Why is 90s Pop so Bizarre?

EPISODE #90

The Switched on Pop Summer Throwback Series continues! This time, with a deep dive into the musical detritus of the 1990s.

In true 90s fashion, our episode is inspired by a pair of classic VH1 shows; “Behind the Music” and “Where Are They Now? Our subjects are two songs representing the lunatic fringe of 90s culture, “Cotton Eyed Joe” and “How Bizarre.” In the course of our musicological investigation, we uncover dark truths about these seemingly anodyne hits that will make you question everything you know about pop music. And in the end, we reach a definitive answer to a perennially vexing question: “WTF was 90s music so weird?”

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SONGS DISCUSSED

Rednex:
Cotton Eye Joe
Pop in an Oak
The Way I Mate

Cotton Eyed Joe:
Fiddlin John Carson
Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys
Karen Dalton
Chieftains
Nina Simone

OMC:
How Bizarre
Right ON