David Francis Baerwald (born July 11, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, producer, and composer whose work moves between alternative rock, folk-pop, film music, and sophisticated adult-oriented songwriting. Born in Oxford, Ohio, he moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s and became active in the city's club and studio scenes. His career has been defined by a sharp interest in troubled characters, social dislocation, and the darker side of American aspiration.
Baerwald first gained broad attention as one half of David + David, the duo he formed with guitarist, bassist, and keyboard player David Ricketts. Their only album, *Boomtown*, was released by A&M Records in 1986. Built around literate, often unsettling songs about Los Angeles and its margins, the album contrasted polished rock production with narratives of addiction, ambition, alienation, and economic hardship. Its best-known track, "Welcome to the Boomtown," became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the Top 10 on the magazine's rock chart. The album peaked at number 39 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the United States. Although the duo dissolved soon afterward, *Boomtown* developed a lasting reputation as an unusually pointed and atmospheric record from the 1980s.
Baerwald began his solo career with *Bedtime Stories* in 1990. The album retained the restrained arrangements and carefully observed characters of his earlier work, but placed greater emphasis on intimacy and emotional unease. Joni Mitchell contributed guitar and backing vocals to "Liberty Lies," linking Baerwald's work to a wider Los Angeles songwriting circle. His second solo album, *Triage*, followed in 1992 or 1993, depending on the catalog source. More experimental and structurally ambitious than its predecessor, it used layered production and a darker sound to frame songs about people living on the fringes of conventional society. Both albums earned strong critical notices without becoming major commercial successes.
During the early 1990s, Baerwald became an important contributor to the songwriting community surrounding Sheryl Crow. He was involved in Crow's breakthrough album *Tuesday Night Music Club*, contributing writing, guitar, keyboards, and other instrumental parts. His songwriting credits include "All I Wanna Do," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Strong Enough," and "Run, Baby, Run." The success of the album gave Baerwald a significant profile as a writer and collaborator, even as his own recordings remained comparatively low-key.
Baerwald continued to write for artists in a wide range of styles, including LeAnn Rimes, Jill Sobule, Susanna Hoffs, Joni Mitchell, and others. His compositions have also appeared in films and on soundtracks, while his work as a composer and music contributor has extended to projects including *Hurlyburly*, *Around the Bend*, and *Undiscovered*. His most widely known film song is "Come What May," written for Baz Luhrmann's *Moulin Rouge!* and performed in the film by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. The song received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.
In 2002, Baerwald returned to album-making with *Here Comes the New Folk Underground*, a project that reaffirmed his preference for unconventional narratives and independent-minded American songwriting. Across his career, he has remained less a conventional pop star than a distinctive writer and musical craftsman, valued for bringing literary detail, social unease, and emotional complexity to both his own recordings and the work of other performers.