Why Songs Matter and How they Are Written
Adventures in Songwriting
Boo Hewerdine and Ken Cox
Limited edition signed and numbered hardback edition. 380 pages Available December 2026
Everyone has a song that can take them straight back to a first heartbreak, a long summer, or the back seat of a car. Love Song celebrates the craft behind those songs, for anyone who cares about them and the people who write them.
Guided by Boo Hewerdine, one of Britain’s best-loved songwriters, the book traces the part songs play across a whole life, from nursery rhymes to teenage rebellion to the nostalgia of later years and how music can stay with us even in advanced Alzheimer’s.
Boo and Ken take songs apart to show how they work: lyrics, melody, hooks, riffs and choruses, from love songs and murder ballads to jazz, rap and protest. They draw on the wisdom of hundreds of songwriters, including Carole King, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Nick Cave and Stephen Sondheim.
Finally, they follow the money: how songwriters get paid, what a huge hit can earn, how songs can lead to court cases, and whether AI could one day replace the the human songwriter.
Price £25 including Postage.
