A daily chronicle of creativity in film, TV, music, arts, and entertainment, produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from November 2014 – March 2020. Host John Horn leads the conversation, accompanied by the nation's most plugged-in cultural journalists.
Have you ever listened to a song and wondered how it really came together? Hrishikesh Hirway is a Los Angeles-based musician who takes a song apart piece-by-piece and then brings the artists on his podcast, Song Exploder , to talk about how they put it all together.
On his latest episode, which was adapted for The Frame, Hirway talks with the composer of the theme to "House of Cards," Jeff Beal. (The series' third season debuts Feb. 27.)
Beal worked closely with producer Beau Willimon and director/executive producer David Fincher to shape the tone of the opening theme. Beal also reveals how he built the song over time and how he changed the music from season-to-season to match the sinister changes on the show.
(You can listen to the entire second-season version of the theme below.)