Sodajerker On Songwriting

Singer-songwriter, composer, playwright and author Rupert Holmes discusses songs from his lavish box set Songs That Sound Like Movies from Cherry Red Records. The polymath and raconteur talks Simon and Brian through the writing of classic songs like 'Widescreen', 'Him', 'Timothy', 'Studio Musician', 'Partners in Crime', and 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song)'. Rupert also describes writing for Barbra Streisand, collaborating with Marvin Hamlisch, and the secret of managing his many projects.

Andrew W.K. sits down in London with Simon and Brian to talk about his new album You're Not Alone. In this wide-ranging conversation, Andrew describes how his philosophy, his knowledge of music and his instrumental skills inform his approach to writing and recording songs like 'Music Is Worth Living For', 'Party Mindset' and 'You're Not Alone'. The Party God also describes the processes behind some classics from his back catalogue including 'Party Hard' and 'Don't Call Me Andy'.

Singer-songwriter Nell Bryden describes the writing of her recent album Bloom including the songs 'Thought I Was Meant For You', 'Barcelona's Gone' and 'Dared the World and Won'. From the back catalogue, we also go in-depth on 'Sirens', 'Buildings and Treetops' and 'Wayfarer' while Nell reflects on confessional writing styles, using unfamiliar instruments, and the power of prose.

The brilliant Charlie Dore sits down with Simon and Brian to talk about the writing of her most recent album, Dark Matter. Charlie also talks in detail about her classic hit 'Pilot of the Airwaves', working on TV's Rainbow, co-writing songs like 'Ain't No Doubt' (Jimmy Nail), 'Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)' (Céline Dion), and 'Strut' (Sheena Easton), and her time spent in the company of friends and colleagues like Eric Idle, George Harrison and Harry Nilsson.

To kick off 2018, Simon and Brian sit down with actress and singer-songwriter Rita Wilson to talk about her journey into songwriting, her recent eponymous album, collaborations with a range of world-class writers both in LA and Nashville, and her live music series: Liner Notes: Songwriters, Stories and Music with Rita Wilson and Friends.

This special episode features a sit down with legendary British songwriter Noel Gallagher who talks about his approach to writing the new High Flying Birds album Who Built The Moon? as well as classic Oasis songs like 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' and 'Don't Look Back in Anger'. In describing his work, Noel likens the discipline of songwriting to fishing, and, in that way only he can, expresses his distaste for artists who rely on songwriting teams.

In this episode, Simon and Brian visit the Ealing studios of celebrated UK producer and songwriter Naughty Boy (aka Shahid Khan) for a chat about the writing and production behind songs like 'Diamond Rings', 'Clown', 'Wonder', 'La La La' and 'Runnin' (Lose it All)'. Naughty Boy also talks about his long-standing writing partnership with Emeli Sandé, working with other luminaries like Beyoncé, and completing his next album.

We sit down with Emeli Sandé in her London studio to talk about her excellent new EP Kingdom Coming and a host of classic songs from throughout her career, including 'Clown', 'Heaven', 'Diamond Rings', 'Read All About It, Pt III', 'Hurts' and the transcendent smash 'Next To Me'. Emeli also talks about her songwriting collaborations with artists like Naughty Boy and Alicia Keys.

Singer-songwriter Jake Bugg joins Simon and Brian in London to talk about the writing of his new record Hearts That Strain and songs from throughout his career to date, including: 'How Soon The Dawn', 'Waiting', 'Southern Rain', 'The Man On Stage', 'Two Fingers', 'Slumville Sunrise' and 'Gimme The Love'. Jake also reflects on the co-writing process and his time working with people like Brendan Benson, Mike Crossey and Rick Rubin.

In this special episode, Yusuf aka Cat Stevens meets with Simon and Brian in London for a chat about the writing of his new record The Laughing Apple and classic songs from his back catalogue. Songs discussed include: 'Matthew & Son', 'The First Cut Is The Deepest', 'Wild World', 'Father and Son', 'Moonshadow', '(Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard', 'Heaven/Where True Love Goes' and 'Mighty Peace'.