Song Exploder

  • Home
  • Song Exploder

Song Exploder A podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.

Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Part of the Radiotopia network. http://itunes.com/songexploder
http://twitter.com/SongExploder

“Impeccably researched and edited” — The

Guardian

"Probably the best use of the podcast format ever" — Vulture

"Brilliant concept" — Slate

"Possibly the most perfect podcast" — Quartz

If you're interested in booking Song Exploder for a live event, please contact Andrew Morgan at Billions: [email protected].

tells the story of making her song “Soup,” which began with the aim of making a fun anthem, and then quickly turned int...
21/08/2024

tells the story of making her song “Soup,” which began with the aim of making a fun anthem, and then quickly turned into a song that was also pretty vulnerable.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

04/08/2024

Such a pleasure recording the iconic Song Exploder podcast with Hrishikesh Hirway. Jimmy Napes and I talk writing and recording ‘Stay With Me’, and the moment that Tourist hit those three chords...
https://songexploder.net/sam-smith

Out today: the beautiful, deeply personal story of ’s massive hit “Stay With Me.” They tell the story of how the song wa...
24/07/2024

Out today: the beautiful, deeply personal story of ’s massive hit “Stay With Me.” They tell the story of how the song was first made, and evolved, and how they made a change to the song years later to be even more true to who they are. Co-writer and producer helps tell the story and break down the elements of the song. Look for the new episode of Song Exploder with Sam Smith wherever you get your podcasts.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

wrote “Lights Light Up” to try to capture the entire story of a relationship just as it was ending, before the memory o...
10/07/2024

wrote “Lights Light Up” to try to capture the entire story of a relationship just as it was ending, before the memory of it turned bitter. She breaks down how she brought it to her band and producer to bring joy and movement to a song about being stuck in place.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Neil Finn of Crowded House breaks down their iconic song “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” On the podcast today, he shares the or...
12/06/2024

Neil Finn of Crowded House breaks down their iconic song “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” On the podcast today, he shares the original demo and explains how the song evolved in the studio, back in 1986, when they were still a young band.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Lizzy McAlpine breaks down the making of her song “Staying." It's a story of knowing deep down that something isn't righ...
29/05/2024

Lizzy McAlpine breaks down the making of her song “Staying." It's a story of knowing deep down that something isn't right and trying to fix it, both in terms of how she recorded and then re-recorded the song, and the messy relationship the song is about. songexploder.net/lizzy-mcalpine

Flaming Lips break down how they wrote and recorded their 2002 classic “Do You Realize??" The episode includes one of my...
15/05/2024

Flaming Lips break down how they wrote and recorded their 2002 classic “Do You Realize??" The episode includes one of my favorite quotes on the podcast so far, from Wayne Coyne: “The worst thing that we can say to each other is: eh, it just sounds like music.”
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

break down how they wrote and recorded their 2002 classic "Do You Realize!?!?" The episode includes one of my favorite ...
15/05/2024

break down how they wrote and recorded their 2002 classic "Do You Realize!?!?" The episode includes one of my favorite quotes on the podcast so far, from : "The worst thing that we can say to each other is: eh, it just sounds like music.”
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

This week: “Low Rider” by . Lonnie Jordan and producer Jerry Goldstein take apart the original, raw 1975 jam session tha...
17/04/2024

This week: “Low Rider” by . Lonnie Jordan and producer Jerry Goldstein take apart the original, raw 1975 jam session that the song was born from, and how everyone in the room helped shape the sound of this absolute classic.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Shania Twain tells the story of writing her iconic song “You’re Still the One” in this week’s episode. She breaks down t...
04/04/2024

Shania Twain tells the story of writing her iconic song “You’re Still the One” in this week’s episode. She breaks down the track, what inspired her choices, what the song meant to her back then—and what it means to her now.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

’s song “Y.B.P.”is about growing up in Detroit, and the experiences that shaped him as a person and an artist. In this w...
20/03/2024

’s song “Y.B.P.”is about growing up in Detroit, and the experiences that shaped him as a person and an artist. In this week’s episode, he tells the origin story behind telling his origin story. He talked about what his collaborators Bruiser Wolf and brought to the track, and what he had to overcome personally to get thru the process. It was a very vulnerable and thoughtful conversation.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Pulitzer Prize winner breaks down her Grammy-nominated song “You Louisiana Man,” and how her path to making it involved...
06/03/2024

Pulitzer Prize winner breaks down her Grammy-nominated song “You Louisiana Man,” and how her path to making it involved heartache, a love of Jane Austen, and combining two bands from two different musical worlds. Out now on the Song Exploder feed!
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Billie Joe Armstrong breaks down how made their song “Basket Case.” He traces how it went from the original 4-track cas...
07/02/2024

Billie Joe Armstrong breaks down how made their song “Basket Case.” He traces how it went from the original 4-track cassette demo he recorded in the basement (with totally different lyrics), to the studio version that became massive hit in 1994  —  and helped bring punk into the mainstream.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

To celebrate the 10th anniversary (!) of Song Exploder, we made a deluxe, expanded edition of our very first release: ’s...
24/01/2024

To celebrate the 10th anniversary (!) of Song Exploder, we made a deluxe, expanded edition of our very first release: ’s “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,” with a brand new interview, new stems, and new insights into the making of the song. You can also hear some of the raw, behind-the-scenes audio from my interview with — the first time I'd ever interviewed someone, while I was still figuring out what the podcast would be. Even if you've heard the first episode before, this version of the episode is very different. I hope you like it! It was an exciting way to make ten years of the show.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

In 2023, we put out our 250th episode, and wrapped up our 10th year. Thank you for listening, thank you to all the artis...
03/01/2024

In 2023, we put out our 250th episode, and wrapped up our 10th year. Thank you for listening, thank you to all the artists who let us into their songs and lives, thank you to for supporting our work. Excited for 2024.

For the last episode of the year, Dave Grohl breaks down "The Teacher," by . It's dedicated to his mother, who passed aw...
20/12/2023

For the last episode of the year, Dave Grohl breaks down "The Teacher," by . It's dedicated to his mother, who passed away last year. He says it's the most important music he's ever written.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

wrote her massive hit “Escapism (feat. ),” about a dark time in her life. “I was ashamed of the artist I was,” she told...
06/12/2023

wrote her massive hit “Escapism (feat. ),” about a dark time in her life. “I was ashamed of the artist I was,” she told me. She breaks down how she made the song, and tells the unflinching truth about the reality she was trying to escape from. In your feed now!
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

takes apart his song “Spirit 2.0” on this week’s episode. He breaks down how he made it, and how it was influenced by h...
15/11/2023

takes apart his song “Spirit 2.0” on this week’s episode. He breaks down how he made it, and how it was influenced by his daughter’s birth, his father’s CD collection, and the book his brother read to him as a child.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

In April, I’ll be doing a very special event with , taking apart Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” in conversation with ...
03/11/2023

In April, I’ll be doing a very special event with , taking apart Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” in conversation with the symphony’s music director, .gimeno. The ‘stems’ of the piece will be performed live by the orchestra as we break it down, culminating in the full epic concert work as the finale. Hope to see you there! Ticket link in bio.

tell the story of Dark Days, a duet with , and their biggest streaming song. It’s also a song that changed their band d...
02/08/2023

tell the story of Dark Days, a duet with , and their biggest streaming song. It’s also a song that changed their band dynamic and how they collaborate with one another. This episode features the original voice memo + demo, and additional thoughts from Amelia of , who collaborated with Local Natives on a re-worked version of the duet years after its initial release.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Bakar () tells the story of making his hit song “Hell N Back,” produced by . He also talks a little bit about what it’s ...
19/07/2023

Bakar () tells the story of making his hit song “Hell N Back,” produced by . He also talks a little bit about what it’s like to grow disenchanted with a song that takes on a life of its own  —  and how he came back from that. Go listen!
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

tells the story of making his song “Still,” a tribute to his father that embraces their complicated relationship—both t...
08/03/2023

tells the story of making his song “Still,” a tribute to his father that embraces their complicated relationship—both the good times and painfully difficult times they’ve shared.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

MUNA () tell the story of how the three of them made “What I Want,” with help from the song’s other co-writer, .· · ·[ i...
08/02/2023

MUNA () tell the story of how the three of them made “What I Want,” with help from the song’s other co-writer, .
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Thanks so much to everyone who listened to Song Exploder this year, and thanks to all the incredible artists who were on...
31/12/2022

Thanks so much to everyone who listened to Song Exploder this year, and thanks to all the incredible artists who were on the show — some legends, and some legends-in-the-making. Hard to believe that this marks the end of the 9th year of the podcast! Looking forward to more in 2023. Until then!  

My deep thanks to the people who put a lot of work and time into the podcast this year: , , , , .nomad_, , , and the wonderful folks at .

Happy new year!  — 

Ending the year with , who tells the story of making “Let Me Be Great” with producer , with help from the legend , who i...
21/12/2022

Ending the year with , who tells the story of making “Let Me Be Great” with producer , with help from the legend , who is featured on the track. A lot of laughs and joy in this episode, and a beautiful story.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Ryan Lott of breaks down “This Is A Life,” the end credits song from , which features & on vocals. The Daniels, who d...
07/12/2022

Ryan Lott of breaks down “This Is A Life,” the end credits song from , which features & on vocals. The Daniels, who directed the film, help tell the story of how the song came together.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

breaks down his song “Never Forget,” a song for his late father, with some help from , who made the instrumental.· · ·[...
16/11/2022

breaks down his song “Never Forget,” a song for his late father, with some help from , who made the instrumental.
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

For the final episode of Book Exploder, National Book Award winner James McBride () talks to about the opening passage ...
09/11/2022

For the final episode of Book Exploder, National Book Award winner James McBride () talks to about the opening passage from his novel Deacon King Kong. Thank you so much for listening to this miniseries. It was exciting to explore the underlying premise of Song Exploder in literature. And do it with this incredible roster of authors, with Susan as the host, was a real thrill. Thanks to for helping me at the start of the journey, to for wisdom in helping me finish it, and for being there throughout. The Book Exploder illustrations were done by and the logo was made (out of paper!) by . Thank you!  —  Hrishikesh

This week: Sam Beam of Iron & Wine () breaks down his 2007 song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth." (Recorded live at Bl...
02/11/2022

This week: Sam Beam of Iron & Wine () breaks down his 2007 song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth." (Recorded live at Blue Rock Artist Ranch & Studio.)
· · ·
[ illustration by ]

Address


Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Song Exploder posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Song Exploder:

Videos

Next week on the podcast: Madonna!!!

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Videos
  • Claim ownership or report listing

  • Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Share