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When I told my best friend that I was writing a blog post about the best music podcasts, she gave me a puzzled look.
“Why would you listen to a podcast playing music, when you could just stream music?” she asked.
(Our podcast listening habits are obviously VERY different!)
I explained that music podcasts aren’t just song tracks, but shows that go behind the scenes of the songs we know and love. They discuss musical artists, songs, lyrics, and the art of creating of music.
I'm super into lyrics. For me, lyrics are the most important part of any song, no matter how good or bad the music track is. The story in the song is what gets me every time. So music podcasts are right up my alley.
(I'm actually putting this post in the Story Podcasts category on the blog, because I think music is all about stories.)
Back to my friend. I could tell that she still wasn’t totally clear on this concept, so I gave her some music podcast recommendations to check out. She said she would.
Later that day, I realized that she was just being polite. She was probably not going to listen to those shows.
So, being the podcast fanatic that I am, I decided that force-feeding her some music podcasts was definitely the way to go.
The next day, I sent her an email with multiple recommendations for specific music podcast episodes. With links directly to the episodes.
Four days later, I received a text that she had just finished one of the episodes and that she really enjoyed it. Success! (Sometimes, being a podcast mega-fan is hard work.)
Below are the shows that I recommended, as well as the specific podcast episodes that I sent in that email. I hope you'll enjoy listening to what I consider to be the best music podcasts.
The Best Music Podcasts For Behind The Scenes Access
Song Exploder
It must be said that I'm a huge fan of the host of Song Exploder, Hrishikesh Hirway. He co-hosts my all-time favorite podcast, The West Wing Weekly, and his talent for dissecting and analyzing the creative arts is expertly demonstrated on that show.
On Song Exploder, Hirway conducts interviews with musicians and asks them to tell the background behind a specific song, piece by piece. Then, Hirway edits himself out entirely, so you feel like the artist is telling a story, straight to you.
On Song Exploder, you'll learn why an artist wrote a piece of music, why they chose the style the did, the decisions that went into recording it, and much, much more.
Hirway has a seriously diverse and eclectic taste in music and guests; you're sure to discover a new artist or song.
The episode I recommend is: Episode 44: Death Cab for Cutie
The Sound and The Story
The tagline for this podcast is "Your favorite albums explained." Simple enough, right?
The Sound and The Story is much more than that simple tagline, though. Each episode examines one album, what the lyrics say about the artist and the listener, and more.
The show's host, David Kallison, digs into the background of an album and cuts in clips from the album's songs. This show is really well-produced and is like a cool, rockin' history podcast.
The episode I recommend is: Episode 7: Say Anything's ...Is A Real Boy
Go behind the scenes of your favorite songs & albums with these music #podcasts Click To Tweet
The Soundtrack Show
This podcast is hosted by David Collins, who is an audio expert. He works as a voice actor, sound designer and mixer, and a composer. He’s super likable, and enthusiastic about each episode's theme and music.
On The Soundtrack Show, Collins breaks down the music of some of your favorite films, TV shows, and video games, all in terms of the story.
You’ll come away with deeper appreciation for the artistry that goes into enhancing visual entertainment through audio. And although Collins can use a lot of music jargon that you might not be familiar with, you'll still be able to follow along (and probably be fascinated by the things you'll learn).
The episode I recommend is: Back to the Future, the Music (Part I) (parts II and III are also great!)
Turned Up
If your musical interests go beyond songs and lyrics, check out Turned Up.
Hosts Jake and Robert are music producers who work in Nashville, the heart and soul of the American music industry. They discuss industry trends (past and present), music niches, how music is made these days (with a lot of technology), and other behind-the-scenes topics in music.
These guys are really fun to listen to. They keep the show fast-paced and on-topic, and I really appreciate that they don't just stick to the topics and genres that they're most comfortable with (and that you probably are, too).
The episode I recommend is: Ep:24 You Got Your Band Name WHERE?!
The Talkhouse Music Podcast
Talkhouse is a media company whose website provides an outlet for creative artists of all kinds to express themselves. The Talkhouse Podcast features musical artists chatting with and interviewing one another.
This podcast format includes an introduction of the artists and their backgrounds, a clip or full cut of one of the artist's songs/works, the recording of their conversation, and more clips and cuts of songs.
This podcast will make you feel like you're eavesdropping on a casual meeting between musicians (like you've sneaked into a Grammy party and found them chatting in a back room).
The episode I recommend is: Revisited: Andy Rourke (the Smiths) Talks with Dolores O’Riordan (the Cranberries)
All Songs Considered
This one is a classic, but if you’re not an NPR listener, it might be new to you. It’s a conversation about music, between hosts Bob and Robin, and their various guests.
All Songs Considered dabbles in all genres and eras, from jazz and folk, to Drake and Paul McCartney. Some episodes are themed, like the episode on the best songs released by women in the 21st century. Others are a weekly roundup of the week's new releases.
Not every segment of an All Songs Considered episode will leave you riveted. You might find yourself skipping ahead to an artist that sounds more your style. But you'll probably also learn a lot about artists you thought you knew, and new artists who will become faves.
The episode I recommend is: (June 26, 2018) New Mix: The Decemberists, Bermuda Triangle, Shy Boys And More
Honorable Mention
While writing this post, I remembered a great episode of Revisionist History that I listened to a while back. In it, host Malcolm Gladwell looks at the American obsession with sad music and the song writer who does it best. I laughed out loud so hard both times I listened to this episode, because I DO love sad, heartbreaking songs!
If you love to listen to music and podcasts on the go, you have to check out my favorite accessory, the FlipBelt. I wrote a whole article about the FlipBelt, but if you just want to check it out on Amazon, click here.
[Related Post] 7 Cool History Podcasts (That Aren’t Stuff You Missed In History Class)
Your Turn to Recommend!
Drop a comment below to share YOUR favorite music podcasts!