Not only rock stars write songs. Lots of people with busy lives do it. In this podcast I'll have discussions with people who write songs about how they do it, why they do it and the things songwriting has done for them. In each episode we'll discuss and play an original song by the featured songwriter and get right down into how that song came to be. Relevant resources and links to things we've discussed will be included in the episode notes. If you write songs, or would like to write songs but haven't started yet, this podcast could be for you.
Look forward to connecting with you, Paul.
How did you write that song DJ Gosper and Jeff Prime?
Canberra songwriters Dorothy Jane (DJ) Gosper and Jeff Prime have been doing their stuff for many years in many different genres across the blues, jazz, rock and folk spectrum.
It was great to catch up with them and hear some of their songwriting insights from their many years experience of working on songs both individually and collectively.
DJ is a little reluctant to be too analytical about songwriting as, in her words, "it seems sort of magical". She started composing songs from poems as a young person and soon realised she doesn't have just one approach to writing songs. Driving her car seems to be a place where lyrical or musical ideas come to her. Once she gets an initial idea the song builds around it, sometimes very quickly and other times much more slowly.
Jeff has an interesting approach. As a songwriter who doesn't sing himself he writes the instrumental parts and gets his music software to sing the words he comes up with and then shares the results with DJ as she'll be singing the song once it is finished. For him a mood or sentiment in a guitar riff will often lead to lyrics later on.
We played recordings of a couple of their songs during our chat. The first, "Moving On", was written by Jeff and is about recognising when it is time to move on from a relationship or other life experience. The other song, "On My Own" was written by DJ and tells the story of how she was affected by and then came to accept something extraordinary and traumatic in her life. It's a powerful song and also demonstrates how important songwriting can be.
For more of DJ and Jeff's music: https://dorothy-jane.com/jd_band
4 Apr 2025
How did you write that song Shark and Fox?
Shark & Fox consists of Jaron Freeman-Fox on violin, 12-string viola d’amor and fretless guitar, Emily-Rose Sharkova on accordion and keyboards, and Rose Callaghan on the drums, with all three members lending their voices in a collective roar, or intricate harmony. Their music ranges from crazy up-tempo Eastern European folk with unusual time signatures through to floating atmospheric wonder that will stop you in your tracks.
So I was very fortunate when Emily-Rose, Jaron and Rose stopped by for a chat on their way to a gig in Canberra. We discussed how they've all become amazing instrumentalists through their lives but coming together recently as Shark and Fox has led them more to focus on songwriting and thinking of themselves as songwriters.
It was clear from our chat that they really gel with each other musically, listening and learning from each other as they collaborate on their songs. Wanting to work with each other is key, as is working out the reason for a song to be written. Everything else follows.
We played a recording of their single "Let Your Loved Ones Know" which is about making sure that important conversations with your important people do happen.
It was great to chat with them and if you want to hear more from Shark and Fox: https://sharkandfox.com/
27 Feb 2025
How did you write that song Broken Creek?
I was lucky enough to catch up with Erin and Lachlan from Victorian folk duo Broken Creek when they were briefly in Canberra for a gig.
They've got a great complementary approach to songwriting - Erin writes the lyrics and Lachlan writes the music..... well it's not quite that straightforward! Erin's crafting of the lyrics suggests melody and rhythm ideas and Lachlan's instrumental skills inspire song ideas. Lachlan also digs right into the subject matter of songs and produces pages of research about the subject of a song and Erin filters the essence of the story into the song.
We discussed and played a recording of a wonderful song they wrote in this iterative way about the convict Mary Bryant who was transported with the first fleet and then led the first successful escape from the colony at Port Jackson..... in Governor Philip's stolen fishing boat!
Many of their songs tell the story of inspirational women from history who rarely have their stories told in the history books.
They are both impressive musicians and songwriters in their own right but together that synergy thing is working overtime! I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did recording it!
To hear more of Erin and Lachlan's music: https://www.brokencreekband.com/
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
39
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
Contact How did you write that song?
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of How did you write that song??
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
