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.
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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.
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Dear listeners,
We are overjoyed to reveal that our guest on the podcast this Friday will be Paul McCartney. We recently sat down with Paul at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) for a conversation about his new album Egypt Station, which is also available from 7th September.
As it does for millions of people around the world, Paul McCartney’s music occupies a very special place in our hearts. We were raised on his songs and, at this point, life is quite unimaginable without them. So, to get the opportunity to spend time with Paul talking about what he does best – songwriting – was the thrill to end all thrills. We can’t thank him enough for doing it.
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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.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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’.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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.
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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.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
On Sunday July 8, 2018, we sat down at the inaugural Birmingham Podcast Festival for a chat about making Sodajerker On Songwriting. With questions from our gracious host Jon Hickman, we had a fun time talking about our experiences so far in making the show.
Thanks again to Mark Steadman and everyone involved with the event, and cheers to the audience for listening and asking questions! Mark and the team have kindly made the raw audio available so we’re posting it here in case you’d like to listen in.
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.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2018 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Simon and Brian recently guested on the excellent, Paul McCartney-based podcast Take It Away. They joined hosts Ryan Brady and Chris Mercer for a fun (and lengthy) dissection of Macca’s 1997 album, Flaming Pie.
Check out part 1 and part 2 of their special in-depth discussion.
For more insights in Macca’s solo oeuvre, visit their website, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts. Thanks to Ryan and Chris for having us on!
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.
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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.
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Episode 319 – Linda PerryJune 20, 2026
Episode 318 – Sean Ono LennonMay 31, 2026
Episode 317 – Matt JohnsonMay 14, 2026
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