‘Song Exploder’ Episode 1: How Alicia Keys and her writer coped with death while composing ‘3 Hour Drive’
Alicia Keys dropped her new album ‘Alicia’ a few days ago which features her hit single ‘3-Hour Drive’ and we got lucky to get a break down of the song in detail as she starred in the very first episode of Netflix’s brand new documentary series ‘Song Exploder’ released on October 2, 2020.
The very first episode of the series is titled, ‘Alicia Keys: 3 Hour Drive’, where she takes us on an emotional journey behind this song. In the 25-minute episode, we get to see the 39-year-old singer spending time with her writers and musicians Jimmy Napes and Sampha in a studio set up in London. The Grammy-winning artist spills the beans on her bond with Sampha, who reveals in the episode about losing her mother recently.
Alicia, on the other hand, talks about the joy she experienced while becoming a mother again. Whilst taking both life and death into consideration, the singer labels it as a “crazy beautiful circle.” She also discusses how Sampha ended up giving vocals to the song. Giving it a new perspective, Alicia expresses her opinion on coping with death and says how Sampha was playing the same song from a place of grieving and how she played the same song from a place of joy.
The American crooner also shed light on the chorus of her song which goes like, “And I can't deny, As hard as I try/ That you give me life, You give me life, And I can't deny/ As hard as I try, That you give me life/You give me life” and quotes that these lines are meant for her sons. The first episode also doesn’t disappoint on the technicalities of the song. Those who love diving deep into the details of production, the singer also talks about how the hi-hats restricted her song and how the idea of this song popped in her head.
‘Song Exploder’ is a popular independent podcast hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and he is seen reprising his role and seeking answers behind the songs we have all loved. The new series has also roped in artistes like rapper Ty Dolla $ign, ‘Hamilton’ star Lin Manuel Miranda and the rock band R.E.M.
You can also check the trailer of ‘Song Exploder’ here: