Ranked List
Best Podcast Episodes About Songwriting
We've compiled 6 podcast episodes about songwriting from Modern Wisdom, SmartLess, Theo Von and distilled each into AI-generated summaries, key takeaways, and actionable insights. Guests like Miley Cyrus have covered this topic in depth. Each episode is scored by depth of insight — the most information-dense conversations are ranked first so you can skip straight to the best.
6 episodes rankedBrowse all songwriting episodes →
6 Episodes Ranked by Insight Depth
#1
Modern Wisdom
Miley Cyrus Closing the Hannah Montana Chapter in Real Time
- →Miley Cyrus viewed the end of *Hannah Montana* as bittersweet, describing the show as a "security blanket" and a comfortable "rhythm" she would miss, despite being ready to move on [04:02].
- →She chose to shut down her Twitter account after realizing she was complaining about privacy while actively sharing personal details, and due to receiving hate mail for her outspoken support of gay marriage [02:30, 03:02].
#2
SmartLess
Pixies | SmartLess
- →Pixies' groundbreaking influence on alternative music stemmed from Charles Thompson's blend of melodic, abrasive, and emotionally direct songwriting with Joey Santiago's textured and tense guitar approach, creating a sound that impacted bands like Nirvana and Radiohead.
- →The band's origin was a chance encounter between Thompson and Santiago as freshmen roommates at UMass Amherst in 1983-84, initially forming around Thompson's "annoying songs" with a casual, unplanned approach.
Jan 2026indie rock
#3
SmartLess
Charli xcx | SmartLess
- →Charli XCX describes her early career as a "strange career" where she was often the writer or feature on big hits but remained "completely anonymous," a phase she found "very useful" for preparing her for wider audiences later (27:35).
- →Her songwriting philosophy emphasizes spontaneity and "daring to suck," believing that the "first idea is often just way more unique" than overthought concepts, even when it feels "stupid" (38:50, 39:51, 42:53).
#4
Modern Wisdom
Charlie Puth Interviews Himself
- →Charlie Puth's ideal sandwich includes turkey, coleslaw, pickles, and an abundant amount of honey mustard on a gluten-free sourdough roll.
- →He lists Aubrey, Mike, Adam, Stephanie, and Randall as his top five human names for dogs.
#5
Modern Wisdom
Charlie Puth on Kissing Meghan Trainor
- →Charlie Puth credits Ellen Degeneres, not a traditional record executive, with his initial discovery, leading to his rapid rise in the music industry and multiple Grammy nominations before his debut album release.
- →As a college sophomore, Puth initially dismissed calls from 'The Ellen Show' producers, believing them to be a prank, leading the show's team to track him down through his high school.
#6
Theo Von
hey siri play Bottom of Your Boots by @EllaLangley
- →Ella Langley's song "Bottom of Your Boots" was inspired by a comforting phrase from her father during a moment of distress.
- →Her dad's expression, "I love you from the bottom of my boots to the top of my hat," directly became the title of her song.