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.
U2 - Cedarwood Road
Will Butler - Anna
Ramin Djawadi - Game of Thrones
Brian Tyler - Avengers: Age of Ultron
tUnE-yArDs - Water Fountain
My Morning Jacket - Spring (Among the Living)
Toro y Moi - Half Dome
RJD2 - Games You Can Win (feat. Kenna)
How to Dress Well - Pour Cyril
White Hinterland - Ring the Bell
Warpaint - Love Is to Die
Jeremy Zuckerman - The Legend of Korra
The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud
Blonde Redhead - Penultimo
Ghostface Killah - The Battlefield
The National - Sea of Love
Tycho - Awake
Stars - No One Is Lost
The Books - Smells Like Content
Julia Holter - Horns Surrounding Me
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