Key Change: Baz Luhrmann on "Time After Time"

Key Change: Baz Luhrmann on "Time After Time"

Author: Hrishikesh Hirway March 18, 2026 Duration: 22:09
My guest today is Baz Luhrmann, the award-winning director whose films include Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom, The Great Gatsby, Elvis, and Romeo + Juliet.  His newest film is  EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, a critically acclaimed documentary about Elvis that’s playing right now in theaters and in IMAX. Before becoming a massively successful film director, Baz began his showbiz career as an actor, and as a ballroom dancer, in Australia. His first film was Strictly Ballroom, which came out in 1992, and became one of the highest-grossing Australian films of all time. It was originally a play, and there’s a song in the film that was part of the story all the way back when it was first performed on stage. And that’s what Baz and I talked about for this episode. For more info, visit songexploder.net/baz-luhrmann.

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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Song Exploder
Podcast Episodes
Paul McCartney - Ripples in a Pond [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:26
Paul McCartney is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer whose career spans more than six decades. As a member of The Beatles and later Wings and then with his own solo albums, he’s simply one of the m…
Hot Chip - Boy From School [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:11
Hot Chip is a band from London made up of Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. Their second album, The Warning, came out in 2006. It was nominated for a Mercury Prize, and named one of the…
Key Change: Emma Straub on ‘69 Love Songs’ by The Magnetic Fields [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:35
My guest today is the bestselling author Emma Straub. Her books include 'This Time Tomorrow,' 'Modern Lovers,' 'The Vacationers,' and more. And with her husband, Michael Fusco, she co-owns the beautiful Brooklyn bookstor…
The xx - Crystalised [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:46
The xx formed in 2005, when they were still in high school. They signed to the UK label Young, and put out their first album in 2009. It won the prestigious Mercury Prize, and was named one of the best albums of the year…
Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Father and Son [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:27
The legendary singer/songwriter Yusuf / Cat Stevens released his first album in 1967. He’s a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and his albums have sold millions. In 2020, he released Tea for the Tillerman², a re-im…
The Memory Palace: The Thundering Herd, The Vanishing American [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:52
Today, we're sharing an episode of Nate DiMeo's wonderful podcast, The Memory Palace, which helped inspire both Song Exploder, and a song on my upcoming album. So today, I want to present a kind of two-part story. The fi…
Hurray for the Riff Raff - Alibi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:43
Alynda Segarra is a singer songwriter from the Bronx. They formed Hurray for the Riff Raff in 2007, and since then, they’ve released 8 albums. Their most recent is The Past Is Still Alive, which came out in 2024. It was…
Jack Harlow - Say Hello [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:35
Jack Harlow is from Louisville, Kentucky, and started performing and releasing music in 2015, when he was in high school. In 2020, he released his first album, which went double platinum. He was nominated for a Grammy fo…
Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:26
Thompson Twins originally formed in 1977 in Sheffield, in the UK. “Hold Me Now,” their iconic hit, came out as a single in November 1983, and eventually on their 1984 album, Into the Gap. That album went to number 1 in t…
Silvana Estrada - Como Un Pájaro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:39
Silvana Estrada is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Veracruz, Mexico. She won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2022, and she’s been nominated for three others, including for her song “Como Un Pájaro,” which…