School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Matt Rowe

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Matt Rowe is a British songwriter and producer. In the 1990s he formed a songwriting duo with Richard Stannard, which wrote and produced pop songs in London. There is little to be found in the usual sources about Rowe's own background; his name is linked mainly with one group: the Spice Girls.

Music and breakthrough

Stannard saw the five singers at a showcase in the Nomis Studios at the end of 1994 and told Rowe that he had found the pop group of their dreams. From January 1995 the two wrote songs together with the group. In December 1995 they recorded Wannabe at the Strongroom in London. Rowe put the drum loop together on his MPC3000 drum machine; the five added shouted, rapped and sung sections, which were stuck together as cut-and-paste work. The song was written in about half an hour and recorded in less than an hour. Rowe also played keyboards and co-wrote the lyrics.

Influence

Wannabe was released in the summer of 1996. It spent seven weeks at number 1 in England and by the end of 1997 had reached number 1 in 37 countries, including America. In 1997 it won an Ivor Novello Award and a Brit Award. Rowe and Stannard also wrote the ballad 2 Become 1 and Mama with the group. Rowe felt that all five Spice Girls contributed equally to the songs. His work shows how a pop group and a regular team of writers together could make a worldwide hit in a short time.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen in Wannabe to Rowe's drum loop: a skipping rhythm at 110 bpm, in which Stannard heard something of the rock 'n' roll from Grease. Notice how the shouted, rapped and sung sections are stuck one after another as separate blocks.

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists