At Talent Is Timeless, we run Monthly Songwriting Challenges to help keep our members writing, sharing, and connecting. Each month, we spotlight some of the incredible songwriters who placed in these challenges — inviting them to share a bit more about their lives, their creative journeys, and the stories behind their songs.

This month, we’re featuring 73-year-old songwriter Andy Harding, based in Murcia, Spain. Andy joined Talent Is Timeless in June 2022 and has been writing and performing songs for over six decades — combining sharp wit, social awareness, and a deep love for storytelling. His song ”I Didn´t Mean You” was inspired by an overheard conversation that left him both amused and disturbed.

“A while back, pre-Brexit, I heard someone preface their remarks with ‘I’m not a racist but…’ — a sure sign something racist was about to be uttered,” Andy explains, “and go on to opine that immigrants were taking the jobs of UK workers and driving wages down as they did so. Five minutes later, this same person was singing the praises of his Polish plumber and Czech cleaner. The irony was completely lost on him.”

That mix of hypocrisy and unselfconscious humor became the heart of the song. Andy laughs,

“I always ask radio presenters to explain the context before they play it — if someone only hears the first verse, they might get completely the wrong idea!”

Andy’s love for songwriting began in the lively folk club scene of his youth.

“In those days, we’d sellotape our set lists to the top of our guitars,” he recalls. “Early in the evening, someone would sing Streets of London, and everyone waiting to go on would cross it off their list. Then someone would do The Last Thing on My Mind by Tom Paxton, and out came the pens again. I realised that if I wrote my own songs, no matter how bad they might be, at least no one else would be singing them — my set list was safe!”

He’s never lacked confidence — not even when, at 14, his group auditioned for the TV show Opportunity Knocks. 

“We queued for five hours before singing Plaisir d’Amour. We’d barely reached the end of the first verse when Hughie Greene looked up from his hands and said one word: ‘Next!’” Andy laughs. “The following year we were singing at the Royal Albert Hall as part of a youth folk festival. So — yah, boo sucks to Mr. Greene!”

Over the years, Andy’s songwriting has led him to some remarkable moments. One of the most memorable came when he rang up his local BBC station in Newcastle to offer a song about World War I.

“They invited me in that afternoon,” he says. “I sang the song in the producer’s office, and twenty minutes later I was in the studio recording it for broadcast.”

The team paired his performance with archival war footage and interviews, creating a powerful televised tribute. A BBC producer watching from his hotel room later used the song in a national documentary series.

“The royalty cheques stopped long ago,” Andy laughs, “but it did help establish my credentials when looking for bookings.”

Among his proudest achievements is a song called Hunstanton Hymn Book, written for a local DJ whose mother survived the devastating North Sea floods of 1953. Collaborating with a pianist friend in New York, Andy completed the song and video in just five days.

“The video and song are now on display at the Hunstanton Museum,” he says. “Jackie, the DJ, was so moved she cried when she saw it. That meant the world to me.”

After 60 years of writing, Andy admits Talent Is Timeless hasn’t so much changed his songwriting as connected him with others who share his passion.

“TisT has introduced me to some lovely, talented people I’ve collaborated with or helped with recording,” he says. “As you’ve probably gathered, my confidence definitely does NOT need boosting!”

When asked what might surprise people about him, Andy (with his tongue firmly in his cheek) grins and says:

“I am incredibly modest. Not what people expect of someone so talented!”

His advice to fellow songwriters over 50 is straightforward and hard-earned:

“Write. Then write some more. Then write even more. The only way to improve is to practice — that applies to songwriting every bit as much as it does to playing an instrument.”

Andy’s story is a celebration of persistence, humor, and a lifelong love of words. For him, songwriting isn’t just a craft — it’s a way of staying awake to the world’s contradictions, and turning them into music worth listening to.

You can listen to Andy’s winning song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpdYyCvr5_4

And Connect with Andy on Talent Is Timeless here: https://www.talentistimeless.com/members/andyh/