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Desmond Child

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Desmond Child
Birth nameJohn Charles Barrett
Born (1953-10-28) October 28, 1953 (age 71)
Gainesville, Florida, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Songwriter, producer
Years active1975–present
Websitedesmondchild.com

Desmond Child (born John Charles Barrett; October 28, 1953) is an American musician, professional songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is son of a Hungarian aristocrat, baron Sándor Márfy and a Cuban singer.

His hits as a songwriter include "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "I Hate Myself for Loving You", "Livin' on a Prayer", "You Give Love a Bad Name",[1] "Bad Medicine", "Born to Be My Baby", "Dude (Looks Like a Lady), "Angel", "What it Takes", "Crazy", "We All Sleep Alone", "Just Like Jesse James", "Poison", "The Cup Of Life" and "Livin' la Vida Loca".[2]

Career

Child's career started when he formed a soft rock band, Desmond Child & Rouge, in 1975. This band is known for their inclusion on the soundtrack to The Warriors in 1979, with the song "Last of an Ancient Breed". One member, Maria Vidal, went solo and had a hit in 1985 with "Body Rock".

Artists Child has worked with include Kiss, Cher, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Tyler, Dream Theater, Per Gessle, Ricky Martin, Selena Gomez, and Kelly Clarkson. He is credited with discovering Troy Tuminelli and recommending him to Edgardo Diaz before Tuminelli landed in Menudo, and, eventually, on Guiding Light.[citation needed] 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).

He had a Billboard Top 100 hit in 1991 as a solo artist with "Love on a Rooftop".

He produced Meat Loaf's album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, and co-wrote six of its songs.[3]

Desmond wrote the song "Believe in Me" to Bonnie Tyler in 2012 and one year later 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 elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2008.[4] In 2013, he co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame along with fellow Cuban-American composer Rudy Pérez.[5]

Discography

Desmond Child & Rouge

"Our Love Is Insane" (#51, 1979)[6]

Solo

For and with other artists

See also: Category:Songs written by Desmond Child
Year Band/Artist Song(s) written/co-written/produced Album
1979 Kiss "I Was Made for Lovin' You" Dynasty
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 "Livin' on a Prayer", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "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", "Blood on Blood", "Born to Be My Baby", "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 album Soul Provider
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 "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Keep the Faith" 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 Bon Jovi "One Wild Night" Crush
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" Have a Nice Day
2005 Carrie Underwood "Inside Your Heaven" Some Hearts
2005 Bo Bice —
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

Personal life

Child lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his husband, Curtis Shaw, and their twin sons, Roman and Nyro.[7][8] 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 band member, 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.

The lyrics to Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" were inspired in part by Child's life in late 1970s New York.

Hailing from Hungarian ancestry, Child received dual American-Hungarian citizenship in 2016.[9] 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

  1. ^ Rocksnobs: Desmond Child
  2. ^ SongwriterUniverse Magazine - Desmond Child Article
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
  4. ^ [1], songhall.org
  5. ^ "Founders". Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  6. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1979-03-24
  7. ^ Variety Staff "Births" Variety Los Angeles, 12 August 2002. Retrieved on 2 December 2012.
  8. ^ Leslie, Joey "Gay rights rally in Nashville draws more than 200 people", Out & About Newspaper, Nashville, 15 November 2008. Retrieved on 2 December 2012.
  9. ^ Celebrity US Songwriter Desmond Child Takes Up Hungarian citizenship
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