Diane Warren "Presents Love Songs" new Best Of CD (on Wea International) feat. Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Bad English, Chicago, Michael Bolton...

Diane Warren "Presents Love Songs" new Best Of CD (on Wea International) feat. Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Bad English, Chicago, Michael Bolton...

Diane Warren is considered to be the most prolific and successful contemporary songwriter of our time. A quick glance at her list of Top 10 Hits reveals a range of musical genres and styles so diverse it's difficult to believe the songs could have come from the same person. And yet they did - and continue to pour forth from this songwriter somehow endlessly, climbing to the top of the charts.

Diane Warren's songwriting talent began developing decades ago as a youngster growing up in the San Fernando Valley. "I grew up on Top 40 radio; it's what I was exposed to and what attracted me," she offers.
"I loved listening to my older sisters' records, people like Buddy Holly and the Beatles. But believe it or not, I was more fascinated by the songwriters: Carole King, Lieber and Stoller, Burt Bacharach. Those were my idols," she recalls.

Her parents however, were divided over her choice of career. Diane Warren's mother voiced clear opposition, pointing out the tremendous odds against her in such a competitive field, while her father recognized her potential and offered constant encouragement and support. In fact, it was her insurance salesman father who bestowed his unexpressed artistic yearnings upon his young daughter. At the age of 10, he bought Diane Warren her first guitar. By her early teens, he was taking her to meetings with Los Angeles music publishers. But it would be a while before the rest of the world would hear Diane's music.

A decade or so later, Diane Warren's talent and persistence finally paid off. In 1983 she had begun working as a staff writer for Jack White, a producer with singer Laura Branigan. White asked Diane Warren to prepare English lyrics for a French song. 24 hours later, she turned in "Solitaire," which became a Top 10 hit for Branigan in 1983. Three years later, Warren penned "Rhythm of the Night" for DeBarge, which hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. To date she has had almost 90 songs to chart.

Since beginning her career, Warren has written for such legends of song as Elton John, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Roberta Flack and Roy Orbison. Recently, artists such as *NSYNC, Gloria Estefan, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Reba McEntire, Whitney Houston, Enrique Iglesias, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige and LeAnn Rimes have graced the charts with her songs. Diane Warren herself agrees that she has tapped this universality of message in her songwriting. "I just love writing a great ballad, something so essential that it reaches across genres. You could almost say the best songs are 'genre-transcendent;' they translate well into a variety of styles sung by different artists."

Indeed, Warren's songs have transcended genre. Her number one Adult Contemporary hit "If You Asked Me To" has been recorded not only by Celine Dion, but also by R&B diva Patti LaBelle. Her song "Don't Turn Around" has been recorded by eight different artists from Tina Turner to Aswad to Ace of Base. Her number one Pop hit "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" performed by Aerosmith for the movie Armageddon not only received an Oscar nomination, but simultaneously hit number one on the country charts with a version sung by Mark Chesnutt. Additionally, Diane Warren's song: "How Do I Live," recorded by both Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes, was not only a number one hit that won Yearwood the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, but also carries the distinction of being the longest running song in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 chart and Billboard's Country Singles Sales Chart.

Diane Warren's songs are featured in more than 80 motion pictures. Diane has had a number one international hit with "Can't Fight the Moonlight" performed by LeAnn Rimes, which is featured in the film COYOTE UGLY. The song was re-released and became a Top 10 Pop hit.

For the song "Because You Loved Me," sung by Celine Dion in the film "Up Close And Personal", Diane Warren received a Grammy award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and Golden Globe. Her song "Music Of My Heart," sung by *Nsync and Gloria Estefan for the film "Music Of The Heart", was nominated for both a Grammu and Academy Award. The song also won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture. Also nominated for an Academy Award was the song: "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" for the film Mannequin. To date, Diane Warren's songs have been nominated for four Golden Globes, six Academy Awards, and nine Grammys.

Record producer David Foster, who frequently produces with Diane Warren, points out that it is her tenacity and focus that explain her unprecedented success. "Without a doubt she's the hardest-working songwriter I've ever known...she just sits there, day after day," he notes, adding "she's truly an island, and somehow she taps into the masses. The fact that she can do it by herself is extra special. She doesn't seem to need to rely on anybody else."

Music mogul, Clive Davis, testifies to her integrity and prolific versatility. Clive Davis, who has relied on Warren for artists such as Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston and Monica, has a standing appointment with the songwriter when he visits Los Angeles each month. "Diane is able to combine tremendous feel for melody with lyrics that deal with genuine emotions, and she is able to do it time after time," Davis notes.

Singer Trisha Yearwood also has high praise for Warren's tenacity, asserting, "Diane lives and breathes every song. There's this sense of mission about what she's doing. It's not that she has any 'formula' for writing hits; her songwriting is just so intensely personal, it's part of her identity." Trisha Yearwood also notes how Warren's total immersion in her work is something she herself can understand. "My relationship to music is one of the most enduring 'relationships' I've ever had, and I know it's the same for Diane. Our music is the one area where we never compromise."

Jerry Bruckheimer says, "She will move with whatever happens in the music world. I think she is on the top of her game. She listens to every song that's out there. Where she goes, the public goes."

Diane Warren "Presents Love Songs" new Best Of CD tracklisting:
1. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
2. Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
3. Can't Fight the Moonlight - LeAnn Rimes
4. I Turn to You - Christina Aguilera
5. How Do I Live - Trisha Yearwood
6. Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
7. From the Heart - Another Level
8. I Learned from the Best - Whitney Houston
9. Saving Forever for You - Shanice
10. There You'll Be - Faith Hill
11. Have You Ever - Brandy
12. If I Could Turn Back Time
13. When I See You Smile - Bad English
14. Look Away - Chicago
15. How Can We Be Lovers? - Michael Bolton
16. Love Will Lead You Back - Taylor Dayne
17. Set the Night to Music - Roberta Flack
18. I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me - Expose

Diane Warren "Presents Love Songs" CD (18 tracks): ORDER IT NOW.

Comments

[Elliott]

I wont be buying this album despite liking a lot of Diane Warren's music since she decided to be contriversal and put the Trisha Yearwood version of How Do I Live on it. TY stole this song from LeAnn in a delibrate attempt to cash in on her success, despite this LeAnn became famous for the song.

[Kathy]

I'll be buying this CD today. I've been a fan of Diane Warren for about 10 years. Every time I would check out who wrote my favorite song on any album, it would be Diane Warren. I'm so excited that she finally produced an entire album of her music...although many of my favorites are not on this one.

Elliott, chill out man. Songs don't belong to the singers, they belong to the writers. You can certainly choose which version you like better. LeeAnn has another song on the album. Diane (or the producers) probably wanted to feature as many artists as they could.

[Dave Keys]

So, Laura Branigan delivers Warren's first Top Ten record with 'Solitaire' from 1983. And it is not included in this collection? Shameful.