Song Exploder

Song Exploder

Author: Hrishikesh Hirway Language: English Episodes: 50
There’s a moment in every great song where a particular sound or lyric catches you off guard, and you wonder how it ever came to be. Song Exploder turns that moment of curiosity into an entire conversation. Musicians sit down with host and producer Hrishikesh Hirway to dismantle one of their own tracks, isolating individual layers-a drum loop, a synth line, a vocal take-and explaining the sometimes messy, often surprising process behind each one. You’ll hear the isolated stems that built the final mix, paired with stories about lyrical changes, studio accidents, and personal breakthroughs. It’s less an interview and more a guided tour through the creative decisions that shape the music we love. Whether it’s an established icon or an emerging artist, each guest provides a rare, technical yet intimate look at their work. This podcast thrives on specificity, transforming how you listen by revealing the intricate craftsmanship hidden inside a finished song. The result is a deeper appreciation for the art form, one detailed breakdown at a time.
Episodes
Olivia Rodrigo - The Cure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:17
Olivia Rodrigo is a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. In June 2026, she released her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The day it came out, it broke streaming records on Spotify and Amazon Music…
Natalie Merchant - Sister Tilly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:06
Donate to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library here: https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/ Donate to Women's Media Center, co-founded by Gloria Steinem, here: https://act.womensmediacenter.com/a/support-wmc - When I heard…
Paula Cole - I Don't Want to Wait [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:28
Paula Cole is a singer, songwriter and producer from Massachusetts. She put out her first solo album, Harbinger, in 1994. Her second album, This Fire, came out in 1996 and was a real breakthrough; she was nominated for s…
Charli XCX - Camera [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:02
Charli XCX is a Grammy-winning artist who has been making music since she was a teenager. In July 2026, she released her eighth album, Music, Fashion, Film. It debuted at number 1 on the UK charts—her 4th album in a row…
Mitski - Your Best American Girl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:47
In 2016, Mitski did an episode of Song Exploder about her song “Your Best American Girl.” She had just released her second album, Puberty 2. Later, Pitchfork named “Your Best American Girl” one of the top 10 best songs o…
Suki Waterhouse - Back in Love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:20
Suki Waterhouse is a singer-songwriter, actress, and model from London. She released her first single in 2016, and her first album, I Can’t Let Go, in 2022, on Sub Pop. You might have seen her in the show Daisy Jones & T…
Key Change: Questlove on Prince [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:48
My guest today is Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove, the drummer and founding member of The Roots, as well as an author, a DJ, and an Oscar-winning film director. A song that changed my life is “Double Trouble” by The Roots,…
Metric - Victim of Luck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:38
Metric is a band from Canada that was formed in 1998. They’ve won four Juno Awards, including Group of the Year. Rolling Stone included them in their list of the 50 Greatest Canadian Artists of All Time. In April 2026, M…
Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:56
Hayley Kiyoko is a singer, songwriter, author, and director from Los Angeles. She was a child actor on Disney and Nickelodeon, and briefly in a girl group called The Stunners. But then, she started her career as a solo a…
Key Change: Tatiana Maslany on "Faceshopping" by Sophie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:41
My guest today is the actor Tatiana Maslany. One of the things I find so compelling about Tatiana and her career is that the roles that she plays often contain multitudes—literally. She played over 10 different character…