ICMP Songwriting Tutors | BBC 6 Music | Musicology | Part 7

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

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 and sixth blogs- and find out more about their latest insights with Huw below...

Anjali Perin | Ezra Collective 

I wanted to take a look at last year's Mercury Prize winners, the fantastic Ezra Collective, who have really claimed their own musical space. They were a rare win, being under the jazz category of the Mercury's, which has not yielded a winner for many decades.

Part of what I think helped the band to gain that win, was the fact that they have brought in so many other musical styles alongside jazz, which has made their music really accessible to a wider range of people. 

There are a lot of influences from musicians and styles really from the sixties and seventies, but through collaborations with current hip hop and soul artists which has helped them really forge their own style for contemporary audiences. So I thought it might be interesting for our listeners to hear some of the musical influences and styles inform their sound. 

Fela Kuti 

Possibly the biggest influence on the band that they've been clear on from the start, and which also links to the heritage of bandleader Femi Koleoso and his brother TJ, has been from the legendary Nigerian afrobeat musician and activist Fela Kuti.  

Fela is seen as the Father of Afrobeat music, which really brought African music into a more global setting and audience. Fela combined his native West African Yoruba style of music from Nigeria and also the Ghanaian highlife style of music alongside the developing funk, soul and jazz music of the sixties, leading his band on saxophone and vocals. Kuti also intentionally combined lyrics in his native Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin English which really broke down barriers for audiences and listeners across Africa and also fed his international success. 

I wanted to start with this extract from Fela Kuti's 1976 song 'Water No Get Enemy', where you can hear so many of the different elements that made up the Afrobeat sound from the funky bass and guitar parts to the call and response vocals and then those glorious horn fanfare parts. 

Fela Kuti | 'Water No Get Enemy' 

Fela's drummer and MD Tony Allen, drove a lot of the rhythmic character of Fela's music really should have equal credit for creating Afrobeat. Tony Allen incorporated a lot of the African polyrhythms - polyrhythms are where different rhythmic patterns and meters are played at the same time, which add a sense of simultaneous excitement and tension. Ezra drummer Femi credits a lot of his rhythmic inspiration to Tony Allen and part of the Collective's success has been those exciting, driving rhythms and grooves in their music which has also led them to be such successful live performers too.

Other styles 

You can often hear also a lot of Latin American influence in the Ezra Collective's music, particularly the Brazilian and Cuban samba and salsa styles, like we hear in their track 'Welcome to my World' which has that kind of samba horn fanfare.

Ezra Collective | 'Welcome to My World' 

You also hear elements of Latin-jazz fusion influence in other tracks like the second half of their track 'Never the Same Again'. 

Ezra Collective | 'Never the Same Again'

In terms of the Latin jazz fusion artists especially from the sixties and seventies, percussionist and drummer Airto Moreira was a key influence on that scene, particularly his 1977 tune 'The Road Is Hard (But We’re Going To Make It)' featuring sax player Tom Scott. 

Airto Moreira | 'The Road is Hard (But We’re Going to Make It') 

In the last album by Ezra Collective you could hear the reggae and dub influence in their tune 'Ego Killah' . 

One of the pioneering dub artists and producers of the sixties and seventies was legendary engineer/producer King Tubby.

King Tubby | 'Flag Dub'

Ezra Collective first came together and started very much in the roots and traditions of playing jazz – the kind of harmonic ideas, melodic language and and the use of collective improvisation still have that jazz flavour but as they have evolved, they have, like many musicians, sought to add in the musical influences that feel authentic to them in the contemporary musical world they occupy. This has been furthered through collaborations they've done with a wide range of artists from rappers to singers and beyond. 

Many modern jazz composers and musicians are working in this way now, bringing in other styles of music that they then work to weave in with the jazz language, with hip hop and r'n'b being a particularly common bedfellow.  

Someone who has been doing this for years is the jazz pianist Robert Glasper who has forged a really successful path combining his brilliant jazz piano technique with soul, r'n'b and hip hop styles – and he has created some really exciting collaborations over his career while still very much having a lot of the musical harmonic and melodic elements of jazz. He is a big influence on a lot of contemporary jazz  musicians, and you can hear that in the playing by Ezra's pianist Joe Armon-Jones, especially the opening section to their track 'Never the Same Again'.

I thought we’d close with the track 'No Confusion' that features Kojey Radical. It was written in homage to the late and great Tony Allen and also references Fela's tune called 'Confusion' that features some incredible drum improvisation from Allen, so this is a kind of tip of the hat to that influence and also brings in hip hop and rap elements through their collaboration with Kojey Radical.

I also love the kind of spoken word part at the start which feels a little bit like a mission statement from the band in terms of their music and interpretation of jazz.

Ezra Collective | 'No Confusion' feat Kojey Radical 

Sophie Daniels | Jeff Buckley 

I've never met anyone who doesn't love Jeff Buckley. As a songwriter and artist, his music unites everyone. 

One of the things he does so well is come up with fantastic details in his song lyrics. Detail is clearly a very important part of great art, especially in lyric writing and song craft. It's in storytelling, engages listeners, draws them into listening to a song more closely, provides visual images of what’s happening and gives a song its unique identity

Prince | 'Raspberry Beret'

It's a masterclass in lyric writing exemplified by the use of the word 'raspberry' in the title. 

You can hear how the words give you visual images of what is happening in the story, and this provides you with details that give us info about her and the narrator too. It allows you to see the scene in your mind's eye. You can use the language and imagery to engage with other senses too. 

Jeff Buckley | 'Lover You Should’ve Come Over'

In this song, you can really picture the feelings he evokes with the lyrics. 

Each artist uses these details differently and engages with each of us in different ways. Many songwriters rely on the use of detail although it's usually in lyric writing where it can be most effective. The detail works differently depending on the type of writing. As usual, in hip hop, there are many great examples. 

Kendrick Lamar | 'The Art of Peer Pressure'

In the lyrics, he even references a specific park where the odour remains from the basketball court. 

Little Simz | 'Fear No Man'

In this track, Simz offers literal detail (for example, the mention of GQ magazine) and including specific brands, names and places helps build the story. 

There's also figurative detail too - this is when we use a word/phrase but it’s not the literal meaning. So when you use metaphor or simile. It gives more identity to a story and creates more evocative images. Alex Turner is one of the best indie lyricists ever to employ this. 

Arctic Monkeys | ‘Hiding Tonight'

There's plenty of personification in this lyric - he compares himself to a fizzy drink and uses lots of evocative imagery. 

Phoebe Bridges | 'The Waiting Room'

She uses amazing images to describe the different characters in the song. You can listen to these songs hundreds of times and uncovering more details allows you to deepen your relationship with the writer and song over the time. 

Few writers are better at using figurative detail than Guy Garvey from Elbow. He is extraordinary at putting evocative lyrical content in the setting of a song. When the lyrics and song work together, it elevates the entire work to a different level, creating something bigger in beauty and meaning.

Elbow | 'Lippy Kids'

Both the lyrics and music complement each other perfectly. Garvey has said about how kids on street corners shouldn't be demonised for having their hoods up, that was him as a kid too. It paints a beautiful picture and breaks down generational barriers about kids and the way they are perceived. 

Dan Green | Leeds

To celebrate English Teacher's win at the Mercury Prize, we're going to celebrate the city's music scene.

Leeds is considered the fourth most populated city in the UK and it became a major industrial centre in the north of England for weaving and textiles. 

It is a vibrant mutli-cultural city with a large student population. It doesn't have its own distinct sound, almost more like a collection of different sounds coming together - so jazz, pop, folk, dance music and more.

Leeds artists

Corinne Bailey Rae | 'Paris Nights, New York Mornings'

Coriinne Bailey Rae was Mercury Prize nominated for her album, 'The Sea'. Another jazz band to come from Leeds is Roller Trio who were also nominated for the Mercury in 2012. 

There has been a thriving jazz scene in Leeds. Venues like the Wardrobe, and other old pubs in Leeds host amazing jazz nights there too. 

A songwriter who released music in the sixties and seventies was an artist called Jake Thackray.

Jake Thackray | 'Country Bus'

He died 20 years ago and was largely unknown during his lifetime. He never found commercial success but his legacy has lived on in the music of songwriters such as Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn. 

The local Leeds scene is also very important. When English Teacher won the Mercury, they shouted out the Brudenell music venue and it is a real hub for indie artists. The first venue I want to talk about is the Fenton, a small pub near the university. It's of historical significance as it was the hub for the city's Rock against Racism movement as well as nurturing bands such as Gang of Four. 

Gang of Four | 'At Home He's A Tourist'

The next venue is the West Indian Centre, the Leeds Caribbean African centre. It's been a community hub for Chapeltown and Harehills for over 40 years, and is an essential venue for anyone who likes dub and sound systems. 

Iration Steppas | 'No War Dub'

Then back to the Brudenell Social Club, which is one of the most famous venues in Leeds if not the UK. It has a real cross-section of people who go. Locals for pints, students, the function room hosts big gigs as well as smaller events that are vital for the arts community. English Teacher are just one of a number of bands who have used the venue as a platform for success.

English Teacher | 'Broken Biscuits'

Anjali Perin | Football Songs 

I've been busy rehearsing for a gig at the Bear Club in Luton, an arts and music venue that was recently saved from being sold to developers by local football club, Luton FC. 

They wanted to keep it going to benefit the ongoing cultural provision in the area and this news inspired me to start thinking about the relationship between music and football. I'm going to talk about the music and chants we hear on football terraces. 

Why is music special in football? ​

I've been to a number of football matches over the years and the atmosphere at a game is so special and enhanced by the chants. 

The crowd will often sing something that is relevant for that moment in the game - there is a repertoire of chants from goal celebrations to those that can help build back morale when the chips are down. 

You get old hits like 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' to songs like 'Glory, Glory Man United'. This gives fans a way to find something that resonates with them and they can customise it to suit their team or players.  

The magic formula for a football anthem 

At the heart of most anthems, there will usually be a distinct and clear melody that is instinctive and easy to sing. You can see a stadium crowd as an A cappella choir. There’s no backing band so the melody has to work on its own. 

'When the Spurs Going Marching On' is easy to sing and has a melody built around a major scale. It has a clear structure like 'Happy Birthday', it works on functional harmony. The melody is structured so it can be sung unaccompanied and, perhaps surprisingly, the original was a gospel hymn popularised by bands in New Orleans. 

Louis Armstrong | 'When the Saints Go Marching in'

What else do we hear at matches? ​

The rousing chorus or melody line is another important element. For example, the song 'Sailing' covered by Rod Stewart and written by the Sutherland brothers has a rolling melody that works like a musical wave. It's also a strophic song so there is no separate chorus. Instead, the melody is repeatedly sung across the song so it works in a very compact way. 

Rod Stewart | 'Sailing'

Slow songs 

Slower ballad songs can express more emotion and due to the slower tempo, there's enough time for everyone to join in the sing-along. 

Another great example is the Proclaimers, 'Sunshine on Leith' was released as an ode to their favourite football club, Hibernian. 

The Proclaimers | 'Sunshine on Leith'

It was voted by 6 Music listeners on Steve Lamacq's show as their favourite football anthem. It works as it has this real build up, a sense of poignancy and melodic drops - it builds, and there's a lot of hope between the melody lines and lyrics too. 

How do clubs get specific anthems? 

The song 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was adopted by crowds at both Liverpool and Celtic. This was because Gerry and the Pacemakers sought to release their own version in 1963 after it was originally a musical theatre song from Carousel. Liverpool FC really took it to their hearts at the time. It's another slow ballad in form but it has this incredible build up to this epic chorus line with universal lyrics. It's a real call for resilience and hope - a metaphor for life but works in sport too and has plenty of emotional power. 

Gerry and the Pacemakers | 'You'll Never Walk Alone'

Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said in a conversation with Gerry: "I gave you a football team Gerry my son. And you have given us a song."

Sometimes you need an uptempo energy change, songs with a stomp and upbeat tempo can really get things going. '7 Nation Army' has that feel to it alongside '3 Lions'. The opening riff of '7 Nation Army' has that tense sense of foreboding that works so well to begin a match. It has a tribal quality that football can sometimes have. 

The White Stripes | '7 Nation Army'

I thought we could finish with Depeche Mode's 'Just Can’t Get Enough'. It's been adopted by Celtic FC and Nottingham Forest. The band are much loved by 6 Music listeners too.