Taylor Swift’s Secret Music Man
Which songwriter just jumped past Mariah Carey’s famous Beatle-nipping number three slot on Billboard’s all-time list of number one hit makers? And scooped up ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year a fourth year in a row — for a lifetime tally of seven — based on a glittering necklace of Pop power-girl anthems including: “Raise Your Glass,†“Last Friday Night,†“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together†and “Teenage Dreamâ€? Pink? Katy Perry? Taylor Swift? The force that inspires defiant videos and top-of-their-lungs screeching tweens is, in fact, a media-shy 43-year old Swedish man. Max Martin has written more than 50 top ten hits worldwide, including sales of over 135 million singles, but unlike other top sellers, very few people except those in the industry, or who scrutinize liner notes, know his name.
