Sodajerker On Songwriting

To celebrate National Album Day, the great Billy Ocean discusses his new album One World , and his classic hits including 'Love Really Hurts Without You', 'Caribbean Queen', 'When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going' and 'Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car'. Billy also explains his approach to melody and vocal performance, and remembers his time collaborating with super-producer Mutt Lange...

World-renowned producer, songwriter and musician Paul Epworth speaks about his debut solo record, the expansive space concept album  Voyager . Paul also talks in depth about his creative process, his studio The Church, and co-writing global hits with Adele such as 'Rolling in the Deep' and 'Skyfall'.

Nashville powerhouse Margo Price discusses the many gems on her new album That's How Rumors Get Started . Now on her third long-player, the multi-talented singer-songwriter reflects on the art of writing political songs and the challenges of being a working mother.

Vince Clarke and Andy Bell of Erasure talk about their excellent new album The Neon and how their songwriting process has evolved. In addition to discussing classic hits from their back catalogue like 'Blue Savannah', 'Sometimes' and 'A Little Respect', the pair explain how Andy prepares to find melodies on a track and how Vince makes best use of the analogue and digital domains.

With two recent Emmy nominations under his belt, the multi-talented  Labrinth joins us to discuss his work on the critically-acclaimed HBO series Euphoria and his hits from the past decade. During the conversation, Lab talks about his approach to music theory and arranging, co-writing with artists like Sia, and his passion for retro synthesisers.

The legendary Burt Bacharach and his brilliant co-writer Daniel Tashian drop in for a conversation about their stunning new EP,  Blue Umbrella,  and life as songwriters in the middle of a pandemic. The pair explain how they've continued their collaboration remotely between Los Angeles and Nashville, and how they've drawn on Burt's vast experience as an arranger to bring the songs to life.

Grammy-winning hitmaker Nile Rodgers and legendary manager Merck Mercuriadis join Simon and Brian onstage at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall during the 2019 Meltdown festival. The pair share insights into the art and business of songwriting through their work together on the Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited , and Nile takes up his guitar to demonstrate how he wrote classic hits for artists...

Songwriter and producer Dave Stewart drops in to discuss the new Stewart/Lindsey album Amitié , his many classic hits with Annie Lennox in Eurythmics, and his storied career in music. Dave also reflects on his collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Shakespeares Sister, and the importance of distraction in the writing process.

The great Rufus Wainwright returns to discuss his new album  Unfollow The Rules , becoming part of the Laurel Canyon scene, and how his operas have informed his pop songcraft. Rufus was also the guest for episode 54 of this podcast.

Prolific singer-songwriter Laura Marling discusses the writing of her beautiful new album Song For Our Daughter , collaborating with Blake Mills, Ethan Johns and Mike Lindsay, and the influence of Paul McCartney's acoustic guitar ballads.

Singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama joins Simon and Brian for the first fully remote episode of the show in which she describes the collaborative songwriting process behind her stunning debut album SAWAYAMA , how she was influenced by the pop of the early 2000s, and the intensely personal process of writing about family.

Rapper, poet, novelist and playwright Kate Tempest talks about her creative process across a range of projects, detailing her approach to lyrics, prose, melody, structure and narrative. The double Mercury Music Prize nominee also reflects on her time working with legendary producer Rick Rubin, and her deep relationship with the city of London.

On the fourth anniversary of his passing, we've dug into the Sodajerker vault to find an unreleased bonus episode from a couple of years ago in which we sat down for an hour to talk about one of our all-time favourite artists - Prince! We couldn't resist bookending it with a Prince-inspired jam we found along with the recording. Enjoy!

The great Huey Lewis discusses the writing of his new album Weather,  which was recorded prior to the singer losing his hearing to Ménière's disease in 2018. In addition to telling the stories behind hits like 'The Heart of Rock and Roll', 'Bad Is Bad', 'Hip To Be Square' and 'Small World', Huey also details his collaborations with mentors like Nick Lowe and Mutt Lange, and his work on the songs '...

The wonderful KT Tunstall joins us at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for a live conversation as part of the launch of the Songwriting Studies Research Network . During the chat, KT takes to the guitar and the piano to demonstrate her creative process on songs like 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree', 'Suddenly I See' and recent work from albums like KIN  and  WAX . Note: KT was also the guest fo...

Thompson Twins'  Tom Bailey describes the creative process behind enduring songs like 'In The Name Of Love', 'Love On Your Side', 'If You Were Here' and 'Hold Me Now'. During the conversation, Tom also gives detailed insights into the songwriting behind his 2018 solo album Science Fiction , and explains why it's important to maintain the distinctive aspects of your sound.

Singer-songwriter  Richard Marx talks about the writing of his new album Limitless and the creative process behind hits like 'Right Here Waiting' and 'Hazard'. During the conversation, Richard also reveals the musical bonds that connect his family and shares stories about his collaborations with artists like Keith Urban on 'Long Hot Summer' and the late, great Luther Vandross on the Grammy-winning...

Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and bassist  Sam Dixon joins Simon and Brian at the legendary Rak Studios in London for a live conversation in front of an invited audience. During the episode, Sam discusses his work with artists like Adele, Sia, Christina Aguilera and Jack Savoretti and describes his strategies for bringing the best out of his collaborators. Special thanks to APRA AMCOS for in...

ABC's  Martin Fry describes the writing of his classic album The Lexicon Of Love including songs like 'The Look Of Love', 'Poison Arrow', 'Tears Are Not Enough' and 'All Of My Heart'. During the conversation, Martin also tells the story behind his beloved hit 'When Smokey Sings' and explains how he approached the daunting task of creating The Lexicon of Love II .

Acclaimed singer-songwriter and Monkee  Michael Nesmith talks Sodajerker through the writing process behind songs like 'Papa Gene's Blues', 'Joanne', 'Different Drum', 'Rio' and 'Laugh Kills Lonesome'. In addition to discussing songs he wrote for The Monkees and his solo work, Nez reflects on his relationship with John Lennon, the importance of the arranger, and the influence of visual art on his...

In the final show of 2019, the singular Beck joins Simon and Brian in London to talk about his incredible new album Hyperspace . During the conversation, Beck describes his experiences collaborating with Pharrell, Greg Kurstin and Paul Epworth, the influence of his Grandfather, and what it was like to receive a Grammy from Prince.

Country superstar Keith Urban grabs a couple of his prized Fender guitars and talks Simon and Brian through the writing processes behind his many hit songs. During the conversation, Keith explains the importance of rhythm in his writing, collaborating with the likes of Julia Michaels and Richard Marx, and how he has been inspired creatively by his wife Nicole Kidman.

Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys of OMD sit down in London to discuss their career anthology box set Souvenir and the writing process behind their success. In explaining the chemistry of their creative partnership, Andy and Paul talk about writing sad songs with happy chords, striving to avoid lyrical cliches, and why they remain musical outsiders.

The excellent James Blunt joins Sodajerker in London to discuss his very personal new album Once Upon A Mind . During the conversation, James talks about collaborations with the likes of Linda Perry, Ryan Tedder and Ed Sheeran, shares the stories behind hits like 'You're Beautiful', and explains why it's always important to have a reason to write a song.

For this milestone 150th episode, legendary songwriter and producer Jeff Lynne (ELO, George Harrison, Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty, The Beatles) sits down with Simon and Brian in London to discuss the writing of his new album From Out Of Nowhere . In his inimitable way, Jeff explains how he approaches chords, melody and lyrics to create the distinctive sounds we've loved across decades of classic...