“One can be very happy without
demanding that others agree with them.” – Ira Gershwin
When it comes to writing lyrics, few can surpass Ira Gershwin, who collaborated with his younger brother, composer
George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century.
Born on this date in 1896, Ira – along with
George – wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring such hit songs as
"I Got Rhythm,” "Embraceable You,” "The Man I Love,” "Strike Up The Band," and "Someone to
Watch Over Me.” He was also responsible, along with DuBose
Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess.
The success the brothers had with their
collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira
played. And his mastery of songwriting,
especially wonderful lyrics, continued after the early death of George. He
wrote hit songs with composers Jerome Kern ("Long Ago and Far Away),” Kurt
Weill and Harold Arlen.
Ira’s critically acclaimed book Lyrics on
Several Occasions, published in 1959, is an amalgam of autobiography and
annotated anthology and an important source for studying the art of the
lyricist in the golden age of American popular song. If you haven’t had the chance to read it or
read excerpts from it, I highly commend it to you as one of those “must read”
books, especially aspiring writers.
of the modern world, all which became key segments of his writing. "I guess,” he once said, “I had a
sharp eye and ear for the minutiae of living."
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