Twisted Sister

Band

Photo: Andreas Lawen, Fotandi · CC BY-SA 3.0
Active 1972-1988, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003-2016, 2023, 2025-present
Origin Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey
Albums 7
Tracks 76
Most frequent collaborator Pete Way · 10 tracks
Genres Heavy MetalGlam MetalHard Rock
Artist
84%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 64 of 76 tracks

Who writes Twisted Sister's songs?

Dee Snider, on his own. He is credited on 64 of the 76 album tracks in this catalogue and no other member of the band has a writing credit on any of them. The twelve tracks he is not on are all songs by other writers.

By the Numbers

7
Studio Albums
76
Tracks Credited
84%
Self-Written
54
Years Active
29
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 64 / 76 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 76 tracks: how many Twisted Sister wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Twisted Sister has a writing credit84%
80%
4%
16%
Sole author61tracks80%
Co-written3tracks4%
Outside writers12tracks16%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Twisted Sister's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 76 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)84%
Composer (music)84%
Producer36%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 76 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Dee Snider 1976-1988, 1998, 2001, 2003-2016, 2023, 2025-2026
84%
84%
0%
0%
Jay Jay French 1972-1988, 1998, 2001, 2003-2016, 2023, 2025-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Eddie Ojeda 1975-1988, 1998, 2001, 2003-2016, 2025-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mark Mendoza 1978-1988, 1998, 2001, 2003-2016, 2023
0%
0%
36%
0%
A. J. Pero 1982-1986, 1998, 2001, 2003-2015
0%
0%
0%
0%
Joey Franco 1986-1988, 2025-2026
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Twisted Sister's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 84%
100%
100%
100%
90%
100%
100%
0%
1982Under the Blade
1983You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
1984Stay Hungry
1985Come Out and Play
1987Love Is for Suckers
2004Still Hungry
2006A Twisted Christmas
Early · 100% written
Mid · 97% written
Late · 0% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

98%
1980s
Under the Blade, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll +3 more
59%
2000s
Still Hungry, A Twisted Christmas

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Twisted Sister sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Twisted Sister
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Tina Turner0%
Diana Ross10%
New Edition25%
Bobby Brown38%
Village People61%
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts73%
Van Halen93%
84%Twisted Sister
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

We're Not Gonna Take It
Stay Hungry
Written by Dee Snider, Daniel Snider
Wrote it
I Wanna Rock
Stay Hungry
Written by Dee Snider, Daniel Snider
Wrote it
Leader of the Pack
Come Out and Play
Written by Ellie Greenwich, Shadow Morton, Jeff Barry, George Morton, Joel Adelberg
Outside writers

Discography 7 albums

All seven studio albums, including the 2004 re-recording of Stay Hungry and the 2006 Christmas record. The live albums and compilations sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of Twisted SisterTwisted Sister76 tracks
PW10Pete Way, 10 tracks SE10Stuart Epps, 10 tracks DD10Dieter Dierks, 10 tracks BH10Beau Hill, 10 tracks TW9Tom Werman, 9 tracks EG1Ellie Greenwich, 1 track SM1Shadow Morton, 1 track JB1Jeff Barry, 1 track GM1George Morton, 1 track JA1Joel Adelberg, 1 track AC1Alice Cooper, 1 track MC1Marky Carter, 1 track MT1Mark Tanner, 1 track MW1Marty Wagner, 1 track BT1Bernie Tormé, 1 track HM1Hugh Martin, 1 track RB1Ralph Blane, 1 track IB1Irving Berlin, 1 track IB1Israel Beilin, 1 track WK1Walter Kent, 1 track BR1Buck Ram, 1 track KG1Kim Gannon, 1 track JL1Jay Livingston, 1 track RE1Ray Evans, 1 track TC1Tommie Connor, 1 track JS1Jule Styne, 1 track SC1Sammy Cahn, 1 track RW1Robert Wells, 1 track MT1Mel Tormé, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. PW Pete Way · SE Stuart Epps · DD Dieter Dierks · BH Beau Hill · TW Tom Werman · EG Ellie Greenwich

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Four other men played on these records and not one of them has a writing credit. Snider writes alone on every album through 1987, takes one co-writer on Love Is for Suckers and one on Still Hungry, and then vanishes entirely from A Twisted Christmas, which is eleven songs written by other people.

Quick Facts

  • One penDee Snider on 64 of the 76 album tracks
  • Nobody elseNo other member has a writing credit
  • The gapThe twelve tracks without him are all covers
  • Top 40"We're Not Gonna Take It" was their only Hot 100 top 40 hit
  • The hearingsNamed by the PMRC; Snider testified to the Senate in 1985
  • Hall of FameLong Island Music Hall of Fame, inducted 2006

Creative Fingerprint

One writer, four players, and no shared credit anywhere in the catalogue.

The Story

Dee Snider wrote every original song Twisted Sister recorded. He has 64 of the 76 album tracks, and the twelve he is missing are all covers.

Awards & Recognition

Long Island Music Hall of Fame, inducted 2006
Metal Hall of Fame, inducted 2023

Frequently Asked Questions Twisted Sister

Who writes Twisted Sister's songs?
Dee Snider, on his own. He is credited on 64 of the 76 album tracks in this catalogue and no other member of the band has a writing credit on any of them. The twelve tracks he is not on are all songs by other writers.
Who wrote "We're Not Gonna Take It"?
Dee Snider, alone, like everything else on Stay Hungry. It was the band's only top 40 hit on the Hot 100.
Who wrote "I Wanna Rock"?
Dee Snider. It reached number 68 on the Hot 100.
Did anyone else in the band write?
No. Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A. J. Pero played on the records and produced some of them, but none of them holds a writing credit.
How many albums did they release?
Seven studio albums, counting the 2004 re-recording of Stay Hungry and the 2006 Christmas record. The live albums and compilations sit outside this catalogue.
Which songs are not Snider's?
"Leader of the Pack" on Come Out and Play and everything on A Twisted Christmas. He shares two others, "Love Is for Suckers" and "I Want This Night (To Last Forever)".
How well did Stay Hungry sell?
More than two million copies by the summer of 1985, and more than three million in the years after. It is the band's biggest success.
What was the PMRC row?
The Parents Music Resource Center singled the band out in 1985 and named "Under the Blade" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" in the Senate hearings. Snider testified alongside John Denver and Frank Zappa.
Why did they re-record Stay Hungry?
Still Hungry in 2004 is a re-recording of the 1984 album, with seven tracks from the same period added to it.
Are they still together?
They reunited in 2025 and Sebastian Bach took over lead vocals from Dee Snider in 2026.

Sources

Wikipedia: Twisted Sister Wikipedia: Twisted Sister discography Wikipedia: List of Twisted Sister members Wikipedia: Dee Snider Wikipedia: Jay Jay French Wikipedia: Eddie Ojeda Wikipedia: Mark Mendoza Wikipedia: A. J. Pero