An Architect of Americana, Lucinda Williams, Talks with ‘Songcraft’ Podcast

In this episode of Songcraft, Lucinda Williams reveals it all. From the song that was inspired by Lauren Hill to the change in her love life that accompanied a reorientation of her lyrical themes, Lucinda dives deep into her inspirations, her process and how her craft has developed over the decades.    

One of the most revered songwriters on the face of the earth, Lucinda Williams was once crowned “America’s Best Songwriter” by People magazine. She first gained widespread attention after Mary Chapin Carpenter made her song “Passionate Kisses” a Top Five hit, which earned Lucinda a Grammy award for Country Song of the Year. She went on to release a string of critically-acclaimed albums that garnered her a total of 15 Grammy nominations spanning the genres of rock, pop, country, folk and Americana. 

One of the primary architects of the Americana genre, Lucinda has received more Americana Music Association award nominations than nearly any other artist, and she was the first female recipient of the AMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. VH1 named her one of the 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll, while Rolling Stone named her among its 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. In addition to her own success as an artist with songs such as “I Just Wanted to See You So Bad,” “Right in Time,” “Essence,” “Righteously,” “Are You Alright,” “Come On” and “Real Love,” the daughter of famed poet Miller Williams has also had her songs recorded by Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Patty Loveless, Bettye LaVette and many others. 

Listen to “Passionate Kisses” below, and find out more about the Songcraft podcast here.