Did Desmond Child write Me wise magic ?

**The Van Baron** · 10.09.02, 11:28 AM

.....anybody know about this ?...and hoe bout Can't get this stuff

[ October 09, 2002, 11:29 AM: Message edited by: the van baron ]

**Badabing** · 10.09.02, 11:39 AM

Never happened. Glenn Ballard was actually the producer on those two bonus tracks for the Best OF Volume 1. I recall Diamond Dave saying that Desmond is a friend of Glenn's and he had brought some lyrics to them. Dave said the lyrics sissified-sanguine-grew-up-too-close-to-mommy lyrics!! lol.. Dave also said Desmond might be good for Bon Jovi, but for VH its like syphillis!
Mind you Desmond has written/co-written tons of songs for Aerosmith, Kiss and others. So VH trashed that quick. Thank God. Cuz even tho it was only a bonus track I pride myself in the fact that every lyric, every song on every damn VH album was written and created by the BAND. They have never resorted to outside songwriters. They had no need to. Sammy Hagar himself said he would never even consider singing lyrics someone else has written for him.

**Wolfman** · 10.09.02, 12:28 PM

Yeah, like badabing said, there was outside influence attempted, and Dave rewrote the lyrics to his liking. Pretty typical thing to do when a band of that status has a disappointing outing and tries to get back on top,though - Tim Collins did it when he was with Aerosmith. If you caught the Behind the Music special on Aerosmith, the band members were against the idea of outside writers, particularly Tom Hamilton, but somehow they managed to get it to work for them and spawn a few of their biggest commercial hits. Unfortunately, it shifted their fan base and got a lot of people calling them sellouts and "pop" rock.
They talked about how Collins was great for them in the start and eventually became too big for his britches and started trying to control everything and even started conspiring against the band members when they didn't give in to everything he wanted. I read all about this previously in the book "Walk This Way" as well.
IMO, the same thing happened to VH with Ray Danniels, but we may never know to what extent, sadly.

**Blotcher** · 10.09.02, 12:37 PM

Bullshit! There is an article in guitar player magazine and a few other magazines where Eddie said it, Sammy said it and even Dave mentioned it right after the MTV fiasco.

From the way it reads, Eddie was starting to become open to ther writers helping out with the lyrics. That is one reason Sammy went ape shit during the Twister sessions because he did not want to use Glen Ballards lyrics to a song Called "Between us two"

Later Sammy came to find out that Eddie suggested to Glenn to re-write some of the lyrics.

By the time Eddie started to work with Dave for the BOV1 project, Eddie gave Dave a few instrumentals for Dave to put lyrics to, but Dave was having trouble with lyrics becasue he was really not into the music Eddie had to offer during this period of time.

Finally to Eddie's surprise Dave ended up liking what was to become "Me Wise Magic" and Can't Get This Stuff No More" Eddie open to new ideas had Dave write the lyrics to those two songs with Desmond Child and Glenn Ballard.

**MAX** · 10.09.02, 12:54 PM

I have a Guitar World magazine from 1996 where Ed states that Glen Ballard, Ed and Dave all contributed to "Me Wise Magic". The lyrics were origanally all Glen Ballard's with some help from Ed on the chorus. Ed actually nicknamed it "The Three Faces Of Shamus" and Dave origanally thought the song was too dark for him. But about a week later, Dave decided that it wasn't too "dark" of a song and they let him change a few things to fit the song to his liking. An example is "a buddhist riff" that is Dave's. As for Can't Get This Stuff No More", the lyrics are all Dave. With the exception of the title and the song's premise. That was Glen Ballard's idea. Dave pretty much said the same thing in his book. The Desmond Child remark is that he was a suggestion by Ed and Al, but Dave thought that his lyrics would be "Syphillis" for Van Halen's music.

[ October 09, 2002, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: Ou812max ]

**Little Dreamer** · 10.09.02, 01:11 PM

Could no one ever mention VH & Desmond Child in the same sentence again?

Thank you.

**bobthyfan** · 10.09.02, 01:39 PM

David wouldn't stand for it. He wrote about him in Relentless "To close to mommy grew, he grew up square with all the spine of a chocolate eclair."

**El Chubacabra** · 10.09.02, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by Badabing:
Cuz even tho it was only a bonus track I pride myself in the fact that every lyric, every song on every damn VH album was written and created by the BAND.

Hmm, how about pretty women, you really got me, dancing in the streets, you're no good, happy trails, big bad bill(is sweet willam now), none of these songs where written by VH but appear on there albums. I not trying to be a D*ck just trying to make a point.

**VanRicardo** · 10.09.02, 02:31 PM

Also Michael McDonald of the Doobie Bros co wrote I`ll Wait from 1984, and is credited on the vinyl 12 inch version, I know this for fact as I have the record.

**MAX** · 10.09.02, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by VanRicardo:
Also Michael McDonald of the Doobie Bros co wrote I`ll Wait from 1984, and is credited on the vinyl 12 inch version, I know this for fact as I have the record.

He's also credited on the remasters cd liner.

**Badabing** · 10.09.02, 04:34 PM

Aside from the obvious cover songs, VH wrote everything ok? lol... And I didnt mind covers considering VH did them in their own way. Diver Down was a bit much and totally unnecessary but at least it led to EVH building his 5150 studio and the 1984 album! Besides, look at the Beatles. Their first 3 albums alone had like 16 cover song on them!! Thats about twice as many as VH had their whole career! Not to mention how much influence George Martin had in orchestrating the tunes. Besides, only a couple of those covers VH did where even used as singles.

If VH did a collabo with Michael McDonald I dont mind cuz that is just them getting together with a guy from another band and not some proffesional hitmaker for hire like Desmond Child, Dianne Warren, Holly Knight, Marti Fredriksen and all the other people Aerosmith have brought in to write commercial schamltz hits for them cuz they needed it bad.

**cerebralmadness** · 10.09.02, 05:00 PM

Also Michael McDonald of the Doobie Bros co wrote I`ll Wait from 1984, and is credited on the vinyl 12 inch version, I know this for fact as I have the record.

I don't believe that they worked at all with Michael McDonald. I think he had a song, or was a least working on a song that was somehow similar to I'll Wait, and credit was given to him out of good will, or in layman's terms, to avoid a lawsuit.

**MAX** · 10.09.02, 05:06 PM

Originally posted by cerebralmadness:

I don't believe that they worked at all with Michael McDonald. I think he had a song, or was a least working on a song that was somehow similar to I'll Wait, and credit was given to him out of good will, or in layman's terms, to avoid a lawsuit

That could be true because I've never heard Ed or Dave mention it in any interview and Ted Templeman did also work with Michael McDonald.

**muffdiver** · 10.10.02, 03:01 PM

i heard mike macdonald and ed are friends and came up with i'll wait too...

**a.f.u.** · 10.10.02, 03:55 PM

Wasn't it just McDonald and Dave that worked together...and just on the lyrics? I don't think Ed or the rest of them were involved.

If you want to get technical, heck, Ed collaborated with Thomas Dolby for the song Right Now. So yeah, not every little thing was purely Ed, Dave, Al, and Mike.

I'm certainly glad Desmond Child didn't donate any lyrical contributions. He's cheesier than Sammy. Dave's far superior to them is wordage.