Multi Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys sits down in London with Simon and Brian to discuss her new single ‘In Common’, her forthcoming sixth studio album, and her songwriting on a range of hits including ‘Fallin”, ‘A Woman’s Worth’, ‘If I Ain’t Got You’, ‘Put It In A Love Song’, ‘Empire State of Mind’ and ‘Girl On Fire.’ Alicia also describes her relationship with the late, great, Whitney Houston, and the circumstances that led to her co-writing the singer’s final hit, ‘Million Dollar Bill.’
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As principal songwriter and frontman for The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells has enjoyed a wide-ranging musical career. In this interview, Dan talks about the writing of The Feeling’s recent eponymous album, and revisits his process on a number of classic hits by the band, such as ‘Fill My Little World’, ‘Love It When You Call’, ‘Never Be Lonely’, ‘Join With Us’, ‘Blue Murder’ and ‘Rosé’. Dan also updates us on his progress with his forthcoming musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
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In this special episode, we meet with Paul Simon to talk about his stunning new album Stranger to Stranger and the writing processes behind songs like ‘Wristband’, ‘Street Angel’, ‘In A Parade’, ‘The Riverbank’ and ‘Cool Papa Bell’. In this interview, the legendary singer-songwriter reveals a profound curiosity for musical experimentation that goes some way to explaining both his incredible influence in popular music, and his timeless catalogue.
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Sodajerker are joined by Nashville great Beth Nielsen Chapman to talk about her approach to songwriting and creativity, and what it’s like to collaborate with artists like Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond and Elton John. Beth also tells the stories behind her classic country hits ‘This Kiss’ (Faith Hill), ‘Strong Enough to Bend’ (Tanya Tucker) and ‘Five Minutes’ (Lorrie Morgan) and details the writing processes behind beloved solo tracks like ‘Life Holds On’ and ‘Sand and Water’.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2016 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Following the broadcast of our BBC World Service documentary The Secrets of Songwriting (available now on BBC iPlayer), BBC Music showcased us on their homepage. Thanks guys!
You can see BBC Music promo while its live, and listen to The Secrets of Songwriting online. The programme is also available as a podcast via the World Service on iTunes.
Following the broadcast of our BBC World Service documentary The Secrets of Songwriting (available on BBC iPlayer for the next 30 days), BBC News have produced a feature recounting some of the stories told on the podcast.
In the article, Motown legend Lamont Dozier talks about writing ‘Stop! In the Name of Love’ with the Holland brothers, Allee Willis describes the writing of ‘Boogie Wonderland’ for Earth, Wind & Fire, and Kenny Loggins talks about penning the Doobie Brothers hit ‘What a Fool Believes’ with Michael McDonald.
You can read the article on the BBC website, and listen to The Secrets of Songwriting on BBC iPlayer.
Simon Barber and Brian O’Connor of the Liverpool-based songwriting team Sodajerker are set to present a new one-hour BBC World Service radio documentary called The Secrets of Songwriting.
The programme, which derives from the duo’s hugely popular podcast, Sodajerker On Songwriting, features some of the world’s most renowned songwriters talking about their working processes and sharing the stories behind their biggest hits.
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Ben Watt discusses the writing of his new album Fever Dream as well as his work on previous solo albums like Hendra and North Marine Drive. Ben also delves into the songwriting processes behind some classic Everything But The Girl songs, such as ‘The Night I Heard Caruso Sing’, ’25th December’ and the smash hit ‘Missing’.
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Justin Currie talks about the writing of Del Amitri songs like ‘Always The Last To Know’, ‘Roll To Me’, ‘Driving With The Brakes On’ and ‘Nothing Ever Happens’, as well as a range of songs from his three excellent solo albums. Justin also explains how he captures his ideas, the mental state required for good songwriting, and why you won’t find him on a songwriting weekend or co-writing with boy bands.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2016 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Celebrated playwright and composer Willy Russell speaks with Sodajerker about his songwriting process for classic musicals such as Blood Brothers, film soundtracks like Dancin’ Thru The Dark, and songs for his solo album, Hoovering the Moon. As well as sharing the life stories behind key moments in his work, Willy provides detailed insights into his creative process as a writer, his history as a musician, and his early influences.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Buy Hoovering the Moon© 2016 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
We’re on a bit of a roll at the moment with prestigious publications and media outlets picking up on the Sodajerker podcast and including it in their lists of recommended shows. NME is the latest to show us some love, selecting Sodajerker On Songwriting as one of 13 essential podcasts alongside monster successes like Serial and This American Life.
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We were very happy to discover that Entertainment Weekly has named Sodajerker On Songwriting as one of 12 must-listen music podcasts! Being in the company of podcasts from NPR and Radiotopia is also very gratifying, so thanks to the authors for checking out the show and including us in the list.
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Episode 300 – Self EsteemOctober 20, 2025
Episode 299 – Labi SiffreOctober 12, 2025
Episode 298 – Mike ViolaOctober 4, 2025
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