Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment.
Royalties
A lyricist's income ...
and producer, best known for his lyrics to "
Body and Soul," "
When I Fall in Love
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film ''One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the firs ...
," and "
For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films.
Biography
Heyman studied at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
where he had an early start on his career writing college musicals. After graduating from college, Heyman moved back to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
where he started working with a number of experienced musicians like
Victor Young
Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor.
Biography
Young is commonly said to ...
("
When I Fall in Love
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film ''One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the firs ...
"),
Dana Suesse
Nadine Dana Suesse (; December 3, 1911 – October 16, 1987) was an American musician, composer and lyricist.
Biography
Dana Suesse was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1909. When she grew too tall for ballet, she began piano lessons with Gertru ...
("
You Oughta Be in Pictures
"You Oughta Be in Pictures" is a 1934 song composed by the American songwriting team Dana Suesse and Edward Heyman. It was recorded two weeks later by Rudy Vallée for RCA Records and rapidly became the unofficial anthem of the American film indu ...
") and
Johnny Green
John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earli ...
("
Body and Soul," "
Out of Nowhere," "
I Cover the Waterfront
''I Cover the Waterfront'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code romantic drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Ben Lyon, Claudette Colbert, Ernest Torrence, and Hobart Cavanaugh.
Based on the book, by Max Miller, a reporter for the San Die ...
" and "Easy Come, Easy Go").
From 1935 to 1952, Heyman contributed songs to film scores including ''
Sweet Surrender'', ''
That Girl from Paris
''That Girl from Paris'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Lily Pons, Jack Oakie, and Gene Raymond. The film made a profit of $101,000. John O. Aalberg was nominated for an Academy Award in the category ...
'', ''
Curly Top
Curly Top is a 1935 American musical romantic comedy film starring Shirley Temple, John Boles and Rochelle Hudson.
Plot
A bachelor wants to adopt an orphan, but she refuses to leave behind her older sister, so he adopts them both. The man even ...
'', ''
The Kissing Bandit'', ''
Delightfully Dangerous
''Delightfully Dangerous'' is a 1945 American musical film directed by Arthur Lubin showcasing teenage singer Jane Powell—in her second film on loan out to United Artists from MGM—and orchestra leader Morton Gould. The working titles of thi ...
'' and ''
Northwest Outpost
''Northwest Outpost'' (also known as ''End of the Rainbow'') is a 1947 American Musical Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. The film was Eddy's last, and is an operetta film like his previous starring r ...
''.
Arguably Heyman's biggest hit is his lyric to "
Body and Soul", written in 1930, which was often recorded (notably in 1939 by
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...
and by many others) and which frequently crops up in films, most recently in 2002's ''
Catch Me If You Can
''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American Biographical film, biographical crime film, crime Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin ...
''. Heyman also wrote "Through the Years," "
For Sentimental Reasons," "
Blame It on My Youth
"Blame It on My Youth" is a jazz standard written by Oscar Levant (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics) in 1934.
Recorded versions
*1934: The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (vocal by Bob Crosby) - recorded for Decca Records (catalog 320) on November ...
" (with
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian and actor. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for reco ...
), "
Love Letters
A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings.
History
One of the oldest references to a l ...
," "
Blue Star" (theme of the television series ''Medic''), "The Wonder of You," "Boo-Hoo," "
Bluebird of Happiness
The symbol of a bluebird as the harbinger of happiness is found in many cultures and may date back thousands of years.
Origins of idiom Chinese mythology
One of the oldest examples of a blue bird in myth (found on oracle bone inscriptions of th ...
," "
They Say," and "You're Mine, You!"
Heyman was an ASCAP writer inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
in 1975.
See also
Songs with lyrics by Edward Heyman
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...
External links
Edward Heyman's entry at the Songwriters' Hall of Fame*
Edward Heyman recordingsat 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 ...
1907 births
1981 deaths
American lyricists
Jewish American songwriters
Musicians from New York City
University of Michigan alumni
20th-century American composers
20th-century American Jews
{{US-songwriter-stub