You're listening to song exploder, where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made. My name is showcase your way. Song exploder is sponsored by Dave's killer, bread actually love Dave's killer bread, but they gave me a script to read so appeared his attention. others, we now have taste in the bread. I'll Dave's were bred? That's right and organic bread it's no longer a sedative for your taste, buds, Dave's killer, red is on a mission to make the most of the loaf to rid the Gmos. High fructose, corn an artificial ingredients and plant the seeds of good and all that they bake, killer, taste, killer texture, always organic Dave's killer, bread, bread amplify. Song: exploder is brought to you by progressive. Have you the name your price tool. Yet it works just the way it sounds. You tell progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance

and I'll show you coverage options that fit your budget. It's easy to start a quote you'll be able to find a rate that works for you. It's one of the many ways you can save with progressive get your quote today. A progressive dot com and see Four out of five new, auto customers recommend progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates pricing. Rich match, limited by state law, Imagine dragons are Grammy Award winning banned from LAS Vegas. They ve sold over twenty million items so far and they were the most streamed banned on Spotify and twenty eighty in March of this year, they release the song, follow you singer DEN Reynolds started the song at home and then later the ban took the song to the studio Shangri LA to record parts of it with legendary producer Rick Reuben. In this episode, Dan breaks down the south, which tells us deeply personal story of his relationship to his wife.

The my name is Dan Reynolds and I sing for the band. Imagine dragons Other things that kind of led to this ve gone through therapy and other things, but we decided you know what. After some years of being married. This isn't going to work and get a divorce, and that was a really difficult decision super heartbreaking. We had actually been together for over a decade. At that point we had three kids and imagine dragons blew up after we got married, and so I traveled a lot which was really difficult and also went through. Faith crisis. I was raised in Mormonism and never really settled incorrectly for me, so I was just doing

different things that made a marriage. Difficult made me a difficult partner to be with. So we got separated after seven months of zero communication we came home to sit an attorney's office and sign the final papers and when I was driving to sign the papers. Asia sent me a very lengthy text message expressing seven months of pain that she had been through and really expressing. Seven years of marriage, doing it in the most heartfelt way it was I love you. I accept you and we're going to be great Co. Parents together for these children separated kind of like this, it's a freedom and love and forgiveness. and I read it and I was like reminded about how important this woman was to me. it made me rethink a lot of things about my about our relationship, our family, so we sat down

but at the table to sign these papers and we kind of looked at each other across the table, and I think we were both crying and I said something like hey. Why are we doing this? Let's get outta here we got it from the table and we went to eat and just felt the The sense of love and loyalty- and if that, like the first time we had met which was magical, propose then we cited, but why don't we just start dating again. even though we are still married So we started dating since the age of twelve I've written almost, a song a day and I was like It is incredible, Mean Asia dating again we may get back together. This is Second chance, I have to write about this today and I, went through a bunch of tracks, that Joe Little had sent me, who is incredible producer that we work with in the past, and

I listened to a couple of them on one of them. Was a basic beat with a sense of awe. It's like a really beautiful haunting Oregon and it felt nostalgic to me immediately. It made me feel, like some sense of worship, and when I hear that something about the worship made me think of love. And the melody always comes. First, the monopoly on Mount in doing that, and then they can begin, and indeed do and then I just start to sing about whatever's in my head. Elsie was really in my mind, like loyal to this. Woman has been with me through everything and I'm not an easy person to be with for a long time very. Bipolar. I dealt with serious depression since I was young and dieting like high.

is no knows and she's been with me through everything. So I think something that is, in my mind, I'll, get the chorus right, first then I know ok now I know what I'm writing about I'm writing about. Following someone. Through the ups and downs of life, I'll follow you weigh down wherever you may go. I follow you weigh down to your deepest love. What am I first thoughts was don't muddy. It up don't cloudy this up. things are really trying to do with this record was be less metaphor One of the reasons I was overly metaphorical. A lot of my early works, not even because I was trying to sound that poetic.

It's really because I was afraid of my family, knowing what I was singing about from a very young age. So if my mom happened to hear the song she's not going to like son, are you having a problem? faith, and I don't want how that translation, so I would always be over the top metaphorical. I recall immediately with follow you lyrically thinking, don't overthink. you got your number number team can the last, is the victory to read. I want to put the star who will only know what you've been holding back party tags every night. You know not right when I finish. The song I get on my gmail and I send the demo to the band then. what guitar at his house and send it back The

Wayne. Guitar, is a very personal thing for him. Wayne is super involved Very excitable Wayne is very grounded, he's very even keeled. In the early stages of the band Wayne and I were primary songwriters and then we get in the studio with Ben and Platzman? Then they would Their opinions, the table on these demos and really be involved, then. then the next iteration was when we went to the studio, Rick Rubin is the producer and we did it at his studio in Malibu, which is known as Shangri LA I loved working with him and all the stem sent over from georgia- and we started with just the bulk or the sense and built from their our goal this track was to really Mary, the modern, with the throwback like fifty percent organic in fifty percent programmes, programs, and so there

Real drums on top of program drums Then we added an Oregon with Corey Henry O watching him work was a rebel and he really brings that sense of almost worship to the song or the knots Wayne playing that on a really vintage, upright piano. Oh, we wanted to give human residence to the track it's good as you can get the best

programmed piano you're not going to have the depth that's going to come from. Open to jolt upright piano in Rome, a Shangri LA. We thought it would be interesting to start the song and play it as though you're hearing it on old radio in like the 80s or something like that, and we record through tape, Cosette Player, and then the song you hit rewind in that that's when the song opens up aw. I, We use them of Opel's on almost every single son that we ve put out, call you, you didn't cry and cry, and no nine pure only disappointed in yourself. This is not a room that any studio engineer would ever recommend. There is no sound happening on any of the walls. So as you, listen to this track. It's there

I can really hear grabbing compressing grabbing the room. You know gudgeon number number one I am always on your team is not typically. People are doing their vocals irrevocable than vocal booth, not correct for this I I, when I tried to do it in a vocal booth, I just didn't, sounds cool. It sounded like doing a vocal and in not doing it in a weird room with weird acoustics. We only know what you been holding back part of every night and then I think, get to a bridge that actually had one moment where was like, but really honey. I want to tell you something serious, which is that I love you, and I know that you've had to live in a since has been really difficult with Marion Mormonism Sicking, biased my side through down downs like all. It was a moment where I wanted to just Just me and you here for a second on this bridge, Tell you that I love you and I appreciate you,

not tat, the king himself enough and in time, we're excited she's, not the type to give herself enough love She lives her life hand in a tight glove. I wish that I could fix it. I could fix it for you, but instead I'll be right here. Coming through, Anybody who is married into a very conservative family, or a family. That is very, the world that you raised in very daunting experience. So when she met my family. I think She felt a very high level scrutiny whether it was there or not that she It was always holding back a words frayed to be too provocative afraid to be herself it's hard for me in time on a bridge with out and make me feel emotional because of how you have a factor that Spain and our entire marriage and its little thing, I got

Did you really love someone staff, my vocal a bunch of times doing like my own interpretation of the beach boys hits but by the way our life, but instead be right, can coming through like get over the top and make you laugh when you hear this and make you smile know that we have good times ahead of us and why What can we just made it through? That was that process. So Rick Rubin's idea was. He said. Okay, we just got to a high level here with the deal

the lead knit knitting, the ok. What are you going to do? That's going to make me not feel like you're? Actually, taking a step down after that, so Well. I heard this melody in my head. That was way out of my range but really want me to go for it. I remember being like I don't think this, but I'll. Try if I do hindrance to sound, pretty and then I did it and workers was like. I like it when something like that. The sing, the song I want to say three times and we When did a version of the song by the way completely different, it's very organic.

And it's more live. Instrumentation the you know about you, but It said to me, you know: are you trying to make an imagine dragons song, that's influenced the beach boys, are you trying to make a beach voice on, and that made me think a lot about But I was leaning towards putting out the other version of the song, but Picasso also said. Well, why don't you go? Listen to him both. So oh I put on my headphones and I went on a run. I remember this super vividly. I went on run on the beach and the one We didn't put out gave me a feeling of like a party I played the other one, and it was like emotional. For me, it sounded like I worship. This. This is my religion, because

legend hasn't worked for me I typically never write, love songs, it feels songs to me and redundant. It's like okay. How are you going to say it better than here? it's been said before, but really glad that this song is written. It commemorates something, that's really important to me and a life change, that's the best decision I made. I hope that this song is something that I can always go back to and listen to remind me of, what's most important to me, which is loyalty to those that I love. I really do hope that just on a selfish level, just for me it is something I always can listen to and say you know what there is a lot. I learned in the time period of our relationship. That's captured him in a small son and now,

Here's follow you by imagine. Dragons in its entirety.

You got your number number, did you you? Where you, you know you, you know I can fix it. I can fix it, but instead be right with you.

to learn more visit, song exploder dot, net you'll find to buy or stream follow you and you can watch the music video. Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring the show square, is an all in one platform that lets you build a beautiful website for your business or your art or your band. If you sell stuff, they've got e commerce templates. If you want to The blog they give you buttons to your audience, can share your posts on social media, and you can have my simple contributors, so you can work on your site together, check out square. dot com for a free trial when you you're, ready, launch: go to Squarespace dot com, slash exploder to save ten percent off your first per of a website or domain. exposure is sponsored by borrow. you kind of furniture company. Everything name It is designed to make life easier, the furniture, it's easy to assemble the fabrics are stain resistant. The shelves easy to install and the delivery is free. Right now

get seventy five dollars off your first order at Boro, dot com, slash song, exploder, that's borrow: b: U R, R, o w dot com slash. Unexploded exploder for seventy five dollars off borrowed dotcom, slash song, exploder. This episode was made by me with editing help from Teeny Lieberson and Casey deal artwork by Carlos Lerma and music clearance. Kathleen Smith Song Explorer is proud. Member of radio Tokyo from PR acts and network of independent listener supported artist, owned podcast. You can learn more about our shows that radio Tokyo dot FM. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at receive her way, and you can follow the show at song explode her. You can also get a song exploded. Teacher at song, exploded, dot, net, Flash shirt mining is Rishikesh her way, thanks for listening,

radio do. there's a brain. You show joining Radio Tokyo called or products every week, history means Leah. Wright, rigueur and Kelly Carter. Jackson are going die. if deep into the cultural significance of the Oprah Winfrey Show- and you might know, Kelly Carter Jackson because she's the host of another radio Tokyo show this day esoteric, political history, on Oprah, the two friends are going to talk about. Why Oprah matters to culture and how Oprah it's so much of the culture from diet, what clubs to celebrity two views to make overs and our spin offs. If you love Oprah, You just want to learn more about her. You have to check out o predominates. The study of the queen of talk, wednesdays starting March Thirtieth, listen at the utopia dot fm wherever you listen to podcasts,