Who Wrote the Hits? The Songwriters and Producers Behind the 80s

Every huge 80s song had someone behind the curtain — a songwriter who found the hook, a producer who built the sound. They didn't sing the hits, but they wrote and shaped dozens of them, often for a dozen different artists. Here are the 80s songwriters and producers whose fingerprints are all over the decade.

The Songwriters

The people who actually wrote the songs you know by heart.

• Diane Warren — the queen of the power ballad. "If I Could Turn Back Time," "How Do I Live," and a hit list that spans four decades.
• Desmond Child — the rock-anthem machine. Co-wrote "Livin' on a Prayer" with Bon Jovi, "Poison" for Alice Cooper, and "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" for Aerosmith.
• Holly Knight — behind some of the decade's biggest female anthems: "Love Is a Battlefield" (Pat Benatar) and "The Best" (Tina Turner).
• Jim Steinman — the Wagnerian mastermind of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell saga.
• Rod Temperton — the quiet Brit who wrote "Thriller" and "Rock with You" for Michael Jackson.
• Carole Bayer Sager — co-writer of "That's What Friends Are For" and "Arthur's Theme."

The Producers

The people who built the sound of the 80s.

• Quincy Jones — produced Thriller and Off the Wall, the two records that redefined what pop could be.
• Nile Rodgers — the Chic guitarist whose production touch is on Bowie's "Let's Dance," Madonna's "Like a Virgin," and Duran Duran.
• Trevor Horn — "the man who invented the 80s": Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ABC, Yes's "Owner of a Lonely Heart."
• Giorgio Moroder — the synth-disco pioneer behind "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Take My Breath Away."
• David Foster — the polished-ballad specialist behind "St. Elmo's Fire" and a run of Chicago hits.
• Babyface — began his run here and became the architect of 90s R&B for Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, and TLC.

Follow the credits

On G33Z3R Radio, every song page shows who wrote and produced it — and each name is a link. Browse the full A–Z of songwriters and producers, or start with the decade itself: the 80s in music and the acts who sang these songs on the top pop artists of the 80s.