Ordering here:
Among Johnny Mercer's greatest songs are: "P.S. I Love You" (1934, Gordon Jenkins), "Goody Goody" (1936, Matt Melneck), "I'm An Old Cowhand" (1936, words and music), "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)" (1937, Bernie Hanighen), "Too Marvelous For Words" (1937, Richard Whiting), "Jeepers Creepers" (1938, Harry Warren), "Hooray For Hollywood" (1938, Richard Whiting), "Day In--Day Out" (1939, Rube Bloom), "I Thought About You" (1939, Jimmy Van Heusen), "Fools Rush In" (1940, Rube Bloom), "Blues In The Night" (1941, Harold Arlen), "Skylark" (1941, Hoagy Carmichael), "I Remember You" (1942, Victor Schertzinger), "I'm Old Fashioned" (1942, Jerome Kern), "That Old Black Magic"(1942, Harold Arlen), "Hit The Road To Dreamland" (1942, Harold Arlen), "My Shining Hour" (1943, Harold Arlen), "One For My Baby" (1943, Harold Arlen), "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" (1944, Harold Arlen), "Let's Take The Long Way Home"(1944, Harold Arlen), "G.I. Jive" (1944, words and music), "Laura" (1945, David Raskin), "Out Of This World" (1945, Harold Arlen), "Early Autumn" (1949, Woody Herman and Ralph Burns), "Autumn Leaves" (1950, English version of a French song, music by Joseph Kozma), "Here's To My Lady" (1951, Rube Bloom), "Something's Gotta Give" (1955, words and music), "Satin Doll" (1958, Duke Ellington), "Charade" (1963, Henry Mancini), "Summer Wind" (1965, Henry Mayer), and "How Do You Say Aug Wiedersehn?" (1967, Tony Scibetta).
This collection does not include them all but contains enough to show why he is considered one of the greatest lyricists popular American song ever produced.
One oddity with Mercer is that many of his greatest hits came from melodies, music which had been pre- produced and which he was asked to write the words for. So for instance the beautiful haunting 'Autumn Leaves' was given lyrics after it had come to America from France.
Mercer is also the only lyric writer to have been honored by an 'Ella Fitzergald Songbook' collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment