David Foster, the impressively successful Canadian composer and producer, celebrates his 75th birthday today (November 1). Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster first found fame in the early 1970s as keyboardist in the pop group Skylark. The band scored a Top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Wildflower.”
By the end of the 1970s, Foster had begun composing songs for a variety of well-known artists, including Earth, Wind & Fire.
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During the early-to-mid 1980s, Foster enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Chicago, producing three of the band’s albums and co-writing a series of hits with the group’s Peter Cetera.
Among the many other artists David co-wrote memorable tunes for during the 1980s and ’90 included Boz Scaggs, The Tubes, John Parr, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, and Celine Dion.
[RELATED: 5 Classic Tunes by Boz Scaggs in Honor of the Soulful Singer/Songwriter’s 80th Birthday]
Foster was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. In honor of his milestone birthday, here are four classic hits songs Foster co-wrote for various artists:
“After the Love Has Gone” – Earth, Wind & Fire (1979)
“After the Love Has Gone” was one of Earth, Wind & Fire’s biggest hits, peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1979. Foster co-wrote the soulful ballad with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin. Foster and Graydon played together in the short-lived group Airplay, which recorded its own version of the tune for its self-titled 1980 album.
“After the Love Has Gone” was one of six songs Foster co-wrote for Earth, Wind & Fire’s ninth studio album, I Am.
In 1980, “After the Love Has Gone” won Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song.
“Hard to Say I’m Sorry” – Chicago (1982)
“Hard to Say I’m Sorry” was featured on Chicago’s 1982 album, Chicago 16. It was one of seven songs co-written by Foster on the 10-track collection, which he also produced.
The romantic power ballad was co-written and sung by Cetera. The song became Chicago’s second No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, spending two weeks at the top of the chart in September 1982.
“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” – John Parr (1985)
Foster branched out into film composing with the 1985 coming-of-age film St. Elmo’s Fire, which featured an ensemble cast of “Brat Pack” stars. Foster produced the soundtrack and co-wrote most of the songs on the album.
The movie’s theme song, “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion),” was recorded by British pop-rocker John Parr, who co-wrote the tune with Foster. The melodic rock anthem was another Hot 100 chart-topper, spending two weeks at No. 1 in September 1985.
A variety of well-known musicians lent their talents to the song. Three members of Toto—guitarist Steve Lukather and keyboardists David Paich and Steve Porcaro—played on the track. In addition, Mr. Mister frontman Richard Page and REO Speedwagon guitarist Dave Amato contributed backing vocals.
“I Have Nothing” – Whitney Houston (1992)
“I Have Nothing” was one of three major hits for Houston from the soundtrack to her 1992 film The Bodyguard. Foster co-wrote the song with his then-wife Linda Thompson specially for the movie. He also produced the track.
The dramatic “I Have Nothing,” which showcased Houston’s powerhouse vocals, peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100. It was the third single released from the soundtrack, following Whitney’s chart-topping version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” and her cover of the Chaka Khan classic “I’m Every Woman.” The latter tune also reached No. 4 on the Hot 100.
Thompson had dated Elvis Presley from 1972 to 1976, and has said that the lyrics to “I Have Nothing” were inspired by their relationship.
In a 2022 interview with the U.K.’s Daily Express, she explained, “That song was definitely inspired by my living with Elvis. I knew what it was like to live with the biggest male diva of all time. I had to write this lyric around Whitney Houston who was the female diva in The Bodyguard.”
She added, “So I took some of the happenings and some of my feelings about having lived with Elvis and wrote about it in The Bodyguard.”
Interestingly, Katherine McPhee performed “I Have Nothing” when she was a contestant on American Idol in 2006. Foster served as her mentor on the show. In 2017, Foster and McPhee began dating, and were married two years later. The couple has a series of concerts lined up in December and January.
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