New episode with @charli_xcx, breaking down how she made "Camera" — songexploder.net/charli-xcx

On today's episode of the podcast, @TheGrahamNash breaks down the making of "Our House," the love song he wrote for @jonimitchell. This is a really special one; hearing the isolated voices of Crosby, Stills, and Nash in harmony is amazing. songexploder.net/csny

.@troyesivan tells the story of making “One of Your Girls” in the new episode. You’ll hear the first draft voice memos, his isolated vocal takes, and more, as he maps the story across continents and the creative decisions that went into the song. Listen: songexploder.net/troye-sivan

New episode! @remiwolf tells the story of making her song “Soup,” which began with the aim of making a fun anthem, and then quickly turned into something pretty vulnerable. Listen: songexploder.net/remi-wolf

Out today: the beautiful, deeply personal story of @samsmith’s massive hit “Stay With Me.” They tell the story of how the song was first made and developed, and how —years later—they made a change to the song to be even more true to who they are. Listen: songexploder.net/sam-smith

.@theflaminglips break down how they wrote and recorded their classic hit "Do You Realize??" – from the very first demo to the 'wizard of oz choir' to the drum fill they stole from one of their old recordings. songexploder.net/the-flaming-li…

The great @FeistMusic breaks down the making of her song “In Lightning”  —  songexploder.net/feist.

.@madmcferrin wrote "Run" after learning her great-great-great grandmother had escaped slavery. She breaks down how she created the song (featuring some incredible guest vocals from another relative —her father, Bobby McFerrin) in today's episode: songexploder.net/madison-mcferr…

On today’s episode, @neworder break down how they made their hit song “Blue Monday.” They originally intended it as an instrumental that they could hit 'play' on as they walked off stage, but it became the best-selling 12" vinyl single of all time. Listen: songexploder.net/new-order

Yaeji (@kraeji) tells the story of creating her song “Passed Me By,” about confronting her past. She sings in English and Korean, and explains how intertwining them affects the meaning of the lyrics. songexploder.net/yaeji

.@Seal breaks down how he made "Kiss from a Rose" (!!!) alongside his longtime producer @Trevor_Horn_. Hear Seal's incredible isolated vocals and the story of how this song almost came and went without notice. It's our 250th episode! Listen here: songexploder.net/seal

MUNA (@whereisMUNA) tell the story of how the three of them made “What I Want,” with help from @LelandOfficial. Listen: songexploder.net/muna

Ending the year with @Sampa_The_Great, who tells the story of making her epic song "Let Me Be Great" – along with producer @thenameisMag44 and legendary singer @angeliquekidjo. A lot of laughs and joy in this episode, and a beautiful story. songexploder.net/sampa-the-great.

.@SonLux breaks down "This Is a Life," the end credits song from Everything Everywhere @allatoncemovie – featuring @mitskileaks & David Byrne (@DBtodomundo) on vocals! And the @Daniels help tell the story of how it all came together. Listen here: songexploder.net/son-lux

Nigerian afrobeats star @Omah_Lay breaks down how he wrote “Never Forget,” a song for his late father. @semzibeatz, who made the instrumental, helps tell the story. Listen: songexploder.net/omah-lay

Sam Beam of @IronAndWine breaks down how he made his 2007 song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" (which became a surprise hit a year after it came out, thanks to the first Twilight movie). Listen at songexploder.net/iron-and-wine

.@Santigold tells the story of how she made “Ushers of the New World," and how she enlisted @RICKYBLAZE, @matsoR, and @psymun, curating and combining their different skills and strengths as producers to bring the song to life. Listen: songexploder.net/santigold

.@KINGPRINCESS69 breaks down how she made her song "Let Us Die" with collaborators @EthanGruska and @MarkRonson. They tell the story of how the track transformed thanks to the late, great Taylor Hawkins on drums, in one of his final recordings. Listen: songexploder.net/king-princess

This week on Book Exploder: Carmen Maria Machado breaks down how she wrote a passage from her devastating memoir ‘In the Dream House.’ Listen –  bookexploder.com/episodes/carme…

This week: in honor of Björk's new music and her new podcast, I wanted to revisit her episode about her song "Stonemilker," from 2015. songexploder.net/björk

New Book Exploder! Author Michael Cunningham breaks down a passage from his Pulitzer-winning novel ‘The Hours.’ He and @susanorlean discuss how formative Virginia Woolf was to him, and the decisions he made in depicting her death in the book’s prologue.
bookexploder.com/episodes/micha…

On today’s episode: @Madonna! She breaks down her 2005 hit “Hung Up,” along with co-writer and co-producer Stuart Price. The two of them tell the story of how they made a song about falling in and out of love (with a little bit of help from ABBA). Listen: songexploder.net/madonna

Next Wednesday on the podcast: @Madonna.

.@kaetempest breaks down "Move," along with producer and longtime collaborator Dan Carey. Hear how the original demo, written in a difficult time before Kae came out as trans and nonbinary, eventually evolved into the dramatically different final version. songexploder.net/kae-tempest

.@sudanarchives breaks down “Selfish Soul,” a song she wrote after shaving her head, and thinking about all the feelings and cultural and racial issues that get caught up in the hair stories of Black women. Listen:
songexploder.net/sudan-archives

Maia from @mxmtoon breaks down her song “Mona Lisa.” She wanted to re-imagine great art, since there isn’t really any representation for her in the western canon, and do it in a way that recalled the joyful songs she loved when she was six years old. songexploder.net/mxmtoon

.@mmonicamartinn tells the story of making “Go Easy, Kid,” which includes contributions from @jamesblake and @khushimusic. Khushi breaks down his production on the track, and how it reflects the story in Monica’s lyrics. It’s up at songexploder.net/monica-martin and on yr podcast apps!

.@MarenMorris breaks down the making of her song “Humble Quest” - and how being humble can be a double-edged sword, especially in the world of country music. songexploder.net/maren-morris

.@rickastley tells the story of how his smash hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" (!!!) was made in a studio where he worked as an assistant, making tea while he waited to become a pop star. Co-producer/co-writer Mike Stock helps break things down. songexploder.net/rick-astley

.@kevinmorby tells the story of how he made the song “This Is a Photograph.” It’s a story about his family, the pandemic, and times that have already happened, and times that haven’t happened yet. songexploder.net/kevin-morby

.@arooj_aftab tells the story of making her gorgeous, Grammy-winning song “Mohabbat,” and how deeply personal it is to her. songexploder.net/arooj-aftab

Hey! Song Exploder won four Webby awards!!! Best Music Podcast, plus the @johnlennon episode won Best Arts & Culture episode, Featured Guest Episode, and the People's Voice Award for Featured Guest (thanks for voting for that one!)

In today's episode, @peaches tells the story of how she made her iconic anthem from 2006, "Boys Wanna Be Her." songexploder.net/peaches

!!! Legendary composer @SteveReich discusses how and why he created his 1988 piece “Different Trains,” recorded by @kronosquartet. This was a VERY exciting episode to make. (And Steve Reich could not have been more delightful to talk to.) Listen: songexploder.net/steve-reich

This week, I re-issued the @perfumegenius episode – one of my favorites – because next week, Perfume Genius is performing live at the SONG EXPLODER STAGE at @sxsw! Along with @kimbramusic, @flyanakin, @jennyowenyoungs, @sarahkinsleyd. Come out! And listen: songexploder.net/perfume-genius

If you’re going to @sxsw, come to the Song Exploder stage on 3/16 to hear live sets from (and conversations with) @perfumegenius! @kimbramusic! @flyanakin! @jennyowenyoungs! and @sarahkinsleyd! VERY EXCITING! sxsw.com/music/2022/son…. ps: Fuck Greg Abbott. Donate to @TransTexas.

.@brandicarlile tells the story of making “You and Me on the Rock (feat. @ilovelucius),” and how it was inspired by her family, and influenced by @jonimitchell. New episode out now! songexploder.net/brandi-carlile

Today on the podcast, the story of making the modern-day classic “Take Me Out” by @Franz_Ferdinand, as told by singer/guitarist @alkapranos. The dictaphone demo! The World War II movie that inspired the lyrics! Listen: songexploder.net/franz-ferdinand

Starting the year off with an episode with @joyoladokun. Joy wrote “Look Up” by channeling her partner’s voice, as a reminder to herself to fight her own natural pessimism. Listen at songexploder.net/joy-oladokun.

Ending this year with the legendary @dannyelfman telling the story of how he made “What’s This?” from Tim Burton’s classic ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’ (with my favorite episode illustration of the year from @lerms.) Happy holidays! songexploder.net/danny-elfman

.@halsey started writing “You Asked for This” when she was four months pregnant. In this episode, she breaks down the song, and how it was shaped by her sense of identity just before becoming a mother. songexploder.net/halsey

New episode today: Oscar-winning composer @HansZimmer breaks down how he created the music for DUNE  —  music he'd been hearing in his head since reading the Frank Herbert novel at age 13. songexploder.net/dune

Adam Granduciel of @TheWarOnDrugs breaks down the making of the song "I Don't Live Here Anymore (feat. Lucius)," from his first voice memo to the final tracks, and tells the story of how it was influenced by Bob Dylan and by his own newborn son. songexploder.net/the-war-on-dru…

Willow Smith (@OfficialWillow) breaks down her hit “Transparent Soul,” and how philosophy, fake friends, her pop star training—and her hatred of her pop star training—came together in the way she made this song. songexploder.net/willow

Today, as a bonus episode on the podcast, I’m sharing a TED talk I gave recently. It’s about how Song Exploder changed the way I think about how to listen, and how to connect with people and their stories. It also features a personal story of my own. songexploder.net/ted

Incredibly, today’s episode features @johnlennon breaking down how he made the song “God,” from his first solo album! His family gave me access to his raw recordings and archival interviews with him & his bandmates to tell this fascinating story. songexploder.net/john-lennon

On today's episode: @lucydacus tells the story of how and why she made her beautiful, brutal song "Thumbs" – a song she thought would be the simplest one to record, but ended up taking many attempts and ideas to get right. songexploder.net/lucy-dacus

New episode with @MustafaThePoet, breaking down his haunting and devastating song “Air Forces,” which he made with @FrankDukes, Jamie xx, and Simon on the Moon. songexploder.net/mustafa

.@LykkeLi tells the story of making her hit “I Follow Rivers,” at a time when she was “mega, mega heartbroken.” She and producer/co-writer Björn Yttling (of @PeterBjornJohn) break down the song, in celebration of its 10th anniversary. songexploder.net/lykke-li

James Mercer of @TheShins explodes "New Slang"! He breaks down how he made the song, and how it represents a snapshot of his life as a 20-something in Albuquerque, "trying to come of age, and not succeeding." songexploder.net/the-shins

This week, a classic: “Surrender” by @cheaptrick! Guitarist Rick Nielsen breaks down the song and how he wrote the ultimate teenage anthem. songexploder.net/cheap-trick

Fousheé (@FousheeLive) created a @splice sample of her voice singing a hook, and someone used it to create a viral hit song—but without crediting her, which led her to write her own song based on the same hook—which also ended up a hit! She breaks it down: songexploder.net/foushee

Aurora (@AURORAmusic) first wrote her hit song "Runaway" when she was just 11 years old! Int the newest episode, she breaks down how "Runaway" evolved over the years to become the beloved song it is now. songexploder.net/aurora

The legendary duo Sparks (@sparksofficial) break down how they made their career-changing 1974 hit, “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us.” They’re the subjects of a new documentary by @edgarwright, “The Sparks Brothers,” which comes out this Friday. songexploder.net/sparks

.@arloparks, who just won the BRIT Award for Breakthrough Artist, breaks down her beautiful track "Black Dog," which @NME called "the year's most devastating song." Listen here: songexploder.net/arlo-parks

.@DanReynolds of @Imaginedragons was separated from his wife for months, in preparation for their divorce. But then, they called it off, and in the immediate aftermath, he wrote “Follow You.” He tells the story and takes the song apart in this episode: songexploder.net/imagine-dragons

.@girlinred started “Serotonin” while making a little TikTok video to distract herself during a dark period in her life. It ended up as the first single from her debut album, a song about what she was going through at that time. She breaks it down here: songexploder.net/girl-in-red

.@porterrobinson found a lot of success early in his life and career, but it left him feeling empty and unfulfilled. He breaks down "Get Your Wish," a song he wrote about trying to figure out how to get past that, and understand what's really important. songexploder.net/porter-robinson

.@liannelahavas wrote much of "Can't Fight" while in a toxic relationship, and finished the song after it finally ended. You can hear the evidence of who she was—and who she became—in the music and lyrics. She breaks it all down in the new episode: songexploder.net/lianne-la-havas

.@JonBatiste has the greatest set-up for a Zoom interview that I have ever seen.

.@JonBatiste breaks down his song "We Are." It's both political and deeply personal, and the story spans the geography of his own life—from his dressing room at the Ed Sullivan Theater to his grandfather's home in New Orleans. songexploder.net/jon-batiste

I loved talking to Dave Bayley of @GlassAnimals about the making of their hit “Heat Waves.” His take on Arlo Guthrie's 'songwriting is like fishing' is great, and despite how sad "Heat Waves" is at its core, I laughed pretty hard during our conversation. songexploder.net/glass-animals

Sasha Sloan (@sadgirlsloan) breaks down “Until It Happens to You” and explains how it transformed dramatically from its original demo—even though she didn’t want it to! songexploder.net/sasha-sloan

“Say So” by @PJMORTON won the Grammy for Best R&B song last year, but it had a long history before it became a duet with @iamjojo — including a time when PJ threw the song away. Hear how and why he made it, and then brought it back, in the new episode: songexploder.net/pj-morton

New episode! @HAIMtheband tell the emotional backstory of what inspired "Summer Girl," and how they made the song, with co-producers @arielrechtshaid and @matsoR. Listen here: songexploder.net/haim

The legend @YusufCatStevens tells the story of creating his song “Father and Son” in 1970 — and again in 2020 — for the 200th episode of the podcast! 🙌🏾 songexploder.net/yusuf-cat-stev…

Thanks to everyone who listened to the podcast this year, and to all the artists who let me make an episode with them. This is the end of the 7th(!) year of the show—I've never had a job for so long. Looking forward to next year, starting with episode 200, with Yusuf/Cat Stevens!

For the last episode of the year, @common breaks down "A Riot in My Mind," a song where he embraced anger in search of peace. He breaks down how he and his band created the song with some help from @LennyKravitz and @MrChuckD. songexploder.net/common

New episodes of Song Exploder are coming to Netflix on December 15! with @nineinchnails, @DUALIPA, @thekillers, and Natalia @lafourcade! Watch the trailer here: youtube.com/watch?v=b7oXr1…

.@billieeilish and @finneas started writing “Everything I Wanted” when Billie was in a dark place, and they almost didn’t finish it. In this episode, they tell the story of how their relationship as siblings was key to seeing it through. songexploder.net/billie-eilish

@maggierogers @fairfightaction @phoebe_bridgers It asked if I wanted to make the donation in honor of someone, so I put “Iris”

A post-script to this @Thundercat episode that I did not see coming: "Thundercat + Ariana Grande Perform "Them Changes" for Adult Swim Fest." But here we are! Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=dYZyzo…

Today, a new episode with @deftones. Listen to @chinomoreno break down the song "Ohms," and explain how, despite the desperation of the music, it's a song about looking to the future with optimism. Something worth imagining. songexploder.net/deftones

Four more episodes of @SongExploder on Netflix are coming in December! With @DUALIPA, @nineinchnails, @thekillers, and Natalia @lafourcade!

Today on the podcast, @DUALIPA tells the story of creating her song "Levitating." To make an incredibly fun song, it helps to write it with your friends and actually have a lot of fun doing it. Listen: songexploder.net/dua-lipa

How do you write a deeply personal song when your whole life is a matter of public discussion? @selenagomez tells the story of creating her song “Lose You to Love Me,” along with her longtime collaborators, @juliamichaels and @justtranter. Listen: songexploder.net/selena-gomez

In remembrance of Chadwick Boseman, I wanted to go back and re-listen to this Song Exploder from 2018 about Black Panther’s score. This episode, with @ludwiggoransson, is one of my favorites. If you want to hear it, too, it’s at the top of the feed again today.

New episode! @kellyleeowens breaks down her song “On,” inspired by her process of overcoming past trauma, and influenced by her love of The Prodigy. songexploder.net/kelly-lee-owens

New episode! @BlackPumasMusic break down their hit song “Colors,” and how it began as a kind of modern-day hymn. songexploder.net/black-pumas

"I try and make art out of the boring, sad parts of my life, because it's better than them being boring and sad." In today's episode, how @the1975 created their song 'The Birthday Party.' songexploder.net/the-1975

For the Waxahatchee song “Fire,” @k_crutchfield wrote about trying to reach self-acceptance, something she struggled with…but making the song helped her get there. Katie tells the story in today’s episode: songexploder.net/waxahatchee

.@Khruangbin has no lead singer. All three bandmates sing together in unison, which led to some unique creative opportunities—and obstacles—when they were making the song “So We Won’t Forget.” songexploder.net/khruangbin

"Goodbye" is the theme song to @netflix's series DARK, whose final season just came out. @apparatofficial actually made the song a decade ago, with guest vocals by @soapandskin. They break down the creation of the beautiful, eerie track here: songexploder.net/apparat #NetflixDark

This week, the making of a classic: @MobbDeep's "Shook Ones, Pt. II." For its 25th anniversary, @mobbdeephavoc breaks down how he and Prodigy created this era-defining song. songexploder.net/mobb-deep (Rest in Power, Prodigy)

.@100gecs explode "Money Machine" from their album 1000 gecs — named the #1 album of 2019 in @VICE and @nytimes. Listen and flex: songexploder.net/100-gecs

Laura Marling (@lauramarlinghq) transformed traumatic experience into words of wisdom, in a message to an imaginary daughter. She takes apart “Song for Our Daughter” and details its creation on today's episode: songexploder.net/laura-marling

Kevin Parker of @tameimpala takes apart the song "It Might Be Time" on today's episode! songexploder.net/tame-impala

"Was I ever going to be loved again?" @FKAtwigs breaks down how she created ‘Mirrored Heart,’ and the time in her life that inspired it. songexploder.net/fka-twigs

It's hard enough for children of immigrants to figure out their identity in America—what if you become a K-pop star in Korea? @ericnamofficial breaks down his song "Love Die Young," and how he's trying to make music that truly represents who he is. songexploder.net/eric-nam

.@sopharela of Soccer Mommy breaks down 'Circle the Drain,' a song inspired by Sheryl Crow, Natalie Imbruglia, and her own feelings of “useless sadness.” songexploder.net/soccer-mommy