Simon and Brian talk to five-time Ivor Novello-winning songwriter, composer, conductor, arranger and producer Mike Batt about his diverse career including projects like The Wombles, The Hunting of the Snark and the writing of hit songs like ‘Bright Eyes’ (from Watership Down) and ‘The Closest Thing to Crazy’ (Katie Melua).
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Simon and Brian talk to legendary American songwriter Jimmy Webb about the writing of classic songs like ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’, ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘MacArthur Park’.
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In the third episode of Sodajerker On Songwriting, Simon and Brian talk to Grammy nominated and two-time Ivor Novello winning songwriter Sacha Skarbek (James Blunt, Adele, Duffy, Jason Mraz) about his work as co-writer of a range of recent pop hits including James Blunt’s worldwide no. 1 ‘You’re Beautiful’.
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Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks to all of you that have checked out the first two episodes of our new podcast Sodajerker On Songwriting featuring guests Billy Steinberg (episode 1) and Todd Rundgren (episode 2) and have left reviews and ratings for us in iTunes. We are happy to discover that our fledgling show has been featured among ‘new & noteworthy’ podcasts in the iTunes store!
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In the second episode of Sodajerker On Songwriting, Simon and Brian talk with writer/artist/producer Todd Rundgren (Nazz, Utopia, Meat Loaf, XTC) about his approach to the art form and the writing of hit songs like ‘Hello it’s Me’, ‘I Saw the Light’ and ‘It Wouldn’t Have Made any Difference’.
Download this episode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2012 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
In addition to our writing and recording activities, we’ve launched a podcast called Sodajerker On Songwriting. It’s a programme devoted to the art and craft of songwriting and features interviews with some of the most successful songwriters and musicians in the world.
In our first show, we chat with Grammy winning songwriter Billy Steinberg about the many pop classics he has written including Like A Virgin (Madonna), True Colors (Cyndi Lauper), Eternal Flame (The Bangles) and I Drove All Night (Roy Orbison).
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In the first episode of Sodajerker On Songwriting, co-hosts Simon Barber and Brian O’Connor introduce the podcast and talk to Grammy winning songwriter Billy Steinberg about the many pop classics he has written, including ‘Like A Virgin’ (Madonna), ‘True Colors’ (Cyndi Lauper), ‘Eternal Flame’ (The Bangles) and ‘I Drove All Night’ (Roy Orbison).
Download this pisode Subscribe in iTunes Listen to Spotify playlist© 2012 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Over the past twelve years, Sodajerker, a duo comprising British musicians Simon Barber and Brian O’Connor, have made it their mission to use the podcast medium to unpack the complexities of songwriting for those that love the creative process. Described by Esquire magazine as ‘the Frost/Nixon of tunesmithery’, their podcast Sodajerker On Songwriting has published over 250 episodes featuring interviews with world-leading songwriters like Sir Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Sting, Rosanne Cash, Beck, Elvis Costello, Tori Amos, Nile Rodgers, Jon Bon Jovi, Lindsey Buckingham and Diane Warren.
Despite the prestigious guest list, the show remains completely independent and ad-free. In fact, all episodes have been researched, recorded and produced entirely by its two co-hosts. To date, Simon and Brian’s compelling conversations with songwriters have been downloaded almost 10 million times and since its launch in 2011, the podcast has been been featured in publications like Esquire, The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Slate and New Statesman. In 2016, the podcast was used as the basis for the BBC World Service documentary The Secrets of Songwriting. In 2020, the Sodajerker interview archive was added to the British Library in London for posterity. In 2023, Sodajerker On Songwriting won Best Music Podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards in London. Today, Simon and Brian are well on the way to creating the world’s most expansive archive of audio interviews with renowned songwriters about the creative process.
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Episode 258 – Thomas WalshNovember 30, 2023
Independent Podcast Awards WinNovember 2, 2023
Episode 257 – Eric CantonaOctober 27, 2023
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