Sam M. Lewis (October 25, 1885 – November 22, 1959) was an American singer and
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 ...
.
Career
Lewis was born Samuel M. Levine in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, United States. He began his music career by singing in cafés throughout New York City, and began writing songs in 1912. He wrote numerous songs, and collaborated with other songwriters, most frequently with Joe Young, but also with Fred Ahlert,
Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...
,
Bert Grant
Bert Grant (12 July 1878 – 9 May 1951) was an American composer, pianist, and charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
Biography
He was born in New York in 1878.
He worked for both Tin Pan Alley music publi ...
Jean Schwartz
Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born American songwriter.
Schwartz was born in Budapest, Hungary. His family moved to New York City when he was 13 years old. He took various music-related jobs including dem ...
,
Ted Fio Rito
Theodore Salvatore Fiorito (December 20, 1900 – July 22, 1971),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 95. known professionally a ...
,
J. Fred Coots
John Frederick Coots (May 2, 1897 – April 8, 1985) was an American songwriter. He composed over 700 popular songs and over a dozen Broadway shows. In 1934, Coots wrote the melody with his then chief collaborator, lyricist Haven Gillespie, for t ...
Victor Young
Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor.
Biography
Young is commonly said to ...
,
Peter DeRose
Peter DeRose (or De Rose) (March 10, 1896 – April 23, 1953) was an American composer of jazz and pop music during the era of Tin Pan Alley.
Biography
A native of New York City, he showed a gift for all things musical at an early age. He lea ...
,
Harry Akst
Harry Akst (August 15, 1894 – March 31, 1963) - accessed November 19, 2011 was an American Hollywood musicals such as ''
Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep
''Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep'' is a 1922 British silent comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Fred Groves and Hugh E. Wright. It was the sequel to the 1921 film '' Squibs''.
Premise
Squibs wins a large sum of ...
'', ''
The Singing Fool
''The Singing Fool'' is a 1928 American musical drama part-talkie motion picture directed by Lloyd Bacon which was released by Warner Bros. The film stars Al Jolson and is a follow-up to his previous film, '' The Jazz Singer''. It is credited w ...
'', ''
Wolf Song
''Wolf Song'' is a 1929 American silent Western romance film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Gary Cooper and Lupe Vélez. Based on a story by Harvey Fergusson, the film is about a man who heads out west in 1840 looking for adventure and ...
'', and ''
Spring is Here
"Spring is Here" is a 1938 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical ''I Married an Angel'' (1938), where it was introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal.
Rodgers and Hart had previously written a so ...
''. His songs have been used in more modern movies, such as ''
Big Fish
''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Tim Burton, and based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Car ...
'' and ''
The Pelican Brief
''The Pelican Brief'' is a legal-suspense thriller by John Grisham, published in 1992 by Doubleday. It is his third novel after '' A Time to Kill'' and ''The Firm''. Two paperback editions were published, both by Dell Publishing in 1993. A na ...
''. Sam Lewis was a charter member of the
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
in 1914, and 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 ...
. He died in New York City. He is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, in The Bronx, New York City.
Selected works
*" Dinah"
*"There's a Little Lane Without a Turning on the Way to Home, Sweet Home" - 1915. m: Geo. W. Meyer
*"Everybody Took a Kick at Nicholas" - 1917
*"In San Domingo" - 1917. m:
Ted Snyder
Theodore Frank Snyder (August 15, 1881 in Freeport, Illinois – July 16, 1965 in Woodland Hills, California), was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. His hits include " The Sheik of Araby" (1921) and " Who's Sorry Now?" (1923). ...
*"There's a Million Heroes in Each Corner of the USA" - 1917. m:
Maurice Abrahams
Maurice Abrahams (March 18, 1883 – April 13, 1931) was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century.
Biography
Abrahams was born in Odessa, Russia, and emigrated to the US as a child in ...
Jean Schwartz
Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born American songwriter.
Schwartz was born in Budapest, Hungary. His family moved to New York City when he was 13 years old. He took various music-related jobs including dem ...
Pete Wendling
Pete Wendling (June 6, 1888 – April 7, 1974) was an American composer and pianist, born in New York City to German immigrants.
He started his working life as a carpenter, but gained fame during the mid-1910s as a popular music composer, with ...
*"Oh! What a Time for the Girlies When the Boys Come Marching Home" - 1918. m:
Harry Ruby
Harry Rubenstein (January 27, 1895 – February 23, 1974), known professionally as Harry Ruby, was an American actor, pianist, composer, songwriter and screenwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
*"Tale the Church Bell Told, The (Someone Will Answer for My Silence)" - 1918. m: Bert Grant
*"Wedding Bells, Will You Ever Ring for Me?" - 1918. m:
Jean Schwartz
Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born American songwriter.
Schwartz was born in Budapest, Hungary. His family moved to New York City when he was 13 years old. He took various music-related jobs including dem ...
*"Worst Is Yet to Come" - 1918. m: Bert Grant
*"You're the Greatest Little Mothers in the World (Mothers of America)" - 1918. m: Archie Gottler
*"
Don't Cry Frenchy, Don't Cry
Don't Cry Frenchy, Don't Cry is a 1919 song written during World War I. The lyrics were written by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young, and the music was written by Walter Donaldson.The song was published by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Company in New York ...
- 1919. m:
Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...
*"Poor Little Butterfly Is a Fly Girl Now" - 1919. m: M. K. Jerome
*"Fires of Faith" - 1919. m: U. M. Jerome
*"Hippity Hop" - 1919. m:
Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...
*"Mother's Tears" - 1919. m: George W. Meyer
*"My Barney Lies Over the Ocean (The Way He Lied to Me)" - 1919. m: Bert Grant
*"Shall They Plead in Vain" - 1919. m: Ray Perkins
*"What's the Use of Kickin' (Let's Go 'Round with a Smile)" - 1919. m:
Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...
*"You're a Million Miles from Nowhere When You're One Little Mile from Home" - 1919
*" For All We Know"
*"
Gloomy Sunday
"Gloomy Sunday" ( Hungarian: ''Szomorú vasárnap''), also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song", is a popular song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933.
The original lyrics were titled "Vége a vilá ...
Walter Donaldson
Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...
Just Friends
''Just Friends'' is a 2005 American Christmas comedy film directed by Roger Kumble, written by Adam 'Tex' Davis and starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Christopher Marquette. The plot focuses on a formerly obese high ...
"
*"
Laugh, Clown, Laugh
''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'' is a 1928 American silent drama film starring Lon Chaney and Loretta Young (her film debut). The movie was directed by Herbert Brenon and produced by Irving G. Thalberg for MGM Pictures. The film was written by Elizabet ...
"
*"
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody
"Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" is a popular song written by Jean Schwartz, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. The song was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway musical '' Sinbad'' and published in 1918.
Probably the best- ...