The Top 50 Songs by Diane Warren

Diane Warren Top 50 Songs

Songwriter Diane Warren was born September 7, 1956, in Van Nuys, California. Her first hit was “Solitaire,” a #7 hit for Laura Branigan in 1983. In the late ‘80s, she became the first songwriter in history to have seven hits – all by different artists – on the Billboard Hot 100. She has had 33 top-10 hits on the chart; nine went to #1. She is a Grammy, Emmy, Ivor Novello, and Golden Globe winner. She was nominated 14 times for Academy awards without a win before receiving an honorary Oscar in 2022. Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Diane Warren Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists”

Awards:

Check out the Spotify playlist “The Best of Diane Warren, 1983-2003.” Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. DMDB Top 1%: 1. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (1998) 2. Celine Dion “Because You Loved Me” (1996) 3. Toni Braxton “Un-Break My Heart” (1996) 4. LeAnn Rimes “How Do I Live” (1997) DMDB Top 2%: 5. Starship “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (1987) DMDB Top 5%: 6. Bad English “When I See You Smile” (1989) 7. Chicago “Look Away” (1988) 8. Ace of Base “Don’t Turn Around” (1994) DMDB Top 10%: 9. Cher “If I Could Turn Back Time” (1989) 10. Brandy “Have You Ever?” (1998) 11. Milli Vanilli “Blame It on the Rain” (1989) 12. Faith Hill “There You’ll Be” (2001) 13. LeAnn Rimes “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” (2000) 14. DeBarge “Rhythm of the Night” (1985) 15. Taylor Dayne “Love Will Lead You Back” (1990) 16. Michael Bolton “How Can We Be Lovers” (1990) 17. Trisha Yearwood “How Do I Live” (1997) 18. Joe Cocker “When the Night Comes” (1989) 19. Christina Aguilera “I Turn to You” (1999) 20. Michael Bolton with Kenny G “Missing You Now” (1992) DMDB Top 20%: 21. Aretha Franklin & Elton John “Through the Storm” (1989) 22. Laura Branigan “Solitaire” (1983) 23. Belinda Carlisle “I Get Weak” (1988) 24. Celine Dion “If You Asked Me To” (1992) 25. Taylor Dayne “I’ll Be Your Shelter” (1990) 26. Michael Bolton “Time, Love & Tenderness” (1991) 27. Meat Loaf “I’d Lie for You and That’s the Truth” (1995) 28. Chicago “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” (1988) 29. Cher “Just Like Jesse James” (1989) 30. Expose “I’ll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me” (1993) 31. Cher “Save Up All Your Tears” (1991) 32. Michael Bolton “When I’m Back on My Feet Again” (1990) 33. Whitney Houston & Enrique Iglesias “Could I Have This Kiss Forever” (2000) 34. Cher “Love and Understanding” (1991) 35. Heart “Who Will You Run To?” (1987) 36. Gloria Estefan “Live for Loving You” (1991) 37. Kenny G with Peabo Bryson “By the Time This Night Is Over” (1993) 38. Heart “I Didn’t Want to Need You” (1990) 39. N Sync & Gloria Estefan “Music of My Heart” (1999) 40. Monica “For You I Will” (1997) 41. Roberta Flack & Maxi Priest “Set the Night to Music” (1991) 42. Aretha Franklin & Whitney Houston “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” (1989) 43. Shanice “Saving Forever for You” (1992) 44. Mark Chesnutt “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (1998) 45. Michael Bolton “Completely” (1993) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 46. Cheap Trick “Ghost Town” (1988) 47. Air Supply “Lonely Is the Night” (1986) 48. Aaliyah “The One I Gave My Heart To” (1997) 49. Kiss “Let’s Put the X in Sex” (1988) 50. Celine Dion “Love Can Move Mountains” (1992) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Diane Warren Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 10/30/2011; last updated 3/11/2024.

Aerosmith debuted at #1 with “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”

I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing Aerosmith

Writer(s): Diane Warren (see lyrics here) Released: August 18, 1998 First Charted: May 29, 1998 Peak: 14 US, 11 BA, 18 RR, 13 AC, 2 A40, 4 AR, 4 UK, 2 CN, 18 AU, 10 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.35 UK, 6.49 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.7 radio, 661.0 video, 879.51 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Aerosmith established themselves as one of the premiere classic rock band in the 1970s with album rock staples like “Walk This Way,” “Dream On,” and “Sweet Emotion.” By the end of the decade, the group looked like they were toast, but a late ‘80s revival restorted their commercial clout with hits like “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” “Angel,” “Love in an Elevator,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun.” However, it wasn’t until 1998 that Aerosmith landed their one and only #1 song with “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” At the time, no act had waited longer – almost 25 years – from its first chart entry to its first chart-topper. FB The song was written by Diane Warren who wrote #1 hits in the 1980s and ‘90s for Bad English (“When I See You Smile”), Toni Braxton (“Un-Break My Heart”), Chicago (“Look Away”), Taylor Dayne (“Love Will Lead You Back”), Celine Dion (“Because You Loved Me”), Milli Vanilli (“Blame It on the Rain”), and Starship (“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”). She envisioned someone like Celine Dion singing the power ballad which was featured in 1998 disaster film Armageddon. U2 was asked to perform it, but passed. SF Aerosmith emerged as a candidate after lead singer Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv was cast in the movie. The band’s drummer, Joey Kramer, said it was difficult to imagine them singing the song when he first heard it, but they were able to make it their own after they began playing it. WK Warren was also surprised Aerosmith was asked, but got chills when she was sitting at the piano with Steven Tyler teaching him the song and hearing him bring it to life. SF Birmingham Evening Mail said “Warren weaves her magic again with a bombastic power ballad…[which] perfectly suits Steven Tyler’s sleazy vocals.” WK Billboard’s Larry Flick wrote that it was “a high=voltage performance that is matched by a collision of rock-style instrumentation and grand, faux-classical orchestration.” WK The video for the song intercut performances of the band with clips from the movie, including appearances by one of the movie’s stars, Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv. It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film and Nickelodeon’s Teen Choice Award for Love Song of the Year. It was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. Resources: FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 870. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/27/2021; last updated 7/24/2023.

Two Versions of “How Do I Live” Hit Radio

How Do I Live LeAnn Rimes

Writer(s): Diane Warren (see lyrics here) Released: May 23, 1997 First Charted: June 21, 1997 Peak: 2 US, 4 RR, 111 AC, 10 A40, 43 CW, 7 UK, 19 CN, 17 AU, 13 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.7 US, 0.83 UK, 4.53 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.4 radio, 58.14 video, 157.09 streaming

How Do I Live Trisha Yearwood

Released: May 23, 1997 First Charted: June 7, 1997 Peak: 23 US, 2 CW, 66 UK, 28 CN, 3 AU, 28 DW (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.14 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.4 radio, 58.14 video, 26.98 streaming

Awards (Rimes): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Diane Warren wrote “How Do I Live” for the film Con Air. She ran into LeAnn Rimes at a restaurant shortly after Rimes won the Grammy for Best New Artist. She told Rimes she wrote “How Do I Live” specifically with her in mind. Rimes recorded it the next day, but the movie company thought the song had too much of a pop sound and that Rimes, only 14 at the time, was too young for the song’s subject matter. They asked Trisha Yearwood to re-record the song. She did, saying she was unaware that Rimes had already recorded it. Yearwood’s version had a “more throaty, country-western vibe” WK and was the one which appeared in the film, although neither appeared on the soundtrack. Rimes’ label was reluctant to release her version, but Warren personally called the label head and urged them to release it, a move which angered everyone involved until the song blew up. SF Billboard’s Larry Flick said Yearwood had “the depth and intensity to convey the love and longing in the lyric” WK while Rimes gave the song “a youthful exuberance and wide-eyed innocence that will melt even the coldest heart.” WK The two versions were released to radio on the same day. Yearwood’s version did far better on the country charts (#2 compared to Rimes’ #43 peak), but Rimes had the much greater success overall. Her version peaked at #2 for five non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 behind Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” juggernaut and Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply.” Rimes’ version of “How Do I Live” would set a record for 69 weeks on the chart. It would hold up for more than a decade before being surpassed by Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” It also set the record for 25 consecutive weeks in the top 5, a record held for 19 years. THe Chainsmokers’ “Closer” broke the record in 2017. It spent a record 32 consecutive weeks in the top 10, a record broken by Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” in 2017. It was also the highest-selling country single until Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” 12 years later. In 2014, Billboard magazine rated “How Do I Live” as the #1 song of the 1990s. It currently ranks at #6 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for LeAnn Rimes DMDB encyclopedia entry for Trisha Yearwood SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 10/14/2022.

Toni Braxton hit #1 for 1st of 11 weeks with “Un-Break My Heart”

Un-Break My Heart Toni Braxton

Writer(s): Diane Warren (see lyrics here) Released: October 7, 1996 First Charted: October 18, 1996 Peak: 111 US, 6 CB, 2 GR, 2 RR, 114 AC, 4 A40, 2 RB, 2 UK, 5 CN, 6 AU, 13 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.4 US, 0.99 UK, 10.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 800.50 video, 229.06 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Braxton was a preacher’s daughter “raised in a household where pop music was strictly forbidden.” KX In 1990, she recorded with her sisters as The Braxtons, but by 1992 she’d launched a solo career. In 1993, she landed the Grammy for Best New Artist and found her way into the top 10 of the pop charts with “Another Sad Love Song” and “Breathe Again”. Braxton’s second album, Secrets, proved she would not suffer the Best New Artist Grammy curse of disappearing from the music scene. Lead-off single “You’re Makin’ Me High” was a #1 hit which won a Grammy for R&B Female Vocal. However, even more successful was the album’s second single, “Un-Break My Heart”, a ballad of “blistering heartbreak” SF in which Braxton begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. SF In her “distinctive, husky alto” BB100 Braxton delivered a performance which was “both poignant and hopeful.” TB The song’s eleven weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 put it amongst the biggest #1 songs of all time. It won her yet another Grammy – this one for Pop Female Vocal. The song was written by Diane Warren who’d penned such #1 hits as Chicago’s “Look Away” and Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me”, but this was her most successful song in the U.S. in terms of chart performance. SF Warren said she knew immediately that “Heart” would be a hit, but that Braxton didn’t want to sing it. Even after the song succeeded, Braxton told Warren she “didn’t want another one of those”. SF Resources: BB100 Billboard (9/08). “All-Time Hot 100”. DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 202. KX KXXO Mixx 96, Olympia, WA. Top 96 Soft Rock Songs of All Time SF Songfacts.com TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 273. Related Links: First posted 10/26/2011; last updated 1/18/2024.

---