ICMP Songwriting Tutors | 2025 | BBC 6 Music Musicology | Part 1

ICMP's Songwriting team joined DJ and broadcaster Huw Stephens' new BBC Radio 6 Music show as Musicologists in 2024. 

Since January 2024, members of the Songwriting faculty have been interviewed by Huw each week to discuss different aspects of the songwriting process. 

The slot has seen Professor Sophie Daniels, Daniel Green, Head of Academic Development, and Tutor Anjali Perinparaja explore song structures, techniques and analyse contemporary tracks to learn more about how they are written and put together. 

You can check out the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh blogs from 2024 - and find out more about their latest insights with Huw below...

Sophie Daniels | Lyrics 

Songwriting and lyrics are closely related as an artform and for this episode, I wanted to focus on female lyricists. 6 Music is great to have a playlist to represent diversity and all types of creatives but it's not the case across all broadcasters. 

Of course, we need this to change and to do this we must keep championing female artists and songwriters. To begin with, we will start with Joni Mitchell. 

Joni Mitchell | 'Both Sides Now'

Joni Mitchell has written so many incredible songs in her career, many of them are beautiful, insightful, political and gleaned from her lived experience as a woman. For me, my favourite songs are those that speak about the human condition, and this song speaks to people all over the world to help them understand themselves and their lives. 

'Both Sides Now' speaks about what it is to be human, how we are fallible and small in the world. The lyrics talk about looking at things in different ways and seeing two different angles to everything - whether it be clouds or love. 

Lyrics vs poetry

As a songwriter, it's worth noting that lyrics don't always need to be overly poetic. 

This is partly because they are working with music and chords. It's also because we consume songs by listening. We hear them for the first time, then we form a relationship with them by listening to them again and again. 

We read poetry aloud and it can be more complex and full of metaphor. Songs are usually more simple and about human connection. 

As a songwriter, it's best to be yourself. Songwriters are creating oral stories but delivering them as themselves through their own experiences. 

Kate Bush is one of the best singer songwriters of all time, she is an extraordinary lyricist, who is directly influenced by novels and poetry. 

Her song 'The Sensual World' is influenced by the work of writer James Joyce. She wanted to set the soliloquy by Joyce's character Mollie Bloom to music and she asked the James Joyce estate for their permission. They said no so she wrote her own version of that speech which became the song. This is Mollie Bloom coming to life and stepping out into the world. 

Kate Bush | 'The Sensual World'

In the end, the Joyce estate granted permission and Bush wrote another song called 'Flower of the Mountain' which was this passage set to music. 

Kate Bush | 'Flower of the Mountain'

She pulls out these stories and lived experiences from art that are female, yet universal, then translates them into songs that are both unique and hugely popular.

Tori Amos is American born, but has been a UK resident for a long time. She's an incredible songwriter who says she had a calling to share the stories of our time. Her lyric writing is unique and fascinating as she's invented words/phrases that don't make sense. However, we as listeners learn to understand them through the song itself - it's like a secret language that the song lets us tap into. 

Tori Amos | 'Cornflake Girl'

You have to get used to the words and symbolism that she uses with this imagery. 'Cornflake Girl' is full of invented language that she delivers as though it makes perfect sense, it creates this clarity that makes it very personal and emotional. It feels as if we're joining her inside her own thoughts.

PJ Harvey has won the Mercury twice and a Grammy and is one of our greatest lyricists who I believe would be rated higher if she was male. Her lyric craft is at the highest level.

'The Desperate Kingdom of Love' from her album, 'Uh Huh Her' is her reflection on giving birth and the death of a loved one all within a short frame of time. These experiences gave her a unique perspective on mortality. She has also spoken about writing lyrics out like a poem before setting them to music - which is an interesting approach to lyric craft. 

PJ Harvey | 'The Desperate Kingdom of Love'

I'd also love to focus on Laura Marling, she's an amazing singer songwriter. Her work speaks to what I see as the ultimate point of song - human connection. She writes folk songs which are about stories and handing them down through generations. Everything about her music making and recording process is very human from her choice of acoustic instrumentation to her lyrical commitment to the dark truths her songs share. 

Laura Marling | 'Rambling Man'

Her lyrics are simple but so sure of themselves, they are committed to simple life truths. Many offer a depth of wisdom that might take a while to interpret - but they ultimately speak to us. 

Anjali Perin | Music in Minority Languages 

I wanted to look at music as an act of ethnography as we're seeing a real increase in artists around the world using their music to bring awareness of lesser known minority languages and their important cultural connections. 

Wales has been a real place of development for this ethnomusicology, using music as a lens to highlight awareness and conversations around heritage and culture from around the world through festivals, songs and cross-collaborative projects

Gwenno is an artist who has been shining a light on her Welsh and Cornish heritage alongside her sister, producer and artist Annie Glass. Both are huge advocates of music as a tool for language revival and cultural diversity. 

Gwenno | 'Tir Ha Mor'

This track is a reminder of Cornish as a living language, that has been at risk of being entirely lost. What is a wonderful outcome of Gwenno singing in this language is how the album was credited by the Cornish Language Board as encouraging a record breaking number of students to study Cornish. 

Cornish and Welsh are very similar languages. It's long been believed that because English is so widely spoken, mainstream music needs to take this form. However, this has had a detrimental effect on how we as a society celebrate cultural diversity and heritage. In 2025, we're seeing an increasing number of artists embracing these minority languages including Gaelic, Breton and Manx. Irish rappers Kneecap are a prime example of an act who rap in Gaelic and have shone a light on the language via their critically-acclaimed film. 

Kneecap | Film trailer 

There are other languages we can look at such as Jèrriais spoken by those on the isle of Jersey. ICMP Tutor Kit Ashton did a PhD on this and is part of the Jèrriais pop-folk band Badlabecques. They release music in their native language alongside English and do local work in schools which can have an impact on preserving minority languages and cultures.

Badlabecques | 'Cocolîncheux!'

Irish band Clannad wrote folk-infused harmonies in Gaelic back in the eighties, they bridged a gap between Celtic and mainstream pop. They released the theme from 'Harry's Game' which led to more mainstream success. 

Clannad | 'Theme from Harry’s Game'

Elsewhere, Australian aboriginal rapper Baker Boy was the first artist to rap in his indigenous language Yolgnu Matha, and break into the mainstream. 

His track - 'Marryuna' - showcases his love for his language. He combines it with English so we have this mixture of languages working together. 

Baker Boy | 'Marryuna' 

3,000 languages are at risk around the world and more work needs to be done to preserve them, particularly those that predate Western colonialism and power. One artist doing this is the Canadian musician - Elisapie - who shares a real love for her territory and language. Her album 'Inuktitut' reimagines tracks by Metallica, Cyandi Lauper and Blondie in her native language. 

Because she's put together an album of covers, it's been an accessible way of shining light on her language and culture. She is doing her own writing but also decided to release music that people already know.

Elisapie | 'Heart of Glass'

Finally, I wanted to bring it back to the Welsh band Adwaith. They are all female Welsh act, which is fairly unique, and went on tour with Gwenno when they released their debut album 'Melyn'. 

'Fel i Fod' is one of the most streamed Welsh language songs - there's so much hope in the crafting of the language and beautiful vocals that feels like you can understand the hope and vulnerability even if it's not in a language you know. 

Adwaith | 'Fel i Fod'

Anjali Perin | Nature as an Instrument

Nature provides such a soundscape to our lives and is an endless source of inspiration to many songwriters. I wanted to explore how different artists feature nature in their music and specific projects alongside how musicians are finding new ways to use their music to support environmental causes. 

Initially, I wanted to focus on birdsong and showcase the bird call we hear during the 1974 hit by Minnie Riperton, 'Loving You'. Minnie's husband Richard Rudolph produced this track with Stevie Wonder and apparently the bird call was recorded accidentally but they decided to keep it on the finished track. 

It was conceived as a lullaby to her daughter Maya Rudolph, an American actress and comedian. The chattering bird song adds a layer of innocence that works so well while Ripperton also has the whistle tone register. This feels quite bird-like in how she hits those high notes during the chorus. 

Minnie Riperton | 'Loving You'

In many areas of natural history or anthropology, musicians will take field recordings which are sounds found in the world around us. These can be taken anywhere from urban environments or rural settings, then used to add interest to a song or composition. 

Kate Bush does this in her track, 'Aerial Tal' from her 2018 album 'Aerial'. Her vocals mimic the bird song and chatter and takes her voice into unexpected places. Applying her voice in this way highlights the rich musicality and expression that can exist in birdsong. 

Kate Bush | 'Aerial Tal'

How else are musicians incorporating nature? 

Modern production techniques and processes allow us to use any sounds we can get our hands on, then experiment with them to create interesting soundscapes.

I wanted to highlight the producer Cosmo Sheldrake who released an album called 'Wake Up Calls' back in 2020. This focused on predominantly endangered and rare birds in the UK. His process involved him taking different bird sounds that he’d recorded, then programming them across different pitches to create this incredible tapestry of sound to his songs - he also used the original field recordings. 

'Night Jar' combines the nocturnal bird sounds he recorded alongside the musical motifs and melodies he created from bird song to form the backing instrumentation - it makes for a dream-like and otherworldly soundscape.

Cosmo Sheldrake | 'Night Jar'

There is a wider message to this creative approach. Cosmo is also bringing awareness to these endangered birds and celebrating what they bring to the world around us.

There has been a connection forged between many songwriters and artists over the years about the way humans consider the environment. From protest songs like Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi' to Billie Eilish releasing her music on recycled vinyl, we're seeing more sustainable music festivals and an eco-conscious outlook for touring. 

The Sounds Right project is an initiative where artists can list nature as an official artist on streaming platforms. When they do this, a share of the streaming revenue will be distributed to nature/environmental charities. This has included remixes from Brian Eno and London Grammar to Norwegian activist and producer Aurora, who remixed her song 'A Soul Has No King' as part of this initiative. 

Aurora | 'A Soul Has No King'

I wanted to finish by playing this by John Cale that features as part of a large scale bird song project called 'For the Birds' by the Bird Song project in 2022. This brought together a wealth of musicians, actors and spoken word artists and featured more than 200 pieces inspired by or featuring bird song from around the world. The proceeds raised funds for bird charities too. 

John Cale | 'Mr Sparrow' 

This gives us this very pulsating electronic sound world but one that fully embeds the recording of the bird call into it so it all feels really harmonious. 

Sophie Daniels | Alternative Christmas Music 

It's great to pick out what makes a traditional hit at Christmas and what makes an alternative Christmas hit. I always want to talk about the specific elements of songs - lyrics, structure - but also how these song parts work together. The alchemy of writing and the coming together of these elements is what creates the magic. 

What makes a Christmas song alternative? 

When we try to place where a song lives in terms of its genre, certainly whether it's alternative or not, one is the shape/structure of the song - is it traditional verse chorus shape? Or something different? 

We also look at the sound of the vocal for a Christmas hit - is it shiny and beautiful sounding? Or does it offer something different to that? A typical Christmas pop song will have plenty of glitter and polish in terms of its aural aesthetic and production but alternative songs might approach this differently 

You might expect brass bands and sleigh bells from a festive hit with lyrics usually about travelling home, Santa and good cheer. However, other great Christmas songs offer something a little different. 

Run Dmc | 'Christmas in Hollis'

Run DMC are from Hollis in Queens in New York and the song is about the festive season. However, it shows how many artists want to celebrate Christmas and the inescapable commercialism of Christmas too. There's some social commentary in this track too in terms of chasing someone in the park, thinking it might be Santa and he leaves them the cash for Christmas under the tree. It's alternative in some ways as it's rap as well as using plenty of samples too. 

Low | 'Just like Christmas'

This is a magical track that is loved by so many and taken from Low's Christmas mini album released back in 2000.

It's a beautiful track, with traditional sounds to it including sleigh bells and brass. Lyrically it is on the fence, discussing snow and travelling but it's also bitter sweet. The lyrics are about Christmas and how the season is about being naive and having no responsibility. The song strips away the nonsense but musically and lyrically, it seems more real in its emotional intention without any of the production glitter. 

Eels | 'Everything is Going to be Cool this Christmas'

There's real life and honesty in the songs of Eels and this Christmas track is alternative. It doesn't censor real life but it's a compromise as there's festive language in there. However, by telling us everything is going to be cool this Christmas, it also suggests that everything wasn't cool last Christmas. 

The MynaBirds | 'All I Want is Truth (for Christmas)' 

The MynaBirds are an indie pop band who make politically engaged feminist pop. This song has the structure of a traditional Christmas track but the lyrics are stark and alt - there's no snow, good cheer and it depends how much truth you want with your Christmas from the climate crisis to criticism of politicians. 

It's a great song as it points out that Christmas demands we ignore reality but it refuses to do this - which makes it alternative. 

The Waitresses | 'Christmas Wrapping'

This song by the Waitresses is an alt Christmas classic. 

It's alternative in structure, vocals and lyrics but it's cute, festive and has a happy ending like any Christmas film - it's unique, perfectly constructed for its creative purpose, tells an entertaining story and is really fun. For me, this song speaks to the conversations that Christmas isn't for everyone every year.