Song Exploder

Song Exploder is a music podcast created by Hrishikesh Hirway, who hosted it from its 2014 inception until late 2018 and again from December 2019 onwards. In January 2019, Thao Nguyen became a guest host for the year, with Christian Koons serving as producer, and Hirway moving to executive producer. The show features musicians talking about the creative process behind an individual song while "deconstructing" the song into its component parts. As of 2021, the show's team is composed of host and producer Hirway, illustrator Carlos Lerma, and Music Clearance Director Kathleen Smith.

Song Exploder
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreMusic podcast
LanguageEnglish
Production
Production
  • Christian Koons
  • Hrishikesh Hirway (Exec.)
No. of episodes259[1] (list of episodes)
Publication
Original releaseJanuary 1, 2014 (2014-01-01)
Provider
Related
WebsiteSong Exploder

The podcast launched on the Maximum Fun network, became independent in February 2015 and joined Radiotopia in June 2015.[2][3]

Format

Each episode begins with the host introducing the show's featured musician (or musicians) and giving a brief history of the musical act or television program with which they are associated. The artist then discusses the creative process used in the creation of a particular song. This may include anything from songwriting to recording to post-production. The discussion is interspersed with short clips of separate tracks from the song isolated to illustrate the topics being discussed – for example, the drum track might be played to demonstrate how a particular beat was used in the song. The episode ends by playing a recording of the featured song in its entirety.[4] Hirway edits his side of the conversation out of the recording with the purpose of condensing the contents of the podcast around the song's creation and how the artist brought it to life.

Subjects

Song Exploder has taken a deep-dive into more than 200 tracks, including: Kiss from a Rose with Seal and Trevor Horn and into Blue Monday with Peter Hook—formerly of New Order.[5][6]

Furthermore, the podcast has also analysed theme music from Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones, as well as music from La La Land and Moonlight.[7][8][9][10]

Reception

The show receives generally positive reception and has been featured at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Noise Pop Festival, and Moogfest.Vulture said, "Song Exploder is probably the best use of the podcast format ever," and named it one of the Top 10 Podcasts of 2015.[11] It was also named Best of iTunes in 2015,[12] and Quartz named it the Best Podcast of 2015, saying, "It is possibly the most perfect podcast, really."[13] Pete Naughton of The Daily Telegraph called Song Exploder an "excellent podcast" and placed it on his list of top music podcasts in August 2014.[14] The A.V. Club praised the podcast's "beautiful production and thoughtful editing" in June 2014.[15] It has also received favorable reviews from Spin, Gizmodo, Slate, and The Atlantic.[16]

Creator Hirway has mentioned Song Exploder at prestigious conferences like the Google Design Conference and AIGA Design Conference. In 2016, the Sydney Opera House hosted a Song Exploder Residency.

The show won the 2016 and 2017 Academy of Podcasters award for best music podcast.

Awards
Award Year Category Result Ref.
Academy of Podcasters 2015 Music & Commentary Finalist [17]
2016 Won [18]
2017 Music Won
iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2019 Best Music Podcast Nominated [19]
2020 Nominated [20]
2021 Nominated [21]
2022 Won [22]
Adweek Podcast Awards 2021 Best Creativity Podcast Won [23]

TV show

On September 17, 2020, a television series based on the podcast was announced, which premiered on October 2, 2020 on Netflix,[24] with 4 episodes:

Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
Volume 14October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Volume 24December 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)

Volume 1 (2020)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
11"Alicia Keys: 3 Hour Drive"October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Far from her newborn son, Alicia Keys collaborates with Sampha, who has just lost his mother. Together, they give a longing melody life.
22"Lin-Manuel Miranda: Wait for It"October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
In his quest to capture Aaron Burr's voice, Lin-Manuel Miranda finds his lines on the subway. Many breathless choruses later, can he relate to Burr?
33"R.E.M: Losing My Religion"October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
No obvious chorus plus a lead mandolin and handclaps equals the least likely chart-topper of the '90s. R.E.M. looks back at the life-changing track.
44"Ty Dolla $ign: LA"October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Ty Dolla $ign pens a verse in minutes, picks up multiple instruments and brings in Kendrick Lamar and Brandy for this moving love song to his city.

Volume 2 (2020)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
51"Dua Lipa: Love Again"December 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)
When a bad breakup spills into the studio, Dua Lipa finds release in high-drama strings, throwback analog synths and memories of her parents' faves.
62"The Killers: When You Were Young"December 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)
Eager to beat the sophomore album slump, the Killers dusted off three chords to capture their desert home of Las Vegas — and mine for pop anthem gold.
73"Nine Inch Nails: Hurt"December 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)
Broken-down sounds, damaged vocals and naked emotion make a chilling coda to a blockbuster LP as Trent Reznor talks about transforming pain into art.
84"Natalia Lafourcade: Hasta la Raíz"December 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)
After stepping back from stardom, Natalia Lafourcade rediscovers her roots, which are planted deep in Veracruz and the rhythm of huapango folk music.

Episode list
Main article: List of Song Exploder episodes

See also

References
  1. "Song Exploder". Song Exploder.
  2. "Thanks to Song Exploder & The Memory Palace". Jesse Thorn: Tumbler. February 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  3. "Song Exploder Joins Radiotopia - PRX". Public Radio Exchange. June 11, 2015. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  4. "Breaking a Song Apart, Note by Note". National Public Radio. All Things Considered. September 18, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  5. "Episode 250: Seal".
  6. "Episode 252: New Order".
  7. "Episode 37: Downton Abbey".
  8. "Episode 40: Game of Thrones".
  9. "Episode 92: La La Land".
  10. "Episode 95: Moonlight".
  11. Quah, Nicholas (December 11, 2015). "The 10 Best Podcasts and 10 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015". Vulture. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  12. Kelley, Seth (December 9, 2015). "Apple's iTunes Best of 2015 list for podcasts includes a ton of LA-based favorites". Time Out. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  13. "The Casties: Quartz's awards for the best podcasts of 2015". Quartz. December 30, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  14. Naughton, Pete (August 26, 2014). "The best music podcasts". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  15. "Ice T's Final Level joins the 'masses, talks Manslaughter and Maya Angelou". The A.V. Club. The Onion. June 16, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  16. "Press". Song Exploder. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  17. "2015 AofP Winners and Finalists". Academy of Podcasters. Podcast Movement. 2015. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016.
  18. "Academy of Podcasters: Past Winners". Academy of Podcasters. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017.
  19. "2019 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: Full List of Winners". iHeart. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  20. "2020 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: Full List of Winners". iHeart. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  21. "2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: Full List of Winners". iHeart. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  22. "2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: See The Full List of Winners". iHeart. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  23. Collins, Kennyatta (December 13, 2021). "Podcasts of the Year: Here Are Adweek's 2021 Winners". Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  24. ""Song Exploder" - Official Trailer". The Futon Critic. September 17, 2020.
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