Monday, June 18, 2012

Songwriter Jack Lawrence: What Will I Tell My Heart?


Garbo Laughs is co-hosting the second annual Queer Film Blogathon starting today and running through June 22. This post, a snapshot of the life and career of composer/lyricist Jack Lawrence, is my contribution to the event. Click here for a link to more information and participating blogs.

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Jack Lawrence, songwriter
Oscar-nominated songwriter Jack Lawrence was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 7, 1912, and gained acclaim as a tunesmith during the halcyon days of "Tin Pan Alley" via the hit parade of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. His songs include signature hits for some of the most popular singers of the 20th century, and many of his tunes made their way onto the silver (and Technicolor) screen. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.

I discovered Jack Lawrence through the Preston Sturges comedy, The Lady Eve. The film's main theme is the song "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair," a lyrical and wistful melody that lingers long after the final credits. In my quest to know more about the music, I came upon Jack Lawrence's website. There I found the story behind the song that was a big hit for Stan Kenton in 1940 and was covered by many others including Kay Kyser's orchestra with vocalist Ginny Simms.


"With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair" can be heard all through The Lady Eve - right up to the last scene

Jack Lawrence's first published song, co-written at age 19 with his neighborhood friend and first writing partner Arthur Altman, became a number one hit and made a star of Emery Deutsch, "The Gypsy Violinist" who recorded it (and assumed songwriting credit for it). The tune, "Play, Fiddle, Play," was also used in MGM's star-studded classic Dinner at Eight (1933).

Jean Harlow and Marie Dressler in Dinner at Eight
Lawrence collaborated with Altman again in 1939, providing the words to Altman's music for a song that was recorded by three major big bands - Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James and Freddy Martin, but none of the records created a ripple. Then, in 1943, Columbia Records signed Frank Sinatra as a solo artist but was prevented by a musicians' strike from quickly getting him into the recording studio. It was decided to re-release the song Harry James had recorded with Sinatra as vocalist three years earlier, Lawrence and Altman's "All or Nothing at All." This time the record was a smash and the first hit of Frank Sinatra's solo career. There had been only one change made and that was to the record label. This time "Frank Sinatra" appeared in large letters above "accompanied by Harry James Orchestra" in small print. One of his early signature tunes, "All or Nothing at All" remained in Sinatra's repertoire for the rest of his career.

In 1939 Jack Lawrence composed a song on his own that became a hit in much less time than it took "All or Nothing at All." His "If I Didn't Care" was a sensation that made stars of The Ink Spots, an African American vocal group that, like The Mills Brothers, achieved enormous mainstream popularity.

Paul and Linda McCartney
In 1942, at the request of his attorney, legendary entertainment lawyer Lee Eastman, Lawrence wrote a song for Eastman's one-year-old daughter. Though the song, "Linda," wasn't published until after World War II, a 1946 recording by Ray Noble with vocalist Buddy Clark made its way up the Billboard charts and into the top position by early 1947. Little Linda Eastman grew up to become a respected photographer. Her photo of Eric Clapton was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1968, making her the first woman photographer to have her work appear on the front of the magazine. She later married Beatle Paul McCartney and their daughter, Stella, is a very successful fashion designer. "Linda" has been recorded by many since 1946 - from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to Willie Nelson, to name just a few. Paul McCartney played a recording of his own rendition of the song at the close of his memorial service for Linda in 1999, a ceremony to which he thoughtfully invited Jack Lawrence.

Joan Crawford in Torch Song

Around the same time "Linda" was published, Lawrence collaborated with composer Walter Gross, who had written music for a song that, with Lawrence's lyrics, came to be known as "Tenderly." Sarah Vaughan's version became a jazz standard and Rosemary Clooney's rendition became a mainstream hit as well as the theme for her TV variety show of the 1950s.  "Tenderly" was featured in the 1953 Joan Crawford vehicle, Torch Song, with Crawford's singing dubbed by India Adams.

 Rosemary Clooney sings "Tenderly"

In 2004 at age 92, Jack Lawrence wrote his autobiography, They All Sang My Songs. Jack's book tells the story of his early years in Brooklyn, his rise as a songwriter during the heyday of American popular music - along with the stories behind many of the hit songs he wrote or collaborated on. And more. At the outset of the book's 5th chapter he opens up on the most intimate aspect of his life, his sexuality. Quoting his lyrics to a hit song, Lawrence begins the chapter with:

"It's easy to lie to strangers...
 But what will I tell my heart?"

In 1925, when he was just 13, he began to realize he was strongly attracted to boys. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish home by immigrant parents and with two older brothers who were well known as ladies men, Lawrence felt increasingly frightened and isolated as his feelings emerged. He began to lead a double life, attending local dances and dating girls, trying to be "one of the guys." But he also escaped into a secret world, a world in which reading Radclyffe Hall's 1928 lesbian novel, The Well of Loneliness, brought him to tears. Describing his long struggle to overcome despair and shame, Lawrence recalls his coming out as a slow and painful process.

Harlem nights
Jack Lawrence's first experience of a gay social scene came a few years later through another, slightly older, young man - in Harlem. His friend took him to "rent parties," racially mixed get-togethers held in apartments rented for the weekend where the price of admission covered a drink or two and the chance to dance with other gay men as records spun on a turntable. Though Lawrence later learned that there had been gay bars to be found in New York's out-of-the-way nooks and crannies all along, he thoroughly enjoyed the wide open world he experienced in Harlem, then in the midst of its celebrated "renaissance." In addition to exploring the gay scene, he discovered the Apollo Theater and its legendary amateur nights (where the careers of Ella Fitzgerald and others were launched) and small clubs where the likes of Billie Holiday performed.

After years of living in two worlds and near-marriage to a woman with whom he was passionately involved but not in love, Lawrence eventually encountered the man who would be the love of his life. He met Walter Myden, later a psychiatrist, in the mid-'40s and the two would spend the next 30 years living together - until Myden's death in 1975. Lawrence went on to meet another man with whom he shared a more platonic relationship up until his own death in 2009 at age 96.

Jack Lawrence lived long enough to rest assured that the best songs of the popular standards era had endured the passage of time. He was especially pleased when Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded "A Wonderful World," an homage to Louis Armstrong, and thought Diana Krall's interpretation of his own "All or Nothing at All" a "lovely rendition."  Lawrence also lived long enough to see the opening of the closet door, the rise of activism and the emergence of a vibrant gay community. Looking back, Lawrence viewed it all as remarkable. Content with his life at last, he chose a classic Ira Gershwin lyric to close his memoir:

"Who could ask for anything more?"

Jack Lawrence
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To learn more about Jack Lawrence via his website, click here. To read a 2004 Time Out New York interview with him, click here.




28 comments:

  1. Fantastic post about an entertainment figure not many people are familiar with. I had never heard the story behind the song "Linda": how very lovely. Thanks for sharing, Eve--I really enjoyed reading this!

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    1. Brandie, Thanks! I've been wanting to write about Jack Lawrence ever since I realized how many classic popular songs he'd written. Not mentioned in this piece are a song he wrote that became Dinah Shore's first hit record, "Yes, My Darling Daughter," and the iconic Bobby Darin hit, "Beyond the Sea."

      This blogathon was a perfect opportunity to spotlight Lawrence's life and career since he spoke (and wrote) as openly about his sexuality as he did about his songwriting.

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    2. He wrote "Beyond the Sea?" I ADORE that song!

      And this is why classic film bloggers are awesome--they teach you something new every day! ;)

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    3. I've loved "Beyond the Sea" since the first time I heard it sung by Bobby Darin. Here's a link to "the story behind the song" at Jack Lawrence's website:

      http://www.jacklawrencesongwriter.com/songs/beyond_the_sea.html

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  2. Nice job, Eve - It was good to read about Jack Lawrence and learn more about this wonderful songwriter, who has only been "unsung" in the area of name recognition. I really do think "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair" had a great impact on the emotional resonance of "Lady Eve" (your namesake). This is a song that should have been performed much more often - some west coast jazz musicians, like Lennie Niehaus and Jimmy Rowles, did nice renditions. If Lawrence had done nothing other than the lyrics to "Tenderly" he would have made his mark. "Tenderly" was very special to my father and my stepmother - it was "their song" - and they requested it whenever they went out together. Rosemary Clooney did a definitive interpretation, but other greats like Nat Cole and Billie Holiday did moving versions, too. I also recommend John Coltrane's performance of "All Or Nothing At All", off his "Ballads" recording - another great song. It's a shame that it's doubtful we'll ever hear such a wistful and romantic song as "With the Wind and the Rain In Your Hair" gracing a film and touching our emotions in such a memorable way. I emphasize "romantic" and not cheesy.

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    1. MCB, To tell you the truth, I'd never heard of Jack Lawrence until I started researching "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair." For a moment I thought he'd been a one hit wonder - and then I saw the titles of his other songs, some of them signature tunes for the likes of Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, The Ink Spots, Bobby Darin, Harry James...etc.

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    2. I should put this song on repeat when I'm shivering in the air-conditioned draft of my cubicle. Listening to Rosemary's rendition, I can feel its breeze and mist envelop me, which I attribute to the complementary music and lyrics.

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    3. Joseph, It's not hard to understand why "Tenderly" became Rosemary's theme song, is it?

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  3. Eve, what a fantastic choice for a profile, and a great job too. I'm familiar with practically every song you mentioned, yet I had never heard of Jack Lawrence until reading your post! Some of the information in your post was a real eye-opener, for example, that "Linda" was written for the future Linda McCartney, or that Lawrence wrote the English lyrics to Charles Trenet's "La Mer." Loved your photo collage at the top of the post. You wrote that he composed "All or Nothing at All" by himself, by which I assume you mean both music and lyrics. However, one thing I was unclear about is whether Lawrence often wrote the music to those great songs or if he was primarily a lyricist.

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    1. R.D. - Actually, Lawrence wrote the lyrics for "All or Nothing at All," the music was by Arthur Altman. He did write "Linda," "If I Didn't Care" and "Yes, My Darling Daughter" (and others) on his own. It seems that on his first published song, co-written with Altman, he contributed the lyrics but also some of the music. His lyrics for "Beyond the Sea" were entirely his own, not a translation of the original French song. Lawrence enjoyed collecting sheet music - which is how he came upon "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair." He didn't think the song's lyrics fit its melody which consisted of only 16 bars. So he re-wrote it by changing the lyrics and adding a middle section and a verse. He then sought out the original composer and publisher of the song to see if a deal could be made (it could). So, as you see, he worked in a variety of ways.

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  4. Lady Eve, A very sympathetic and warm post on this less than well-known but important songwriter. "A Wonderful World" is one of my most favorite songs and "If I Didn't Care" is a song that comes up beautifully from the recesses of my youth. Thank you for telling us about the man behind the songs.

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    1. Christian, I didn't realize I'd implied that Jack Lawrence wrote "A Wonderful World." What I meant to say is that he very much liked the CD of that title by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang - I don't think any of his songs were on it, but he was happy that a CD of standards was so popular - and with newer audiences. He was also happy about Diana Krall's recording of "All or Nothing at All" and that more recent films (including some directed by Martin Scorsese and by Woody Allen) included his songs.

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  5. Wow, I had never heard of this man. My loss. What a talent. Certainly I'd heard the songs and loved them. And what a good long life he lived, he must have been so gratified to learn that some of his songs have become enduring classics. I'm thinking his life might make for a wonderful, eye-opening movie.

    Thanks for a great Blogathon post, Eve.

    P.S. The story of the song written for Linda Eastman is very touching.

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    1. Yvette, Jack Lawrence led quite a life. Out of high school he was, at his parents' urging, trained and licensed as a podiatrist - but he never practiced. At age 20 he was the youngest member of ASCAP. Over his lifetime he amassed an amazing collection of art of all kinds from around the world. While in the U.S. Maritime Service during WWII he wrote the official song of the Martime Service and Merchant Marine. He was even a Broadway producer - his productions included "Lena Horne, the Lady and Her Music," and the play, "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" in which Kathy Bates made her Broadway debut.

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  6. Wow! Great info in this post. I have to admit I've never heard of Jack Lawrence, but I know his music! (Who doesn't?) Thanks for filling us in on his life and career.

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    1. Silverscreenings, Jack Lawrence certainly deserves to be better known than he is and it's been my pleasure to do what I can to give him a bit more recognition. As you might've noticed in my replies to comments above, there's more to his story than I covered in my post. I hope some will check out his website, www.jacklawrencesongwriter.com (which he launched at age 93) and his autobiography.

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  7. I simply adore this post, Eve! One of the most interesting and insightful I've read for the blogathon so far, and I especially love that it's about a lesser-known figure whose name we may not have heard before (but we certainly know his music). Thank you so much for contributing this! I am honored to have it as part of the Queer Film Blogathon. :)

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    1. Thanks, Caroline, and congratulations on another great blogathon!

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  8. Wonderful, article on Jack Lawrence! Some of my favorite songs of his are: Star Dust, Rhapsody In Blue and All or Nothing At All. I have to admit.. I really did not know much about him.

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  9. Hi Dawn, I don't think Lawrence can take credit for "Star Dust" and "Rhapsody in Blue," but "All or Nothing at All" was his and he was very proud of it. Rightfully so.

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  10. LE,

    I have to admit that I'm not familiar with any of Mr. Lawrence's early work that you mention here. So glad you included some of his work in video for us (Still trying to get over Joan in that awful flip hairstyle and harsh eyebrows though). That's such a touching story you included about Paul and Linda. It's hard to believe that she's been gone so long now.

    Another interesting read on yet another composer I knew nothing about. I have seen a lot of the Hit Parade pieces though and Play, Fiddle Play sounds very familiar to me.

    I'm sure he would be proud of your very tasteful and thoughtful tribute here. A fine addition to the Blogathon.

    OH, I've been dying to pick your brain, get your opinion on the Mad Men finale but we can meet up on that a bit later.
    Page

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    1. Thanks, Page, very happy to introduce you to Jack Lawrence. I should probably have included a clip of Bobby Darin singing "Beyond the Sea," I just didn't find one on YouTube that I liked that much.

      I'm recovering from the end of "Mad Men" Season 5 and would love to get together on the season and the finale one of these days.

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  11. I don't tend to pay a lot of attention in music in film, that's why I'm not very familiar with some compositors. Very nice to show us the life and career of Jack Lawrence, who was responsible for lovely pieces such as "Beyond the Sea" and "Tenderly". It was very informative!
    Greetings,
    Le

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    1. Lê, It's very nice to hear from you. I tend to notice film soundtracks and when something enchants my ear, well, as you can see, I explore. So glad you enjoyed my post on the very talented Jack Lawrence.

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  12. Lady Eve - sorry so late to the party, but my blogger list got scrambled. Thanks for such a fascinating post on a fascinating subject. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the composers of Jack Lawrence's era, but I know nothing of him. Oh well, more fun research coming up! Thank you turning on the light bulb!

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    1. FlickChick, You've turned on so many light bulbs for me I'm just happy to return the favor every so often...

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  13. Eve, I seem to be posting like mad these days, and I have fallen behind on my reading. Your post reminds how often I take the music of film for granted, and equally as often overlook the career and life behind the name. Each of these songs is familiar, but I cannot remember being aware of Jack Lawrence by name. I have seen “The Lady Eve” numerous times, but I didn’t remember “The Wind and The Rain in Your Hair” was the tune that conveyed the romance. I did not know Lawrence had written “If I Didn’t Care” and “Tenderly”, the versions by The Ink Spots and Nat “King” Cole are my favorite. The connection between Lawrence and Linda (Eastman) McCartney is equally fascinating. An excellent tribute to a man who wrote many of the songs found on the soundtrack of the mid-twentieth century, and a sensitive discussion of his emotional and personal life.

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    1. 'Gypsy, I felt like I'd found a gold mine when I "discovered" Jack Lawrence's website as I researched "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair." Of course, the website is all about Lawrence's songwriting so it wasn't until I read his memoir that I learned anything at all about his personal life. I was very touched by what he told of his struggle and eventual acceptance of his sexuality and hope that is reflected in what I've said about that aspect of his story. I also came away with admiration for the combination of dignity and joie de vivre with which Jack Lawrence seemed to approach living. To quote him quoting Gershwin, "Who could ask for anything more?"

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