Diane Warren was “really surprised” to see Taylor Swift bring back their decade-old song “Say Don’t Go” for 1989 (Taylor Version) — and she’s buzzing about it.
On Thursday, the songwriter, 67, revealed to PEOPLE what it was like to see the song find new life. She also shared her reaction to the music superstar’s decision to send her flowers in October, following the release of her fourth re-recorded album.
“I was surprised that it made the news. I mean, what? That was really nice of her. But it shows that she’s smart, she’s smarter than everybody. That was really wonderful,” Warren tells PEOPLE at the 2023 Variety Power of Women’s event in Los Angeles.
“Look, it was great that the song came out and everybody loves that song, everybody. It’s like her fans’ favorite song,” Warren continues. “And the fact that she used it now that she’s bigger than anyone on the planet, it’s like, thanks for taking me along for the ride, Taylor. That’s great.”
Diane Warren at Variety’s 2023 Power of Women Gala.
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Taylor Swift sends Diane Warren flowers after finally releasing ‘Say Don’t Go’ — co-written song ‘Dream’
As for writing a song with the pop star, Warren — who has already written hits such as Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” — called the whole experience “interesting.” . ”
“The way we wrote it together was very interesting. I loved the song at the time and then I was kind of surprised that she didn’t use it,” she says of Swift, 33. “And then really surprised in a better way when I found [out] she was.”
Warren previously spoke about the collaborative process on the Swiftie favourite, saying Rolling stone that the pair sat down in 2013 to write the ballad “from scratch”.
The songwriter also recalled that Swift was “very careful about how she said certain things” in the recording process, and that she was “deeply aware of how her fans wanted to hear something.”
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The last song was eventually released as a part in 1989 re-recording, co-produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff. It was featured as one of the five “From the Vault” tracks that appeared on the album.
“There’s a time for everything, you know? It took me a while for it to see the light of day, but I’m glad it finally did,” Warren told the publication. “It was worth the wait.”
As for the white flowers Swift sent her co-writer, Warren shared a photo of the sweet gift on X (formerly known as Twitter) in October.
In the caption, she wrote: “If you want to know why she’s the biggest artist on the planet, this kind of kind and classy gesture is just one more reason.”
The image also included a message Swift wrote to Warren, which read: “Diane, it was a dream come true to write with you. I hope you love ‘Say Don’t Go’ as much as I do!! I send you the biggest hug! With love, Taylor.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education