In 2023, songwriter Desmond Child released his fascinating autobiography, Livin' On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life. Speaking to Songfacts for the second time shortly after the book's release, he engaged Greg Prato in a truly insightful discussion on how and why his hits have made such a connection, and the one by another writer that had the biggest impact on him. An excerpt from the chat follows...

Songfacts: What's the most unusual song you've written?

Desmond Child: "I would say 'Dude (Looks Like A Lady)'. Because that one is very cinematic, and also the tongue-twisting title is very provocative. It has the tension of opposites - dude, lady - and it sends your mind spinning. Like, 'What do they mean by that?' I think that really helped ignite people's interest again in Aerosmith. It was their big first single for Permanent Vacation."

Songfacts: What's a piece of songwriting advice you learned from one of your co-writers?

Child: "The biggest piece of advice was from Paul Stanley, who taught me how to write stadium anthems the KISS way, in which the protagonist is always the winner. There's always victory. And the music is also lifting constantly upwards. I used those kinds of ideas or feelings in my collaborations with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for the band Bon Jovi. The most perfect example of that is 'Livin' On A Prayer', which is also the title of my book. It is the most significant song I've ever worked on."

Songfacts: What's the best song you wrote that didn't become a hit?

Child: "I would say '(You Want To) Make A Memory'. I think it's one of the strongest collaborations I had with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. I wish I had been able to be the producer of it, because the way it came out just seemed a little bit linear to me. They went through this U2 kind of feeling with it. I heard it in my mind as a more dramatic kind of presentation. I can't say it wasn't a success because it went to #1 on the AOR charts, but that song is one of my favorite songs, and when I do my shows with my music, I always end with that song."

Read the complete interview at Songfacts.