John Bettis

Who is 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.

He was originally part of the band Spectrum, which also featured Richard and Karen Carpenter. He wrote the lyrics for "Top of the World", a huge hit for both Lynn Anderson and The Carpenters. He wrote several more hits for The Carpenters, including "Only Yesterday", "Goodbye to Love" and "Yesterday Once More". He later wrote hits for other artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Pointer Sisters, Diana Ross, Jennifer Warnes, Peabo Bryson, George Strait, Ronnie Milsap, and Barbara Mandrell. Bettis also co-wrote "One Moment in Time", the 1988 Summer Olympics anthem performed by Whitney Houston and the theme song to the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, "As Long as We Got Each Other".

He was born in Long Beach, California, the son of Wayne Douglas and Nellie Jane Bettis, and attended San Pedro High School, Class of 1964. He was a member of the choir and attended plays in the evenings with a group of drama students. After graduation he attended California State University.