Mary Susan Applegate
{{short description|American songwriter, poet and lyricist|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Mary Susan Applegate
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Mary Susan Applegate
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|05|02}}
| origin = U.S.A.
| instrument =
| genre = Pop, Rock
| occupation = Lyricist
| years_active =
| label =
| website =
}}
Mary Susan Applegate (born May 2, 1955) is an American songwriter, poet{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJPa1mUUD4AC&q=mary+susan+applegate&pg=PA123|title=Performing the 'New' Europe: Identities, Feelings and Politics in the Eurovision Song Content|last1=Fricker|first1=Karen|last2=Gluhovic|first2=Mila|date=13 May 2013|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9781137367983}} and lyricist who lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
She rose to prominence in 1984 with the lyrics to the multi-platinum hit "The Power of Love", and has since written songs for and co-written songs with multiple singers, and her songs have been constant part of the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years.
Career
Applegate is best known for her contribution to the song "The Power of Love". In 1985, the Jennifer Rush original took the number one position the UK, remaining there for 5 weeks.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/Jennifer-Rush|title=Jennifer Rush Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19851006/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 {{!}} Official Charts Company|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.everyhit.com/chart4.html|title=1980s Singles Chart Archive - everyHit.com|website=www.everyhit.com|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-top-20-biggest-selling-singles-of-all-time-by-female-artists__18426/|title=The Official Top 20 biggest selling singles of all time by female artists|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Jennifer+Rush&titel=The+Power+of+Love&cat=s|title=Jennifer Rush - The Power Of Love|last=Hung|first=Steffen|website=austriancharts.at|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/|title=Gold/Platinum|website=Music Canada|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/7221-2842-1|title=Platinum Single, Jennifer Rush, The Power Of Love|last=|first=|date=|website=bpi.co.uk|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-12-08}}
In 1994 the song became Celine Dion's first number one in the US Billboard charts, staying at the top for four weeks. Celine Dion's version of "The Power of Love"{{Cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-11847|title=Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts|website=www.offiziellecharts.de|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/|title=Gold & Platinum|website=RIAA|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1999/BB-1999-12-25.pdf|title=Billboard archive|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=}} won Applegate the ASCAP Pop Award for "Most Performed Song" in the United States and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, two Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Single of the Year and Hot Adult Contemporary Single of the Year, and for the Juno Award for Single of the Year.
Shirley Bassey,{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/thats-what-friends-are-for-eureka-music-mw0000002668|title=That's What Friends Are For [Eureka Music] - Shirley Bassey {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}} Andrea Bocelli,{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/andrea-bocelli-the-complete-pop-albums-mw0002822592|title=Andrea Bocelli: The Complete Pop Albums - Andrea Bocelli {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}} Laura Branigan{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/Laura-Branigan|title=Laura Branigan Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/gloria-and-other-hits-mw0000671251|title=Gloria and Other Hits - Laura Branigan {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}} and Air Supply{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/Air-Supply|title=Air Supply Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-hong-kong-mw0002757893|title=Live in Hong Kong - Air Supply {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}} are among many world-renowned artists that covered the song.
Applegate went on to write various hit songs for:
Milli Vanilli ("Girl You Know It's True"), No Mercy ("Please Don't Go"),{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-mercy-mw0000614221|title=No Mercy - No Mercy {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}} La Bouche, Bad Boys Blue ("You're a Woman", Love Is No Crime album), Boney M. ("Young, Free and Single"), Banaroo, Bonnie Bianco, Jennifer Rush, Far Corporation, Aaron Carter („Crazy Little Party Girl“), Liberty ("Thinking It Over") and Le Click.
She worked with:
Nena, Udo Lindenberg, Dieter Falk, Tic Tac Toe, Funky Diamonds, Culture Beat (Metamorphosis) Yoomiii, Jazzamor, Cascada, Pur, Erkan Aki,{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/performance/still-me-the-ludlows-mq0001206663|title=Legends of the Fall, film score {{!}} Recording Details and Tracks|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/heres-to-the-heroes-mw0000772815|title=Here's to the Heroes - Erkan Aki {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-08}} Pete Seeger{{Citation|title=Pete Seeger, Diether Dehm und Diadem: The Waterfall|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNOXuj3eErM|language=en|access-date=2019-12-09}} and Gotthard (Lipservice album).
Earlier work includes "Do You Wanna" from the "1st album" (1985) of Modern Talking co-written with Dieter Bohlen.
Applegate also left a footprint in the German Pop- and Schlager world, writing for acts like:
Thomas Anders, Nino de Angelo, Matthias Reim{{Cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/song/Matthias-Reim/Du-bist-wie-ein-Magnet-1103447|title=Matthias Reim - Du bist wie ein Magnet - hitparade.ch|website=hitparade.ch|access-date=2019-12-08}} Michelle and Helene Fischer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/5890851|title=Helene Fischer - The English Ones|website=Discogs|language=de|access-date=2019-12-09}}
Applegate, who only wrote English lyrics during her career, began writing German lyrics for the first time in 2020. Her debut was on the Wolfgang Petry album "Auf das Leben", which was released in September 2021 and ranked at number 2 in the German music charts. Further collaboration with Petry took place on the Stark wie wir album, which reached No. 4 in the German music charts in March 2023.
She also composed some poems for songs by the most famous Portuguese girl band of the 80s, Doce. Songs such as "For the Love of Conchita", "Starlight" or "Stepping Stone".
Eurovision Song Contest
Applegate won 2nd place together with Victor Drobysh in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with the Russian entry "Party for Everybody" performed by Buranovskiye Babushki.
Other ESC entries written by Applegate include Natalia Podolskaya's "Nobody Hurt No One" in 2005 for Russia (position 15 in the final) and Ivan's "Help You Fly" in 2016 for Belarus.
In 2019 Serhat sang "Say Na Na Na", a song partially written by Applegate, for San Marino. It was only the second time San Marino made it to the grand final.
Poetry and Vocals
Applegate contributed poetry, lyrics and vocals to the German experimental electronic band Air Liquide, composed of Ingmar Koch (a.k.a. "Dr Walker") and Cem Oral (a.k.a. "Jammin' Unit"). The band was formed in 1991 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.{{Cite web|url=https://api.discogs.com/artists/5023|title=Air Liquide|website=Discogs|language=de|access-date=2019-12-09}}
Her vocals on Air Liquide's "This is not a Mind Trip"{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/de/Air-Liquide-The-Mercury-EP/release/29953|title=Air Liquide - The Mercury EP|website=Discogs|date=November 1994 |language=de|access-date=2019-12-08}} was used for the opening of the 1994 Love Parade in Berlin.
Screenplays
Applegate collaborated with Frank Farian and Michael Stark on the storyboard for the Daddy Cool musical which opened in London's West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2006.
She currently is working on a biopic screenplay with Cine Golden Eagle Award winner, director and producer Sven Fleck.{{Cite web|url=http://www.svenfleck.de/|title=20second|website=www.svenfleck.de|access-date=2019-12-09}}
Short stories
Further contributions can be heard on The Pete Wolf Band album 2084,{{Cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/song/Pete-Wolf-Band/2084-1925511|title=Pete Wolf Band - 2084 - hitparade.ch|website=hitparade.ch|access-date=2019-12-08}} where beside lyrics, she also co-penned 14 short stories with Pete Wolf.
Awards
= Grammy Awards =
= American Music Award =
"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Favorite Pop/Rock Song (1995) - Nominated{{Cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1995/amas.htm|title=Rock On The Net: 22nd American Music Awards (presented in 1995)|website=www.rockonthenet.com|access-date=2019-12-08}}
= ASCAP =
"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Most Performed Song. (1994){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AsEAAAAMBAJ&q=ascap|title=Billboard|date=1995-05-27|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|language=en}}
= Billboard Music Awards =
"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Top Hot 100 Song. (1994)
"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Hot Adult Contemporary number one of 1994. (1994){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZAgEAAAAMBAJ&q=dion|title=Billboard|date=1994-12-24|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|language=en}}
= Juno Award =
"The Power of Love", (Celine Dion), Single Of The Year. (1995){{Cite web|url=http://junoawards.ca/awards/artist-summary/?artist_name=celine+dion&submit=Search|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108144327/http://junoawards.ca/awards/artist-summary/?artist_name=celine+dion&submit=Search|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-01-08|title=Artist Summary {{!}} The JUNO Awards|date=2014-01-08|access-date=2019-12-08}} - Nominated
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{discogs artist|13656|Mary S. Applegate}}
- {{IMDb name|nm2293710|Mary S. Applegate}}
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mary-susan-applegate-mn0001800382/credits at allmusic.com
- https://www.offiziellecharts.de/suche/person-73889 at offiziellecharts.de
{{Air Liquide (band)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Applegate, Mary Susan}}