Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song

lyricist A lyricist is a writer 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 income derives ...

and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards " Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (with Jay Gorney), " April in Paris", and "

It's Only a Paper Moon "It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular music, popular song published in 1933 with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. Background It was originally titled "If You Believed in Me", but later went by the more popular ti ...

", as well as all of the songs for the film '' The Wizard of Oz'', including " Over the Rainbow". He was known for the social commentary of his lyrics, as well as his leftist leanings. He championed racial, sexual and gender equality and union politics. He also was an ardent critic of high society and religion.

Early life and career

Harburg, the youngest of four surviving children (out of ten), was born Isidore Hochberg on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on April 8, 1896.Yip Harburg: Biography from Answers.com
Retrieved January 2, 2010. His parents, Lewis Hochberg and Mary Ricing,E. Y. Harburg
Retrieved from Notable Names Database on January 12, 2010. were

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

-speaking Orthodox

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

sSongwriters Hall of Fame - E.Y. Harburg Biography
. Retrieved January 2, 2010. who had

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

.Yip Harburg biography
. Retrieved January 2, 2010. He later adopted the name "Edgar Yipsel Harburg", and came to be best known as "Yip". It has been claimed that Harburg took the name "Yipsel" because it meant "squirrel" in Yiddish, but there is no such Yiddish word and it is likely that the name was derived from that of the

Young People's Socialist League (1907) The Young People's Socialist League (YPSL), founded in 1907, was the official youth arm of the Socialist Party of America. Its political activities tend to concentrate on increasing the voter turnout of young democratic socialists and social dem ...

, the youth group of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

, whose members were called "yipsels". Harburg attended

Townsend Harris High School Townsend Harris High School (THHS; often also shortened to Townsend Harris or simply Townsend) is a public high school for the humanities in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the campus of Queens College, a public college p ...

, where he and

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...

, who bonded over a shared fondness for

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

, worked on the school paper and became lifelong friends. According to his son Ernie Harburg, Gilbert and Irish dramatist

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

taught his father—a "democratic socialist, ndsworn challenger of all tyranny against the people"—that "'humor is an act of courage' and dissent". After World War I, Harburg returned to New York and graduated from City College (later part of the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

), which Ira Gershwin had initially attended with him, in 1921."E. Y. Harburg"
, Songwriters Hall of Fame After Harburg married and had two children, he started writing light verse for local newspapers. He became a co-owner of Consolidated Electrical Appliance Company, but the company went bankrupt following the crash of 1929, leaving Harburg "anywhere from $50,000 – $70,000 in debt", which he insisted on paying back over the course of the next few decades. At this point, Harburg and

agreed that Harburg should start writing song lyrics. Gershwin introduced Harburg to Jay Gorney, who collaborated with him on songs for an

Earl Carroll Earl Carroll (September 16, 1893 – June 17, 1948) was an American theatrical producer, director, writer, songwriter and composer. Early life Carroll was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1893. He lived as an infant in the Nunnery Hill ( Fin ...

Broadway

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

(''Earl Carroll's Sketchbook''): the show was successful and Harburg was engaged as lyricist for a series of successful revues, including ''Americana'' in 1932, for which he wrote the lyrics of " Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" to the tune of a lullaby Gorney had learned as a child in Russia. This song swept the nation, becoming an anthem of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Harburg was a staunch critic of both high society and religion. He wrote a poem entitled "Atheist" that summarized his views on God.

Hollywood and Broadway

Harburg and Gorney were offered a contract with

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

. In

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) * Hollywood ...

, Harburg worked with composers

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer and 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 ...

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

Jule Styne Jule Styne ( ; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musicals, including several famous frequ ...

, and

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 Yo ...

, and later wrote the lyrics for '' The Wizard of Oz,'' one of the earliest known "integrated musicals". Of his work on ''The Wizard of Oz,'' his son (and biographer) Ernie Harburg has said: Working in Hollywood did not stop Harburg's career on Broadway. In the 1940s, he wrote a series of "book" musicals with social messages, including the successful ''

Bloomer Girl ''Bloomer Girl'' is a 1944 Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musical with music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and a book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy, based on an unpublished play by writer Daniel Lewis James and his wife Lili ...

'' (1944), set during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, which was about temperance and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activist Amelia Bloomer, and which celebrated equality for women,

Abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...

, and the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. Harburg's best known Broadway show, '' Finian's Rainbow'' (1947) was, in its original production, possibly the first Broadway musical with a racially integrated chorus line. Its plot satirized American financial practices and criticized reactionist politicians, mistreatment of the working classes as well as racism and the

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...

. It was made into a film in 1968 starring

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

and

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

, directed by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

Blacklisting

Although never a member of the Communist Party (he was a member of the Socialist Party, and joked that "Yip" referred to the Young People's Socialist League, nicknamed the "Yipsels"), Harburg had been involved in radical groups, and was blacklisted. Harburg was named in a pamphlet '' Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television''; his involvement with the Hollywood Democratic Committee, and his refusal to identify reputed communists, led to him being blocked from working in Hollywood films, television, and radio for twelve full years, from 1950 to 1962.Scott Jacob
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
''The Week Behind,'' September 23, 2009 "As the writer of the lyric of the song 'God's Country', I am outraged by the suggestion that somehow I am connected with, believe in, or am sympathetic with Communist or totalitarian philosophy", he wrote to the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

in 1950. He was unable to travel abroad during this period because his passport had been revoked.

Later career

With a score by

Sammy Fain Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatr ...

and Harburg's lyrics, the musical '' Flahooley'' (1951) satirized the country's anti-communist sentiment, but it closed after forty performances at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

on Broadway. The New York critics were dismissive of the show, although it had been a success during its earlier pre-Broadway run in Philadelphia. In 1966, songwriter Earl Robinson sought Harburg's help for the song " Hurry Sundown"; the two collaborated on the song and are credited as co-writers. The song was intended for the film '' Hurry Sundown'', but was not used in the film. It was, however, recorded by

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary were an American Contemporary folk music, folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival. The trio consisted of Peter Yarrow (guitar, tenor vocals), Paul Stookey (guitar, baritone vocals), ...

for their 1966 album '' The Peter, Paul and Mary Album''. The song was released as a single in 1967, and reached No. 37 on the ''

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Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording.

Death

Harburg died while driving on

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

in Los Angeles on March 5, 1981, at the age of 84. While he was initially reported to have been killed in a traffic accident, it was later determined that he suffered a heart attack while stopped at a red light.

Awards and recognition

In 1940 Harburg and

won an

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

for "Over the Rainbow". In addition, he and Arlen were nominated for that award in 1944 for "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe" from '' Cabin in the Sky'', and in 1946 he and

were nominated for "More and More" from '' Can't Help Singing''.

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, a vehicle for

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

, was nominated for a

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...

in 1958. Harburg 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 heri ...

in 1972 and awarded its Johnny Mercer Award in 1981. On March 7, 2001, the "Songs of the Century" poll conducted by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

ranked Judy Garland's rendition of " Over the Rainbow" as the number one recording of the 20th century. On June 22, 2004, the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

broadcast '' AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs'', a TV special announcing their selection of the 100 greatest film songs. "Over the Rainbow" was Number One, and " Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" was Number 82. In April 2005, the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

issued a commemorative stamp recognizing Harburg's accomplishments. The stamp was drawn from a portrait taken by photographer Barbara Bordnick in 1978 along with a rainbow and lyric from "Over the Rainbow". The first day ceremony was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York.

Stage shows

*''

's Sketchbook of 1929'' (revue, 1929) - contributing lyricist *'' Garrick Gaieties'' (revue, 1930) - contributing lyricist *'' Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1930'' (revue, 1930) - contributing lyricist *'' Simple Simon'' (musical, 1930) - contributing lyricist *'' The Vanderbilt Revue'' (revue, 1930) - contributing lyricist *'' Accidentally Yours'' (musical, 1931) - lyricist *'' Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt'' (revue, 1931) - contributing lyricist *'' Shoot the Works'' (revue, 1931) - contributing lyricist *''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

of 1931'' (revue, 1931) - contributing lyricist *'' Americana'' (revue, 1932) - lyricist *'' Ballyhoo of 1932'' (revue, 1932) - lyricist *'' The Great Magoo'' (play, 1932) - co-lyricist *'' Walk a Little Faster'' (revue, 1932) - lyricist *'' Continental Varieties'' (revue, 1934) - contributing lyricist *'' Life Begins at 8:40'' (revue, 1934) - co-lyricist with

, co-bookwriter *'' New Faces'' (revue, 1934) - contributing co-lyricist *''

of 1934'' (revue, 1934) - lyricist (for about half of the numbers) *'' Stop Press'' (revue, 1935) - contributing lyricist *'' The Show is On'' (revue, 1936) - contributing lyricist *'' Hooray for What!'' (musical, 1937) - originator and lyricist *'' Sticks and Stones'' (revue, 1939) - contributing lyricist *'' Hold On to Your Hats'' (musical, 1940) - lyricist *''

'' (musical, 1944) - originator, lyricist and director for musical numbers *'' Blue Holiday'' (revue, 1945) - contributing lyricist *'' Finian's Rainbow'' (musical, 1947) - originator, lyricist and co-bookwriter *'' Flahooley'' (musical, 1951) and its revisions - originator, lyricist, and co-bookwriter *''

'' (musical, 1957) - originator, lyricist, co-bookwriter and co-director *'' The Happiest Girl in the World'' (musical, 1961) - originator and lyricist *'' Darling of the Day'' (musical, 1968) - lyricist *'' The Children's Crusade'' (musical, 1971) - lyricist *'' The Great Man's Whiskus'' ic(television show, 1973) - lyricist See also Musicals by Yip Harburg.

Films

Harburg wrote lyrics for most or all of the original songs for these films: *'' The Sap from Syracuse'' (1930, music by Johnny Green) *'' Moonlight and Pretzels'' (1933, music by Jay Gorney and

) *'' The Singing Kid'' (1936, music by

) *'' Stage Struck'' (1936, music by Harold Arlen) *'' Gold Diggers of 1937'' (1936, music by Harold Arlen) *'' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939, music by Harold Arlen) *'' At the Circus'' (1939, music by Harold Arlen) *'' Ship Ahoy'' (1942, music by

) *''

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

'' (1942, music by

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New ...

) *'' Cabin in the Sky'' (1943, music by Harold Arlen) *'' Kismet'' (1944) *'' Can't Help Singing'' (1944, music by

) *''

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

'' (1947, music by Earl Robinson) *'' Gay Purr-ee'' (1962, music by Harold Arlen) *'' Finian's Rainbow'' (1968, music by Burton Lane) He wrote lyrics for original songs for many other films, and hundreds of additional films reused his songs.

Notable songs

Harburg wrote the lyrics for more than 500 songs. The following (all listed in ) are some of the most notable for their popularity or social importance. *" April in Paris", with

(1932) *" Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", with Jay Gorney (1932) *"

", with

(1933) *" Last Night When We Were Young", with Harold Arlen (1935) *"I Love to Sing-a", with Harold Arlen, for the film '' The Singing Kid'' (1936) *" Down with Love", with Harold Arlen, for the musical '' Hooray for What!'' (1937) *" Over the Rainbow", " Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" and others, with Harold Arlen, for the film '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939) *" Lydia the Tattooed Lady", with Harold Arlen, for the film '' At the Circus'' (1939) *"And Russia Was Her Name", with

, for the film '' Song of Russia'' (1943) *" Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe", with Harold Arlen, for the film '' Cabin in the Sky'' (1943) *"The Eagle and Me", and "Right as the Rain" with Harold Arlen, for the musical ''

'' (1944) *"Free and Equal Blues", with Earl Robinson, performed by Josh White (1944) *" How Are Things in Glocca Morra?", " Old Devil Moon" and others, with

, for the musical '' Finian's Rainbow'' (1946) See also Songs with lyrics by Yip Harburg.

Books

* * * Contains material from ''Rhymes for the Irreverent'' (1965) and ''At This Point in Rhyme'', and previously unpublished poems.

References

External links

Major resources dedicated to Harburg

*Yip Harburg papers in the

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

*
E. Y. Harburg collection of music
(ca. 1929-1981), donated by E. Y. "Yip" Harburg, held by th
Music Division
*
E. Y. (Yip) Harburg papers
(1913-1985), donated by Ernest Harburg, held by th
Billy Rose Theatre Division
*
E. Y. Harburg papers
(1936-1981), donated by Roderic Gorney, held by th
Billy Rose Theatre Division
*
Ellyn Polshek collection of materials about Yip Harburg
(1977-2005), donated by Ellyn Polshek, held by th
Billy Rose Theatre DivisionE.Y. Harburg Collection
in the Yale University Library's Gilmore Music Library
Yip Harburg Lyrics Foundation

Databases

* *
E. Y. Harburg
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

Etc.

Passport photo of Yip Harburg
(1920) * (undated)
Somewhere Over the Rainbow ... Rhymes for the Irreverent
a Freethought Radio episode featuring an interview with Ernie Harburg on his father (2006) *, an interview with Ernie Harburg about his father's commemorative stamp, his bar and restaurant, and that year's revival of ''Finian's Rainbow'' (2009) {{DEFAULTSORT:Harburg, Yip 1896 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American poets 20th-century atheists American atheists American anti-fascists American anti-capitalists American environmentalists American feminists American male lyricists American male poets American musical theatre lyricists American people of Russian-Jewish descent American socialists Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists Burials at sea City College of New York alumni Counterculture of the 1960s Counterculture of the 1970s Counterculture of the 1980s Ecofeminists Hollywood blacklist Jewish American atheists Jewish American songwriters Jewish American poets Jewish socialists People from the Lower East Side Townsend Harris High School alumni