If Happy Little Blue Birds Fly Beyond The Rainbow, Why, Oh Why Can't I?

Today in 1905, Harold Arlen was born. He was not gay, but important to gay life for writing a certain special song. For me, after Stephen Sondheim, Arlen is our greatest composer of theatre & film musicals. Arlen composed over 500 songs, but is best known writing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including Over the Rainbow, named #1 of the "Songs of the Century" list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America & the National Endowment for the Arts. The American Film Institute also ranked Over The Rainbow the greatest movie song of all time on the list of AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs. It was adopted by American troops in Europe in World War II as a symbol of the USA.

Arlen is one of the most important contributors to the Great American Songbook. His Broadway shows include:  Hooray for What!, Bloomer Girl, St. Louis Woman, House of Flowers, Mr. Imperium, Jamaica, & Saratoga.

Arlen wrote extraordinarily complex melodies & harmonies that somehow remained accessible to a broad popular audience.  He collaborated with the greatest of the Tin Pan Alley lyricists: E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Johnny Mercer, Ted Koehler, Leo Robin, Ira Gershwin, Dorothy Fields & Truman Capote.

Arlen also acted producer of some of the greatest film musicals of the Golden era: The Wizard of Oz, Let’s Fall In Love, Blues In the Night, Star Spangled Rhythm, Cabin In the Sky, Up in Arms, Kismet, My Blue Heaven, Gay Purr-ee, & Judy Garland’s version of A Star Is Born.

The Arlen catalog boast the standards: Sweet & Hot, Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea, I Got A Right To Sing the Blues, Stormy Weather, Fun To Be Fooled, Last Night When We Were Young, Blues in the Night, That Old Black Magic, Happiness is a Thing Called Joe, One For My Baby, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive, Out Of This World, Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home, Come Rain or Come Shine, The Man That Got Away, It’s Only A Paper Moon, I’ve Got The World On A String.

For all his work writing smart songs for 6 decades, the standout in his legacy continues to be the unforgettable score for the 1939 ‘s The Wizard of Oz.  Even that score reflects Arlen’s true loves- jazz & blues. Listen to how swingin’ Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead can be.

Try Ella Fitzgerald’s 2 volumes- Ella Sings The Harold Arlen Songbook from 1960, on Verve.

Besides Over The Rainbow, of course, my favorite Arlen tune is probably the greatest salon song of all time- One For My Baby, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Born On This Day- November 18th- Songwriter Johnny Mercer

101 years ago today, Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, Ga., & he grew up to be one of the most popular lyricists of the American Songbook. He was decidedly, not gay, but Johnny Mercer is one my favorite lyricist. He wrote witty, smart, insightful lyrics. Mercer wrote the words, & sometimes the music, for more than 1,500 songs, with more than 200 collaborators, among them composers Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael & Jerome Kern. He was nominated for 18 Academy Awards & won 4. He was the 1st president of the Songwriters Hall Of Fame & the founder of Capitol Records. Mercer was a charming & talented man & a favorite of mine. Here are some of the songs that he supplied the words for: Hit The Road To Dream Land, Blues In The Night, Skylark, One For My Baby, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive, Dream, Come Rain Or Come Shine, Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home, Autumn Leaves, Something’s Gotta Give, & Moon River.

Check out the lyrics to the most perfect saloon song of all time:

It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you & me

So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story you oughta know

We're drinkin', my friend, to the end of a brief episode

Make it one for my baby & one more for the road

I got the routine, so drop another nickel in the music machine

I'm feelin' so bad, wish you'd make the music pretty & sad

Could tell you a lot, but you've got to be true to your code

So, make it one for my baby & one more for the road

You'd never know it but buddy, I'm a kind of poet

& I got a lot of things to say

& when I'm gloomy, you simply gotta listen to me

Till it's all talked away

Well that's how it goes & Joe... I know your gettin' pretty anxious to close

So, thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't mind my bendin' your ear

This torch that I found must be drowned or it soon might explode

So, make it one for my baby and one more for the road

That long, long road

October Songs... When October Goes

& when October goes

The snow begins to fly

Above the smokey roofs

I watch the planes go by

The children running home

Beneath a twilight sky

Oh, for the fun of them

When I was one of them

& when October goes

The same old dream appears

& you are in my arms

To share the happy years

I turn my head away

To hide the helpless tears

Oh how I hate to see October go

I should be over it now I know

It doesn't matter much

How old I grow

I hate to see October go

Manilow/Mercer

1984

He is one of my very favorite lyricist. In his last year, as he was dying of bain cancer, Johnny Mercer became extremely fond of Barry Manilow, in part because Manilow's first hit record was Mandy which was the name of Mercer's daughter. After Mercer's death, his widow arranged to give some lyrics never used he to Manilow to possibly develop into complete songs. Among these was When October Goes. Manilow applied his own melody to the Mercer lyric.
 
I sang this heartbreaking song when I performed with a jazz trio in the 1990s. It somehow fit my voice technically & emotionally. It was actually cathatric to give voice to it. I sang When October Goes at a gig in late October 1998 & I remember The Husband saying: "You really have the most amazing voice, most people don't know what you can do." I simply glowed; The Husband is a tough critic.
 
Don't you find it heartbreaking?

Summer Songs #5... The Summer Wind

The summer wind came blowin' in
From across the sea
It lingered there to touch your hair
& walk with me

All summer long
we sang a song
& then we strolled that golden sand
2 sweethearts & the summer wind

Like painted kites, those days & nights
They went flying by
The world was new beneath the blue
Umbrella sky

Then softer than a piper man
One day, it called to you
I lost you I lost you to
The summer wind

The autumn wind
& the winter winds
They have come & gone
& still those days
Those lonely days
They go on and on
&  guess who sighs
His lullabies through nights that never end
My fickled friend,
The summer wind
The summer wind warm summer wind
The summer wind

Johnny Mercer

1965

Born On This Day- November 18th... Songwriter Johnny Mercer

One hundred years ago today, Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, Ga., & he grew up to be one of the most popular lyricists of the American Songbook. He was decidedly, not gay, but Johnny Mercer is one my favorite lyricist. He wrote witty, smart, insightful lyrics. Mercer wrote the words, & sometimes the music, for more than 1,500 songs, with more than 200 collaborators, among them composers Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael & Jerome Kern. He was nominated for 18 Academy Awards & won 4. He was the 1st president of the Songwriters Hall Of Fame & the founder of Capitol Records. Mercer was a charming & talented man & a favorite of mine. Here are some of the songs that he supplied the words for:
Hit The Road To Dream Land, Blues In The Night, Skylark, One For My Baby, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive, Dream, Come Rain Or Come Shine, Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home, Autumn Leaves, Something’s Gotta Give, & Moon River.

Here is Robbie Williams doing the greatest Saloon Song of all time:


It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you & me
So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story you oughta know
We're drinkin', my friend, to the end of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby & one more for the road


I got the routine, so drop another nickel in the music machine
I'm feelin' so bad, wish you'd make the music pretty & sad
Could tell you a lot, but you've got to be true to your code
So, make it one for my baby & one more for the road


You'd never know it but buddy, I'm a kind of poet
& I got a lot of things to say
& when I'm gloomy, you simply gotta listen to me
Till it's all talked away

Well that's how it goes & Joe...  I know your gettin' pretty anxious to close
So, thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't mind my bendin' your ear
This torch that I found must be drowned or it soon might explode
So, make it one for my baby and one more for the road
That long, long road