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Take 5: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Double J
The Take 5 is a music podcast where the people you love, share five songs they love. Each guest has a different theme, and the memories attached to their most beloved songs flip them to fan mode, often giving a rare insight into their creative heart. Hosted by Zan Rowe.
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- 4 days ago1h 0m
Take 5 with Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Ardern is a history-maker.As Prime Minister of New Zealand at 37, she became only the second woman in the world to give birth while in office. But it was her leadership style that defined her time at the top, leading with empathy and kindness in the face of back-to-back tragedies, and showing the strength of coming together.From growing up in small-town New Zealand singing country and western duets with her sister at the local community hall, to raging to Smashing Pumpkins in her first car with a discman plugged into the cassette deck, Ardern's musical taste has always been eclectic and deeply personal. She's the teenager who loved alternative music and heavy metal while being a dedicated student rep raised in the Mormon faith, and the world leader who chose a drum and bass track as her walk-on song.Her career path was never straightforward. She ran from the possibility of becoming a politician, buying a one-way ticket to New York to escape the suggestion she should run for office. But a sense of responsibility (what she calls her "oversized sense of duty"), kept pulling her back. In 2017, everything changed in a single year: a by-election, deputy leadership, then the top job itself, all while secretly pregnant. She led her country through the Christchurch mosque shootings, the Whakaari White Island eruption, and a global pandemic, all while insisting that being human is not a weakness.This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe at the Australian Chamber Orchestra's studios on Sydney Harbour. Jacinda caught the ferry to the location, rolling up without any entourage, proving just how down-to-earth she is. She was candid, emotional, and generous in exploring her extraordinary life across five songs. The theme that emerged was clear: optimism as a courageous act, and the enduring power of being useful.Jacinda Ardern's song choices: Smashing Pumpkins - 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Wandering Eye'Cat Stevens - 'Peace Train'The Mountain Goats - 'This Year'Shapeshifter - 'Stars'00:00 Introduction: Jacinda Ardern Made History00:54 "They Are Us": Leading with Empathy and Kindness01:04 Filming Take 5 with a Former PM01:56 Extended Podcast Edit: The Most Eclectic Song List of the Season02:02 Childhood in Rural New Zealand: The Record Player at Home02:26 Roy Orbison, ABBA, and Parents' "Slightly Different Era" Taste03:02 The Country and Western Club: Every Friday Night at the Community Hall03:26 Singing Duets with Sister Louise: "She's the One Holding the Microphone"04:03 "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" and the Christmas Special04:58 Sister's Pop vs. Her Alternative: Cypress Hill, Rage Against the Machine05:11 Smashing Pumpkins: 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'05:53 Growing Up in Morrinsville: Dairy Farms and $20 a Week at the Fish and Chip Shop06:02 The Discman in the Car: Cassette Adapters and Judder Bars06:39 The Multi-Change CD Player: "The Most Exciting Thing"07:02 The Walkman and Sister Louise: "I've Never Gotten Over It"07:44 Playing Every CD to Death: "You Valued Every One"08:01 Teenage Angst: Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails08:21 Smashing Pumpkins: "Both the Lyrics That Spoke to Teenage Angst and Great Music"08:52 Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: A Double Album for the Multi-CD Player09:15 "Despite All My Rage, I'm Still Just a Rat in a Cage"09:29 An Earnest Teenager: Raised in Religion, Student Rep, Working Hard10:13 Not a Headbanger: "My Mother Would've Taken Me to a Chiropractor"10:44 Parents Respected Their Own Musical Taste and Belief Systems11:26 Born in Hamilton, Then Murupara: First Observations of Poverty and Inequality12:00 "A Place That Made Me Quite Political"12:29 Writing the Book: How Do You End Up in Politics?12:48 "All of It Contributes to How You Come to Be the Person You Are"13:15 The Kinship Between Australia and New Zealand13:44 Empathy and Awareness: Seeing What Affects People14:17 Father the Policeman: "Power as a Responsibility"14:40 "Being Useful Is a Driving Force"15:04 Fat Freddy's Drop: 'Wandering Eye'15:13 Moving to Wellington in the Early 2000s15:46 Sworn In as PM: Fat Freddy's Drop Playing on Parliament Steps16:08 Carpooling on a Bus Instead of Crown Cars16:33 "Sitting at the Base of the Steps, Just Playing for Us"17:00 A Full Circle Moment: Unexpected PM, Secretly Pregnant18:29 First Job in Parliament: Interning in Wellington18:57 "I Couldn't Possibly Be a Politician"19:36 People Identifying the Leader in Her Before She Did20:22 The Beehive: Flatting and a Normal Life in Her 20s21:06 Still a Practicing Mormon in Her Early
- 1 weeks ago38 min
Take 5 with David Byrne
David Byrne is a music icon.With Talking Heads, or his many wild collaborations, and as an acclaimed solo artist, he's continually pushed the boundaries of sound, crafting some of the most iconic live performances of our time.Over five decades, he's never stopped asking why. His curiosity has driven an extraordinary creative life that stretches way beyond music: on canvas, in writing, filmmaking, composing musicals. He's even designed bike racks.From hearing Bob Dylan's mysterious words on a tiny radio and discovering James Brown's interlocking grooves, to forming Talking Heads at the Rhode Island School of Design and moving to New York's CBGB scene, Byrne has always followed his curiosity wherever it leads. He wrote his very first song, "Psycho Killer," as a test to see if he could write one at all, and it became an instant classic.His collaborations read like a who's who of music history: Brian Eno, Arthur Russell, Parliament-Funkadelic, and even Celia Cruz. His 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense with Jonathan Demme remains one of the most celebrated live performances ever captured. And decades later, he's still rearranging his classic songs, finding new meaning in them, sometimes discovering, as with "Life During Wartime," that they feel more real and more close than ever.This episode was filmed for Season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe in a recording studio in Sydney while David Byrne was in Australia touring over the 2025/26 summer. He was jubilant, fascinating, and so generous in exploring his huge life across five songs. As a lifelong DB fan, the theme was clear: curiosity. And as David himself says, the answers don't come in the songs. They come in the live shows, in how we perform and how we are with one another.David Byrne's song choices:James Brown - 'Get On the Good Foot'Joubert Singers - 'Stand On The Word' (Larry Levan mix)Celia Cruz - 'Cucala'James Blake - 'The Wilhelm Scream'Caetano Veloso - 'Tropicalia'00:00 Introduction: A Lifetime of Asking Questions02:01 Meet David Byrne: Icon, Collaborator, Polymath02:33 Extended Cut. Watch on ABC iview02:55 The Theme: Curiosity and the Songs That Spark It03:25 A Tiny Radio, The Byrds, and the Mysterious Words of Bob Dylan04:45 James Brown: 'Get On the Good Foot'05:09 Interlocking Puzzles: "I Treat Every Instrument as a Percussion Instrument"05:34 The Social Metaphor of Funk. A Penny Drop Moment Decades Later07:12 First Time Seeing James Brown Live: The Dancing Women Who Weren't Singing08:37 Art School and Music as a Hobby: "Don't Get Your Hopes Up"09:23 Rhode Island School of Design: Meeting Chris Frantz09:52 Putting a Band Together and Writing the First Songs10:39 Why Write Songs at All? "Just to See If You Could"11:04 Writing "Psycho Killer" as a Test. And People Liked It11:31 "Check That Box. I Can Write a Song."12:12 Influences: James Brown, Disco, Bowie, and the Velvet Underground12:54 Moving to New York: CBGB, Television, and Patti Smith13:47 MTV and "Once in a Lifetime": Going Back to Art School for Music Videos14:26 Joubert Singers: 'Stand On The Word' (Larry Levan mix)14:53 Gospel in a Disco Club: The Shared Transcendence of Dance and Church16:31 Hearing Talking Heads in the Clubs: "We've Been Validated"17:11 My Life in the Bush of Ghosts: When the DJ Picked It18:00 Losing Yourself: The Body Perceives Music Before the Mind19:25 Trust and Surrender on the Dance Floor20:01 Celia Cruz: 'Cucala'20:41 The Latin Club Down the Street from CBGB21:06 Dance Music Played Live: Salsa, Hips, and Sensuous Rhythms21:56 Celia Cruz's Voice: "It Cuts Through Everything"22:36 A Pinch-Yourself Moment: Recording a Song with Celia Cruz23:12 Different Worlds: Spangly Outfits, Huge Hairdos, and Skinny Jeans23:50 Collaborators Expanding: Arthur Russell's Cello Arrangement of "Psycho Killer"24:44 Adding Parliament-Funkadelic Members: The Universe Keeps Growing25:23 James Blake: 'The Wilhelm Scream'26:03 Minimalism: "You Don't Have to Keep Piling Everything On"26:51 Brian Eno vs. James Blake: Learning to Strip Things Down from a Song27:18 Seeing James Blake Live and Discovering He's "a Great Singer"27:43 James Blake the Producer: Pulling Things Apart and Stitching Them Back Together27:58 Stop Making Sense: Showing the Audience How the Sausage Is Made28:20 "You're Playing to Tracks, Aren't You?" Proving It's All Live28:45 Breaking a Song Apart Onstage: One Instrument at a Time29:09 Wireless Instruments and Witchcraft29:21 Caetano Veloso: 'Tropicalia'30:27 Caetano Celebrating Everything: "We Can Say Yes to All These Things"30:50 A Mentor Who Keeps Evolving: "I Want to Be Able
- 2 weeks ago1h 0m
Take 5 with Darren Hayes from Savage Garden
When you look back at the Australian artists who've made their mark internationally, Savage Garden are right up there. Two guys from Brisbane who went Number 1 around the world, cracked the notoriously tough U.S. market and sold nearly 30 million albums with hits like 'I Want You', 'To The Moon And Back', and 'Truly Madly Deeply'. They may have only been together for two albums, but the legacy of their pop breakthrough continues, as does frontman Darren Hayes' incredible story.While he was sailing the highs of global fame, behind the scenes, Darren was dealing with a fractured band relationship, battling depression, and in the closet, unable to be truly himself. As a now proudly out gay man, he continues to sing his stories as a solo artist, but the road hasn't always been smooth sailing. Growing up in Logan, Queensland, the youngest of three in a home shadowed by severe domestic violence, who could have predicted that this sensitive kid who loved to sing would one day stand on the world's biggest stages?Darren's story is extraordinary: 250 rejection letters before anyone would sign Savage Garden, a manager who mortgaged his home to make it happen, and a partnership with Daniel Jones that produced some of the most iconic pop of the '90s before it all came crashing down. There have been plenty of lows too; being told by his own record company to hide who he was, the sudden loss of his mother, and a terrifying accident that shattered his jaw and nearly ended his singing career for good. But Darren Hayes is back, and he's got stories.This episode was captured at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, which was the building originally built by Charlie Chaplin, later home to A&M Records, and the exact room where "We Are the World" was recorded (Quincy Jones directing Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and a room full of legends). It's a space steeped in music history, and if you believe the people who work there, a few ghosts as well. It was the perfect place to sit down with Darren and travel through a life defined by music, survival, and healing.Darren Hayes' song choices: The Dream Academy - 'Life in a Northern Town'HAIM - 'Hallelujah'Young The Giant - 'The Walk Home'Coldplay - 'O'Maisie Peters – 'Two Weeks Ago'00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene at Chaplin Studios02:31 The History of Chaplin Studios: From Charlie Chaplin to A&M Records04:00 Karen Carpenter's Ghost and the Sacred Walls05:13 The Theme: Songs of Healing and Music Saving a Life05:41 Growing Up with Domestic Violence in Logan, Queensland06:05 Music as Escape: AM Radio, The Carpenters, and Auntie Jenny's Records06:56 Learning to Sing from Diana Ross and His Mother's Voice08:01 The Dream Academy - 'Life in a Northern Town'08:50 Catharsis Through Melancholy and the Sentimentality of Childhood10:52 Transitions: Missing His Siblings and "The Morning Lasted All Day"12:12 The End of High School and Not Wanting to Grow Up14:23 Growing Up in Logan: Feeling Like a Prince Despite Poverty15:12 A Hyper-Masculine World and Making Star Wars Toys Kiss15:44 Deciding He Was Famous at Age Ten: Protective Armor Against Bullying16:38 Being Called the F Word by His Father Before He Knew What It Meant18:05 Either Be Famous and Magical, or Die18:27 His Job Was to Keep His Mother Alive19:21 Hockey Sticks and Midnight Escapes: Surviving His Father's Violence20:15 Haim - 'Hallelujah'21:02 The Sound of Grace: Guardian Angels and Being Protected21:58 Being Uninvited from a Party and His Mother's Comfort23:30 "You've Got a Hallelujah": Surviving Childhood24:46 When Did Music Become the Path? High School Choir and Musical Theatre25:50 Feeling the Molecules Change When He Sang27:57 The First Band: A Death Metal Audition and Joining Red Edge with Daniel Jones29:26 Throwing Up on the Way to Toowoomba: Playing Aussie Classics He Didn't Know30:14 Leaving Red Edge and the Beginning of Savage Garden31:05 The First Song They Wrote Together: A Thousand Words31:25 The Australian Music Landscape: Grunge vs. Pop and 250 Rejection Letters33:26 John Woodruff Mortgaged His Home and No One Was Laughing Anymore33:46 Global Fame, Fans as Mirrors, and the Exhausting Rollercoaster35:58 Secrets: Being Gay, Depression, and the Record Company Hiding Who He Was36:45 Young The Giant - 'The Walk Home'37:24 Why Savage Garden Ended: Daniel's Unhappiness with Fame37:49 The Sum of the Parts and Beatlesque Chemistry in the Studio38:32 Touring the World Knowing It Was Over39:51 His Relationship with Daniel Now: "We Don't Talk Much Anymore"41:21 Solo Records, Coming Out, and the Album Called Homosexual42:0
- 3 weeks ago43 min
Take 5 with Shania Twain
Shania Twain holds the record for the biggest selling country album of all time: Come On Over. Growing up poor in a Canadian mining town, who could have foreseen that the woman born Eileen Regina Twain would go on to sell over 100 million records, cross country music into pop, and become one of the most recognisable voices on the planet?Her life has been extraordinary, dotted with hit albums and huge shows, songs known by their opening line worldwide, and fans ranging from country music loyalists to Harry Styles. There've been plenty of lows too, including almost losing her voice completely to Lyme disease. Shania Twain may be a little more raspy, but she's got stories.This episode was captured at the legendary Power Station in Midtown Manhattan (the recording studio where Bruce Springsteen made his biggest albums, where David Bowie recorded Let's Dance, and Madonna crafted Like a Virgin). It was the perfect place to sit down and travel back in time with Shania, as she reflected on the little Miss Twain that became the star. Stick around after the chat for a very funny story about what happened that day at the studio. Let's just say Take 5 alumni Lin-Manuel Miranda may have been involved (and Amanda Seyfried... and Hamilton star Phillipa Soo).Shania Twain's song choices: Dolly Parton - 'Coat of Many Colors'Tanya Tucker - 'Texas (When I Die)'Olivia Newton-John - 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'Tina Turner - 'What's Love Got to Do with It'Aretha Franklin - 'Respect'00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene at the Power Station01:50 The Legendary Power Station Studio02:35 Dolly Parton - 'Coat of Many Colors'03:15 Growing Up Poor and Dolly Parton's Influence06:45 Reflecting on Childhood and the New Album 'Little Miss Twain'07:30 Singing in Bars as a Child and Tammy Wynette09:01 Tanya Tucker - 'Texas (When I Die)'09:30 Tanya Tucker: A Voice Beyond Her Years11:00 First on Stage at Eight Years Old12:45 Singing in the Bars of Timmins, Ontario15:30 Mother's Dream: The Next Tanya Tucker16:00 Dreaming of Horses Instead of Fame17:05 Olivia Newton-John - 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'17:45 Olivia Newton-John: Crossing Genres and Breaking Boundaries20:30 Nashville, Crossing Over to Pop, and Doing It Her Way24:00 The First Video, a Target Budget, and the Belly Button Scandal27:10 Tina Turner - 'What's Love Got to Do with It'28:00 The Queen of Comebacks29:45 A 15-Year Break and Losing Her Voice30:30 Lyme Disease, Vocal Cord Surgery, and Finding a New Voice34:20 Aretha Franklin - 'Respect'35:00 Aretha's Brilliance and Owning the Song37:30 Respect, Recognition, and Not Feeling Like a Star38:30 Finding Peace in the Bush40:00 Full Circle: A Message to Little Miss Twain41:00 A Surprise Visit from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Amanda Seyfried & Phillipa Soo42:30 Next Time: Darren Hayes43:30 Double JThis episode was filmed for season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now.Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iview:https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe
- Aug 20, 202656 min
Take 5 with Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett has been an unstoppable force of Australian music for decades.As the iconic frontman for Midnight Oil, a grassroots activist, and a former Federal Parliamentarian, he's spent a lifetime driving change. Kicking off a brand-new series of Take 5 with the theme "songs of change," Peter Garrett reveals a softer, surprisingly open side behind the public persona. Fall into the stories and songs that hold Peter Garrett together.Peter's song choices:Peter, Paul & Mary - Tell It On The MountainWarumpi Band - From The BushDOBBY - Dirrpi Yuin PatjulinyaBruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - War (live)Sarah Blasko - Without 01:46 A life punctuated by music and change03:21 Peter, Paul & Mary - 'Tell It On The Mountain'03:30 Growing up in a musical household06:40 Reflecting on his parent's deaths09:32 Peter Garrett's first band10:14 Warumpi Band - 'From The Bush'15:35 Midnight Oil tour to remote Indigenous communities in 198618:49 Influence of Warumpi Band on Beds Are Burning22:33 DOBBY - 'Dirrpi Yuin Patjulinya'26:35 Rob Hirst tribute at APRA Awards 202629:51 Discussing the legacy of Rob Hirst34:39 Future of Midnight Oil36:18 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - 'War (Live)'41:29 Music and Politics43:23 Reflecting on political career45:27 Sarah Blasko - 'Without'49:33 Peter's wife of 40 years Doris52:37 Looking forward not back54:24 Zan's final reflections54:55 Preview next episode with Shania TwainThis episode kicks off a brand new season of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now.Watch Take 5 on ABC iview:https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe
- Aug 13, 20264 min
INTRODUCING: Brand new TV episodes of Take 5 with Zan Rowe
Take 5 with Zan Rowe is back on your screens from Thursday August 20, and Season 5 is the biggest yet!What song makes Peter Garrett cry? What was the tune that woke David Byrne up to the full body physicality of music, at Studio 54? And who do you think a teenage Jacinda Ardern was blasting, as she hooned around her hometown in New Zealand? You’re about to find out, as Take 5 returns for a 5th season on ABC TV and ABC iview. For the last 6 months Zan Rowe has been zipping around Australia, to New York City and Los Angeles to capture 8 extraordinary conversations with absolute legends. Like Shania Twain, who revealed a poverty stricken childhood that made her a star. Or Darren Hayes, who laid it all out in a heartbreaking conversation about loss and healing. You’re going fall in love with Lainey Wilson, the singer who’s selling out arenas with her bell-bottom country and southern charm. And you’ll learn more about Genesis Owusu, a visionary doing completely his own thing and winning all the awards, all at just 28 years old. If you’ve ever wondered if it’s possible to adore Vika & Linda Bull even more, their Take 5 will confirm. Fall into the worlds of these 8 incredible guests as they Take 5.You’ll catch all the episodes from Thursday August 20 on ABC TV and ABC iview.PLUS: every week, we’ll drop extended cuts of these chats right here on the podcast. All the bits we had to leave out of the TV episodes, the stories that didn’t make the edit, the moments that stayed with us.So hit follow and get ready for a season of Take 5 that’ll shift your perspective, make you laugh, and maybe even make you cry.And while you wait for Season 5, there’s plenty to explore. From Paul McCartney to Trent Dalton, Sophie Ellis-Bextor to Lorde – Take 5 has been a radio and podcast favourite for two decades. Dig in!Watch the first 4 seasons of Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe
- Jul 29, 202612 min
Best Bits: Paul McCartney on The Beatles and writing a song
This is one of the best bits from Take 5.One of the greatest songwriters of all time sat down with Zan Rowe to open his songbook and dive deep into the making of five of his greatest. Paul McCartney has provided the soundtrack to billions of lives. His legacy in song is unparalleled; starting with The Beatles, who changed the game forever, he rolled on with his own solo career while building a new band in Wings, and collaborating with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Johnny Cash and Dave Grohl.Listen to the full episode here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/paul-mccartney-take-5/9230996SONGThe Beatles - 'Blackbird'
- Jul 22, 20267 min
Best Bits: Kacey Musgraves on Tame Impala and Dolly Parton!
This is one of the best bits from Take 5.Kacey Musgraves is a straight shooter, a woman of conviction. In person and in song, the bridge she creates with her fans is something else, and it’s made her one of the most loved artists around.For Kacey’s Take 5, Zan wanted to find out about the music that brought her to today, and to borrow a title from her own debut album, helped Kacey “follow her arrow”. Listen to the full episode here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/kacey-musgraves-take-5-with-zan-rowe/11122692
About Take 5
The Take 5 is a music podcast where the people you love, share five songs they love. Each guest has a different theme, and the memories attached to their most beloved songs flip them to fan mode, often giving a rare insight into their creative heart. Hosted by Zan Rowe.
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