One day around 1964, a young Diane Warren looks at the songwriting credits on The Drifters’ “Up on the Roof” and decides on her life mission. ‘It said (Goffin / King)“I remember I wanted to stand in brackets.” Warren eventually wrote dozens of hits, beginning with DeBarge’s “Rhythm of the Night” in 1985, with nine songs being number one, from Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” to Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing “.”
In a recent interview with our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Warren, who has a solo album filled with guest singers, Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1, this year – look back at the stories behind some of her greatest songs. (To hear the audio version of the full interview, press play below or download and sign in to iTunes or Spotify.)
“(You Make Me) Rock Hard,” Kiss (1988)
‘I thought it was a really good title for a Kiss song! It was quite funny. And then, you know, Paul loved it. And finally we wrote the song. I can not believe I came up with that title.‘
“Girl You Know It’s True,” Milli Vanilli (1989)
‘I knew it was a hit song. And it’s a funny story. When I wrote it. I was really bored writing the verse, and my hand slipped and it goes half a step in the middle of the verse in a very strange place. But it really works. There was a group at the time called the Jets who had to record it, and they kept it for a year. And then they do not. I was really so pissed because I was sitting on the song. And I went to see Clive Davis in New York, and before I even played the song he was playing, he’s going, I got this new band, Milli Vanilli. And he played ‘Girl You Know It’s True’, which has almost the same rhythm as ‘Blame It on the Rain’, which is weird. And Clive loved the song and whoever recorded it recorded it. But whoever sang it, I love it. I like that song. And I had no idea they did not sing before they played live [and their backing track started skipping]! ”
“Un-Break My Heart,” Toni Braxton (1996)
“I thought of the title. And I started playing the choir with the chords. This is a strange title. It created a word. I remember, Clive Davis, when I played that song, he says, ‘you can’t rhyme with rain and pain.’ [because it’s a cliché ].He wanted me to change it. And I go, ‘No, no, it works.’ I thought it would be a great song for Toni Braxton, and Clive loved it. And she did not really like it. It happens! Maybe she hates it more now and has to sing it for 20 years. ‘
“If I Could Reset Time,” Cher (1989)
‘I thought it was a great song for her and she hates it. And so I went to the studio when she recorded another song of mine. And literally when she was in the living room, I went on my hands and knees and held her leg down until she said she would try it. She says: ‘I hate the fucking song. I hate it. “I go, ‘Well, I’m not letting your leg go!’ I’m going to, “Look, I’ll pay for the tracks. If it does not work, it’s all my expense. I know the song is right for you.” She said, “I will do it. I will try it. “And it’s probably my most iconic song! I remember they could not play that video until midnight because it was so difficult. It was like, ‘What? Really?'”
“Because You Loved Me”, Celine Dion (1996)
‘I wrote it for the movie Up close and personal. But I thanked my dad for believing in me because he always really believed in my music and was always supportive. [The plot of that movie] would now be like a #metoo thing. I mean, can they make that movie now? ‘
“How I Live,” LeAnn Rimes / Trisha Yearwood (1997)
‘I remember experiencing a lot of problems because there were two versions of it. I wrote the song for the movie Con Air. Well, what happened was, so I wrote it. And I wrote for the movie and played it too [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer. And he liked it. But there were, I think, 200 other songs in the [running] at the time for that movie. And I ran into LeAnn Rimes, who had just won the Grammy for Best New Artist, in a restaurant and I told her, I wrote this song, do you want to demo it? ‘
‘She went back and recorded it, made a video and spent all this money. I played it for Jerry. And he was excited about LeAnn, but he wanted to make some changes. And her father, who co-produced the song, was like, “I do not change anything for their Hollywood people.” And then Jerry asked if it was okay to place Tricia [Yearwood] on. And I said, ‘Yes, but I can not get it from LeAnn. even though Trisha does it for the movie. And then Jerry was like, “No, you have to get it from LeAnn.” I could not do that. Jerry was like, “I’m never going to work with you again.” Then LeAnn was mad at me and Jerry was mad at me. Until it became the biggest hit, you know. So then everyone starts liking me again. This is what hits do. They make people like you! ”
“I do not want to miss anything,” Aerosmith (1998)
‘Again, that was a title I had and I showed the end of the film [Armageddon]. I met Jerry Bruckheimer. Remember, he said he would never work with me again a year before? He changed his mind. So I went back and wrote the song. And never in a million years thought Aerosmith would do that. I thought a female singer would eventually do it, but it’s so much more powerful with Steven Tyler – he’s so vulnerable in the song. I remember the first time I heard it and was just literally knocked off my chair with how wonderful it was. It should have won the record of the year. It was an excellent record. ”
“I was here,” Beyoncé (2011)
‘It’s one of the best experiences ever. I wrote it on my guitar because a friend of mine was three hours late. I had my acoustic guitar there. I started with the line: ‘I want to leave my footprints on the sands of time’, and the song just started writing itself. And I thought, this might be a great song for Beyoncé. And it could also be a song for Leona Lewis or Susan Boyle, both of Simon Cowell’s artists. So I did a little acoustic guitar version of it. and I sent it to Simon. ”
‘And then I called Jay Z. And he called me back and I played it on the guitar. I said, ‘I thought it might be great for Beyoncé. It’s different for her. “And he loved it. He said, stay by your phone. She’s going to land. As soon as she lands, she calls you. She goes, ‘Okay, it’s Monday, my album is supposed to come out on Friday. She said I was going in on Wednesday. I record the song. I stop my album. ‘”
So I went into the studio with her, and I was overwhelmed by the voice. And then she goes, ‘Well, I’m going to take a lunch break now. And I’m going to go back and do it again. I’m like, what do you mean you do it again? It’s perfect. “She says,” Now I’m going to get better. ” “And by the way, it’s a difference between a great artist and a non-great artist. I mean, that’s why she will exist forever.”
‘I could not even sleep all night because I was so excited about how the song came out. I wake up in the morning and remember that I gave it to Simon Cowell. I wake up with an email from his head of A&R: “The song, it’s nice, but it just does not work for us, but feel free to send more.” And so I write back: ‘Funny enough, I was in the studio last night with probably the greatest artist on the planet. And it went completely for her. ‘With a smiley face. So it was a fun email to write.
“Why did you do that ‘Lady Gaga (2018)
” Why did you come around me like that? “That was my line! I’m going, is it OK, if we say so? And then I first saw the song in the movie in the movie. And then it’s the one that Bradley Cooper basically says she’s a terrible artist to say such a rule. I’m like, ‘Oh, cool! My line! ”
“Times Like This,” Darius Rucker (2020)
It’s been a month or two in the pandemic. I just started writing the chorus and I loved it. It felt so national anthem and hopeful. In my head I kept hearing Darius Rucker’s voice, because with him it’s like listening to a friend. So if you’ve been through all this unrest and this pandemic, and all that’s closed, here’s a voice. There is a line in the song. “see a man with a sign saying I need money for beer.” And a few years ago I was in Nashville, and I saw someone holding a sign that said, ‘I’m not going to lie, I need a beer.’ And I thought, my spiritual note, that it would find its way to a song. ”
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