With Lisa Loeb Official, my ol’ friend and neighbor and mom of the best Girl Scout cookie saleswoman in the world, at the SONA celebration for #1 songwriter this month, Sam Hollander’s celebration at The Hotel Cafe a few weeks ago. Although we’ve never written together – which is SOOOOO stupid there’s not an adequate word for it – Lisa won a Grammy last year, rocks on hard, and is also a phenomenal cake and cookie maker herself, as evidenced by the Allee cake she brought to my birthday about 10 years ago.

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With my girls, Holly Palmer and Prudence Fenton, a couple weeks ago at the SONA (Songwriters Of North America) salute to the great Sam Hollander, who’s presently holding down the top of the charts with Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes”. Holly and I were in a short-lived but mighty group called Bubbles & Cheesecake. Prudence and I are always making tag-team trouble. I’ve attached a Sam photo here as well so he can be in the mix at his own event. And for a little Bubbles & Cheesecake, sip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo_VXWO5SKo

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An excellent reunion over the holidays with one of my first friends ever in the music biz, Arnold McCuller, a stupendous singer and friend. A great solo singer, he’s even better known for his work as a touring back-up singer with the likes of James Taylor (for over 30 years), Phil Collins, Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Todd Rundgren and a trillion more. Arnold and I met right after I wrote my first few songs in New York in the mid 70’s. We followed each other out to LA in the late 70’s and he sang many an early demo of mine and helped my songs sound exceptionally sweet ’n funky, “Neutron Dance” and “Boogie Wonderland” among them.

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“In my head, I always wanted to write hits. There used to be massive conversation on what was art and what was commercial. I grew up listening to Top 40, and to me, the greatest songs meshed those two together.” I said that in June on Questlove’s podcast, QuestloveSupreme, and nowhere was it better proven this last week than writing with Sam Hollander, whose thinking and songs share that sentiment, including the #1 song on the charts this week, “High Hopes” by Panic! At The Disco. Sam’s other gems include Fitz & The Tantrums (“HandClap”), and a gaggle of songs for artists like Train, Weezer, One Direction, Gym & Class, Good Charlotte, Carole King, Pentatonix, and way more. We kicked out a hooky, melodic little sucker in 3 hours. Excited to continue working on it and especially to continue with Sam! #hitsongs#songwriter #samhollander #alleewillis #questlove #number1

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Great Spotify piece out today about the huge surge my very first hit, ‘September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, takes every Friday and Saturday night in England because of it’s partying effect. Not to mention the chant English soccer fans have turned it into, the number of times the song has been covered more recently, from Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick on down. I always say “September”, co-written with Maurice White and Al McKay, is the song that wouldn’t die. This year, 40 years after it’s release, it also jumped back on the Billboard Hip Hop charts, even knocking Eminem out of the #1 spot. Anyway, thanks Spotify, for this “September” salute and a big BA-DE-YA Monday to all! #MusicMonday #AlMckay #BoogieWonderland

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My fifth hit, “Neutron Dance” by The Pointer Sisters, was released on this very day, Nov. 24, in 1984. It was on the Grammy-winning Beverly Hills Copsoundtrack along with my sixth hit, ‘Stir It Up” by Patti LaBelle. Both were co-written with one of my favorite collaborators ever, the incredible Danny Sembello. Here’s to a neutronically tweaked weekend!

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