A Pop Music Time Machine

At first blush, you might think the only thing Sinatra and Rihanna have in common is the last letter in their names. But at the upcoming Signature Series concert Great American Songbook: Nu-Vintage Pop—Today's Hits, Time Traveled, you'd be surprised to discover common musical DNA between the two. The concert, produced by Maureen McMullan, reimagines some of contemporary pop music's biggest songs, setting them within classic genres and artists from samba to second-line, the Carter Family to the Ventures. "The styles are very diverse," explains McMullan, "but when you hear the songs back-to-back, it's amazing how you can start to reimagine each song in a new setting, shifting the tempo, feel, backbeat, phrasing, and instrumentation." In curating this playlist, McMullan provides classic reference points for these modern pop songs, allowing you to take a trip through time and trace back some of the roots of these contemporary hits. And be sure to catch the show on February 23 to hear how the student performers have arranged and channeled these tunes.