDITS

• Reanna Cruz: Producer 
• Iris Gottlieb: Illustrator 
• Charlie Harding: Host, Executive Producer 
• Dion Lee: Art Director 
• Brandon McFarland: Audio Engineer 
• Nick Ripps: Video Editor 
• Nate Sloan: Host 
• Lissa Soep: Editor 
• Zach Tenorio & Jocie Adams: Theme Composers 

Switched On Pop is a co-production of Vox Media Podcast Network, Vulture, and Rock Ridge Productions.

Links: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠ 

Songs discussed:

• Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”
• Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, “Islands In the Stream”
• Dolly Parton, “Rockstar”
• Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
• Ronnie Milsap, “Smoky Mountain Rain”
• George Strait, “Amarillo By Morning”
• Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues”
• Brad Paisley, “Cluster Pluck (feat. James Burton, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, John Jorgenson, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert & Steve Wariner)”
• Buddy Holly, “That’ll Be The Day”
• Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Texas Flood”
• George Strait, “All My Ex’s Live In Texas”
• The Pointer Sisters, “Slow Hand”
• Conway Twitty, “Slow Hand”
• Morgan Wallen, “Been By Now”
• Ella Langley & Morgan Wallen, “I Can’t Love You Anymore”
• Taylor Swift, “I Knew It, I Knew You (From ‘Toy Story 5’)”
• Squeeze, “Tempted”
• The Velvet Underground, “Sweet Jane”
• Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
• Taylor Swift, “cardigan”
• Stella Lefty, “Boston”
• Noah Kahan, “Stick Season”

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