Sodajerker On Songwriting

In this bonus chat, Simon and Brian take a moment to reflect on the journey that led them to meeting with Paul McCartney, and the crazy week that preceded the experience.

In this special episode, legendary songwriter and Beatle Paul McCartney sits down with Simon and Brian at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts to discuss songs from his new album Egypt Station. During the conversation, Paul describes the process of collaborating with Greg Kurstin and Ryan Tedder, how he develops and captures his ideas, his natural flair for melody, and his modular approach to putting different sections together.

Singer-songwriter Miles Kane joins Sodajerker to discuss songs from his new album Coup De Grace including 'Cry On My Guitar', 'Loaded' and 'Shavambacu'. In addition to recalling his early days with The Little Flames and The Rascals, Miles also talks about co-writing with Andy Partridge, Paul Weller, Jamie T, Lana Del Rey and Alex Turner, and discusses his work with the latter for The Last Shadow Puppets.

We sit down with James Skelly and Nick Power of The Coral at Liverpool's Parr Street Studios to discuss the writing of their new album Move Through The Dawn. In addition to reflecting on tuneful new offerings like 'She's A Runaway', 'Eyes Like Pearls' and 'Strangers In The Hollow', the pair remember their mentor Alan Wills and tell the stories behind hits like 'In The Morning', 'Pass It On' and 'Dreaming of You'.

Tom Ogden, Joe Donovan and Charlie Salt of Stockport's own Blossoms talk about the writing of their second album Cool Like You, including songs like 'I Can't Stand It', 'Unfaithful', 'There's A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)', 'How Long Will This Last' and 'Stranger Still'. The band reflect on the role of synthesisers on this record, how the group dynamic imbues the songs with specific qualities, and their relationship with producer and mentor James Skelly.

In this episode, Simon and Brian visit the London studio of Grammy and Ivor Novello-winning songwriter and producer Fraser T Smith. Fraser talks about the writing of songs like 'Set Fire to the Rain' (Adele), 'Break Your Heart' (Taio Cruz) and 'Broken Strings' (James Morrison) and reflects on his collaborative partnerships with the likes of Stormzy, Craig David and Dave. Fraser also describes his approach to learning by studying online and how he strives to make meaningful work that will resonate over time.

The delightful Fran Healy of Travis discusses the writing of classic songs like 'Driftwood', 'Writing to Reach You', 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me', 'Turn', 'Sing', 'Side' and 'Flowers in the Window'. In the course of the conversation, Fran reflects on the importance of never having a plan, how he make songs relatable, and his new film Almost Fashionable, a documentary about Travis.

Bassist and composer Stanley Clarke sits down with Simon and Brian to chat about his work on solo and Return to Forever tracks like 'Lopsy Lu', 'School Days', 'Hello Jeff' and 'The Magician'. Stanley describes his collaborations with the likes of Louis Johnson ('We Supply'), George Duke ('Let's Get Started') and Gregory Hines ('Bassically Taps') and details his approach to film scoring for movies like Passenger 57 and What's Love Got To Do With It.

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'.