Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Hitmaking

Songwriting and production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis join Mary Anne Hobbs to reveal all about how to make a hit record.

How do you make a hit? Songwriting and production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis join Mary Anne to talk about how they have achieved more Billboard Number Ones than any other songwriting and production team in history. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US.

In an illustrious career that has spanned more than three decades, Jam and Lewis have worked with artists such as Herb Alpert, TLC, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Prince, Spice Girls, Vanessa Williams, George Michael, Rod Stewart, Gwen Stefani, and The Human League. They are among a handful of producers to have number ones in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

3 hours

Last on

Sun 15 May 2016 07:00

Music Played

  • Led Zeppelin

    Immigrant Song

    • Atlantic.
  • Charles Bradley

    Ain't It A Sin

    • Dunham Records / Daptone Records.
  • Robert Parker

    Barefootin'

    • Telstar.
  • Fat White Family

    Tinfoil Deathstar

    • Without Consent.
  • Neneh Cherry

    Manchild

    • Now.
  • Horace Andy

    Skylarking

    • VIRGIN.
  • Deerhunter

    Helicopter

    • CD SINGLE.
    • 4 A.D..
    • 1.
  • Brian Eno

    Music For Airports 2-1

  • The Beatles

    Hey Bulldog

    • PARLOPHONE.
  • The Coral

    Holy Revelation

    • IGNITION RECORDS LTD.
  • PJ Harvey

    Dress

    • Too Pure.
  • Mutual Benefit

    Lost Dreamers

    • Transgressive Records.
  • Patti Smith Group

    Frederick

    • Arista.
  • The Kills

    Doing It To Death

    • Ash & Ice.
    • Domino.
  • tUnE-yArDs

    Water Fountain (6 Music Session, 12th May 2014)

  • Prince

    1999

    • Warner Bros.
  • Underworld

    If Rah

    • UNDERWORLDLIVE.COM.
  • Augustus Pablo

    A Good Hearted Melody

  • Minor Victories

    Scattered Ashes (Song For Richard)

    • PIAS.
  • Pretenders

    Stop Your Sobbing

    • Real.
  • Tom Adams

    The Last Farewell

  • Daughter

    Youth

    • 4 A.D..
  • Jonsi

    Go Do

    • CD SINGLE.
    • Parlophone.
    • 1.
  • Saul Williams

    Think Like They Book Say

    • Fader Label/Caroline International.
  • Gary Numan

    Cars

  • Catfish and the Bottlemen

    7

    • Island Records.
  • The Time

    Cool

  • Mala

    KOTOS (feat. Andy Jay Powell)

    • Brownswood.
  • Jimi Hendrix

    Hey Joe

    • Polydor.
  • Damien Jurado

    Qachina

    • Secretly Canadian.
  • Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis: How To Make A Hit

    • Janet Jackson

      No Sleeep (feat. J. Cole)

  • Beck

    Where It's At

    • Geffen.
  • Julia Holter

    Sea Calls Me 91热爆

    • DOMINO RECORDING CO LTD.
  • New York Dolls

    Personality Crisis

    • Mercury.
  • Bad Breeding

    Remembering

    • Bad Breeding.
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs

    Date With The Night

    • Polydor.
  • Bob Mould

    The End Of Things

    • Merge Records.
  • R.E.M.

    Radio Song

  • Sunriser

    • James Blake

      Choose Me

  • My Bloody Valentine

    Only Shallow

    • LOVELESS.
    • CREATION.
  • Yak

    Harbour The Feeling

    • Octopus Electrical.

Broadcast

  • Sun 15 May 2016 07:00