New Songwriter

“New Song,” by English singer Howard Jones, was released in September of 1983. The song reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, which is still the highest chart position in the country. The single also spent twenty weeks on the Top 75 in the UK. On the UK single, both the words “I’m new” and “rock” are printed in a single spiral on the front A-side, with the other lyrics appearing on the B Side.

This version of “New Song,” also made an appearance on “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Here Are Some of the inductees” as a member of the Rock Band group. Jones performed the original version of the song with the band Deep Purple. Both bands were signed to Virgin Records. In the US, “New Song” became a hit with the band Blondie. It went Platinum in the US selling millions.

The single became a classic which spawned many versions. An acetate version was released as “Love Takes Flight,” which was recorded by everyone from Dexysmith to Justin Timberlake and has been used as the theme for numerous television shows including Wheel of Fortune and David Letterman. The single became another Christmas hit as a result of being included on “Let it Snow.” An instrumental version was also released on “A Christmas Star” and became a huge hit for the band Chicks in the Round.

In the mid-1990s, a version of “New Song” was written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Don Henley. Henley wrote the track for the Billboards Songwriters Hall of Fame album. When he won the album, “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face” became the first song to be added to the platinum list. “New Song,” which is probably the most popular version, remains the biggest selling single of all time. Henley said of the song: “It’s about growing up, becoming an adult and learning to appreciate what you have now rather than what you’ve always thought you would have.”

New Song was featured in the musical episode of “Who’s That Lady?” The episode featured supermodel Marla Maples-hatched actress Nicole Ritchie alongside her husband, rock star Tommy Lee. The couple’s tune “I’m a Believer” was a huge hit, peaking at number 34. When the New Song writers were asked what their take was on whether or not Marla should have been the star of the show, they said, “I think she’s great. I think she’s one of the new generation of strong women who has a lot to offer.”

There are numerous other famous new songwriters whose works have become hits. Writing songs for television is a completely different process than writing for a song for the radio. Actors and actresses rely on songwriting companies that have entire libraries of music in order to write new material for them. Actors rarely get to pick their own music since many artists choose popular music as their theme for the play.