Sodajerker On Songwriting

The great Midge Ure drops in to discuss the 40th anniversary reissue of Ultravox's seminal album Vienna. The legendary songwriter talks about his writing process throughout his extraordinary career from his work with Rich Kids, Visage and Phil Lynott, to the collaborative miracle that was Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'

For this episode, Simon and Brian are joined by singer-songwriter Andrew Roachford to chat about the writing of his new record Twice In A Lifetime. The veteran musician talks about working with Beverley Knight, why he likes singing in his living room, and what it was like to see Alan Partridge miming his classic hit 'Cuddly Toy'.

Singer-songwriter Katie Melua talks with Simon and Brian about the writing of her absorbing new record Album No. 8. During the conversation, Katie also reflects on her collaborations with the likes of Mike Batt, Guy Chambers, Don Black and Sam Dixon, and explains why she has been on a mission to research lyric writing.

Matt Berninger of The National joins us to talk about the writing of his excellent solo album Serpentine Prison. During the conversation, Matt describes his partnership with the album's producer Booker T. Jones, and explains why he's striving to resist cultures of fear, and structure his life around positive forms of creativity.

Singer-songwriter Dan Croll talks about his staggeringly good third album Grand Plan which covers his first year living as an artist in LA. Dan also remembers the time he had a one-on-one masterclass with Paul McCartney while studying at LIPA and takes a moment to reflect on the tragic loss of the band Her's, which he captures beautifully in his song 'Together'.

Taylor Goldsmith talks about his songwriting process across the impressive Dawes catalogue, collaborating with the likes of Elvis Costello on The New Basement Tapes project, and why it's important not to go into the studio with a hundred songs. Taylor also reflects on his work with talented friends like Brandon Flowers, Mike Viola, and his wife Mandy Moore.

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.