Edward Madden (July 17, 1878 – March 11, 1952) was an American

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 incom ...

Early life

Madden was born in

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 Un ...

and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation, he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and for

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

acts. He eventually worked for the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

stage.

Works

During his career he worked with Ben Jerome, Dorothy Jardon, Joseph Daly, Gus Edwards, Julian Edwards,

Louis Hirsch Louis Achille Hirsch, also known as Louis A. Hirsch and Lou Hirsch (November 28, 1887 – May 13, 1924), was an American composer of songs and musicals in the early 20th century. Life and career Hirsch was born in New York City. In his senior ...

, Theodore Morse, Percy Wenrich and

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

. Madden produced such standards as “ By the Light of the Silvery Moon”, “ On Moonlight Bay”, “Down in Jungle Town”, “Blue Bell”, “Look Out for Jimmy Valentine”, “Aren't You the Wise Ole Owl”, “My Only One”, “What Could Be Sweeter?”, “The World Can't Go ‘Round Without You”, “Red Rose Rag”, “Silver Bell”, “Arra Wanna”, “I've Got a Feelin' for You”, “A Little Boy Called Taps”, " It Takes the Irish to Beat the Dutch" and “I'd Rather Be a Lobster Than a Wise Guy”. Madden and composer Theodore Morse wrote the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

song "

Two Little Boys "Two Little Boys" is a song written by American composer Theodore F. Morse and lyricist Edward Madden. It was written in 1902 and became a popular music hall song of the time, especially by Scottish singer Harry Lauder. It describes the story of ...

". Madden's songs have been included in several films, including '' Turn Back the Clock'', ''

Babes in Arms ''Babes in Arms'' is a 1937 coming-of-age musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a group of small-town Long Island teenagers who put on a show to avoid being sent to a wor ...

'', ''

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

'', ''

Bullets for O'Hara ''Bullets for O'Hara'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon, Dick Purcell and Richard Ainley. It was released by Warne ...

'', '' Birth of the Blues'', ''

Ship Ahoy ''Ship Ahoy'' is a 1942 American musical-comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton. It was produced by MGM. Background ''Ship Ahoy'' was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred. It ...

'', '' On Moonlight Bay'' and '' By the Light of the Silvery Moon''.

Personal life

Madden married his colleague, Dorothy Jardon. Son, Edward Madden Jr.

Death

He died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

in March 1952 at the age of 73.

References

External links

Songwriters Hall of Fame
* *
Edward Madden recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Madden, Edward 1878 births 1952 deaths Songwriters from New York (state) Fordham University alumni