John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He is the son of Joseph Marfy and of songwriter Elena Casals.
His hits as a songwriter include Sakis Rouvas' "Ola Kala"; Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovin' You"; Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself for Loving You"; Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Bad Medicine", and "Born to Be My Baby "; Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like a Lady), "Angel", "What It Takes" and "Crazy"; Cher’s "We All Sleep Alone" and "Just Like Jesse James"; Alice Cooper's "Poison"; Michael Bolton's "How Can We Be Lovers?"; and Ricky Martin's "The Cup of Life" and "Livin' la Vida Loca".