 Gaines began his journalism career as the "Top of the Pop" columnist for the New York Daily News .In the early part of his career he wrote several books about the music business, including Alice Cooper's autobiography, "Me, Alice"; "The Love You Make," a biography of the Beatles; and "Heroes and Villains," a biography of the Beach Boys, before briefly switching his focus to fashion designers with biographies on Halston and Calvin Klein.In 1978 he wrote the lyrics for two major disco hits, "New York at Night" and "Like An Eagle," composed by Village People creator Jaques Morali.