Podcast

The legendary Burt Bacharach and his brilliant co-writer Daniel Tashian drop in for a conversation about their stunning new EP, Blue Umbrella, and life as songwriters in the middle of a pandemic. The pair explain how they’ve continued their collaboration remotely between Los Angeles and Nashville, and how they’ve drawn on Burt’s vast experience as an arranger to bring the songs to life.

Grammy-winning hitmaker Nile Rodgers and legendary manager Merck Mercuriadis join Simon and Brian onstage at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall during the 2019 Meltdown festival. The pair share insights into the art and business of songwriting through their work together on the Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, and Nile takes up his guitar to demonstrate how he wrote classic hits for artists like Sister Sledge, Diana Ross and David Bowie.

Songwriter and producer Dave Stewart drops in to discuss the new Stewart/Lindsey album Amitié, his many classic hits with Annie Lennox in Eurythmics, and his storied career in music. Dave also reflects on his collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Shakespeares Sister, and the importance of distraction in the writing process.

The great Rufus Wainwright returns to discuss his new album Unfollow The Rules, becoming part of the Laurel Canyon scene, and how his operas have informed his pop songcraft. Rufus was also the guest for episode 54 of this podcast.

Prolific singer-songwriter Laura Marling discusses the writing of her beautiful new album Song For Our Daughter, collaborating with Blake Mills, Ethan Johns and Mike Lindsay, and the influence of Paul McCartney’s acoustic guitar ballads.

Singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama joins Simon and Brian for the first fully remote episode of the show in which she describes the collaborative songwriting process behind her stunning debut album SAWAYAMA, how she was influenced by the pop of the early 2000s, and the intensely personal process of writing about family.

Rapper, poet, novelist and playwright Kate Tempest talks about her creative process across a range of projects, detailing her approach to lyrics, prose, melody, structure and narrative. The double Mercury Music Prize nominee also reflects on her time working with legendary producer Rick Rubin, and her deep relationship with the city of London.

The great Huey Lewis discusses the writing of his new album Weather, which was recorded prior to the singer losing his hearing to Ménière’s disease in 2018. In addition to telling the stories behind hits like ‘The Heart of Rock and Roll’, ‘Bad Is Bad’, ‘Hip To Be Square’ and ‘Small World’, Huey also details his collaborations with mentors like Nick Lowe and Mutt Lange, and his work on the songs ‘Power Of Love’ and ‘Back In Time’ from the classic movie Back To The Future.

The wonderful KT Tunstall joins us at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for a live conversation as part of the launch of the Songwriting Studies Research Network. During the chat, KT takes to the guitar and the piano to demonstrate her creative process on songs like ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’, ‘Suddenly I See’ and recent work from albums like KIN and WAX.

Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey describes the creative process behind enduring songs like ‘In The Name Of Love’, ‘Love On Your Side’, ‘If You Were Here’ and ‘Hold Me Now’. During the conversation, Tom also gives detailed insights into the songwriting behind his 2018 solo album Science Fiction, and explains why it’s important to maintain the distinctive aspects of your sound.

Singer-songwriter Richard Marx talks about the writing of his new album Limitless and the creative process behind hits like ‘Right Here Waiting’ and ‘Hazard’. During the conversation, Richard also reveals the musical bonds that connect his family and shares stories about his collaborations with artists like Keith Urban on ‘Long Hot Summer’ and the late, great Luther Vandross on the Grammy-winning ‘Dance With My Father’.

Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and bassist Sam Dixon joins Simon and Brian at the legendary Rak Studios in London for a live conversation in front of an invited audience. During the episode, Sam discusses his work with artists like Adele, Sia, Christina Aguilera and Jack Savoretti and describes his strategies for bringing the best out of his collaborators. Special thanks to APRA AMCOS for inviting us.