Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing lyrics or music or both for over one thousand songs.
, ''The New York Times'', Saturday, January 1, 1994. He was particularly well known for his work on the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

films ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' and ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'', and for the mostly-English lyrics through which

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pi ...

's signature song "

La Vie en rose "La Vie en rose" (; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the US in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard ...

" gained much of its familiarity among native speakers of English. David was the elder brother of American lyricist and songwriter

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

. David died in 1993 in his

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and locate ...

home and his remains are buried at the

Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery organization in California. History Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, owned by Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles metropol ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California.

Life and career

David was born on July 5, 1912 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to a Jewish family. David originally planned to become an attorney and attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

and St. John's University Law School. Despite these original goals, in the mid-1940s, David began writing songs for New York's

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It origin ...

. These initial successes prompted David to move to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, California, to work in the film and television industries. He enjoyed considerable success, including eight

Academy Award 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 ...

nominations for "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", which he, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston wrote for Walt Disney's ''Cinderella'' (1950), followed by the title songs from '' The Hanging Tree'' (1959), '' Bachelor in Paradise'' (1961), '' Walk on the Wild Side'' (1962), '' It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963), '' Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' (1964), "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" from '' Cat Ballou'' (1965) and "My Wishing Doll" from ''Hawaii'' (1966). David was inducted into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

in 1975. David's "most remunerative"Vosburgh, Dick. "Obituary for David Mack", ''The Independent'', Wednesday, January 19, 1994. song, "Sunflower", was published in 1948, and

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 ...

turned it into a hit.

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyrici ...

's hit

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 '' Hello, Dolly!'', composed over a decade later, used four bars of David's "Sunflower". When David sued Herman for

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...

, Herman settled out of court with David (for a reputed $250,000), claiming he had never heard David's "Sunflower" prior to working on "Hello, Dolly!"Jerry Herman (with Marilyn Stasio). Showtune: A Memoir. New York: Donald I. Fine Books, 1996, pp. 102–108.

Academy Award nominations

* 1950 " Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" (with Jerry Livingston and

Al Hoffman Al Hoffman (September 25, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was an American song composer. He was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number-one hits through each decade, many of wh ...

) from ''

'' * 1959 " The Hanging Tree" (with Jerry Livingston) from ''The Hanging Tree'' * 1961 "Bachelor in Paradise" (with

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

) from ''Bachelor in Paradise'' * 1962 " Walk on the Wild Side" (with

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

) from '' Walk on the Wild Side'' * 1963 "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (with Ernest Gold) from ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' * 1964 "

Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte ''Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' is a 1964 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, and starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Mary Astor in her final film role. It f ...

" (with

Frank De Vol Frank Denny De Vol (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American actor, and using the name De Vol was an arranger and composer. As a composer he was nominated for four Academy Awards. Early life and career De Vol was born in Mounds ...

) from ''Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' * 1965 "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" (with Jerry Livingston) from ''Cat Ballou'' * 1966 "My Wishing Doll" (with Elmer Bernstein) from ''Hawaii''

Composer and lyricist of popular songs

In addition to his many Academy Award nominations, David also had a number of hit songs, including: * "Rain, Rain, Go Away" (1932) *

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

's " I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" (1939) * "

I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine" is a popular song written by Mack David. It was originally written for the Disney animated feature ''Cinderella'', but was not used in the final print. The most popular version was recorded by Patti Page in 1 ...

", sung by

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

in 1950 (with subsequent cover versions), later covered by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

as a rockabilly-styled tune in 1954 * "The Unbirthday Song" (with Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman) from ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1951) *

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

' " Baby It's You" (1961 with

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

and Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams)) * "(Beware of)

The Blob ''The Blob'' is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth, and written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first feature film leading role) and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe ...

" (a charted hit by The 5 Blobs; film theme song to 1958 camp-horror classic ''

'', starring Steve McQueen, with

* " It Must Be Him" (1967 with

Gilbert Becaud Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

) * Theme song to '' Casper the Friendly Ghost'' (1950 with Jerry Livingston) * "Trick or Treat for Halloween" (with Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman) from ''

Trick or Treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...

'' (1952) David collaborated with many composers, including Raymond Scott, Al Hoffman, Alex Kramer,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, and Jerry Livingston, on numerous songs for stage and screen, including ''Casper the Friendly Ghost'', ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was o ...

'', ''

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele ( Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian partner, Tom Lopaka ( Robert ...

'', ''

Bourbon Street Beat ''Bourbon Street Beat'' is a private detective television series that aired on the ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960, starring Richard Long as Rex Randolph and Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, with Arlene Howell as detective agen ...

'', '' Surfside 6'' and "This Is It" (for the 1960s ''

The Bugs Bunny Show ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 1969 ...

''). Perhaps David's most popular lyrics were written for "

", a French song with lyrics by Édith Piaf and music by Louiguy ( Louis Guglielmi), which was Piaf's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

. Although David did not write an English translation of Piaf's lyrics, his words captured the spirit of the song; his version was performed by artists such as

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

. The song was recorded by over eighty international singers and musicians and been featured in several dozen motion pictures. David's song "Candy" (co-written with Whitney and Kramer) was recorded by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

for her 1968 album ''

30 by Ella ''30 by Ella'' is a 1968 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. The album's unusual construction of six medleys of songs were arranged by Benny Carter. This album was Fitzgerald's final recording made for Capitol Records. The ...

''.

Work on Broadway

* ''

Bright Lights of 1944 ''Bright Lights of 1944'' was a 1943 Broadway musical revue with music composed by Jerry Livingston and lyrics by Mack David. It opened at the Forrest Theatre where it played for a total of four performances. The cast featured James Barton, Bu ...

'' (1943) – revue – lyricist * ''

Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud (, 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are " Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release ...

on Broadway'' (1966) – concert – featured lyricist * '' Molly'' (1973) – musical – co-lyricist * '' Sophisticated Ladies'' (1981) – revue – featured songwriter for "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" * '' Swing!'' (1999) – revue – featured songwriter for "Candy"

Inventor

David had a varied interest in musical composition. In 1975, according to the ''New York Times'' in David's obituary: "Mr. David was granted a patent for inventing an electronic system for composing songs from fractional recordings. The system, which included playback units, stored records of lyrics and melodies. The operator selected words and music that fit together and recorded the combination."

References

External links

* Biography o
Songwriters Hall of Fame site

Discography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:David, Mack 1912 births 1993 deaths Songwriters from New York (state) American lyricists American musical theatre lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists Cornell University alumni Jewish American songwriters St. John's University (New York City) alumni Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American musicians Walt Disney Animation Studios people