Before we get into it, there are two things I feel you need to know about Song Exploder.
1) This four-part documentary series on Netflix is based on one of the greatest podcasts ever made. A deep dive into the minds of some of the world’s best musicians, it provides the kind of insight into songwriting that is so often walled off to muggles like me. By breaking down tracks, layer by layer, and decoding the process of writing lyrics, composing music, performing, recording, and producing, Song Exploder has forever changed the way I listen to songs. The podcast, which is 193 episodes in, and currently in its seventh year, has done more to introduce me to new music than any Spotify algorithm.
2) It’s host, Hrishikesh Hirway, might just be the best interviewer this side of Howard Stern. While we don’t hear much of his voice or his questions in the podcast, he usually edits himself out of conversations so only the artists’ voices remain, you can tell from their responses just how astute an observer he actually is. He isn’t merely a facilitator. He is as geeky, and every bit as knowledgable as those he’s speaking to, and uses his infectious enthusiasm to accomplish the impossible in convincing the artiste to explain their work.
We forget just how much work it takes to bring a 3 minute song to life. There are hundreds and thousands of micro-influences, subconscious inspirations, secret joys, and personal traumas, along with backbreaking hard work, that go into a song before it sees the light of day. It is easy to attribute some unconscious mystique to the creative process, but Song Exploder is proof that genius can be explained, even if can’t be recreated.
These four episodes are as diverse as they come. From Alicia Keys to Ty Dolla $ign, by way of Lin-Manuel Miranda and R.E.M., Song Exploder seems like a really well executed proof of concept that’s aimed at new audiences.
As far as adaptations go, this one ticks all the right boxes. Hirway is aware that he needs to do more than just add moving images to his podcast, and so he teams up filmmakers Morgan Neville and Nicola B. Marsh to create something that best bridges both art forms. Knowing that content and context play out differently across different mediums, the three of them work hard to craft as cinematic an experience as they can. From the glamour shots of Alicia Keys looking contemplative, to having Lin-Manuel Miranda talk about “Wait For It” in Aaron Burr’s own house, Song Exploder presents itself in a way that is as appealing to the eye as it is the ear.
And yet, watching this series, I couldn’t help but feel that it was all a little unnecessary. Watching this live action remake of the podcast reinforced the idea that not everything is suited for every medium. Even one as well thought out as this. And it isn’t because there was anything wrong with it. But rather because another, better experience of Song Exploder already existed.
Hear me out.
Song Exploder, the podcast, is a truly immersive experience. There is nothing quite like putting on your best headphones and getting lost in 15 to 20 minutes of meticulously crafted pop history. The soft, smooth, and dulcet voice of Hrishikesh Hirway doesn’t hurt either. It is warm. It is friendly. It is intellectual, but never self-important. But most of all, there is an intimacy to the whole thing that can only come from feeling completely enveloped in sound and music.
Song Exploder, the television show, felt a little distracting. I blame Hirway and the beautiful production of his podcast. He painted such a compelling picture using nothing but sound that I never missed not being able to see who was talking or what was going on.
Song Exploder
Netflix, Season 1, 4 episodes
Showrunner: Hrishikesh Hirway
Directors: Morgan Neville and Nicola B. Marsh
Host: Hrishikesh Hirway
Cast: Alicia Keys, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ty Dolla $ign, Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe.
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