4.8.01 QUESTIONS FOR DENISE RICH How to Write a Hit Song The songwriting socialite and muse in Clinton's pardon swan song talks about where her pop comes from. How does someone get. © When gor marred, my husband and ved in Europe inthe early $0. And Tjust (© started writing, I went to the bathroom and just beteer there —and I won two lyric awards in the American Song Festival. Lwas 30 excited and thought, Wows that's easy. What I would do is every night keep a tape recorder next to my bed and wake up in the middle of a dream and ju layed the guitar — the acoustics wer sing into the tape recorder. You bear entire songs in your head The whole thing — melody, Ivrcs and chords. ence woke up froma dream on an airplane, nd I was singing into the tape recorder, “Frankie, do you remember?” That song went 10 No. 1. Tknew ie was a gift from my sister. Before I had gone back to Europe I went t who was very sick — she was dying of e away and the song goes to No. 1? Recorded by Sister Sledge? That was my first experience with channeling cer. Then she passe anneled. Whenever I get in a room to write | pray before Always. I channel the music, and I pray tothe angels I pray to my sister my daughter and my mother, who's also up there, The other day these guys were coming who wrote the Jennifer Lopez song “Love Don't Cost 2 Thing,” We wanted to write something for Brandy. T knew ¢ direction, so I gor into the shower — that’s where I'm really most prolific, P'm alone nobody can bother me. Ics like pure channel, like water purifies the channel So if Tewanted a song about a tomato, you'd just goin the shozwer axed channel a vision Or sit down and meditate. Usually I'm in the shower. Since I'm cowriting so mueh, I'm always going with people to their studios or they come here Do-you ever shower with them? No. But 'll sit down anywhere. Ido this game with myself at least once a day —there’s a game show and there's a panel, and there are three judges, and there are three songwriters rem, and we have to get up, and whoev wins. And you have to come up with and I'm one of ‘can write the song in five minutes se, chorus, bridge and the melody and the lycs, 6, OK, tomato... and red, and red is the color ind fried green tomatoes... and then I'd have to find something that nd stare writing, Like if you said tomato right now I would cof love and passios rhymes wit Do you ever i then realize it's already been there's so much out there. When your channels a. ‘open you hear songs from medieval time and melodies from soday. Ie’ all the same, Do you ever put hidder messages ina son All the time. Tlove sending subliminal messages. When T wrote “Frankie,” it was “You My sister used to take me to And I'd be like, the del ne to the deliand we satin the booth wh call began, she deli She'd be like, now where do you want to go for lune! ‘una fish, I'ma tuna-fish fanatic. Teat it every day Do you ever w ed bac 2c the Beatles supposedly did with shat “Pa They were playing backward? How funay: I've never done that. Have you written political songs? Tcowrotea song for the openin remony of the civil rights museum in Memphis, AIL Wanna Be is Understood.” ir was nominated for a gospel Grammy, What ifyou wore song for B mn? What hina of songs does be | Thae's difficul. I think he likes pop and RECB. It would be a song of inspiration, = Any Ein Photograph by Frank Sehiver