Matthew Wilder

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Matthew Wilder
Matthew Wilder 2020.jpg
Background information
Birth nameMatthew Weiner
Born (1953-01-24) January 24, 1953 (age 68)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • synthesizer
  • guitar
Years active1972–present
LabelsColumbia
Epic
Websitematthewwildermusic.com

Matthew Wilder (né Weiner; January 24, 1953)[1] is an American singer, musician, and record producer. In early 1984, his single "Break My Stride" hit No. 2 on the Cash Box chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also did the singing voice for Ling in the Disney animated feature film Mulan and wrote the music for the songs featured in the movie.

Early life[]

Born in New York City,[1] Wilder graduated from the New Lincoln School.

Career[]

Wilder was one-half of the Greenwich Village folk rock group Matthew & Peter in the 1970s. In 1978, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and sang for television commercials and as a backing vocalist for Rickie Lee Jones and Bette Midler.

Wilder's debut album, I Don't Speak the Language (1983), reached No. 49 on the Billboard 200, fueled by "Break My Stride". Wilder had some continued success with the single "The Kid's American", which reached No. 33 in 1984, but the single failed to match the success of "Break My Stride". Wilder's second album, Bouncin' Off the Walls (1984), failed to gain much momentum—even with an innovative music video for the single "Bouncin' Off the Walls", with only the title track making the charts (No. 52), and was subsequently deemed a commercial failure.

Despite the downturn in his solo career, Wilder continued his career in the music industry as a songwriter and as a record producer for such acts as No Doubt (the hit album Tragic Kingdom), 702, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus on her Hannah Montana song "G.N.O. (Girls Night Out)", The Belle Brigade, King Charles, and Joanna Pacitti. He has also done production work on Australian singer-songwriter Mig Ayesa's self-titled album released in April 2007 and has helped with production on Hayden Panettiere's unreleased album.

For the Disney film Mulan, Wilder wrote the songs and co-wrote the score with composer Jerry Goldsmith. Wilder also lent his singing voice to the character of Ling. He won an Annie Award nomination for Music in an Animated Feature Production, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score (along with David Zippel and Jerry Goldsmith) for his work on that film.[1]

For theatre, Wilder once again paired with Zippel to provide the music and lyrics for Princesses, a musical comedy update of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel A Little Princess. The production ran at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle but has yet to open on Broadway.

Discography[]

Solo albums[]

With Matthew & Peter[]

  • (1972, with Matthew & Peter)

Singles[]

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold) 		Album
US
[2] 		US$
[3] 		AUS
[4] 		US AC
[5] 		US Dance
[6] 		US
R&B
[7] 		UK
[8]
1982 "" — — — 32 — — — N/A
1983 "Break My Stride" 5 2 6 4 17 76 4 I Don't Speak the Language
"I Don't Speak the Language" — — — — — — —
1984 "" — — — — — — —
"" 33 40 — — — — 93
1985 "" — — — — — — —
"Bouncin' Off the Walls" 52 46 — — — — — Bouncin' Off the Walls
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Break My Stride Music video
1984 Top of the Pops
1984 Solid Gold
1984 American Bandstand Two episodes
1984 The Kid's American Music video
1985 Bouncin' Off the Walls Music video
1998 Mulan Ling (singing voice) Animated feature film
1999 VH-1 Where Are They Now? Television series documentary

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Farance, Jeff (June 16, 2006). "Seeing Stars: Where's Wilder? With Waldo?", The Daytona Beach News-Journal, p. E14.
  2. ^ "Matthew Wilder Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  3. ^ Randy Price. "Cashbox Top 100: the 80's Charts". cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 337. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ "Matthew Wilder Album & Song Chart History – Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  6. ^ "Matthew Wilder Album & Song Chart History – Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  7. ^ "Matthew Wilder Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  8. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Matthew Wilder". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  9. ^ "ARIA Accreditations 2020". ARIA. January 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "BPI Search Results". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2011.

External links[]

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