Songcraft: Spotlight On Songwriters

PART ONE:Scott & Paul chat about making records, and dive way too deep on how every Songcraft guest is connected.PART TWO (30 minute mark):Our in-depth interview with Todd SniderABOUT TODD SNIDER:Celebrated singer-songwriter Todd Snider has continued the troubadour legacy of mentors like John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, while putting his uniquely clever, wry, sly, and often irreverent spin on folk, rock, country, and Americana. Launching his career on Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Records, Snider has spent more than two decades touring relentlessly, both on his own and with legendary artists such as Emmylou Harris. Along the way he’s made a splash with fan favorite songs such as “Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues,” “Alright Guy,” “Can’t Complain,” “Beer Run,” “Statistician’s Blues,” and “Play a Train Song.” He has released well over a dozen albums, including The Devil You Know and Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables, both of which were named to Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 50 Alb

SUMMARY:Dan Nigro has already taken 2021 by storm as the co-writer and producer of Olivia Rodrigo’s global smash hit “Drivers License.” He joins us to talk about his development as a writer, his success with Freya Ridings and Conan Gray, and how he’s experiencing this moment as pop music’s new songwriting superstar. PART ONE:Scott and Paul chat about how oddly "adult" pop music was in the '80s.PART TWO:Our in-depth interview with Dan NigroABOUT DAN NIGRO:Songwriter and producer Dan Nigro is having a major moment. Olivia Rodrigo’s debut single “Drivers License,” which he co-wrote and produced, made her the youngest artist in history to debut at the top of the Billboard pop chart. A global sensation, the song not only stayed on top of the US chart for two full months, but reached number one in the UK, Japan, and more than 20 other countries. It set a new streaming record on Spotify with over 15 million plays in a single day. Prior to his years-long overnight success, Dan began his musical life as the leader of

SUMMARY: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and four-time Grammy nominee Nancy Wilson of Heart joins us to chat about self-penned classics such as "Crazy on You," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," and "Never," as well as her work scoring films, and her upcoming debut solo album, You and Me. PART ONE: Paul and Scott chat about demos, their friends at Pearl Snap Studios, the grand finale of their Women's History Month series, why Nancy Wilson paved the way for little girls to aspire to great guitar heights, and what one Heart song each of them plans to blast after the interview. PART TWO: 9:02 markOur in-depth interview with Nancy WilsonABOUT NANCY WILSON:Four-time Grammy nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Nancy Wilson is best known for her work in the band Heart, which she and her sister Ann helped propel to rock superstardom in the 1970s, thanks to self-penned classics such as “Crazy On You,” “Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie,” “Barracuda,” “Little Queen,” “Heartless,” “Straight On,” “Dog & Butterfly,” and “Even It

Jackie DeShannon is best known for her hit records “What the World Needs Now is Love” and the self-penned “Put a Little Love In Your Heart.” The Songwriters Hall of Fame member and five-time Grammy nominee who won the coveted Song of the Year Grammy for “Bette Davis Eyes” joins us to chat about her remarkable career. PART ONEScott and Paul chat about their new theme song, Grammys lost and won, further reflections on Women's History Month, and why Paul's daughter is a little confused by Paul Stanley of KISS. PART TWOOur in-depth interview with the legendary Jackie DeShannonABOUT JACKIE DeSHANNONJackie DeShannon was one of the first women in pop music to write and record her own material. As an artist, Jackie is best known for her recording of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic “What the World Needs Now is Love,” as well as for her self-penned “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” which was a Top 5 hit for her before being revived 20 years later to become a hit once again for Al Green and Annie Lennox. The f

Summary: Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely. a Grammy winner who placed nearly 30 singles on the Billboard country charts as an artist, joins us to chat about her craft as a BMI award-winning songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Irma Thomas, Rhonda Vincent, Faron Young, Connie Smith, Dottie West, Willie Nelson, and others. She talks about co-writing with Randy Newman and Glen Campbell, shares her perspective on Nashville’s songwriting community as the former spouse of Hall of Fame songwriter Hank Cochran, tells us what she learned from Porter Wagoner, and sheds insights on the challenges women of her generation faced while making their way as respected country songwriters.   PART ONE: The guys chat about Paul's recent songwriting success with artist Lauren Daigle and look ahead to what they have planned for Women's History Month.PART TWO: Our in-depth interview with Jeannie Seely.ABOUT JEANNIE SEELY:Singer, songwriter, producer, actress, author and radio show host Jea

Our guest is Diane Warren, an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Grammy winner with 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. The Songwriters Hall of Famer and ASCAP Founders Award winner is known for a long list of hits, including “Rhythm of the Night,” “Blame it On the Rain,” “Because You Loved Me,” “Don’t Turn Around,” “Unbreak My Heart,” “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” and “How Do I Live.” She joins us to talk about her wide-ranging career, and her upcoming first-ever studio album, The Cave Sessions, Vol. 1.   PART ONE:Scott and Paul chat about the Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl commercial, authenticity, Willie Nelson's reggae album, and Lady Gaga's meat dress. PART TWO:The guys pay tribute to Songwriters Hall of Famer (and former Songcraft guest) Jim Weatherly who passed away recently. Hear all about Scott's connection with the "Midnight Train to Georgia" writer that goes back many many years.  PART THREE: Our in-depth interview with Diane WarrenABOUT DIANE WARRENSongwriters Hall of Famer Diane Warren is an

In addition to his own albums and mixtapes, artist, songwriter, and entertainer Eric Bellinger has co-written hits such as Chris Brown’s “New Flame” and Usher’s “Lemme See,” as well as songs by Justin Bieber, Trey Songz, The Game, and others. Eric joins Paul to chat about his remarkable career that spans pop, hip-hop, and R&B. PART ONEScott and Paul talk about musicians who are also great athletes and theorize about the connections between sports and music, including Paul's tales of his days playing basketball with Brian McKnightPART TWOPaul's in-depth interview with Eric BellingerABOUT ERIC BELLINGERSinger, songwriter, and producer Eric Bellinger balances his career as a performer with a long list of behind-the-scenes writer credits on hits such as Chris Brown’s “New Flame,” which topped multiple Billboard charts, “Lemme See,” an ASCAP-award winning song by Usher that reached #2 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the Top 40 “Right Here” by Justin Bieber featuring Drake, and the theme song of

Nine-time Grammy nominee Ani DiFranco joins Scott and Paul to talk about her career as a fiercely independent singer-songwriter and activist, and share some insights into the social, political, and personal challenges that inspired her honest but hope-filled new studio album, Revolutionary Love. PART ONEPaul and Scott discuss the complicated legacy of genius songwriter/producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector, before paying tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in honor of the MLK holiday. They each choose a favorite song to emerge from the Civil Rights era and consider how King's message informs the artistic world today. PART TWOOur in-depth interview with the great Ani DiFrancoABOUT ANI DIFRANCOSinger, songwriter, musician, producer, poet, author, spoken-word artist, activist and entrepreneur Ani DiFranco has released more than 20 independent studio albums on her own label, Righteous Babe Records. Though often classified as “alternative folk,” DiFranco’s musical influences span a range of

PART ONE:Paul and Scott geek out about the Bee Gees documentary, and the nature of being the kind of songwriter who MUST do it, no matter what.PART TWO:Dan Wilson chats about how Liam Gallagher of Oasis inspired the first new Semisonic music in years; why his relationship with songs has always been very practical; how his first massive hit was born from a need to mix up the set list; the theory he once had about lyrics that he doesn't have any more; the lesson he learned from writing with Carole King that he's carried through his entire career; why it was a good thing that Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks rejected his song idea; how Rick Rubin informed his approach to music; the gritty details on the two-day process of writing "Someone Like You" with Adele; why Nashville's songwriting ethic impacted his process; the time a song was finalized over pizza with John Legend and Chrissy Tiegen; and how fellow songwriter Teddy Geiger indirectly inspired a most unusual format for Dan's collection of wisdom for writ

Merry Christmas! What better way to wrap up our 12 Days of Christmas mini-episodes than with “Christmas Time is Here” from A Charlie Brown Christmas? Today we share an excerpt of our 2017 conversation with Lee Mendelson who produced the classic animated special and wrote the lyrics of the song that has since been covered by Diana Krall, John Legend, Shawn Colvin, R.E.M., Mariah Carey, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Toni Braxon, Lauren Daigle, and many others. Mendelson died on Christmas day in 2019, so we are so grateful to have had the chance to speak with him a couple of years before his passing. We know his memories will warm your heart!

It's Day 11 of our "12 Days of Christmas" daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this Christmas Eve we reflect on "Breath of Heaven" with Chris Eaton, who co-wrote the song with Amy Grant. It has since been recorded by Vince Gill, Jessica Simpson, Donna Summer, Sara Groves, Melissa Manchester, and many more.

We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this tenth day of Christmas, we explore "Merry Christmas from the Family" with the great Robert Earl Keen. The Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Famer tells Scott and guest host Randy Poe all about the song that set the standard for redneck Christmases everywhere, and has been covered by The Chicks, Jill Sobule, Montgomery Gentry, and others.

PART ONEScott and Paul chat about the holidays and Paul's latest Christmas cut by Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr.PART TWOThe guys catch up with Eagles songwriter and past Songcraft guest Jack Tempchin ("Already Gone," "Peaceful Easy Feeling") about his brand new holiday song and children's book. PART THREEOur in-depth conversation with thirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff who co-wrote and co-produced Mariah Carey hits such as the number one singles “Can’t Let Go,” “My All,” “Hero,” “One Sweet Day,” and the perennial holiday classic "All I Want for Christmas is You." Additionally, he produced some of the biggest movie soundtrack songs of all time, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “A Whole New World,” and “My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic. ABOUT WALTER AFANSIEFFThirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff is best known for his collaborative songwriting and production partnership with Mariah Carey that yielded hit singles such as “Can’t Let Go,” “Dreamlover,” “

Songcraft's 12 Days of Christmas continues with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. Today we hear from Walter Afanasieff, co-writer and co-producer (with Mariah Carey) of the modern-day holiday standard "All I Want for Christmas is You." Released in 1994, the song hit #1 on the Billboard pop chart for the first time in 2019. And it's back at #1 again this month! This bonus episode is a teaser of our full-length career-spanning interview with Walter that launches later today. Hear them both for the FULL experience.

It's the 8th day of our 12 Days of Christmas mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. Today we catch up with Chris Butler, writer of "Christmas Wrapping" by his group The Waitresses. Best known for their hit "I Know What Boys Like," Chris was the mastermind behind the group. He tell us all about his modern day holiday standard, including finishing the lyrics in the cab on the way to the studio!

We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this seventh day of Christmas, we explore "Mary Did You Know?" with co-writer Mark Lowry. The gospel music legend tells us all about the holiday standard that's since been covered by Pentatonix, Natalie Cole, CeeLo Green, Mary J. Blige, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, and many others.

Our 12 Days of Christmas countdown continues with today's mini-episode, a conversation with the charming Randy Brooks. The writer of the equally loved and maligned "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" shares the wild story of the song's unexpected success, including an inspirational spark from Merle Haggard and some early encouragement from Dolly Parton.

We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this fifth day of Christmas, we explore "That Spirit of Christmas" with co-writer Mable John. The first female artist signed to Motown, the sister of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Little Willie John, and a long-time Ray Charles associate, Mable tells us all about the creation of the song that's probably best known as from the attic scene of the hit holiday film Christmas Vacation.

We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this fourth day of Christmas, we explore "Feliz Navidad" with writer and original performer Jose Feliciano. The Latin Songwriters Hall of Famer and 7-time Grammy winner tells us all about the creation of his holiday hit that's since been covered by Michael Buble, Celine Dion, Kacey Musgraves, and Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood.

We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this third day of Christmas, we explore "Santa Baby" with co-writer Phil Springer. The former Brill Building writer (who was 91 at the time of our interview) tells us all about the creation of the holiday hit that's since been covered by Madonna, Michael Buble, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande, Trisha Yearwood, Gwen Stefani, and many more!