Songwriter Billy Steinberg, Who Penned Hits for Madonna, The Bangles and Heart, Dies at 75
Society of Rock
A Career Filled With Chart-Topping Songs
Billy Steinberg, the songwriter behind some of pop music’s most successful singles, died in Los Angeles on February 16. He was 75. Over the course of his career, Steinberg co-wrote five U.S. Number 1 hits, including “Alone” for Heart in 1987 and “Eternal Flame” for The Bangles in 1989.
Working closely with longtime partner Tom Kelly, Steinberg helped shape the sound of 1980s pop and rock radio. The duo also wrote “Like A Virgin” for Madonna, “True Colors” for Cyndi Lauper, “Stand By Me” for The Pretenders, “In Your Room” for The Bangles, “Sex As A Weapon” for Pat Benatar, and “I Touch Myself” for Divinyls. Their songs were also recorded by Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, Tina Turner, and Belinda Carlisle.
The Story Behind “Eternal Flame”
In 2024, Susanna Hoffs revealed that her bandmates in The Bangles did not believe “Eternal Flame” was strong enough for their album. In an interview with Vulture, the lead vocalist said, “I was convinced Eternal Flame was one of the best songs I had ever co-written in my life, and I was very, very proud of it. So [ahead of the recording of 1988 album Everything] I presented In Your Room, Eternal Flame, and a few other songs to the band. In Your Room made the cut, but the other girls voted out Eternal Flame. I was like … what?”
“I should never liken myself to Bruce Springsteen,” Hoffs continued, “but there was this lore about how he recorded Nebraska and would go around with a cassette of it in his pocket because he was so proud. I had that feeling about Eternal Flame. I would carry that cassette in my purse and to anyone who wanted to hear it, I’d be like, This is the song of my life. The only people who weren’t so into it were the other three girls in the band.”
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A Producer’s Push and Global Success
Hoffs said it was producer Davitt Sigerson who pushed for the track to stay. “Our producer said, ‘You know what, Sue? I really love that song too, and I want to find a way to make it work for the Bangles album.’ I asked what he had in mind. And he said, ‘I think it should be piano-driven in a way.’ It’s funny because [co-writers] Billy [Steinberg] and Tom [Kelly] knew the Bangles weren’t a piano band, so that’s why we did the Eternal Flame demo on a guitar. Of course, that worked and it ended up going on Everything and it became our biggest song.”
“Eternal Flame” later reached Number 1 in nine countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. On Spotify, the track has been streamed more than 471 million times, showing the lasting impact of Steinberg’s work.
