Song Exploder
Hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway · Hrishikesh Hirway
4.8from 9,628 ratings
- 373
- Episodes
- 82
- Transcribed
- 9,628
- Ratings
- Bi-weekly
- Cadence
- 2014
- First episode
About Song Exploder
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.
- Publisher
- Hrishikesh Hirway
- Category
- music
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 1 Jan 2014
- Latest episode
- 4 Nov 2026
Latest episodes
82 of 373 episodes have a transcript.
4 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT
Jason Mantzoukas & Hrishikesh Hirway on 'In the Last Hour of Light'
21 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Allison Russell - The Returner
7 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Elvis Costello - Alison
Inside a recent episode
Jason Mantzoukas & Hrishikesh Hirway on 'In the Last Hour of Light'
Published 4 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And there's a great story about them making Full Metal Jacket. And Stanley Kubrick doing take after take after take. And Matthew Modine, it's his scene. And he's going, I need another one. I need another one. And Stanley Kubrick is like, I've got it. Don't worry. And he's like, no, I need another one. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Song Exploder
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Jason Mantzoukas
- Allison Russell
- Elvis Costello
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Dan Nigro
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.8 / 5
- 5,970 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.9 / 5
- 3,658 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 91 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 94
- Social presence
- 97
- YouTube
- 72
- Engagement
- 100
Contact Song Exploder
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Shows with a similar audience
Questions about Song Exploder
Who hosts Song Exploder?
Hrishikesh Hirway host the show. Published by Hrishikesh Hirway.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Song Exploder take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
82 of 373 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of Song Exploder?
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