Al Hoffman (September 25, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was an American song composer. He was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number-one hits through each decade, many of which are still sung and recorded today. He was posthumously made a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. The popularity of Hoffman's song, "

Mairzy Doats “Mairzy Doats” is a novelty song written and composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston. It contains lyrics that make no sense as written, but are near homophones of meaningful phrases. The song's title, for example, ...

", co-written with

Jerry Livingston Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist. Life and career Born in Denver, Colorado, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he com ...

and Milton Drake, was such that newspapers and magazines wrote about the craze. ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'' magazine titled one article "Our Mairzy Dotage". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' simply wrote the headline, "That Song". Hoffman's songs were recorded by singers such as Frank Sinatra (" Close To You", "I'm Gonna Live Until I Die"),

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

(" I Apologize")

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signi ...

(" Papa Loves Mambo", " Hot Diggity"),

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, i ...

and Louis Armstrong ("Who Walks In When I Walk Out"), Nat "King" Cole,

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...

, the Merry Macs, Sophie Tucker,

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of " C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Amon ...

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

(" Allegheny Moon") and

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Gl ...

. In October, 2007, Hoffman's "I'm Gonna Live Til I Die" was the lead single from

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

's album, '' Trav'lin' Light''. Though Hoffman had apparently little connection to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, he wrote the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

fight song "

Bear Down, Chicago Bears "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" is the fight song of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. It was written in 1941 by Al Hoffman under the pseudonym Jerry Downs, though Hoffman appeared to have little connection to Chicago. The song was w ...

" in 1941 under the pseudonym Jerry Downs.

Life and career

Hoffman was born in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

(now

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

), to a Jewish family. His parents moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, Washington in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

when he was six. After graduating from high school in Seattle, he started his own band, playing the

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

, and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1928 to pursue a music career. Though he continued playing the drums in night club bands and selling bagels door-to-door on Broadway, he began writing songs, collaborating with other songwriters such as

Leon Carr Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fr ...

, Leo Corday,

Mann Curtis Manny Curtis (born Emanuel Kurtz, Nov 15, 1911 – Dec 6, 1984) was an American songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for over 250 songs, including " In a Sentimental Mood" (1935) and " Let It Be Me" (1957). He was born in Brooklyn, New York, United ...

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

, Milton Drake, Al Goodhart,

Walter Kent Walter Kent (born Walter Maurice Kaufman, November 29, 1911 – March 2, 1994) was an American composer and conductor. Some notable compositions are: " I'll Be Home for Christmas", "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die" and " (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The ...

, Sammy Lerner,

, Al Sherman, Dick Manning,

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...

, Ed Nelson, and

Maurice Sigler Maurice Sigler (November 30, 1901 – February 6, 1961) was an American banjoist and songwriter. Sigler was born in New York City but moved to Birmingham, Alabama at an early age, and received his musical tuition there. In the 1920s, Sigle ...

. In 1934, he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to work on stage productions and movies, co-writing the hit songs "She Shall Have Music" and "Everything Stops for Tea". He returned to the U.S. three years later. In 1984, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has over 1,500 songs registered with A.S.C.A.P. Hoffman died in

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

, and was buried in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

Partial list of published songs

Songs written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning

*" Allegheny Moon" (1956) *"Dennis The Menace Song" (1960) *"

Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and published in 1954. It was a hit in 1954 in both the United States and United Kingdom, albeit for different artists. The Four Lads Th ...

" (1954) *" Hot Diggity" (1956) *" I Can't Tell A Waltz From A Tango" (1954) *"I Love Her, That's Why!" (for George Burns and Gracie Allen) (1955) *" Mama, Teach Me to Dance" (1956) *" Moon Talk" (1958) *"O Dio Mio" (1960) *"

Takes Two to Tango "Takes Two to Tango" is a traditional popular music, popular song, written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and published in 1952. Two versions of the song, by Pearl Bailey and by Louis Armstrong, charted in that year. The recording by Pearl Bailey ...

" (1952)

Songs written by Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, and another collaborator

*" Are You Really Mine?" (1958) (with Mark Markwell) *"

Make Me a Miracle "Make Me a Miracle" is a popular song. It was written by Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, and Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore and published in 1958. The best-known recording of the song was done by Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8 ...

" (1958) (with Mark Markwell) *"Mighty Pretty Waltz" (1950) (with

Moon Mullican Aubrey Wilson Mullican (March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967), known professionally as Moon Mullican and nicknamed "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was associated with t ...

) *" Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again" (1958) (with Mark Markwell) *" Papa Loves Mambo" (1954) (with Bix Reichner) *" Secretly" (1958) (with Mark Markwell)

Songs written by Al Hoffman,
Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...
, and
Jerry Livingston Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist. Life and career Born in Denver, Colorado, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he com ...

*"Close to you" (1943) *"

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" (also called "The Magic Song") is a novelty song, written in 1948 by Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston. Introduced in the 1950 film ''Cinderella'', and performed by actress Verna Felton, the song is about the Fair ...

" (1948) *" Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" (1947) *" A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" (1949) *"Sing, Sweet Nightingale" (1950) *"So This Is Love" (1950) *"The Unbirthday Song" (1951) *"Trick or Treat for Halloween" (1952)

Songs written by Al Hoffman,
Maurice Sigler Maurice Sigler (November 30, 1901 – February 6, 1961) was an American banjoist and songwriter. Sigler was born in New York City but moved to Birmingham, Alabama at an early age, and received his musical tuition there. In the 1920s, Sigle ...
, and Al Goodhart

*" Everything Stops for Tea" (1935) *"Everything's in Rhythm with My Heart" (1935) *"I Saw Stars" (1934) *"I’m in a Dancing Mood" (1936) *"There Isn’t Any Limit to My Love" (1936) *"Why Don’t You Practice What You Preach?" *"Where There's You There's Me"

Others

*"Apple Blossoms and Chapel Bells" *"Auf Wiedersehn, My Dear" *"

" (1941) *"Black-Eyed Susan Brown" *" Close to You" (with

and Carl Lampl) *"Don’t Stay Away Too Long" *" Fit as a Fiddle" (1932) (with Arthur Freed and Al Goodhart) *"From One Minute to Another" *"Goodnight, Wherever You Are" *" Heartaches" (1931) (lyrics by John Klenner) *" I Apologize" (1931) (lyrics by Al Goodhart) *"

If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950. In the U.S, the best known version of the song was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. Joe Lipm ...

" (1950) (with

and

Clem Watts Albert J. Trace ''(aka'' Albert Joseph Trace; ''né'' Feinberg; 25 December 1900 – 31 August 1993) was an American songwriter and orchestra leader of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. His popularity peaked in the Chicago area during the height of th ...

) *"I Must Have One More Kiss Kiss Kiss" *"I Paid For The Lie I Told You" (1939) (with Al Sherman and

Enoch Light Enoch Henry Light (August 18, 1907 – July 31, 1978) was an American classically trained violinist, danceband leader, and recording engineer. As the leader of various dance bands that recorded as early as March 1927 and continuing through at l ...

) *"I’m Gonna Live Till I Die" (1955) (with

and

) *"If You Saw What I Saw In Nassau" (1949) (with Al Sherman and

) *"Little Man You’ve Had a Busy Day" (1934) ith Maurice Sigler usic by Mabel Wayne*"

" (1943) (with

and Milton Drake) *"Roll Up the Carpet" (1933) (with lyrics by Raymond Klages, music by Raymond Klages, Al Goodhart, and Hoffman) *"She Broke My Heart in Three Places" (c. 1944) (with

and Milton Drake) *"Fuzzy Wuzzy" (1944) (with

and Milton Drake) *"The Story of a Starry Night" (1941) (with

and

) *"What’s the Good Word, Mr. Bluebird?" (1943) (with Allan Roberts and

) *"

A Whale of a Tale "A Whale of a Tale" is a song from the 1954 film ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea''. It is performed by Kirk Douglas, who plays Ned Land. It was written by Al Hoffman and Norman Gimbel. The recording of Kirk Douglas singing the song was very popular ...

" (1954) (with

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both with ...

) *"Who Walks in When I Walk Out?" (1933) (with Ralph Freed and Al Goodhart) *"Without Rhythm" *"You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams" (1939) (with Al Goodhart and Manny Kurtz)

References

External links

*
Al Hoffman recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Al 1902 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from prostate cancer Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Jewish American composers Jewish American songwriters Male musical theatre composers Walt Disney Animation Studios people