Songs of Diane Warren

You probably don't know what Diane Warren looks like, but many of the tunes she has written will be embedded in the melody compartment of your memory banks — one of the most prolific and talented pop songsmiths in the world, Warren specialises in hookful love ballads, and has made a habit of attaching them to blockbuster movies. Our selection opens up with Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon and LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" from Con Air. Warren's timeless pop unites the generations, in Next Steps.

Just take a quick glance at the variety of artists who have sought out Diane Warren's services, and you'll find a Who's Who of pop superstardom — from legends Cher ("Just Like Jesse James") and Aretha Franklin ("It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be") to youngbloods Carrie Underwood ("Some Hearts") and JoJo ("Exceptional"). After all, any songwriter who can bridge the gap between Britney Spears and Eric Clapton must be doing something right. Burly men go soft under Warren's spell, in Deep Cuts.

Who does blue-eyed soulster and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks turn to when he wants a cast-iron heartbreaker ("Places I've Been")? Which songwriter fulfills the exacting standards of Luther Vandross (with "If I Was the One") when plaintive yearning is on his agenda? And whose lyrical and melodic abilities are equal to the task of soaking Meat Loaf's capacious handkerchief when high emotional strikes ("Not a Dry Eye In the House")? You've guessed it . . . D.W.

You know that part in the movie where the chips are down, the tears are flowing like the thundering waters of Niagara, and the hero or heroine has to draw on those deep reserves of strength to face down malevolent ghosts, a rogue meteor, or just a household case of the heartbreaks. Chances are Diane Warren matched the intensity and passion of that moment in song, as her work has underscored a huge range of films, from Up Close and Personal to Ghostbusters. Her strict work routine — 12 hours a day, six days a week — has produced a huge catalogue of tunes, and the beneficiaries include rockers (Kiss, Starship), divas (Cher, Céline), and boy bands (Westlife, Boyzone).