Sam Hollander - 21-Hit Wonder: Flopping My Way to the Top of the Charts

Sam Hollander is a hitmaker extraordinaire, but you find out he is also the king of cool when you work with him. Rock on Sam!

BILLY IDOL

Following Becketts dictum, Try again. Fail again. Fail better, Hollanders passionate pursuit through trial and error, to become one of the most renowned songwriters of today, will be of deep interest to any aspiring artist or music fan.

DAVID DUCHOVNY

Sam Hollander is the best prize a boy could have.

RINGO STARR

I met Sam in the back studio of my management company around 2007. He was already deep in cooking tunes back there. Sam is a Goldilocks type of writer/producerI mean that his porridge is just right. The right mix of dark humor, telling you how it really is, and getting down to writing a big song. People always say you gotta grind all the time in this business, but to me Sam represents what the grind really is.

PETE WENTZ, FALL OUT BOY

Sam is the 21-hit wonderwell 22 after the record he did for me comes out!! Bad mother*******.

BRAD JORDAN, SCARFACE/GHETTO BOYS

This is a rags to wish I had rags! to riches story. Sam failed at everythinghe wont mind me saying thatuntil ultimately he managed to fail at failing, and became one of the most successful songwriters in the business. Hes had an extraordinary 10 No 1 hits, which puts him in a rare club, and an extraordinary life, which he writes about with great humor here.

BOB GUCCIONE JR., FOUNDER, SPIN MAGAZINE

Whether you are a songwriter, producer, performer, or music enthusiast, 21-Hit Wonder, Sam Hollanders memoir and songwriting guide, is an essential read. His passion, perseverance, and love for all things music will motivate, educate, and entertain you. An exhilarating lesson on why its never an option to give up on following your dream and doing what you love!

MATT PINFIELD (MTV VJ)

I met Sam Hollander when fate and/or a major airline employee sat us right next to one another on what is normally a terribly long cross-country flight. Sam started sharing his wildly entertaining story at take off, and this may be the only time in my life in the air that I wished a journey took longer, so I could hear even more of Sams still very much unfolding life story. Beyond all the obvious talent that has made him such a wonderful and successful 21-Hit Wonder, Sam is at heart a very witty, wonderfully revealing, and refreshingly honest storyteller. And now with this book that you will devour and enjoy at jet speed, you too can share an unforgettable and rollicking journey with Sam.

DAVID WILD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, ROLLING STONE

The events, locations, and conversations in this book, while true, are re-created from the authors memory. However, the essence of the story, and the feelings and emotions evoked, are intended to be accurate representations. In certain instances, names, persons, organizations, and places have been changed to protect an individuals privacy.

21-Hit Wonder copyright 2022 by Rock Write Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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First E-Book Edition: 2022

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022016503

ISBN 9781637741863 (hardcover)

ISBN 9781637741870 (electronic)

Editing by Katie Dickman

Copyediting by James Fraleigh

Proofreading by Sarah Vostok and Jenny Bridges

Text design and composition by Aaron Edmiston

Cover design by Brigid Pearson

Cover image Shutterstock

Cover photography by Kamp Kennedy

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Dear Casey,

Id like to send this long-distance dedication to my dad. Pops, I dont know how strong the signal is up there, but if youre hearing this, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. This ones for you.

Signed,
Sam

If youre ever lucky enough to spend a day writing with Sam Hollander there are certain things you can expect. First order of businessand the only thing he seems to care about working onis lunch. Hes pre-verbal until hes nailed down the what, when, and where of your culinary needs. He already knows what he wants. Hell expect a prompt decision. Hes obsessed. It will be good and it will be healthy and it will be close by. Just dont expect anything sounding like social niceties until hes taken your order. Theres a bit of Aunt Martha to Sams style of caring for others that makes it hard not to love him.

The actual act of writing requires his collapsing into a position modeled after the early astronauts launch recliners. Meeting at his current feels right retreat, the furnishings are usually early rehearsal hall, coffee tables that look toxic, great acoustics but a get-out-of-the-neighborhood-before-dark vibe. Sams focus is quality and talent, not appearances. His wardrobe, and mine, would work on one of the Little Rascals. He covers fashion in an early chapter. Its hilarious. And true.

Any useable writing tools teeter on his lap and the best World War II decoder would probably have trouble deciphering his scratchings. He tends to mumble a bit, perhaps uncertain about sharing those early ideas. Theres gold in those mumbles and the odds are high that theres something people will love listening to in those muddled notes. Sams a remarkable songwriter. Billion-stream chart toppers usually indicate some impressive producing chops as well.

Avoiding struggle might be what Sam and I have most in common. Weve been gifted with a steady stream of ideas, a kind of bubbling under rolling presence of maybe-song. I endlessly hum. Its not pretty. Ask my wife.

Yes, its a gift for sure, but sometimes exhausting. I suspect Sams always writing. It makes using the word work to describe what we do a bit much. Yes, we put in the time, but there is a shared appreciation for the mystical slow drip or fire hose thought parade that we cant turn off and dont really want to.

Writing is easy. Most of the time. Starting to write requires adult behavior that we manage in spite of ourselves.

Note to self: Youre writing about Sam . Not you and Sam!

Ok, a recap. Do not expect all those face scrunching, forehead wrinkling, searching for the right word grimacing faces that actors playing songwriters make. Sam doesnt work like that. Sam writes songs like Freddie Couples plays golf. At a level that appears effortless. Its probably an illusion. Not the creative part. No, I get the feeling the real world keeps pulling on his pant leg. As the music he needs to make keeps nibbling at the hours, Sam has remained determined to make time for the family he adores and still meet the deadlines hes committed to!