With Whom Would You Write Music?

I was thinking about the collaboration a few years ago between Nick Hornby and Ben Folds. There is no author I have more often imagined myself as than Nick Hornby, so I also started daydreaming about which musicians I would collaborate with, if I were as cool as Nick Hornby and had access to such collaborations.

Here’s my list:

P!nk — we could write a whole album of feminist anthems

Joan Jett — I would channel my inner badass and, more importantly, watch her play the guitar up close

Madonna — no, seriously, I think we could write some great lyrics together

Dolly Parton — I would channel my inner country goddess and then beg her to give me advice about life

Britney Spears — though we’d run the risk of never getting a thing done because I would be too busy trying to make her sit down and have tea with me and talk about life (I have this big-sister urge toward her)

More realistically, I would love to work with someone like Ingrid Michaelson or Marie Digby or Joseph Arthur, mostly because I’m sure I could learn a ton from them. And I could occasionally help them think of the right word.

Writers, with whom would you want to write music?