Hipgnosis buys Carole Bayer Sager catalogue – Hipgnosis Songs Fund has bought the catalogue of Carole Bayer Sager. The catalogue spans 55 years and contains songs including A Groovy Kind Of Love, When I Need You, Nobody Does It Better, That’s What Friends Are For, Heartlight, The Prayer, Don’t Cry Out Loud, On My Own, It’s The Falling In Love, Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) and Heartbreaker. Carole Bayer Sager is one of the extremely rare EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) nominees and has been decorated with Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe wins.
Despite a successful solo career which saw her release three albums in the 1970s, Bayer Sager is best known for her work as a songwriter and producer for some of the world’s most successful artists, with collaborations with Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond, Bette Midler, Celine Dion, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Reba McEntire.
Key songs from her catalogue:
- A Groovy Kind of Love was Bayer Sager’s first Number 1 hit which she wrote whilst still at High School. Initially recorded by The Mindbenders in 1965, the song was a worldwide hit, reaching Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1988, Phil Collins released a ballad version of A Groovy Kind of Love which reached Number 1 in the UK and US, earned Collins a Grammy Award for “Best Pop Vocal Performance” in 1989 and was the most performed radio hit of the year. Standing the test of time, A Groovy Kind of Love has now been streamed over 150 million times.
- Don’t Cry Out Loud, released in the US by Melissa Manchester, reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 100 and, due to its length of time in the charts, ranked as Billboard’s 26th biggest hit of 1976. The version performed by Elkie Brooks reached the Top 15 of the UK singles chart.
- When I Need You achieved worldwide success in 1977 after its release by Leo Sayer. When I Need You topped the UK Singles chart for three weeks, whilst also reaching Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The song has since been covered by many internationally recognised stars including Rod Stewart, Céline Dion, Cliff Richard, Julio Iglesias and Luther Vandross.
- Nobody Does It Better was recorded by Carly Simon as the theme song for the 1977 James Bond film, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. Nobody Does It Better became a major worldwide hit, spending three weeks at Number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaching Number 7 in the UK. Among the most successful Bond theme songs, it received a nomination for “Song of the Year” at the 1978 Grammy Awards as well as nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards.
- You’re Moving Out Today was Bayer Sager’s first solo Number 1 single. Released from Bayer Sager’s debut self-titled album in 1977, it reached Number 6 in the UK and spent four weeks at Number 1 in Australia. It was also a hit for Bette Midler.
- It’s The Falling In Love was included on Bayer Sager’s second solo album ‘…Too’. In 1979, Michael Jackson covered It’s The Falling In Love on his 9x platinum, and Grammy Award winning, album ‘Off the Wall’.
- Through the Eyes of Love by Melissa Manchester, which was the theme song to the 1978 film ‘Ice Castles’ and was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award.
- Bayer Sager co-wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical They’re Playing Our Song in 1978, which ran for over three years on Broadway and received four Tony Award nominations including for “Best Musical”.
- Heartbreaker (1978) and You’re the Only One (1979) by Dolly Parton, which both reached Number 1 on Billboard’s US Hot Country Songs charts. You’re the Only One was nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award for “Song of the Year”.
- It’s My Turn by Diana Ross which was used as the theme song to the film ‘It’s My Turn’ in 1980. The song reached Number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart.
- Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) by Christopher Cross, which was the main theme for the 1981 film ‘Arthur’. The song reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart and won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for “Best Original Song” in addition to the Emmy Award for “Song of the Year”.
- Heartlight, by Neil Diamond, was the first track on Diamond’s 1982 album, also titled ‘Heartlight’. The song reached Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart.
- That’s What Friends Are For, which was initially recorded by Rod Stewart for the film ‘Night Shift’. That’s What Friends Are For reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for “Song of the Year” as a remake by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John. That’s What Friends Are For has amassed over 75 million streams on Spotify.
- On My Own by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald topped three different Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, and reached Number 2 on the UK singles chart.
- The Prayer, recorded by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli for the 1998 film ‘Quest for Camelot’, won the Golden Globe for “Best Original Song” in 1999 and was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Grammy Award. The Prayer re-entered the charts in 2008 after Celine Dion released a live version of the song as a duet with Josh Groban, and in 2004 as a cover by Anthony Callea, the runner-up of Australian Idol. Anthony Callea’s cover version remained Number 1 on the Australian singles chart for five consecutive weeks, was certified quadruple-platinum and currently holds the record for the fastest-selling single in Australia.
In 1987 Bayer Sager was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2019 received the “Johnny Mercer Award” from the Songwriters Hall of Fame during their 50th anniversary induction ceremony, becoming the sixth female songwriter to ever be awarded this honour. Bayer Sager has also been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Some figures
[yay Hipgnosis! – this is the first time I’ve noticed them publishing these]
Revenue – 2018: $521,000, 2019: $548,000, 2020: $652,000
Revenue mix by source for 2020 – mechanical 8%, performance 13%, streaming 16%, sync 24% and writer’s share 33%
Revenue mix by geography for 2020 – US 46% versus rest of the world 54%
Revenue diversification for 2020 – top 3 songs: 41%, top 5: 56% and top 10: 76%
Top 5 Songs by revenue
- When I Need You – Leo Sayer; Rod Stewart, Celine Dion; Cliff Richard; Julio Iglesias; and Luther Vandross
- The Prayer – Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli; Anthony Callea
- That’s What Friends Are For – Rod Stewart; Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & Elton John
- On My Own – Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
- A Groovy Kind of Love – The Mindbenders; Phil Collins
SONG : Hipgnosis buys Carole Bayer Sager catalogue