Harold Arlen
No American has written more first-rate songs than Arlen. He grew up in a musical family (his father was a cantor), and disappointed but didn't surprise his parents by dropping out of high school to become a musician. A stint as pianist and singer with a dance band, the Buffalodians, allowed him to escape Buffalo for New York City. Arlen stayed on after the band's demise; after some mostly unsuccessful attempts to conquer vaudeville or Broadway, Arlen stumbled onto a tune that, with lyrics by Ted Koehler, became "Get Happy", his first hit. With Koehler as lyricist, Arlen became the staff composer for Harlem's Cotton Club, a premiere showcase for African-American entertainers such as Cab Calloway and Ethel Waters. They wrote "I've Got the World on a String" and "Ill Wind", among dozens of others. Arlen's second important collaborator was E.Y. Harburg, with whom he composed the score for _Wizard of Oz, The (1939)_, celebrated specialty numbers for Bert Lahr and Groucho Marx, and two Broadway musicals. In the 1940s, Arlen reached the peak of his popularity with his third major partner, Johnny Mercer; most of their hits, such as "Blues in the Night", "My Shining Hour" and "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)", were written for the movies, as Hollywood replaced the stage as the songwriters' most lucrative market. As he aged, Arlen grew increasingly frustrated with Hollywood's waste of material and Broadway's rigmarole; his personal life in this period was also unhappy. His best songs, though, in renditions by performers li ke Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra and later cabaret singers and jazz musicians, have continued to be seen as classics.
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Department Sound
Job Original Music Composer
Average Rating7.65910 votesRelease DateAug 15, 193987 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.1318 votesRelease DateOct 01, 195472 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.0119 votesRelease DateApr 07, 193988 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.495 votesRelease DateOct 20, 193987 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.986 votesRelease DateDec 15, 195472 years ago -
Department Crew
Job Additional Music
Average Rating6.973 votesRelease DateOct 31, 194185 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.664 votesRelease DateOct 24, 196264 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.656 votesRelease DateAug 31, 195076 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.546 votesRelease DateMar 24, 194384 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.229 votesRelease DateNov 15, 194185 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.023 votesRelease DateMar 07, 196364 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Original Music Composer
Average Rating6.220 votesRelease DateJul 13, 194383 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.220 votesRelease DateJul 13, 194383 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.818 votesRelease DateDec 28, 193690 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.216 votesRelease DateOct 01, 194482 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.816 votesRelease DateMar 11, 194285 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.816 votesRelease DateApr 01, 194879 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Original Music Composer
Average Rating5.816 votesRelease DateApr 01, 194879 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.010 votesRelease DateMar 05, 194285 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating4.910 votesRelease DateMar 02, 195176 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Original Music Composer
Average Rating5.99 votesRelease DateMar 04, 194384 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.69 votesRelease DateFeb 17, 194483 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating4.29 votesRelease DateSep 01, 194482 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.67 votesRelease DateJan 24, 193691 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.07 votesRelease DateDec 18, 194482 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating3.67 votesRelease DateAug 17, 195076 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.36 votesRelease DateNov 22, 193591 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.25 votesRelease DateFeb 02, 194978 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.04 votesRelease DateAug 04, 193789 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating3.33 votesRelease DateJun 12, 195373 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.03 votesRelease DateSep 15, 195076 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.33 votesRelease DateJul 13, 194581 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.73 votesRelease DateFeb 27, 199630 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating4.02 votesRelease DateSep 12, 193690 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Music
Average Rating4.02 votesRelease DateSep 12, 193690 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating7.52 votesRelease DateDec 26, 193393 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Music Score Producer
Average Rating4.02 votesRelease DateSep 12, 193690 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.52 votesRelease DateNov 22, 199530 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating4.01 votesRelease DateApr 10, 193691 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating6.01 votesRelease DateAug 22, 194680 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating5.01 votesRelease DateMar 01, 195374 years ago -
Department Writing
Job Lyricist
Average Rating4.01 votesRelease DateApr 10, 193691 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Music
Average Rating4.01 votesRelease DateApr 10, 193691 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Original Music Composer
Average Rating0.00 votesRelease DateApr 09, 200719 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating0.00 votesRelease DateMay 28, 195670 years ago -
Department Sound
Job Songs
Average Rating0.00 votesRelease DateJan 21, 195671 years ago
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