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Insider Profile | Martin Page | Hit Songwriter [Robbie Williams, Josh Groban, Heart, Starship] |
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MARTIN PAGE, who hails from Southampton, England, first gained recognition as a songwriter in the early 80’s with Top-40 hits for Kim Carnes and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others. With Bernie Taupin (whose usual partner was Elton John), plus Dennis Lambert & Peter Wolf, Page wrote “WE BUILT THIS CITY,” a worldwide Number One Hit for Starship (their first) in 1985. Page and Taupin returned to Number One the following year with “THESE DREAMS,” recorded by Heart (also Heart’s first chart topper). Teaming up with Peter Cox and Richard Drummie of the UK group Go West, Page wrote “KING OF WISHFUL THINKING,” featured in the movie “PRETTY WOMAN,” which became a Top Ten hit for GO WEST in 1990, and “FAITHFUL,” another hit for Go West. With Robbie Robertson, Page penned the critically acclaimed “FALLEN ANGEL,” featured in Robbie’s first solo album. Page has also written for, produced, had his songs cut by, and/or otherwise worked with such artists as The Commodores, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Paul Young, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brian Ferry, Phil Collins, Josh Groban, Colin Bluntsone, Robbie Williams and Elaine Paige, among many others. As a Songwriter/Recording Artist, Page gained success in America for his own band Q-Feel, with the classic dance hit, “DANCING IN HEAVEN,” which brought him to this country in the early 80’s; and later, Page’s debut solo LP “IN THE HOUSE OF STONE AND LIGHT” (Mercury Records) was released in 1994. In 1995, its title track became a substantial pop hit and a No.1 adult contemporary hit – breaking the record as the longest charting single in Billboard’s A/C Chart history, and garnering Billboard’s “1995 Top Adult Contemporary Single Of The Year” Award. It earned one of ASCAP’s top 5 “most played” Awards for 1995, and again for 1996, at ASCAP’s ANNUAL POP AWARDS. In 2008, Page released his 2nd solo album, “IN THE TEMPLE OF THE MUSE” (available at CD Baby and iTunes), the first release from Page’s independent label, IroningBoard Records, which quickly reached No.1 on CD Baby’s Top Selling Albums Pop/Rock chart, and remained in the Top 5 throughout the 1st year, repeatedly returning to the No.1 position during the 36 months following its release. Two songs from the “Temple” album have been cut by major artists: “The Long Walk Home” was recorded by ROBBIE WILLIAMS on his Greatest Hits album (Deluxe and Ultimate Editions), and “Mi Morena” was recorded by JOSH GROBAN on his multi-Platinum “Closer” album and subsequent live albums, and by ELAINE PAIGE, the “First Lady of music theatre” (performed with Jon Secada featuring Kenny G), for the lead-off track on her Gold duets album, “Elaine Paige and Friends” - one of only two new songs on an album of classics, produced by the legendary Phil Ramone. Page’s 3rd solo album, “A TEMPER OF PEACE” (IroningBoard Records), was released in July of 2012. An ambitious undertaking of 14 songs, completely self-played, produced and recorded, it topped the CD Baby Top Selling Albums Pop/Rock chart in the first week after its release and was featured as a Top Seller in their August newsletter. One of the songs from the “Temper” album, “I Can’t Get There Without You”, was recorded by THE OSMONDS and released as their first single from their 50th anniversary album of the same title. Page’s 4th solo CD, “HOTEL OF THE TWO WORLDS” (also available on CD Baby & iTunes), was released on his IroningBoard label in June 2015. It was featured at CD Baby as an Editor’s Choice CD and reached the No.1 spot in their Top Selling Albums Pop/Rock chart in less than a week, subsequently returning to the top position repeatedly. In January 2017, his current CD, “THE SLENDER SADNESS (The Love Songs)” was released, containing a mixture of new and previously-released Page love songs, which also topped the CD Baby Top Selling Albums Pop/Rock chart in short order. |
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“I always believe that songwriters, particularly my era, you had to be able to sell your own songs, you gotta go knock on the doors, you have to have character, you have to be able to be a seller of what you believed in."
- Martin Page
LISTEN:
Unlocking the Songwriting Formula
With Hit Songwriter Martin Page [MIP034]
TRANSCRIPT | SHOW NOTES
