21-Hit Wonder - by Sam Hollander (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In 21-Hit Wonder, Sam Hollander has collected anecdotes from his weird waltzes around the banquet of pop to help aspiring songwriters and other creatives learn about survival, endurance, scheming, hustle, and the importance of laughing even on the worst days of the journey"--

Book Synopsis

Rising up the charts seemed, at many points in Sam Hollander's career, highly unlikely. This is his story of failing his way to the top.

As one of the most renowned, multi-platinum songwriters and producers in the game, Sam Hollander has written and produced for the likes of Panic! At The Disco, One Direction, Katy Perry, Ringo Starr, Def Leppard, Carole King, Weezer, blink-182, Jewel, Train, Fitz and the Tantrums, Billy Idol, Tom Morello, and many others.

But before he was stacking Billboard hits, Hollander was piling up calamitous flops, false starts, and feeling like the world was moving on and up without him while he spun in place. Today he wears that decade of misses like a badge of honor.

In 21-Hit Wonder, he's collected anecdotes from his wild music industry rollercoaster ride to help aspiring songwriters and other creatives learn about survival, endurance, scheming, hustle, and the importance of laughing even on the worst days of the journey. Music lovers spanning generations and genres will find stories about many of their heroes and industry icons.

21-Hit Wonder is one part chronicle of a songwriter's storied career and another part love letter to anyone who has been counted out--from no-hit wonders and one-hit wonders to the novelties and the never-beens--and just needs a bit of inspiration to persevere. Sam's inspiring story is proof that setbacks are just steps on the road to success.

Review Quotes

"""Sam Hollander is a hitmaker extraordinaire, but you find out he is also theking of cool when youwork with him. Rock on Sam!""
--Billy Idol

""Following Beckett's dictum, 'Try again. Fail again. Fail better, ' Hollander's passionate pursuit through trial and error, to become one of the most renowned songwriters of today, will be of deep interest to any aspiring artist or music fan.""
--David Duchovny

""Sam Hollander is the best prize a boy could have.""
--Ringo Starr

""Sam is a Goldilocks type of writer/producer--I mean that his porridge is just right. The right mix of dark humor, telling you how it really is, and getting down to writing a big song.People always say 'you gotta grind' all the time in this business, but to me Sam represents what the grind really is.""
--Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy

""Sam is the 21-hit wonder, well 22 after the record he did for me comes out!""
--Brad Jordan, ""Scarface""/Ghetto Boys

""This is a rags to wish I had rags! to riches story. Sam failed at everything--he won't mind me saying that--until ultimately he managed to fail at failing, and became one of the most successful songwriters in the business. He's had an extraordinary 10 No 1 hits, which puts him in a rare club, and an extraordinary life, which he writes about with winningly great humor here"".
--Bob Guccione Jr., Founder, SPIN magazine

""Whether you are a songwriter, producer, performer, or music enthusiast, 21-Hit Wonder, Sam Hollander's memoir and songwriting guide, is an essential read. His passion, perseverance, and love for all things music will motivate, educate, and entertain you.""
--Matt Pinfield (MTV VJ)

""Beyond all the obvious talent that has made him such a wonderful and successful '21-Hit Wonder, ' Sam is at heart a very witty, wonderfully revealing, and refreshingly honest storyteller. And now with this book that you will devour and enjoy at jet speed, you too can share an unforgettable and rollicking journey with Sam.""
--David Wild, Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone"

About the Author

As one of the most renowned songwriters and producers in the game, Sam Hollander has had multi-platinum success writing and producing for the likes of Panic! At The Disco, Fitz and the Tantrums, Weezer, Katy Perry, Train, One Direction, Daughtry, Pentatonix, and Gym Class Heroes, amongst many others. To date, he has achieved 22 US Top 40 Hits, as well as 10 Number 1's, 10 top fives, and 87 Top 10 chart positions globally. His songs have been streamed over 5 billion times, and in 2019, he held the #1 position on the Billboard Rock Songwriters chart for nine weeks, a year-end record. Sam has also been chosen to be on Variety's Hitmakers list, as well as being named Rolling Stone's Hot List Producer of the Year in 2008.

Hollander's career has recently hit new heights from collaborations with Fitz and the Tantrums' multi-platinum worldwide hit, ""HandClap"" (one-billion-streams) and eight songs he co-penned on Panic! At The Disco's Billboard 200 No. 1 album Pray For The Wicked, including the 5x platinum, billion streamed record-breaking global hit ""High Hopes"" and ""Hey Look Ma, I Made It!"" which replaced ""High Hopes"" at No. 1 on the Hot Rock Songs chart. Other notable recent successes include writing Banners' platinum hit, ""Someone To You,"" Blink-182's Alternative Top 10 single ""Blame It On My Youth"", James TW's worldwide platinum hit ""When You Love Someone"" and writing and producing two songs on the legendary Ringo Starr's recent release ""What's My Name."" He's currently writing and producing the music for NBC'S fall 2021 new drama series Ordinary Joe.