This summer, in June 2023, Janelle Monáe put out her fourth album, The Age of Pleasure. Listening to it made me want to revisit her Song Exploder episode, from 2018. One thing on Song Exploder that I personally love is when we get to hear an artist’s raw voice memo, from the moment when they’re first coming up with a song idea. This episode has one of my all-time favorites.
Janelle Monáe is an award-winning musician and actress who released her first record in 2007. She’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and she starred in the Oscar films Moonlight and Hidden Figures. In April 2018, she released her third album, Dirty Computer, which includes this song, “So Afraid.” In this episode, Janelle Monáe takes “So Afraid” apart, to explain how she built it, step by step—beginning with a trip to the dentist.
For more, visit songexploder.net/janelle-monae.
MGMT - Time to Pretend
Courtney Barnett - Depreston
Björk - Stonemilker
Dustin O'Halloran - Transparent (Main Title Theme)
Wilco - Magnetized
Natalia Lafourcade - Hasta la Raíz
Youth Lagoon - The Knower
The Arcs - Put a Flower in Your Pocket
Chet Faker - Gold
Harry Gregson-Williams - The Martian
Deradoorian - A Beautiful Woman
The Magnetic Fields - Andrew in Drag
Joey Bada$$ - Hazeus View
American Football - The One With The Tambourine
Best Coast - Feeling Ok
HEALTH - Stonefist
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love
Thundercat - Them Changes
Death Cab for Cutie - El Dorado
Sylvan Esso - Coffee
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