Ep. 17 - DESMOND CHILD ("Livin' on a Prayer")

One of the most successful and prolific writers and producers of all time, Desmond Child’s songs have resulted in nearly six dozen Top 40 singles on Billboard’s pop, rock, country, and R&B charts. His band Desmond Child & Rouge attracted the attention of Paul Stanley. He partnered with Child to write “I Was Made For Loving You,” which became a major hit for KISS in 1979. Desmond first collaborated with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for Bon Jovi’s 1986 album, Slippery When Wet. That partnership resulted in the #1 hits, “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Desmond has appeared as a co-writer on every Bon Jovi album since, co-writing additional hits such as “Bad Medicine,” “Born To Be My Baby,” “This Ain’t a Love Song,” and “(You Want To) Make a Memory.” He formed a similar alliance with Aerosmith, with whom he wrote the hits “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Angel,” “What It Takes,” and “Crazy.” He co-wrote Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and all of the tracks on Alice Cooper’s wildly successful Trash LP, including the hit single “Poison.” Not limited to the rock world, Child began branching out, co-writing pop songs such as Michael Bolton’s “How Can We Be Lovers,” as well as co-writing and producing “Just Like Jesse James” and “We All Sleep Alone” for Cher. In the late 1990s, he returned to his Latin roots, joining forces with Ricky Martin and scoring with several singles, inluding the #1 worldwide smash, “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Among the many others artists who’ve recoded his songs are Cyndi Lauper, Megadeth, Ratt, Hanson, Robbie Williams, Roxette, Boyzone, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Bonnie Tyler, Hilary Duff, Vince Neil, Lindsay Lohan, Jonas Brothers, Meat Loaf, Scorpions, Sebastian Bach, INXS, Kelly Clarkson, Joss Stone, and Weezer. He was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and is the Chairman and CEO of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.