Steve Kipner is a very successful pop songwriter and producer. During the course of Kipner’s 40-plus year career, he has written or co-written huge hits including “Physical” for Olivia Newton John, “Hard Habit To Break” for Chicago, “Impulsive” for Wilson Philips, “Breakeven” for The Script and “Genie In A Bottle” for Christina Aguilera. His songs are recorded by a who’s who of acts comprising of America, Cher, Sheena Easton, the late Al Jarreau and Joe Cocker, Diana Ross, Huey Lewis & The News and George Benson.

Around the end of the seventies, Kipner, also an enjoyable singer, was part of the David Foster/Jay Graydon circle. Kipner co-wrote several songs with the pair including a few key tracks on their seminal 1980 Airplay album. In 1979, Graydon produced Kipner’s debut album, Knock The Walls Down, that saw Foster in the musicians’ line-up. Also included were other studio wizards like Larry Carlton, Greg Mathieson, Jerry Hey, David Hungate and the late genius of Jeff Porcaro and Victor Feldman. Knock The Walls Down was one of those “unknown” quality pop masterpieces. For the top level of its songwriting, craft and production, Knock The Walls Down quickly gained cult status among the followers of the “West Coast” music movement.

Written by Kipner, the title-track was one of those breezy soft-pop songs that could fascinate listeners for its melodic power, yet was beefed up by a jazzy arrangement and some clever tempo changes. There was an outstanding instrumental background built up by Carlton on acoustic guitar, Graydon on electric guitar, Foster on keys plus Porcaro and Hungate driving the rhythm section. Though not a powerful singer of Bill Champlin’s or Richard Page’s caliber, Kipner’s pleasant voice and energetic performance fit the bill quite nicely. “Knock The Walls” was eventually covered by soul group Tavares on their 1980 Love Uprising album. Another refined jam from Knock The Walls Down was “School Of Broken Hearts” that can be found in the archives.

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• Lead Vocals: Steve Kipner
• Acoustic Guitar: Larry Carlton
• Electric Guitars: Jay Graydon
• Rhodes & Oberheim: David Foster
• Synth Strings: Michael Omartian
• Percussion: Victor Feldman
• Bass: David Hungate
• Drums: Jeff Porcaro
• Background Vocals: Peter Beckett, J.C. Crowley & Steve Kipner
• Arranged by Jay Graydon & Steve Kipner
• Produced by Jay Graydon

Lyrics

No Lyrics

written by  Steve Kipner & Randy Goodrum

“Greatest Hits 1982-1989” is the perfect tool for those music lovers who appreciate Chicago’s Adult Contemporary/Pop hits of the eighties. Released at the end of the decade, “Greatest Hits 1982-1989” presents all the evergreens of Chicago’s collaboration with David Foster like “Hard Habit To Break,” “Stay The Night,” “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re The Inspiration.”

Those perfectly crafted ballads shaped the now-classic Adult Contemporary sound of the era created from inspired vocal performances, superior musicianship, great arrangements and hi-tech production. The band kept having hit singles with Foster even after Peter Cetera’s departure in 1985 with the gorgeous “Will You Still Love Me” and “ If She Would Have Been Faithful,” both from Chicago 18.

“If She Would Have Been Faithful,” co-written by Steve Kipner and Randy Goodrum, was a smash Adult Contemporary hit and reached #17 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s a perfect example of Foster’s arranging genius and showcases the band’s fantastic vocal harmonies by Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin. “Greatest Hits 1982-1989” also includes the band’s big Chicago 19’s hits written by Diane Warren like “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” and “Look Away” that reached #1 on the charts in 1988. This album arrived quickly in the Top 40 and has sold more than six million copies in the US to date.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/if_she_would_have_been_faithful.mp3|titles=If she would have been faithful|artists=Jason Scheff]

Lead Vocals & Bass: Jason Scheff
Drums: Danny Seraphine
Guitars: Michael Landau
Keyboards: David Foster, Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm
Trombone: James Pankow
Saxophone: Walter Parazaider
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Backing Vocals: Jason Scheff, Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm

Arranged by David Foster & Steve Kipner
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

I was thinking about her
Visiting the past
Reconstructing details
With old photographs
I was studying the faces
With that objective point of view
Suddenly, rememb’ring doesn’t haunt me

At the time, you couldn’t tell me
If one day I’d be glad
That something that I thought was love
Was misinterpreted
She had another lover
She emphatic’lly denied
But they were doing me a favor
A blessing in disguise

(Chorus:)
If she would have been faithful
If she could have been true
Then I would have been cheated
I would never know real love
I would have missed out on you

I watch you sleeping
Your body touching me
There’s no doubt about it
This is where I want to be
You know, it’s so ironic
I had to lose to win
I want to thank her
Thank her for leavin’

(Repeat chorus)

(Bridge:)
It’s a paradox
Full of contradictions
How I got from there to here
It defies all logical explanation

(Repeat chorus twice)
If she would have been faithful
If she would have been faithful…

Steve Kipner’s “Knock The Walls Down” is a very important album cause it marks Jay Graydon’s first production ever. Graydon was one of the hottest geitar players of the seventies, playing sessions for Steely Dan, Carpenters, Barry White, Marvin Gaye and a zillion other big names. In 1979, he was asked by Kipner to produce his debut album and, even if it didn’t become a hit, it started a tremendous career for Graydon who went on to produce hit records for George Benson, Manhattan Transfer and Al Jarreau. It was also very important for Kipner, who became one of the biggest songwriters in pop music, writing hits like “Physical” for Olivia Newton-John, “Hard Habit To Break” for Chicago and “Genie In A Bottle” for Christina Aguilera. Obviously the album is along the lines of the quality pop that Graydon and his friend David Foster were developing around those years. Foster appears on “Knock The Walls Down” adding his golden touch to many of the songs. “School Of Broken Hearts” is the show-stopper here. It is a mix of jazz changes, rock guitars, and smooth vocal harmonies that showed a new, fresh direction for pop music. Kipner sings the sarcastic lyrics with good conviction and style with Graydon underlying his lines with unmistakable guitar licks. Foster’s jazzy keyboard playing, Jeff Porcaro’s unique drumming and The Seawind Horns’ licks are the other perfect tools to make these four minutes an absolute listening pleasure.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/school_of_broken_hearts.mp3|titles=School of broken hearts|artists=Steve Kipner]

Lead Vocal: Steve Kipner
Drums: Jeff Porcaro
Bass: David Hungate
Piano, Synth Strings & Fender Rhodes: David Foster
Rhythm Guitar: Dean Parks
Electric Guitars: Jay Graydon
Percussion: Victor Feldman
Trumpets: Jerry Hey & Gary Grant
Trombone: Bill Reichenbach
Background Vocals: Carmen Twillie, Venette Gloud, Bill Champlin, Steve Kipner, Tom Kelly & Bobby Kimball
Arranged by Steve Kipner & Jay Graydon
Produced by Jay Graydon

Lyrics

Oh no! Not another one! Not another romantic fool!
You’re all the same. You’re just like me
Welcome to the school of broken hearts
Welcome to the school

She’s a devil with an angel’s eyes –
What a siren is to a sailor
On a ship of fools we learn the rules
Go crashing into the school of broken hearts

Chorus
Oh! Think of what you’ve learned

You’ll be smart enough to see
Wise to the ways of love
It’s so elementary
Oh! She teaches all the rules
She graduates you with a love degree
You’re gonna find out
You’ll find out just like me

She enrols you with a kiss goodnight
Another student has come to class
You can’t help but fall; she educates us all
Welcome to the school of broken hearts

Chorus

Graduation