Gordon Pogoda
Encyclopedia
Gordon Pogoda is an American
composer
, lyricist
, and producer
based in Los Angeles. In the past five years, he has signed publishing deals with EMI Music, Universal Music and Warner Chappell Music.
in chemical engineering
from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After working for a few years at an engineering firm, he decided to leave his engineering career behind and pursue his lifelong dream of songwriting, which he began at age 15 (he began playing piano at age 13.)
Pogoda has had songs featured in several media. In film, he had two songs featured in the Academy Award winning picture Little Miss Sunshine
, one in the film Josie and the Pussycats
, one in the Disney film Get a Clue
starring Lindsey Lohan and several others. In television, Pogoda's songs have been featured in Hannah Montana
(where his song "If Cupid Had a Heart" has been featured three times), Sex and the City
, CSI: Miami
, ER
, Will and Grace, King of the Hill
, Samantha Who and Medium
. Due to all his success in television and film, two albums of all Gordon Pogoda songs were released digitally. One is titled "Gordon Pogoda Songs From Film & TV", a 13-song various-artist set including "If Cupid Had a Heart" (featured in 17 TV shows and films such as Hannah Montana
and Little Miss Sunshine
). The other album (his first album release) is titled "If Cupid Had a Heart" and features all songs performed by guest vocalist Julie Griffin.
Pogoda wrote two songs recorded by European Pop Idol
winner Patrick Jurdić
, and had the number two song of the year in Russia for pop/rock artist Sergey Lazarev
, and a top 5 hit for Tereza Kerndlová
in the Czech Republic, which was selected to represent the Czech Republic in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. His song "I Wish I Could Pretend" came in 2nd place to represent Ireland in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. He had a platinum record with the Australian group Scandal'us
, three platinum and gold records with the Greek group Hi-5
, and a platinum record for Finnish girl band Tiktak
. In the United States, Pogoda wrote a top 10 hit on the U.S. Contemporary Christian singles chart for sister group Aurora
, and a single for Natalie Grant
. Pogoda has also had songs used for Disney films, CDs, TV shows & DVDs.
Gordon has collaborated with Grammy-Award winners Melissa Manchester
, Dan Hill
, and Jeff Silbar and has written songs with (or that were recorded by) top writers/artists/producers including Taylor Dayne
, Albert Hammond
, Richard Kerr (songwriter)
, Denise Rich, Brian Potter, Jim Peterik
(of Survivor (band)
), John Bettis
, Allan Rich, Michael Jay, Jason Blume, Cutfather & Joe, Dennis Morgan (songwriter)
, Wayne Hector
, and Marti Fredriksen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
based in Los Angeles. In the past five years, he has signed publishing deals with EMI Music, Universal Music and Warner Chappell Music.
Biography
Pogoda earned a B.S.Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After working for a few years at an engineering firm, he decided to leave his engineering career behind and pursue his lifelong dream of songwriting, which he began at age 15 (he began playing piano at age 13.)
Pogoda has had songs featured in several media. In film, he had two songs featured in the Academy Award winning picture Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer...
, one in the film Josie and the Pussycats
Josie and the Pussycats (film)
Josie and the Pussycats is a 2001 comedy film released by Universal Studios and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the film is loosely based upon the Archie comic of the same name...
, one in the Disney film Get a Clue
Get a Clue
Get a Clue is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Lindsay Lohan as Lexy Gold, a high-school student who investigates a mystery after one of her teachers goes missing, Bug Hall as a boy who helps her, Ian Gomez as the missing teacher, Brenda Song as Lexy's best friend, Ali Mukaddam as...
starring Lindsey Lohan and several others. In television, Pogoda's songs have been featured in Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
(where his song "If Cupid Had a Heart" has been featured three times), Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Will and Grace, King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, Samantha Who and Medium
Medium (TV series)
Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...
. Due to all his success in television and film, two albums of all Gordon Pogoda songs were released digitally. One is titled "Gordon Pogoda Songs From Film & TV", a 13-song various-artist set including "If Cupid Had a Heart" (featured in 17 TV shows and films such as Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
and Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer...
). The other album (his first album release) is titled "If Cupid Had a Heart" and features all songs performed by guest vocalist Julie Griffin.
Pogoda wrote two songs recorded by European Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
winner Patrick Jurdić
Patrick Jurdic
Patrick Jurdić is an Austro-Croatian singer who rose to popularity after winning Hrvatski Idol 2, the Croatian version of Pop Idol, shown by Nova TV. Additionally, he also took part in Austria's casting show Starmania and reached the top-12...
, and had the number two song of the year in Russia for pop/rock artist Sergey Lazarev
Sergey Lazarev
Sergey Vyacheslavovich Lazarev is a singer, dancer and actor born in Moscow, Russia. He is most famous for his singing career, when he rose to fame as the dark-haired member of the group Smash!!. The group broke up in 2006...
, and a top 5 hit for Tereza Kerndlová
Tereza Kerndlová
Tereza Kerndlová is a singer in the Czech Republic. She rose to fame as a member of the trio Black Milk since 2001...
in the Czech Republic, which was selected to represent the Czech Republic in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. His song "I Wish I Could Pretend" came in 2nd place to represent Ireland in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. He had a platinum record with the Australian group Scandal'us
Scandal'us
Scandal'us were the winners of the Australian Popstars 2 in 2001 . They won an ARIA Award for the No. 1 debut single "Me Myself & I". Their second and final single, "Make Me Crazy", only reached No. 30. Their debut album, Startin' Somethin, debuted and peaked at No...
, three platinum and gold records with the Greek group Hi-5
Hi-5 (Greek band)
Hi-5 was a Greek - Cypriot pop girl band consisting of female vocalists Marlen Angelidou, Irini Psichrami, Frosso Papacharalambous, Shaya and Nancy Stergiopoulou, who were the winners of the Greek version of the popular talent show Popstars. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They...
, and a platinum record for Finnish girl band Tiktak
Tiktak
Tiktak was a Finnish music group consisting of six school girls from northern Helsinki, who met at . Their debut album, Friends, included songs written by Maki Kolehmainen and was a huge hit in Finland, with unusually strong sales in the rest of Europe, especially Scandinavia. The band's music was...
. In the United States, Pogoda wrote a top 10 hit on the U.S. Contemporary Christian singles chart for sister group Aurora
Aurora (band)
Aurora, also known as Aurora UK, are a British electronic dance music group, consisting of keyboardist/guitarist Sacha Collisson and fellow keyboardist Simon Greenaway.-Albums:-Singles:*"Hear You Calling" 1999 #71 UK...
, and a single for Natalie Grant
Natalie Grant
Natalie Grant is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. Her work has gained prominence, including four consecutive Dove Awards for best female artist, and with her signature song, Held...
. Pogoda has also had songs used for Disney films, CDs, TV shows & DVDs.
Gordon has collaborated with Grammy-Award winners Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
, Dan Hill
Dan Hill
Daniel Grafton "Dan" Hill IV is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He had two major hits with his songs, "Sometimes When We Touch" and "Can't We Try," a duet with Vonda Shepard.-Early life and career:...
, and Jeff Silbar and has written songs with (or that were recorded by) top writers/artists/producers including Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962 before later adopting her current stage name. She is an American pop vocalist, songwriter, and dance artist. Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine...
, Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
, Richard Kerr (songwriter)
Richard Kerr (songwriter)
Richard Kerr is an English composer, who co-wrote "Mandy", "Looks Like We Made It" and "Somewhere in the Night" - all of which became hit singles for Barry Manilow.-Career:...
, Denise Rich, Brian Potter, Jim Peterik
Jim Peterik
Jim Peterik is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the band Survivor and as vocalist and songwriter of the hit song "Vehicle" by The Ides of March...
(of Survivor (band)
Survivor (band)
Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its AOR sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its double platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
), John Bettis
John Bettis
John Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, Allan Rich, Michael Jay, Jason Blume, Cutfather & Joe, Dennis Morgan (songwriter)
Dennis Morgan (songwriter)
Dennis Morgan is a songwriter and music publisher, best known for writing songs for Aretha Franklin, Faith Hill, Barbara Mandrell, and Eric Clapton. He has also published hit songs by Garth Brooks, All-4-One, Feargal Sharkey, and Trisha Yearwood.Morgan's career as a songwriter started as a session...
, Wayne Hector
Wayne Hector
Wayne Hector is an English songwriter.Wayne Hector has had over 30 number ones around the globe under his belt and numerous movie soundtrack credits, Wayne Hector is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters....
, and Marti Fredriksen.
Songs in Noteworthy Films and Television Shows
| Song | Film/Television Show |
|---|---|
| "If Cupid Had a Heart" | Little Miss Sunshine Little Miss Sunshine Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer... , an Academy-Award winning film |
| "If Cupid Had a Heart" | "Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real... ", used three times in the episodes I Want You To Want Me ... To Go To Florida and We're So Sorry, Uncle Earl |
| "Dancing in the Driver's Seat" | Little Miss Sunshine Little Miss Sunshine Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer... , an Academy-Award winning film |
| "Girl Attack" | Sex and the City Sex and the City Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes... |
| "I.C.U. (And My Heart Just Stops)" | CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.... |
| "Lions and Tigers and Me" | Will and Grace |
| "Girl Attack" | ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
| "I.C.U. (And My Heart Just Stops)" | Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats (film) Josie and the Pussycats is a 2001 comedy film released by Universal Studios and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the film is loosely based upon the Archie comic of the same name... , a top 10 film |
| "Lions and Tigers and Me" | Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office... |
| "Tell It To the Rain" | Everwood Everwood Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,... |
| "If Cupid Had a Heart" | King of the Hill King of the Hill King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas... |
| "I.C.U. (And My Heart Just Stops)" | Kim Possible Kim Possible Kim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. The show is action-oriented, but also has a light-hearted atmosphere and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the... |
| "If Ever There Was" | Suite Life of Zack and Cody |
| "Tell It to the Rain" | The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series) The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series) The Twilight Zone is a 2002 revival of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series, The Twilight Zone. It aired for one season on the UPN network, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host.... |
| "If Cupid Had a Heart" | Chris Isaak Show |
| "If Cupid Had a Heart" | The Facts of Life Reunion The Facts of Life Reunion The Facts of Life Reunion is a 2001 made-for-television movie based on the 1979-1988 sitcom The Facts of Life reuniting original cast members Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields thirteen years later... |
Songs on Noteworthy Albums
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| "Just Because You Walk Away" | Sergey Lazarev Sergey Lazarev Sergey Vyacheslavovich Lazarev is a singer, dancer and actor born in Moscow, Russia. He is most famous for his singing career, when he rose to fame as the dark-haired member of the group Smash!!. The group broke up in 2006... , the #2 song of the year in Russia, 2006 |
| "Have Some Fun" | Tereza Kerndlová Tereza Kerndlová Tereza Kerndlová is a singer in the Czech Republic. She rose to fame as a member of the trio Black Milk since 2001... , 2008 Eurovision Song Contest (top 5 hit) |
| "Don't Ever Love a Romeo/Ympyraa" | Tiktak Tiktak Tiktak was a Finnish music group consisting of six school girls from northern Helsinki, who met at . Their debut album, Friends, included songs written by Maki Kolehmainen and was a huge hit in Finland, with unusually strong sales in the rest of Europe, especially Scandinavia. The band's music was... , platinum-selling album, Universal Records |
| "I'm Not Gonna Cry (The Na Na Na Song)" | Scandal'us Scandal'us Scandal'us were the winners of the Australian Popstars 2 in 2001 . They won an ARIA Award for the No. 1 debut single "Me Myself & I". Their second and final single, "Make Me Crazy", only reached No. 30. Their debut album, Startin' Somethin, debuted and peaked at No... , Australian Popstars Popstars Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss... group, platinum-selling album |
| "Open Up the Door" | Hi-5 Hi-5 (Greek band) Hi-5 was a Greek - Cypriot pop girl band consisting of female vocalists Marlen Angelidou, Irini Psichrami, Frosso Papacharalambous, Shaya and Nancy Stergiopoulou, who were the winners of the Greek version of the popular talent show Popstars. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They... , Greek Popstars Popstars Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss... group, platinum-selling album, Warner Brother Records |
| "Could It Be The Moon" | Hi-5 Hi-5 (Greek band) Hi-5 was a Greek - Cypriot pop girl band consisting of female vocalists Marlen Angelidou, Irini Psichrami, Frosso Papacharalambous, Shaya and Nancy Stergiopoulou, who were the winners of the Greek version of the popular talent show Popstars. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They... , Greek Popstars Popstars Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss... group, platinum-selling album, Warner Brothers Records |
| "Get Real" | Patrick Jurdić Patrick Jurdic Patrick Jurdić is an Austro-Croatian singer who rose to popularity after winning Hrvatski Idol 2, the Croatian version of Pop Idol, shown by Nova TV. Additionally, he also took part in Austria's casting show Starmania and reached the top-12... , winner of Hrvatski Idol Hrvatski Idol Hrvatski Idol is the Croatian version of Pop Idol. There have been two seasons of Hrvatski Idol. The first one was won by Žanamari Lalić, who received 54% of the vote in the finale night... , Europe |
| "The Party" | Patrick Jurdić Patrick Jurdic Patrick Jurdić is an Austro-Croatian singer who rose to popularity after winning Hrvatski Idol 2, the Croatian version of Pop Idol, shown by Nova TV. Additionally, he also took part in Austria's casting show Starmania and reached the top-12... , winner of Hrvatski Idol Hrvatski Idol Hrvatski Idol is the Croatian version of Pop Idol. There have been two seasons of Hrvatski Idol. The first one was won by Žanamari Lalić, who received 54% of the vote in the finale night... , Europe |
| "Home For Christmas" | The Beu Sisters The Beu Sisters The Beu Sisters are a pop-rock girl group from the U.S. state of Florida. The members of the group are sisters Candice , Christie , and Danielle . The sisters were born in the state of New York to parents who performed on Broadway, and from an early age the girls were singing together... , featured on the CD Radio Disney Jingle Jams Radio Disney Jingle Jams Radio Disney Jingle Jams is a special collection of 17 Christmas carols tracks, both original and revived, sung by commercially-successful artists. It was released by Walt Disney Records during the winter seasons of 2004 and 2005... , (2005 version), Disney Records |
| "I Take the Road" | Greg Johnson Greg Johnson (musician) Greg Johnson is a singer/songwriter of melodic, lyric-based pop. He has seen success both as a solo artist and writing for others. Since 2002 he has been a resident of the United States, living in California.-Music career:... , featured on Greatest Hits, EMI Records |
| "If the World Lost All Its Love" | Natalie Grant Natalie Grant Natalie Grant is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. Her work has gained prominence, including four consecutive Dove Awards for best female artist, and with her signature song, Held... , Dove-award winning Christian artist, Curb Records |
| "A World With You" | Aurora (Christian band) Aurora (Christian band) Aurora was a Christian girl group that was made up of sisters Lauren, Racquel & Rachel Smith. They released two albums and had two hit singles on UK radio . They disbanded in 2002.-Discography:... , a top 10 hit on the U.S. Contemporary Christian chart |
| "Just Because You Walk Away" | Mikael Kontinnen, Universal Records |
| "Going Going Gone" | Gioia Bruno Gioia Bruno Gioia Bruno is an Italian-born American popular music singer, most noted as a member of the vocal group Exposé.-Early life and career:... , lead singer of Exposé (group), Koch Records |
| "Love Me 'Til Tomorrow" | Julie Budd |