OK, one of my most favorite songwriter moments EVER happened last week in the bathroom at the Songwriters Hall of Fame with PATTI LABELLE, the very first artist to start regularly recording my songs back in the day, including “Stir It Up”, a hit we had together on the Grammy-winning Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. I was washing my hands when I overheard three girls next to me throwing out lines from Friends episodes. As we were at the Songwriters Hall of Fame it felt appropriate to tell them that I co-wrote “I’ll Be There For You,” the Friends theme. So we’re huddled in a corner talking about it and the next thing I know Patti LaBelle, slips in between us and starts singing the very first song of mine she ever recorded, “Little Girls,” in 1978. Thank God someone started videoing part-way through and I got this extraordinary footage. Brought me right back to the year that things blew up for me as Patti recorded this song, introduced me to Herbie Hancock, who I started writing with in the studio next door, and in short order it all led to “September” and Earth, Wind & Fire. In addition to the general joy and privilege of being a songwriter it’s moments like this that make it ALL worth it! This was an extraordinarily sentimental reunion, not to mention that it happened in the perfect setting, the bathroom!!
