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Music

02nd Oct 2020

A new TV series based on one of the world’s best music podcasts is now on Netflix

Conor Heneghan

Song Exploder

Heavy hitters in Season One include Alicia Keys, Lin-Manuel Miranda and R.E.M.

Netflix is already something of a treasure trove when it comes to music documentaries, as anyone who has caught a glimpse of the likes of What Happened, Miss Simone? Quincy, Miss Americana, The Defiant Ones and The History of the Eagles will testify.

Already spoiled for choice, another arrival on the streaming service is bound to pique the interest of music fans in the shape of Song Exploder, a TV series based on the acclaimed podcast of the same name.

Started in 2014, Song Exploder has featured contributions from world-famous musicians talking about the creative process behind individual songs and how they were brought to life.

Contributors to date include U2, Metallica, The Killers, Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen, while the podcast has also branched out to explore the music used in well-known movies and TV series such as Black Panther, Game of Thrones and Stranger Things.

The host of the podcast, Hrishikesh Hirway, fulfils the same role in the Netflix series of the same name, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) also on board.

Each episode is under 30 minutes long and the series claims to weave together in-depth interviews, archival footage and raw recordings, with each artist breaking down their song, layer by layer and sharing intimate insight into the personal inspiration behind the music and lyrics.

The first episode features 15-time Grammy-award-winning artist, songwriter and producer Alicia Keys discussing her song ‘3 Hour Drive’ while Lin Manuel-Miranda goes in deep on ‘Wait for it’ from the phenomenally successful musical Hamilton in episode two.

In the third episode, R.E.M. discuss the life-changing influences behind one of the band’s most famous songs, ‘Losing My Religion’, while episode four sees Ty Dolla $ign reveal the inspiration behind his track ‘LA’.

Check out the trailer for the first series below; Song Exploder is available on Netflix now.