The Secret Genius Behind Your Favourite Songs
2. Helped Put Katy Perry On The Map
Though Child would see success with many pop artists at the turn of the century, he mostly stuck with old friends, working with rockers like Vince Neil and Paul Stanley. Once he hooked up with fellow songwriter Andreas Carlsson, he hit upon a scenario that was almost bulletproof.
Coming from the pop-rock scene, Carlsson was looking to write a song that would perfectly capture the feeling of being hungover after a long night on the Vegas strip. Finding the prospect incredibly interesting, Child lent his services and eventually came up with "Waking Up In Vegas," whose lyric was both heartfelt and comical at the same time.
The only issue arose when trying to find the right singer who could bring across the more flippant tone of the vocal track. Luckily, the song wound up in the hands of Greg Wells who was the producer of what would be Katy Perry's breakthrough album One of the Boys.
Though the record would have many hits for Perry including "I Kissed a Girl," "Waking Up in Vegas" became a fan-favorite for the pop star, which set her up for even more success on the album Teenage Dream. Child's expertise may have been in rock, but his pop ear had certainly not dulled with age.