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Covers songwriting, both lyrics and music.
🎵 Join the free How To Create World-Class Music Masterclass: https://howtocreateworldclassmusic.com/ If you’re trying to do anything worthwhile, you’re going to fail. Probably a lot. In this episode, I get unusually vulnerable about something I’m discouraged about right now, and why it reminded me of just how much of my journey in music has been built through failure. I talk about failing at songwriting, recording, production, mixing, mastering, and now promotion, and why those failures did not mean I was incapable. They showed me what I needed to learn next. We also talk about the difference between failing and being a failure, why failure by itself does not automatically lead to growth, and why the willingness to honestly learn from what went wrong matters so much. Because there are really two kinds of failure: The loud kind, where you go for something and everybody can see that it didn’t work. And the quiet kind, where you protect yourself so carefully that you never find out what could have happened. You cannot control every outcome. But you can keep learning, keep improving your inputs, and keep improving the odds. And if you’re discouraged with your music right now, I hope this episode helps you get back up and keep going.
🎓 FREE MASTERCLASS: How To Create World-Class Music https://HowToCreateWorldClassMusic.com Ever hired a producer, spent real money on your music, and still gotten the final song back thinking… “It’s good. But it’s still not quite right.” The problem may not be your producer. In this episode, I break down why serious artists need enough production capability to actually lead their music, even if they still hire producers, musicians, arrangers, mixing engineers, and other collaborators. We’ll talk about the difference between outsourcing from dependence vs. outsourcing from capability, why knowing something is wrong isn’t the same as knowing how to fix it, and what it actually means to lead the creative vision of your music. The goal isn’t to do everything yourself. The goal is to get to the end of the process, hear the finished recording, and be able to say: “Yes. That’s my music.”
🎵 Join me for the FREE How To Create World-Class Music Masterclass:HowToCreateWorldClassMusic.com 🎓 Serious about taking your music to a professional level? Apply to work with me:https://www.songwritertheory.com/apply
🎵 Join me for the FREE How To Create World-Class Music Masterclass: HowToCreateWorldClassMusic.com If you’re a serious singer-songwriter or independent artist who wants to create music that can genuinely stand alongside the artists you admire, this is for you.
🗺️ Download the free Definitive Record Roadmap: https://www.songwritertheory.com/definitive-record-roadmap Discover the repeatable process for taking a song from idea to a professionally finished record you’re proud to release. 🎧 Want personal help with your music? Book a free private Artist Clarity Call: https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call Send me your music before the call and I’ll listen ahead of time. Then we’ll use the 15 minutes to identify what’s most likely holding your music back, what you should focus on first, and the strongest next step from where you are now. I only reserve 5 Artist Clarity Calls each week, so grab a time while one is available.
🎓 Join The World-Class Music Gap free masterclass: https://worldclassmusicgap.com 🎯 Want my help figuring out what’s holding your music back? Apply for a free 1-on-1 Artist Clarity Call: https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call-application 🗺️ Get The Definitive Record Roadmap free PDF guide: https://recordroadmap.com Most songs are not terrible. They are simply forgettable. They work. They sound like songs. Nothing is offensively wrong with them. But there is also no reason anyone should remember them. In this episode, Joseph explains why talent is usually not the real reason a song fails to stand out. The more common problem is that the songwriter stopped when the song became “good enough.” The 80/20 rule may be useful when efficiency is the goal. But applying it to songwriting can produce an endless stream of competent, average songs. Craftsmanship requires caring about the details most people decide no longer matter. In this episode: • Why average is crowded by definition• Why “good enough” is where great music goes to die• The difference between pursuing quality and endlessly tinkering• Why songwriters must care about musical foundations, melody, lyrics, and the complete song journey• The Cottage, Colonial, and Castle approach to musical complexity• Why lyrics deserve more than words that merely sound good• How the cringe test exposes weak parts of a song• Why the final 20% can require most of the work• Why greatness is not a destination, but a direction No song will ever be perfect. The point is to remain oriented toward becoming better and to take each song as far as you are currently capable of taking it. RESOURCES 🎓 Join The World-Class Music Gap free masterclass:https://worldclassmusicgap.com 🎯 Want my help figuring out what’s holding your music back? Apply for a free 1-on-1 Artist Clarity Call:https://www.songwritertheory.com/artist-clarity-call-application 🗺️ Get The Definitive Record Roadmap free PDF guide:https://recordroadmap.com
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians / songwriters take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.
30 years ago, DJ Shadow released his debut album, Entroducing… and it changed my life. I listened to it so much. And when I first started Song Exploder, he was on my list of dream guests. And then 10 years ago, that dream came true, and I got to make an episode with him in honor of the 20th anniversary of the album. Well, now it’s the 30th anniversary, and DJ Shadow is on tour this fall, celebrating it with a set that just focuses on songs from Endtroducing… And, there’s a special edition of the album on vinyl. So, in the spirit of all that, I wanted to go back to this episode of Song Exploder from back in 2016. For more info, visit songexploder.net/dj-shadow.
Elvis Costello is a singer and songwriter whose career spans five decades and over 30 albums. He’s a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter Hall of Fame. He’s won Grammy Awards, Ivor Novello Awards, a BAFTA, and he’s on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest songwriters of all time. He put out his first album, My Aim Is True, in 1977. This month, he released a 49th anniversary edition of the album. So for this episode, I spoke to Elvis Costello about the making of “Alison,” from that debut album. Coming up, you’ll hear the isolated tracks from the original recording, as well as some additional parts that didn’t make the cut. And, in discussing the origin story of his song, we also ended up talking about the origin story of Elvis Costello himself.For more info, visit songexploder.net/elvis-costello.
Olivia Rodrigo is a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. In June 2026, she released her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The day it came out, it broke streaming records on Spotify and Amazon Music, and it debuted at number one on the Billboard Charts. I talked to Olivia Rodrigo here in my studio, and I also visited her long-time producer and co-writer Dan Nigro at his studio. Dan Nigro won the Grammy for Producer of the Year in 2025, in part for his work with Olivia Rodrigo. For this episode, the two of them told me the story of making Olivia’s song “The Cure,” from the original voice memo to the final version.For more info, visit songexploder.net/olivia-rodrigo.
Donate to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library here: https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/Donate to Women’s Media Center, co-founded by Gloria Steinem, here: https://act.womensmediacenter.com/a/support-wmc- When I heard the news of Dolly Parton’s death, and then a few days later, of Gloria Steinem’s death, I thought about this song that Natalie Merchant wrote called “Sister Tilly.” It’s about losing a generation of activist women who did so much in their lifetimes. And so I wanted to go back and revisit Natalie Merchant’s song, and her beautiful story about what it means to her. This episode originally came out in June 2023. —HrishikeshNatalie Merchant is an award-winning singer and songwriter from upstate New York. She was the lead singer of the band 10,000 Maniacs until she left in 1993. And then, as a solo artist, she’s put out nine albums over the last 30 years. Between 10,000 Maniacs and her solo work, she’s had multiple multi-platinum records.In April 2023, Natalie put out her first album of new songs in nine years. It’s called Keep Your Courage. And for this episode, she talked to me about the song “Sister Tilly.” It’s a eulogy for a fictional character – a woman who represents the generation of women who influenced her. Women who were activists in the 1960s and 70s, when she was growing up.For more, visit songexploder.net/natalie-merchant.
Paula Cole is a singer, songwriter and producer from Massachusetts. She put out her first solo album, Harbinger, in 1994. Her second album, This Fire, came out in 1996 and was a real breakthrough; she was nominated for seven Grammys, and she won the Grammy for Best New Artist. In fact, that year she was the first woman in Grammy history to be nominated for Producer of the Year without a male collaborator. For this episode, Paula told me about how she made one of the big hits from that album: “I Don’t Want to Wait.” It spent 56 weeks on the Billboard charts. And then, it was heard by millions more, when it was used as the theme song for the hit TV show Dawson’s Creek. These days, Paula has been reclaiming her old music in various ways. A couple of years ago, she re-recorded some of her songs, including “I Don’t Want to Wait.” And that’s the version of the song that you’ll hear throughout this episode, and at the end, in its entirety. And on September 10, 2026, Paula is putting out an archival collection of her demos. It’s called Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998. It includes the original demo of “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which you’ll also hear in the episode, as Paula tells the story of how she wrote and produced the song.For more info, visit songexploder.net/paula-cole.
Songwriter Joe Pug hosts a weekly conversation with some of today’s top songwriters.
A look at “what it takes to write a great song and navigate the music industry. This podcast is a celebration of songs and songwriters. Real pros who teach, entertain and inspire.
Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting Workshop & Birthday Bash: https://songtown.com/birthday-bash-creative-xperience/ Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books:Mastering Melody Writing : Check It OutNext Level Lyric Writing: Check It OutSong Building: Mastering Lyric Writing : Check It OutThe Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Co-Writing : Check It Out Hosts: Clay Mills : Facebook : InstagramMarty Dodson : Facebook : Instagram SongTown on Songwriting Podcast, Powered by Sweetwater.com – The best place for musical gear on the planet! For advertising opportunities, email kristine@songtown.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting Workshop & Birthday Bash: https://songtown.com/birthday-bash-creative-xperience/ Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books:Mastering Melody Writing : Check It OutNext Level Lyric Writing: Check It OutSong Building: Mastering Lyric Writing : Check It OutThe Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Co-Writing : Check It Out Hosts: Clay Mills : Facebook : InstagramMarty Dodson : Facebook : Instagram SongTown on Songwriting Podcast, Powered by Sweetwater.com – The best place for musical gear on the planet! For advertising opportunities, email kristine@songtown.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting Workshop & Birthday Bash: https://songtown.com/birthday-bash-creative-xperience/ Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books:Mastering Melody Writing : Check It OutNext Level Lyric Writing: Check It OutSong Building: Mastering Lyric Writing : Check It OutThe Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Co-Writing : Check It Out Hosts: Clay Mills : Facebook : InstagramMarty Dodson : Facebook : Instagram SongTown on Songwriting Podcast, Powered by Sweetwater.com – The best place for musical gear on the planet! For advertising opportunities, email kristine@songtown.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting Workshop & Birthday Bash: https://songtown.com/birthday-bash-creative-xperience/ Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books:Mastering Melody Writing : Check It OutNext Level Lyric Writing: Check It OutSong Building: Mastering Lyric Writing : Check It OutThe Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Co-Writing : Check It Out Hosts: Clay Mills : Facebook : InstagramMarty Dodson : Facebook : Instagram SongTown on Songwriting Podcast, Powered by Sweetwater.com – The best place for musical gear on the planet! For advertising opportunities, email kristine@songtown.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Get your tickets for our 12th Annual Creative Xperience Songwriting Workshop & Birthday Bash: https://songtown.com/birthday-bash-creative-xperience/ Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty’s 10-day video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin! SongTown Press Books: Mastering Melody Writing : Check It Out Next Level Lyric Writing: Check It Out Song Building: Mastering Lyric Writing : Check It Out The Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Co-Writing : Check It Out Hosts: Clay Mills : Facebook : Instagram Marty Dodson : Facebook : Instagram SongTown on Songwriting Podcast, Powered by Sweetwater.com – The best place for musical gear on the planet! For advertising opportunities, email kristine@songtown.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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