Throwback Thursday: Dan Wilson discusses Semisonic’s “Closing Time”

Chris DeMakes A Podcast

Chris DeMakes

Music History, Music Commentary, Music, Music Interviews

4.9 • 923 Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2025

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Throwback Thursday episode, originally released in September 2022 as Episode 122, Dan Wilson of Semisonic shares the story behind the writing and recording of their iconic 1998 hit, "Closing Time." A two-time Grammy winner, Dan brings unmatched insight into the art of songwriting, having won Song of the Year in 2007 for co-writing The Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice” and Album of the Year in 2012 for producing Adele’s 21. With his unique blend of warmth and wisdom, Dan reflects on Semisonic's breakout success, the song's enduring legacy, and his celebrated career as a writer and producer. Whether you’re revisiting this episode or hearing it for the first time, it’s a must-listen for fans of great music and unforgettable stories. Chris DeMakes A Podcast is brought to you by DistroKid, the ultimate partner for taking your music to the next level. Get 30% off your first YEAR with DistroKid by signing up at http://distrokid.com/vip/demakes For bonus episode of The After Party podcast, an extensive back catalog of past After Party episodes, early ad-free releases of new episodes of Chris DeMakes A Podcast, full video versions of episodes, and MUCH more, head to the Patreon at http://www.ChrisDeMakes.com Follow Chris DeMakes A Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdemakesapodcast/ Join the Chris DeMakes A Podcast community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2643961642526928/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Distro Kid.
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0:27.2	Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:32.9	It's throwback Thursday. Hey everybody, Krista Makes a podcast producer, Chris Fafalius here.
0:40.0	I hope you all enjoyed our Grammy Song of the Year preview episode this past Monday.
0:44.3	And with the Grammys coming up this week, it got me thinking about all the Grammy winners
0:48.2	we've actually had on this show.
0:50.9	That whole episode was about Song of the Year, and we've actually had two past guests
0:55.5	who won Song of the Year before. One of them was Dan Wilson, who received that honor in 2007
1:02.4	for co-writing Not Ready to Make Nice with the Chicks. Dan also won an album of the year award
1:08.3	as a producer for Adele's album 21 in 2012. Dan, of course, came on
1:14.2	our show to discuss the writing and recording of his band Semi-Sonic's 1998 hit closing time.
1:21.0	You're going to absolutely love this one if you haven't heard it before. Before we get to that,
1:25.1	though, let me just take a quick second to remind you to check out
1:28.0	our Patreon at Krista Makes.com. We do a whole other podcast called The After Party, and if you
1:34.0	sign up for our Patreon, you'll get instant access to hundreds of episodes of that, plus there's
1:39.4	tons of other stuff. You don't need me to tell you about what Patreon is. Just go check it out
	...

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