Will Jennings, lyricist behind ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘Tears in Heaven’, sells catalog to Lance Freed and Fuji Music
Legendary lyricist Will Jennings, known for crafting some of the most beloved hits of the last five decades, has sold his extensive catalog to a publishing company headed by music publisher Lance Freed and Fuji Music Group.
The acquisition, announced on December 12, was made through an exclusive joint venture between Freed’s new publishing company, All Clear Music, and Fuji Music. All Clear Music and Fuji Music described the acquisition — which covers 100% of Jennings’ catalog — as “one of the most significant deals of the year in the music industry.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Jennings, an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, boasts a career that spans over 50 years. His catalog includes timeless classics such as Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven, and Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes’ Up Where We Belong.
Jennings collaborated across a range of genres with various artists and songwriters, penning hits recorded by artists like Steve Winwood (Higher Love, Roll With It, Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do, While You See a Chance, and Back in the High Life Again), Barry Manilow (Somewhere in the Night, Looks Like We Made It), Tim McGraw (Please Remember Me), Whitney Houston (Didn’t We Almost Have It All), Dionne Warwick (I’ll Never Love This Way Again), Randy Crawford/The Crusaders (Street Life, One Day I’ll Fly Away), and Rodney Crowell (Many a Long & Lonesome Highway).
Teaming up with composer James Horner, Jennings co-wrote the Oscar-winning My Heart Will Go On, the theme for Titanic, performed by Celine Dion. This song not only became a cultural touchstone but also attained worldwide No.1 status.
In collaboration with Steve Winwood, Jennings contributed to several albums, including Back in The High Life, which produced No.1 hits and earned Winwood a Grammy for Record Of The Year. Additionally, Jennings and Winwood received a Song of the Year nomination for their work on Higher Love.
Another notable success was Up Where We Belong, a collaboration with Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, recorded by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. The song not only topped charts but also secured Jennings both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
“Having worked so closely with Will throughout his career, it’s very personal to me, as he is a cherished friend and I have been honored to know and help support him throughout his career.”
Lance Freed, All Clear Music
With an estimated 150 million records sold, Jennings has earned six Grammy nominations and three wins, two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and the honor of being inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Lance Freed, President of All Clear Music, reminisced about his connection with Jennings, recalling their partnership that began in 1974 when Freed signed Jennings under Almo/Irving Music, the original publishing arm of A&M Records.
“Will was a schoolteacher who moved to Nashville in the early 1970’s intent on becoming a songwriter. We signed him and he struggled for nearly three years until he eventually found success with Clive Davis and Arista artists, like Barry Manilow,” said Freed.
“Having worked so closely with Will throughout his career, it’s very personal to me, as he is a cherished friend and I have been honored to know and help support him throughout his career. When the opportunity to acquire the song catalog presented itself, I called my long-time friend Ichi Asatsuma, who had expressed he wanted to work together on something we truly loved. We agreed that this could be that labor of love, and we feel a deep responsibility to take care of his beautiful songs and legacy.”
“We are very honored to represent one of the world’s finest songwriters with Lance Freed’s All Clear Music, and will give Will Jennings’ music the very best promotion and all the respect it richly deserves.”
Ichi Asatsuma, Fuji Music Group
Freed previously led Universal Music Group-owned Rondor Music International, which has a track record of publishing the works of Al Green, Tom Petty, Otis Redding, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, the Carpenters and Will Jennings. Under his leadership, Rondor signed Billy Joel to an exclusive worldwide publishing administration deal in 2012, and DreamWorks Animation to an exclusive, worldwide music publishing administration deal in 2014.
Ichi Asatsuma, Chairman of Fuji Music Group, said: “We are very honored to represent one of the world’s finest songwriters with Lance Freed’s All Clear Music, and will give Will Jennings’ music the very best promotion and all the respect it richly deserves.”
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