Question 1

Who wrote Live's songs?

Accepted Answer

Ed Kowalczyk wrote the lyrics, on 101 of the 112 tracks across nine studio albums, and the music was credited to the band. That band credit puts Chad Taylor on 101 tracks, Patrick Dahlheimer on 100 and Chad Gracey on 99. The eleven tracks without Kowalczyk are The Turn, written by his replacement Chris Shinn.

Question 2

Why do the sleeves say the music is by Live?

Accepted Answer

The band credited the music to itself rather than to individual members, so Taylor, Dahlheimer and Gracey each appear on around a hundred tracks without ever being named separately.

Question 3

Who wrote "Lightning Crashes"?

Accepted Answer

Ed Kowalczyk wrote the lyrics and the band the music, the same credit as everything else on Throwing Copper.

Question 4

How many studio albums did Live release?

Accepted Answer

Nine, from The Death of a Dictionary in 1989 through The Turn in 2014. The debut came out under the band's earlier name, Public Affection.

Question 5

Who wrote The Turn?

Accepted Answer

Chris Shinn, who replaced Kowalczyk as singer in 2012, wrote all eleven lyrics. Producer Jerry Harrison shares seven of them, songwriter Bruce Wallace five and Harrison's daughter Aishlin three. It is the only Live album with no Kowalczyk credit on it.

Question 6

How many records has Live sold?

Accepted Answer

The band has sold over twenty million albums worldwide. Throwing Copper sold eight million copies in the US alone.

Question 7

What was Live's biggest album?

Accepted Answer

Throwing Copper, from 1994, which reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and has sold over 8 million copies.

Question 8

Did anyone else in the band write lyrics?

Accepted Answer

Rarely. Chad Taylor shares five lyric credits after the debut and Patrick Dahlheimer three, spread across The Distance to Here and Birds of Pray. Chad Gracey has none outside the 1989 debut, which was credited to the whole band.

Question 9

What was Live called before?

Accepted Answer

Public Affection, from 1987 to 1991. The 1989 debut The Death of a Dictionary came out under that name, credited to the band as a whole.

Question 10

Did Live use outside songwriters?

Accepted Answer

Almost never before 2014. Tricky co-wrote "Simple Creed" and Glen Ballard "Forever May Not Be Long Enough", both on V in 2001, and that is the whole list until The Turn brought in three.