Earlier this year, we were delighted to be asked to join the judging panel for Song Academy’s Young Songwriter 2018 competition alongside some of our former guests like Guy Chambers, Imelda May, Tom Odell and Eg White. Now in its 7th year, the competition is the leading international songwriting competition for 8-18 year olds that champions the creative talents of young people, gets their songs heard and unites young songwriters worldwide.
Read more
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
We were recently asked by ICMP, the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, for our top songwriting tips gleaned from the now 100+ conversations we’ve had on the Sodajerker podcast with world-leading songwriters. We’re nothing if not obliging, so we rustled up a few thoughts in response to their questions.
You can read the results here.
Read more
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’.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
In March 2018 we did our first ever podcast recording in front of a live audience. It went really well and we were delighted by the whole experience.
The event was a success for two reasons: firstly, we were working with a wonderful organisation, APRA AMCOS, which is an Australian royalty collection society for songwriters and composers. They have over 95,000 members and do great work on their behalf. Their London office is based at the famous RAK Studios, and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to record there with a special guest.
Read more
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
To celebrate the recent second issue of the popular music journal Riffs, which Simon guest edited, Simon and Brian sat down with researcher Dave Kane for a chat about The Beatles. You can listen here:
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2017 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2017 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
To support the podcast and help us keep it free from adverts, click the button below:
Episode 289 – Scissor SistersMay 13, 2025
Episode 288 – Bonnie “Prince” BillyMay 2, 2025
Episode 287 – Gary BarlowApril 20, 2025
RSS (ALL POSTS) 
