Listening 2 Daft Punk: Random Access Memories
In the song "Touch" from Daft Punk's final studio album, 2013's Random Access Memories, featured artist Paul Williams sings a line that augured the end of an impressive collaboration: "I need something more." With RAM, Daft Punk pulled out all the stops, going the opposite direction of their previous albums, to "give life back to music" and bestow hearts and souls upon their robotic doppelg\xe4ngers.\nRAM features almost no samples or programmed digital instruments, instead leaning into extensive collaborations with legendary studio musicians, iconic producers like Nile Rodgers, and modern mavens such as Pharrell. The making of RAM followed the blueprint of classic albums from what Daft Punk called "the golden age" of recording\u2014Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Pink Floyd. The duo spent over a million dollars, held five years of studio sessions, and painstakingly crafted each track. The result was a record that helped usher in a retro disco-funk revival across pop music and generated a smash hit in "Get Lucky." The band had perhaps crafted their magnum opus\u2014but did it also represent the conclusion of their epic narrative of the battle between human and machine?\nSongs Discussed\nDaft Punk - Give Life Back to Music\nDaft Punk - Lose Yourself to Dance (feat. Pharrell Williams)\nDaft Punk - Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)\nDaft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder\nEagles - Hotel California\nDaft Punk - Contact\nThe Sherbs - We Ride Tonight\nDaft Punk - The Prime Time of Your Life\nDaft Punk, Paul Williams - Touch (feat. Paul Williams)\nThomas Bangalter - Mythologies: X. L'Accouchement\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices