Songwriting for Dummies, Second Edition
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Songwriting FOR DUMmIES‰ 2ND EDITION by Jim Peterik, Dave Austin, Cathy Lynn Foreword by Kara DioGuardi 01_615140-ffirs.indd i 6/25/10 7:47 PM Songwriting For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010930726 ISBN: 978-0-470-61514-0 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_615140-ffirs.indd ii 6/25/10 7:47 PM About the Authors Jim Peterik has enjoyed a 45-year love affair with music, and it seems as though his journey is just beginning. He has written or co-written a memo- rable array of top-40 hits such as “Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up In You,” and “Rocking Into The Night” with Southern-rock legends, 38 Special, and “Heavy Metal” (theme to the award-winning animation of the same name), with Sammy Hagar. With group co-founder Frankie Sullivan, he wrote the entire catalogue for the band Survivor (of which Jim was a founding member). He also co-wrote the timeless ode to the fi ghting spirit — the triple-platinum, Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated theme from Rocky III — “Eye of the Tiger.” Today, when not spending time with his wife of more than 38 years, Karen, and son, Colin, Jim is busy discovering and producing new talent and collaborating with a vast array of some of the world’s best songwriters, including his “Jazz That Rocks” projects and innovative smooth remakes and duets with Lisa McClowry plus a super-funky reimaging of his smash hit, “Vehicle.” He still plays regularly with The Ides Of March and performs with his World Stage superstar lineup for special events. In his solo “Storytellers” style concerts, he gets to tell the stories behind the songs he’s written throughout the years. Dave Austin has been in and out of the music industry his entire adult life. Even so, he never strays too far for too long. Over the past 30 years, Dave, along with his good friend Phil Ehart (founding member of Kansas) and his wife, Cathy, have produced and promoted a series of all-star concerts with some of the greatest talent in the industry including: Carlos Santana, Melissa Etheridge, David Foster, The Commodores, Rush, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, Alan Parsons Project, Mr. Big, Survivor, Eddie Money, Queen, Loverboy, Peabo Bryson, Michael McDonald, James Ingram, Pablo Cruise, Ambrosia, Danger Danger, Micky Dolenz, Stephen Bishop, Paul Davis, Lou Graham, Micky Thomas, and America. Cathy Lynn has always had a deep love of music. From being a huge fan to then “rubbing elbows with the best” during multiple years of event produc- ing the more than a half dozen Music & Tennis Festivals and raising over $1 million dollars for their charities in doing so, Cathy blended her ear for great music with her never-ending love and affi nity for writing when she merged the two together in a dynamic way and began to write “music inspired” screenplays for the big screen. 01_615140-ffirs.indd iii 6/25/10 7:47 PM 01_615140-ffirs.indd iv 6/25/10 7:47 PM Dedication We dedicate this book to the legacy of great songwriters through the years who have shared their inspirations and continue to enrich our lives, and to the songwriters of the future — may they inspire and motivate us all to make this world a better place. This book is also dedicated to the late, great Cub Koda — rocker extraor- dinaire and co-writer of Blues For Dummies. You were taken from us much too soon, but your spirit and music will always live on. We know you’re still smokin’ in the boy’s room. Authors’ Acknowledgments The authors would like to give their heartfelt thanks to the many, many people who made this book possible. First and foremost, a special thank you goes to Mary Ellen Bickford and her husband, Don Robertson, who gave their unending love and support to this project and who spent countless hours and incredible dedication helping to take the First Edition book to a higher note. Right up there at the top of our gratitude list is a special thank you to our friend, Kenny Loggins, for his incredible music throughout the years. A special thank you goes to Kara DioGuardi, who has written the new Foreword to this 2nd Edition. Kara has a heart of gold and her passion is evident in everything she does, from her songwriting to her judging on American Idol, and to the message she wishes to impart upon readers. Thank you, Kara, for your tenacity and to jumping in to make this book even better than it was before. With warm gratitude, we’d also like to acknowledge the special efforts of our acquisitions editor, Tracy Boggier, and our project editor, Natalie Harris. Appreciation and gratitude also goes out to all of the songwriters and industry people who lent their words and wisdom to this project — we’re especially glad to have you as a part of this team effort.