Dan Wilson (musician)
Dan Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson performing in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Daniel Dodd Wilson |
| Born | May 20, 1961 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Labels | Ballroom Music |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | danwilsonmusic |
Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson (born May 20, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and visual artist. His songwriting resume includes "Closing Time", which he wrote for his band, Semisonic, "Not Ready to Make Nice" (co-written with the Dixie Chicks) and "Someone like You" (co-written with Adele). He earned a Grammy nomination for “Closing Time” (Best Rock Song) and won Grammys for Song of the Year (“Not Ready to Make Nice” in 2007) and Album of the Year (which he won in 2012 as one of the producers of Adele’s 21).
In addition to being the leader of Semisonic, Wilson has released several solo recordings, including the 2017 release Re-Covered. He was also a member of the Minneapolis psychedelic rock band Trip Shakespeare.[1]
Contents
Early years[edit]
Wilson is originally from St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Wilson attended Harvard University, where he studied visual arts with a focus on printmaking[2] and from which he graduated B.A. summa cum laude in Visual and Environmental Studies in 1983,[3] while he resided in Dunster House. Wilson is an accomplished artist, and won the first Louis Sudler Prize for Outstanding Artistic Talent and Achievement in 1983.[4] While in college, he began collaborating with his brother, singer-songwriter Matt Wilson, who also attended Harvard College. The Wilson brothers played in two bands, Animal Dance and the Love Monsters. After college, Wilson pursued his interest in drawing and painting, first in San Francisco and then in Minneapolis.
In 1987, Wilson joined the Minneapolis psychedelic band, Trip Shakespeare, which Matt Wilson had founded with bassist John Munson and drummer Elaine Harris. The original three members had already released one record, and now as a quartet, with Wilson on guitar, piano, sharing lead vocal duties with Matt Wilson—with whom Wilson also co-wrote many of the songs—and Munson, the band released three more albums (Are You Shakespearienced?, 1988, Gark Records; Across the Universe, 1990, A&M Records; Lulu, 1991, A&M Records) and one EP (Volt, 1992, Twin Tone).
Since Trip Shakespeare's breakup in 1992, Wilson has continued to collaborate with his brother, including the release of two live albums (Minneapolis 2010 and Minneapolis 2013).
Career[edit]
With Semisonic[edit]
After Trip Shakespeare's breakup in 1992, Wilson and Munson joined with drummer Jacob Slichter to form Pleasure, a trio that was later renamed Semisonic. Semisonic released one EP, three full-length albums, and one live album.
The band's first album, Great Divide, received critical acclaim. David Fricke wrote in a year-end Rolling Stone article on the notable albums of 1996, "Great Divide is that rare '96 beast, a record of simple but sparkling modern pop, rattling with power-trio vitality." It was their 1998 release, Feeling Strangely Fine, however, that brought the band to widespread national and then international attention and success. Powered by Wilson's songs "Closing Time", which was a number-one hit on the Modern Rock charts for thirteen weeks in the spring and summer of 1998, the follow-up single "Singing in My Sleep", and "Secret Smile", a breakthrough hit for the band internationally, Feeling Strangely Fine attained platinum sales status in the U.S. and U.K. "Closing Time" received a 1999 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song[5] and has become an enduring pop-culture reference point for the late 1990s. It was a focal point of the plot and soundtrack of the 2011 film Friends with Benefits.
Semisonic's third album, All About Chemistry, was released in 2001, and featured Wilson's song "Chemistry", the album's first single, and also included "One True Love", a song Wilson co-wrote with Carole King.
Semisonic stopped touring in August 2001 but continue to perform on occasion. Slichter's memoir, So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star, provides a detailed account of the band's adventures and misadventures in the music business.
As a solo artist[edit]
Free Life[edit]
Wilson's solo debut, Free Life, was released in 2007 by American Recordings. Produced with Rick Rubin, Free Life was recorded in Minneapolis and Los Angeles and includes performances by Tracy Bonham, Sheryl Crow, Jason Lader, Gary Louris, Natalie Maines, Benmont Tench, and a number of Minneapolis-based musicians including multi-instrumentalist and frequent Semisonic sideman Ken Chastain, Eric Fawcett, John Hermanson, Joanna James, Mason Jennings, Steve Rhoem, Joe Savage, as well as Wilson's Semisonic bandmates Munson and Slichter.
Free Life helped establish Wilson's reputation as a songwriter, with The A.V. Club writing, "the star of the show here is Wilson's remarkable instinct for creating gorgeous songs, and his unabashed, obvious joy in doing so. For anyone worried that songcraft is an endangered species, Free Life should ease those fears."[6]
Love Without Fear[edit]
Wilson's second solo album, Love Without Fear, was released on April 15, 2014 and includes performances by Sara Bareilles, Missy Higgins, Lissie, Natalie Maines, Blake Mills, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins. The first recording from Love Without Fear, "Disappearing" (with a cover of Neil Young's "Out on the Weekend" included as a b-side) was released on November 7, 2013 and was the debut release of the new singles label, Canvasclub.
In describing the album, Wilson said, "The songs are about being left alone, not wanting to lose someone, about desperately wishing for connection and togetherness. The sound of the record lives at the intersection of Americana and Beatles- influenced rock and roll. A little bit of twang and a lot of cinematic emotion."[7] The album received largely favourable reviews emphasizing Wilson's reputation as a songwriter.[8][9][10][11] “Dan Wilson’s career is proof positive that smart, elegant songwriting has a place in music… [Love Without Fear] is a lovely amalgamation of chamber rock, gentle country, gooey '70s pop and snappy soul."[12]
Re-Covered[edit]
Wilson's third solo studio album, Re-Covered, was released on August 4, 2017. The album is a collection of reinterpretations of songs Wilson wrote for other artists, both big hits and “songs that I always wished were big hits, but weren’t.” The album includes "Someone Like You" (written with Adele), "Not Ready To Make Nice" (written with Dixie Chicks), "Home" (written with Dierks Bentley and Brett Beavers), and "When The Stars Come Out" (written with Chris Stapleton).[13]
Words and Music by Dan Wilson[edit]
Wilson’s discoveries as a solo artist and collaborator with other artists are the subject of “Words and Music by Dan Wilson”, solo concerts in which he performs some of his songs and describes the songs’ various inspirations or the insights that occasioned their composition. “Words and Music by Dan Wilson” has come to Hotel Cafe, Room 5 and Largo in Los Angeles, Joe's Pub and City Winery in New York, World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, Jammin' Java in DC, Rams Head in Annapolis, The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul,[14] Schubas Tavern in Chicago, Berklee College of Music's Red Room at Cafe 939 in Boston, and the Red Barn concert series in Northfield, MN. Wilson has also presented Words & Music workshops at the 2012 ASCAP expo, UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, and USC's Thornton School of Music.[15]
Wilson’s thoughts about songwriting and advice to young songwriters are also captured in his Vines series, Words & Music in Six Seconds. They were described as "In his short videos, Wilson provides insightful quips about common songwriting insecurities, methodology, personal writing quirks, and various other tips for writing your best."[16]
As a songwriter and producer[edit]
As a songwriter and producer, Wilson has collaborated with a number of artists. Two of these collaborations have earned him Grammy Awards.
A number of artists have described Wilson's ability to help put their feelings and ideas into song. Speaking of her experience of working with him, Pink said, in an online interview, "He is brilliant, and he's a thoughtful songwriter. And he's a song crafter . . . like old-school. He crafts songs and he thinks about them. And I learned a lot from working with him.” In describing her co-writing with Wilson, Adele said, "Dan had me on my hands and knees, crying my eyes out - there's just something about him that made me completely open up as a composer."[17]
Taking the Long Way – The Dixie Chicks[edit]
Wilson co-wrote six of the songs on the Dixie Chicks multiple-Grammy-winning album Taking the Long Way, including the title song and "Not Ready to Make Nice", which earned Wilson and the Dixie Chicks the 2007 Grammy for Song of the Year. In the 2006 film Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, Wilson speaks on camera about his experience as a co-writer on this album, especially in regard to helping the Dixie Chicks make an artistic response to their rejection by radio and a large swath of their fans in the wake of the band's statements about President Bush and the Iraq War.
One of the songs he co-wrote for this album, "Easy Silence", appears on Free Life, with Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines singing harmonies.
21 – Adele[edit]
Wilson co-wrote three of the songs on Adele's multiple-Grammy-winning 21, "Don't You Remember", “One and Only", and, most notably, "Someone Like You", which became a number one hit in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand was a top ten hit around the globe. As a producer of this track, on which he also played piano, Wilson shared in the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
In an interview with American Songwriter, Wilson recounted the writing and recording of "Someone Like You":
- The recording on the album was intended as a demo. I was thinking, "Oh, they're going to make a big version of this, strings and angelic choirs, like a big Chrissie Hynde power-ballad." But by the end of the first day, the demo was sounding lovely, and very affecting, but it was only half-written, there were no words on the second verse or the bridge as I remember. Adele came to the studio the next day and said, "I played it for my manager and me Mum." I was a little nervous about this because I don't like people to hear works-in-progress. I asked her what they thought of the song. "My manager loves it and me Mum cried."
"Someone Like You" won the 2012 Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance, and as she accepted the award, Adele said, "I want to thank Dan Wilson, who wrote this song with me. My life changed when I wrote this song and I felt it before anyone even heard it."
"Someone Like You" was the most downloaded single of all time in the UK[18] and was voted third most favourite single of the last 60 years in the UK.[19]
As a visual artist[edit]
Wilson's career as a painter, illustrator, and calligrapher is less widely known, but his artwork has often intersected with his music career. He was represented by Thomas Barry Fine Arts in Minneapolis, and his works are included in numerous private and corporate collections.
Wilson's paintings are featured on the artwork for two of Trip Shakespeare's albums, Are You Shakespearienced? and Lulu, as well as on the cover of his first solo album, Free Life.
Wilson created all of the artwork for his 2014 album Love Without Fear. Most notably, a hand illustrated 24-page hardcover Deluxe Album Book/CD. The package includes Wilson's own calligraphy, sketches, and handwritten lyrics for each song on the album. The official lyric videos for his singles from the album, “Disappearing” and "A Song Can Be About Anything" are also made entirely from his own illustrations.
At his "Words and Music by Dan Wilson" shows, audience members receive illuminated set lists that are hand illustrated by Wilson. One of these set lists was featured on NPR's blog All Songs Considered.
Wilson's calligraphy and illustrations are featured in his Tumblr series, “DW’s Sketchbook” and his musical cartoons have been featured in the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy Blog.[20]
Personal life[edit]
Wilson is married to Diane Espaldon. Wilson and his wife were contemporaries at Harvard University, where he studied visual arts and she studied government.[3] Wilson's wife subsequently earned a M.A. from School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Together, they have one biological daughter, Corazon ("Coco") (b. 1997), who was born prematurely and has disabilities and for whom "Closing Time" was written before her birth,[21] and Lily (b. 2007), who was adopted at age 2 from the Philippines.
Discography[edit]
Singles[edit]
- 2018 Christmassy
- 2018 Uncanny Valley
- 2018 We Ain't Telling
- 2016 Yoko
- 2013 Disappearing
Studio albums[edit]
- 2017 Re-Covered
- 2014 Love Without Fear
- 2013 Disappearing – Single
- 2008 Be Free EP digital release
- 2007 Free Life
Live albums[edit]
- 2009 Dan Wilson Live at the Pantages – A 2-CD document of Dan Wilson's concert at Minneapolis' Pantages Theater on December 13, 2008.[22]
- 2008 Live at the Electric Fetus
- 2001 DW Live @ the CCC
- 1998 Dan Wilson Live @ Bryant Lake Bowl
with Semisonic[edit]
- 2018 Feeling Strangely Fine (20th Anniversary Reissue)
- 2003 One Night at First Avenue (live)
- 2001 All About Chemistry
- 1998 Feeling Strangely Fine
- 1996 Great Divide
- 1995 Pleasure EP (EP)
- 1993 Pleasure
Dan and Matt Wilson[edit]
Trip Shakespeare[edit]
- 1992 Volt (EP)
- 1991 Lulu
- 1990 Across the Universe
- 1989 Are You Shakespearienced?
The Love Monsters[edit]
- 1983 Kiss Away The Tears (7")
Film, TV, and Soundtracks (as a performer)[edit]
- 2013 Absolutely Cuckoo: Minnesota covers the 69 Love Songs – "The Things We Did and Didn't Do"
- 2011 Minnesota Remembers Vic Chesnutt – "Soft Picasso"
- 2010 Dear John Soundtrack – "You Take My Troubles Away" (with Rachael Yamagata)
- 2009 All About Steve Soundtrack – "Sugar"
- 2006 For New Orleans – "I Can't Hold You"
- 2002 For the Kids – "Willie The King"
- 2002 Maybe This Christmas – "What A Year for a New Year"
- 2001 Summer Catch Soundtrack – Semisonic's "Over My Head"
- 1999 American Pie Soundtrack - "Good Morning Baby"
- 1999 Together in Concert: Live, Bic Runga Featuring Dan Wilson
- 1999 Friends Again Soundtrack – Semisonic's "Delicious"
- 1999 10 Things I Hate About You Soundtrack – Semisonic's "FNT"
- 1999 Never Been Kissed Soundtrack – Semisonic's "Never You Mind"
- 1999 For The Love of the Game Soundtrack – Semisonic's "For The Love of the Game"
- 1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight Soundtrack – Semisonic's "FNT"
Film and Soundtracks (as a writer and producer)[edit]
- 2014 The Fault In Our Stars Soundtrack – "Tee Shirt" and "Best Shot" (Birdy)
- 2013 Spark: A Burning Man Story Soundtrack – "We Ride" (Missy Higgins)
- 2013 Safe Haven Soundtrack – "We Both Know" (Colbie Caillat & Gavin DeGraw)
- 2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack – "Ours" (The Bravery)
- 2010 The Kid Soundtrack – "Boy" (KT Tunstall)
Writing and producing credits[edit]
| Year | Artist | Album | Credit | Song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Mike Posner | A Real Good Kid (Island) | Writer | "Song About You" |
| "Move On" | ||||
| 2018 | Alec Benjamin | Narrated for You | Writer | "Water Fountain" |
| "Gotta Be a Reason" | ||||
| John Legend | A Legendary Christmas (Columbia) | Writer | "Waiting For Christmas" | |
| Lukas Graham | 3 (The Purple Album) (Warner Bros.) | Writer | "You're Not The Only One (Redemption Song)" | |
| Josh Groban | Bridges (Deluxe) (Reprise) | Writer | "You Have No Idea" | |
| Steve Perry | Traces (Fantasy) | Writer | "No More Cryin'" | |
| Mike Posner | Song About You - single (Island) | Writer | "Song About You" - single | |
| Jason Mraz | Know. (Atlantic) | Writer / Producer | "Love Is Still the Answer" | |
| Brett Dennen | Here's Looking At You Kid EP (Downtown Records) | Writer / Producer | "Here's Looking At You Kid" - single | |
| "Be Somebody" | ||||
| "People I Love" | ||||
| "Live in the Moment" | ||||
| "Baker's Globe Mallow" | ||||
| Ben Rector | Magic (OK Kid / ROAR) | Writer | "Sometimes" | |
| Missy Higgins | Solastalgia (Eleven: A Music Company) | Writer / Producer | "How Was I To Know" | |
| LeAnn Rimes & Stevie Nicks | Re-Imagined EP (EverLe Records / Thirty Tigers) | Writer | "Borrowed" | |
| Leon Bridges | Good Thing (Columbia) | Writer | "Shy" | |
| Phantogram | Someday - Single (Universal / Republic) | Writer | "Someday" - single | |
| Halsey ft. Big Sean and Stefflon Don | Alone - Single (Astralwerks) | Writer | "Alone" - single | |
| Jeremy Messersmith | Late Stage Capitalism (Glassnote) | Writer | "Once You Get To Know Us" | |
| Brett Dennen | Let's... EP (Downtown Records) | Producer | "Already Gone" - single | |
| Writer / Producer | "Let's..." | |||
| "Home Away From Home" | ||||
| "Good Vibration" | ||||
| "Jenny and Jill" | ||||
| Vance Joy | Nation of Two (Atlantic Records) | Writer | "Like Gold" | |
| "We're Going Home" - single | ||||
| 2017 | Bishop Briggs | Church of Scars (Island Records) | Writer / Producer | "Dream" - lead single |
| Niall Horan | Flicker (Capitol Records) | Writer | "Since We're Alone" | |
| Noah Cyrus | NC-17 (RECORDS) | Producer / Writer | "Almost Famous" | |
| Chase & Status | Tribe (Mercury Records Limited) | Writer | "Crawling" | |
| Halsey | hopeless fountain kingdom (Astralwerks) | Writer | "Alone" | |
| Preservation Hall Jazz Band | So It Is (Sony) | Writer | "One Hundred Fires" | |
| Cold War Kids | L.A. Divine (Capitol Records) | Writer | "Free To Breathe" | |
| K. Flay | Every Where Is Some Where (Interscope Records / Night Street Records) | Writer | "Black Wave" | |
| Meklit | When The People Move, The Music Moves Too (Six Degrees Records) | Producer / Writer | "Memories of the Future" (ft. Preservation Hall Horns) | |
| "This Was Made Here" | ||||
| Producer | "I Want To Sing For Them All" (ft. Andrew Bird) | |||
| "Supernova" | ||||
| "You Are My Luck" (ft. Preservation Hall Horns) | ||||
| "Yerakeh Yeresal" (ft. Andrew Bird) | ||||
| "You Got Me" (ft. Preservation Hall Horns) | ||||
| "Yesterday Is a Tizita" | ||||
| "Human Animal" | ||||
| "Sweet Or Salty" | ||||
| "Birthday Song" (ft. Preservation Hall Horns) | ||||
| Aquilo | Silhouettes (Island Records) | Writer | "Almost Over" | |
| 2016 | Phantogram | Three (Universal / Republic) | Co-producer / Writer | "You Don't Get Me High Anymore" - lead single |
| "Same Old Blues" - single | ||||
| Additional production / Writer | "You're Mine" | |||
| "Cruel World" | ||||
| Writer | "Funeral Pyre" | |||
| "Answer" | ||||
| "Run Run Blood" | ||||
| "Destroyer" | ||||
| "Calling All" | ||||
| The Head and the Heart | Signs of Light (Warner Brothers) | Writer | "Turn It Around" | |
| Dierks Bentley | Black (Capitol) | Writer | "Why Do I Feel" | |
| Sara Watkins | Young In All The Wrong Ways (New West) | Writer | "Say So" | |
| "Like New Year's Day" | ||||
| The Twilight Hours | Black Beauty (The Twilight Hours) | Writer | "Anymore" | |
| "Help Me Find the Way" | ||||
| Weezer | The White Album (Crush Music / Atlantic) | Writer | "California Kids" | |
| Andrew Bird | Are You Serious (Loma Vista) | Writer | "Are You Serious" | |
| Rita Wilson | Rita Wilson (Sing It Loud Records) | Producer / Writer | "Crying, Crying" | |
| Brian Fallon | Painkillers (Island) | Writer | "Steve McQueen" | |
| Nada Surf | You Know Who You Are (Barsuk) | Writer | "Rushing" | |
| “Victory’s Yours” | ||||
| Foxes | All I Need (Sign Of The Times) | Producer / Writer | "Devil Side" | |
| Panic! at the Disco | Death of a Bachelor (Warner Music) | Writer | "Emperor's New Clothes" | |
| Anthony Wilson | Frogtown (Goat Hill Recordings) | Writer | "Your Footprints" | |
| 2015 | Florence + The Machine | How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Target Exclusive Edition (Island) | Writer / Producer | "Conductor" |
| Harry Connick, Jr. | That Would Be Me (Columbia) | Writer | "You Have No Idea" | |
| D.A. Wallach | Time Machine (Harvest/Capitol Records) | Writer | "Feel" | |
| Phases | For Life (Warner Music) | Writer | "Spark" | |
| Chris Stapleton | Traveller (Mercury Nashville) | Writer | "When The Stars Come Out" | |
| My Morning Jacket | The Waterfall (ATO/Capitol Records) | Writer | "Big Decisions" | |
| Rae Morris | Unguarded (Atlantic) | Writer | "Unguarded" | |
| 2014 | Brooke Fraser | Brutal Romantic (Vagrant) | Writer | "Magical Machine" |
| Spoon | They Want My Soul (Loma Vista) | Writer | "New York Kiss" | |
| Alex Clare | Three Hearts (Island) | Producer / Writer | "Three Hearts" | |
| Birdy | The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack (Atlantic) | Producer / Writer | "Tee Shirt" | |
| "Best Shot" | ||||
| The Secret Sisters | Put Your Needle Down (Republic) | Writer | "Iuka" | |
| 2013 | Birdy | Fire Within (Atlantic) | Producer / Writer | "All You Never Say" |
| Additional Production / Writer | "Maybe" | |||
| Writer | "All About You" | |||
| John Legend | Love in the Future (Columbia) | Writer | "You & I (Nobody in the World)" | |
| Preservation Hall Jazz Band | That's It! (Legacy) | Writer | "I Think I Love You" | |
| "Rattlin' Bones" | ||||
| LeAnn Rimes | Spitfire (Curb) | Writer | "Borrowed" | |
| Natalie Maines | Mother (Columbia) | Writer | "Free Life" | |
| Missy Higgins | Spark: A Burning Man Story Soundtrack | Producer | "We Ride" | |
| Colbie Caillat & Gavin Degraw | Safe Haven Soundtrack | Producer | "We Both Know" | |
| 2012 | The Webb Sisters | Always on My Mind EP | Writer | "Missing Person" |
| Taylor Swift | Red (Big Machine) | Producer / Writer | "Treacherous" | |
| "Come Back...Be Here" | ||||
| Pink | The Truth About Love (RCA) | Producer / Writer | "The Great Escape" | |
| Nas | Life Is Good (Island) | Producer / Writer | "Roses" | |
| Sara Watkins | Sun Midnight Sun (Nonesuch) | Writer | "When It Pleases You" | |
| Elizaveta | Beatrix Runs (Universal Republic) | Writer | "Goodbye Song" | |
| Audra Mae | Audra Mae and the Almighty Sound (Side One Dummy) | Writer | "My Friend the Devil" | |
| Missy Higgins | The Ol' Razzle Dazzle (Vagrant) | Writer | "Everyone's Waiting" | |
| "Set Me on Fire" | ||||
| Paloma Faith | Fall to Grace (Epic) | Writer | "When You're Gone" | |
| Dierks Bentley | Home (Capitol) | Writer | "Home" | |
| Gin Wigmore | Gravel & Wine (Polydor) | Writer | "Poison" | |
| "Roll It All" | ||||
| 2011 | Mike Viola | Electro De Perfecto (Monkey/Hornblow/Megaforce/RED) | Writer | "Get You Back" |
| Adele | 21 (XL/Sony) | Producer / Writer | "Someone Like You" - single | |
| Writer | "One and Only" | |||
| "Don't You Remember" | ||||
| James Morrison | The Awakening (Island) | Writer | "The Awakening" | |
| "In My Dreams" | ||||
| Mike Doughty | Yes and Also Yes (Megaforce/RED) | Writer | "Na Na Nothing" | |
| "Holiday (What Do You Want)" | ||||
| The Downtown Fiction | Let's Be Animals Deluxe Version (Photo Finish) | Writer | "Hurt Me So Good" | |
| Nicole Atkins | Mondo Amore (Razor & Tie) | Writer | "Heavy Boots" | |
| Gabe Dixon | One Spark (Concord) | Writer | "My Favorite" | |
| 2010 | Josh Groban | Illuminations (Reprise) | Writer | "Hidden Away" |
| "Higher Window" - single | ||||
| "Bells of NYC" | ||||
| "War at Home" | ||||
| "If I Walk Away" - single | ||||
| "Love Only Knows" | ||||
| Keith Urban | Get Closer Deluxe Version (Capitol) | Writer | "Big Promises" | |
| Weezer | Hurley (Epitaph) | Writer | Ruling Me" | |
| Griffin House | The Learner (Evening) | Producer / Writer / Mixing | "If You Want" | |
| Writer | "Coming Down the Road" | |||
| The Bravery | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack (Chop Shop/Atlantic) | Producer / Writer | "Ours" | |
| KT Tunstall | The Kid Soundtrack | Producer / Writer | "Boy" | |
| |Storyhill| | Shade of the Trees | Producer / Mixing Engineer | "Avalon" | |
| "Better Angels" | ||||
| "Well of Sorrow" | ||||
| "Caught in a Mess" | ||||
| "Cover Your Tracks" | ||||
| "World Go Round" | ||||
| "Getaway" | ||||
| "A Town Talks" | ||||
| "Dangerous Weapon" | ||||
| "Pieces of Love" | ||||
| Rachael Yamagata | Dear John Soundtrack (Relativity) | Producer / Writer / Mixing | "You Take My Troubles Away" | |
| 2009 | James Morrison | Songs For You, Truths For Me (Interscope) | Writer | "Once When I Was Little" |
| Bic Runga | 7 Worlds Collide | Writer | "Change of Heart" | |
| Parachute | Losing Sleep (Island) | Writer | "Blame It on Me" | |
| Ballas Hough Band | BHB (Hollywood) | Writer | "Turnin' Me On" | |
| "She Was The One" | ||||
| 2008 | Jason Mraz | We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (Atlantic) | Writer | "Details in the Fabric" |
| Absentstar | Sea Trials (Canvasback/Columbia) | Writer | "For the Moment" | |
| "If You Like It" | ||||
| "Life Support" | ||||
| Anberlin | New Surrender (Universal) | Writer | "Retrace" | |
| Carrie Rodriguez | She Ain't Me (Blue Note) | Writer | "She Ain't Me" | |
| Mike Doughty | Golden Delicious | Producer | "Fort Hood" | |
| "I Just Want the Girl In the Blue Dress to Keep On Dancing" | ||||
| "Put It Down" | ||||
| "More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle" | ||||
| "27 Jennifers" | ||||
| "I Wrote a Song About Your Car" | ||||
| "I Got the Drop On You" | ||||
| "Wednesday (Contra la Puerta)" | ||||
| "Like a Luminous Girl" | ||||
| "Nectarine (Part One)" | ||||
| "Navigating the Stars At Night" | ||||
| Jeremy Messersmith | The Silver City | Producer / Recording and Mixing Engineer | "The Silver City" | |
| "Welcome to Suburbia" | ||||
| "Dead End Job" | ||||
| "Franklin Avenue" | ||||
| "The Commuter" | ||||
| "Miracles" | ||||
| "Love You to Pieces" | ||||
| "Breaking Down" | ||||
| "Skyway" | ||||
| "Virginia" | ||||
| "Light Rail" | ||||
| The New Standards | Rock and Roll | Producer / Mixing Engineer | "Rock and Roll" | |
| "Hey Ya" | ||||
| "Such Great Heights" | ||||
| "Watching the Detectives" | ||||
| "Androgynous" | ||||
| "Bring It On Home to Me" | ||||
| "London Calling" | ||||
| "Toxic" | ||||
| "Maps" | ||||
| "Is That All There Is?" | ||||
| The Gabe Dixon Band | The Gabe Dixon Band (Concord) | Writer | "All Will Be Well" | |
| "Find My Way" | ||||
| "Five More Hours" | ||||
| 2007 | Dixie Chicks | Taking the Long Way (Columbia) | Writer | "Not Ready to Make Nice" - single |
| "Easy Silence" | ||||
| "Taking the Long Way" | ||||
| "Lullaby" | ||||
| "Voice Inside My Head" | ||||
| "So Hard" | ||||
| Storyhill | Storyhill (Red House) | Producer / Writer / Mixing Engineer / Recording Engineer | "For A Song" | |
| "Happy Man" | ||||
| "Love Will Find You" | ||||
| "Sacramento" | ||||
| "Paradise Lost" | ||||
| Producer / Mixing Engineer / Recording Engineer | "Give Up the Ghost" | |||
| "Ballad of Joe Snowboard" | ||||
| "Highlight" | ||||
| "Blazing Out of Sight | ||||
| "Fallen" | ||||
| "Room In My Heart" | ||||
| Aly & Aj | Insomniatic (Hollywood) | Writer | "If I Could Have You Back" | |
| Brooke Fraser | Albertine (Wood & Bone) | Writer | "Thief" | |
| Absent Star | Sea Trials | Producer | "Half Life" | |
| "For God Sakes" | ||||
| "Don't Lock Me Out" | ||||
| "Life Support" | ||||
| "A Year from Now" | ||||
| "Everyone You Know" | ||||
| "Give In to Me" | ||||
| "If What You Mean Is Harm" | ||||
| "Quietly Conceited" | ||||
| "If You Like It" | ||||
| "For the Moment" | ||||
| "All Is Forgotten" | ||||
| 2006 | Sean Watkins | Blinders On (Vanguard) | Writer | "I'm Sorry" |
| "Runaway Girl" | ||||
| 2005 | Jason Mraz | Mr. A-Z (Atlantic) | Writer | "Did You Get My Message" |
| "Song for a Friend" | ||||
| Mike Doughty | Haughty Melodic (ATO) | Producer / Writer / Mixing Engineer / Recording Engineer | "Busting Up A Starbucks" | |
| "American Car" | ||||
| "Your Misfortune" | ||||
| "I Hear the Bells" | ||||
| "Tremendous Brunettes" | ||||
| Producer / Mixing Engineer / Recording Engineer | "Looking At the World from the Bottom of a Well" - single | |||
| "Unsingable Name" | ||||
| "Madeline and Nine" | ||||
| "White Lexus" | ||||
| "Sunken-Eyed Girl" | ||||
| "Grey Ghost" | ||||
| "His Truth Is Marching On" | ||||
| Glen Phillips | Winter Pays for Summer (Lost Highway) | Writer | "True" | |
| "Clear Eyed" | ||||
| Hope Partlow | Who We Are (Virgin) | Writer | "Let Me Try" | |
| The New Standards | The New Standards (Princess) | Producer / Mixing Engineer / Recording Engineer | "The Inchworm" | |
| "The New Pollution" | ||||
| "I Will Dare" | ||||
| "All the Young Dudes" | ||||
| "Man, Oh Man" | ||||
| "Nature Boy" | ||||
| "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" | ||||
| "Town Crier" | ||||
| "Love Is the Law" | ||||
| "Oh Yeah" | ||||
| "Dark End of the Street" | ||||
| "My Ship" | ||||
| "Song 2" | ||||
| "September Song" | ||||
| 2004 | Rachael Yamagata | Happenstance (RCA) | Writer | "I Want You" |
| Graham Colton | Drive (Universal) | Writer | "Don't Give Up on Me" | |
| 2003 | Bleu | Redhead (Aware) | Writer | "Somethin's Gotta Give" |
| Epic Hero | New Life (Epic Hero) | Producer / Mixing Engineer / Recording Engineer | "Hello Hello" | |
| "Tear Her Down" | ||||
| "New Life" | ||||
| "Stay Awake" | ||||
| "End of the Line" | ||||
| "High School" | ||||
| "One In a Crowd" | ||||
| "Angel" | ||||
| "On My Own" | ||||
| "Something Someone Someday" | ||||
| "One Fine Day" | ||||
| "Ease Your Mind" | ||||
| 2000 | Evan and Jaron | Evan and Jaron (Columbia) | Writer | "Ready or Not" |
| 1999 | Bic Runga | American Pie Soundtrack (Universal) | Producer / Writer | "Good Morning Baby" |
Awards and nominations[edit]
Grammy Awards[edit]
| Year | Nominee/work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Project Freedom (Joey DeFrancesco & The People) | Best Jazz Instrumental Album | Nominated |
| 2014 | Red (Taylor Swift) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2012 | 21 (Adele) | Won | |
| 2007 | "Not Ready To Make Nice" (Dixie Chicks) | Song of the Year | Won |
| 1999 | "Closing Time"' (Semisonic) | Best Rock Song | Nominated |
Other Awards[edit]
- ASCAP Pop Awards 2012
- Most Performed Song for "Someone Like You'" by Adele
- Academy of Country Music Awards 2012
- Nomination for the song "Home" by Dierks Bentley
- 2012 Country Music Association Awards
- Nomination for the song "Home" by Dierks Bentley
References[edit]
- ^ "Dan Wilson". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Margolin, Christopher (June 25, 2013). "Interview: Dan Wilson - From "Closing Time" to Open Doors". thepoetryquestion.com.
- ^ a b "Harvard Radcliffe Class of 1983: 30th Reunion Registered Attendees" (PDF).
- ^ "Office for the Arts at Harvard Prize Recipients".
- ^ "41st Grammy Awards – 1999". Rock on the Net. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ^ "Dan Wilson: Free Life". www.avclub.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ "Sacks & Co. /// Dan Wilson". www.sacksco.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Raible, Allan (2014-04-20). "Music Reviews: The Latest From Ingrid Michaelson, Nas, Jason Derulo and More". ABC News. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Farber, Jim (April 15, 2014). "Music reviews: 'Love Without Fear,' 'Food'". nydailynews.com. Daily News L.P. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Cornish, Audie (April 15, 2014). "Perennial Co-Writer Returns With An Album Of His Own (transcript)". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Danton, Eric R. "Adele's Collaborator Dan Wilson Goes Solo With an Album". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Zaleski, Annie. "Dan Wilson: "I'm like the world's expert in super mournful, lonely songs right now"". Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ Truax, Jackson (1 August 2017). "Remember Semisonic? Their Singer Now Writes Tunes for Adele and Taylor Swift". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Rivera, Erica (September 30, 2017). "Dan Wilson has written songs with Adele and Taylor Swift -- now it's his turn to sing them". City Pages. Star Tribune. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "Is Dan Wilson the Brainiest Rocker?". WSJ Blogs - Speakeasy. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ "Dan Wilson Gives Songwriting Advice On Vine - American Songwriter". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ "Two sides of Adele - by - The San Francisco Examiner". www.sfexaminer.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- ^ "Adele tops all-time download chart as UK buys a BILLION digital singles (legally)". Mail Online. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ "Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' named as 'UK's Favourite Number One single' | NME.COM". NME.COM. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
- ^ "Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog".
- ^ Ricci, Claudia (9 February 2015). "A Hit Single and the Heart-Wrenching Story Behind It".
- ^ "Dan Wilson Music.com". Dan Wilson.
External links[edit]
- Living people
- 1961 births
- Musicians from Minneapolis
- American session musicians
- American record producers
- American rock guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American singer-songwriters
- American rock songwriters
- American rock singers
- Grammy Award winners
- American country songwriters
- American male songwriters
- MCA Records artists
- Harvard College alumni
- Songwriters from Minnesota
- Singers from Minnesota
- Guitarists from Minnesota
- Semisonic members
- Trip Shakespeare members
- 20th-century American guitarists