Why I Write SongsI love capturing the human experience, telling stories of life in words and music from angles people may not have noticed before. My writing is ambitious, creative, and honest, whether the truth is beautiful, ugly, funny, painful, or all of those at once. More than anything, I want people to hear a song and feel known, understood, less alone, or maybe smile because it brought back a memory they thought they’d forgotten.

Featured Songs


Holler Out the Window Written by Joel B. Goodin I wanted to capture those small-town Friday nights when you drove around with nowhere to go and somehow that felt like everything. Holler Out the Window starts there, but it’s really about how time changes the people, places, and possibilities we once thought would last forever.
Bring An ArmyWritten by Joel B. Goodin
I love songs that take an ordinary situation and push it somewhere unexpected. Bring an Army is a heavy dose of wit, attitude, and exaggeration, built around the idea that sometimes one person is enough trouble that you’d better show up with reinforcements.
Cowboy DanceWritten by Joel B. Goodin
I've spent plenty of my life being the country boy in a room where I didn't quite fit. Cowboy Dance is about walking into somebody else's world, knowing exactly what makes you different, and deciding that's the part of yourself worth leaning into.
You Could Do BetterWritten by Joel B. Goodin
Sometimes caring about someone means being honest about what you can’t give them. You Could Do Better is about a man who knows he may never love a woman the way she deserves, even while part of him wishes that knowing it were enough to make him change.

I Write It All, but I do play favorites...

I write across genres, from country and Americana to pop, rock, R&B, Christian music, and beyond. What connects the songs isn't a particular sound as much as the writing: strong stories, memorable hooks, emotional honesty, and perspectives that haven't been explored quite the same way before. I write about relationships, family, faith, memory, loss, humor, and the strange little moments that make up a life, whether the song makes you laugh, hurts a little, or does both at once.
Writin' Partners?
I’m always interested in connecting with artists, songwriters, musicians, producers, and others who love a great song. I’m open to co-writing, writing for artists, song placement and publishing opportunities, collaborations, and the occasional project that’s simply too interesting to pass up.
A Little About Me
I grew up in Batesville, Arkansas, playing guitar, singing, and listening to writers like Jim Croce, Johnny Cash, James Taylor, John Prine, Simon & Garfunkel, and Bob Dylan. Over the years, that musical world expanded into indie, punk, emo, rockabilly, post-rock, and writers and bands like Jason Isbell, The National, Band of Horses, and Death Cab for Cutie. Songs usually start for me with a phrase, a memory, a strange angle, or an idea I can’t leave alone. If the words are good enough, I can make the story fit. If the story is good enough, I can make the words hit. When I’m not writing songs, I’m a psychology professor and consultant working in leadership, business, strategy, and innovation. Mostly, I’m a thinker who happens to write songs.
Songwriting Highlights
  • A Joel B. Goodin composition is currently on hold with producer and songwriter Keith Stegall.

  • Collaborating with Nashville musician and producer Tim Crouch on the development and production of original material.
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    • Catalogue of 3,000+ original songs and compositions
    Have a song, artist, project, or idea in mind? Let’s talk.
    850.591.8387
    joel@bgoodinmusic.com
    Arkansas | Miami | Nashville