Child photographed
by Robby Klein on
Sept. 19 in Nashville.
“Desmond Child is a
game-changer who has
deconstructed the global
soundscape, adding an
electrical charge that
lights up our culture.”
—EMILIO ESTEFAN JR.
THE LEGACY
Child has to date received four Grammy
nominations, three of which were for his
work with Martin.
He co-wrote three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s
for Bon Jovi: “Livin’ On a Prayer,” “You Give
Love a Bad Name” and “Bad Medicine.”
He co-founded and serves as chairman/
CEO of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Desmond Child
SONGWRITER-PRODUCER
On Oct. 25, songwriter-
producer Desmond Child will
release Desmond Child Live, a
new album featuring takes on some
of his top 40 hits for Aerosmith,
Bon Jovi, KISS and more. But 20
years ago, the Songwriters Hall of
Fame inductee made a different
kind of pop-music history by co-
writing and co-producing
Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ la Vida Loca,”
which ruled the Billboard Hot 100
for five consecutive weeks in
- Child remembers what he
jokingly calls “the biggest
millennium song from hell.”
I studied in the early ’80s under
songwriter Bob Crewe [who wrote
hits for Frankie Valli & The Four Sea-
sons]. He taught me not to even start
a song until I had a great title. Usually
my titles played with opposites, like
KISS’ “Heaven’s on Fire” or Bon Jovi’s
“You Give Love a Bad Name.”
Frank Sinatra passed away in 1998,
so a lot of his music was being played
back then. [“Loca” co-writer Draco
Rosa] and I made the verses an hom-
age to his Rat Pack style of swing
music. The label said, “It sounds
fantastic — now write it in English.
Nobody is going to understand what
‘vida loca’ means.” I said, “They will.
It’s not that hard.” They still put the
first advertising in Billboard as “Liv-
ing la Vida Loca” with the subheader
“Living the Crazy Life.”
We knew it would be a success
from the beginning. The title dictated
the whole journey. For the song to
become a Hot 100 No. 1 was a true
satisfaction for us, a job well done.
I have produced 27 songs for Ricky
Martin, but “Livin’ la Vida Loca”
changed the course of popular Latin
music forever. It was the fuse that
ignited the Latin music explosion.
—AS TOLD TO PAMELA BUSTIOS
My Billboard Moment
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.112 BILLBOARD • OCTOBER 12, 2019