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Song Exploder

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. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.

© Translucence

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. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.

© Translucence
93hr 42min
Thumbnail for "Norah Jones - Day Breaks".
Since her debut in 2002, Norah Jones has sold over 50 million albums, and won 8 Grammys. She released Day Breaks, her sixth album, in 2016. In this episode, she takes apart the title track and details how all the pieces unexpectedly came...
Thumbnail for "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Our House".
Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young breaks down "Our House."
Thumbnail for "Pharrell Williams - Piece By Piece".
Pharrell Williams breaks down the title track from "Piece by Piece," the Lego documentary about his life.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Jon Batiste - We Are".
Revisiting Jon Batiste's episode about his song "We Are."
Thumbnail for "Troye Sivan - One of Your Girls".
Troye Sivan tells the story behind his song "One of Your Girls."
Thumbnail for "Beabadoobee - Coming Home".
Beabadoobee breaks down her song "Coming Home."
Thumbnail for "Remi Wolf - Soup".
Remi Wolf tells the story behind her song "Soup."
Thumbnail for "Sam Smith - Stay With Me".
Sam Smith tells the story behind their iconic song "Stay With Me."
Thumbnail for "Fenne Lily - Lights Light Up".
Fenne Lily tells the story behind her song "Lights Light Up."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Vagabon - Water Me Down".
Revisiting Vagabon's episode from 2020 about her song "Water Me Down."
Thumbnail for "Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over".
Neil Finn of Crowded House tells the story behind the song "Don't Dream It's Over."
Thumbnail for "Lizzy McAlpine - Staying".
Lizzy McAlpine tells the story behind her song "Staying."
Thumbnail for "The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??".
Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips take apart the song "Do You Realize??"
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Arooj Aftab - Mohabbat".
Revisiting Arooj Aftab's episode about her song "Mohabbat."
Thumbnail for "War - Low Rider".
Lonnie Jordan from War and producer Jerry Goldstein tell the story behind the iconic song "Low Rider."
Thumbnail for "Shania Twain - You're Still The One".
Shania Twain breaks down her hit song "You're Still The One."
Thumbnail for "Danny Brown - Y.B.P. (feat. Bruiser Wolf)".
Danny Brown tells the story behind his song "Y.B.P."
Thumbnail for "Rhiannon Giddens - You Louisiana Man".
Rhiannon Giddens breaks down her song "You Louisiana Man."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Arlo Parks - Black Dog".
Revisiting the 2021 episode about the Arlo Parks song "Black Dog."
Thumbnail for "Green Day - Basket Case".
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day tells the story behind the song "Basket Case."
Thumbnail for "The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (Deluxe Anniversary Edition)".
In this expanded, deluxe edition of the very first episode of Song Exploder – which came out ten years ago – Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard of The Postal Service tell the story of how they made “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight.”
Thumbnail for "Foo Fighters - The Teacher".
Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters tells the story behind the song "The Teacher."
Thumbnail for "Raye - Escapism (feat. 070 Shake)".
Raye tells the story behind her song "Escapism."
Thumbnail for "Sampha - Spirit 2.0".
Sampha tells the story behind his song "Spirit 2.0."
Thumbnail for "Paramore - Liar".
Paramore tells the story behind their song "Liar."
Thumbnail for "Kesha - Eat The Acid".
Kesha tells the story of how she made her song "Eat The Acid."
Thumbnail for "Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me".
Molly Rankin and Alec O'Hanley from Alvvays tell the story of how they made "Archie, Marry Me."
Thumbnail for "Laufey - From The Start".
Laufey tells the story of how she made "From The Start."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Janelle Monáe - So Afraid".
Revisiting Janelle Monáe's 2018 episode about her song "So Afraid."
Thumbnail for "Siddhartha Khosla - Only Murders in the Building (Main Title Theme)".
Only Murders in the Building composer Siddhartha Khosla tells the story of making the show's theme music.
Thumbnail for "Local Natives - Dark Days".
Local Natives tells the story behind their hit song "Dark Days."
Thumbnail for "Bakar - Hell N Back".
Baker tells the story behind his hit song "Hell N Back."
Thumbnail for "Natalie Merchant - Sister Tilly".
Natalie Merchant tells the story behind her song "Sister Tilly."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Julien Baker - Appointments".
Revisiting Julien Baker's 2018 episode about her song "Appointments."
Thumbnail for "Feist - In Lightning".
Feist tells the story behind her song "In Lightning."
Thumbnail for "Madison McFerrin - Run (feat. Bobby McFerrin)".
Madison McFerrin tells the story of her song "Run," featuring guest vocals from her father, Bobby McFerrin.
Thumbnail for "New Order - Blue Monday".
New Order tells the story of how they made their song "Blue Monday."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II".
Revisiting Mobb Deep's 2020 episode about how they created the song "Shook Ones, Pt. II."
Thumbnail for "Yaeji - Passed Me By".
Yaeji tells the story of how she created her song "Passed Me By."
Thumbnail for "Seal - Kiss from a Rose".
Seal breaks down his iconic song "Kiss from a Rose" alongside producer Trevor Horn.
Thumbnail for "Kenny Beats - Still".
Kenny Beats breaks down how he made his song "Still."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Kimbra - Top of the World".
Revisiting Kimbra's 2018 episode about her song "Top of the World."
Thumbnail for "MUNA - What I Want".
MUNA breaks down their song "What I Want."
Thumbnail for "Noah Kahan - Stick Season".
Noah Kahan tells the story of how he created his hit song "Stick Season."
Thumbnail for "Sampa the Great - Let Me Be Great (feat. Angélique Kidjo)".
Sampa the Great, Angélique Kidjo, and producer Mag44 break down the making of "Let Me Be Great."
Thumbnail for "Son Lux - This is a Life (from 'Everything Everywhere All at Once')".
Ryan Lott of Son Lux breaks down "This Is a Life," the end credits song from the hit film ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’
Thumbnail for "Omah Lay - Never Forget".
Omah Lay breaks down his song, "Never Forget."
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: James McBride - Deacon King Kong".
James McBride breaks down the opening passage of his 2020 novel Deacon King Kong.
Thumbnail for "Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth".
Sam Beam of Iron & Wine breaks down "Flightless Bird, American Mouth."
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: George Saunders - Victory Lap".
George Saunders breaks down a passage from "Victory Lap," a short story from Tenth of December.
Thumbnail for "Santigold - Ushers of the New World".
Santigold breaks down "Ushers of the New World."
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: Celeste Ng - Little Fires Everywhere".
Celeste Ng breaks down a passage from her best-selling novel, Little Fires Everywhere.
Thumbnail for "King Princess - Let Us Die".
King Princess breaks down her song "Let Us Die," joined by her collaborators Ethan Gruska and Mark Ronson.
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: Tayari Jones - An American Marriage".
Tayari Jones breaks down a passage from An American Marriage.
Thumbnail for "Panic! At the Disco - Viva Las Vengeance".
Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco breaks down "Viva Las Vengeance."
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: Carmen Maria Machado - In the Dream House".
Carmen Maria Machado breaks down a passage from her 2019 memoir, In the Dream House.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Björk - Stonemilker".
Björk breaks down her song Stonemilker.
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: Michael Cunningham - The Hours".
Michael Cunningham breaks down a passage from the prologue of The Hours, his Pulitzer-winning novel.
Thumbnail for "Madonna - Hung Up".
Madonna breaks down her song "Hung Up," along with co-writer and co-producer Stuart Price.
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: Min Jin Lee - Pachinko".
Min Jin Lee discusses a passage from her novel Pachinko.
Thumbnail for "Kae Tempest - Move".
Kae Tempest and producer Dan Carey break down "Move."
Thumbnail for "Book Exploder: Susan Orlean - The Library Book".
Susan Orlean breaks down a passage from her best-seller, The Library Book.
Thumbnail for "Sudan Archives - Selfish Soul".
Sudan Archives breaks down her song "Selfish Soul."
Thumbnail for "mxmtoon - Mona Lisa".
mxmtoon breaks down her song "Mona Lisa."
Thumbnail for "Monica Martin - Go Easy, Kid".
Monica Martin breaks down her song "Go Easy, Kid."
Thumbnail for "Maren Morris - Humble Quest".
Maren Morris breaks down her song "Humble Quest."
Thumbnail for "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up".
Rick Astley tells the story of how "Never Gonna Give You Up" was made.
Thumbnail for "Kevin Morby - This Is a Photograph".
Kevin Morby breaks down his song "This Is a Photograph."
Thumbnail for "Arooj Aftab - Mohabbat".
Arooj Aftab tells the story of making her song "Mohabbat."
Thumbnail for "Partners: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss".
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss tell the story of their Grammy-winning partnership.
Thumbnail for "Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her".
Peaches breaks down her song "Boys Wanna Be Her."
Thumbnail for "Steve Reich - Different Trains: America, Before the War".
Steve Reich breaks down the first movement of "Different Trains."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Perfume Genius - Slip Away".
Mike Hadreas breaks down his song "Slip Away."
Thumbnail for "Sarah Kinsley - The King".
Sarah Kinsley breaks down "The King."
Thumbnail for "Brandi Carlile - You and Me On the Rock (feat. Lucius)".
Brandi Carlile breaks down her song "You and Me On The Rock."
Thumbnail for "Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out".
Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand breaks down the song "Take Me Out."
Thumbnail for "Joy Oladokun - Look Up".
Joy Oladokun tells the story of making her song "Look Up."
Thumbnail for "Danny Elfman - What’s This? (from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”)".
Danny Elfman breaks down “What's This?” from the stop-motion animated musical The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Thumbnail for "Halsey - You Asked for This".
Halsey takes apart her song "You Asked for This."
Thumbnail for "Hans Zimmer - Dune".
Hans Zimmer breaks down his score from "Dune."
Thumbnail for "The War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore (feat. Lucius)".
Adam Granduciel breaks down the War On Drugs song "I Don't Live Here Anymore (feat. Lucius)."
Thumbnail for "Willow - Transparent Soul feat. Travis Barker".
Willow breaks down her song "Transparent Soul feat. Travis Barker."
Thumbnail for "Hrishikesh Hirway TED Talk - What You Learn When You Listen Closely".
A TED Talk on how making Song Exploder changed the way I think about connecting with people.
Thumbnail for "John Lennon - God".
Through archival interviews, John Lennon tells the story of making his song "God."
Thumbnail for "Lucy Dacus - Thumbs".
Lucy Dacus takes apart her song "Thumbs."
Thumbnail for "Mustafa - Air Forces".
Mustafa breaks down his song "Air Forces."
Thumbnail for "Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers".
Lykke Li and producer Björn Yttling break down the song, "I Follow Rivers."
Thumbnail for "The Shins - New Slang".
James Mercer breaks down The Shins' song "New Slang."
Thumbnail for "Cheap Trick - Surrender".
Guitarist and songwriter, Rick Nielsen, breaks down Cheap Trick's hit song "Surrender."
Thumbnail for "Fousheé - Deep End".
Fousheé breaks down her song "Deep End."
Thumbnail for "AURORA - Runaway".
Aurora breaks down the making of her hit song "Runaway."
Thumbnail for "Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us".
Ron & Russel Mael break down their 1974 hit "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us."
Thumbnail for "Arlo Parks - Black Dog".
Arlo Parks breaks down her song "Black Dog."
Thumbnail for "Imagine Dragons - Follow You".
Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons breaks down their song "Follow You."
Thumbnail for "girl in red - Serotonin".
Marie Ulven from girl in red breaks down her song "Serotonin."
Thumbnail for "Porter Robinson - Get Your Wish".
Porter Robinson breaks down "Get Your Wish."
Thumbnail for "Lianne La Havas - Can't Fight".
Lianne La Havas takes apart her song "Can't Fight."
Thumbnail for "Jon Batiste - We Are".
Jon Batiste breaks down how he made the song "We Are."
Thumbnail for "Glass Animals - Heat Waves".
Dave Bayley of Glass Animals breaks down their song "Heat Waves."
Thumbnail for "Sasha Sloan - Until It Happens To You".
Sahsa Sloan breaks down "Until It Happens To You," along with producer King Henry.
Thumbnail for "PJ Morton - Say So (feat. JoJo)".
PJ Morton breaks down his Grammy-winning hit "Say So," with duet partner JoJo.
Thumbnail for "HAIM - Summer Girl".
HAIM breaks down "Summer Girl" and the emotional backstory of the song.
Thumbnail for "Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Father and Son".
Yusuf / Cat Stevens tells the story of creating and re-creating his song "Father and Son."
Thumbnail for "Common - A Riot In My Mind".
Common breaks down "A Riot In My Mind," with guest vocals from Lenny Kravitz and Chuck D.
Thumbnail for "Jewel - You Were Meant For Me".
Jewel breaks down her song "You Were Meant For Me."
Thumbnail for "Billie Eilish - Everything I Wanted".
Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell break down the song "Everything I Wanted."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street".
Phoebe Bridgers and Marshall Vore break down "Scott Street," and Phoebe discusses writer's block.
Thumbnail for "Deftones - Ohms".
Chino Moreno of Deftones breaks down their song "Ohms."
Thumbnail for "Run the Jewels - JU$T".
Run the Jewels break down their song "JU$T."
Thumbnail for "Dua Lipa - Levitating".
Dua Lipa and co-writer Stephen Kozmeniuk break down the song "Levitating."
Thumbnail for "Selena Gomez - Lose You to Love Me".
Selena Gomez and co-writers Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter break down "Lose You to Love Me."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Ludwig Göransson - Black Panther".
Revisiting the 2018 episode about Ludwig Göransson's Oscar-winning score.
Thumbnail for "Kelly Lee Owens - On".
Kelly Lee Owens breaks down her song "On."
Thumbnail for "Black Pumas - Colors".
Black Pumas break down their song "Colors."
Thumbnail for "The 1975 - The Birthday Party".
Matty and George of The 1975 break down "The Birthday Party."
Thumbnail for "Waxahatchee - Fire".
Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee breaks down her song "Fire."
Thumbnail for "Khruangbin - So We Won't Forget".
Khruangbin break down their song "So We Won't Forget."
Thumbnail for "Apparat - Goodbye (Theme from "Dark")".
Sascha Ring of Apparat and Anja Plaschg of Soap&Skin tell the story of making "Goodbye."
Thumbnail for "Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II".
Havoc of Mobb Deep breaks down the legendary duo's classic hit.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World".
Michael Kiwanuka breaks down the making of his song "Black Man in a White World"
Thumbnail for "100 gecs - Money Machine".
Laura Les and Dylan Brady break down their song "Money Machine."
Thumbnail for "Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter".
Laura Marling breaks down "Song for Our Daughter."
Thumbnail for "Tame Impala - It Might Be Time".
Kevin Parker of Tame Impala breaks down the song "It Might Be Time."
Thumbnail for "FKA twigs - Mirrored Heart".
FKA twigs details the making of "Mirrored Heart."
Thumbnail for "Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright".
Nathaniel Rateliff breaks down the title track of his new solo record, a song he wrote about his late friend and collaborator Richard Swift.
Thumbnail for "Eric Nam - Love Die Young".
Eric Nam and producer Rabitt break down their song "Love Die Young."
Thumbnail for "Soccer Mommy - Circle the Drain".
Sophie Allison, aka Soccer Mommy, breaks down her song "Circle the Drain."
Thumbnail for "Caribou - Home".
Dan Snaith of Caribou breaks down the creation of his song "Home."
Thumbnail for "Vagabon - Water Me Down".
Laetitia Tamko aka Vagabon breaks down her song "Water Me Down" along with co-producer Eric Littman
Thumbnail for "Semisonic - Closing Time".
Semisonic's song "Closing Time" isn't just a song about last call at a bar. Grammy-winning songwriter Dan Wilson explains how it turned into something deeply personal.
Thumbnail for "Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall".
Ezra Koenig breaks down Vampire Weekend's Grammy-nominated song "Harmony Hall."
Thumbnail for "Intro Theme and Thao's Farewell".
Thao signs off as guest host, and we break down the Song Exploder intro music from this year.
Thumbnail for "Meek Mill - Trauma".
Meek Mill and producer Don Cannon break down the making of the song "Trauma."
Thumbnail for "Bat for Lashes - Kids in the Dark".
Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes breaks down her song "Kids in the Dark."
Thumbnail for "Jay Som - Tenderness".
Melina Duterte of Jay Som breaks down the creation of her song "Tenderness."
Thumbnail for "Slipknot - Unsainted".
Slipknot guitarist Jim Root breaks down the making of the song "Unsainted."
Thumbnail for "Raphael Saadiq - Kings Fall".
Raphael Saadiq breaks down the song "Kings Fall" along with his nephew Dylan Wiggins.
Thumbnail for "Clairo - Alewife".
Clairo breaks down her song "Alewife."
Thumbnail for "Brittany Howard - Stay High".
Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes breaks down her song "Stay High."
Thumbnail for "Robyn - Honey".
Robyn breaks down how she made the song "Honey."
Thumbnail for "Bon Iver - Holyfields,".
Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and producers Chris Messina and Brad Cook break down the song "Holyfields,"
Thumbnail for "Sleater-Kinney - The Future Is Here".
Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein break down the Sleater-Kinney song “The Future Is Here.”
Thumbnail for "Denzel Curry - RICKY".
Denzel Curry and production duo FnZ break down their song “RICKY."
Thumbnail for "Jamila Woods - BALDWIN".
Jamila Woods and producer Slot-A break down their song "BALDWIN."
Thumbnail for "Big Thief - Cattails".
Adrianne Lenker and James Krivchenia of Big Thief break down their song "Cattails."
Thumbnail for "Sheryl Crow - Redemption Day (feat. Johnny Cash)".
Sheryl Crow breaks down a new version of her song "Redemption Day," featuring vocals from the late Johnny Cash.
Thumbnail for "Raleigh Ritchie - Time in a Tree".
Musician and actor Jacob Anderson, aka Raleigh Ritchie, breaks down his song "Time in a Tree," with producer Grades
Thumbnail for "The Mountain Goats - Cadaver Sniffing Dog".
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats breaks down the song "Cadaver Sniffing Dog" from their album "In League With Dragons."
Thumbnail for "The Cranberries - All Over Now".
Noel Hogan of The Cranberries breaks down the song "All Over Now" from the band's final album.
Thumbnail for "Panda Bear - Dolphin".
Panda Bear breaks down his song "Dolphin" with co-producer Rusty Santos.
Thumbnail for "Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen".
Sharon Van Etten breaks down her song "Seventeen" along with her producer John Congleton.
Thumbnail for "Nakhane - New Brighton (feat. Anohni)".
Nakhane breaks down his song "New Brighton," which features guest vocals from Anohni.
Thumbnail for "Mumford & Sons - Beloved".
Marcus Mumford and Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons break down their song "Beloved."
Thumbnail for "Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street".
Phoebe Bridgers and Marshall Vore break down their song "Scott Street."
Thumbnail for "Wonderly - The Daily (Theme)".
Michael Barbaro and musical duo Wonderly break down the theme for The New York Times' podcast The Daily
Thumbnail for "Japanese Breakfast - Boyish".
Michelle Zauner and Craig Hendrix of Japanese Breakfast break down the song "Boyish."
Thumbnail for "Hozier - Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples)".
Hozier breaks down his protest anthem "Nina Cried Power," which features legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples.
Thumbnail for "Yo-Yo Ma - Prelude, Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major".
Yo-Yo Ma breaks down his recording of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major: Prelude.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Astonished Man".
Thao Nguyen of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down breaks down her song "Astonished Man"
Thumbnail for "Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way".
Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac breaks down "Go Your Own Way" from the band's seminal album "Rumours."
Thumbnail for "Breakmaster Cylinder - Reply All".
The theme music to Reply All gets taken apart by its composer, Breakmaster Cylinder.
Thumbnail for "Empress Of - When I'm With Him".
Empress Of breaks down her song "When I'm With Him."
Thumbnail for "Big Boi - Order of Operations".
Big Boi of OutKast breaks down his song "Order of Operations"
Thumbnail for "John Carpenter - Halloween (Theme)".
Director and composer John Carpenter breaks down his iconic theme for "Halloween."
Thumbnail for "Janelle Monáe - So Afraid".
Janelle Monáe breaks down her song "So Afraid."
Thumbnail for "Cat Power - Woman".
Chan Marshall of Cat Power breaks down her song "Woman," which features guest vocals from Lana Del Rey.
Thumbnail for "Blood Orange - Saint".
Devonté Hynes of Blood Orange breaks down his song "Saint."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney - BoJack Horseman (Main Title Theme)".
Patrick and Ralph Carney break down the Main Title Theme for BoJack Horseman
Thumbnail for "The Decemberists - Once In My Life".
Colin Meloy breaks down "Once In My Life" by The Decemberists.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Mitski - Your Best American Girl".
Mitski and Patrick Hyland break down "Your Best American Girl."
Thumbnail for "Christine and the Queens - Doesn't Matter".
Christine and the Queens is a singer, songwriter, and producer from France. Her debut album was first released in 2014 in French, and in 2015, she released an English version of it. It was critically acclaimed and she won the Victoire de le Musique—France’s equivalent of the Grammy—for Best Female Artist in 2015. In July 2018, she released this single, "Doesn’t Matter," in advance of her second album, "Chris." Like before, she made a French version and an English version, but this time she was writing both versions simultaneously. Coming up, she talks about what that translation process was like, and the possibilities it opened up, as she takes apart "Doesn’t Matter." The song and the story first began in Chris’s basement.
Thumbnail for "Neko Case - Last Lion of Albion".
Neko Case is a singer and songwriter. She’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and in addition to her own music, she’s a member of the band The New Pornographers. In June 2018, she put out her 7th album, "Hell-On," which she also co-produced. In this episode, Neko Case breaks down the song “Last Lion of Albion.” Albion’s one of the oldest names for island of Great Britain, and it was while she was in England that this song first began. This episode is guest hosted by Thao Nguyen of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Courtney Barnett - Depreston".
Earlier this year, in May 2018, Courtney Barnett released her second album, "Tell Me How You Really Feel." And last fall, she and Kurt Vile made an album together. So I thought this would be a good time to go back and listen to an episode she did in January 2016 about “Depreston,” my favorite song from her first album. Here it is.
Thumbnail for "Action Bronson - The Chairman's Intent".
Action Bronson is a rapper from Queens who’s been making records since 2011. He also stars as the host of two TV shows about food on Vice’s channel, "Viceland." His third album, "Blue Chips 7000," came out in 2017, and features this song – “The Chairman’s Intent.” It was produced by his longtime collaborator, producer Harry Fraud. In this episode, Action Bronson and Harry Fraud tell the story of how “The Chairman’s Intent” was made.
Thumbnail for "Jhené Aiko - Sativa (feat. Swae Lee)".
Jhené Aiko is a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter. She’s released three albums so far. In addition to her own records, she’s been a featured guest vocalist on songs by Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Childish Gambino, and many, many others. In 2017, she released her third album, "Trip," which debuted at #5 on the Billboard Charts, and includes the song "Sativa." The song features guest vocals from Swae Lee, who’s one half of the band Rae Sremmurd. In this episode, Jhené tells the story of how “Sativa” was made, and how it got stuck, and then, how it got unstuck. She’s joined by producer Brian Warfield of the production duo Fisticuffs, who made the beat.
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue".
I interviewed the Scottish band CHVRCHES back in March 2016, in Austin, Texas. A few weeks ago, in May 2018, they released a new album called "Love is Dead." It features contributions from David Stewart of the Eurythmics, and another past Song Exploder guest, Matt Berninger of The National. So in honor of CHVRCHES new record, I wanted to go back and listen to their episode again. Here it is:
Thumbnail for "Yo La Tengo - Here You Are".
Yo La Tengo formed in 1984. The band is made up Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew. In March 2018, they released "There’s a Riot Going On," their 15th album. They made the record themselves—they recorded it entirely in their rehearsal studio with James handling the engineering duties. The album came together slowly, over a few years. In this episode, Georgia, James and Ira break down how they made the closing track from the record, the song "Here You Are."
Thumbnail for "Wolf Alice - Don't Delete the Kisses".
Wolf Alice is a band from North London. Their second album, "Visions of a Life," was released in September 2017. In this episode, singer Ellie Rowsell and drummer Joel Amey tell the story of how they made the song “Don’t Delete the Kisses.” The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and coming up later, you’ll hear some of his thoughts, as well. The song went through a lot of versions. A home demo that Ellie made, another demo with the full band, plus studio versions they recorded in LA with Justin. There were a lot of ideas that were created and then scrapped. In this episode, they trace the path through those ideas, as well how the song was influenced by Father John Misty, PJ Harvey, and the film "Frances Ha."
Thumbnail for "Re-issue: Kelela - Rewind".
In November 2015, I interviewed Kelela about her song “Rewind,” from her debut EP, Hallucinogen. Since that EP was released, she's gone on to collaborate on songs with Gorillaz and Solange, and released her first full-length, Take Me Apart, which was named one of the Top 10 albums of 2017 by Vulture, Pitchfork, Cosmo, and a bunch of others. So I wanted to go back and revisit Kelela’s episode, which originally came out in January 2016.
Thumbnail for "Jon Hopkins - Luminous Beings".
Jon Hopkins is an electronic music producer whose been nominated twice for the UK’s Mercury Prize. Along with his frequent collaborator, Brian Eno, he co-produced Coldplay's Grammy-award winning album, "Viva la Vida." In May 2018, Jon Hopkins released his fifth album, "Singularity." It was named Best New Music by Pitchfork. In this episode, Jon Hopkins takes apart the song "Luminous Beings," which was inspired in part by the mediative and therapeutic effects of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. Jon talks about his own experience with drug, and how it shaped this song. He also details the less magical moments where he hated the music was he making, and had to destroy it as part of the creative process.
Thumbnail for "Liz Phair - Divorce Song".
In 1993, Liz Phair released her debut album, Exile in Guyville. It was an instant hit, critically and commercially. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Spin and The Village Voice named it album of the year. Soon after, Rolling Stone put her on the cover of their magazine. Now, twenty-five years later, Exile in Guyville is being reissued as a deluxe boxset with photos, essays, and Liz Phair's original four-track cassette recordings. In this episode, Liz and Exile in Guyville's producer, Brad Wood, look back to tell the story of the creation of one of the songs on the album, "Divorce Song."
Thumbnail for "Arcade Fire - Put Your Money On Me".
Arcade Fire is a Grammy-winning six-piece band originally from Montreal. They’ve released five albums, and the last three have all debuted at number one on the charts. In this episode, singer Win Butler takes apart "Put Your Money On Me," from their 2017 album Everything Now. He breaks down how the influence of Marvin Gaye, Harry Nilsson, and ABBA all helped shape how the song eventually turned out. You’ll hear the original demo, and an alternate version of the song that was never finished. The story begins when Win and his wife and bandmate Régine Chassagne moved to New Orleans.
Thumbnail for "Kimbra - Top of the World".
Kimbra is a singer from New Zealand. Her first album came out in 2011, and in 2013 she won two Grammys for her collaboration with Gotye, the multiplatinum hit song "Somebody That I Used to Know." In this episode, Kimbra breaks down a song from 2018 called "Top of the World," a song she also made in collaboration—this time with artists Skrillex and Diplo.
Thumbnail for "Jack Johnson - You Can't Control It".
Jack Johnson is a grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Hawaii. He's had four number one albums on the Billboard charts. In September 2017, he released his seventh album, "All the Light Above It Too," and in this episode, Jack Johnson breaks down one of the songs from that album. It’s about parenting, politics, and the ocean. It’s called "You Can't Control It."
Thumbnail for "Ludwig Göransson - Black Panther".
Marvel’s Black Panther was released in theaters on February 16, 2018, and in just a few weeks, it made over a billion dollars worldwide. It’s already broken some box office records and it looks like it’s going to break some more. The score for the film was created by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson. His film and tv credits include Creed and New Girl. He’s also Grammy-nominated producer, who’s worked most often with rapper Childish Gambino. In this episode, Ludwig takes apart one of his pieces from Black Panther. The track is called “Killmonger,” and it’s the theme for Erik Killmonger, a character played by Michael B. Jordan. Black Panther is set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and coming up, Ludwig tells the story of doing research and making recordings in Africa, and how he incorporated that into the score for the film.
Thumbnail for "Natalie Prass - Short Court Style".
Natalie Prass released her debut album in 2015. That year, Time Magazine called her an Artist to Watch, Pitchfork gave the album Best New Music, and Stereogum named it one of the Top Albums of the Year. In this episode, Natalie Prass takes apart a new song form 2018, called "Short Court Style," her first track to come out since that debut album.
Thumbnail for "Moses Sumney - Quarrel".
Moses Sumney is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. His first album, Aromanticism, came out in September 2017, but before that, he’d already worked with an impressive and diverse list of collaborators, from Sufjan Stevens, to Solange, to Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to Skrillex. That spirit continues with the song Moses takes apart in this episode, which has contributions from producers Cam O’bi and Paris Strother, and legendary bassist Thundercat.
Thumbnail for "Bleachers - I Miss Those Days".
Bleachers is the moniker of Jack Antonoff, a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He won two Grammy awards as a member of the band fun., and another for his production work on Taylor Swift’s album 1989. He’s also co­-written songs with St. Vincent, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde, Sia, and more. In June 2017, Antonoff released his second album as Bleachers, Gone Now. In this episode, he breaks down a song from that album, called “I Miss Those Days" and traces the process of making it—from the original demo, to a version he discarded, to the final song.
Thumbnail for "Julien Baker - Appointments".
Julien Baker is from Memphis, Tennessee. She released her second album, Turn Out The Lights, in October 2017, on Matador Records. The New York Times called her music "devastating" and Pitchfork gave the album Best New Music. In this episode, Julien tells the story of her song "Appointments," and how writing it helped her work through her thoughts around addiction, depression, and relationships. Julien also takes apart the track "Over," which was written as part of Appointments, but then split off as a separate track.
Thumbnail for "The Roots - It Ain't Fair (feat. Bilal)".
Questlove breaks down The Roots' original song for the film Detroit.
Thumbnail for "R.E.M - Try Not to Breathe".
R.E.M. was formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, guitarist Peter Buck, and drummer Bill Berry. They’ve won three Grammys, and have sold over 85 million records. In 1992, the band released their eighth album, Automatic for the People. In honor of the 25th anniversary of its release, in this episode, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills take apart the song, “Try Not to Breathe.”
Thumbnail for "Nine Inch Nails - The Lovers".
Trent Reznor started Nine Inch Nails in 1988. He released eight albums, sold over 20 million records, won two Grammys and was nominated for 11 more. Then, in 2010, Trent Reznor and his longtime collaborator Atticus Ross scored the film The Social Network, and they won an Oscar for it. A few years later, in 2016, Atticus Ross joined Nine Inch Nails as an official member. The duo’s most recent release is Add Violence, an EP, and in this episode, Trent and Atticus break down a song from it called “The Lovers.”
Thumbnail for "Rachel Platten - Broken Glass".
Rachel Platten is a singer and songwriter who’s released four albums, including her 2016 album Wildfire, which went Gold. The lead single from that album, “Fight Song,” was used prominently by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. For a normally apolitical artist, the sudden proximity to the election had profound effects, both positive and negative. In this episode, Rachel breaks down her song “Broken Glass," which was inspired by that experience, and written just days before the 2016 election.
Thumbnail for "Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things (Main Title Theme)".
The show Stranger Things is a Netflix original series. It was first released in July 2016. Season Two’s release date: October 27, 2017. After the first season, the show was nominated for 18 Emmys, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. The theme music, along with the rest of the show’s score, was composed by Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon of the band SURVIVE. In this episode, they break down how they made the main title theme.
Thumbnail for "TOKiMONSTA - Bibimbap".
Los Angeles producer and beatmaker Jennifer Lee released her first album as TOKiMONSTA in 2010. She has released music on Flying Lotus's label Brainfeeder, and has collaborated with Kool Keith and Anderson .Paak, among others. Her newest album, Lune Rogue, was released in October 2017. In this episode, TOKiMONSTA breaks down her song "Bibimbap," which is named after a Korean dish.
Thumbnail for "The Killers - Rut".
The Killers formed in Las Vegas Nevada in 2001. Since then, they’ve released five records. Their newest album, Wonderful Wonderful, came out in September 2017. In this episode, singer Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci break down the song "Rut" from that album.
Thumbnail for "Lorde - Sober".
Lorde is a Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, and producer. Her second album, Melodrama, debuted at number one on the charts in June 2017 – five months before her 21st birthday. In this episode, Ella breaks down her song Sober. You’ll hear how it started, with the original demos she made with her co-producer Jack Antonoff, and how the song changed over the course of working on it for months and months.
Thumbnail for "Rostam - Bike Dream".
Rostam Batmanglij is a songwriter, producer, and composer, who first rose to prominence in 2006 as one of the members of Vampire Weekend. He’s produced songs for Frank Ocean, Solange, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more. But his September 2017 album ‘Half-Light’ is his first as a solo artist. In this episode, Rostam breaks down his song “Bike Dream.” He explains how it was influenced in part by bands like T.Rex and Coldplay, but “Bike Dream” began very differently from how it ended up.
Thumbnail for "Ibeyi - Deathless".
The band Ibeyi is made up of twin sisters Naomi Diaz, and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz. When they were only teenagers, they were signed to a record deal by Richard Russell, who had previously signed artists like Adele and Vampire Weekend to his label, XL. He...
Thumbnail for "Maggie Rogers - Alaska".
Maggie Rogers had a breakthrough moment when she was a student at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute. Pharrell Williams visited to her class, and when he heard her song "Alaska," his reaction was dramatic, and caught on video. The video of Pharrell...
Thumbnail for "St. Vincent - New York".
Annie Clark grew up in Texas, studied the guitar, and moved to New York in the mid-2000s. She started recording and performing under the name St Vincent in 2006. She’s released five albums, and won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2014....
Thumbnail for "Grizzly Bear - Four Cypresses".
Between 2004 and 2012, Grizzly Bear put out four critically-acclaimed albums. Their newest album is called Painted Ruins, and it features this song, Four Cypresses. In this episode, two members of the band, Chris Taylor and Daniel Rossen, tell...
Thumbnail for "Phoenix - Ti Amo".
Phoenix is a Grammy-winning band from Versailles, France. They started putting out music in 1999, and in June 2017, they released their sixth album, Ti Amo. In this episode, singer Thomas Mars and guitarist Laurent Brancowitz break down the song "Ti...
Thumbnail for "Slowdive - Sugar for the Pill".
Slowdive formed in 1989 in Reading, England. They put out 3 albums between 1991 and 1995, and their sound helped define the shoegaze genre. In 2017, the band released a critically-acclaimed self-titled album, their first in over twenty years. In this...
Thumbnail for "Goapele - Stand".
Goapele is a singer/songwriter from the Bay Area. She released her first album in 2001. Since then, she’s released five more albums and collaborated with Snoop Dogg. In 2017, on her album DreamSeeker, she put out the song "Stand." It was written in...
Thumbnail for "Fleet Foxes - Mearcstapa".
Fleet Foxes formed in Seattle, Washington in 2006. In 2011, they put out their second record, which was nominated for a Grammy, and then, the band went on hiatus. The lead singer and songwriter, Robin Pecknold, moved to New York to go to Columbia...
Thumbnail for "Michelle Branch - Best You Ever".
Michelle Branch is a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter. She released two platinum albums when she was still a teenager. Because those records were such huge hits, for a long time they defined her as an artist—for better or worse. Over...
Thumbnail for "alt-J - In Cold Blood".
Alt-J formed in Leeds, England in 2007. Their debut album won a Mercury Prize and their second was nominated for a Grammy. Their third album, Relaxer, came out in June 2017. In this episode, they break down “In Cold Blood,” from their new album....
Thumbnail for "Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World".
Michael Kiwanuka is a singer/songwriter from London. His second album, Love and Hate, came out in 2016, and was named one of the Best Albums of the Year from the BBC, NME, The Guardian, GQ, and more. One of the songs on the album was used as the theme...
Thumbnail for "Perfume Genius - Slip Away".
Mike Hadreas has been making music under the name Perfume Genius since 2008. In May 2017, he put out his fourth album, No Shape to widespread critical acclaim. In this episode, Mike breaks down the song Slip Away. I also spoke with producer Blake...
Thumbnail for "Little Dragon - Sweet".
Little Dragon is a Grammy-nominated band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in 1996, and they released their fifth album Season High in April 2017. In this episode, Yukimi Nagano and Erik Bodin from the band break down the song “Sweet.”...
Thumbnail for "Aimee Mann - Patient Zero".
Aimee Mann is a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter. In the 80s, she fronted the band Til Tuesday, and in 1993, she released her first solo album. In 2017, Aimee released her 9th album, Mental Illness, and in this episode, she tells the...
Thumbnail for "Gorillaz - Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)".
Gorillaz is the creation of musician Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett. They’re a virtual band made up four animated characters. Their songs are written by Damon Albarn and a roster of collaborators. Since the first album was released...
Thumbnail for "Dirty Projectors - Up in Hudson".
Dave Longstreth started making music under the name Dirty Projectors in 2002, while he was in college. Since then, he’s released seven albums and collaborated with Bjork, Solange, and Kanye West, Paul McCartney, and Rihanna. And Dirty Projectors...
Thumbnail for "Sleigh Bells - I Can Only Stare".
Sleigh Bells formed in 2008. They released their fourth album, Jessica Rabbit, in 2016. In this episode, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller break down their song "I Can Only Stare." I interviewed the two of them in front of a live audience at the Kaufman...
Thumbnail for "Bonobo - Break Apart (feat. Rhye)".
Simon Green is a producer and DJ who’s been making music under the name Bonobo since 2000. In January 2017 he released his sixth studio album, Migration. For the song “Break Apart," he enlisted Rhye to add vocals, and in this episode, the two of...
Thumbnail for "Sara Watkins - Without a Word".
Sara Watkins began her music career when she was only 8 years old, as one of the founding members of the Grammy-award winning band Nickel Creek. In 2016, she released her third solo album, Young in all the Wrong Ways. In this episode, Sara breaks down...
Thumbnail for "Dropkick Murphys - Blood".
The band Dropkick Murphys formed in Boston in 1996. For over twenty years, they’ve made music that’s reflected the culture and community they’ve come from, including their platinum single "Shipping Up to Boston." In January 2017, they released...
Thumbnail for "Nicholas Britell - Moonlight".
The film Moonlight tells the story of its main character, Chiron, in three chapters: when Chiron is a young boy, nicknamed Little, when he's a teenager, and when he's an adult, nicknamed Black. For each chapter of the film, composer Nicholas Britell...
Thumbnail for "Solange - Cranes in the Sky".
Solange Knowles released her first album in 2002, at the age of 16. Her third album, A Seat at the Table, came out in September 2016, and debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. It’s gotten widespread critical acclaim, including being named album of...
Thumbnail for "Metallica - Moth into Flame".
Metallica formed in 1981. They were teenagers. Since then, they’ve gone on to become one of the most successful bands of all time, selling over 110 million records worldwide. In November 2016, they released their tenth album, Hardwired…to...
Thumbnail for "Justin Hurwitz - La La Land".
The film LA LA LAND tells the story of Mia, an aspiring actress played by Emma Stone, and Sebastian, a jazz pianist played by Ryan Gosling, both of them struggling artists in Los Angeles. The musical was written and directed by Damien Chazelle in...
Thumbnail for "DJ Shadow - Mutual Slump".
In 1996, Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow, released his first album, Endtroducing. It’s been hailed pretty much universally as one of the best albums of the 90s, and Time Magazine included in its top 100 Albums of all time. It changed hip-hop and...
Thumbnail for "Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me".
Angel Olsen released her third album, My Woman, in September 2016. It’s been critically acclaimed, including Pitchfork’s Best New Music and NME’s best albums of the year. In this episode, Angel Olsen takes apart the song "Shut Up Kiss Me." She...
Thumbnail for "Jóhann Jóhannsson - Arrival".
In the film Arrival, Amy Adams plays a linguist trying to decode an alien language. The score was composed by Johann Johannsson, his third film collaborating with director Denis Villeneuve. In this episode, Johann breaks down a piece from the score...
Thumbnail for "Flatbush Zombies - Bounce".
Flatbush Zombies are a hip hop trio from Brooklyn. They formed in 2010. Their album 3001: A Laced Odyssey came out in 2016, and debuted in the top ten on the Billboard charts. Erick the Architect is one of the three MCs in the band (along with Meechy...
Thumbnail for "Oathbreaker - 10:56 / Second Son of R.".
The band Oathbreaker formed in 2008 in Belgium. In this episode, Caro and Gilles from the band break down the two-part song that opens their third album, Rheia. These two tracks, 10:56 and Second Son of R., were written and performed as one song....
Thumbnail for "James Vincent McMorrow - Get Low".
James Vincent McMorrow is a singer/songwriter whose first albums fell somewhere on the folk music side of things. But his sound has changed over the years, incorporating elements of R&B and electronic music. On the album We Move, James worked with...
Thumbnail for "Phantogram - You Don't Get Me High Anymore".
Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter started Phantogram in 2007. They’ve worked on crafting a particular sound and they’ve had a particular way of making their dense productions since the beginning. But for their new record, Three, things changed. The...
Thumbnail for "Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks".
In 2006, Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John released their third album, Writer’s Block. For months and months after that, it felt like you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the first single from that album, "Young Folks." It was on top 10 lists...
Thumbnail for "Mitski - Your Best American Girl".
Mitski has been making records since 2012. Her third record, Puberty 2, came out in June 2016 and was critically acclaimed Pitchfork gave it Best New Music status. Her music has been featured in the tv show Adventure Time. In this episode, Mitski...
Thumbnail for "Tobacco - Gods in Heat".
Tom Fec, aka Tobacco, has released four albums since 2008. He's also the frontman of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow, and he created the theme music for the HBO show Silicon Valley. In this episode, Tom breaks down his song "Gods in Heat" from his...
Thumbnail for "Andra Day - Forever Mine".
Singer/songwriter Andra Day put out her first record in August 2015. Since then, she’s been invited by the Obamas to perform at the White House on multiple occasions, and the record was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B album. In this episode,...
Thumbnail for "Patrick Carney feat. Ralph Carney - BoJack Horseman (Main Title Theme)".
BoJack Horseman is a Netflix original series, an animated comedy about a washed up 90s sitcom star who's trying to figure out his life and career without drowning in self-loathing and existential despair. It won the 2016 Critics Choice award for best...
Thumbnail for "Band of Horses - Solemn Oath".
Band of Horses released their 5th album in June 2016. In this episode, the band’s frontman, Ben Bridwell breaks down the song Solemn Oath, and how in the process of writing it, he confronted writer’s block, and balancing his life in the band and...
Thumbnail for "Grimes - Kill V. Maim".
Grimes is the project of Claire Boucher. In 2015, she released Art Angels, her 4th  album. In this episode, she breaks down her song Kill V. Maim, her feelings about singing, and how the experience of writing songs for other artists opened up the...
Thumbnail for "Andrew Bird - Roma Fade".
Andrew Bird is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, maybe known best for his violin playing and his whistling. In this episode, Andrew breaks down his song Roma Fade, from the 2016 album Are You Serious?
Thumbnail for "CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue".
CHVRCHES is a trio from Glasgow, Scotland. In this episode, they break down the song "Clearest Blue," from their sophomore album Every Open Eye. You'll hear the band's original demo as well as why they start songs with a set of rules, but then quickly...
Thumbnail for "ODESZA - Kusanagi".
In September 2014, Odesza put out their album In Return. It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic charts, and spent 13 weeks in the top 10. But the song Kusanagi isn't a dance track. It slows down the pace of the album, and in this episode,...
Thumbnail for "Old Crow Medicine Show - Dearly Departed Friend".
Old Crow Medicine Show is a six-piece band from Tennessee, who have been around since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2013, and they won the Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2015, for their record Remedy. In this episode, bandleader...
Thumbnail for "Busdriver - Worlds to Run".
Busdriver is a rapper from Los Angeles, and since 2001, he's been releasing albums with a signature hyperliterate, intellectual style. But over a decade later, Busdriver has found himself reaching for something more intimate and personal. In this...
Thumbnail for "Carly Rae Jepsen - When I Needed You".
Carly Rae Jepsen released her third album, Emotion, in 2015. The closing track on the record is When I Needed You. In this episode, Carly tells the story of how the song was made. You'll hear the first demo for the song, a version she co-wrote with...
Thumbnail for "The Lumineers - Ophelia".
The Lumineers released their second album on April 8, 2016. Their first album went platinum, and they spent months touring relentlessly in support of it. That schedule took a toll on their relationship, but they ended up putting it into their...
Thumbnail for "Weezer - Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori".
Weezer's 10th album, the self-titled "White" album, came out April 1, 2016. In this episode, Rivers Cuomo breaks down the meticulous process of making the song "Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori," through the different demo versions that the track went...
Thumbnail for "Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Astonished Man".
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down released the album A Man Alive in March 2016. In this episode, Thao Nguyen breaks down the song "Astonished Man." Thao talks about working with Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards, who produced the album, and she speaks...
Thumbnail for "Iggy Pop - American Valhalla".
Iggy Pop is a pioneer of punk rock, whose legendary career began over fifty years ago. In 2015, he began collaborating on music with Joshua Homme, of Queens of the Stone Age. The result was Iggy Pop’s 23rd album, Post Pop Depression. In this...
Thumbnail for "Oneohtrix Point Never - Sticky Drama".
Daniel Lopatin has been making experimental electronic music as Oneohtrix Point Never since 2007. In this episode, he takes apart the song "Sticky Drama," from his 2015 album Garden of Delete. He breaks down how he created artificial voices using...
Thumbnail for "KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See".
Singer/songwriter KT Tunstall released her debut album in 2004. It was nominated for a Mercury Prize. The song "Suddenly I See" from that record was a hit on the radio and it’s been used in the soundtracks of big movies and television shows. But...
Thumbnail for "Clipping - Work Work".
Clipping is a trio made up of producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, and rapper Daveed Diggs. You might be familiar with Daveed’s voice from his roles as Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette in the hit Broadway musical Hamilton....
Thumbnail for "The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers".
The New Pornographers are kind of a supergroup, with seven members in the band, including Neko Case and Dan Bejar, who are both acclaimed songwriters with their own successful solo careers. But the band is led by Carl Newman, and in this episode, he...
Thumbnail for "Kelela - Rewind".
Kelela is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. In 2015, she released Hallucinogen, and landed on critics' lists in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Pitchfork, and more. In this episode, Kelela takes apart her song Rewind. To make the...
Thumbnail for "MGMT - Time to Pretend".
MGMT was formed by Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden in 2001. The song Time to Pretend was one they wrote early in their career. It first came out on their debut: the Time to Pretend EP in 2005. And three years after that, they put out a new...
Thumbnail for "Courtney Barnett - Depreston".
Courtney Barnett released her debut album in March 2015. By the end of the year, she had been nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist, Spin named her the Songwriter of the Year, and she won four ARIA Music Awards in her native Australia. In this...
Thumbnail for "Björk - Stonemilker".
In January 2015, Björk released Vulnicura. She described it as "a complete heartbreak album." And in November, she released Vulnicura Strings, a companion album that stripped away the electronics. In this episode, Björk breaks down the...
Thumbnail for "Dustin O'Halloran - Transparent (Main Title Theme)".
Transparent is an Amazon original series, created by Jill Soloway. The story centers on a family where the father, played by Jeffrey Tambor, comes out to his children and the to world at large as transgender. The first season was released in September...
Thumbnail for "Wilco - Magnetized".
Wilco formed in 1994, and 21 years later, they released their 9th album, Star Wars. In this episode, Jeff Tweedy, the band’s singer and principal songwriter, breaks down the song Magnetized. In addition to collaborating with his five bandmates,...
Thumbnail for "Natalia Lafourcade - Hasta la Raíz".
Natalia Lafourcade has won eight Latin Grammys, including three for the song Hasta la Raíz, which won the 2015 Song of the Year and Record of the Year, as well as Best Alternative Song. In this episode, Natalia breaks down the writing and...
Thumbnail for "Youth Lagoon - The Knower".
Youth Lagoon is the moniker of Trevor Powers, who has been releasing albums under the name since 2011. In this episode, Trevor breaks down “The Knower,” the lead single from his newest record, Savage Hills Ballroom. He talks about how...
Thumbnail for "The Arcs - Put a Flower in Your Pocket".
The Arcs is a new project from Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. He started the band with some of the musicians and producers he's worked with over the years. For this episode, Dan and his bandmates Richard Swift and Leon Michels break down how they...
Thumbnail for "Chet Faker - Gold".
Chet Faker is the stage name of Australian singer and songwriter Nick Murphy. His debut album, Built on Glass, won five ARIA Awards, Australia’s version of the Grammys, including Best Male Artist, Producer of the Year, and Best Independent...
Thumbnail for "Harry Gregson-Williams - The Martian".
In the film "The Martian," astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) is stranded on Mars, forced to rely on science and his ingenuity in order to survive. The film opened at #1 at the box office, and has earned critical praise as well. In this...
Thumbnail for "Deradoorian - A Beautiful Woman".
Angel Deradoorian has been a member of the bands Dirty Projectors and Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks, and has contributed to albums by Vampire Weekend, Flying Lotus, and Brandon Flowers. This year she released her first full-length album as Deradoorian,...
Thumbnail for "The Magnetic Fields - Andrew in Drag".
Stephin Merritt has fronted the band The Magnetic Fields for over twenty-five years. In this episode, he breaks down the song "Andrew in Drag" from the band’s latest album, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, even though he doesn't actually remember...
Thumbnail for "Joey Bada$$ - Hazeus View".
Joey Bada$$ released his debut album on January 20, 2015: his 20th birthday. It hit the Top 5 on the Billboard charts. For the track "Hazeus View," he worked with Kirk Knight, another member of the Pro Era hip-hop collective. In this episode, the two...
Thumbnail for "American Football - The One With The Tambourine".
The band American Football formed in 1997, and released only one album and an EP before breaking up about three years later. Their critically acclaimed debut went on to achieve cult status as one of the most influential records of the '90s, and was...
Thumbnail for "Best Coast - Feeling Ok".
In this episode, Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno of the band Best Coast take apart their song "Feeling Ok," from the 2015 album California Nights. They trace their process and their influences, from the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" to the video...
Thumbnail for "HEALTH - Stonefist".
The band HEALTH formed in Los Angeles in 2005. Their newest record, Death Magic, came out in 2015. They spent four years trying to make it. They describe themselves as a noise band, but for this record, they reinvented their palette and their process....
Thumbnail for "Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love".
Multi-Love is the title track from the 2015 album by Unknown Mortal Orchestra. In this episode, Ruban Nielson tells the story of how he made the song with help from his brother Kody Nielson, and how it was influenced by Romeo and Juliet, Questlove,...
Thumbnail for "Thundercat - Them Changes".
Thundercat is the alter-ego of bassist and singer-songwriter Stephen Bruner. He’s played bass for both Suicidal Tendencies and Erykah Badu and went on to help shape Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly.' In this episode, Thundercat will break...
Thumbnail for "Death Cab for Cutie - El Dorado".
Death Cab for Cutie released Kintsugi, their 8th album, on March 31, 2015. The song El Dorado, like other songs on the record, was written in the wake of the divorce between the band's lead singer Ben Gibbard and actress Zooey Deschanel. In this...
Thumbnail for "Sylvan Esso - Coffee".
Sylvan Esso - Coffee
Thumbnail for "U2 - Cedarwood Road".
10 Cedarwood Road is the address of Bono’s childhood home in Dublin. For the U2 song "Cedarwood Road," Bono looked back to his life there as a teenager, when skinhead culture seeped into his neighborhood via the Seven Towers, housing projects...
Thumbnail for "Will Butler - Anna".
Will Butler is a member of the band Arcade Fire, and he co-wrote the score for the film Her, which earned him an Oscar nomination. In March 2015, he put out his first solo album, Policy, and in this episode, he breaks down the song "Anna" from that...
Thumbnail for "Ramin Djawadi - Game of Thrones".
Game of Thrones premiered on HBO in April 2011 and became the most watched show in HBO's history. The main title theme was written by Emmy-nominated composer Ramin Djawadi. In this episode, he'll break down the different elements in the piece, and how...
Thumbnail for "Brian Tyler - Avengers: Age of Ultron".
The title card for Avengers: Age of Ultron comes up twelve minutes into the movie. Against a black background, the Avengers logo takes up almost the entire screen. You might expect a triumphant, heroic piece of music, but the film called for something...
Thumbnail for "tUnE-yArDs - Water Fountain".
In this episode, Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs breaks down "Water Fountain." It's a song that draws inspiration from the politics of drought and dancehall reggae, and you'll hear how (and why) she tried to make this song less catchy. Despite that...
Thumbnail for "My Morning Jacket - Spring (Among the Living)".
Jim James is the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated band My Morning Jacket. Since starting in 1998, they've put out six albums, and in this episode, Jim breaks down the song Spring (Among The Living), from their soon-to-be released seventh album, The...
Thumbnail for "Toro y Moi - Half Dome".
Over the past five years, Chaz Bundick, aka Toro y Moi, has made music that's spanned a range of genres and styles. On his newest album, What For?, he shifted styles again. In this episode, Chaz explains why. He'll break down the song Half Dome, named...
Thumbnail for "RJD2 - Games You Can Win (feat. Kenna)".
RJD2 has been making music since 2002. His song "A Beautiful Mine" was turned into the opening credits music for Mad Men. He's a producer and beatmaker, but also a singer and songwriter. But for the vocals on the song "Games You Can Win," he tapped...
Thumbnail for "How to Dress Well - Pour Cyril".
In an interview with Belgian filmmakers the Dardenne brothers, talking about the kinds of stories they tell, Luc Dardenne says, "Human suffering; that interests us very much." It also interests Tom Krell, a songwriter and producer who goes by the name...
Thumbnail for "White Hinterland - Ring the Bell".
Casey Dienel is a producer, singer, and songwriter who goes by the name White Hinterland. In this episode, she'll break down her song Ring the Bell. To make it, she had to break out of her comfort zone of working alone and reach to other people. She...
Thumbnail for "Warpaint - Love Is to Die".
In 2013, Warpaint starting working on their sophomore album. They retreated away from their home in Los Angeles to the nearby desert oasis of Joshua Tree, California. There, they wrote the song "Love Is to Die," and it was decided that it would be the...
Thumbnail for "Jeremy Zuckerman - The Legend of Korra".
In 2005, Nickelodeon premiered an animated series called Avatar: The Last Airbender, about a young boy and his friends who have to keep peace and balance in the world. It combined fantasy and martial arts, and ran for four seasons, won an Emmy and a...
Thumbnail for "The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud".
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart while reentering the earth's atmosphere. John Roderick, singer and songwriter of The Long Winters, wrote "The Commander Thinks Aloud" about that fateful moment. This episode was made from an...
Thumbnail for "Blonde Redhead - Penultimo".
The band Blonde Redhead formed in 1993. Twenty-one years later, in 2014, the trio released their 9th album, and in this episode, they deconstruct Penultimo, a song from that record that caused some dissent between the band members. At the heart of the...
Thumbnail for "Ghostface Killah - The Battlefield".
In November 2014, Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan released his 11th album, called 36 Seasons. A lot of people worked on it: soul band The Revelations served as a kind of house backing band for the whole thing. Lil' Fame from M.O.P. and engineer...
Thumbnail for "The National - Sea of Love".
The National formed in 1999. They've released six albums, and have been nominated for a grammy. Their music is everywhere from Game of Thrones, to Bob's Burgers, to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In 2013 they released their sixth album, Trouble...
Thumbnail for "Tycho - Awake".
Tycho is the project of designer-turned-musician Scott Hansen, along with guitarist Zac Brown and drummer Rory O'Connor. For this episode, which was recorded in front of a live audience in San Francisco, Scott breaks down the title track from the...
Thumbnail for "Stars - No One Is Lost".
Stars is a band from Toronto, who have been making music together since 2000. Their seventh album was released in October 2014. For this episode, I spoke to several members of the band: singer Amy Millan over the phone, and to Evan and Patty in their...
Thumbnail for "The Books - Smells Like Content".
Before The Books broke up, they released four albums that combined composed music and found sounds. In this episode, Nick Zammuto explains how he crafted the song Smells Like Content, off of their 2005 album Lost and Safe, out of unlikely...
Thumbnail for "Julia Holter - Horns Surrounding Me".
Julia Holter studied composition, and in the song Horns Surrounding Me, she arranges not only acoustic and electronic instruments, but also layers of ambient field recordings and background noise. The song was released in 2013 on her acclaimed album...
Thumbnail for "Valley Lodge - Go".
Dave Hill is a comedian and host of his own podcast which, like Song Exploder, is on the Maximum Fun network. He's also the frontman of the band Valley Lodge. In this episode, Dave will deconstruct the Valley Lodge song Go, which you might recognize...
Thumbnail for "RAC - Let Go (feat. Kele & MNDR)".
Andre Allen Anjos is better known as RAC, a musician who first found success by remixing other people's songs. His remixes for artists like Lana Del Rey have gotten millions of plays online. In 2013, RAC released Strangers, his first album of original...
Thumbnail for "The Thermals - No Culture Icons".
The Thermals originally began as Hutch Harris's solo recording project. He sang and played all the instruments on the 2003 Thermals record More Parts Per Million. In this episode, Hutch breaks down his lo-fi recording of the song No Culture...
Thumbnail for "Anamanaguchi - Prom Night".
In addition to guitars, drums, and bass, the band Anamanaguchi makes their music with the 8-bit sounds that were built into Nintendo video game consoles made in the 1980s. They use software called a tracker to meticulously sequence and produce those...
Thumbnail for "Spoon - Inside Out".
Spoon was formed in 1993 by singer Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno. They've released eight albums, including their most recent record, They Want My Soul, which came out in August 2014. In this episode, Jim Eno breaks down the song Inside Out,...
Thumbnail for "Brian Reitzell - Watch Dogs".
In May 2014, the video game company Ubisoft released Watch Dogs, about a vigilante hacker in Chicago in the near future. Here's how the game is described on their website: "You play as Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker and former thug, whose criminal...
Thumbnail for "Open Mike Eagle - Dark Comedy Morning Show (feat. Toy Light)".
In this episode, rapper Open Mike Eagle talks about making the song Dark Comedy Morning Show, along with the track's producer, Walker Ashby, aka Toy Light. Mike breaks down how Toy Light's original instrumental version of this song inspired him, and...
Thumbnail for "The Microphones - I Want Wind to Blow".
In the fall of 2001, Phil Elverum released the album The Glow Pt 2 on K Records. Pitchfork named it the best album of the year. In this episode, Phil recounts how he created the first song on the record at Dub Narcotic Studio. He spoke with me from...
Thumbnail for "Converge - Dark Horse".
The band Converge formed in 1990, when its members were teenagers. They've been making music that lives somewhere in the intersection of punk, hardcore, and metal for almost 25 years. Guitarist Kurt Ballou spoke to me from his studio GodCity, which is...
Thumbnail for "Nite Jewel - One Second of Love".
In this episode, we'll get a deconstructed view of the song One Second of Love by Nite Jewel. I spoke to Ramona Gonzalez of Nite Jewel and her partner and producer Cole MGN in their home studio in Los Angeles as they took a break from making a new...
Thumbnail for "Garbage - Felt".
The band Garbage formed in 1994 when three guys from Madison Wisconsin — Butch Vig, Steve Marker, and Duke Erikson, met Scottish singer Shirley Manson. Twenty years later, they've sold over 17 million records worldwide. In this episode, we'll...
Thumbnail for "Poliça - Smug".
Ryan Olson is a member of the band Polica. Though he doesn't perform with them live, he put the band together, produces the songs, and co-writes them. I interviewed Ryan in his bedroom studio in Minneapolis. In this episode, he breaks down the song...
Thumbnail for "Loren Bouchard - Bob's Burgers (Theme Song)".
Loren Bouchard is the creator of the animated television comedy Bob's Burgers, a series about a family and the restaurant they own and live above, currently in its fourth season on Fox. In addition to being the co-executive producer and showrunner,...
Thumbnail for "Jeff Beal - House of Cards (Main Title Theme)".
Composer Jeff Beal deconstructs the main title theme music to the Netflix original series House of Cards. The show has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Original Main Title Theme and Outstanding Music Composition. The show...
Thumbnail for "Daedelus - Experience".
Alfred Darlington, better known as Daedelus, takes apart his song Experience. This early track of his is made with only acoustic sounds, but Alfred still considers it a piece of electronic music, and explains why. He also talks about the unexpected...
Thumbnail for "Sea Wolf - Kasper".
Alex Brown Church of Sea Wolf breaks down Kasper, a song from the album Old World Romance. He talks about his songwriting process, collaborating with his bandmates, and the evolution that comes with learning the difference between making something...
Thumbnail for "Baths - Miasma Sky".
Will Wiesenfeld of Baths breaks down his song Miasma Sky, which came out last year on his highly-praised sophomore album Obsidian. Will talks about using the computer to intentionally destroy sounds, trying to find a balance in his music between...
Thumbnail for "YACHT - Plastic Soul".
Claire and Jona of the band YACHT deconstruct their brand new single Plastic Soul, a fun pop song about human suffering. They explain how technology inspired them musically as well as lyrically, and how they recycle bits of their old recordings to...
Thumbnail for "The Album Leaf - The Outer Banks".
Jimmy LaValle of The Album Leaf takes apart The Outer Banks, a song he recorded in Iceland with members of Sigur Ros accompanying him. He reveals how the melody of the song was made from a glockenspiel, violin, and Moog synthesizer; and he talks about...
Thumbnail for "The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight".
Our first guest on Song Exploder is Jimmy Tamborello, aka Dntel, aka one half of The Postal Service (the other half being Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie). Jimmy breaks down the song The District Sleeps Alone Tonight, and talks about his...

Norah Jones - Day Breaks

Thumbnail for "Norah Jones - Day Breaks".
March 30, 201714min 22sec

Since her debut in 2002, Norah Jones has sold over 50 million albums, and won 8 Grammys. She released Day Breaks, her sixth album, in 2016. In this episode, she takes apart the title track and details how all the pieces unexpectedly came together. You’ll hear her original demo for the song and how it was transformed in the studio, including a session with jazz saxophone legend Wayne Shorter. Plus, a few thoughts from Norah’s co-producer and longtime collaborator Sarah Oda.

songexploder.net/norah-jones

Thumbnail for "Norah Jones - Day Breaks".
Norah Jones - Day Breaks
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14:22