Mardin is senior vice president of Atlantic Records, although his deal with Atlantic allows him to produce with other labels as well. He has produced hit after hit for over thirty-five years. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Mardin started in the U.S as the first recipient of the Quincy Jones scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He soon joined Atlantic as assistant to Nesuhi Ertegun, which led to positions there as studio manager, house producer and arranger, and since 1969, vice president.
Some of those hits of his include “I Feel For You” (sung by Chaka Khan), “Wind Beneath My Wings” (Bette Midler), “Jive Talkin’” (Bee Gees), “Pick Up The Pieces” (Average White Band), “Against All Odds” (Phil Collins), and “Good Lovin’” (The Young Rascals). Mardin has received more than forty gold and platinum albums and six Grammys. He was inducted into the National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences Hall Of Fame in 1990. No wonder.
Mardin also composes. His writing ranges from songs with Chaka Khan to, more recently, several art songs. His one-act opera, I Will Wait, was performed last year in New York City.
I spoke to him by phone about his take on the art and business of songwriting and production:
JC: Do you find that it’s difficult to find well-crafted lyrics now, or is that also a timeless thing?
MARDIN: Maybe people don’t care anymore for… I mean, we’re not talking about “you’re the top, you’re the Coliseum.” That’s gone. That’s just looking at a beautiful Art Deco building and admiring it for what it was. Now it doesn’t even have to be a rhyme, but a sound. There are so many ways of deriving hidden rhymes--or certain sounds repeating. My advice to a songwriter is do what you think is best. Don’t follow trends. Of course if a young songwriter wants to pay the rent and be commercial, you can still follow what’s happening. But don’t copy, for heaven’s sake. Young people should be prepared for rejections. They have to say, “Okay, that’s gone. Let me go ahead.” And don’t be discouraged.
