They Write the Songs Season 4

[HallieR]

Barry getting into the songwriters of the 60s 70s and later in Season 4. Episodes 2-5 available at the moment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01phhcx/episodes/player

[marvin]

Thank you Hallie for posting this. What I most appreciate about this series, especially the fourth season in which Barry personally knows the songwriters of his era, is going inside Barry's mind as he explains so well what is unique about each person. My favrotie episode thus far is Barry discussing the father of electoronic dance music and how he set a new trend of an emphasis on the rhythm of the dance track and how so many well written songs like "It's A Feeling" were inspired by the dance tracks. Even though electronic dance music is not my favorite genre, I learned so much and grown to appreciate the skills involved in the electronic dance genre thanks to Barry discussing how these electornic dance songs became so popular. Thanks, Marvin

[HallieR]

Marvin, I agree the last episode about Georgio Moroder was really good. Name wasn't familiar but as Barry said he's written some great songs we are all familiar with, changed the musical world, and continues to be relevant late in his career. Electronic music isn't really my thing either but some great songs/rhythms.

[marvin]

I liked the episodes on Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Wild, Bee Gees, Elton John, Georgio Moroder and I am looking forward to the next episode on Madonna. I hope later episodes will feature some of my favorite songwriters from the 60s and 70s such as Paul Anka, The Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Peter, Paul and Mary, Burt Bacharach and Hal David featuring the many songs they wrote for Dionne Warwick, Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager featuring the many songs they wrote for Barbra Steisand (as did Michel Legrand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman), Neil Diamond, Melissa Manchester,Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jimmy Webb (who wrote most of the hit Glen Campbell songs), and Paul Williams (who wrote hit songs for The Carpenters). Thanks, Marvin

[Dee]

Post by marvin
I liked the episodes on Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Wild, Bee Gees, Elton John, Georgio Moroder and I am looking forward to the next episode on Madonna. I hope later episodes will feature some of my favorite songwriters from the 60s and 70s such as Paul Anka, The Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Peter, Paul and Mary, Burt Bacharach and Hal David featuring the many songs they wrote for Dionne Warwick, Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager featuring the many songs they wrote for Barbra Steisand (as did Michel Legrand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman), Neil Diamond, Melissa Manchester,Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jimmy Webb (who wrote most of the hit Glen Campbell songs), and Paul Williams (who wrote hit songs for The Carpenters). Thanks, Marvin

The first episode was Lennon and McCartney, Marvin. It was very good.

[marvin]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. The They Write The Songs had ended for now and, as always, Barry did a superb job of detailing what made so many of the songwriters from his era and later unique for their styles of writing songs and the impact it made on the music industry. It is hard to pick a favorite episode, but the one songwriter whom I did not much about before listening to the show was Laura Nyro. As Barry detailed the journey of her life, his passion for her abilities as a singer.songwriter was an inspiration for Barry and many of his friends in music ,such as Bette Midler, Melissa Manchester, Elton John and Barbra Streisand. Barry felt bad that Nyro was shy and sunned publicity to unfortunately never become well-known for her many songs that she wrote for Fifth Dimension and Streisand among others. She died of ovarian cancer before age 50 and I am glad to have learned about Laura Nyro's achievements by listening to Barry's program on BBC Radio. Thanks, Marvin