Howard Stern is undertaking recording project after assigning his longtime show staffer Fred Norris the task of writing him a “hit song,” albeit one that didn’t require much in terms of vocal prowess. His intention was to mimic his vocals after B-52s singer Fred Schneider’s atonal yelping on “Love Shack” and then “get a bunch of girls that can really sing.”
To help realize the track, Stern recruited music’s most successful collaborators, Mark Ronson, who in turn brought in that “bunch of girls:” the HAIM sisters. Reportedly putting in “50 hours” of work on the track, Ronson also roped in the horn section from The Roots to contribute.
Ronson is British musician and record producer who has collaborated with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Adele, Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars. He has received five Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Winehouse’s album Back to Black and two for Record of the Year singles “Rehab” and “Uptown Funk”. He received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for co-writing the song “Shallow” for the film A Star is Born.
Haim is a rock band from Los Angeles that consists of three sisters: Este Haim (bass guitar and vocals), Danielle Haim (vocals and guitar) and Alana Haim (guitars, keyboards, and vocals). The Roots are known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip-hop featuring live musical instruments and the group’s work has consistently been met with critical acclaim.
When Stern shared that he was getting nervous for his performance, Ronson offered some advice: “Take that voice, the platinum thing anyway, and just make it the star of the show.” Ronson even promised Stern that the song would end up a bigger hit than “Shallow” the single from A Star Is Born featuring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. “You have a gift, all I have to do is put that gift in a shiny bow and put it on a nice beat and we can have a hit,” Ronson said.
Stern’s only music credit is an informal feature on Rob Zombie’s “The Great American Nightmare”, the soundtrack single from the movie adaption of Stern’s 1993 book Private Parts that is the lead-in for his SiriusXM show. He is best known for his radio show The Howard Stern Show on the radio from 1986 to 2005. Stern has broadcast on Sirius XM Radio since 2006.
Stern’s early career began when he landed his first radio job at Boston University. In 1985, he began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City. Stern became one of the highest paid radio figures after signing a five-year deal with Sirius in 2004 worth $500 million. Described as the “King of All Media” since 1992 his two books, Private Parts (1993) and Miss America (1995), entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number one and sold over one million copies.
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