Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an
American 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 producer, best known for his lyrics to "
Body and Soul", "
When I Fall in Love", and "
For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed to a number of songs for films.
Biography
Heyman studied at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, where he had an early start on his career writing college musicals.
After graduating from college, Heyman moved back to
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 ...
, where he started working with a number of experienced musicians including
Victor Young ("
When I Fall in Love"),
Dana Suesse ("
You Oughta Be in Pictures") and
Johnny Green ("
Body and Soul", "
Out of Nowhere", "
I Cover the Waterfront" and "Easy Come, Easy Go").
From 1935 to 1952, Heyman contributed songs to film scores including ''
Sweet Surrender'', ''
That Girl from Paris'', ''
Curly Top'', ''
The Kissing Bandit'', ''
Delightfully Dangerous'' and ''
Northwest Outpost''.
Arguably Heyman's biggest hit is his lyric to "
Body and Soul", written in 1930, which was often recorded (notably in 1939 by
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...
and by many others) and which frequently crops up in films, most recently in 2002's ''
Catch Me If You Can
''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American crime comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, and James Brolin in ...
''. Heyman also wrote "Through the Years", "
For Sentimental Reasons", "
Blame It on My Youth" (with
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor (music), conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films ''Rhapsody in Bl ...
), "
Love Letters", "
Blue Star" (theme of the television series ''Medic''), "The Wonder of You", "Boo-Hoo", "
Bluebird of Happiness", "
They Say", and "You're Mine, You!"
Heyman was an
ASCAP writer 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 1975.
See also
Songs with lyrics by Edward Heyman
References
External links
Edward Heyman's entry at the Songwriters' Hall of Fame*
Edward Heyman recordingsat 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 ...
1907 births
1981 deaths
20th-century American composers
20th-century American Jews
American lyricists
Jewish American songwriters
Musicians from New York City
University of Michigan alumni
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