Harold Campbell Adamson (December 10, 1906 – August 17, 1980) was an American

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

during the 1930s and 1940s.

Early life

Adamson, the son of

building contractor A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

Harold Adamson and Marion "Minnie" Campbell Adamson, was born and raised in

Greenville, New Jersey Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Geography In its broadest definition, Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of ...

, United States. Adamson suffered from

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sy ...

as a child which limited the use of his right hand. Initially, Adamson was interested in acting, but he began writing songs and poetry as a teenager. He went on to studying acting at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Career

Ultimately he entered into a songwriting contract with MGM in 1933. During his stint with MGM, he was nominated for five

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Among his best-known compositions was the theme for the hit

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

, '' I Love Lucy''. He retired from songwriting in the early 1960s, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1941, he collaborated with Pierce Norman, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yank ...

to write "In the Beauty of Tahoe", published by Larry Spier, Inc."Joe DiMaggio Auction, Lot Number: 911"
''Hunt Auctions'' June 14, 2017

Songs or lyrics by Harold Adamson

* "

An Affair to Remember ''An Affair to Remember'' is a 1957 American romance film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Filmed in CinemaScope, it was distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is considered among the most romantic films of all ti ...

" * " Around the World" * "

Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer "Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer" is a World War II song with lyrics by Harold Adamson and music by Jimmy McHugh, published in 1943 by Robbins Music Corp. Theme The lyrics tell of the aftermath of an Allied night aerial bombing mission over e ...

" * "Daybreak" * " Everything I Have Is Yours" (with

Burton Lane Burton Lane ( Levy; February 2, 1912 – January 5, 1997) was an American composer and lyricist primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include ''Finian's Rainbow'' in 1947 and '' On a Clear Day You ...

) *"Eighty Miles Outside of Atlanta". From the 1944 film '' Something for the Boys'' starring

Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The Br ...

, Michael O'Shea, and

Vivian Blaine Vivian Blaine (born Vivian Stapleton; November 21, 1921 – December 9, 1995) was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of ''Guys and Dolls'', as well as appearin ...

* "Ferry-Boat Serenade" (with E. Di Lazzaro) * "How Blue the Night" (music by Jimmy McHugh, recorded by

Dick Haymes Richard Benjamin Haymes (September 13, 1918 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentinian singer and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host, ...

March 5, 1944) * "

I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

" nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, also featured in the 1943 film ''Higher and Higher'', sung by Frank Sinatra * "I Love Lucy (And She Loves Me)" * "I Wish I Were a Fish", from the 1964 film '' The Incredible Mr. Limpet'', sung by

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on '' The Andy Griffith Show'', a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...

* "It's a Wonderful World" * "It's a Most Unusual Day" * "I've Come to California",

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the NBC

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' The Californians'' * "

A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" is a popular song with music by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Harold Adamson, published in 1943. It was used in the film '' Higher and Higher'' (1944) when it was sung by Frank Sinatra. Sinatra and also The Ink Spo ...

" from the 1943 film '' Higher and Higher'', sung by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

* " Manhattan Serenade" * "

My Resistance Is Low "My Resistance Is Low" is a 1951 song by American singer, songwriter and band leader Hoagy Carmichael, with later lyrics by Harold Adamson. Creation Carmichael had the melody, and then recorded it backed by the Gordon Jenkins Chorus and Orchestr ...

" * "

The Little Man Who Wasn't There "Antigonish" is a poem by the American educator and poet, William Hughes Mearns, written in 1899. It is also known as "The Little Man Who Wasn't There" and was adapted as a hit song under the latter title. Poem Inspired by reports of a ghost of ...

" * "There's Something in the Air" * " Time on My Hands" (with Mack Gordon and

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

) * "We're Having a Baby (My Baby and Me)" 1941. Music by

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

. Sung by

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

* "When Love Goes Wrong" with

Howard Hoagland Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the firs ...

for ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''. * " Where Are You?". Music by Jimmy McHugh * "Winter Moon" . Music by

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

* "You're a Sweetheart" (1937) Music by Jimmy McHugh

Notes

References

American National Biography The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Le ...

, vol. 1, pp. 135–136.
- Bruce Adamson on website has free video

External links

*Bio o
Music Theater International
site * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Harold 1906 births 1980 deaths Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey University of Kansas alumni Harvard University alumni American musical theatre lyricists Songwriters from New Jersey 20th-century American composers