Tell It to My Heart

Taylor Dayne / Tell It to My Heart

I wrote this song with Ernie Gold in 1987. It was #7 on the Billboard Pop charts in January, 1988. It stayed on the charts for 26 weeks. It was number #3 on the Billboard Dance charts, #3 on the British charts, #1 in Sweden, #1 in Germany for 5 weeks and generally in the “Top 5” around the world. The song was re-mixed and re-released by Taylor in 1996 and went to #23 in Britian. In 2002, Kelly Llorenna’s version of the song went to #9 on the British charts. The song was among the most played on radio in 1987-1988 earning an ASCAP award.

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Original Demo

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Prove Your Love

Taylor Dayne / Tell It to My Heart

This song went to #7 on the Billboard Pop charts in March of 1988 and #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. It was the follow-up single to Tell It to My Heart. Around the world it went to #4 in Germany, #1 in Switzerland, #8 in the UK and generally Top 5 around the world.

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Club Mix

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Love is a Beautiful Thing

Al Green / Your Heart's in Good Hands

Originally written for Charles & Eddie, Al Green recorded the song for his 1994 album Your Heart's in Good Hands with Arthur Baker producing. It was chosen as one of the best songs of the year in 1994 Rolling Stone Magazine Artists Poll. The song is now featured on many Al Green "Greatest Hits" compilations.

Al's version (the song has been recorded by numerous artists) has been featured in the movies Two Weeks Notice (2002), Sorority Boys (2002), and The Pallbearer (1996). Krystal Harris's version of the song was featured in the movie Legally Blond (2000). In 2004 the song was used by cosmetics company, Almay, for their worldwide television campaign.

Al's version is my favorite version of the song. A real thrill for me is at the end of the song when Al sings the titles of all of his greatest hits over the music. He sings: "Let's Stay Together cause I'm Still in Love With You. Call Me, For the Good Times and Tired of Being Alone". To hear him sing those songs at the end of Love is a Beautiful Thing is a was one of the biggest honors I've had as a songwriter.

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Instant Pleasure

Rufus Wainwright / Big Daddy Soundtrack

I wrote this in 1999. It was featured in the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy. I think Rufus's version rocks and it's not easy to find (it's not on Itunes), yet, to a lot of college-age people, it's a song about "hooking up". Funny. Maybe it is. Here's an article that speaks to that.

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Original Demo

Did You Give Enough Love?

Celine Dion / Celine Dion

This song from Celine’s second album, Celine Dion (1992), was a #1 single Canada.

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Awards

Tear It Up

Michael McDonald

I grew up listening to Michael McDonald when he was the soulful lead singer of The Doobie Brothers –- one of the great voices in rock history. I wrote this song for him with Gardner Cole. It was always fun to write songs for artists that you really liked growing up.

#27 Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts (1990)

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Original Demo

Not Gonna Be the One

Olivia Newton-John / Greatest Hits

This song was on Olivia’s Greatest Hits album in 1992. I was doodling with this melody in the living room of my apartment in NYC, when my then-girlfriend, now wife, Jody, yelled from the bedroom: "I like that tune!". To a songwriter, the smallest endorsement means everything -- so I finished it and it ended up on Olivia's Greatest Hits record. The lesson here is to try and finish what you start: you never know which song is going to make it. Thanks Jody!

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Original Demo

After You

Eric Carmen

I wrote this ballad with Eric in the early 80s.
See Eric's comment on After You in his biography Marathon Man. When I was a music publisher, straight out of college, I called Eric and told him what a major fan of his music I was. He invited me to Cleveland where he lived and became an early mentor in my songwriting career. Great guy. This photo of Eric, I took at his apartment in Cleveland, in 1983.I wrote this ballad with Eric in the early 80s.

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The High Cost of Loving

Eric Carmen

Another song I wrote with Eric. I sent him the lyrics and he wrote the music. Kind of a "country" type song.

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One of Those Love Songs

Xscape

I wrote One of Those Love Songs with Warryn Campbell. A simple song that wrote itself naturally. Producer Jermaine Dupri asked us to write it for Xscape. It was on their record, Traces of My Lipstick (1999).

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Awards

We Got a Good Thing

Smokey Robinson

I love Smokey Robinson, so when he recorded this early song of mine (1986), I was particularly thrilled. I met Smokey around the time he recorded this song and someone took a picture –not my best hair-period, but hey, it's with Smokey Robinson!

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A Christmas Lullaby

Faith Evans

I wrote this for Jermaine Dupri's 12 Soulful Nights of Christmas album in 1999. I love Faith's rendition of it. I played the piano, arranged strings on the track, and co-produced it with Jermaine. Funny story: Alicia Keys was in the studio at the same time I was writing and recording this song. This is before she was ALICIA KEYS. I remember her loving it and saying someday she might record it.

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By Heart

Brenda K. Starr

I wrote this in '89 or '90. I thought it was a total smash. I still do. But with no support from Epic at the time, it wasn't going anywhere. I love Ric Wake's production: simple song, simple melody, simple sentiment.

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Hard On Me

Bonfire

I always liked this headbanger I wrote with Jack Ponti for the German heavy metal band, Bonfire. I think it came out in 1989.

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That's What We'll Do

The Poppies

The Poppies were a cool New York band, circa 1992. The girl singer was the Goddaughter of Penthouse Magazine founder, Bob Guccione. Roger Greenawalt and I wrote this song. It was The Poppies first single on Warner Bros. Records and made some noise in England.

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