Songwriters Edition: Come with us to learn how to write a song

This week on Ladies Love Country, we sit down with Nashville songwriters Alison Nichols and Phil Barton to dive into the world of country music songwriting and what really goes on behind the scenes in Nashville. From writing sessions and record deals to the chaos, challenges and tea that comes with life in Music City, nothing is off limits. Plus, you don’t want to miss the end of the episode as we even attempt to start writing our own Ladies Love Country song. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:08

Ladies of country ladies love ladies of country ladies of country ladies of country ladies love ladies of country Ladies love ladies of country I was like I want to be Hannah Lontana when I grow up.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

I want to be Miranda, Taylor, and Hannah Lontana. But if there's a song like House the Built Me that comes along, I'm going to take it. We need to go get the song Riley's Drunk. Just ask them about Riley Green and see what's going on.

SPEAKER_07 0:57

Hey ladies! Welcome back to another episode of Ladies Love Country. Allison Nichols, welcome to Ladies Love Country. How are you doing today? I'm great. How are you? Really good. We're here in Nashville. We're at the BMJ office and we are going to be taking you through a brand new kind of concept for Ladies Love Country. Really behind the scenes of what it's like to be a songwriter in Nashville. Which is really exciting.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

Can we start off and ask how did you get into songwriting?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Um, well, I think I wrote my first song when I was six years old. Wow. It was not good, but I just remember wanting to create all the time. Like I used to draw a lot, and I always wanted to like film movies and stuff, and then I just landed on songwriting, and then I just never stopped. And I feel like Taylor Swift kind of made that like I listened to Miranda Lambert a lot when I was like in first grade, maybe, and that kerosene album kind of taught me how to write songs, and then Taylor Swift came out, and that's when I really realized I was like, Oh, that's how you like do a chorus and a verse and all that stuff. So that's yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:09

Could you always play the guitar? Or did you find then you were like, Oh, I should probably learn how to do it.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Oh, yeah, I just like to sing. Like when I was growing up, I feel like I my parents like I came out of the womb singing, so I was just singing all the time. Like I had like way too much confidence. Like I would sing all the time, like in front of anybody, like the people doing the dishwasher, like you know, fixing the dishwasher, fixing the windows. I was just like singing, and they're like, Oh my god, there's a kid screaming in the other room. But I that was how it started. I learned piano because my mom was Korean, very intense about like classical music, like that's very like stereotypical. But um, so I started playing when I was six and I hated it. I absolutely hated it, and I play now and I love it. But I did learn guitar around 11 years old because of Taylor Swift. I was like, okay, I want to do that too. That's what I want to do. Is there anyone in your family that's musical like with? So, no, not in my immediate family, but in my extended family. I'm actually cousins to Joe Diffie.

SPEAKER_07 3:15

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

The old country singer for the yeah.

SPEAKER_07 3:16

Yeah, no way, that's crazy. So there's definitely some country music in the family.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um, so I used to go to these family reunions in Arkansas, and that's how I learned that he was my cousin because it's like this huge family reunion. There's like 200 people there sometimes, like one it's every year.

SPEAKER_06 3:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

And so we have like a whole cabin that's like the Diffies, and we just stay in like tents and trailers, but some some of the families like have full-on cabins and stuff, and um, it's in this tiny town of like 39 people, which is like crazed. That's how I learned about country music and how to write, and that's how he learned as well. I used to hear stories about him playing guitar with all the family because they like jam and they like have their fiddles and stuff. So really cute. And so I started doing it like when I was 12 when I started learning guitar and stuff, so I started playing with them, and I was like this little like Asian girl, I guess, playing Taylor Swift while the other guys are playing like Merle Haggard and George Jones.

SPEAKER_07 4:22

Do you think that you like kind of learned like your songwriting like style or like from from those times?

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Yeah, I think so. I think so. Because a lot of it was really traditional, like really traditional at the time. I was like a kid, and I was like, this is so old. And now I look back and I'm my I feel like my childhood was like a Dolly Parton Merle Haggard fever dream, so all of it is just ingrained in the way that I write. Yeah. Along with like the pop influences, like Hannah Montana. Oh yeah. I was obsessed with her.

SPEAKER_07 4:55

Hannah Montana year old.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Great influence. That's what made me really want to do it. I was like, I want to be Hannah Montana when I grow up. I want to be Miranda, Taylor, and Hannah Montana. I love that.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

And so when you go into a songwriting room, do you have a ritual or like something you do before you go into a room that like gets you prepared for that songwriting, or are you just more you go into the room ready to go?

SPEAKER_01 5:19

I just go with the room. Sometimes it I have an idea like the night before. That's how like my ADHD works. It's like I'll never have like I'll never be able to sit down and be like, okay, this is my 30 minutes on the week that I like think of ideas. Like that's not how it happens. It's always like the night before or the morning of. Spontaneously. Yeah. Yeah. Do you write them in your notes page? Yes, I have a note with like really horrible ideas and some maybe good ideas, but that's what the co-writers I feel like are great at. Is sometimes I come in and I'm like, this is the worst idea I've ever heard of. It's really stupid, and then I'll say it and they'll like be like, actually, there's something to that. Maybe we can figure something out. And that's happened before where I just thought it was a bad idea and it turned out to be maybe a good one.

SPEAKER_07 6:13

So are you writing down like like ideas for like the name of the song, or like the chorus, or like is it like just a concept or an idea about like what you want to sing about, or is it like how does it work?

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Um, do you want to see it? Yeah, yeah. So I have this folder, song ideas. Okay. And there's some from other people that like I started writing this the other day.

SPEAKER_07 6:40

Do you want to read some out or are they top secret?

SPEAKER_01 6:43

I mean, they're not top secret. Maybe I'll I'll like one that you want to do. Some of them are really stupid. Like, please don't judge me. That's why I like don't even want to, like, I don't show people this, but I just thought since y'all aren't other writers, I'm like, it's fine. Oh, only for a couple of times. I'm not gonna spoil it.

SPEAKER_07 7:00

No, no, it's must be my book. Yeah, let's just put this on the table. We are not musically talented at all. So this is purely just like an educational session.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Yeah, a lot of this stuff is stuff I just like hear on TV or like see on TikTok or something, like someone's talking, and I'm like, oh, that's cool. So I wrote down my next humiliation ship. I thought that was funny. Uh I didn't I haven't written that song yet, but that's just like that's the kind of stuff I write down. I wrote down red receipts because I I don't know. Yeah, that one's yeah, I feel like people are leaving me on red left and right.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

So then would you go into a room and be like, okay, I have this idea, red receipts. And then would you then start with a lyric about that? Or do you kind of brainstorm like what you're trying to get out of that?

SPEAKER_01 7:48

I feel like I'm a like a broader idea person, so I come in, like I wrote the song Hoops a few like a few years ago. But I wrote this song called Hoops, and I just I remember sitting in my room and just being like, what is something that I've gone through where you like find something and in I wanted some dramatic like story where you find something and it you realize that you're being cheated on. And I was like, Oh, earrings. Like that's always and my favorite are hoops. So I wrote that song um and I brought it to some of my co-writers, and we kind of rewrit the whole rewrote the whole thing because it wasn't totally formulated, but I just wanted to like show them what I was thinking, and I just wrote down hoops and like wrote down some of the concepts behind it.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

So yeah, normally you do lyrics first, and then the melody and music will kind of come after, or when you're writing down these lyrics, are you already kind of having like a tune in your head, if that makes sense?

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Sometimes yeah, I have to, or else I'll forget everything. How do you like it? I voice note, write them down. Um I do it, it's like all different kinds of things, it just depends on how it's coming to you. So, like when I'm by myself, that's how it happens, it's all simultaneous. I'm like, no da, and like saying the words at the same time, but when I'm in a co-write, I can't when you're trying to work with other people, it's easier for us to think of a melody first. That's just how I work, okay, and then I can like fit the words into that. That's usually like you get a feel, especially with a track person in the room. They'll be like, I'll say an idea, or the other writer has a better idea, or who whoever at whoever's idea we go with that day, then the person, the track person will be like, What do we feel like this? Is it like fun? Are we like doing a sad thing? And they'll just play a few tracks and and we'll kind of go with that. And the top liner, which is sometimes me, but sometimes it's somebody else who's better at it than me. So I just released a song called Box Wind Problems, and that came about because I had it in my notes. I wrote down Box Wind Problems, and this one I didn't actually have a track person in the room, it was just me and Will Rambo, who's my producer, and um my manager who's Cherie Austin. We started out writing, and we became such good friends that and she brought me to BMG, and then we just kind of became manager and artists. So it's kind of funny when I'm like, Yeah, I write with my manager sometimes. People are like, What? That's weird, but um, no. So I wrote it with them. I came to their house for we were celebrating actually the record deal that I had just signed. So I went to their house and we had some wine, and I was like, we just got in the writing mood, I guess. Cherie just started singing something. She was like, drink it down to the bottom because we were drinking. She's like, fill it up to the top. She's like, I don't know what that means, but I love it. And so we started kind of going with that, and I was like, Oh, I have the perfect hook for this. It's called Box Wine Problems, and that's how that started.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

Wow. And so you talked about top line before, or is it top line? Is that yeah? So, in that scenario, is someone that the top line?

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Yeah, I guess Cherie was when she started singing that melody. Okay, and she's a melody person, so a lot of times she can listen to a track and just start singing a melody, and and sometimes I'm like, eh, and sometimes I'm like, I love it. And um, we'll just like kind of collaborate on that.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

And what in a track, when you talk about a track, is that like musical instruments all together, or what are you hearing when you say like they give you different tracks?

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Yeah, it's it depends on the track person. Sometimes they start off with a guitar and then they start recording that guitar once we're like, okay, we like where this is going. Or they have tracks prepared. Okay, yeah. Or they'll go on Splice and like pick out some tracks. Do you know what Splice is? So it's like a website that they all use that has pre-made tracks that anyone can use. Right, like not copyrighted, I guess. And so a lot of track people use that just to like lay down a demo, and which is like, do you know what that is? Yes, which is a recording before the master, um, to show like the song, and they will just take the take some of those, or they'll play it themselves. It's it really depends on the track person. So actually, Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter is all splice tracks, so you can like find them.

SPEAKER_07 12:50

That's crazy. Yeah. And for you personally, do you feel like you want to be involved in all of your songs that you write, or is there like, are you just like open to any song as an artist?

SPEAKER_01 13:01

If I feel a song that's written by anybody else, I will take it and run. I I don't, I mean, I I care that it's personal, but I don't care enough. I don't have an ego about being the songwriter. Yeah, yeah. I love writing, yeah, and I think a lot of the songs that I write come from me, and that's why they're compelling. But if there's a song like House That Built Me that comes along, I'm going to take it. The demo, sometimes it stays up if there's a track person in the room. Yeah. Some so a lot of times at the end of writes, I'll do a vocal so that they can like lay that down and work on the track and they can send it to me. And if I really think the demo is like finished, I'll go take it to my label and AR and have them listen to it and also send it to publishing so that they have it like in a file and can pitch it to people or not.

SPEAKER_06 13:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

And that's just a way, I guess, to inform whoever's gonna do the master what the song sounds like, what the feel is, and everything. Yeah. Um, so it doesn't have to be perfect, it's not what you're gonna release.

SPEAKER_07 14:12

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

And sometimes people do release it. Like if they end up if the demo's just like perfect, then they'll do it.

SPEAKER_03 14:19

With a song title in all those like the songs that you sung yesterday, do you have song titles already for those, or do they is that something that comes later or right at the start?

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Or we usually like at the top of we do Google Docs a lot. So at the top of the Google Doc, it'll be like the rough name of it. Usually we just go with like whatever the hook is, yeah. Like box wine problems, that's the hook. That's the name of the song. I'm also coming out with a song called All Heaven Broke Loose that did have a track guy, so that was a different scenario. Um and that title I came out with in the car on the way to the right. Like, literally, I was like, and I was probably like hungover or something, and I was just like I um, but it just like came to me, and we ended up titling it that and making that the hook. So I don't really know. That's such a good question. I don't usually end up changing the the titles, but some people like a really artsy title and like want to take like one word from the song.

SPEAKER_03 15:25

Yeah, that's what I find so interesting. Is like some songs will repeat like the same lyric so many times, but then they'll pick a lyric that's only said once in the line in the song. But I'm like sometimes it like works really well, and I'm just like it's so curious as to what why someone would do that versus like the same lyric that you're saying like in every chorus kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

I think that's very like artsy fartsy. I love that, like I love songs like that, yeah. But for me right now, I think also as a new artist, I want people to like be able to find the song.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

Yeah, so if you hear it once, you kind of want to know what the title of the song is.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Because I remember when I was a kid, like even like people will just like say the wrong name if it's like whatever reminds them of it. Because when I was a kid, I was like the best of the both worlds, the best song I've ever heard. And people would be like, I love you get the limo out front. Like they think that's the name of the song. So I guess it's just whatever like reminds people of the song, maybe is the best. I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 16:28

Sometimes there's like a lot of like you basically like pull your heart out, right? You you tell these people like everything about you, yeah, right? Like yeah, like you're giving them like personal like information and stories and like feelings. Like, does that like make a difference to like the quality of the song or like how the ride goes and how the good relationship with the team?

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Yes, it really does. Like, I really I trust very few people, I think, and it takes a really hard it it takes a really long time to find that kind of chemistry. Yeah, um I mean I'll go into rights with people, I'll have to know them like at least have written once for me to like really open up. Yeah, but I will go in and I feel like there's like trust in this town that if you're gonna go and blab someone's stuff, like people just aren't gonna write with you. So everyone just kind of keeps it to themselves. So you kind of do know that no one's gonna go around. I mean, there's always some, and you're like, yeah, but no one's really gonna go around and tell people your stuff. So you go in and they're like, what's going on with you? Like, are you okay? Like any guys, like any boys, how's your ex? Like stuff like that. Have the tea.

SPEAKER_03 17:42

That's what eyes me out. It's like they're all probably walking around that's gonna be like, I know this, I know. Literally, way too. We need to go get the songwriters drunk and then we'll get oh okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Just ask them about Riley Green and see what's going on.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

What would be a red flag that you'd be like, I wouldn't want to work or like wouldn't want a songwrite with that.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Just if I don't have chemistry, I guess, or like get along or I I mean I get along with everybody, but sometimes someone will say something that I'm just like, I don't like that. The way that you talked about that woman. Yes or something. You know, like I just but that doesn't usually happen. Most of the songwriters here are great. I don't have that experience very often. It has happened, but not often. And they better be really good if they're gonna just talk like that.

SPEAKER_03 18:35

Yeah, can we try?

SPEAKER_07 18:37

If you want to. We can try.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

It's just gonna, it can be very funny. It's just like, yeah, it's not serious. No, do you have an idea?

SPEAKER_01 18:47

Let's use one of your ideas. Yeah, because I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 18:52

Yeah. So you're gonna walk in and then and then you wanna like have like a little chat with your writers and the team. You're like, how are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

What are you going through lately?

SPEAKER_03 19:10

Oh my goodness, I have an idea.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

Gracie's.

SPEAKER_03 19:15

Gracie's problem is she goes for guys that are too young for her. I think this is what the song needs to be about.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

If you're known for guys that I did not in her head.

SPEAKER_07 19:27

I have a young soul. I genuinely do. It's gonna become a problem because I'm getting older.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

Not getting older. She keeps being like, yeah, but in five years he'll be that. And I'm like, yeah, but you will be five years older than that. This is great. This is great material. I love this.

SPEAKER_07 19:55

Yeah, okay, cool. I'm hoping someone doesn't get cut.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

What if it did? You guys mean.

SPEAKER_03 20:11

So do you do the best best? Is that what you would normally do? It just depends.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

It really depends. I feel like most writers, including me, will go straight to the chorus just to like get that broader idea down because the verses are usually more like detailed. It's just, it so depends on the person. Like some people sit in the corner and just like mind their own business and they're like watching, and then they'll be like, What about this? And then they'll say like the best thing you've ever heard in your entire life. And so you're like, you've just been sitting there quiet, and you just wrote the whole song. Alright, that's fine, let's go. So there's people that are like literally genius like that, and then there's people that won't shut up that are literally like when I'm like, I can't hear myself think, let's move. And we love them for it. Yeah, that's how everybody's process is so different. So, and I love the energy in the room. Sometimes writes are just so chill, you're just like writing everyone's like low energy, and you're like, all right, we wrote a good song today. And sometimes it's like Phil, and he's like running around jumping for joy. He's like, that's great. Because some I mean, some rights you're like carrying the ship, and sometimes like the other writers, you're like, why you're like, What am I like? Should I I feel bad getting curtain on this? You know, sometimes like if there sometimes there's people in the room, it's like everything you thought of was better than me. Like everything, so like, but it's it's just different, and that's why Nashville's so great. Like, I heard Hardy say this one time. He was like, The great thing about Nashville is that you can rely on your other writers some days when you're just not feeling it and you're not feeling right, and then you'll they can lean on you on the day, yes, like exactly, and so the so the Equal split makes sense in that regard. Like you're still gonna get your credit because a different day you carried the whole right. Yeah. You know? So yeah. I'm obsessed with bridges.

SPEAKER_03 22:12

Like they're my favorite part of songs. Like I my favorite song is songs basically because I love the bridge so much.

SPEAKER_02 22:20

Wait till you hear the bridge. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

I'm like, just wait for it, just wait for it. I think bridges are so making a comeback right now.

SPEAKER_03 22:28

Oh 100%.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

I don't know. I feel like when I first came to town about five years ago, it was very like, no, no bridge. Let's just we don't need a bridge because like we want the song to be quick. We don't want to like make it any longer than it already is. Like people's, you know, people's attention spans, whatever. And now I feel like it's is it Taylor Swift? I think maybe. I think that's part of it. And I think also TikTok maybe is like bringing back bridges.

SPEAKER_07 22:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

I love it. I love a good bridge. I'm obsessed with it. If you listen to some like Morgan Wallins songs or like Megan Moroney, they have like these two-line bridges, like just to like kind of wrap the song up together and be like, this is like for for Becky in the back that like does not understand anything, like it just goes, whoosh, here is exactly what we're saying, okay? I've noticed that about some like more like pop like country songs. They're like, here's two lines to explain exactly what we're talking about. Now back to the chords.

SPEAKER_07 23:36

Becky in the back is feeling so sane.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

She's the bachelorette. She doesn't know what's going on at all. She is a woogo.

SPEAKER_07 23:46

They are on Broadway. We were told last night that Nashville's Wu-town. Woo go town town. Because every person on the street is like, woo!

SPEAKER_01 23:56

No, that's what I think Becky is. I literally, I say that in rights all the time. I'm like, I feel like we need a line like right here just to explain it for Becky in the back. But that's okay. Honestly, if Becky doesn't understand the song, but she loves it. I don't care.

SPEAKER_03 24:11

He will be streaming your song over and over again. That is all that matters.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

We love Becky. Actually, we love her. We do. That's why we write the lines just for her.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

Yeah. This one's for Becky.

SPEAKER_07 24:25

Yeah, this one's for this one's for you, Becky. Um, Phil was just Oh! Phil! Phil! Welcome to the party, Phil! Yes, you're bigger hot seat, Phil. You're bigger. You're the hot seat.

SPEAKER_03 24:42

Is this what you'd normally do when you come into a room?

SPEAKER_04 24:45

She would normally say something, right?

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Yeah, like that sucks.

SPEAKER_04 24:52

We should do like a theme song for you guys. Oh, we should.

SPEAKER_07 24:57

That's a good idea.

SPEAKER_04 25:01

What's on a guitar?

SPEAKER_07 25:02

Ladies love country. Lady Love Country. Ladies love country!

SPEAKER_05 25:11

Lady Love Country. It's a little high.

SPEAKER_06 25:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 25:25

It's too high.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Yeah, down a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 25:28

Okay. I know you like it. You like it.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Not miner though, that's a little sad. We're happy. We like happy.

SPEAKER_04 25:37

Okay, sorry. I'll take the capo off.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Yeah, get rid of that. Actually, I'm gonna take that for you.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

That happened the other day to me where um Kix Brooks took my Ko, like.

SPEAKER_06 25:51

That pisses me off.

SPEAKER_04 25:53

And I was like, and I had like a show for Liz Rose, like, to play, like and anyway. I was like, can I get my Kow back? But he was filming something, so I was like, it was very weird. Sorry, sorry. It was.

SPEAKER_03 26:09

Really? And you still haven't got it back.

SPEAKER_04 26:11

No, I got it back.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 26:13

But I was like, had to be like across town to play a show. It was just stressful.

SPEAKER_03 26:18

How long have you lived in Nashville?

SPEAKER_04 26:21

18 years.

SPEAKER_03 26:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_07 26:24

How many songs have you written?

SPEAKER_04 26:26

Um a lot. I used to do kids' music for ABC. So really I did like 87 kids records with um ABC with Nat Waller.

SPEAKER_05 26:46

You go Lady Love, Lady Love Country, Ladies Love, ladies love country, ladies love, ladies love country, yeah, yeah. Ladies, ladies of country, ladies love, ladies love country, ladies love, ladies of country I liked that.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Perfect. Let's cut that shit. I like how we just repeated the same thing over and over.

SPEAKER_04 27:29

But that's that's all we needed, right? Yeah. The theme. It's like 30 seconds.

SPEAKER_03 27:32

Can we take it? Do we have to write you? No. That's okay.

SPEAKER_04 27:39

Yeah. Don't tell my publisher. Don't tell my publisher next door. It's good though, right? That's what we did.

SPEAKER_07 27:48

That's what we do. That's all we did. That's as easy as it is. It's just like every time it comes to us.

SPEAKER_04 27:54

It's so easy. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

Maybe it was super easy for a fill because he's a genius, but for the rest of us.

SPEAKER_07 28:05

Okay, so it's not delivery. That's how you kind of come up with it. Like the tune kind of like.

SPEAKER_04 28:10

We like always write down stuff like all the time. Like in hopefully. I'm always like writing stuff. Like if you're talking to me just in normal conversation, like out at a bar, like we probably write something down, don't we?

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Yeah, some yeah, I just yeah, I said that.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

How many times during the week would you say this could be a good song? Like in everyday life. Would you say on the daily?

SPEAKER_04 28:35

Some days I write two songs, so twice a day. Not all the time. Yeah. I mean all the time.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

It's kind of like I feel like it's kind of what you're looking for all the time.

SPEAKER_04 28:48

Yeah. And you never know when the magic's gonna.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Sometimes it goes right in my head, though, and someone's like, that's a good song reading, and I'm like, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:59

Well, like, it's like people like different songs, like we like different titles. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_07 29:05

Yeah, but you have to be if you're like, no, I don't like that.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

There's a way to say it.

SPEAKER_04 29:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Like, I mean, some of the writers that I've written with for years, like that we sometimes can get in like actual heated discussions, yeah, and we go away being like we're still best friends. Like there's nothing simply. And honestly, yeah, yeah. And I mean, like, I really don't think that that's it. And they're like, I really do. And sometimes I write. Yeah. And sometimes I have to go home and just be like, Alright, I'm just gonna sleep on it for this whole week.

SPEAKER_04 29:37

And honestly, that's good because it means everyone cares about the song. Yeah, so it's like there's almost good moments in a right where it's like a little hostile, like because you know because you know everyone is invested, like and not just settling and like I think it's a good thing, but some people fight more, some don't. Like, it's it's interesting.

SPEAKER_07 30:02

Yeah, are you a fighter?

SPEAKER_04 30:04

Um I like it when I like it, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 30:07

Like it's like I wouldn't say you're I care about it. Yeah, I think you care, but I I wouldn't say that you get in I I've never seen you get really heated.

SPEAKER_04 30:17

No, I try not to, but I try to listen to because obviously like her writing is like it's important, like what how she speaks is like different to me, and it's it's probably right, you know, because she's out there doing her thing and her life, and sometimes you know, it's just like different with different people, you know. And sometimes it takes like just supporting someone and talking through and listening and compromised and trying to spurt out words that they might get to where they want to go. So it's like writing songs is weird, isn't it? It's so weird, but it's so fun.

SPEAKER_01 30:56

There's no it's so hard. I was trying to explain the songwriting process, and then everything I said, I was like, but it's different for everyone.

SPEAKER_04 31:02

Yeah, I went there's no like magic formula, it's just and it's like a lot of what feels good, uh where's it come from? Who knows? Like thank you, whoever. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

It really is like that sometimes, like because the idea just pops in your head and it's like I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 31:20

Yeah, or just hearing a chord and it's a word, you know, like it is. And when you write a great song, it's the best feeling in the world.

SPEAKER_07 31:29

Do you ever feel like you have to like you're like not feeling like very creative or like you know, in the zone and you like have to like go out and like live life a little bit to like get ideas or like um do you work with a lot of yards?

SPEAKER_04 31:42

I feel like you can make a gr a song out of any word. Okay, really, like and maybe that's like me being a veteran somewhere I don't know. Like not that I'm a veteran, but you know what, you know what I mean? Like I've been doing it like almost like 25 years, something, so it's like I feel like this I mean any title you could try and make it somehow, like like I don't feel like you can get bogged down on hey, we gotta think of a great title. Yeah, like because anything on the radio could be like a hit, yeah. Yeah, if if you write it well.

SPEAKER_03 32:18

Yeah, did you find when you came to Nashville, because you're Australian, sometimes you were like saying words or like phrases differently and you had to adjust your yeah?

SPEAKER_04 32:29

Well, I think a lot of people mishear when I say a lyric and like be like, oh man, I love that. And then that's like that is not what I said, but it doesn't all the time. Like Americans like don't understand us fully.

SPEAKER_07 32:47

Yeah, I feel like that. I'm like across the table, and I'm like, you did not hear what I said.

SPEAKER_04 32:51

I mean totally, like some of my best lines ever were like not what I said. I wish I could remember the themes though. Uh it was good, it's on camera though, right? Yeah. Don't worry, we're taking it.

unknown 33:08

Wait, what is it?

SPEAKER_04 33:08

Ladies love, ladies. Ladies love country. Man, I can't remember the melody. It was so good, though.

SPEAKER_06 33:14

We got it. Okay. Ladies of country.

SPEAKER_05 33:22

Ladies love country, country. Ladies love country. Yeah, or something like that.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

That's good. Right, that's that is a good thing. That's a big so much of it. Oh my god. Thank you. Good job. Let me think.

SPEAKER_07 33:54

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04 33:55

I feel like the first thing song was awesome.

SPEAKER_03 33:58

That's a wrap on this week's episode of Ladies Love Country. If you laughed, learned something, or just love a bit of chaos, give us a follow, leave us a review. You'll find us on Instagram and TikTok at Ladies Love Country for extra gossip and behind the scenes cowboy grade nonsense. Until next time, keep your boots on and your playlist loud. Yeah!