Ravinia 2023 Issue 1

THOMAS FALCONE In addition to his formal training, Puth’s tune-filled education also was influenced by osmosis from the music of the aforementioned Carole King, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, George Michael, and many of the pop and rock singer-songwriter legends of the last 60 years. Earlier this year, Puth appeared at a reverential Grammy Award tribute to The Beach Boys, giving an energized homage to Brian Wilson with a pounding performance of the gloriously vibrant hopeful teen plea “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Clearly, Puth feels as comfortable playing pop classics as he is writing its present and future. He knows the music of these masters with the same knowledge and respect as he does the movers and shakers. He counts artists of both eras and styles as friends and col- laborators, giving a modest account to Sirius XM’s Howard Stern of how he’s “phone friends” with a certain fellow Jersey native: “You know it’s Bruce when you hear that voice and he screams, ‘Charrrlie!’ ” Puth recalled with a laugh. He also let it slip that he is a Los Angeles neighbor of Elton John, and this geographical coincidence led to a surreal meeting that transformed into a friendship, mentorship, and working relationship. It came at a pivotal time when Puth was questioning the new materi- al planned for Charlie . He didn’t feel it was reflective of who he was or what he felt—he was just churning out mu- sic the market demanded. “I went to a restaurant in West Hollywood right when I had decided that I was going to start over. And the maître d’ came over to me and said Elton John would like to meet you ,” Puth related on CBS This Morning. “Elton told me, ‘That music you just put out was not very good.’ And I was a little taken aback by that—it’s not like I disagreed with him, but it’s not every day you get to run into Elton John at a restaurant and have him tell you exactly what you were just thinking 10 minutes pri- or.’ ” John’s blunt assessment validated his Puth’s misgivings and fueled his decision to scrap it all and write with a deeper sense of heart. “I’ll be telling the truth from here on out. You can’t lie and write a song,” Puth has stated. The honest exchange with John developed into an auspicious collab- oration between the two during the initial months of COVID in 2020. Puth explained to Stern that John visited Puth’s nearby home studio, sat down at the keyboard and, as is his usual writing process, composed an entire melody in less than an hour. Puth set the lyrics, and a song was born. The result was the moving mid-tempo ballad “After All,” which was includ- ed on John’s compilation album of pandemic projects, The Lockdown Sessions . The original song is arguably the album’s best, and the pair would later perform it on many US and UK television programs as well as on stage in Paris in 2021. Puth judiciously uses today’s technology, marketing, and social media to stay tapped into the latest and growing musical trends. He freely showcases various stages of his creative process on multiple platforms to preview new song ideas, gauge re- action to new melodies or fragments he’s toying with, and ultimately share his genuine exhilaration for making music. It’s a marvel, for example, to see the unassuming Puth, alone with just a computer and keyboard, working through what would become the song “Charlie Be Quiet!” from his latest album. He effortlessly experiments with sounds, beats, and lyrics like an inspired mad scientist by bubbling beakers, only his laboratory is the latest in music-making software and tools to bubble up this generation’s hits. Charlie Puth’s got the music in him. James Turano is a freelance writer and a former entertainment editor, feature writer, and columnist for national and local magazines and newspapers. He has written official programs for eight Elton John tours since 2003 and is also a Chicago radio personality and host on WGN 720AM. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JUNE 6 – JULY 2, 2023 18