songwriter

[manutdstott]

who is the most successful song writer, for other artists than themselfs, i know i seen a lot of dianne warrens name on a lot of my singles she seems popular.

[mikewith]

Diane Warren has been around for a long, long time and writes hits in her sleep, having wanted to be a songwriter since the age of seven! (What kind of ambition is that??): Don't Turn Around for Aswad, If I Could Turn Back Time for Cher, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us for Starship, Rhythm Of The Night for Debarge, Unbreak My Heart for Toni Braxton, and assorted hits for Michael Bolton, Monica, Brandy, Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Milli Vanilli, Leann Rimes, Ace of Base and many more. Put it this way -she's more Jeffrey Archer than Shakespeare. She has a website - http://www.realsongs.com/ -- but surely her only fans are desperate wannabes and accountants? It's not like one person could lioke all those songs in all those genres?

Elsewhere: Max Martin (Baby One More Time, plus hits for Celine Dion, the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync) started a craze for Scandinavian pop writers. A curse on him! Cathy Dennis co-wrote 'Cant Get You Out Of My Head' and hitss for S Club 7, Hear'Say (who?!), Spice Girls, Gareth Gates ands Will Young. And to think she used to be good ;-)

Honestly, how do some of these people sleep at night?

[sft42]

Mike normally i find myself agreeing with a lot of what you have to say on the sight... but surely Diane Warren is a great songwriter for the very reasons you have listed. To be sucsessflu in so many different genres must underline a great talent for spotting a good melody, and if she's that disgraced tory peer just who's shakespear? To answer the original question how about Mutt Lange who produces Bryan Adams and his wife Shania Twain

[Quizmonster]

Strangely enough, on this very day the following appeared in the obituary pages of 'The Times': "Mickey Newbury...songwriter who wrote scores of hits - mainly for others". Apparently, he wrote hundreds of songs for 380 artists, including Elvis Presley and everyone from Tom Jones to Tammy Wynette, and scores of hits. At one time, he SIMULTANEOUSLY had hits in the USA on Country, R and B, Easy Listening and Pop charts. I've no idea whether he is the most successful, but he's got to be in there pitching for the title. He died on September 29th.

[Merthyr Imp]

Successful songwriters? How about Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Oscar Hammerstein - or for that matter, W.S.Gilbert? Plenty more!

[simon_says]

how about sammy cann ( caan? ) who wrote a lot of Frank Sinatra's most famous songs.