Song Exploder
Hrishikesh Hirway
Musicians take apart their songs.
373 EpisodesFortnightly12+Since 2014
Episodes
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The earliest episodes still in this feed, from 2026. Publishers rotate older episodes out.
- 1. Key Change: Tatiana Maslany on "Faceshopping" by Sophie · 17 Jun 2026
- 2. Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls · 24 Jun 2026
- 3. Metric - Victim of Luck · 8 Jul 2026
Mitski - Your Best American Girl
5 Aug 2026 · 14 min
Mitski and Patrick Hyland break down "Your Best American Girl." (Originally published September 7, 2016.)
Suki Waterhouse - Back in Love
22 Jul 2026 · 23 min
Suki Waterhouse tells the story behind her song "Back in Love."
Key Change: Questlove on Prince
15 Jul 2026 · 25 min
Drummer and filmmaker Questlove on the impact the extended dance remix of Prince's song "Little Red Corvette" had on his life.
Metric - Victim of Luck
8 Jul 2026 · 22 min
Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw of Metric tell the story behind their song "Victim of Luck."
Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls
24 Jun 2026 · 26 min
Hayley Kiyoko tells the story behind her song "Girls Like Girls."
Key Change: Tatiana Maslany on "Faceshopping" by Sophie
17 Jun 2026 · 19 min
Actor Tatiana Maslany on the impact the song "Faceshopping" had on her life.
Where this form starts
The broadcast desk
Wartime correspondence and Cavalcade of America established the daily explainer and the narrated history hour long before either had a feed.
Lineage is written by our editors, not inferred from listening data.
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The Golden Age behind Song Exploder
Surviving broadcasts from the years this form was invented.
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