Hello beautiful readers! In addition to my iPod Shuffle listening experience and fitness class schedule/retro aerobics videos, I’ve finally updated my elliptical class playlist archive!!! Now ALL 136 of my themed playlists are available for your listening pleasure! Yay!!! If you want to check out my favorites, I shared my top 10 here.
If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I love a list. It doesn’t even need to be orderly, logical, or in any particular order. The New York Times agrees – they recently published an unranked list of The 30 Greatest American Songwriters Alive. Two of my Mount Rushmore performing artists were included (Missy Elliott and Mariah Carey), plus Fiona Apple, Lana Del Rey, Diane Warren, and more. While the writers listed are among the best, most renowned, and respected in the biz, I couldn’t help but think of Kara DioGuardi.
She’s one of the most commercially successful contemporary songwriters, with over 320 songs released by major labels, 150 songs on platinum selling albums, and over 50 charting singles. She was also the fourth American Idol judge and has written for many All-American Idol Rejects. (Seeing as her autobiography’s title is A Helluva High Note; Surviving Life, Love and American Idol, it doesn’t sound like that was a fabulous experience – but I’ll find out. Reading her memoir is on my to do list next week.) I find DioGuardi’s songwriting experience prolific, even if her pop rock, teen punk, Literal Trash, Disneycore repertoire is perhaps considered lowbrow by music industry standards.
Below you will find hyper-specific, highly distinguished lists – in either alphabetical or chronological order – of songs by DioGuardi and my favorites from NYT’s list. Enjoy!
“You Found Me” / “I Do Not Hook Up” by Kelly Clarkson (Co-written with Katy Perry, who originally recorded the song for One of The Boys) by Kelly Clarkson
“The Real Thing” by Bo Bice
“Open Toes” by Katherine McPhee (Another All-American Idol Reject…you already know I love this one)
“Spinning Around” by Kylie Minogue
“Escape” by Enrique Iglesias
"Right in Front of You" / “Taking Chances” by Celine Dion
“Come Clean” / “Stranger” / “With Love” by Hilary Duff
“Brave New Girl” / “Ooh Ooh Baby” by Britney Spears
“Autobiography” / “Pieces of Me” / “Better Off” / “Boyfriend”by Ashlee Simpson
“First” / “Over” by Lindsay Lohan
“Screwed” by Paris Hilton (this song allegedly caused the beef between Paris and Hilarie Duff, who was allegedly supposed to record this song as the debut single for her scrapped solo record)
“He Could Be the One” by Hannah Montana
“Good Girls Go Bad” / “Hot Mess” by Cobra Starship
DioGuardi has also written for artists including but not limited to: Jessica Simpson, Eden’s Crush, Play, Soluna, Rachel Stevens, Nikki Cleary, Gwen Stefani, Natasha Bedingfield, Raven-Symoné, The Veronicas, Jewel, Jesse McCartney, Ryan Cabrera, Christina Aguilera, Vanessa Hudgens, Nick Lachey, Ashley Tisdale, Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, The Cheetah Girls, Camp Rock, Demi Lovato, P!nk, David Archuleta, Adam Lambert, Agnes, and Melanie Martinez.
It’s also worth nothing she has soundtracked all of Nicole Scherzinger’s endeavors, from Eden’s Crush to Pussycat Dolls to her solo material.
”Vision of Love”
“Emotions”
”Can’t Let Go”
”All I’ve Ever Wanted”
“One Sweet Day”
“Butterfly”
”Lead The Way”
”Never Too Far”
”Through The Rain”
”We Belong Together”
Plus songs without videos: “Lick Shots”, “I’m Really Hot”, “Wake Up”, “Let It Bump”, and “On and On”
“Extraordinary Machine”
“Criminal”
“Paper Bag”
“Shadowboxer”
“Never Is a Promise”
“Get Him Back”
“Carrion”
“Sleep to Dream”
“Limp”
“Get Gone”
“Blank Space”
“Red”
“All Too Well”
“King Of My Heart”
“Cruel Summer”
“The Very First Night” (TV)
“New Romantics” (TV)
“Electric Touch” (feat. Fall Out Boy) (TV)
“New Romantics” (TV)
“Clean” (TV)
“Born To Die”
“National Anthem”
“Without You”
“Lucky Ones”
“Ride”
“Cola”
“Gods & Monsters”
“Love”
“Cinnamon Girl”
“A&W”
“I Am” by Hilary Duff
“I Could Not Ask for More” by Edwin McCain
“I Decide” by Lindsay Lohan
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith
“I Turn to You” by Christina Aguilera
“I Want You to Need Me” by Celine Dion
“I Was Here” by Beyoncé
“I Will Learn to Love Again” by Kaci Battaglia
“If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher
“If You Asked Me To” by Patti LaBelle (I’m partial to the Celine Dion cover)
“Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion
“Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)” by Mariah Carey
“Don’t Need You To (Tell Me I’m Pretty)” by Samantha Mumba
“How Do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes
“Music of My Heart” by Gloria Estefan and NSYNC
“Save Up All Your Tears” by Cher (her cover is the best version IMHO)
“Sweetest Sin” by Jessica Simpson
“There You’ll Be” by Faith Hill (from the Pearl Harbor soundtrack, at the height of my crush on Josh Hartnett)
“We Can” by LeAnn Rimes (from the Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde soundtrack)
“Who Will You Run To” by Heart
“Shake Ya Body” by Tyra Banks did not make the list, but I just wanted to remind you that it exists. Warren also wrote “Don’t Fight The Moonlight” and “Please Remember” for the Coyote Ugly soundtrack. More on that below the paywall…
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I recently crossed an item off my longtime bucket list: Visiting the famed Coyote Ugly bar.
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