Leo Robin
Leo Robin | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | (1900-04-06)April 6, 1900 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | December 29, 1984(1984-12-29) (aged 84) Woodland Hills, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Composer, lyricist, songwriter |
Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984)[1] was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938, and with Jule Styne on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," a song whose witty, Cole Porter style of lyric came to be identified with its famous interpreter Marilyn Monroe.
Biography
Robin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.[2] His father was Max Robin, a salesman. Leo's mother was Fannie Finkelpearl Robin. He studied at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and at Carnegie Tech's drama school. He later worked as a reporter and as a publicist.
Robin's first hits came in 1926 with the Broadway production By the Way, with hits in several other musicals immediately following, such as Bubbling Over (1926), Hit the Deck, Judy (1927), and Hello Yourself (1928).[2][1] In 1932, Robin went out to Hollywood to work for Paramount Pictures.[2] His principal collaborator was composer Ralph Rainger,[2] together they became one of the leading film songwriting duos of the 1930s and early 1940s, writing over 50 hits. Robin and Rainger worked together until Rainger's death in a plane crash on October 23, 1942. Robin continued to collaborate with many other composers over the years, including Harold Arlen, Vincent Youmans, Sam Coslow, Richard A. Whiting, Jule Styne, Harry Warren and Nacio Herb Brown. Leo Robin collaborated with Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938,[2] which was to become Hope's signature tune.[3] Robin and Styne wrote the 1949 score for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, including "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend",[2] a signature song for Carol Channing and later Marilyn Monroe.
Robin collaborated on the score for the 1955 musical film My Sister Eileen with Styne, then officially retired from the movie industry. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1972. Robin wrote many popular songs, mostly for film and television, including "Louise," "Beyond the Blue Horizon" (both songs co-written by Richard A. Whiting), "Prisoner of Love" and "Blue Hawaii".[2]
Death
Robin died of heart failure in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 84,[1] and was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Work on Broadway
- Hit the Deck (1927), musical - co-lyricist
- Allez-oop (1927), revue - lyricist
- Just Fancy (1927), musical - lyricist
- Hello Yourself (1928), musical - lyricist
- Tattle Tales (1933), revue - contributing lyricist
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), musical - lyricist
- The Girl in Pink Tights (1954), musical - lyricist
- Lorelei (Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes) (1974), musical - lyricist
Posthumous credits or shows in which pre-written songs by Leo Robin were featured include:
- Maurice Chevalier in an evening of Songs and Impressions (1955), concert
- The American Dance Machine (1978), dance special
- A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (1980), revue - lyricist for "Louise", "Beyond the Blue Horizon", "Double Trouble", and "Thanks for the Memory"
- Big Deal (1986), musical - lyricist for "Love Is Just around the Corner"
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1995 revival)
- Fosse (1999), revue - lyricist for "Got No Room for Mr. Gloom"
References
- ^ a b c "Leo Robin | Songwriters Hall of Fame". Songhall.org. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2107. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ "Leo Robin", Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook.
External links
- Leo Robin at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Leo Robin at the Official Leo Robin Website
- Leo Robin at the Internet Broadway Database
- Leo Robin at IMDb
- Leo Robin recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings
- v
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- "The Continental"
- Music: Con Conrad
- Lyrics: Herb Magidson (1934)
- "Lullaby of Broadway"
- Music: Harry Warren
- Lyrics: Al Dubin (1935)
- "The Way You Look Tonight"
- Music: Jerome Kern
- Lyrics: Dorothy Fields (1936)
- "Sweet Leilani"
- Music and lyrics: Harry Owens (1937)
- "Thanks for the Memory"
- Music: Ralph Rainger
- Lyrics: Leo Robin (1938)
- "Over the Rainbow"
- Music: Harold Arlen
- Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg (1939)
- "When You Wish Upon a Star"
- Music: Leigh Harline
- Lyrics: Ned Washington (1940)
- "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
- Music: Jerome Kern
- Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1941)
- "White Christmas"
- Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin (1942)
- "You'll Never Know"
- Music: Harry Warren
- Lyrics: Mack Gordon (1943)
- "Swinging on a Star"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Johnny Burke (1944)
- "It Might as Well Be Spring"
- Music: Richard Rodgers
- Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1945)
- "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"
- Music: Harry Warren
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1946)
- "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"
- Music: Allie Wrubel
- Lyrics: Ray Gilbert (1947)
- "Buttons and Bows"
- Music: Jay Livingston
- Lyrics: Ray Evans (1948)
- "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
- Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser (1949)
- "Mona Lisa"
- Music and lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (1950)
- "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"
- Music: Hoagy Carmichael
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1951)
- "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')"
- Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
- Lyrics: Ned Washington (1952)
- "Secret Love"
- Music: Sammy Fain
- Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1953)
- "Three Coins in the Fountain"
- Music: Jule Styne
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1954)
- "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing"
- Music: Sammy Fain
- Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1955)
- "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)"
- Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (1956)
- "All the Way"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1957)
- "Gigi"
- Music: Frederick Loewe
- Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner (1958)
- "High Hopes"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1959)
- "Never on Sunday"
- Music and lyrics: Manos Hatzidakis (1960)
- "Moon River"
- Music: Henry Mancini
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1961)
- "Days of Wine and Roses"
- Music: Henry Mancini
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1962)
- "Call Me Irresponsible"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1963)
- "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
- Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (1964)
- "The Shadow of Your Smile"
- Music: Johnny Mandel
- Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1965)
- "Born Free"
- Music: John Barry
- Lyrics: Don Black (1966)
- "Talk to the Animals"
- Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse (1967)
- "The Windmills of Your Mind"
- Music: Michel Legrand
- Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1968)
- "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"
- Music: Burt Bacharach
- Lyrics: Hal David (1969)
- "For All We Know"
- Music: Fred Karlin
- Lyrics: Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin (1970)
- "Theme from Shaft"
- Music and lyrics: Isaac Hayes (1971)
- "The Morning After"
- Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1972)
- "The Way We Were"
- Music: Marvin Hamlisch
- Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1973)
- "We May Never Love Like This Again"
- Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1974)
- "I'm Easy"
- Music and lyrics: Keith Carradine (1975)
- "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)"
- Music: Barbra Streisand
- Lyrics: Paul Williams (1976)
- "You Light Up My Life"
- Music and lyrics: Joseph Brooks (1977)
- "Last Dance"
- Music and lyrics: Paul Jabara (1978)
- "It Goes Like It Goes"
- Music: David Shire
- Lyrics: Norman Gimbel (1979)
- "Fame"
- Music: Michael Gore
- Lyrics: Dean Pitchford (1980)
- "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
- Music and lyrics: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen (1981)
- "Up Where We Belong"
- Music: Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Lyrics: Will Jennings (1982)
- "Flashdance... What a Feeling"
- Music: Giorgio Moroder
- Lyrics: Keith Forsey and Irene Cara (1983)
- "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
- Music and lyrics: Stevie Wonder (1984)
- "Say You, Say Me"
- Music and lyrics: Lionel Richie (1985)
- "Take My Breath Away"
- Music: Giorgio Moroder
- Lyrics: Tom Whitlock (1986)
- "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
- Music: Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz
- Lyrics: Franke Previte (1987)
- "Let the River Run"
- Music and lyrics: Carly Simon (1988)
- "Under the Sea"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1989)
- "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)"
- Music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim (1990)
- "Beauty and the Beast"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1991)
- "A Whole New World"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Tim Rice (1992)
- "Streets of Philadelphia"
- Music and lyrics: Bruce Springsteen (1993)
- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
- Music: Elton John
- Lyrics: Tim Rice (1994)
- "Colors of the Wind"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1995)
- "You Must Love Me"
- Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics: Tim Rice (1996)
- "My Heart Will Go On"
- Music: James Horner
- Lyrics: Will Jennings (1997)
- "When You Believe"
- Music and lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1998)
- "You'll Be in My Heart"
- Music and lyrics: Phil Collins (1999)
- "Things Have Changed"
- Music and lyrics: Bob Dylan (2000)
- "If I Didn't Have You"
- Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2001)
- "Lose Yourself"
- "Into the West"
- Music and lyrics: Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox (2003)
- "Al otro lado del río"
- Music and lyrics: Jorge Drexler (2004)
- "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp"
- Music and lyrics: Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul (2005)
- "I Need to Wake Up"
- Music and lyrics: Melissa Etheridge (2006)
- "Falling Slowly"
- Music and lyrics: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (2007)
- "Jai Ho"
- Music: A. R. Rahman
- Lyrics: Gulzar (2008)
- "The Weary Kind"
- Music and lyrics: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (2009)
- "We Belong Together"
- Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2010)
- "Man or Muppet"
- Music and lyrics: Bret McKenzie (2011)
- "Skyfall"
- Music and lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (2012)
- "Let It Go"
- Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2013)
- "Glory"
- Music and lyrics: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn (2014)
- "Writing's on the Wall"
- Music and lyrics: James Napier and Sam Smith (2015)
- "City of Stars"
- Music: Justin Hurwitz
- Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2016)
- "Remember Me"
- Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2017)
- "Shallow"
- Music and lyrics: Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt (2018)
- "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again"
- Music: Elton John
- Lyrics: Bernie Taupin (2019)
- "Fight for You"
- Music: D'Mile and H.E.R.
- Lyrics: H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas (2020)
- "No Time to Die"
- Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2021)
- "Naatu Naatu"
- Music: M. M. Keeravani
- Lyrics: Chandrabose (2022)
- "What Was I Made For?"
- Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2023)