More Songwriters on Songwriting

by Paul Zollo

The long-awaited sequel to Songwriters on Songwriting, often called "the songwriter's bible," More Songwriters on Songwriting goes to the heart of the creative process with in-depth interviews with many of the world's greatest songwriters. Covering every genre of popular music from folk, rock 'n' roll, Broadway, jazz, pop, and modern rock, this is a remarkable journey through some sixty years of popular from Leiber & Stoller's genius rock 'n' roll collaborations and Richard Sherman's Disney songs to Kenny Gamble's Philly Sound; Norman Whitfield's Motown classics; Loretta Lynn's country standards; expansive folk music from Peter, Paul, and Mary; folk-rock from Stephen Stills; confessional gems from James Taylor; poetic excursions form Patti Smith; Beatles magic from Ringo Starr; expansive brilliance from Paul Simon; complex melodic greatness from Brian Wilson; the most untrustworthy narrator alive in Randy Newman; the dark rock theater of both Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie; the sophisticated breadth of Elvis Costello; the legendary jazz of Herbie Hancock; the soulful swagger of of Chrissie Hynde; the funny-poignant beauty of John Prine; the ancient wisdom fused with hip-hop and reggae of Matisyahu; and much more. In all of it is the collective wisdom of those who have written songs for decades, songs that have impacted our culture forever.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Writing

672 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2011

About the author

Paul Zollo is a singer-songwriter, author, and music journalist. Since 1987, he's dedicated himself to interviewing the world's greatest songwriters. From 1987 to 1997, he was the editor of SongTalk, the journal of the National Academy of Songwriters. He's currently the senior editor for American Songwriter. Born in Chicago, he studied English and Music at Boston University and is the author of The Beginning Songwriter's Answer Book, Songwriters on Songwriting, and Hollywood Remembered.

Reviews

[David Gustafson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides being an author and photographer, Paul Zollo is a songwriter who knows how to chat with his subjects about chordal loops, the various "colors" of chords as well as, being taken prisoner by a melody or a phrase.

The many subjects of these interviews range from Peter, Paul and Mary to Leiber and Stoller, Paul Anka, Loretta Lynn, Herbie Handcock, Stephan Stills, Paul Simon, Joe Jackson, Pattie Smith, James Taylor, Brian Wilson and many, many more.

These are short bios of a treacherous business loaded with useful insights and tips for the amateur songwriter.

My favorite snapshot was browsing around inside the busy brain of Rickie Lee Jones.

[Paige Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offered a really cool glimpse into the process behind some of the most popular songs by some of the best songwriters of our time. Some of them I knew, some of them I didn’t, but I did find all of them interesting and informative. Mostly it served to reinforce my own views that there is really no right or standard way to write a great song and that so much of the journey of discovery as a writer is just about taking the time to find and develop your own voice.

Favorite Quote “That was the goal. Not to create good songs. But great ones. As Patti Smith explains in her interview in this volume, the whole difference between poetry and songwriting to her is that a songwriter writes a song not for an elite group of song enthusiasts but for the world. The entire world! That’s a big target audience. And designed to work not just for now or next season but for the ages. To write a song people want to hear and to play and to sing across generations. It’s a lofty goal, to put it lightly, and it says a lot about songwriters - all songwriters - that one would even attempt something so bold. It takes a certain kind of chutzpah - Yiddish for crazy courage. That is where songwriters live, after all, on the edge of courage and crazy. It’s creative chutzpah, the audacity of making art.”

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the interviews with artists that I was familiar with their music. It's an interesting look at the creative process.