The song “Closing Time” by the American rock band Semisonic came out in March 1998. It hit #1 on the Alternative charts, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song. It gets played in stadiums, Weird Al covered it, and it’s the last song of the night in countless bars.
Since then, Dan Wilson, the lead singer and songwriter of Semisonic, has become a powerhouse songwriter who has written or co-written for artists like John Legend and Taylor Swift. And he’s won Grammys for his songwriting with the Dixie Chicks and Adele. But over two decades ago, Dan and his bandmates John Munson and Jacob Slichter were in Minneapolis, getting ready to start work on their second album, Feeling Strangely Fine. In this episode of Song Exploder, Dan breaks down how that process led to "Closing Time."
songexploder.net/semisonic
Thundercat - Them Changes
Death Cab for Cutie - El Dorado
Sylvan Esso - Coffee
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
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Stuff You Should Know
On Being with Krista Tippett
TED Radio Hour
Planet Money
The Dinner Party Download