Yesterday Once More

15 Mar 2016

Songwriting Duos

Hi Listeners,

This week the emphasis is not on the singer or the song. Instead I’ll be presenting some of the prolific and successful songwriting duos behind the music. Australia’s most successful songwriting duo in the sixties was Harry Vanda and George Young. They are particularly linked with the success of The Easybeats (Good Times) but also with other successful Australian artists such as Ted Mulry and John Paul Young (Standing In The Rain).

From the fifties we have Felice and Boudleaux Bryant who penned many of the Everly Bros’ hits (Bye Bye Love) and Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller who wrote novelty hits for The Coasters (Yakety Yak). Some of the big ‘girlie’ groups of the sixties such as the Shirelles (Will You Love Me Tomorrow) used the talents of Carole King and Gerry Goffen to produce million sellers. while The Crystal’s song (Da Doo Ron Ron) was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Perhaps the most successful songwriting duo ever was John Lennon and Paul McCartney (A Day In The Life) and Burt Bacharach and Hal David (I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself).

And, finally, a peep into the past with one of the greatest songwriting duos of all time: George and Ira Gershwin’s The Man I Love.

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