Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Ep. 249 - GLEN BALLARD ("Man in the Mirror")


Listen Later

Six-time Grammy winner, Academy Award nominee, and Songwriters Hall of Famer Glen Ballard joins us to talk about his work with Michael Jackson, Alanis Morrisette, Dave Matthews, and many others!

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk about the awesomeness that is Omnivore Recordings, dig into the Fire Aid concert, and talk about their '90s music geekery. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Glen Ballard

ABOUT GLEN BALLARD
Following an entry-level job at Elton John’s Rocket Records in Los Angeles, Glen Ballard began his creative career as a staff songwriter for MCA Music Publishing. Early singles included George Strait’s “You Look So Good in Love” and Jack Wagner’s major hit “All I Need,” which Glen also produced. In the mid-1980s he went to work for Quincy Jones, an era when he and Siedah Garrett co-wrote Michael Jackson’s triple platinum single “Man in the Mirror.” By the dawn of the 1990s, Glen had begun collaborating with Wilson Phillips, co-writing their chart topping hits “Hold On” and “You’re in Love.” He went on to produce and co-write all the songs on Alanis Morissette’s debut album, Jagged Little Pill, including “You Oughta Know,” “Hand in My Pocket,” “All I Really Want,” “Ironic,” “You Learn,” and “Head Over Feet.” The project earned the Album of the Year Grammy, and Glen returned to produce and co-write Alannis’s sophomore release, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, including the hit “Thank U.” Other songs from the Glen Ballard songbook include Aerosmith’s “Pink” and “Falling in Love is Hard on the Knees,” as well as the Dave Matthews Band’s “I Did It” and “The Space Between.” Glen earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “Believe,” which he co-wrote with Alan Silvestri for the film The Polar Express. He has written and produced songs for Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Ringo Starr, Van Halen, Chaka Khan, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, and many others. In recent years, Glen has found major success in musical theater, including writing original lyrics and music for GHOST the musical, and teaming again with Alan Silvestri to write the score for the musical adaptation of Back to the Future. Glen has won six Grammy awards, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023. 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Songcraft: Spotlight on SongwritersBy Scott B. Bomar, Paul Duncan

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

221 ratings


More shows like Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

View all
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast by Marc Maron

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

30,042 Listeners

Song Exploder by Hrishikesh Hirway

Song Exploder

6,004 Listeners

Recording Studio Rockstars by Lij Shaw

Recording Studio Rockstars

507 Listeners

Sodajerker On Songwriting by Sodajerker

Sodajerker On Songwriting

375 Listeners

The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast by The Fretboard Journal

The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

347 Listeners

And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan by And The Writer Is

And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

1,028 Listeners

Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond by Pushkin Industries

Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

4,129 Listeners

The Bob Lefsetz Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

441 Listeners

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend by Team Coco & Earwolf

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

59,381 Listeners

Rolling Stone Music Now by Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone Music Now

1,010 Listeners

Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles by Gamut Podcast Network

Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles

377 Listeners

The Plot Thickens by TCM

The Plot Thickens

5,341 Listeners

Wong Notes by Premier Guitar

Wong Notes

519 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

58,231 Listeners

GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST by Grateful Dead

GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

2,190 Listeners