Write Me A Song | A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty

Welcome to the seventh episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! Thanks for joining us on this journey so far, it’s almost the end of Season 1! Take a listen to this week’s songwriting challenge and don’t forget we’d love you to get involved too! Scroll down to read this week’s homework and the submission link.

🎵 Episode 7: Write Me A Real Person

This week we have someone who we consider the unofficial godfather of this podcast: Findlay Napier. Edward and Olivia met at a Findlay Napier show back in 2023. We chat to Findlay about co-writing, being an engaging performer, and finding subject matter outside your own life.

Listen to the episode to see what challenge he assigns us!

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

1. Choose a well-known person (preferably dead!) with a Wikipedia page

2. Distil the information you find about their life into a song

3. Pick out details you find compelling, and craft a story from one angle

4. Try to keep things lyrically simple, especially the chorus

5. Record a demo and send it in!

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

💻 Findlay’s Website

✉️ Findlay’s Newsletter

🎟️ Tickets for Findlay’s Tour

🎙️ The Jerry Springer Podcast Episode

🧍‍♂️ Boo Hewerdine

🎵 Very Interesting Persons EP

🎟️ Tickets for Edward’s String Quartet Show on 3rd April

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Welcome to the sixth episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! Thanks for joining us on this journey so far. Take a listen to this week’s songwriting challenge and don’t forget we’d love you to get involved too! Scroll down to read this week’s homework and the submission link.

🎵 Episode 6: Write Me A Genre

This week Edward presents Olivia with a list of genres:

1. Great American Songbook

2. Math rock

3. Disco

4. Sea shanty

5. Ska-punk

6. Trip-hop

They pick one at random and Olivia has to write a song in that genre (she’s crossing for fingers for no sea shanties!).

Listen to the episode to see what she has to write!

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

1. Take a look at the of six genres above or write your own numbered list of six random genres.

2. Roll a dice — whatever genre it lands on, that’s the music you are now going to immerse yourself in for the week, until you write your new song!

3. When you first listen to this new genre, write down your impressions. What instruments are used? What rhythms does it feature? What are the lyrics about? What are common motifs used in the songs? Notice the ‘furniture’ of the genre.

4. Take three things (at least one musical and one lyrical) from this list and use it to write a song, inspired by the genre. It’s all about how your natural songwriting process is affected by these variables.

5. Record a demo and send it in!

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

🪩 Our Write Me A Song Disco Playlist!

💻 Nahre Sol ‘As Digested By a Classical Pianist’ Videos

💻 BBC’s Disco at the Proms 2024

💿 Stream/buy Olivia’s new album

🎟️ Tickets for Edward’s String Quartet Show on 3rd April

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Welcome to the fifth episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! Thanks for joining us on this journey so far. Take a listen to this week’s songwriting challenge and don’t forget we’d love you to get involved too! Scroll down to read this week’s homework and the submission link.

🎵 Episode 5: Write Me A Dream

This week Olivia challenges Edward to consider his subconscious as a source of inspiration.

Listen to the episode to see how he gets on.

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

1. This week, write down or even voice memo what happens in your dreams. This is best done as soon as you wake up — before you check social media or emails! It will be difficult the first couple of days if you’re not used to recalling dreams. But the more you do it, the more information you’ll remember.

2. When a week has passed, go over your dream diary and take note of interesting images. Use these images to start coming up with lyrics.

3. Keep your songwriting free of external influence by making the process just you and a voice recording app or a microphone. Sometimes we fall into the same choices when we write with an instrument.

4. When you feel like you have your initial idea, you can take it to the piano/guitar/DAW and finish your song.

5. Record a demo and send it in!

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

📕 The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

💻 How To Start (And Keep) A Dream Journal

💿 Stream/buy Olivia’s new album

🎟️ Tickets for Edward’s String Quartet Show on 3rd April

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Welcome to the fourth episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! Thanks for joining us on this journey so far. Take a listen to this week’s songwriting challenge and don’t forget we’d love you to get involved too! Scroll down to read this week’s homework and the submission link.

🎵 Episode 4: Write Me An Odd Meter

This week we have our first ever guest! We’re so excited to have other songwriters on this show, and today we’re talking to singer, songwriter and composer, Fini Bearman. We talk about odd time signatures, spicing up your chord choices, and using details in your lyrics.

Listen to the episode to see what challenge she assigns us!

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

1. Choose a song of yours which has been sitting around for a while, which feels a bit dead.

2. We recommend doing this challenge in 5/4, where there are 5 beats to a bar. Play something on the piano or the guitar, record it into logic and loop it.

3. Try singing the melody of your old song over the top of this loop… and take it from there!

4. Extra challenge: put in a place name, object or noun that places you (like ‘Catford Bridge’)

5. Record a demo and send it in!

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

💻 Fini’s website

📱 Fini on Instagram

🎟️ Tickets for Fini’s Album Release Show on 14th March in London

🎵 Seven Days by Sting

🎵 Closure by Taylor Swift

🎟️ Tickets for Olivia’s Album Release Show on 6th March (today!!)

🎟️ Tickets for Edward’s String Quartet Show on 3rd April

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Welcome to the third episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! Thanks for joining us on this journey so far. Take a listen to this week’s songwriting challenge and don’t forget we’d love you to get involved too! Scroll down to read this week’s homework and the submission link.

🎵 Episode 3: Re-Write Me A Bob Dylan Song

This week Olivia challenges Edward to use the structure of an existing song to write something entirely new.

Listen to the episode to see how he gets on.

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

1. Choose a simple song. We recommend using the song Ed used in this episode, ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ by Bob Dylan. Or choose your own! We recommend something with a simple structure so it doesn’t get overly complicated.

2. Pick through the lyrics and start to change words here and there. Try to keep the original meter and rhyme scheme.

3. Now that your song is starting to tell a different story, change the melodies and chord progressions to help differentiate the song more. You’re getting further and further away from the original material now!

4. ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ optional constraint #1: add a B section

5. ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ optional constraint #2: keep the initial verses in 3rd person, and then make the final verse 1st person

6. Record a demo and send it in!

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

📕 Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

💻 Everything Is A Remix

🎶 The Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon

🎶 Simple Twist of Fate - Bob Dylan

🎟️ Tickets for Olivia’s Album Release Show on 6th March

🎟️ Tickets for Edward’s String Quartet Show on 3rd April

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Welcome to the first ever episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! We are both so excited to share our thoughts and feelings on the songwriting process with you, and we hope you get involved with our weekly homework challenges, where we prompt you to write a song of your own.

🎵 Episode 2: Write Me A Word Ladder

This week Edward challenges Olivia to use the ‘word ladder’ technique from Jeff Tweedy’s book ‘How To Write A Song.’

Listen to the episode to see how she gets on.

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

This week, we want you to write us a song based off the word ladder technique.

Here’s your homework:

Grab a bit of paper and a pen

Think of a profession, and write down ten verbs that you might associate with that job. Write this in a column on one side of the page

Take a book off your shelf at random, choose a page at random and write the first ten nouns you see. Write this as a column next to your verb list.

Pair each noun with a verb, making an effort to choose unlikely and unfamiliar connections

Use those pairings to kickstart your lyrics. The verbs can be performed by your noun (for example: the garden destroys), or they can be performed upon your nouns (your garden was destroyed). Have fun with it! You don’t have to use every pairing, even if it’s just one phrase which sets you off, then that’s fine!

Record a demo and send it in!

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

📕 How To Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

🎙️ Ezra Klein interview with Jeff Tweedy

💻 Austin Kleon’s take on the word ladder

🎟️ Tickets for Olivia’s Album Release Show on 6th March

🎟️ Tickets for Edward’s String Quartet Show on 3rd April

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Welcome to the first ever episode of Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty! We are both so excited to share our thoughts and feelings on the songwriting process with you, and we hope you get involved with our weekly homework challenges, where we prompt you to write a song of your own.

🎵 Episode 1: Write Me A Theme Song

This week Olivia and Edward challenge themselves to co-write a theme song for the podcast. It’s gotta be fun, snappy and informational.

Listen to the episode to see how they get on.

🎹 Your Songwriting Homework!

Join us in writing your own song this week! You can choose one of two options with this week’s homework:

* Write an alternate theme song for this podcast

* Write a theme song for something that happens in everyday life (like making a cup of tea or walking your dog)

Upload your song to be featured on the podcast or newsletter below:

Share Your Work

📚 Episode References

Two songs which were mentioned in today’s episode:

* Fireman Theme Song

* Shine Jesus Shine

* ‘The Biggest Theme Song Fail’ - Switched on Pop

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com

Hi friends,

We’re starting a podcast: Write Me A Song: A Songwriting Podcast with Edward Randell and Olivia Rafferty!

We are both so excited to share our thoughts and feelings on the songwriting process with you, and we hope you get involved with our weekly homework challenges, where we prompt you to write a song of your own.

Subscribe today to get the first episode in your inbox next week!

🎸 Find Us Elsewhere…

* Sign up to our Substack

* Listen to Edwards’s music

* Sign up to Edwards’s newsletter

* Listen to Olivia’s music

* Read Olivia’s Newsletter

* Follow along on the Write Me A Song Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writemeasong.substack.com