Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' (lyrics by Yip Harburg), including " Over the Rainbow", Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" ...

. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th century's No. 1 song by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

and the NEA.

Life and career

Arlen was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, the child of a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

. His twin brother died the next day. He learned to play the piano as a youth, and formed a band as a young man. He achieved some local success as a pianist and singer before moving to New York City in his early twenties, where he worked as an accompanist in vaudeville and changed his name to Harold Arlen. Between 1926 and about 1934, Arlen appeared occasionally as a band vocalist on records by The Buffalodians,

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. Biography Early life and career Nichols was born in Ogden, Utah, United States. His father was a college music profes ...

, Joe Venuti, Leo Reisman, and

Eddie Duchin Edwin Frank Duchin (April 1, 1909 – February 9, 1951), commonly known as Eddy Duchin or alternatively Eddie Duchin, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. Early career Duchin was born on April 1, 1909 in Cambri ...

, usually singing his own compositions. In 1929, Arlen composed his first well-known song: " Get Happy" (with lyrics by

Ted Koehler Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Life and career Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver, but ...

). Throughout the early and mid-1930s, Arlen and Koehler wrote shows for the Cotton Club, a popular

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

night club, as well as for Broadway musicals and Hollywood

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

. Arlen and Koehler's partnership resulted in a number of hit songs, including the familiar standards " Let's Fall in Love" and " Stormy Weather". Arlen continued to perform as a pianist and vocalist with some success, most notably on records with Leo Reisman's society dance orchestra. In the mid-1930s, Arlen married, and spent increasing time in California, writing for movie musicals. It was at this time that he began working with lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg. In 1938, the team was hired by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

to compose songs for ''

'', the most famous of which is " Over the Rainbow", for which they won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song. They also wrote " Down with Love" (featured in the 1937 Broadway show '' Hooray for What!''), " Lydia the Tattooed Lady", for Groucho Marx in '' At the Circus'' in 1939, and " Happiness is a Thing Called Joe", for Ethel Waters in the 1943 movie ''

Cabin in the Sky Cabin may refer to: Buildings * Beach cabin, a small wooden hut on a beach * Log cabin, a house built from logs * Cottage, a small house * Chalet, a wooden mountain house with a sloping roof * Cabin, small free-standing structures that serve as ...

''. Arlen was a longtime friend and onetime roommate of actor Ray Bolger, who starred in ''The Wizard of Oz''. In the 1940s, he teamed up with lyricist

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

, and continued to write hit songs like " Blues in the Night", " Out of this World", " That Old Black Magic", " Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive", "

Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" is a popular song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was first introduced in 1946 in the musical ''St. Louis Woman''. In the musical, the song was sung by a female character of easy virtue, ...

", " Come Rain or Come Shine" and " One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)". Arlen composed two of the defining songs of

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...

's career: "Over the Rainbow" and " The Man That Got Away", the last written for the 1954 version of the film '' A Star Is Born''. At her famous 1961 Carnegie Hall concert, after finishing a set of his songs, Garland acknowledged Arlen in the audience and invited him to receive an ovation. Arlen recorded his debut album as a vocalist, '' Harold Sings Arlen (With Friend)'', in 1966.

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

accompanied him on two songs.

Marriage and death

Arlen and Anya Taranda married on January 6, 1937, over the objection of their parents, because she was a

Gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...

and he was Jewish. In 1951, Anya was institutionalized for seven years and died from a brain tumor in 1970. Arlen never remarried and died of cancer on April 23, 1986, at his Manhattan apartment at the age of eighty-one. Arlen is buried next to his wife at the Ferncliff Cemetery in

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Greenb ...

. After Arlen's death,

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

summed up his life at a tribute, saying: "He wasn't as well known as some of us, but he was a better songwriter than most of us and he will be missed by all of us." Shortly before his death, Arlen adopted the 22 year old adult son of his brother Julius "Jerry" Arluck, so that his estate would have an heir in order to extend his copyright. Samuel Arlen runs the company that owns the rights to the Arlen catalog.

Timeline

*1905 Arlen born in

*1920 (age 15) He formed his first professional band, Hyman Arluck's Snappy Trio. *1921 (16) Against his parents' wishes he left home. *1923 (18) With his new band – The Southbound Shufflers, performed on the Crystal Beach lake boat "Canadiana" during the summer of 1923. *1924 (19) Performed at Lake Shore Manor during the summer of 1924. *1924 (19) Wrote his first song, collaborating with friend Hyman Cheiffetz to write "My Gal, My Pal". Copyrighting the song as "My Gal, Won't You Please Come Back to Me?" and listed lyrics by Cheiffetz and music by Harold Arluck. *1925 (20) Makes his way 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 ...

with the group, The Buffalodians, with Arlen playing piano. *1926 (21) Had first published song, collaborating with Dick George to compose "Minor Gaff (Blues Fantasy)" under the name Harold Arluck. *1928 (23) Hyman (or Chaim (Hebrew name meaning life)) Arluck renames himself Harold Arlen. *1929 (24) Landed a singing and acting role as Cokey Joe in the musical ''The Great Day''. *1929 (24) Composed his first well known song – "Get Happy" – under the name Harold Arlen. *1929 (24) Signed a yearlong song writing contract with the George and Arthur Piantadosi firm. *1930–1934 (25–29) Wrote music for the Cotton Club. *1933 (28) At a party, along with partner

, wrote the major hit song "Stormy Weather" *1934 (29) Wrote " Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)" with lyrics by

for their last show at the Cotton Club Parade, in 1934, which was sung by

Adelaide Hall Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her long career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death and she was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Hall ...

*1935 (30) Went back to California after being signed by Samuel Goldwyn to write songs for the film ''

Strike Me Pink "Strike Me Pink" is a song by American singer-songwriter Debbie Harry, released in 1993 as the second single from her fourth solo album, ''Debravation'' (1993). The song was written by Harry, Anne Dudley and Jonathan Bernstein, and produced by D ...

''. *1937 (32) Composed the score for the Broadway musical Hooray for What!. Married 22-year-old Anya Taranda, a celebrated Powers Agency model and former Earl Carroll and Busby Berkeley showgirl, actress, and one of the Original "Breck Girls". *1938 (33) Hired by

to compose songs for ''

''. *1938 (33) While driving along Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and stopping in front of Schwab's Drug Store, he came up with the song " Over the Rainbow". *1941 (36) Wrote " Blues in the Night" *1942 (37) Along with

, he wrote one of his most famous songs, " That Old Black Magic". *1943 (38) Wrote " My Shining Hour" *1944 (39) While driving with songwriter partner

came up with the song " Accentuate the Positive". *1945 (40) In a single evening's work in October with

, came up with the song " Come Rain or Come Shine". *1949 (44) Collaborated with Ralph Blane to write the score for '' My Blue Heaven''. *1950 (45) Worked with old pal

on the film ''The Petty Girl'', out of which came the song "Fancy Free". *1951 (46) His wife Anya was institutionalized in a sanitarium for 7 years. *1952 (47) Teamed up with Dorothy Fields on the film ''The Farmer Takes a Wife''. *1953 (48) Harold's father, Cantor Samuel Arluck, died. *1954 (49) The musical '' A Star is Born'' starring

singing the now classic, Harold Arlen and

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...

collaboration, " The Man That Got Away". *1954 (49) Becomes dangerously ill with a bleeding ulcer and is hospitalized but recovers to work with Truman Capote on the musical '' House of Flowers''. *1958 (53) His mother Celia Arluck dies and Harold does not touch music for over a year, mourning her loss. *1962 (56) Wrote the score for the animated musical '' Gay Purr-ee'', lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. *1970 (65) Arlen's wife Anya Taranda dies from a brain tumor. Arlen begins to lose interest in life, withdrawing from friends and family and becoming more reclusive. *1974 (69) The theme song for the ABC

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

''Paper Moon'' is based on the song of that title, written by Arlen and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg in 1932. The series was based on a 1973 Peter Bogdanovich film of the same name, which used the same song. *1979 (74) Is inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

. *1985 (80) Adopts Samuel ("Sammy"), son of his younger brother Jerry and Rita Arluck as his son and primary heir. *1986 (81) Harold Arlen dies in

and is interred next to his wife at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Works for Broadway

*'' Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1930'' (1930) –

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own du ...

– contributing composer *'' You Said It'' (1931) –

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

– composer *''Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1932'' (1932) –

– co- composer and co- lyricist with

*''Americana'' (1932) –

– contributing composer *''George White's Music Hall Varieties (1933)'' –

– co- composer *'' Life Begins at 8:40'' (1934) –

– composer *''The Show is On'' (1936) –

– contributing composer *'' Hooray for What!'' (1937) –

– composer *'' Bloomer Girl'' (1944) –

– composer *''

St. Louis Woman ''St. Louis Woman'' is a 1946 American musical theatre, musical by Arna Bontemps and Countee Cullen with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer (lyrics). The musical opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on March 30, 1946, an ...

'' (1946) –

– composer *'' House of Flowers'' (1954) –

– composer and co- lyricist *''Mr. Imperium'' (1951) – movie musical – featured composer *''

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

'' (1957) –

– composer – Tony nomination for Best Musical *'' Saratoga'' (1959) –

– composer

Major songs

* " A Sleepin' Bee" – lyrics by Harold Arlen and Truman Capote * " Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" – lyrics by

* "

" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " As Long as I Live" – lyrics by

* " Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " Blues in the Night" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " Come Rain or Come Shine" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * "

Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" is a song in the 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz''. It is the centrepiece of several individual songs in an extended set-piece performed by the Munchkins, Glinda ( Billie Burke) and Dorothy Gale. Highlighted by the Lol ...

" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * " Down with Love" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * " For Every Man There's a Woman" – lyrics by

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) 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 ...

* " Get Happy" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * " Hit the Road to Dreamland" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * "Hooray for Love" – lyrics by Leo Robin * " I Could Go On Singing" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * " If I Only Had a Brain" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * "I Had Myself A True Love" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * "

I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" is a popular song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Ted Koehler, published in 1932 for the Broadway show '' Earl Carroll's Vanities'' (1932). The song has become a jazz and blues standard. Popular recor ...

" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * "I Love a Parade" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " Ill Wind" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * "I Never Has Seen Snow" – lyrics by Harold Arlen and Truman Capote * " It Was Written in the Stars" – lyrics by Leo Robin * " I've Got the World on a String" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " It's Only a Paper Moon" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, Billy Rose * "I Wonder What Became of Me" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " Last Night When We Were Young" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * " Let's Fall in Love" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " Let's Take a Walk Around the Block" – lyrics by

and E. Y. Harburg * "Like a Straw in the Wind" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " Lydia the Tattooed Lady" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * " My Shining Hour" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * "

On the Swing Shift "On the Swing Shift" is a 1942 song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer for the film ''Star Spangled Rhythm'', where it was introduced by Marjorie Reynolds, Betty Jane Rhodes and Dona Drake. The song is about a romance between wor ...

" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " Out of This World" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " Over the Rainbow" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * "Right As The Rain" – lyrics by E. Y. Harburg * "

Sing My Heart "Sing My Heart" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written in 1939 for the movie '' Love Affair'' and first sung by Irene Dunne. Notable recordings * Will Osborne & His Orchestra - recorded for Decca o ...

" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * "So Long, Big Time!" – lyrics by Dory Langdon * " Stormy Weather" – lyrics by Ted Koehler * " That Old Black Magic" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * " The Man That Got Away" – lyrics by Ira Gershwin * " This Time the Dream's on Me" – lyrics by Johnny Mercer * "What's Good About Goodbye?" – lyrics by Leo Robin * " When the Sun Comes Out" – lyrics by Ted Koehler

Films

*2003 – '' Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen'' (directed by

Larry Weinstein Larry Weinstein (born 1956) is a Canadian film director of theatrical and television documentaries, performance films, and dramas. The majority of his films centre on musical subjects and the depiction of the creative process, while his other sub ...

)

Biographies

* * *

References

External links

*
NPR profile of Harold Arlen on Weekend Edition Saturday
* * * *

, singing his own songs, dueting with

on two
Harold Arlen recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Arlen, Harold 1905 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews American musical theatre composers Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists Brunswick Records artists Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Columbia Records artists Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Jewish American composers Jewish American songwriters Male musical theatre composers Musicians from Buffalo, New York Songwriters from New York (state) Vaudeville performers Victor Records artists