11th European Music Analysis Conference - Sciencesconf.org

Episodes

An index of all the Song Exploder podcast episodes.

The Loop of Combat: Form and Function in Iron Maiden’s Aerial Anthem

Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” (1984) is what happens when a songwriter is caught between the desire to tell a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an ending and the compulsion to stay within …

Bakers of the Blues: How “Custard Pie” Spoils Physical Graffiti

It’s sort of ironic for Led Zeppelin, a band that was accused of hiding subliminal messages in their songs, often made meaning elusive through arcane, fantastical lyrics, and at least once broke th…

Oxygen Optional: Toni Braxton’s Guide to Codependent Romance

Toni Braxton’s “Breathe Again” (1993) has been called “delicate,” “yearning,” “melancholy,” “pretty,” and “haunting.” The song does sound like all those things, which I guess could make it hard to …

From Haters to Gypsies: Hilary Duff’s Pop Totalitarianism

Hilary Duff’s “Haters” (2004) reminds me of that line at the end of Casablanca about how the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. In this song, Duff …

Pop Constellations and Power Metal Gods

What do late Master of the Rings-era Helloween and early Sabrina Carpenter have in common? They’ve both recorded songs where they catasterize themselves and others. “We’ll Be the Stars” (2015) almo…