Latest news with #lyricist
The Guardian
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Alan Bergman, Oscar-winning lyricist, dies at 99
Alan Bergman, the Oscar-winning lyricist who teamed with his wife, Marilyn, for an enduring and loving partnership that produced such old-fashioned hits as How Do You Keep the Music Playing?, It Might Be You and the classic The Way We Were, has died aged 99. Bergman died late on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles, family spokesperson Ken Sunshine said in a statement on Friday. The statement said Bergman had, in recent months, suffered from respiratory issues 'but continued to write songs till the very end'. The Bergmans married in 1958 and remained together until her death, in 2022. With collaborators ranging from Marvin Hamlisch and Quincy Jones to Michel Legrand and Cy Coleman, they were among the most successful and prolific partnerships of their time, providing words and occasional music for hundreds of songs, including movie themes that became as famous as the films themselves. Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett and many other artists performed their material, and Barbra Streisand became a frequent collaborator and close friend. Blending Tin Pan Alley sentiment and contemporary pop, the Bergmans crafted lyrics known by millions, many of whom would not have recognized the writers had they walked right past them. Among their most famous works: the Streisand-Neil Diamond duet You Don't Bring Me Flowers, the well-named Sinatra favorite Nice 'n' Easy and the topical themes to the 1970s sitcoms Maude and Good Times. Their film compositions included Ray Charles's In the Heat of the Night from the movie of the same name; Noel Harrison's The Windmills of Your Mind, from The Thomas Crown Affair; and Stephen Bishop's It Might Be You, from Tootsie. The whole world seemed to sing and cry along to The Way We Were, an instant favorite recorded by Streisand for the 1973 romantic drama of the same name that co-starred Streisand and Robert Redford. Set to Hamlisch's tender, bittersweet melody, it was essentially a song about itself – a nostalgic ballad about nostalgia, an indelible ode to the uncertainty of the past, starting with one of history's most famous opening stanzas: 'Memories / light the corners of my mind / misty watercolor memories / of the way we were.' The Way We Were was the top-selling song of 1974 and brought the Bergmans one of their three Oscars, the others coming for Windmills of Your Mind and the soundtrack to Yentl, the Streisand-directed movie from 1983. At times, the Academy Awards could be mistaken for a Bergman showcase. In 1983, three of the nominees for best song featured lyrics by the Bergmans, who received 16 nominations in all. The Bergmans also won two Grammys, four Emmys, were presented numerous lifetime achievement honors and received tributes from individual artists, including Streisand's 2011 album of Bergman songs, What Matters Most. On Lyrically, Alan Bergman, Bergman handled the vocals himself. Although best known for their movie work, the Bergmans also wrote the Broadway musical Ballroom and provided lyrics for the symphony Visions of America. Their very lives seemed to rhyme. They didn't meet until they were adults, but were born in the same Brooklyn hospital, four years apart; raised in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, attended the same children's concerts at Carnegie Hall and moved to California in the same year, 1950. They were introduced in Los Angeles while working for the same composer, but at different times of the day. Their actual courtship was in part a story of music. Fred Astaire was Marilyn's favorite singer at the time and Alan Bergman co-wrote a song, That Face, which Astaire agreed to record. Acetate in hand, Bergman rushed home to tell Marilyn the news, then proposed. Bergman is survived by a daughter, Julie Bergman, and granddaughter. Bergman had wanted to be a songwriter since he was a boy. He majored in music and theater at the University of North Carolina, and received a master's from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he befriended Johnny Mercer and became a protege. He and Marilyn at first wrote children's songs together, and broke through commercially in the late 1950s with the calypso hit Yellowbird. Their friendship with Streisand began soon after, when they visited her backstage during one of her early New York club appearances. 'Do you know how wonderful you are?' was how Marilyn Bergman greeted the young singer. The Bergmans worked so closely together that they often found themselves coming up with the same word at the same time. Alan likened their partnership to housework: one washes, one dries, the title of a song they eventually devised for a Hamlisch melody. Bergman was reluctant to name a favorite song, but cited A Love Like Ours as among their most personal: 'When love like ours arrives / We guard it with our lives / Whatever goes astray / When a rainy day comes around / A love like ours will keep us safe and sound.'
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alan Bergman, Oscar-Winning Lyricist, Dies at 99
Alan Bergman, the three-time Oscar-winning lyricist who teamed with his late wife, Marilyn Bergman, to form one of the most celebrated writing duos in the history of movie music, has died. He was 99. Bergman, whose work includes such classics as 'The Windmills of Your Mind' — wonderfully employed for the second-season finale of Severance — 'Nice 'n' Easy,' 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' and 'The Way We Were,' died Thursday night of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter, producer Julie Bergman Sender, told The Hollywood Reporter. More from The Hollywood Reporter With His New Album, Alex Warren Isn't Broken Anymore Kate Beckinsale Announces Death of Her Mother, British Actress Judy Loe, at 78: "I Am Paralyzed" KCON L.A. Returns - How to Secure the Best Ticket Deals (and Stream the Festival Online for Free) Marilyn Bergman died in January 2022 of respiratory failure at age 93. The husband-and-wife lyricists worked particular magic with songstress Barbra Streisand and composers Marvin Hamlisch and Michel Legrand. They won Academy Awards for the best original songs 'The Way We Were' (shared with Hamlisch) from the 1973 Streisand film of that name and 'Windmills of Your Mind' (shared with Legrand) from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). They received another trophy for their score for Streisand's Yentl (1983). They met Streisand, a fellow Brooklynite, when she was performing in a New York club as a teenager and before she starred in her breakout 1968 movie Funny Girl. Their songs for her included 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers,' which they wrote with Neil Diamond. (Streisand and Diamond recorded the song separately and then, by popular demand, did it as a duet.) Streisand also recorded their songs 'On Rainy Afternoons,' 'One Day' and 'After the Rain.' The Bergmans and Hamlisch won a Grammy Award for The Way We Were album, and the threesome shared an Oscar nom for 'The Last Time I Felt Like This' from Same Time, Next Year (1978). They also received Oscar noms with Legrand for 'What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?' (from 1969's The Happy Ending) and 'Pieces of Dreams' from the 1970 film of that name; with Henry Mancini on 'All His Children' (from 1971's Sometimes a Great Notion); and with Maurice Jarre on 'Marmalade, Molasses and Honey' (from 1972's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean). The Bergmans wrote lyrics for the Ray Charles song that opens In the Heat of the Night (1967), with music by Quincy Jones. And they penned several songs for Sergio Mendes, including the lyrics to 'Look Around.' The Bergmans received an Oscar nom in every year from 1969-74 and collected three in 1983 and then three more the following year. They were nominated 16 times in all and entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. They also wrote the lyrics for the opening theme songs for such TV series as Bracken's World, Maude, Good Times, Alice and Brooklyn Bridge and received three career Emmy Awards. 'When you're creating something, you sometimes have to go through a lot of stupid or silly things to spark your collaboration,' Alan said in a 1980 interview with People magazine. 'You learn to say what comes into your head.' Bergman met Marilyn Katz in 1956 (they wrote a song together that first day, 'I Never Knew What Hit Me,' which they said was terrible) and married two years later. They were born in the same Brooklyn hospital (he three years before her; Streisand was born at the Jewish Hospital, too) and grew up near each other, but they did not meet until they had moved west. After they wrote a song, it was Alan who would usually sing the number to the artist they were pitching, and he recorded an album of their tunes (Lyrically, Alan Bergman) in 2007. Alan Bergman was born on Sept. 11, 1925. The son of a salesman, he studied at the University of North Carolina, graduating in music and theater arts, and at UCLA, where he earned his masters. He served in World War II, writing and directing Special Services programs. Following the war, Bergman worked at CBS in Philadelphia as a TV director. While there, he met the famed lyricist, singer and songwriter Johnny Mercer, who encouraged him to write songs. Bergman then wrote for Marge Champion and Gower Champion and staged shows for Jo Stafford. Mercer encouraged Bergman to move back to L.A., and the lyricist was introduced to Marilyn at a party by composer Lew Spence. All three teamed on Fred Astaire's 'That Face' in 1957, Dean Martin's 'Sleep Warm' in 1958 and Frank Sinatra's 'Nice 'n' Easy' in 1960. ('That Face' also served as Alan's engagement present to Marilyn.) Bergman served four terms as president of the Academy Foundation, the educational and cultural arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition to his daughter, a producer on films including Major League, G.I. Jane, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Six Days Seven Nights, Bergman is survived by his granddaughter, Emily. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Alan Bergman, Oscar-winning lyricist who helped write "The Way We Were," dies at 99
Oscar-winning lyricist Alan Bergman, who worked with his wife, Marilyn, in a partnership that produced hits such as "The Way We Were," "It Might Be You" and "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," has died, his family announced. He was 99. The family's spokesman, Ken Sunshine, said the legendary lyricist died late Thursday night at his Los Angeles home with his daughter, writer and film producer Julie Bergman, present. "Bergman suffered from respiratory issues in recent months, but continued to write songs till the very end," Sunshine said in a statement. The Bergmans married in 1958 and remained together until Marilyn's death in 2022. With collaborators ranging from Marvin Hamlisch and Quincy Jones to Michel Legrand and Cy Coleman, they were among the most successful and prolific partnerships of their time, providing words and occasional music for hundreds of songs, including movie themes that became as famous as the films themselves. Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett and many other artists performed their material, and Barbra Streisand became a frequent collaborator and close friend. Blending Tin Pan Alley sentiment and contemporary pop, the Bergmans crafted lyrics known by millions, many of whom would not have recognized the writers had they walked right past them. Among their most famous works: the Streisand-Neil Diamond duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," the well-named Sinatra favorite "Nice 'n' Easy" and the topical themes to the 1970s sitcoms "Maude" and "Good Times." Their film compositions included Ray Charles' "In the Heat of the Night" from the movie of the same name, Noel Harrison's "The Windmills of Your Mind" from "The Thomas Crown Affair," and Stephen Bishop's "It Might Be You" from "Tootsie." The whole world seemed to sing and cry along to "The Way We Were," an instant favorite recorded by Streisand for the 1973 romantic drama of the same name that co-starred Streisand and Robert Redford. Set to Hamlisch's tender, bittersweet melody, it was essentially a song about itself — a nostalgic ballad about nostalgia, an indelible ode to the uncertainty of the past, starting with one of history's most famous opening stanzas: "Memories / light the corners of my mind / misty watercolor memories / of the way we were." "The Way We Were" was the top-selling song of 1974 and brought the Bergmans one of their three Oscars, the others coming for "Windmills of Your Mind" and the soundtrack to "Yentl," the Streisand-directed movie from 1983. At times, the Academy Awards could be mistaken for a Bergman showcase. In 1983, three of the nominees for best song featured lyrics by the Bergmans, who received 16 nominations in all. The Bergmans also won two Grammys, four Emmys, were presented numerous lifetime achievement honors and received tributes from individual artists, including Streisand's 2011 album of Bergman songs, "What Matters Most." On "Lyrically, Alan Bergman," Bergman handled the vocals himself. Although best known for their movie work, the Bergmans also wrote the Broadway musical "Ballroom" and provided lyrics for the symphony "Visions of America." Their very lives seemed to rhyme. They didn't meet until they were adults, but were born in the same Brooklyn hospital, four years apart; raised in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, attended the same children's concerts at Carnegie Hall and moved to California in the same year, 1950. They were introduced in Los Angeles while working for the same composer, but at different times of the day. Their actual courtship was in part a story of music. Fred Astaire was Marilyn's favorite singer at the time and Alan Bergman co-wrote a song, "That Face," which Astaire agreed to record. Acetate in hand, Bergman rushed home to tell Marilyn the news, then proposed. Bergman had wanted to be a songwriter since he was a boy. He majored in music and theater at the University of North Carolina and received a master's from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he befriended Johnny Mercer and became a protege. He and Marilyn at first wrote children's songs together, and broke through commercially in the late 1950s with the calypso hit "Yellowbird." Their friendship with Streisand began soon after, when they visited her backstage during one of her early New York club appearances. "Do you know how wonderful you are?" was how Marilyn Bergman greeted the young singer. The Bergmans worked so closely together that they often found themselves coming up with the same word at the same time. Alan likened their partnership to housework: one washes, one dries, the title of a song they eventually devised for a Hamlisch melody. Bergman was reluctant to name a favorite song, but cited "A Love Like Ours" as among their most personal: "When love like ours arrives / We guard it with our lives / Whatever goes astray / When a rainy day comes around / A love like ours will keep us safe and sound." Alan Bergman is survived by his daughter and granddaughter, Emily Sender, whom Sunshine said just completed a master's degree in global food studies.
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Alan Bergman, Oscar-winning lyricist, dies at 99
Alan Bergman, the Oscar-winning lyricist who teamed with his wife, Marilyn, for an enduring and loving partnership that produced such old-fashioned hits as How Do You Keep the Music Playing?, It Might Be You and the classic The Way We Were, has died at 99. Bergman died late Thursday at his home in Los Angeles, family spokesperson Ken Sunshine said in a statement Friday. The statement said Bergman had, in recent months, suffered from respiratory issues 'but continued to write songs till the very end'. The Bergmans married in 1958 and remained together until her death, in 2022. With collaborators ranging from Marvin Hamlisch and Quincy Jones to Michel Legrand and Cy Coleman, they were among the most successful and prolific partnerships of their time, providing words and occasional music for hundreds of songs, including movie themes that became as famous as the films themselves. Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett and many other artists performed their material, and Barbra Streisand became a frequent collaborator and close friend. Blending Tin Pan Alley sentiment and contemporary pop, the Bergmans crafted lyrics known by millions, many of whom would not have recognized the writers had they walked right past them. Among their most famous works: the Streisand-Neil Diamond duet You Don't Bring Me Flowers, the well-named Sinatra favorite Nice 'n' Easy and the topical themes to the 1970s sitcoms Maude and Good Times. Their film compositions included Ray Charles's In the Heat of the Night from the movie of the same name; Noel Harrison's The Windmills of Your Mind, from The Thomas Crown Affair; and Stephen Bishop's It Might Be You, from Tootsie. The whole world seemed to sing and cry along to The Way We Were, an instant favorite recorded by Streisand for the 1973 romantic drama of the same name that co-starred Streisand and Robert Redford. Set to Hamlisch's tender, bittersweet melody, it was essentially a song about itself – a nostalgic ballad about nostalgia, an indelible ode to the uncertainty of the past, starting with one of history's most famous opening stanzas: 'Memories / light the corners of my mind / misty watercolor memories / of the way we were.' The Way We Were was the top-selling song of 1974 and brought the Bergmans one of their three Oscars, the others coming for Windmills of Your Mind and the soundtrack to Yentl, the Streisand-directed movie from 1983. At times, the Academy Awards could be mistaken for a Bergman showcase. In 1983, three of the nominees for best song featured lyrics by the Bergmans, who received 16 nominations in all. The Bergmans also won two Grammys, four Emmys, were presented numerous lifetime achievement honors and received tributes from individual artists, including Streisand's 2011 album of Bergman songs, What Matters Most. On Lyrically, Alan Bergman, Bergman handled the vocals himself. Although best known for their movie work, the Bergmans also wrote the Broadway musical Ballroom and provided lyrics for the symphony Visions of America. Their very lives seemed to rhyme. They didn't meet until they were adults, but were born in the same Brooklyn hospital, four years apart; raised in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, attended the same children's concerts at Carnegie Hall and moved to California in the same year, 1950. They were introduced in Los Angeles while working for the same composer, but at different times of the day. Their actual courtship was in part a story of music. Fred Astaire was Marilyn's favorite singer at the time and Alan Bergman co-wrote a song, That Face, which Astaire agreed to record. Acetate in hand, Bergman rushed home to tell Marilyn the news, then proposed. Bergman is survived by a daughter, Julie Bergman, and granddaughter. Bergman had wanted to be a songwriter since he was a boy. He majored in music and theater at the University of North Carolina, and received a master's from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he befriended Johnny Mercer and became a protege. He and Marilyn at first wrote children's songs together, and broke through commercially in the late 1950s with the calypso hit Yellowbird. Their friendship with Streisand began soon after, when they visited her backstage during one of her early New York club appearances. 'Do you know how wonderful you are?' was how Marilyn Bergman greeted the young singer. The Bergmans worked so closely together that they often found themselves coming up with the same word at the same time. Alan likened their partnership to housework: one washes, one dries, the title of a song they eventually devised for a Hamlisch melody. Bergman was reluctant to name a favorite song, but cited A Love Like Ours as among their most personal: 'When love like ours arrives / We guard it with our lives / Whatever goes astray / When a rainy day comes around / A love like ours will keep us safe and sound.'
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alan Bergman Dies: Co-Lyricist With Wife Marilyn Of 'The Way Were Were', Many Film & TV Themes Was 99
Alan Bergman, the lyricist whose collaborations with his wife Marilyn were behind the Oscar-winning songs 'The Way We Were,' and 'The Windmills of Your Mind' as well as such beloved TV theme songs for such series as Good Times, Maude and Alice, died on Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles. He was 99. His death was announced by a family spokesman, Ken Sunshine. (Marilyn Bergman died in 2022.) More from Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Connie Francis Dies: 'Who's Sorry Now?', 'Stupid Cupid' Singer Who Enjoyed Viral Comeback Was 87 Jamie Bennett Dies: Longtime CBS & Disney TV Executive Who Developed 'Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee' Was 78 According to Sunshine, Bergman suffered from respiratory issues in recent months, but continued to write songs till the very end. His daughter Julie Bergman was present at the time of his death. For most of the three decades starting in 1970, the husband-and-wife team scored 16 Oscar nominations. A partial list of their notable songs includes: 'I Knew I Loved You' (music by Ennio Morricone) recorded by Céline Dion for the Morricone tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone (2007) 'The Windmills of Your Mind' (music by Michel Legrand) for 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair 'The Way We Were' (music by Marvin Hamlisch) for 1973 movie The Way We Were 'Yellow Bird' written for Norman Luboff's arrangement of the creole song 'Choucoune' 'Nice 'n' Easy' (music by Lew Spence) for Frank Sinatra's 1960 album Nice 'n' Easy 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' (music by Neil Diamond), best known for the duet version by Diamond and Barbra Streisand Considered two of the most influential lyricists of 20th century American music, particularly in the film and TV realms, the Bergmans' music has been performed by many of the premiere vocalists of their era including Streisand, Sinatra and Ray Charles. Their music was featured in, among many other films, Yentl, Tootsie and Sabrina. Their collaborators included Michel Legrand, Marvin Hamlisch, Quincy Jones and John Williams. Some of the duo's most ingrained songs on the American mind were their clever TV theme songs including three for Norman Lear 1970s sitcoms. 'And Then There's Maude' (written with composer Dave Grusin), began 'Lady Godiva was a freedom rider/She didn't care if the whole world looked' and went on to list notable women in history before landing on Bea Arthur's Maude). For Good Times (also with composer Grusin), the couple wrote, 'Not getting hassled, not getting hustled/Keepin' your head above water/Making a wave when you can.' With composer David Shire, the Bergmans wrote the theme to Alice, performed by the sitcom's star Linda Lavin. 'There's a new girl in town and she's looking good,' the song notes, setting up the series' premise. After his wife's death in 2022, Bergman continued to write, record and perform. His most recent collaboration is with guitarist and composer Pat Metheny, who is set to record an album of nine Bergman/Metheny songs later this year. Born September 11, 1925, in Brooklyn, Bergman went on to earn a master's degree in music at UCLA. At first finding work in TV production in Philadelphia, Bergman moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s, where he met Marilyn. The two wrote the lyrics for the title song of Dean Martin's 1958 album Sleep Warm, and two years later did the same for Sinatra's album Nice 'n' Easy. In 1964, the Bergmans wrote lyrics to their first Broadway musical, Something More!, with music by Sammy Fain. Teaming up with Jones in 1967, the Bergmans wrote lyrics for the title track to the film In the Heat of the Night. The trio would reunite in 1982 for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial soundtrack. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: Among the Bergmans' many accolades are three Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, and four Emmy Awards. In 1983 they became the first songwriters to be nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Song out of the five nominated songs for 'How Do You Keep the Music Playing' from Best Friends, It Might Be You' from Tootsie, and 'If We Were In Love,' from Yes, Giorgio. The Bergmans have been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received its prestigious Johnny Mercer Award, as well as the Grammy Trustee Award for lifetime achievement. Additional honors include the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Music Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and the University of Massachusetts. Alan Bergman's alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, recognized him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. In lieu of flowers the family wishes to suggest donations be made to honor Alan to the ASCAP Foundation Alan and Marilyn Bergman Lyric award, or The Johnny Mercer Foundation. Survivors include his daughter Julie Bergman, a writer and film producer, and granddaughter Emily Sender. There will be a private graveside burial. ,Best of Deadline The Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
