Desmond Child On Writing #1 Songs For 6 (!) Decades, What’s Still Left To Accomplish & More
Calling Desmond Child a “hitmaker” would be quite the understatement, given that he has scored #1-charting hits in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Among the artists who have turned Child written (or co-written) songs into top hits are Bon Jovi, KISS, Cher, Aerosmith, Katy Perry, Ricky Martin, Garth Brooks, Sia, Zedd, Joan Jett, Kelly Clarkson and Kermit The Frog. In turn, music written by Child was hold over 500 million records worldwide with billions of streaming plays also to his credit.
Hit songs aside, Desmond Child is also prolific as a producer — not just in music — and a philanthropist. He serves on the Board of Directors of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and ASCAP. He co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame where he serves as Chairman Emeritus. He has also recently completed his long-awaited autobiography Livin’ On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, in collaboration with best-selling author David Ritz, which is due for an early 2021 release.
On September 28, 2020, I had the pleasure — and I do mean “pleasure” — of speaking with Desmond Child via Zoom, as embedded below. Among the topics we discussed:
– Around how many songs he has written
– How he wound up writing for KISS
– Being someone artists collaborate with long-term
– A television-bound project he is slated to produce
– Whether he has Broadway aspirations
– Whether he ever crossed paths with David Lee Roth
– His solo career as a performer
– Future plans for Desmond Child & Rouge
– Why he is always working on something
More on Desmond Child can be found online via www.desmondchild.com, www.instagram.com/desmond.child and www.facebook.com/desmond.child.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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