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One day around 1964, a young Diane Warren watched the writing credits for “Up on the Roof” by the Drifters and decided on her life’s mission. “It said (Goffin / King), “she said.” I remember wanting to be in parentheses. ” Warren went on to write dozens of hits, starting with DeBarge’s “Rhythm of the Night” in 1985, with nine number one songs, from Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” to “I Don’t Want to. Miss A Thing “from Aerosmith.”
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, coming this year – returned to the stories behind some of his greatest songs. (To listen to the audio version of the full interview, hit play below, or download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.)
“(You Make Me) Rock Hard”, Kiss (1988)
“I thought it was a great title for a Kiss song! It was quite funny. And then, you know, Paul loved it. And we ended up writing the song. I can’t believe I found this title.“
“Girl you know it’s true”, Milli Vanilli (1989)
“I knew it was a hit song. And it’s a funny little story. When I was writing it. I was really bored writing the verse, and my hand slipped, and it goes up half a step in the middle of the verse in a really weird place. But it really does work. There was a band at the time called the Jets that was supposed to record it, and they kept it on hold for a year. And then they didn’t. I was really pissed off because I sat down to the song. And I went to see Clive Davis in New York, and before he even played the song he played he goes, I got this new band, Milli Vanilli. And he played “Girl You Know It’s True,” which has almost the same beat as “Blame It on the Rain,” which is a little weird. And Clive loved the song and whoever recorded it recorded it. But anyone I sang it, I love it. I love this song. And I had no idea they weren’t singing before they played live [and their backing track started skipping]! “
“Un-Break My Heart”, Toni Braxton (1996)
“I came with this title. And I started playing the chorus with these chords, it’s a weird title. It created a word. I remember Clive Davis when I played that song he said, ‘you can’t rhyme rain and pain’ [because it’s a cliché ].He wanted me to change him. And I say, “No, no, it works.” I thought this would be a good song for Toni Braxton, and Clive loved it for her. And she didn’t really like it. It happens! Maybe she hates it not anymore, having to sing it for 20 years.
“If I Could Turn Back Time”, Cher (1989)
“I thought it was a good song for her and she hated it. And so I went to the studio when she was recording one of my songs. And literally, when she was in the living room, I got down on my knees and held her leg until she said she was going to try. She says, “I hate that fucking song. I hate that. “I said,” Well, I won’t let go of your leg! “I said,” Look, I’ll pay for the tracks. If it doesn’t work, that’s all my price. I know the song is made for you. She said, “I’ll do it. I’ll try it.” And it’s probably my most iconic song! I remember they couldn’t play this video until midnight because it was so risky. It was like, ‘What? Really?’ “
“Because you loved me”, Céline Dion (1996)
“I wrote it for the film Up close and personal. But I was able to thank my dad for believing in me because he still really believed in my music and always supported me. [The plot of that movie] would be like a #metoo thing now. I mean, could they make this movie now?
“How I Live”, LeAnn Rimes / Trisha Yearwood (1997)
“I remember having a lot of problems because there were two versions. I wrote the song for the movie Air conditioning. Well what happened is I wrote it down. And I wrote for the movie, and I played it for [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer. And he loved her. But there were, I think, 200 other songs in the [running] at that time for this movie. And I ran into LeAnn Rimes, who had just won the Grammy for Best New Artist, at a restaurant and I said to her, I wrote this song, you want the demo?
“So she went back and recorded it, made a video and spent all that money. I played it for Jerry. And he was excited about LeAnn, but he wanted changes made. And his dad, who was the song’s co-producer, said, “ I’m not changing anything for them Hollywood people. And then Jerry asked if it was okay to put Tricia on [Yearwood] sure. And I said, yeah, but I can’t take it off LeAnn. even though Trisha does it for the movie. And then Jerry said, ‘No, you’ve got to take it off LeAnn.’ I couldn’t do that. Jerry was like, ‘I’m never going to work with you again. “Then LeAnn was mad at me and Jerry was angry with me. Until he was, you know, the biggest hit. So they all start loving me again. That’s what hits do. They make people like you!
“I don’t want to miss anything”, Aerosmith (1998)
“Again it was a title I had and I was shown the end of the movie [Armageddon]. I met Jerry Bruckheimer. Remember he said he would never work with me again a year ago? He changed his mind. So I went back and wrote the song. And never in a million years would you have thought that Aerosmith would. I kind of thought a singer would end up doing it, but it’s so much more powerful with Steven Tyler – the fact that he’s so vulnerable in the song really worked. I remember the first time I heard it and being literally knocked off my chair with how awesome it was. This should have won the record of the year. It was an excellent record.
“I Was Here”, Beyoncé (2011)
“It was one of the best experiences of all time. 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 in the sand of time”, and the song just started to be written. And I thought it could be a really good song for Beyoncé. And it could also be a song for Leona Lewis or Susan Boyle, the two artists of Simon Cowell. So I made a small version for acoustic guitar. and I sent it to Simon.
“And then I called Jay Z. And he called me back and I played him on guitar. I said, ‘I thought this could be great for Beyoncé. It’s different for her. And he loved it. He said, stay by your phone. She’s going to land. You know, as soon as she lands, she calls you… She says, “Okay, it’s Monday, my album is supposed to come out on Friday.” She said I was going there on Wednesday. I’m recording this song. I stop my album. ”
So I went to the studio with her and was blown away by that voice. And then she said, “Well, I’m going to take a dinner break now. And I’ll go back and start over. I’m like, what do you mean, start over? It’s perfect. “She says,” Now I’m going to get better. And that’s a difference, by the way, between a great artist and a not-great artist. I mean, that’s why she’ll be there for. always.
“I couldn’t even sleep all night, because I was so excited to release this song. I wake up in the morning and remember giving it to Simon Cowell. I wake up to an email from his A&R boss saying, “The song is cool, but it doesn’t go all the way for us, but feel free to send more stuff. And so I said, ‘Oddly enough, I was in the studio last night with probably the greatest artist on the planet. And it worked all the way for her. With a smiling face. So it was a fun email to write.
‘Why Did You Do That’ Lady Gaga (2018)
“” Why did you surround me with an ass like that? “That was my line! I’m leaving, is it okay if we say that? And then I didn’t see the song in the movie until the premiere. And then that’s the one Bradley Cooper is basically saying that she’s a terrible artist for saying a line like that. I’m like, ‘Oh, cool! My line!’
“Times Like This”, Darius Rucker (2020)
“It was a month or two after the start of the pandemic. I just started writing this chorus and loved it. It was so hymn and full of hope. In my head, I heard Darius Rucker’s voice because with him it’s like listening to a friend. So when you’ve been through all this turmoil, this pandemic, and everything that’s been stopped, here’s a voice. There is a line in the song. ‘I saw a man with a sign saying I needed money for beer.’ And a few years ago I was in Nashville and I saw someone holding a sign saying, “I’m not gonna lie, I need a beer.” And I thought, mental note to myself, that it was going to find its place in a song. ”
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