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In a long-overdue bit of acknowledgement, Desmond Child–the man behind many of the finest in ’80s power ballads, as well as disco Kiss and Ricky Martin–will enter the Songwriters’ Hall Of Fame on Thursday, along with relatively minor songwriting figures as John Sebastian, Loretta Lynn, and Albert Hammond. Child tells the Miami Herald, “It was funny because I had been nominated twice before but I hadn’t made it, and I spoke to the heads of it and they said, ‘Well, we always thought you were too young to get it, but then we recently looked at your bio and realized you are old. You just looked young.” As most of his big-name collaborators are out touring this summer, Desmond Child has been forced “by default” to reunite his late ’70s combo Rouge for the ceremony. While it would be insane to try and list all of his greatest achievements (”Kiss The Rain”? “Born To Be My Baby”? “Shake Your Bon Bon”?), we’ve compiled a list of every ASCAP-registered song of his that features the word “love” in the title. Can you guess how many there are?
According To The Gospel Of Love
After My Love Is Gone
All About Lovin’ You
Almost A Love Song
Are You In It For Love?
Before Your Love
Calling It Love
Dare To Love
Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore?
Does He Love You Like I Do?
Ghost Of Love
Give Our Love A Fighting Chance
How Can We Be Lovers?
I Feel Sorry For Love
I Hate Myself For Loving You
I Love Myself Today
I Was Made For Loving You
If I Can’t Have Your Love
If I Loved You
If It Feels Like Love
In The Arms Of Love
In The Eyes Of Love
It Ain’t About Love Anymore
It’s Not Over Till We’re Lovers
Let’s Get To The Love Part
Live Up To Your Love
Love Cuts Deep
Love For Sale
Love Is My Witness
Love Is War
Love Junkie
Love On A Rooftop
Love Should Be A Crime
Love Transfusion
Love United
Love Will Keep Us Alive
Love You For A Day
Lovin’ You Is A Dirty Job
Lovin’ You, Lovin’ Me
Man In Love
Missin’ My Love
My Right To Love You
New Love
Our Love Is Insane
Price Of Loving You
The Problem With Love
The Way Of Love
There’s Always Love
This Ain’t A Love Song
This Maniac’s In Love With You
Timeless Love
Times Are Hard For Lovers
Tonight My Love
Volvere A Amar
What About Love
Why Don’t You Love Me?
Without Love
You Give Love A Bad Name
You Love Me To Hate You
You Should Be High Love
You’re Lovin Me To Death
You’re Not My Lover (But You Were Last Night)
And while this song doesn’t have the word love in the title, it’s one that shouldn’t go unacknowledged when celebrating Desmond Child.
Child was only giving songwriting credit because of a “Livin’ La Vida Loca” interpolation, but this only stands as proof of how the majesty of Desmond Child will live on long after he, Richie Sambora, Eric Bazilian, Paul Stanley, Dianne Warren, and his many other collaborators are in their cold, cold graves. We love you, Desmond.
You may not know his name, but you know his songs [Miami Herald]
Kane Roberts – Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore [YouTube]
Michael Bolton – How Can We Be Lovers? [YouTube]
Kiss – I Was Made For Loving You [YouTube]
Play – Let’s Get To The Love Part [YouTube]
Ratt – Lovin’ You Is A Dirty Job [YouTube]
Desmond Child & Rouge – Our Love Is Insane [YouTube]
Alice Cooper – This Maniac’s In Love With You [YouTube]
Heart – What About Love? [YouTube]
Blake Lewis – You Give Love A Bad Name [YouTube]
Sisqo – Thong Song [YouTube]
The best part of this post was at first seeing just the 9 titles above the first video and thinking “oh, that’s not so many at all,” and then scrolling down for the whole deluge.
no ‘love’ in the title, but i love this (nsfw):
A) When the devil did Mtv show nipples?
B) Is it just me, or does the chord progression in that chorus seem familiar to “How can we be Lovers”?
He seriously got a songwriting credit on the Thong Song? For the one “livin’ la vida loca” bit?
@Halfwit: I know, my jaw dropped watching that. That must be the European/HBO edit of that clip. Damn.
Ah, 1989-90 - a great year for irresistibly catchy misogynous songs called “Poison.” Kudos, Desmond Child and Bell Div DeVoe.
@Chris Molanphy: Or, y’know, misogynist. No more four-syllable words for me today!
@Al Shipley: Thank you for putting down in words exactly what made this post so great. I couldn’t quite figure it out until I saw the comment.
Also, props to Anthony for going the extra mile and looking at “love” in foreign language titles (”Volvere A Amar”)
I think the only Desmond Child I have on vinyl is a song on the Times Square soundtrack. And I think the only Desmond Child I have on CD is Alice Cooper’s Poison, on a greatest hits CD on which it sticks out like a sore thumb. That’s more than enough.
Some day, Desmond Child, Diane Warren, and David Foster will work together to destroy music for all time.
Freakin’ impressive.
However, that Discipline album cover is mighty ghey…
how can we be lovers AND i was made for lovin’ you? wow, he’s kind of a genius. who knew?
loves it
Confession: I own Desmond Child & Rouge on vinyl. “Our Love Is Insane”, you know it is, yes yes.
That’s a lot of cheese! Classic Post!