Desmond Child: American Songwriter and Producer

Buzz:

Takin’ a Walk.

Desmond Child:

I think that we’re hardwired to be comforted by music or excited by music since the beginning of time. The lyric content, it can be healing as well. We’ve received so many letters that told us that Livin’ on a Prayer got them through cancer, got them through the death of a family member.

Speaker 3:

On this episode of the Takin’ a Walk podcast, Buzz interviews one of the most influential figures in music history. This musician is a prolific pop hit-maker, known for so many songs that have been the soundtrack of our lives. Bon Jovi hits like You Give Love a Bad Name, Aerosmith hits like What It Takes and Crazy, the List goes on and on. Desmond Child is the author of Livin’ On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, and he’s next on Takin a Walk.

Desmond Child:

Buzz.

Buzz:

Maestro.

Desmond Child:

Hey, thanks for having me on.

Buzz:

Thank you for being on a virtual Takin’ a Walk, and congratulations on Livin’ On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life.

Desmond Child:

Well, thank you. I had some big songs, but actually my life was bigger than my songs.

Buzz:

How different was the writing process for you compared to the songwriting process?

Desmond Child:

Well, a song can be written in an hour and a half. This what I call my seven-year jailhouse confession took a really long time to write because I’ve lived a long time, and so I’m actually going to be 70 at the end of the month, which is really scary. But it had to be written because I had to set the record straight on a lot of stuff that had been out there. Sometimes the artists change the story a little bit to suit them, but I had to tell my side of the story, but also take responsibility for a lot of stuff that I didn’t do right.

And my motivation was my sons were getting older, and they’re 21 years old now, but when I started the book they were a lot younger, but still, I wanted to have something that they would remember me by as not just daddy with the big checkbook, the open checkbook. It’s like, wow. Now they decided, Roman and Nyro, they’re in their last year at NYU, now they’re deciding to go to law school, so that means the party doesn’t stop. And they’re like, they’re not just going to go out and get jobs, they’re going to just keep going, keep rocking. So it’s like, “Okay, as long as you’re learning, it’s all good.”

Buzz:

Was the process of writing the book therapeutic for you?

Desmond Child:

It was because … Well, you know what? I don’t know. I’ve been doing the audiobook and it’s like reliving all those stories again. I mean, sometimes I just can’t even get through it. It was therapeutic in that, but it’s also like kicking over a hornet’s nest too. Stuff starts to hurt again, and then I obsess about it. So I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, it’s just like, it’s my life and I have to put it out there.

Buzz:

You’ve been in Nashville a long time. Do you consider yourself an insider now? Because I don’t think you were an insider obviously at the beginning.

Desmond Child:

Well, you know what? My husband and I got there in ’92 where we rented a cabin, and then by ’95 we built our own on a hilltop and all that. We call it Broke Back Rack Mountain.

And I’m still an outsider. I mean, even though we have a lot of friends and all that, people that came decades after me are more insider than I am. Because I’m not really in country music, it’s just that we wanted to raise our sons there, Roman and Nyro. And so we become part of the community, more like neighbors than like special people or anything like that. And we have a beautiful group of friends that we love so much, and our sons, all the parents from the schools that our kids went to and all of that. So we love Nashville, but I’ve never been on the inside.

Buzz:

I’d love to get your reaction to some of the catalog, which you have been responsible for. It could take us days to go through it, but I’m just going to pick a couple of artists and songs out. Let’s start with this guy named Jon Bon Jovi, who you’ve done some work with like Livin’ on a Prayer. Describe that experience.

Desmond Child:

Well, when I first worked with them, they had gotten my number from Paul Stanley of Kiss who recommended me. And I think I later found out, not so long ago, that their real motivation for writing with me was to try to write some hit songs, let’s say, for other artists, because they didn’t consider me 100% rock and roll. Like they were, I guess. I mean, they were like 22 and 24 at the time.

And so I got there and I had a title in my back pocket, You Give Love a Bad Name. And when I pulled it out literally on a piece of paper and read it, Jon’s face lit up and I never saw so many teeth. I said, “Oh my God, this guy has got it. He’s got the “it” factor. And they decided to keep the song for themselves. So then we tried writing another song, and that song ended up being Livin’ on a Prayer, the title of my book.

And Jon at first didn’t want to record the song because he thought it was a bit sentimental and a bit sad sounding. But when they got in the studio, they rocked it up with their producer, Bob … Well, it was Bob Rock was the engineer, and Bruce Fairbairn was the producer, and they turned it into a masterpiece. So I’ve also had extraordinary luck, because it does take luck, not just effort and talent. And I guess I was meant to do all of this because maybe there’s a role for me in the world to bring people hope.

Buzz:

What was it like working with that shy flower by the name of Joan Jett?

Desmond Child:

Well, first of all, she’s got such a presence. It’s amazing strength and integrity. And we got together, and Kenny, her manager, called me and said, “I want you to write with Joanie.” And so I did, and I’m not sure she was that comfortable. And then I had the title again called I Hate Myself for Loving You. And she said, “No, I don’t sing the word ‘love.'” I said, “But you do, and I love rock and roll.” She said, “I wore it out. I’m not saying the word ‘love.'” But I said, “But you also say the word ‘hate.’ I hate myself for loving you.”

And I finally wore her down and talked her into it. And it’s become like her second biggest hit after I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll. And it’s also the Sunday night football theme. And on top of that, Dolly Parton just recorded it for her Rockstar album featuring Joan Jett. So that song just keeps … It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Buzz:

And then, since I’m based in Boston I got to bring up those bad boys from Boston, Aerosmith, who you’ve done some amazing work with. What was that like?

Desmond Child:

Well, there again, I mean, they didn’t want to write with me. I was forced on them by their A&R guy, John Kalodner, brilliant, legendary guy. And they flew me to Boston, and then the car picked me up and brought me this big airplane hangar kind of rehearsal space that they were working on. There was a stage built, and there were like 100 guitars on the ground level, just like all in stands, ready to go. Sparkle, Tiger, Zebra, Fenders, Gibsons, every kind of guitar ever, just in case Joe had a hankering for a different sound.

So when I walked in, I didn’t even say a word, but Steven grabbed me and we went to the side of the stage and they were working on this loop, this backwards guitar loop, that went like, “Um-da-da, um-da-da.” And then Steven started singing, “Cruisin’ for the ladies.” And then they stopped and they said, “What do you think of that?” And I said, “I think that’s bad,” point-blank. And I said, “I don’t think Van Halen would put that on the B-side of the worst record,” which I said to be funny. And they didn’t laugh.

And Joe crossed his arms and leaned way back and looked at me sideways. And then Steven, who’s more like a people pleaser kind of guy, and he said, “Well, when I first started singing the riff, I was singing, ‘Dude looks like a lady.'” I said, “Stop right there. That’s a hit title.” And Joe said, “Well, we don’t know what that means and we don’t want to insult the gay community.” I said, “Dude, I’m gay. Not insulted.” And I dragged them into that storyline.

And what had happened was that Steven, how he came up with that title, they had gone into a bar on the shore with the roadies and all that, and sitting at this lonely … a way off in the corner at this empty bar, was this vision of loveliness with a big platinum mullet, porcelain skin, black nails and bangles, and a curvy figure. And all of a sudden she turns around and it’s Vince Neil with Mötley Crüe. And Steven said, “Ooh, that dude looks like a lady. Dude looks like a lady. Dude looks like a lady.” And then it stuck, and that’s where the hook came from. And I said, “Okay, that’s the story we’re going to tell.”

And they went along, Joe reluctantly, but it’s turned into a classic for them. And so I’m very, very honored that song has stood the test of time. And it was ahead of its time because the second verse goes, “Never judge a book by its cover, or who you going to love by your lover.” How ahead of its time was that?

Buzz:

It’s amazing. Oh my God, I love it. You spent a couple of years with Bob Crewe, who is known for so many strings of hits, from Frankie Valli work to Four Seasons. He’s another one we could go on and on with about his catalog. What lessons did you learn about the art of songwriting from Bob Crewe?

Desmond Child:

Well, before I met Bob Crewe … Because I was a singer, I’d sit at the piano, bang out some chords and just mumble some stuff, singing melodies, and then hope that those mumbles sounded like words. And then I’d, like a little bird, take a little string and then build a nest out of it. But he wouldn’t even let me touch the piano unless we had a solid title and a concept. And we built everything that we wrote, 38 songs that I wrote with them, everything was built towards paying off the title. That’s the correct way.

And ever since I learned writing that way, I started having nothing but success because you get right to the story. What’s this song about? What is it supposed to say? What’s the title? And he taught me to write titles that had opposites. Like, You Give Love a Bad Name. Love, bad. I Hate Myself For Loving You. How can we be lovers if we can’t be friends. Heaven’s on Fire. And that’s how he taught me to write, because just by looking at the title, it would draw in the listener, like say, “Oh, well, that sounds like it could be interesting.” And then the song gets heard. And that’s all it takes. If the song’s good, once it’s an earworm in somebody’s head, then they have to hear it over and over and over again.

And that’s why I think that my songs have stood the test of time, because that’s the thing, it’s like, there’s techniques … And also, Bob Crewe taught me to write the courses with tight rhymes, not off-rhymes. And he said, “Well, maybe it’s okay during verses you can do off-rhymes, things that kind of sound alike but they’re not really rhymes. But when it comes to the chorus, it’s much easier for a stadium full of people to know what’s coming next to be able to sing along to. And if it’s not a tight rhyme, they can’t memorize it.” So those are some of the secrets that I reveal in my book Livin’ on a Prayer: Big Songs Big Life.

Buzz:

We had the great Jimmy Webb on a previous episode of the podcast. I’d like to get your reaction to something he said. He said that improvisation is a bridge to creativity. Your thoughts on that?

Desmond Child:

Well, first of all, I just spent the week in Washington DC with Jimmy Webb and his gorgeous wife, Laura Savini. And we were there lobbying for songwriters because of AI, and the dangers that are posed to all creators with AI. And we want to get in there before they start laying down compulsory rates and things like that that we don’t want. We want people to make us offers if they’re going to use our music to create their Frankenstein’s with.

Jimmy Webb is like my idol. He’s just the premier American songwriter. His songs just live forever. And improvisation, well, he’s a pianist, and so I think that’s important for him. But like I said, I learned the other way around, the opposite way, which is know what you’re going to say and go out and say it, and then everything falls into place after that. So we write kind of with opposite techniques.

Buzz:

Well, lastly, I want to say to you that we have another podcast we produced, which is called Music Save Me, and it’s about the healing powers of music. Do you believe music has supernatural healing powers?

Desmond Child:

Well, I do. I think that we’re hardwired to be comforted by music or excited by music since the beginning of time. You can just imagine the oral history of stories being told and then embellished upon and made very dramatic by whoever was singing it. And because of that we’re hardwired to respond to music.

And I think that there’s other things that happen. The lyric content, it can be healing as well. We’ve received so many letters that told us that Livin’ on a Prayer got them through cancer, got them through the death of a family member. And we once got an extraordinary letter from a young man that said he had had it, he decided he was going to end his life. So he drove his car like crazy up to the bridge, jumped out of it, left the engine running, the radio’s on. And he was leaning to go jump off when Livin’ on a Prayer came on the radio and he said, “Oh wait, that’s my favorite song.” So he said, “Okay, I’ll just go and listen to my favorite song and then that’ll be the end.” So he gets back in the car. By the time it got to the final modulated chorus, the fist in the air chorus, he drove home. And I think that’s a beautiful story.

Buzz:

I love it. I want to congratulate you on the book, Desmond Child, and thank you for the many gifts that you have given us.

Desmond Child:

Well, thank you so much. And if folks want to follow me, desmond.child on Instagram, my links are there. And I even got a skin line called Vida Loca Skinlife, because celebrities have to have a skin line. And so Brad Pitt has a skin line, so I figured if he has a skin line, I have to. The only thing is if you buy his skin line, you end up looking like Brad Pitt. [inaudible 00:17:36] of that.

Buzz:

Thank you, my friend.

Desmond Child:

Yeah. But it’s fun, it’s fun. It was all natural product and all that. And I always loved lotions and potions, because I would sneak into my mom’s bedroom and open all her little jars and smell them and put them on and all this kind of stuff. So I don’t travel anywhere without a suitcase just full of all my lotions and potions. Everybody makes fun of me.

Buzz:

Thanks, Desmond.

Desmond Child:

Thank you. Thank you for having me on, and I hope that fans come and visit me and find out all about my music.

Buzz:

You’re the best, thank you.

Speaker 3:

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Takin’ a Walk, with the fascinating story of Desmond Child. Please share this and other episodes of Takin’ a Walk with your friends. And follow Takin’ a Walk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review as well. Thanks for listening to Takin’ a Walk.

Buzz Knight is an established media executive with a long history of content creation and multi-platform distribution.

After a successful career as a Radio Executive, he formed Buzz Knight Media which focuses on strategic guidance and the development of new original content.