Mary Susan Applegate

Last updated
Mary Susan Applegate
Birth nameMary Susan Applegate
Born (1955-05-02) May 2, 1955 (age 69)
Origin U.S.A. [1]
GenresPop, Rock
Occupation Lyricist

Mary Susan Applegate (born May 2, 1955) is an American songwriter, poet [1] and lyricist who lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 

Contents

She rose to prominence in 1984 with the lyrics to the multi-platinum hit "The Power of Love", and has since written songs for and co-written songs with multiple singers, and her songs have been constant part of the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years.

Career

Applegate is best known for her contribution to the song "The Power of Love". In 1985, the Jennifer Rush original took the number one position the UK, remaining there for 5 weeks. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

In 1994 the song became Celine Dion's first number one in the US Billboard charts, staying at the top for four weeks. Celine Dion's version of "The Power of Love" [9] [10] [11] [12] won Mary S. Applegate the ASCAP Pop Award for "Most Performed Song" in the United States and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, two Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Single of the Year and Hot Adult Contemporary Single of the Year, and for the Juno Award for Single of the Year.

Shirley Bassey, [13] Andrea Bocelli, [14] Laura Branigan [15] [16] and Air Supply [17] [18] are among many world-renowned artists that covered the song.

Applegate went on to write various hit songs for:

Milli Vanilli ("Girl You Know It's True"), No Mercy ("Please Don't Go"), [19] La Bouche, Bad Boys Blue ("You're a Woman", Love Is No Crime album), Boney M. ("Young, Free and Single"), Banaroo, Bonnie Bianco, Jennifer Rush, Far Corporation, Aaron Carter („Crazy Little Party Girl“), Liberty ("Thinking It Over") and Le Click.

She worked with:

Nena, Udo Lindenberg, Dieter Falk, Tic Tac Toe, Funky Diamonds, Culture Beat ( Metamorphosis ) Yoomiii, Jazzamor, Cascada, Pur, Erkan Aki, [20] [21] Pete Seeger [22] and Gotthard ( Lipservice album). Earlier work includes "Do You Wanna" from the "1st album" (1985) of Modern Talking co-written with Dieter Bohlen.

Applegate also left a footprint in the German Pop- and Schlager world, writing for acts like:

Thomas Anders, Nino de Angelo, Matthias Reim [23] Michelle and Helene Fischer. [24]

Applegate, who only wrote English lyrics during her career, began writing German lyrics for the first time in 2020. Her debut was on the Wolfgang Petry album "Auf das Leben", which was released in September 2021 and ranked at number 2 in the German music charts. Further collaboration with Petry took place on the Stark wie wir album, which reached No. 4 in the German music charts in March 2023.

She also composed some poems for songs by the most famous Portuguese girl band of the 80s, "As Doce". Songs such as "For the Love of Conchita", "Starligh" or "Stepping Stone".

Eurovision Song Contest

Applegate won 2nd place together with Victor Drobysh in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with the Russian entry "Party for Everybody" performed by Buranovskiye Babushki.

Other ESC entries written by Applegate include Natalia Podolskaya's "Nobody Hurt No One" in 2005 for Russia (position 15 in the final) and Ivan's "Help You Fly" in 2016 for Belarus.

In 2019 Serhat sang "Say Na Na Na", a song partially written by Applegate, for San Marino. It was only the second time San Marino made it to the grand final.

Poetry and Vocals

Mary S. Applegate contributed poetry, lyrics and vocals to the German experimental electronic band Air Liquide, composed of Ingmar Koch (a.k.a. "Dr Walker") and Cem Oral (a.k.a. "Jammin' Unit"). The band was formed in 1991 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. [25]

Her vocals on Air Liquide's "This is not a Mind Trip" [26] was used for the opening of the 1994 Love Parade in Berlin.

Screenplays

Applegate collaborated with Frank Farian and Michael Stark on the storyboard for the Daddy Cool musical which opened in London's Westend at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2006.

She currently is working on a biopic screenplay with Cine Golden Eagle Award winner, director and producer Sven Fleck. [27]

Short stories

Further contributions can be heard on The Pete Wolf Band album 2084, [28] where beside lyrics, she also co-penned 14 short stories with Pete Wolf.

Awards

Grammy Awards

"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (1994) - Nominated [29]

American Music Award

"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Favorite Pop/Rock Song (1995) - Nominated [30]

ASCAP

"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Most Performed Song. (1994) [31]

Billboard Music Awards

"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Top Hot 100 Song. (1994)

"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Hot Adult Contemporary number one of 1994. (1994) [32]

Juno Award

"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Single Of The Year. (1995) [33] - Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine Dion</span> Canadian singer (born 1968)

Céline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", she is noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals. Her music has incorporated genres such as pop, rock, R&B, chanson, and classical music. Her recordings have been mainly in English and French, although she has also sung in several other languages including Japanese, Italian, German, Mandarin, Spanish and Neapolitan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Foster</span> Canadian record producer and songwriter

David Walter Foster is a Canadian record producer, film composer, and music executive. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. Foster's career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s before focusing largely on composing and production. Often in tandem with songwriter Diane Warren, Foster has contributed to material for prominent music industry artists in various genres since then, and is credited with production on over 40 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. He has also chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016.

<i>All the Way... A Decade of Song</i> 1999 greatest hits album by Celine Dion

All the Way... A Decade of Song is the first English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. Released by Sony Music on 12 November 1999, it features nine previously released songs on most editions and seven new recordings on all editions. Dion worked on new tracks mainly with David Foster. Other producers include Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner, and Matt Serletic. It is the best-selling greatest hits album in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. All the Way... A Decade of Song has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, including over nine million in the United States, five million in Europe, two million in Japan and one million units in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Rush</span> American pop singer and songwriter (born 1960)

Jennifer Rush is an American pop and rock singer. She achieved initial success during the mid-1980s with several singles and studio albums, including the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which she co-wrote and released in 1984. Her initial greatest success came in Europe. Her successful singles from that period include "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love", "Ring Of Ice", "I Come Undone", "Heart Over Mind", and "Come Give Me Your Hand".

<i>Lets Talk About Love</i> 1997 studio album by Celine Dion

Let's Talk About Love is the fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 14 November 1997 by Sony Music. The follow-up to the commercially successful Falling into You (1996), Let's Talk About Love showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project, she collaborated with Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, George Martin, Diana King, Brownstone, Corey Hart, and her previous producers: David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Jim Steinman. The album includes Dion's biggest hit, "My Heart Will Go On". Written by James Horner and Will Jennings and serving as the love theme for James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film, Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On" topped the charts around the world and is considered to be Dion's signature song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Heart Will Go On</span> 1997 single by Celine Dion

"My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film Titanic. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon Franglen. It was released as a single internationally by Columbia and Epic on November 24, 1997, and included on Dion's album Let's Talk About Love (1997) and the Titanic soundtrack.

<i>The Colour of My Love</i> 1993 studio album by Celine Dion

The Colour of My Love is the twelfth studio album and third English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Sony Music on 9 November 1993. The songs were produced mainly by David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Christopher Neil, and Guy Roche, and four of them were written by Diane Warren. The album features cover versions of "The Power of Love" and "When I Fall in Love".

<i>Falling into You</i> 1996 studio album by singer Celine Dion

Falling into You is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album The Colour of My Love (1993) and French-language D'eux (1995), Falling into You showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", among others. Several songs were produced by David Foster, including Diane Warren's "Because You Loved Me". In total, Dion worked on the album with fourteen producers and a variety of songwriters and musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Your Angel</span> 1998 single by Celine Dion and R. Kelly

"I'm Your Angel" is a duet by Celine Dion and R. Kelly from Dion's These Are Special Times album and Kelly's R. album. It was released on 13 October 1998. The song was written and produced by R. Kelly. The single was very successful, reaching number one in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The single also reached the top five in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

<i>Sogno</i> 1999 studio album by Andrea Bocelli

Sogno (Dream) is the fifth studio album by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When I Fall in Love</span> Song from One Minute to Zero

"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.

<i>Celine Dion</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Celine Dion

Celine Dion is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion and her second English-language album. It was released by Columbia Records and Epic Records on March 30, 1992 and features the Grammy and Academy Award-winning song "Beauty and the Beast" and other hits, such as "If You Asked Me To" and "Love Can Move Mountains". The album was produced by Walter Afanasieff, Ric Wake, Guy Roche, and Humberto Gatica. It reached numbers one in Quebec and three in Canada, where it was certified Diamond for shipments of over one million copies. At the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, Celine Dion was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The album has sold over five million copies worldwide.

<i>These Are Special Times</i> 1998 studio album by Celine Dion

These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and also her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful third and fourth English albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)</span> 1984 single by Jennifer Rush

"The Power of Love" is a pop song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released in December 1984 by CBS Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan, and Celine Dion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Because You Loved Me</span> 1996 single by Celine Dion

"Because You Loved Me" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion on her fourth English-language studio album, Falling into You (1996). It was released on 19 February 1996 as the first single in North America, and as the second single in the United Kingdom on 20 May 1996. "Because You Loved Me" was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, and served as the theme song from the 1996 film Up Close & Personal, starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Billboard ranked it as the 14th "Top Love Song of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Prayer (Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli song)</span> 1999 single by Céline Dion and Andrea Bocelli

"The Prayer" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. It was written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Tony Renis and Alberto Testa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misled (Celine Dion song)</span> 1994 single by Celine Dion

"Misled" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion for her third English-language studio album, The Colour of My Love (1993). It was released as the second single from the album on 11 April 1994 by Columbia Records/Epic Records. The song was written by Peter Zizzo and Jimmy Bralower and produced by Ric Wake. "Misled" topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and reached number four in Canada. It also peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Think Twice (Celine Dion song)</span> 1994 single by Celine Dion

"Think Twice" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released as the third single from her third English-language album, The Colour of My Love (1993) in North America in July 1994, in the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan in October 1994, and in other European countries in 1995. It was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield, and produced by Christopher Neil and Aldo Nova. In this rock-influenced song with a guitar solo, the protagonist is telling her lover to "think twice" before leaving her. The song became one of Dion's most successful hits in Europe and Australia, topping multiple charts, including those of Flemish Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Remaining at the top of the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, it eventually became the fourth single by a female artist to sell in excess of one million copies in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine Dion singles discography</span>

Canadian singer Celine Dion has released 137 singles in both English and French discography as a lead artist. According to Billboard magazine, Dion is the world's best-selling contemporary female artist of all time. As of 2021, she has reportedly sold around 200 to 250 million records worldwide. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", Dion has released a string of worldwide hits, with "My Heart Will Go On" being her career's biggest hit, with estimated physical sales of over 18 million worldwide, making it the 2nd best-selling physical single by a woman in history. It reached over 117 million radio impressions during its peak, becoming the most-played radio hit in history and became the best-selling single of 1998 worldwide. "Because You Loved Me" is her biggest hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, spending six weeks atop the chart and selling six million copies in its first six months of availability worldwide. "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" was the 4th biggest hit of the 1990s in France and has sold over four million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's the Way It Is (Celine Dion song)</span> 1999 single by Céline Dion

"That's the Way It Is" is the lead single from Celine Dion's greatest hits album All the Way... A Decade of Song, released on 1 November 1999. It peaked within the top ten in many countries, like Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Billboard listed it as one of the Greatest Songs of 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 Fricker, Karen; Gluhovic, Mila (13 May 2013). Performing the 'New' Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics in the Eurovision Song Content. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   9781137367983.
  2. ↑ "Jennifer Rush Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  3. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  4. ↑ "1980s Singles Chart Archive - everyHit.com". www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  5. ↑ "The Official Top 20 biggest selling singles of all time by female artists". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  6. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Jennifer Rush - The Power Of Love". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  7. ↑ "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  8. ↑ "Platinum Single, Jennifer Rush, The Power Of Love". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  9. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  10. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  12. ↑ "Billboard archive" (PDF).
  13. ↑ "That's What Friends Are For [Eureka Music] - Shirley Bassey | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  14. ↑ "Andrea Bocelli: The Complete Pop Albums - Andrea Bocelli | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  15. ↑ "Laura Branigan Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  16. ↑ "Gloria and Other Hits - Laura Branigan | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  17. ↑ "Air Supply Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  18. ↑ "Live in Hong Kong - Air Supply | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  19. ↑ "No Mercy - No Mercy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  20. ↑ "Legends of the Fall, film score | Recording Details and Tracks". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  21. ↑ "Here's to the Heroes - Erkan Aki | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  22. ↑ Pete Seeger, Diether Dehm und Diadem: The Waterfall , retrieved 2019-12-09
  23. ↑ "Matthias Reim - Du bist wie ein Magnet - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  24. ↑ "Helene Fischer - The English Ones". Discogs (in German). Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  25. ↑ "Air Liquide". Discogs (in German). Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  26. ↑ "Air Liquide - The Mercury EP". Discogs (in German). November 1994. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  27. ↑ "20second". www.svenfleck.de. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  28. ↑ "Pete Wolf Band - 2084 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  29. ↑ "Rock On The Net: 37th Annual Grammy Awards - 1995". www.rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  30. ↑ "Rock On The Net: 22nd American Music Awards (presented in 1995)". www.rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  31. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1995-05-27). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  32. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1994-12-24). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  33. ↑ "Artist Summary | The JUNO Awards". 2014-01-08. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.