Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Insightful docu about creativity, collaboration, and music.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Song Exploder
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Based on the popular podcast of the same name, and hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway, SONG EXPLODER: HOW MUSIC GETS MADE is a reality docuseries that features popular musicians deconstructing the creative process that went into their most popular songs. From discussing what inspired the sounds and lyrics of a hit song to revealing the collaboration that went into producing it, the show highlights how the song went from a concept to musical hit. At the end of each episode, the featured song is played in its entirety.
Is It Any Good?
Each roughly 25-minute episode of this interesting documentary series offers viewers a chance to understand how some of today's most popular songs, scores, and soundtracks came together. Singers like Alicia Keys, rappers like Lin-Manuel Miranda, and bands like R.E.M. share details about what inspired them, some of the unique aspects of the composition, and how they feel about the work today.
Overall, Song Exploder offers an insightful look into the creative process and explores how some of the music we love came to be. Thanks to the outstanding sound quality of the series, which replicates that of the podcast from which it's adapted, listening to the series is just as good as watching it. No doubt that music lovers will appreciate what is being offered here, but even those without a musical background will appreciate knowing more about what goes into creating the music we love.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about some of the processes the artists featured in Sound Exploder used to produce their music. What inspired them? Who helped them along the way? How did first renditions of the song evolve as they continued working on them?
What is your favorite song? Do you know what inspired it?
What kinds of things must be done to successfully adapt a podcast series into a television series? What are the challenges? Aside from this one, can you think of any other TV series that evolved this way?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 2, 2020
- Cast : Hrishikesh Hirway , Alicia Keys , Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Communication , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : March 24, 2023
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