![]() ![]() Tell us about a wonderful co-writing experience.Įliot Kennedy was a great one. I did write with Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze, who is in that category for me. Is there anyone you’re still hoping to write with one day? It’s called “If You Can Find It in Your Heart.” Story is Luther Vandross loved it and cut it, but we still haven’t heard it. Wrote a lyric very much in the style of Burt, and he loved it. Next time I went to Sheffield, where Eliot lived, he said “fancy writing a lyric to this track I have with Burt Bacharach?” Glad I didn’t think too much, and just said yes! I walked around town with my headphones and this beautiful melody they had done. I love Burt Bacharach, and my buddy Eliot Kennedy had gone to LA and written a couple of tracks with him. Was there someone you always wanted to write with-and finally got a chance to write with them? Brenda Russell and Eliot Kennedy are the other ones that made co-writing one amazing idea. Basically it was the whole being better than the sum of its parts. Like every great co-write since, we found the other one did something that we didn’t, and that excited us. ![]() At the time my strength was probably melody and coming up with tracks and grooves. She’s in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, and probably the first real lyricist I met. Thank God one of my first co-writers was Kye Fleming. I never co-wrote until I started spending time in Nashville. Different culture! Over time, I just learned to absorb the vibe, and if it worked for me-it became part of my DNA. The Beach Boys, the Association, the Union Gap, Chicago-not cool. Well, I grew up in New York state, and it was funny that things were cool or not cool! The Rascals, Paul Butterfield, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Motown were cool. How did where you were geographically (living in New York, Nashville, London or L.A.) influence your music? Growing up with the music of the 60’s on the radio was something that made it easy to relate to a ton of different styles. With your songs on more than 16 million records to date, spanning all genres (with legendary artists like Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, Wynonna Judd), how do you keep thinking of new song ideas?įor me over the years, trying to push myself, challenge myself-to write in different styles-forced me to listen and learn to appreciate all kinds of music. In the end, we all want to communicate and touch someone else. To slow your process down sometimes, and look for a really good idea: something relatable- something that stands a chance of resonating with someone else. What songwriting tip would you like to offer? I love working from a title or a concept, but I also honor the idea of just ‘showing up.’ What is your creative process for writing songs? Her album debuted at #2 on every chart, my song was the third single off the platinum album, and that’s my happy ending! Even I thought that B-side should have been the single-and I told Wy after I heard that beautiful song. Wy puts it out as a single, and the other side is “Change the World.” Yes, the song that later became a hit for Eric Clapton. No hold, no connection to the publishers, just heard it somewhere and it resonated with a time in her life-and she cut it. Wy had cut “My Angel is Here” and not told anyone. So he called to say “sorry about your song not making the final cut, but cool about the other one.” The other one?!? John is one amazing guy and has been Springsteen’s front of the house mixer for years now. Soon after the bad news I got a call from one of my best buddies, John Cooper, who ran sound for Wy. Devastated is not nearly a strong enough word for how I felt at the time. At the 11th hour, I was told our song didn’t make the cut. My wife and I had just moved our family to Nashville, and honestly we were counting on this to launch a new chapter in our lives. I had co-written another song that was on hold for what turned out to be her Revelations album. The beautiful part of the story is that Wynonna had taken time away from music, had a baby and was re-entering the music world with an album everyone knew would be huge. We wrote a few songs together, this being one of our favorites but with no real plan for it at the time. I was signed as a writer to Windswept Pacific Music in those days, and although I lived in Nashville, I was really signed out of their London office. I wrote it with Lulu (yep, that “To Sir with Love” Lulu) and her brother Billy Lawrie. How did the idea of “ My Angel is Here” come to you? With M Music & Musicians magazine publisher, Merlin David ![]() Songwriters: Mark Cawley, Billy Lawrie, Lulu (Marie Lawrie) VIDEO FEATURE & WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Songwriter: MARK CAWLEY Song: “ My Angel is Here” ![]()
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