Johnny Mercer
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others. From the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, many of the songs Mercer wrote and performed were among the most popular hits of the time. He wrote the lyrics to more than fifteen hundred songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows. He received nineteen Academy Award nominations, and won four. Mercer was also a co-founder of Capitol Records.
Songs
Lyrics by Mercer, unless noted.
He wrote many other songs, some of which have entered the Great American Songbook:
- "Lazy Bones" (1933) (music by Hoagy Carmichael)
- "Save the Bones for Henry Jones"
- "Moon Dreams" with Chummy MacGregor
- "P.S. I Love You" (1934) (music by Gordon Jenkins)
- "Goody Goody" (1936) (music by Matty Malneck)
- "I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande" (1936)
- "Hooray for Hollywood" (1937) (music by Richard A. Whiting)
- "Too Marvelous for Words" (1937) (music by Richard A. Whiting)
- "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (1938) (music by Harry Warren)
- "Jeepers, Creepers!" (1938) (music by Harry Warren)
- "And the Angels Sing" (1939) (music by Ziggy Elman)
- "Day In, Day Out" (1939) (music by Rube Bloom)
- "I Thought About You" (1939) (music by Jimmy Van Heusen)
- "Wings Over the Navy" (1939) (music by Harry Warren)
- "Cuckoo in the Clock" (1939) (music by Walter Donaldson)
- "Fools Rush In" (1940) (music by Rube Bloom)
- "Blues In The Night" (1941) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "I Had Myself A True Love" (music by Harold Arlen)
- "I Remember You" (1941) (music by Victor Schertzinger)
- "Tangerine" (1941) (music by Victor Schertzinger)
- "This Time the Dream's on Me" (1941) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "Hit The Road To Dreamland" (1942) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "That Old Black Magic" (1942) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "Trav'lin' Light" (1942) (music by Jimmy Mundy and James Osborne "Trummy" Young)
- "Skylark" (1942) (music by Hoagy Carmichael)
- "Dearly Beloved" (1942) (music by Jerome Kern)
- "I'm Old Fashioned" (1942) (music by Jerome Kern)
- "My Shining Hour" (1943) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" (1943) (music by Harold Arlen; theme song of the 1957-1958 NBC detective series, Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy)
- "Dream" (1943) (words and music by Johnny Mercer)
- "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (1944) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "Out of This World" (1945) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (1945) (music by Harry Warren)
- "Laura" (1945) (music by David Raksin)
- "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (1946) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" (1946) (music by Harold Arlen)
- "Autumn Leaves" (1947) (music by Joseph Kosma)
- "Glow Worm" (1952) (music Paul Lincke)
- "Satin Doll" (1953) (music by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn)
- "Midnight Sun" (1954) (music by Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke)
- "Something's Gotta Give" (1954) (words and music by Johnny Mercer)
- "Jubilation T. Cornpone" (1956) (music by Gene de Paul)
- "I'm Past My Prime" (1956) (music by Gene de Paul)
- "Moon River" (1961) (music by Henry Mancini)
- "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962) (music by Henry Mancini)
- "I Wanna Be Around" (1962) (words and music by Johnny Mercer and Sadie Vimmerstedt)
- "Charade" (1963) (music by Henry Mancini)
- "Lorna" (1964) (music by Mort Lindsey)
- "Emily" (1964) (music by Johnny Mandel)
- "Summer Wind" (1965) (music by Henry Mayer)
- "Whistling Away The Dark" (1970) (music by Henry Mancini; from the film Darling Lili)
- "Drinking Again" (with Doris Tauber)
- "When October Goes" (music by Barry Manilow)