About

Thanks for visiting one of the few landing places for creatives, whereby songwriting tips of a philosophical nature are shared. There are brilliant minds out there everywhere teaching the science and technical approach to the skills of songwriting and that’s fantastic! However, the content you’ll find on these pages is intended for every level of songwriting expertise and is the honest account of a true songwriter’s journey and experiences.

This site was set up by the late Karl Broadie (pictured) and Michael Roberts in 2013. It was an outlet for us to explore the beautiful craft of songwriting. Karl would focus on the ever-changing, colourful and exciting pathways and insights of creative souls, and I would contribute articles and ebooks on the art and practicalities of the pursuit..

Karl’s mission on these pages was to share everything he’d learned thus far and any such wisdom gathered along the way. He was dedicated to be able to share songwriting tips and provide value to any readers or listeners! He wanted others to be filled with a similar emotion to that of hearing a song for the first time that simply, stands you still.

Karl sadly passed away in 2016 and I’ve taken over the day to day running of the site after a period of hiatus. The site is respectfully dedicated to the memory of my dear friend.
~ Micky Blue Eyes

What exactly are “Songwriting tips of a philosophical nature”?

Whatever feelings and emotions a song may evoke are surely the only measures by which one can reflect on the worth of a song and the greatness of the songwriting.

Does the song move you? Does it move the listener? Does it evoke a range of emotions or one powerful emotion?

We can learn something new every day about songwriting. Every day. We just need to be listening, we need to be receptive to the reasons why a song is a great song and we need to be exploring new original songwriting ideas at all times.

About Micky Blue Eyes

Michael Roberts started his lifelong career as a writer/producer/musician in Tasmania in the late 1970’s. He founded the charting band Albatross with his friend and songwriting partner Anthony Ackroyd and the pair signed a publishing contract with Glenn Wheatley’s Tumbleweed Music in 1979. Ackroyd and Roberts moved to Sydney in the early 1980’s and signed a new publishing deal with Chappell Music. The pair worked continually in music theatre and after Anthony branched off into a successful career in comedy, Michael moved into production of younger artists. One of the first artists he produced was displaced Scot Karl Broadie. The pair became lifelong friends and enjoyed two consecutive Americana UK number one albums with Nowhere Now Here and Black Crow Callin’ in the early 2000’s. Michael produced other significant Americana flavoured albums with Den Hanrahan’s Red Dust and Katie Brianna’s Dark Side of The Morning.

Michael has written several books on songwriting and is preparing the release in 2020 of his major work on the subject, Becoming a Great Songwriter.

About Karl

Karl Broadie  successfully sustained a career in songwriting and recording for almost 20 years as well as touring, recording and working in the Music Industry in Australia, USA and UK since 1988.

Published by Mushroom Music (AUS) and BMG/Chrysalis (USA/UK/EUR) Broadie hundreds of co-writes and has a multitude of cuts on other artist’s records.

In 2005 Karl won the prestigious International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Americana/AAA category and was also nominated for numerous Golden Guitars and other songwriting awards. He posthumously won a Golden Guitar in 2018 for his co-write with Kevin Bennett, Every Hello. 

As well as writing songs relentlessly, Karl proudly embraced the songwriting world, respectfully reaching into the creative minds of great writers to help share stories, methods, insights and songwriting tips. He was intent on unlocking some of those mystical doorways that lead into the mind of brilliant songwriters.

Karl released five studio albums and four EPs through major and independent labels and is the author of The Free-Thinking Songwriter eBook.

Contact – e: mickyblueeyes@insidesongwriting.com.au

Karl’s music is available worldwide. With 5 albums and 4 EPs to date, there is much to choose from. 27 cuts on the albums of others and inclusion on around 50 compilation albums too.

View a trailer for Karl’s brand new album “A Side B Side Seaside” here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yppZCXly7iM

AUS

USA

UK

A note about Karl
(by Michael Roberts – Record Producer, Musicologist, Songwriter)

Karl Broadie was a natural writer in the best sense of the word, in that his musings and observations were from a deeply organic place, the wellspring of his heart and soul.

Karl had the rare ability to balance the innate tension between emotion and intellect and yet not do disservice to either aspect of those essential components.

A great song is that most mysterious and mercurial
commodity, and when a song works best it’s because the work that’s gone into it seems almost invisible, it’s a skill bordering on alchemy. In this regard Karl was an alchemist of a very high order, able to conjure great songs on a regular basis. The poetry he found in the everyday, and the ability he had to consistently find an authentic way of expression was a key trait in Karl’s work, and that he could turn his wordsmiths skills to tunes that were memorable and musical, was a bonus indeed.

A writer can only connect with an audience in any meaningful capacity if they are honest and able to bare their inner selves for the world to see. Karl mapped both the dark and the light in digging out  some very deep observations of the human condition, like an explorer out there on the edge, marking the boundaries for those who follow. In the
finest traditions of the singer-songwriter he pushed himself into finding the most elegant and poetic ways of framing his explorations, and best of all he did it with more than a dash of wit, intelligence and humour.

Karl’s songs are full of keenly observed moments, of beautiful marriages between word and melody, of concepts that hint at the sublime and the transcendent, that magical realm to which the human heart aspires.

Karl was from a family of artists, writers and painters, and he was proud to  keep that creative heritage alive and that artistic torch lit, holding out a glowing light for us to follow, admire, and if we were lucky, to be
guided by. Songs of heart and soul to enjoy and digest, songs that speak eloquently and flow like a river. What’s not to like?

Now that he’s gone, we’ll leave on a light.

Michael Roberts

Note: Michael Roberts features regularly on the inside songwriting podcast and is releasing a series of eBooks in 2014 with insightful observations on the greatest songwriting minds of our time. These writings are also packed with philosophical songwriting tips and much wisdom. – KB