Legendary Singer-Songwriter Marc Jordan’s Definitive Biography ‘Rhythm of My Heart’ Out Now For Global Release
There are some voices in the Canadian musical canon that paint entire cinematic landscapes. Marc Jordan is one of those rare, essential artists. Today, he is thrilled to announce the release of Rhythm of My Heart: The Authorized Biography of Marc Jordan, a deep-dive exploration of a career that has shaped the sound of popular music for over fifty years. Written by Don Breithaupt and available now, this book offers an unprecedented look at the Brooklyn-born, Toronto-raised legend whose songs have sold over 35 million units and defined the uncompromising quality that is the hallmark of a true visionary.
To chronicle such a sophisticated journey, Jordan enlisted a fellow traveler who understands the DNA of a great melody. Don Breithaupt is an Emmy-winning composer and the creative force behind the Juno-nominated project Monkey House. In his own words, Breithaupt found it a profound honour to put into print the story of a born storyteller and a famous wordsmith. The author, an alumnus of Berklee College of Music, previously penned the definitive volume on Steely Dan’s Aja, and states that he took pains to keep myself out of the story to ensure Jordan’s unbending commitment to originality remains the focal point of this narrative.
The scope of the biography is nothing short of a guided tour through the high-water marks of pop culture. Readers are given exclusive access to Jordan’s cauldron of popular music over the last half-century, featuring a Foreword by Marc Jordan himself and an array of exclusive photos documenting his life from 1951 to the present. The book features secondary interviews with an army of famous collaborators, including industry titans like David Foster and Rob Dickins, providing a who’s-who perspective on the high-stakes L.A. and Toronto music scenes.
Among the many milestones celebrated in the book, Rhythm of My Heart highlights Jordan’s meteoric rise following his 1978 signing to Warner Brothers, which was the biggest deal any Canadian had ever had in America at the time. The narrative details the creation of his global #1 hit, “Rhythm of My Heart,” and his scribe relationship with Rod Stewart, who has recorded five of Jordan’s compositions. The book also illuminates Jordan’s inspiring journey of overcoming profound dyslexia through creativity, transforming a childhood challenge into a savant-like ability to visualize music in three dimensions.
Beyond the solo hits like “Marina Del Rey” and “Survival,” the biography explores Jordan’s profound impact as a songwriter for iconic stars across multiple genres, including Diana Ross, Chicago, Cher, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, The Manhattan Transfer and more than a half-dozen for Rod Stewart. It tracks his artistic evolution from the slick, slippery West Coast sound of the late seventies to his recent, critically acclaimed orchestral and jazz albums like Both Sides. This creative resurgence has solidified his legacy as a recent inductee into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Rhythm of My Heart: The Authorized Biography of Marc Jordan is a celebration of redemption through art and the unwavering dedication to the craft of songwriting. Whether you are a devotee of the Yacht Rock era or a lover of intimate, jazzy solo works, this book is the definitive account of a songwriter’s songwriter.
Get your copy: Amazon
Don Breithaupt had a chat with us about the release.
When you first sat down with Marc, what surprised you most about the person behind the songs?
Well, I already knew Marc pretty well—we’ve performed together, and written songs together—but of course there’s a deep well of emotion and intellect there that I hadn’t fully tapped into previously. The thing that hit me once we got into the interviews was what an incredible raconteur Marc is. He has great perspective on his wild ride in the music business, and he zips back and forth between wry humour and poignancy really easily. Before I interviewed anyone else for the book, Marc and I talked for days and days. It was extraordinary.
Marc’s dyslexia plays a major role in his creativity. How did understanding that change the way you heard his songs?
Everyone writes songs differently, but Marc has all these workarounds that have to do with his dyslexia. There is, of course, major irony in a famous lyricist having problems with the printed word. Marc gathers thoughts, images, and phrases in a non-linear way. He sings and sings, and gradually the thing comes into focus. What he’s really doing isn’t traditional confession or narrative; he’s essentially telling you about the movie he’s seeing in his head. Once you know that, you receive his songs differently. You give yourself over to the details, the impression.
Was there a single song or session that felt like the emotional center of the book for you?
Probably the turning point for Marc was the early sessions for his first Warner Brothers album. He had Steely Dan’s production/engineering team (Gary Katz and Roger Nichols) in the control room, and a crew of first-call Hollywood session musicians out on the floor with him. He felt out of his depth, as anyone would. I mean, the previous month he was playing dive bars in Ontario! As Marc likes to say, he arrived in L.A. as James Taylor, and left as Boz Scaggs — the Hollywood aesthetic, with its slick surfaces and hi-tech methods, really changed him musically.
His collaborations with Rod Stewart are legendary. What did you learn about Marc as a collaborator rather than a solo artist?
Another of the fundamental contradictions about Marc is that he always collaborates on songs, but always works alone. He will work with a partner, but there’s strict division of labour. The creation of melody and lyrics happens when Marc goes into this kind of dream state on his own, singing to someone’s preexisting track, and goes down the rabbit hole until he finds something shiny, something worth developing. Sometimes that takes a day, sometimes months. Only he knows when it’s finished. When you write with him, you’re never sure when he’s going to have something to show you.
After spending years inside Marc’s story, what part of his legacy do you think still hasn’t fully been recognized?
Anyone else with Marc’s track record would be a household name. He’s written for Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Diana Ross, Joe Cocker, Cher, Bette Midler, Natalie Cole, Chicago, Kenny Loggins, Kim Carnes, Shawn Colvin, The Manhattan Transfer… The list goes on. A lot of people I spoke to for the book consider Marc on a level with Canada’s greatest songwriters. Because he collaborates so extensively, he’s not thought of as a traditional folky auteur like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, or Leonard Cohen, but his track record speaks for itself. He has the respect of hall-of-famers, and he has continuously written and recorded exceptional work for over fifty years. As David Foster observes, Marc “has a way of not doing the obvious, and that’s what makes a great songwriter: you say it or play it differently than everybody else. It’s what we all strive for.”
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