Desmond Child
John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He is the son of Joseph Marfy and of songwriter Elena Casals.
Desmond Child | |
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.jpg.webp) Desmond Child performs as part of Lincoln Center's "American Songbook" series in February 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Charles Barrett |
| Born | October 28, 1953 Gainesville, Florida, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | desmondchild |
His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovin' You"; Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself for Loving You"; Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer",[1] and "Bad Medicine"; Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like a Lady), "Angel", "What It Takes" and "Crazy"; Alice Cooper's "Poison"; Michael Bolton's "How Can We Be Lovers?"; and Ricky Martin's "The Cup of Life" and "Livin' la Vida Loca".[2]
Career
Child's career started when he formed an R&B-influenced pop rock band, Desmond Child & Rouge in 1975 with singers Myriam Valle, Maria Vidal, and Diana Grasselli, backed by hired musicians. The band was known for their inclusion on the soundtrack to The Warriors in 1979, with the song "Last of an Ancient Breed", and for the Billboard #51 hit "Our Love is Insane". Their two albums received positive reviews[3] but sold poorly and the group disbanded in 1980. One member, Maria Vidal, had a hit in 1985 with "Body Rock".[4]
Artists Child has worked with include Kiss, Cher, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Tyler, Dream Theater, Per Gessle, Ricky Martin, Selena Gomez, and Kelly Clarkson. Desmond is credited with discovering Troy Curtis Tuminelli and recommending him to Edgardo Diaz before Tuminelli landed in Menudo, and, eventually, on Guiding Light. He was the key partner in Alice Cooper's album Trash (1989). He was also responsible for the majority of song writing on Ratt's comeback album Detonator (1990).
Child scored a Billboard Top 40 hit in 1991 as a solo artist with "Love on a Rooftop," a song he had co-written with Diane Warren, originally recorded by Ronnie Spector, and later by Cher. "Love on a Rooftop" also peaked at number 55 on the Australian ARIA Charts.[5]
He produced Meat Loaf's album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, and co-wrote six of its songs.[6]
Child wrote the song "Believe in Me" for Bonnie Tyler in 2012 and one year later it was selected as the Eurovision Song Contest entry for the United Kingdom. Following the contest, Tyler received two Eurovision Song Contest Radio Awards for Best Song and Best Singer, making her the first UK representative to win the award.
Child was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.[7] In 2013, he co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame along with fellow Cuban-American composer Rudy Pérez.[8] Desmond's autobiography, Livin’ on a Prayer: Big Songs Big Life with David Ritz, is being released in early 2020.
Discography
Desmond Child & Rouge
- Desmond Child & Rouge (Capitol Records) (1979)
- Runners in the Night (Capitol Records) (1979)
"Our Love Is Insane" (#51, 1979)[9]
Solo
- Discipline (Elektra Records) (1991)
For and with other artists
entire album
| Year | Band/Artist | Song(s) written/co-written/produced | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Kiss | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | Dynasty |
| 1980 | Billy Squier | "You Should Be High Love" | The Tale of the Tape |
| 1982 | Cher | "When the Love is Gone", "Walk With Me", "The Book of Love" | I Paralyze |
| 1984 | Kiss | "Heaven's on Fire", "Under the Gun", "I've Had Enough (Into the Fire)" | Animalize |
| 1985 | Kiss | "King of the Mountain", "Who Wants to Be Lonely", "I'm Alive", "Radar for Love", "UH! All Night" | Asylum |
| 1986 | Bonnie Tyler | "If You Were a Woman and I Was a Man", "Lovers Again" | Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire |
| 1986 | Bon Jovi | "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Without Love", "I'd Die For You" | Slippery When Wet |
| 1987 | Aerosmith | "Angel", "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Heart's Done Time" | Permanent Vacation |
| 1987 | Cher | "We All Sleep Alone", "Main Man", "Give Our Love a Fightin' Chance", "Perfection", "Working Girl" | Cher |
| 1987 | Jimmy Barnes | "Waitin' for the Heartache", "Walk on" | Freight Train Heart |
| 1987 | John Waite | "These Times are Hard for Lovers" | Rover's Return |
| 1987 | Kiss | "Bang Bang You", "My Way", "Reason to Live" | Crazy Nights |
| 1987 | Jennifer Rush | "Down to You", "Heart Wars" | Heart Over Mind |
| 1987 | Ronnie Spector | "Love on a Rooftop" | Unfinished Business |
| 1988 | Kiss | "Let's Put the X in Sex", "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" | Smashes, Thrashes & Hits |
| 1988 | Bon Jovi | "Bad Medicine", "Born to Be My Baby", "Blood on Blood", "Wild is the Wind" | New Jersey |
| 1988 | Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | "I Hate Myself for Loving You", "Little Liar", "You Want In, I Want Out" | Up Your Alley |
| 1988 | Bonnie Tyler | "Notes From America", "Hide Your Heart", "Save Up All Your Tears", "Take Another Look at Your Heart", also produced the album | Hide Your Heart |
| 1989 | Aerosmith | "What It Takes", "F.I.N.E." | Pump |
| 1989 | Alice Cooper | Entire album, including "Poison" | Trash |
| 1989 | Animotion | "Calling It Love" | Room To Move |
| 1989 | Michael Bolton | "How Can We Be Lovers?" and "Love Cuts Deep", also produced the former | Soul Provider |
| 1989 | Billy Squier | "Stronger", "Tied Up" | Hear & Now |
| 1989 | Bonfire | "The Price of Loving You" | Point Blank |
| 1989 | Cher | "Just Like Jesse James", "Love on a Rooftop", "Emotional Fire", "Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?" | Heart Of Stone |
| 1989 | Ace Frehley | "Hide Your Heart" | Trouble Walkin' |
| 1989 | Kiss | "Hide Your Heart", "You Love Me to Hate You" | Hot in the Shade |
| 1989 | Robin Beck | "Hide Your Heart", "Don't Lose Any Sleep", "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)", "Hold Back the Night", "Save Up All Your Tears", "Tears in the Rain" | Trouble or Nothin' |
| 1990 | Ratt | "Givin' Yourself Away", "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose", "Lovin' You's a Dirty Job", "One Step Away", "Shame Shame Shame" | Detonator |
| 1991 | Kane Roberts | Entire album | Saints and Sinners |
| 1991 | Cher | "Save Up All Your Tears" | Love Hurts |
| 1991 | Michael Bolton | "Forever Isn't Long Enough", "New Love" | Time, Love & Tenderness |
| 1991 | Alice Cooper | "Dangerous Tonight", "Might as Well Be on Mars" | Hey Stoopid |
| 1991 | Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | "Ashes in the Wind", "The Only Good Thing (You Ever Said Was Goodbye)", "Lie to Me", "Don't Surrender", "Goodbye" | Notorious |
| 1992 | Bon Jovi | "Keep the Faith", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" | Keep the Faith |
| 1993 | Aerosmith | "Crazy", "Flesh" | Get a Grip |
| 1993 | Steve Vai | "In My Dreams With You" | Sex & Religion |
| 1994 | Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | "As I Am", "You Got a Problem", "Brighter Day" | Pure and Simple |
| 1995 | Bon Jovi | "Something for the Pain", "This Ain't a Love Song", "Hearts Breaking Even", "Diamond Ring" | These Days |
| 1995 | Chynna Phillips | "I Live for You", "This Close", "Jewel in My Crown" | Naked and Sacred |
| 1995 | Roxette | "You Don't Understand Me" | Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! |
| 1997 | Aerosmith | "Hole in My Soul" | Nine Lives |
| 1997 | Chicago | "All Roads Lead to You" | The Heart of Chicago 1967–1998 Volume II |
| 1997 | Dream Theater | "You Not Me" | Falling into Infinity |
| 1997 | Robbie Williams | "Old Before I Die" | Life Thru a Lens |
| 1997 | Hanson | "Weird" | Middle of Nowhere |
| 1998 | Billie Myers | "Kiss the Rain" | Growing, Pains |
| 1999 | Bon Jovi | "Real Life" | EdTV Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| 1999 | Ricky Martin | "Livin' La Vida Loca", "The Cup of Life" | Ricky Martin |
| 2000 | Ricky Martin | "She Bangs" | Sound Loaded |
| 2000 | Sisqó | "Thong Song" | Unleash The Dragon |
| 2002 | Bon Jovi | "All About Lovin' You", "Misunderstood", "The Distance" | Bounce |
| 2002 | Sakis Rouvas | "Ola Kala", "The Light", "Disco Girl", also produced the album | Ola Kala |
| 2002 | Kelly Clarkson | "Before Your Love" | Thankful |
| 2002 | LeAnn Rimes | "Life Goes On", "The Safest Place", "Suddenly", "Sign of Life", "Love Is an Army" | Twisted Angel |
| 2003 | Clay Aiken | "Invisible", "Run to Me" | Measure of a Man |
| 2003 | La Ley | "Más Allá" | Libertad |
| 2004 | Alejandra Guzmán | "Lipstick", "Sálvame", "Hoy Me Voy a Querer", "Tengo Derecho a Estar Mal", "Mundos", "Un Juego Más", "Tu Corazón", "Supersexitada" | Lipstick |
| 2004 | Jesse McCartney | "Because You Live" | Beautiful Soul |
| 2004 | Hilary Duff | "Who's That Girl" | Hilary Duff |
| 2004 | Diana DeGarmo | "Dreams" | Blue Skies |
| 2005 | Bon Jovi | "Bells of Freedom", "Dirty Little Secret", "These Open Arms" | Have a Nice Day |
| 2005 | Carrie Underwood | "Inside Your Heaven" | Some Hearts |
| 2005 | Bo Bice | N/A | |
| 2005 | Vince Neil | "Promise Me" | - |
| 2005 | Amanda Stott | "Homeless Heart" | Chasing the Sky |
| 2005 | Lindsay Lohan | "I Live for the Day" | A Little More Personal (Raw) |
| 2005 | Marion Raven | "October" | Cut Off |
| 2006 | Marion Raven | "Good 4 Sex" | Heads Will Roll |
| 2006 | Meat Loaf | "The Monster Is Loose", "Blind as a Bat", "Monstro", "Alive", "If God Could Talk", "What About Love?" | Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose |
| 2006 | Paul Stanley | "All About You", "Lift", "Live to Win", "Wake Up Screaming", "Where Angels Dare" | Live to Win |
| 2007 | Sebastian Bach | "Falling into You" | Angel Down |
| 2007 | Bon Jovi | "(You Want to) Make a Memory" | Lost Highway |
| 2007 | Scorpions | "Hour I", "The Game of Life", "The Future Never Dies", "You're Lovin' Me to Death", "321", "Love Will Keep Us Alive", "We Will Rise Again", "Your Last Song", "Love Is War", "The Cross", "Humanity", "Cold" | Humanity: Hour I |
| 2008 | Ace Young | "Addicted", "A Hard Hand to Hold", "Where Will You Go", "How You Gonna Spend You Live", "The Girl That Got Away", "Dirty Mind", "The Gift" | Ace Young |
| 2008 | Katy Perry | "Waking Up in Vegas" | One of the Boys |
| 2008 | The Rasmus | Entire album, including "Livin' in a World Without You" | Black Roses |
| 2009 | Bon Jovi | "Brokenpromiseland", "Fast Cars", "Happy Now", "Learn to Love" | The Circle |
| 2009 | Margaret Cho | "I Cho Am a Woman" | I Cho Am a Woman (single) |
| 2009 | Tokio Hotel | "Zoom/Zoom into Me" | Humanoid |
| 2009 | The Stunners | "Santa Bring My Soldier Home" | (Santa Bring My Soldier Home-Single) |
| 2010 | Tokio Hotel and Kerli | "Strange" | Almost Alice |
| 2010 | Meat Loaf | "Elvis in Vegas" | Hang Cool Teddy Bear |
| 2010 | Ida Maria | "Bad Karma" | Katla |
| 2010 | Weezer | "Trainwrecks" | Hurley |
| 2011 | Ricky Martin | All Songs of the Album | Musica + Alma + Sexo |
| 2011 | Alice Cooper | "I Am Made of You", "The Underture" | Welcome 2 My Nightmare |
| 2012 | Porcelain Black | "Rock Angels" | Rock of Ages (film) |
| 2012 | Aerosmith | "Another Last Goodbye" | Music from Another Dimension! |
| 2013 | Sick Puppies | "There's No Going Back" | Connect |
| 2013 | Selena Gomez | "Love Will Remember" | Stars Dance |
| 2013 | Bon Jovi | "Army of One" | What About Now |
| 2013 | Bonnie Tyler | "Believe in Me", "Stubborn" | Rocks and Honey |
| 2015 | Zedd | "Beautiful Now" | True Colors |
| 2020 | Ava Max | "Kings & Queens" | Heaven & Hell |
| 2020 | Countess Luann | “VIVA LA DIVA” | VIVA LA DIVA (single) |
Personal life
Child lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his husband, Curtis Shaw, and their twin sons, Roman and Nyro.[10][11] Child and Shaw's struggle to have a baby via surrogacy is recounted in the documentary Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro.
The track "The Truth Comes Out" from Desmond Child & Rouge's second album Runners in the Night (1979) was written about 'coming out' to his girlfriend and Rouge bandmate, Maria Vidal.
The song "A Ray of Hope", written by Don Paul Yowell, was recorded by Child as a tribute to his younger brother, Joey, who died in January 1991 of AIDS-related complications.
Hailing from Hungarian ancestry, Child received dual American-Hungarian citizenship in 2016.[12] Child recently released "The Steps of Champions" a song he wrote for the Hungarian government as the official anthem of the sixtieth anniversary commemorations of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
See also
References
- "rocksnobs.com - Diese Website steht zum Verkauf! - Informationen zum Thema rocksnobs". www.rocksnobs.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- "Desmond Child Continues Great String Of Hits, From Aerosmith & Bon Jovi To Ricky Martin". July 24, 2001. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- Alex Henderson , allmusic.com
- Alex Henderson, Desmond Child & Rouge Biograph, Billboard
- Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose". All Music Guide. Retrieved October 17, 2006.
- , songhall.org
- "Founders". Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
- "Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- Variety Staff "Births" Variety Los Angeles, August 12, 2002. Retrieved on December 2, 2012.
- Leslie, Joey "Gay rights rally in Nashville draws more than 200 people", Out & About Newspaper, Nashville, November 15, 2008. Retrieved on December 2, 2012.
- "Celebrity US Songwriter Desmond Child Takes Up Hungarian Citizenship". February 8, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
External links
- Official website
- Desmond Child at IMDb
- Desmond Child Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2017)
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