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Switched on Pop

Doja Cat’s Satanic Suite

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2023

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For the first time in 2023, a rap song is at number one on Billboard's Hot 100: Doja Cat's “Paint the Town Red.” It’s her second number one single after the disco inspired “Say So.” But the ubiquitous and lighthearted bop didn’t accurately reflect Doja’s divisive persona, an extremely online meme lord, and sometimes troll, with a history of riling up internet controversy. Doja Cat recently called out her fans for their parasocial obsessiveness, losing 250k instagram followers in the process. Simultaneously, religious conservatives have accused her of Satanism for her playful use of illuminati imagery at her 27th birthday bash. But rather than recoil, Doja Cat is clapping back at criticism by embracing the devil. On “Paint the Town Red” she’s following the playbook of Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” all of which use demonic imagery to spark religious controversy while also commenting on artists’ indiscretions and the hellish nature of the attention economy. In her satanic suite — “Paint The Town Red,” “Demon,” and “Attention” — Doja Cat’s turns online flame wars into musical gold. More Listen to The Allusionist with Helen Zaltzman, the best and funniest podcast about language Read the history of the loon sample on Pitchfork by Philip Sherburne Songs Discussed: Doja Cat - Paint The Town Red Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) Sam Smith - Unholy (feat. Kim Petras) Doja Cat - Say So Doja Cat - Kiss Me More (feat. SZA) Doja Cat - Woman Doja Cat - Demons Daddy Yankee - Gasolina Kelis - Milkshake Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE. Bernard Herrmann - A Narrative for String Orchestra (From "Psycho") [Arr. J. Mauceri] John Williams - Main Title/John Williams/Jaws - From The "Jaws" Soundtrack Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) Doja Cat - Attention 808 State - Pacific 202 Nicki Minaj - Anaconda Calvin Harris - Prayers Up (feat. Travis Scott & A-Trak) Dionne Warwick - Walk on By Doja Cat - Paint The Town Red - Slowed Down & Sped Up Doja Cat - Vegas (From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ELVIS) Beyoncé - Naughty Girl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:29.2

turn supply. Welcome to Switched On Pop, I'm songwriter Charlie Harding. And I'm music

0:45.2

ologist Nate Sloan. For the first time in 2023, a rap song is at number one on Billboard's

0:53.0

World's Hot 100, StojaCats paint the town red. Given the chart dominance of hip hop over

1:09.4

the last 20 years, that's kind of a remarkable stat, Charlie. Yeah, actually built a database of

1:14.8

all the hot 100 rap songs in history. There have been 99 now. StojaCat is now the 99th

1:22.1

song to go number one, which is a song, predominantly featuring a rap. Do you want to know what the

1:25.9

first one was? Desperately. It's not good. Oh, dear. It's not Ice Ice Baby, is it?

1:41.0

I know, I know, I know a song with a lot of controversy. Controversy is going to be a big part

1:47.3

of our conversation today. With DojaCat, you know, she's just scored her second number one single.

1:53.2

She previously went to number one with her more disco pop influence song, say so.

2:07.7

And now with paint the town red, the second single off her upcoming album Scarlet,

2:13.0

she's finding ways to turn her own personal controversy into musical gold. She's doing it in

2:19.2

the same sort of musical continuum of Lil Nas X. That's Lil Nas X's Montero, calling by your name

2:33.7

from 2021. And I think that this musical continuum was picked up by Sam Smith and

2:39.0

Kempetris in 2023 with her song Unholy. What we're talking about here is, of course,

2:51.6

devil worship using devilish imagery to spark online religious controversy. Also to comment on

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