Alan Earle O'Day (October 3, 1940 – May 17, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing " Undercover Angel," a million-selling Gold-certified American No. 1 hit in 1977. He also wrote songs for many other notable performers, such as 1974's

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on rad ...

No. 1 hit "

Angie Baby "Angie Baby" is a song that was written by American singer-songwriter Alan O'Day, and became a hit for Australian singer Helen Reddy. The song reached #1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at the end of December 1974 and became one of Reddy' ...

" and the Righteous Brothers' No. 3 Gold hit " Rock and Roll Heaven". In the 1980s he moved from pop music to television, co-writing nearly 100 songs for the Saturday morning '' Muppet Babies'' series, and in the 1990s he wrote and performed music on the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...

series '' Really Wild Animals''. O'Day also collaborated with Tatsuro Yamashita on a series of popular songs in Japan including "Your Eyes", "Magic Ways", "Christmas Eve" and "Fragile" (which Tyler the Creator interpolated in " Gone, Gone/Thank You").

Life and career

Early years

O'Day was born in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States, the only child of Earle and Jeannette O'Day, who both worked at the '' Pasadena Star-News''. Earle took newspaper photos and did publicity for the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. Jeannette wrote for the ''Star News'', as well as being a schoolteacher in Thermal, California and other schools in the

Coachella Valley , map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg , map_caption = Coachella Valley , location = California, United States , coordinates = , width = , boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacin ...

. O'Day stated that he remembered creating melodies on a

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

at the age of six. By the fifth grade, his favorite artist was Spike Jones, and he was serenading his classmates on the ukulele. At Coachella Valley Union High School, after participating in a band called The Imperials, he started his own rock'n'roll band, The Shoves with heavy influences from

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

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, and Fats Domino, who appeared on KABC-TV/Los Angeles' Hub Talent Show on August 25, 1958. A third band, The Renés (O'Day, Oscar Arias, Eddie Arias, Ernie Gurrola, Sal Velasquez, Johnny Alvarez & Don Duarte) played Latin and Mexican standards mixed with rock and roll tunes and gave him the opportunity to write his own songs. In 1959, R&B pioneer Johnny Otis auditioned the Renés after an auditioning singer they were backing didn't pass muster. Impressed with their playing and the O'Day compositions, Otis recorded and produced the band performing three O'Day originals and a few covers at El Dorado Studios in Hollywood over a few sessions. but the recordings were never released as most of the members of the Renés were minors. In 1961, he found work via a friend from high school, Arch Hall Jr., whose father, Arch Hall Sr., was an independent movie producer. The senior Hall wrote and produced films that starred the junior Hall, and O'Day helped out with the sound, in 1962, acting as music editor on the film '' Eegah'' and musical director on ''

Wild Guitar Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 Am ...

'', sound recorder on 1963's ''

The Sadist ''The Sadist'' (German: "Der Sadist") is a book published by psychiatrist Karl Berg, following the confessions of Peter Kürten, a notorious German serial killer known as both The Vampire of Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorf Monster who committed ...

'', and sound mixer on the 1964 ''What's Up Front!'' After '' Eegah,'' Arch Jr. and O'Day put together a four-piece band (called The Archers) played in clubs on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverl ...

such as Whisky a Go Go and Pandora's Box and served as the backing band for Dobie Gray. Around 1965, O'Day was in the band Alan & Bob & Denny, a show group that did pop songs and some comedy. They played nightclubs in the Pasadena & Hollywood area, and were on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' on November 14, 1965, as the backup band for singer/actress/comedian, Virginia O'Brien.

Songwriter

In 1969, he signed with E.H. Morris Music, followed by

Warner Brothers Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

in 1971, writing "The Drum," which became a hit single for Bobby Sherman. In 1974, three more of his songs did well: "Train of Thought," recorded by

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

, "Rock And Roll Heaven," recorded by The Righteous Brothers, and "

," recorded by

. "

" hit No. 1 at the end of December 1974 and became one of Reddy's biggest-selling singles. In a 2006 article, O'Day said the song took three months to write; originally, it was loosely based on the character in the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

' " Lady Madonna". To make the character ("Angie") more interesting, he based her on a neighbor girl he had known who seemed "socially retarded". O'Day also thought of his own childhood; an only child who was often ill, many of his days were spent in bed with a radio to keep him company. O'Day showed the unfinished song to his therapist, who pointed out that the character's reactions were not those of a retarded person; O'Day then switched Angie from mentally "slow" to "crazy." This expanded to her living in a dream world of lovers, inspired by the songs on her radio. When an evil-minded neighbor tries to enter her room to take advantage of the girl, he is instead drawn into her reality, literally shrinking him down into her radio, "never to be found."

Solo career

O'Day released his first solo album, ''Caress Me Pretty Music'' in 1973. The album was not a major commercial success and he temporarily put his recording career on hiatus. In 1977, Warner Bros. Records formed Pacific Records as a label for their composers who also performed. O'Day was the first and only artist signed to the label, and its first release was " Undercover Angel." The song, which he described as a "nocturnal novelette," was released in February 1977. Within a few months it had become No. 1 in the country, and has sold approximately two million copies. It was also a hit in Australia, reaching No. 9 on the Australian Singles Chart. ("Undercover Angel" also landed O'Day in an exclusive club as one of only a handful of writers/performers to pen a No. 1 hit for themselves ''and'' a No. 1 for another artist.) A follow-up single, "Started Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love" stalled at No. 73, marking O'Day's second and last appearance on the US chart. Three years later, in March 1980, a song called "

Skinny Girls Skinny is another word for thin. It can also mean: People * Skinny (rapper), Saudi-American hip hop rapper * Kyle Graham (1899–1973), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Skinny Graham (outfielder) (1909–1967), American Major League Ba ...

" reached No. 11 on the Australian Singles Chart. In 1981, O'Day co-wrote "Your Eyes" with singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, which became a hit in Japan. This was one of many collaborations between O'Day and Yamashita, including songs such as "Fragile" and "Theme From Big Wave". O'Day left Warner Brothers in 1982 to write and self-publish. In 1983, he was invited to Tokyo to co-write six more songs with Yamashita for his album ''Big Wave.'' The collaboration yielded a Gold Disc Award in Japan. In February 2013, the label 1st Phase Records released a new album titled ''Make Me Believe''. Co-produced by Alan O'Day and Ken Kaufman featuring country music recording artist Paul Scott, including two new original songs co-written by O'Day: "Uh-Uh (What She Wants)," and an unofficial NASCAR national anthem titled "NASCAR CRAZY". NASCAR Crazy" is a co-write by Alan O'Day and Ken Kaufman.

Television

In 1983, O'Day met San Francisco's singer-songwriter Janis Liebhart, with whom he co-wrote a children's song for a new Saturday morning animated TV show, Jim Henson's '' Muppet Babies''. Within eight years they had written almost 100 songs for the program, which won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, and has since been syndicated internationally. The collaboration continued after ''Muppet Babies'', as O'Day and Liebhart co-wrote for other children-focused projects, including

's '' Really Wild Animals'', a series of videos which they helped produce and on which they also sang. They also worked on some children's products for Alaska Video. O'Day lived in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

, to write and perform, and was also a musical and creative consultant. In 2012, he wrote and sang the title tune for the film, ''You Don't Say.''

Death

O'Day died on May 17, 2013, in Westwood, California after a battle with brain cancer. His interment was at

Coachella Valley Public Cemetery The Coachella Valley Public Cemetery is a cemetery in the Coachella Valley of California. It is near Indio and La Quinta. __NOTOC__ Notable interments Among those buried here are: * Frank Bogert (1910–2009), Westerns movie star and Mayor of P ...

Coachella, California es, Ciudad de Coachella , nicknames = Coachello, La Coachelita and Cochela , image_skyline = Coachella City Hall.jpg , imagesize = 240px , image_caption = Coachella City Hall , image_flag ...

Awards

* "

", US gold record * " Undercover Angel", US gold record * " Muppet Babies", nominated for an

* " Really Wild Animals", Parents' Choice Award * "Big Wave" Tatsuro Yamashita collaboration,

Gold Disk Award Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

, Japan

Discography

Albums

*1973: ''Songs by Alan O'Day (vol. 1)'' *1973'': Caress Me Pretty Music'' *1977: ''Appetizers'' *1979: ''Oh Johnny!'' *1994: ''Music from National Geographic's Really Wild Animals,'' (Janis Liebhart & Alan O'Day) *2001: ''Undercover Angel 2001'' (City Man Music, BMI, Warner/Chappell Music, ASCAP 634479217920) *2008: ''I Hear Voices''

Singles

*1964: "I Want a Girl for Xmas" (as Alan O'Day & the Knights) *1970: "Heavy Church" / "House on Sunrise Avenue" (co-produced by Snuff Garrett) *1973: "Somewhere She Is Sleeping" (produced by Dallas Smith) *1977: " Undercover Angel" / "Just You" (#1 U.S., #1 CAN, #4 NZ, #9 AUS, #43 UK) *1978: "Started Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love" / "

" (#73 U.S., #39 NZ) *1978: "Soldier of Fortune" (#103 U.S.) *1978: "Satisfied" *1979: "Oh Johnny!" / "People Who Talk to Themselves" (#124 U.S.) *1980: "Skinny Girls" / "Oh Johnny!" (#11 AUS, #110 U.S.) (above six produced by Steve Barri) *2008: "I Hear Voices" *2012: "You Don't Say"

Credits

* "Theme from Eegah", 1961 (co-written and recorded by Arch Hall Jr & the Archers) * "Wild Guitar", 1962 (co-written and recorded by Arch Hall Jr & the Archers) *"Yes I Will", 1962 (recorded by Arch Hall Jr & the Archers) *"Funky Funky Feelin", 1964 (recorded by Dobie Gray) *"No Top (Just a Suit)", 1964 co-written by Charlene Groman (recorded by Danny Hamilton) *"Back to Oklahoma", 1970 (recorded by

Ned Miller Henry Ned Miller (April 12, 1925 – March 18, 2016) was an American country music singer-songwriter. Active as a recording artist from 1956 to 1970, he is known primarily for his hit single " From a Jack to a King", a crossover hit in 1962 wh ...

) *"Heavy Church", 1970 (recorded by Three Dog Night and

Al Wilson Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, an ...

) *"House on Sunrise Avenue", 1970 (recorded by Bonnie Guitar) *"Are You Old Enough", 1971 (recorded by Mark Lindsay) *"Caress Me Pretty Music", 1971 (recorded by David Clayton-Thomas,

Susan Hart Susan Hart (born June 2, 1941) is an American actress, and the widow of American International Pictures (AIP) co-founder James H. Nicholson. Early years Before she became an actress, Hart worked for a telephone company in Palm Springs, manage ...

, Dewey Martin,

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

, Patrick Norman, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Lon Satton, Bobby Sherman, & Foster Sylvers,) * "The Drum", 1971 (recorded by Bobby Sherman), No. 29 U.S. (Other recordings by Marti Caine, Pete Fountain, Lill-Babs & the Mills Brothers) *"Gifts", 1971 (recorded by

Bells Bells may refer to: * Bell, a musical instrument Places * Bells, North Carolina * Bells, Tennessee * Bells, Texas * Bells Beach, Victoria, an internationally famous surf beach in Australia * Bells Corners, Ontario Music * Bells, directly st ...

, Tony Christie ,

Saori Minami (Real Name: Akemi Shinoyama (篠山明美), née, Akemi Uchima (内間明美); Christian Name: Cynthia) is a Japanese retired J-pop singer-songwriter. She was born in Okinawa on July 2, 1954. In the 1970s, and for a brief 6 years from 19911997 ...

& Bobby Sherman as "Tonight I Chipped a Piece Off of the Sun") *"Good Time Song", 1971 co-written with Artie Wayne (recorded by Bobby Sherman) *"You Better Start Singing Soon", 1971 (recorded by

Mike Clifford Mike Clifford, (born 5th November 1943), is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his 1962 pop hit, "Close To Cathy", which reached number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early life Mike Clifford was born in Los Angeles, ...

) *"American Family", 1972 (recorded by

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorded ...

Raiders Raider(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Paul Revere & the Raiders, an American rock band * "Raider", a track from the 1969 album ''Farewell Aldebaran'', by Judy Henske and Jerry Yester * "Raiders", a track from the 1987 album ''Young and ...

, & the Vogues) * "Easy Evil" 1972 (recorded by

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including ...

,Sonny Bottari U.S. #139, Captain & Tennille,

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Coven A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promot ...

, Jackie DeShannon, Friends of Distinction, Patsy Gallant,

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he ...

, Bobby Hart, Hedva & David,

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene ...

, Mieko Hirota, Walter Jackson, John Kay U.S. #92, Peggy Lee, Lettermen, Lulu, New Birth, Johnny Nicol, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Genya Ravan, Merl Saunders, Marlena Shaw, Nancy Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, Sugarloaf, Sylvia U.S. R&B #61, Three Dog Night, Sarah Vaughan,

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...

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U.S. #85 and Nancy Wilson, among others) *"Spin Away", 1972 (recorded by Lettermen,

& Ted Neeley) *"Day Becomes Night", 1973 (recorded by Bobby Sherman) *"Dirty Movies", 1973 (recorded by Flash Cadillac) *"Do Me Wrong, But Do Me", 1973 (recorded by

Mel Carter Mel Carter (born April 22, 1939, Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer and actor. He is best known for his 1965 million-selling recording, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me". Biography At age 16 Carter studied singing with vocalist Little Jimmy S ...

, Chris Christian, Homo-sapiens,

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, Megan McDonough,

Julie Rogers Julie Rogers (born Julie Rolls, 6 April 1943, Bermondsey, London, England) is an English pop singer. She is best known for her multi-million selling song, " The Wedding". Career Rogers, the youngest of five children, had piano lessons and sta ...

Wilma Reading Wilma Reading is a singer from Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Reading began her singing career in 1959 after singing for friends at a Brisbane jazz club. Reading performed on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', had a residency at ...

& not-yet-released

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 ...

) * "Flashback", 1973 (recorded by

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, co-written with Artie Wayne, #82 US, #30 US AC, #75 US R&B, #60 Australia) (Other recordings by Paul Anka #100 U.S.,

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, Blue Swede,

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Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

, & Bjorn Skifs) *"Get It Off, Get It On", 1973 (recorded by

, produced by George Clinton) *"Like A Main Theme", 1973 (recorded by Nana Mouskouri) *"Rubberene", 1973 co-written with

Mat Camison Mathias Camison (born 5 August 1941) is a French keyboardist and electronic musician, responsible for many library and pop recordings, especially during the 1970s. Born in Algiers, Camison moved to France in 1955 and in the late 1950s formed his ...

& Maurice Vidalin (recorded by Davy Jones) * "

", 1974 (recorded by

), No. 1 U.S., produced by

Joe Wissert Joe Wissert is an American record producer. Wissert has worked with artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Boz Scaggs, Helen Reddy, The Lovin' Spoonful, Gordon Lightfoot and The Turtles. Overview Wissert was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...

. (Other recordings by Ray Conniff,

Chelsea Cullen Chelsea Cullen is an Australian pop singer. Cullen provided the singing voice of Helen Reddy in the 2019 biographical film, ''I Am Woman'', for which she won an ARIA Music Award. Discography Soundtracks Extended plays Singles Awards and ...

Syd Dale Syd Dale (20 May 1924 – 15 August 1994) was an English self-taught composer and arranger of funk, easy listening and library music. His music played an important role on television, radio and advertising media of the 1960s and 1970s and is st ...

, Barbara Dickson, Anne Lise Gjostel, George Greeley, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Hanne Krogh as "Rare Lina", Stephanie Lai as "Mo Wei Ai Shang Be!",

Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer and former television presenter. Childhood From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an interest in the performing arts. Regular outings to ...

, Paul Mauriat, Pete Moore, Erick Sermon on "Hip Hop Radio", Uncle Devil Show & Sylvie Vartan.) *"Every Man Wants Another Man's Woman", 1974 (recorded by Dee Dee Bridgewater,

Gene Redding Gene Redding (born 1945, Anderson, Indiana) was an American singer, who was discovered by Etta James at a USO Club in Anchorage, Alaska. He released one album on Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. un ...

& Sami Jo). *"Real Emotion", 1974 (recorded by

) * " Rock and Roll Heaven", 1974, co-written by Johnny Stevenson (recorded by The Righteous Brothers), No. 3 U.S., produced by Dennis Lambert, Eddie Lambert, and Brian Potter. (Other recordings by

No. 102 U.S. Flash Cadillac,

Sonny Geraci Emmett Peter "Sonny" Geraci ("Jer-ah-see"); November 22, 1946 – February 5, 2017) was an American singer, best known as lead singer of musical groups The Outsiders and Climax. Biography Geraci first became known as the original lead vocali ...

, Ricky May, Ronnie McDowell/ Bill Medley/ John Schneider as "Country Heaven" and Zdravko Colic.) *"Rock 'n' Roll ABC's", 1974 (recorded by

Freddie Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. (born December 4, 1936), better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", " Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", and " ...

No. 107 U.S.) * "

Train of Thought The train of thought or track of thought refers to the interconnection in the sequence of ideas expressed during a connected discourse or thought, as well as the sequence itself, especially in discussion how this sequence leads from one idea to ...

", 1974 (recorded by

) – No. 18 U.S., No. 22 Canada, produced by Snuff Garrett. (Other recordings by

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, Steppenwolf & Sylvia Vartan) * "Annie Annie Over", 1975 (recorded by Steppenwolf) *"Blue Finger Lou", 1975 (recorded by

) (Also recorded by Vicki Brown,

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, Family Four, Donny Most, Tony Orlando & Dawn, & Gro Anita Schonn, ) *"Catch My Breath", 1977 (recorded by

) *" Undercover Angel", 1977 (recorded by Leslie Cheung, Jurgen Drews as "Unnahbarer Engel", Grethe Kausland, Pete Moore, Wess as "Se Non Fossi Matto",

Kari Tapio Kari Tapani Jalkanen (22 November 1945 – 7 December 2010), better known by his stage name Kari Tapio, was a Finnish schlager and country & western singer. During his career, he was one of the most popular singers in Finland for decades; having ...

as "Unten Enkelit" & Sylvie Vartan as "Mon Ciel de Lit".) *"Satisfied", 1978 (recorded by Mary MacGregor) *"Love at First Night", 1979 (recorded by Kim Hart, Australia Top 10, New Zealand Top 20) *"Every Night", 1980 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by Mariya Takeuchi) *"Dear Daisy", 1982 (recorded by Sonny Shroyer) *"I Love You Eyes", 1983 (recorded by Ray Price) *"Talk Crazy to Me", 1983 co-written by Margaret Harris (recorded by Girl Talk, Mie & Pia Zadora) *"I Love You (Part 2), 1984 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by 14 Karat Soul) * "Jody", 1984 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by

Jeffrey Foskett Jeffrey Foskett (February 17, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as a touring and studio musician for Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the 1980s. Foskett was described as the Beach Boys' "vice principal" ...

, & Kalapana) *"Magic Ways", 1984 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) *"Only With You", 1984 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by

) *"Theme from the Big Wave", 1984 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) *"Your Eyes", 1984 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by

Jun Fukamachi was a Japanese jazz fusion composer, arranger, and keyboardist. He played with The Brecker Brothers and Steve Gadd and released albums for Polydor and Toshiba in the 1970s. Early life and career At the age of 3, Fukamachi began to learn pian ...

, Marilyn Martin,

Bonnie Pink , known by her stage name Bonnie Pink, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano. Asada has said that the name Bonnie Pink is random and has no special meaning; she chose it b ...

, Diane Reeves,& Mariya Takeuchi,) *"Mermaid", 1985 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) *"One Step Beyond", 1985 co-written by Steven A. Williams (recorded by

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& Shonentai) *"Hungry", 1986 co-written by K.A. Parker (recorded by Mie & Priscilla Wright) *"Lady Blue", 1986 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by Tom Keane) *"Fish", 1987 co-written by Tatsuro Yamashita (recorded by

) *"Replace the Face", 1987 (recorded by Dave Mason & Steppenwolf) *"Girl in White," 1988 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Also recorded by 14 Karat Soul & Tom Keane) *"Love and Let Live" 1988 (recorded by

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

) *"Christmas Eve (English version)", 1991 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Other recordings by All 4 One, Beni, Commodores, Charlie Green, Eric Martin, Idina Menzel, Modern Folk Quartet &

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangem ...

) *"Get Back in Love", 1992 co-written by Tatsuro Yamashita. (recorded by 14 Karat Soul) *"There's Only One Ariel" 1992 co-written by Janis Liebhart (recorded by Kath Souci/Aleta Braxton/Angie Jaree/Janis Liebart/Susie Stevens on Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea) *"Fragile", 1998 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita) (Interpolated by Tyler the Creator in " Gone, Gone/Thank You" No. 79 Australia). *"Wangan Skier (Here We Go Now)", 1998 co-written by Tatsuro Yamashita (recorded by Shonentai), No. 15 Japan * "Love Can Go the Distance", 2000 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita), No. 18 Japan (Also recorded by

) *"My Summer Love", 2005 co-written by Yoshiyuki Sahashi (recorded by Emi Fujita) *"Window Shopping", 2005 co-written by Seiji Kameda (recorded by Emi Fujita) * "Angel of the Light", 2008 (co-written and recorded by Tatsuro Yamashita), No. 4 Japan *"Shy Boy", 2008 (co-written and recorded by Ryan Laird) *"Elmo Didn't Mean To", 2011, co-written by Christine Ferraro & Janis Liebhart (Recorded by Elmo)

References

External links

* *
Interview With Alan O'Day
* Just Plain Folks, (1998)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oday, Alan 1940 births 2013 deaths American male singer-songwriters Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from brain tumor Singers from Los Angeles Singer-songwriters from California People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Burials at Coachella Valley Public Cemetery