Elvis Costello burst onto the music scene in 1977 with the album My Aim Is True. Songs like “Alison” established him as a powerful new voice in rock. His next album, This Year’s Model, introduced hits like “Pump it Up,” which has resounded through stadiums and arenas across the country ever since.
From then on he released album after album, decade after de ... Show More
May 8
Samara Cyn is rap's best new writer
How do you write a rap verse that's clever without saying so? Samara Cyn, one of the sharpest young writers in hip-hop, joins us to talk about Detour, her new EP about going analog. We get into wordplay versus narrative, the Missy Elliott blueprint behind "oooshxt!", and why she ... Show More
37m 34s
Apr 28
Hrishikesh Hirway made an album about running out of time — in no time
Hrishikesh Hirway, host of Song Exploder, returns with his first album in fifteen years, In the Last Hour of Light, made under a premise that's almost contradictory for a podcaster built around isolated stems: session players who had never heard the songs, vocals tracked live in ... Show More
43m 12s
Sep 2017
Coming Around Again: Billy Joel's 'The Stranger' at 40
This week, Billboard senior editor Frank DiGiacomo comes on to discuss an album that he's loved for 40 years: Billy Joel's The Stranger. Released in 1977, The Stranger would go on to become the best-selling album in Columbia Records history. On the podcast, DiGiacomo shares his m ... Show More
32m 6s
Sep 2014
The Voices of Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt has been recognised as a prog-rock drummer, jazz composer, avant-garde cornet player, artist and activist in a wheelchair. But, above all else, he has been known by one of the most instantly recognisable and distinctive voices of the last fifty years.Forever associat ... Show More
29m 18s
Apr 2021
Bonus Episode: Bowie's Guitarist Carlos Alomar on Recording 'Young Americans' and the Berlin Trilogy, Co-Writing 'Fame' and Funking Up David's Music for 30 Years
We’re taking a brief break from the story this week. (We’ll be back with our final chapter on David Bowie on Monday, May 3rd!) But today we have something very special in store: a conversation with Carlos Alomar — a funk guitar icon, and one of David’s most crucial musical collab ... Show More
47m 9s
May 2022
Quand Elvis chantait les Beatles
Elvis Presley a chanté 5 titres des Beatles dans sa vie, dont "Yesterday". "Sans Elvis, il n'y aurait pas de Beatles", phrase de John Lennon. Elvis Presley, lui, se serait bien passé de l'ouragan Beatles dans les années 60. Elvis se sentait menacé par leur succès. Et pourtant, en ... Show More
3m 10s