If your songwriter is not listed here, you may also search the SED to see if there are other songs by that songwriter that have already been submitted and you may copy/paste from the research doc.
HAROLD ARLEN
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that at least one of Arlen's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns.
Blues in the Night Yes: Note [song snatches used as background music in racist short film]
Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
I Love to Sing-a No (all arrangements inadmissible) ["mammy" caricature; minstrelsy/blackface]
If I Only Had a Brain Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
If I Were King of the Forest Yes: Lyrics ["hottentot", "slave"] and Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
Merry Old Land of Oz Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
Optimistic Voices Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
That Old Black Magic Yes: Note [plays on cultural trope that love can be generated or controlled through "black magic"]
We're Off to See the Wizard Yes: Note [for movie The Wizard of Oz, which was derived from problematic source material/source material author]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the composer?
Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck, 1905-1986) was an American composer of popular music, and highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook. He wrote over 400 songs from 1924 through 1976. He worked with 31 different lyricists and composed scores for both Hollywood films and Broadway musicals. Over the Rainbow won him an Academy Award and was voted the twentieth century's No. 1 song by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
He grew up in a musical family (his father was a cantor), and disappointed but didn't surprise his parents by dropping out of high school to become a musician. A stint as pianist and singer with a dance band, the Buffalodians, allowed him to escape Buffalo for New York City. Arlen stayed on after the band's demise; after some mostly unsuccessful attempts to conquer vaudeville or Broadway, Arlen stumbled onto a tune that, with lyrics by Ted Koehler, became Get Happy, his first hit. With Koehler as lyricist, Arlen became the staff composer for Harlem's Cotton Club, a premiere showcase for African American entertainers such as Cab Calloway and Ethel Waters. They wrote I've Got the World on a String and Ill Wind, among dozens of other songs. Arlen's second important collaborator was E.Y. Harburg, with whom he composed the score for The Wizard of Oz, celebrated specialty numbers for Bert Lahr and Groucho Marx, and two Broadway musicals.
He brought African American styles to the mainstream. Arlen worked in the Cotton Club and “he cultivated a fascination with jazz and the blues, bringing them into the Broadway and Hollywood mainstream. Arlen’s harmonies were sophisticated, and the temperature of his ballads high, but his stream of melody ran deep: a sound at once alien and everyday. Most of his stage shows dealt with black subject matter, and even his singing—he made commercial recordings—overtly imitated black styles ‘He looks white!’ a confused Marlene Dietrich cried after meeting him. ‘How can the man who wrote ‘Stormy Weather’ be white?’ ” (WSJ article)
Research shows that at least one of Arlen's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information in Arlen's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page. His being "Black-adjacent" as described above usually did not veer into disrespect or appropriation.
What other material has material has been written by this composer?
Over 400 songs, including classics such as Over the Rainbow, Come Rain or Come Shine, I Love a Parade, Stormy Weather, Blues in the Night, Down with Love, If I Only had a Brain, It’s Only a Paper Moon, One for My Baby, My Blue Heaven, and That Old Black Magic.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harold-Arlen
https://www.songhall.org/awards/winner/Harold_Arlen
http://www.haroldarlen.com/abc.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/that-old-black-magic-1449259790
IRVING BERLIN
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that a number of Berlin's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns:
Alexander’s Ragtime Band No (all arrangements inadmissible) [“c**n song”]
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better Yes: Note [from problematic musical Annie Get Your Gun]
Be Careful, It's My Heart Yes: Note [from problematic movie Holiday Inn]
Best Things Happen When You're Dancing, The Yes: Note [from problematic movie White Christmas]
Blue Skies Yes: Note [early blackface performance; from problematic movie Holiday Inn ]
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep [from problematic movie White Christmas]
Happy Holiday Yes: Note [from problematic movie Holiday Inn]
How Deep is the Ocean Yes: Note [lyrics adapted from previous mammy song]
I Got the Sun in the Morning Yes: Note [from problematic musical Annie Get Your Gun]
Let Me Sing and I’m Happy No (all arrangements inadmissible) [minstrelsy/blackface]
Let's Start the New Year Right Yes: Note [from problematic movie Holiday Inn]
Midnight Choo Choo No (all arrangements inadmissible) [“c**n song”]
Sisters Yes: Note [from problematic movie White Christmas]
Snow Yes: Note [from problematic movie White Christmas]
Some Sunny Day Yes: Note [early recordings include mammy and Swanee elements]
There's No Business Like Show Business Yes: Note [from problematic musical Annie Get Your Gun]
They Say It's Wonderful Yes: Note [from problematic musical Annie Get Your Gun]
This is the Army Mr. Jones Yes: Note [from problematic musical This is the Army]
White Christmas Yes: Note [from problematic movie Holiday Inn]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Irving Berlin (1888-1989), a Russian-born American lyricist and composer, is widely considered the most successful songwriter of the twentieth century. During a career that spanned six decades he produced a catalogue of over 1,000 songs, including the scores for 17 Broadway musicals and revues and 15 Hollywood motion pictures. His music was uncomplicated, simple and direct. Mastering a wide range of musical styles, he played a significant role in the evolution of popular song from ragtime and jazz through the golden age of musicals.
Berlin’s family immigrated to New York when he was five, and within a few years Berlin was hawking papers and busking for pennies to help support the family, obtaining only an intermittent public school education. He had no formal music education. Berlin left home after his father’s death in 1901, working as a singing waiter and Tin Pan Alley song-plugger and lyricist. Alexander’s Ragtime Band, his first international hit, was a “c**n song,” one of many Berlin compositions considered problematic today. By 1912 Berlin had become a partner at a music publishing company and was also writing songs for Broadway. He became a charter member of ASCAP in 1914 and served on its first board of directors. As a private in the U.S. Army during World War I, he produced a Broadway revue about army life. He established Irving Berlin Music, Inc. in 1917 to publish his own music and co-built Broadway’s Music Box Theatre in 1921. His reach broadened to include Hollywood beginning with the 1927 performance of Blue Skies by Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer, the first full-length sound film. During World War II he wrote a number of patriotic songs and produced another Broadway and touring show about the army, assigning all the profits to government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Berlin received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Song of the Year for White Christmas (1942), Congressional Gold Medal as a composer of patriotic songs (1954), special Tony Award (1963), Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1968), and Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977). He was inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970), the American Theater Hall of Fame, and the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, and posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording.
Research shows that a number of Berlin's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See the song list in Berlin's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Songs include: Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911), God Bless America (1918, 1938), Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning (1918), A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody (1919), Always (1925), Blue Skies (1926), Puttin' On The Ritz (1930), How Deep Is The Ocean (1932), Easter Parade (1933), Heat Wave (1933), Cheek To Cheek (1935), Let's Face The Music And Dance (1936), White Christmas (1940), Anything You Can Do (1946), and There's No Business Like Show Business (1946).
Broadway musicals include: The Cocoanuts (1925), As Thousands Cheer (1933), Louisiana Purchase (1940), This Is The Army (1942), Miss Liberty (1949), Mr. President (1962), Call Me Madam (1950), and Annie Get Your Gun (1946).
Hollywood movie musicals include: Top Hat (1935), Follow The Fleet (1936), On The Avenue (1937), Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), Holiday Inn (1942), Blue Skies (1946), Easter Parade (1948), White Christmas (1954) and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.irvingberlin.com/biography
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Irving_Berlin
Constructing Tin Pan Alley: From Minstrelsy to Mass Culture
Genre, Performance and Ideology in the Early Songs of Irving Berlin
https://forward.com/culture/471015/did-irving-berlin-appropriate-or-celebrate-black-music-or-both/
LESLIE BRISCUSSE
Race DEI Concerns
Feeling Good Yes: Note [from problematic musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd]
Nothing Can Stop Me Now! Yes: Lyrics & Yes: Note [from problematic musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd]
Wonderful Day Like Today, A Yes: Note [from problematic musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Leslie Bricusse (1931-2021) was an Oscar and Grammy-winning composer, lyricist and playwright who wrote the book, music and/or lyrics for more than 40 musical films and plays during his career. He was nominated for ten Oscars, nine Grammys and four Tonys, and won two Oscars, a Grammy and eight Ivor Novello Awards (the premiere British Music Award). Bricusse was born in London and educated at Cambridge. He served as Secretary of the Footlights and Footlights President and also began working for Beatrice Lillie during his tenure at Cambridge.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley shared a fruitful partnership as “Brickman and Newburg”, working on such memorable musicals as Stop the World – I Want to Get Off and The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd as well as music for the film adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Ian Fraser often did their arrangements. Bricusse also collaborated with Henry Mancini, John Williams, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Jule Styne, Quincy Jones, and Andre Previn.
Some of his most notable work offstage included the score and lyrics for the film Doctor Dolittle (which starred Anthony Newley and won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Talk to the Animals) and the lyrics for James Bond theme songs Goldfinger (with Anthony Newley) and You Only Live Twice. Bricusse teamed with Cyril Ornadel on Pickwick at the London West End in 1963 and wrote Sherlock Holmes: The Musical in 1988. With Frank Wildhorn he penned both book and lyrics for Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, which reached Broadway in 1990, and Cyrano, which debuted in Japan in 2009.
Many popular recording artists have had successful versions of his songs, including Sammy Davis Jr., Nina Simone, Matt Monro and Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Harry Secombe, Nancy Sinatra, The Turtles, Maureen McGovern and Diana Krall.
Bricusse received a British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for consistent excellence in British songwriting (Kennedy Award) in 1989, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989, and awarded an OBE for services and contributions to the film industry and theater from Queen Elizabeth II in October 2001.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Hit songs include What Kind of Fool Am l?, Once in a Lifetime, Who Can I Turn To?, Talk to the Animals, On a Wonderful Day Like Today, Goldfinger, Gonna Build a Mountain, You Only Live Twice, My Kind of Girl, Feeling Good (a number one hit for Nina Simone), If I Ruled the World, The Love Theme from Superman, Two for the Road, The Candy Man, and Pure Imagination. Both Candy Man and What Kind of Fool Am I? were major hits for Sammy Davis Jr.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Leslie_Bricusse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Bricusse
SAMMY CAHN
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that at least one of Sammy Cahn's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. He wrote the lyrics to the song What Made the Red Man Red? for Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan. As the title suggests, the song plays on demeaning ethnic stereotypes of Native Americans. It is not a well-known song and is usually removed from the movie when aired today.
The Song's Gotta Come From the Heart Yes: Lyrics [references to Al Jolson]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Sammy Cahn (born Samuel Cohen, 1913-1993) was one of the 20th century's most successful and admired lyricists. Nominated for more than 30 Oscars, he won four. In 1988, the Sammy Awards, an annual award for movie songs and scores, was established in his honor.
Growing up on the lower east side of New York, he played violin in burlesque bands where he met composer Saul Chaplin. They wrote a few songs together then went to Hollywood in 1940 to work in the movies. They soon parted ways. Cahn began working with Jule Styne in 1942. Other composers with whom Cahn worked were Nicholas Brodzsky and Jimmy Van Heusen. Cahn was one of Frank Sinatra's favorite lyricists. Sinatra recorded 89 of Cahn's songs.
Research shows that at least one of Cahn's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. He wrote the lyrics to the song What Made the Red Man Red? for Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan. As the title suggests, the song plays on demeaning ethnic stereotypes of Native Americans. It is not a well-known song and is usually removed from the movie when aired today.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Songs include Time After Time, The Second Time Around, Let it Snow, Be My Love, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Teach Me Tonight, Because You're Mine, The Secret of Christmas, Three Coins in the Fountain, Words and Music, High Hopes, I Fall in Love Too Easily, I've Heard That Song Before, I'll Walk Alone, Come Fly With Me, and Until the Real Thing Comes Along.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/awards/winner/Sammy_Cahn
https://www.discogs.com/artist/255312-Sammy-Cahn
https://genius.com/Walt-disney-records-what-made-the-red-man-red-tinknapped-lyrics
https://variety.com/1993/music/news/lyricist-cahn-dies-at-age-79-103040/
DUKE ELLINGTON
Race DEI Concerns
Research did not reveal any problematic racial DEI concerns in Ellington's career. On the contrary, he viewed music as a form of social activism, and used it to tell stories of racial injustice to a a wide audience. See
https://umbc.edu/stories/duke-ellingtons-message-of-social-justice/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/blacmusiresej.35.2.0185
Satin Doll Yes: Note
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Edward Kennedy ("Duke") Ellington (1899-1974) was born in Washington D.C. to middle class parents and earned the nickname "Duke" for his gentlemanly ways. Duke Ellington was one of the most important creative forces in the music of the twentieth century. His influence on classical music, popular music, and, of course, jazz, simply cannot be overstated. Ellington was also known for his eloquence and charisma and as a bandleader, he held his large group together for over 50 years.
Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem, which were broadcast over the radio nightly. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's Caravan, which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. In 1931, he was invited to visit the White House, and in 1933 his band made its first European tour, a huge triumph.
Unlike other leaders of big bands, Ellington personally created most of the music played by his orchestra. He used his band as a musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically to showcase the talents of his band members. It was Ellington's sense of musical drama that made him stand out. His blend of melodies, rhythms and subtle sonic movements gave audiences a new experience—complex yet accessible jazz that made the heart swing. By writing highly personal harmonies, by concerning himself with new musical forms, and by creatively using the sound qualities of the instruments in his band, he created a body of original, innovative music. His work is defined by common musical threads, such as the sounds of muted brass instruments and a high, wailing clarinet; distinctive harmonies; his unique piano playing; and unusual combinations of instruments.
Duke Ellington received many honors including the Presidential Gold Medal, the Medal of Freedom, 13 Grammy Awards, the French Legion of Honor, and (posthumously) a commemorative postage stamp (1986) and the Pulitzer Prize Special Award for music (1999).
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Most popular songs include: Caravan, It Don’t Mean A Thing (If it Ain’t Got that Swing), Take the “A” Train, Satin Doll, Prelude to a Kiss, I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good), Sophisticated Lady, Solitude, and I’m Beginning to See the Light. Full List: https://www.song-list.net/dukeellington/songs
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
GEORGE GERSHWIN
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that a number of the composer’s songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. The Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess, has been at the center of discussion and controversy over the years. The show itself told brought previously untold stories to the stage and created new roles for African American actors. And “when George Gershwin debuted his new American folk opera, Porgy and Bess, in 1935, the rights to stage the production came with a stipulation: It could only be performed by black artists. The rule was instituted to eliminate the possibility of the opera being performed by white singers in blackface.” But when looking at the show with modern eyes, many ask: “Does it still make sense to present an opera written by Russian Jewish immigrant siblings and a white husband and wife team from a wealthy South Carolina family as the opera about black American life? Is it a collection of insulting stereotypes set against gorgeous orchestrations, or something more?”
I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' Yes: Caution [dialect/history/appropriation]
It Ain't Necessarily So Yes: Caution [dialect/history/appropriation]
Strike Up the Band (David Wright) Yes: Lyrics
Summertime Yes: Caution [dialect/history/appropriation] & Yes Lyrics
Swanee No (all arrangements inadmissible) [Dixie references; idealized old South/lost cause; mammy caricature; minstrelsy/blackface]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
George Gershwin (born Jacob Gershowitz, 1898-1937) dropped out of school and began playing piano professionally at age 15. Within a few years, he was one of the most sought-after musicians in the United States. A composer of jazz, opera, and popular songs for stage and screen, many of his works are now standards, including “Rhapsody in Blue.” George collaborated with his older brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century. The Gershwins created their first joint hit, Lady, Be Good!, for Fred and Adele Astaire and followed it with more than 20 scores for stage and screen. Ira created, along with DuBose Heyward, lyrics for the libretto to George's opera, Porgy and Bess. George Gershwin died immediately following brain surgery on July 11, 1937, at the age of 38.
Research shows that a number of George Gershwin's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in George Gershwin's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this composer?
Songs include I Got Rhythm, Liza, ‘S Wonderful, But Not for Me, It int Necessarily So, (I’ll Build a) Stairway to Paradise, Love is Here to Stay, I’ve Got a Crush on You, An American in Paris, (I’ve Got) Beginner’s Luck, The Man I Love, Shall We Dance, Fidgety Feet, Who Cares, For You, For Me, For Evermore, They Can’t Take That Away from Me, Swanee https://gershwin.com/catalog/
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.biography.com/musician/george-gershwin
https://arts.umich.edu/news-features/confronting-porgy-and-bess/
IRA GERSHWIN
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that a number of the lyricist's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. The Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess, has been at the center of discussion and controversy over the years. The show itself told brought previously untold stories to the stage and created new roles for African American actors. And “when George Gershwin debuted his new American folk opera, Porgy and Bess, in 1935, the rights to stage the production came with a stipulation: It could only be performed by black artists. The rule was instituted to eliminate the possibility of the opera being performed by white singers in blackface.” But when looking at the show with modern eyes, many ask: “Does it still make sense to present an opera written by Russian Jewish immigrant siblings and a white husband and wife team from a wealthy South Carolina family as the opera about black American life? Is it a collection of insulting stereotypes set against gorgeous orchestrations, or something more?”
I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' Yes: Caution [dialect/history/appropriation]
It Ain't Necessarily So Yes: Caution [dialect/history/appropriation]
Strike Up the Band (David Wright) Yes: Lyrics
Summertime Yes: Caution [dialect/history/appropriation] & Yes Lyrics
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershowitz, 1896-1983) 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 20th century. The Gershwins created their first joint hit, Lady, Be Good!, for Fred and Adele Astaire and followed it with more than 20 scores for stage and screen. Ira created, along with DuBose Heyward, lyrics for the libretto to George's opera, Porgy and Bess. Before and after George’s death in 1937, Ira collaborated with such composers as Harold Arlen, Vernon, Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern, Harry Warren, Arthur Schwartz, and Burton Lane. Ira Gershwin was nominated three times for an Academy Award, and he was the first lyricist to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Of Thee I Sing in 1932.
Research shows that a number of Ira Gershwin's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Ira Gershwin's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Songs include Strike Up The Band, Of Thee I Sing, All songs from the opera Porgy and Bess, A Foggy Day, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Fascinating Rhythm, Embraceable You, How Long Has This Been Going On, and I Got A Crush On You. Full list: http://gershwin.com/music-search
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Ira_Gershwin
https://arts.umich.edu/news-features/confronting-porgy-and-bess/
OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
Race DEI Concerns
Oscar Hammerstein songs are included in some shows that should be considered through a DEI lens, for example, The King and I and South Pacific. While none of his songs have a rating of "No" or "Yes: Caution", a few are "Yes Note" so ensembles are encouraged to discuss the meaning and context of the songs and shows.
Bali Ha'i Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie South Pacific]
Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine Yes: Caution [Dialect/History/Appropriation]
I Have Dreamed Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie The King and I]
I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair Yes: Note [from problematic musical South Pacific]
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie Oklahoma!]
Some Enchanted Evening Yes: Note [from problematic musical South Pacific]
This Nearly Was Mine Yes: Note [from problematic musical South Pacific]
Whistle a Happy Tune Yes: Note [from problematic musical The King and I]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Oscar (Greeley Clendenning) Hammerstein II (1895-1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in the musical theater for almost 40 years, credited with over 850 songs. His groundbreaking works, particularly with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers, transformed the American musical from light-hearted and escapist entertainment to shows featuring believable stories about plausible characters singing narrative-enhancing songs. Hammerstein was a mentor to Jay Lerner and Stephen Sondheim.
Hammerstein regularly collaborated with Jerome Kern from 1925 to 1939, writing the book and lyrics for their biggest hit and one of the greatest American musicals, Show Boat (1927), based on Edna Ferber's bestselling eponymous novel. Their lesser-known works include Sweet Adeline (1929) and Music in the Air (1932).
Before his exclusive partnership with Richard Rodgers began in 1943, Hammerstein wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Carmen Jones (1943, film 1954), the highly acclaimed all-Black revision of George Bizet’s tragic opera Carmen. The first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration was the adaptation of Lynn Riggs’s play Green Grow the Lilacs into the 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Oklahoma! (1943; film 1955).
Hammerstein’s accolades include eight Tony Awards (six for books or lyrics and two as a producer of the Best Musical for South Pacific and The Sound of Music), two Academy Awards for Best Original Song (The Last Time I Saw Paris and It Might as Well be Spring), and two Pulitzer Prizes (Oklahoma! and South Pacific). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Research shows that a number of Hammerstein's songs are included in shows/movies that reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Hammerstein's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Make Believe, Ol' Man River, Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, You Are Love, Bill, Lover Come Back To Me, I've Told Ev'ry Little Star, The Song Is You, All The Things You Are, The Folks Who Live On The Hill, I'll Take Romance, The Last Time I Saw Paris, Oh, What A Beautiful Morning, The Surrey With The Fringe On Top, I Cain't Say No, People Will Say We're In Love, If I Loved You, June Is Bustin' Out All Over, Soliloquy, What's The Use Of Wondrin', You'll Never Walk Alone, It Might As Well Be Spring, So Far, The Gentleman Is A Dope, Bali Ha'i, I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair, A Cock-Eyed Optimist, Some Enchanted Evening, There Is Nothing Like A Dame, A Wonderful Guy, Younger Than Springtime, I Whistle A Happy Tune, Hello, Young Lovers, Getting To Know You, Shall We Dance?, My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, The Sound of Music, and Climb Ev'ry Mountain.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://rodgersandhammerstein.com/about/#bios-2
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Oscar_Hammerstein
http://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songwriters/h_i_sws/hammerstein_oscar.html
https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/3566
GUS KAHN
Race DEI Concerns
Few of his songs have any racial concerns or topics, though some were performed in blackface. Gus Kahn did work in vaudeville and collaborated with Al Jolson (who used one of Kahn's songs, Toot Toot Tootsie in The Jazz Singer.
My Baby Just Cares for Me Yes: Note [early blackface performance]
Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo'bye!) Yes: Note [early blackface performance]
Ukulele Lady Yes: Caution [Language/Culture]
Yes Sir, That's My Baby Yes: Note
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about this lyricist?
Gus(tave) Kahn (1886-1941) was a prolific, consistently successful lyricist in Tin Pan Alley, on Broadway, and in Hollywood for more than 30 years. Kahn began writing songs in high school and also wrote special material for vaudeville acts, though he supported himself at hotel, catering, and other jobs until the success of his first published song. Kahn was versatile and had a poet’s turn of phrase.
Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson popularized many of his songs: Pretty Baby (1915), Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goodbye) (1921), Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby (1925) and Makin’ Whoopee (1928), the last two written with Walter Donaldson. Kahn and Donaldson produced a string of hits, including the torch song associated with Ruth Etting, Love Me or Leave Me (1928) that became a movie starring Doris Day as Etting (1955), and My Baby Just Cares for Me, which became Nina Simone’s signature song.
Kahn’s song catalog was mined extensively by the movies during his lifetime, a practice that only increased in the years immediately after his death. In 1943, six feature films used Kahn’s songs; his lyrics were sung in another seven in 1944 and six more in 1945. In 1968, Mama Cass with the Mamas and the Papas hit the Top Ten with Dream a Little Dream of Me, and in 1985, nearly 100 years after Kahn’s birth, Robert Palmer released the multiplatinum album Riptide, featuring his revival of the title song.
Research shows that few of his songs have any racial concerns or topics, though some were performed in Blackface. Gus Kahn did work in vaudeville and collaborated with Al Jolson (who used one of Kahn's songs, Toot Toot Tootsie in The Jazz Singer) and some of Kahn's songs were performed in Blackface. See additional information and the song list in Kahn's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
His most memorable songs include Pretty Baby, I’ll Say She Does, Ain’t We Got Fun?, Carolina in the Morning, My Buddy, Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo’bye), The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else, I’ll See You in My Dreams, It Had to Be You, Yes Sir! That’s My Baby, Makin’ Whoopee, Dream a Little Dream of Me, and You Stepped Out of a Dream.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/kahn-gustave
JEROME KERN
Race DEI Concerns
Kern was the composer of Show Boat. Its themes included racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love. The musical contributed such classic songs as Ol' Man River, Make Believe, and Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man. Over the years revisions and alterations were made by the creators. Some have been made to reflect contemporary sensitivities toward race, gender and other social issues. In Dahomey was cut from the score after the 1946 Broadway production and has not been revived as it is viewed as racially offensive.
Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine Yes: Caution [Dialect/History/Appropriation]
Pick Yourself Up Yes: Note [from problematic movie Swing Time]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the composer?
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was one of the most important American theater composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works and collaborating with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg. Musicals 101 calls him, “the first composer to approach the American musical comedy as an art form.” In 1914 he wrote what some consider to be the first modern ballad, “They Didn’t Believe Me” with lyricist Herbert Reynolds.
A native New Yorker, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood films in a career that lasted for more than four decades. His musical innovations, such as 4/4 dance rhythms and the employment of syncopation and jazz progressions, built on, rather than rejected, earlier musical theater tradition. He and his collaborators also employed his melodies to further the action or develop characterization to a greater extent than in the other musicals of his day, creating the model for later musicals.
Kern was one of the founding members of ASCAP. He was nominated eight times for an Academy Award, and won twice. Although dozens of Kern's musicals and musical films were hits, only Show Boat is now regularly revived. Kern was not eligible for any Tony Awards, which were not created until 1947. Elisabeth Welsh was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood in 1986, and Show Boat received Tony nominations in both 1983 and 1995, winning for best revival in 1995.
Kern was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame posthumously, in 1970. In 1985, the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp (Scott #2110, 22¢), with an illustration of Kern holding sheet music. The Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia was named after Kern by his Dixieland bandleader father.
Research shows that a number of Kern's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Jerome Kern's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this composer?
They Didn't Believe Me (1914), Look for the Silver Lining (1920), Ol' Man River, Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, Make Believe, You Are Love and Bill (all from Show Boat, 1927), The Song Is You (1932), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Yesterdays and Let's Begin (all from Roberta, 1933), I Won't Dance (1935), A Fine Romance and the Academy Award-winning The Way You Look Tonight (both from Swing Time, 1936) and All the Things You Are (1939), I'm Old Fashioned (1942). Another Oscar winner was The Last Time I Saw Paris. One of Kern's last hits was Long Ago (and Far Away) (1944).
JOHN LENNON
Race DEI Concerns
The Beatles were in the center of some race-related controversies in the 60's, but usually for ideas that are mainstream today; for example, refusing to segregate their concerts. There are some lyrics that have been challenged retrospectively or taken out of context of their original satirical intent, such as "Meanwhile back at home too many Pakistanis/ Living in a council flat." Research has not uncovered any examples of racist lyrics in Lennon's work, with one exception.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono created controversy in 1972 with their song "Woman is the N****r of the World" (a phrase coined by Yoko in a 1969 interview with Nova magazine), which was intended to protest misogyny and its existence across all cultures. Radio stations would not play the song and record executives would not promote it. "The women are very important too, we can’t have a revolution that doesn’t involve and liberate women. It’s so subtle the way you’re taught male superiority, " said John Lennon in as 1971 interview. Although not racist against Black people in the song, the use of the n-word was/is very problematic, as is its comparison of racism against Black people to sexism. John Lennon stated in interviews that the n-word may be used to refer to any oppressed person (and was supported in this by Ron Dellums, Chairman of the Black Caucus in 1972), but this grossly dilutes and distorts the actual use and meaning of the word, which has been used throughout its violent history to oppress and terrorize Black people. While both sexism and racism have their roots in White supremacist patriarchy, each impacts its victims differently, with Black women suffering the consequences of both. Several Black feminists, including Pearl Cleage, challenged Yoko Ono’s racist (to Black women) statement. “If Woman is the “N” of the World, what does that make Black Women, the “N, N” of the World?” This intersectionality is captured by a quote from Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, in which the protagonist Janie Crawford's grandmother says "De n****r woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see."
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/paul-mccartney-beatles-song-racist-lyrics-get-back/
https://www.beatlesbible.com/people/john-lennon/songs/woman-is-the-nigger-of-the-world/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYjEz441I4M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_Is_the_Nigger_of_the_World
https://msmagazine.com/2011/10/06/woman-is-the-n-of-the-world/
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist/composer?
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 1940 – 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history. He met Paul McCartney in 1957 and invited McCartney to join his music group. In the beginning, John was the principal songwriter of the group, slowly incorporating the work of Paul McCartney and later still George Harrison as he began to let go of the reins of control and welcome the new sounds. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation.
Starting with All You Need Is Love, his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career. He later released albums with Ono, among others. Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration.
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
On December 8, 1980, he was killed by a crazed fan named Mark David Chapman.
Research shows that one of Lennon's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information in Lennon's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist/composer?
All You Need is Love, Give Peace a Chance, Instant Karma!, Imagine, Happy Xmas (War is Over), Please Please Me, I Should Have Known Better, A Hard Day's Night, Ticket to Ride, Help!, Nowhere Man, Daytripper, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, I am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, and many, many more.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.biography.com/musician/john-lennon
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/every-song-john-lennon-wrote-for-beatles-playlist/
JOE LILES
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Joe Liles (1930-2021) was an arranger, songwriter, singer, music director and coach. He composed and arranged hundreds of songs for barbershop quartet and chorus singers, as well as for religious and popular groups. Asked during a 2016 interview what his obituary should read, Liles responded “he helped people enjoy a musical experience.”
A graduate of Baylor University, Liles obtained a Master’s Degree from Louisville Seminary in Music/Composition with emphasis in Voice and completed 30 hours of doctoral work–all the requirements except a dissertation–at Texas University in Choral Conducting. He joined the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) in 1967, and shortly thereafter was appointed director of the San Antonio Chordsmen, taking them to international medalist level in 1971 and 1972. He became a BHS staff member in 1975, moving to its then headquarters in Wisconsin, was promoted to Director of Music Education in 1982, and was appointed BHS Executive Director in 1988. He served in that position until he had a 1995 heart attack, and after recovering returned to BHS as Director of Publications from 1998 to 2010. Liles was a member of Harmony, the 2001 BHS Senior Quartet Champion. He and his wife were co-directors of Sweet Adelines International’s (SA) Spirit of the Lakes Chorus from 2002 to 2015. Liles also served as a BHS judge and faculty member, and coached quartets and choruses throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Sweden.
Liles received the 1999 National Association for Music Education award for his work in promoting music education. In 2005, BHS named one of its highest honors after him, the Joe Liles Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted in the BHS Hall of Fame in 2007 and received the BHS Lifetime Achievement Award in Arranging in 2019. Liles was a life member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and an honorary life member of SA.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Songs include The Moment I Saw Your Eyes, One Song at a Time, Fun in Just One Lifetime, Goodbye Means the End of My World, Harmony Leads the Way, I Didn’t Want to Fall , Fun in Just One Lifetime, I Miss Mother Most of All, I Never Meant to Fall in Love, If I Had the Last Dream Left in the World, I Can’t Recall His Name, Teach the Children to Sing, Teach Everybody to Sing, One Song at a Time, One More Song, Somethin’ About Ya, Where Have My Old Friends Gone.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.barbershop.org/joeliles
https://www.singers.com/bio/7462
PAUL MCCARTNEY
Race DEI Concerns
The Beatles were in the center of some race-related controversies in the 60's, but usually for ideas that are mainstream today; for example, refusing to segregate their concerts. There are some lyrics that have been challenged retrospectively or taken out of context of their original satirical intent, such as "Meanwhile back at home too many Pakistanis/ Living in a council flat." McCartney's 1982 hit with Stevie Wonder, Ebony & Ivory, has been criticized for focusing on the interpersonal aspects of racism while ignoring the systemic realities of oppression. Research has not uncovered any examples of racist lyrics in McCartney's work.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/paul-mccartney-beatles-song-racist-lyrics-get-back/
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Sir James Paul McCartney CH MBE (b. 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, bass player, poet, and painter who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One of the most successful composers and performers of all time, McCartney is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing, versatile and wide tenor vocal range, and musical eclecticism, exploring genres ranging from pre–rock and roll pop to classical, ballads, and electronica. His songwriting partnership with Lennon is the most successful in modern music history.
Sometimes called "the cute Beatle", McCartney later immersed himself in the London avant-garde scene and played a key role in incorporating experimental aesthetics into the Beatles' studio productions. Starting with the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, he gradually became the band's de facto leader, providing creative impetus for most of their music and film projects. Many of his Beatles songs, including And I Love Her, Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, and Blackbird, rank among the most covered songs in history.
After the Beatles broke up in 1970, McCartney debuted as a solo artist with the 1970 album McCartney and went on to form the band Wings with his first wife, Linda, and Denny Laine, one of the most successful bands of the 1970s. Beyond music, he has been involved in projects to promote international charities related to animal rights, seal hunting, land mines, vegetarianism, poverty, and music education.
McCartney has written or co-written a record 32 songs that have topped the Billboard Hot 100 and, as of 2009, he had sales of 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the US. His honors include two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999), an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, 18 Grammy Awards, an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, and a knighthood in 1997 for services to music. As of 2020, he is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated fortune of £800 million.
While McCartney has been involved in some race-related controversies, research has not uncovered any examples of racist lyrics in his work. See additional information in McCartney's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this composer?
Yesterday, Helter Skelter, Maybe I'm Amazed, Here There Everywhere, Blackbird, Live and Let Die, We Can Work It Out, Eleanor Rigby, Penny Lane, Uncle Albert, Band on the Run, Listen to What the Man Said, Silly Love SOngs, Uncle Albert, Ebony and Ivory, Say say Say and many, many more.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-McCartney
https://www.songfacts.com/songs/paul-mccartney
ALAN MENKEN
Race DEI Concerns
Alan Menken songs are included in some movies/shows that need to be considered through a DEI lens. The original lyrics to Arabian Nights were changed following complaints of racism by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. and revised further for the 2019 live-action remake. One of his songs has a rating of "Yes: Caution" related to West Indian dialect. A few are "Yes Note" so ensembles are encouraged to discuss the meaning and context of the songs and shows.
Colors of the Wind Yes: Note [from problematic movie Pocahontas]
Friend Like Me Yes: Note [from problematic movie Aladdin]
Out There Yes: Caution [Language/Culture]
Speechless Yes: Note [from problematic movie Aladdin]
Under the Sea Yes: Caution [Language/Culture]
Whole New World, A Yes: Note [from problematic movie Aladdin]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Alan Menken (b. 1949) is an acclaimed American composer who has written for numerous stage productions and films. His captivating scores helped invigorate the Walt Disney Company’s animated feature films.
A native of New York, Menken began composing and arranging as a child. He entered New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences as a pre-med student in 1967, wrote a rock musical, was admitted to the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, and graduated with a B.A. in musicology in 1971. He worked as an accompanist, musical director for club acts, jingle writer, songwriter for Sesame Street, and vocal coach and performed his own material on the New York City cabaret circuit. Menken started collaborating with Howard Ashman in 1978, leading to the production of the musical God Bless, You Mr. Rosewater, based on Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, in 1979. They followed that with the Little Shop of Horrors in 1982, which set a box-office record for highest grossing Off-Broadway show of all time and toured the world. They reunited in 1988 to write the songs for Disney’s animated The Little Mermaid, for which Menken also composed the score. Menken has continued to work with Disney as well as on musical stage adaptations and film scoring. In addition to Ashman, his songwriting collaborators have included Tim Rice, Stephen Schwartz, David Zippel, Jack Feldman, David Spencer, Lynn Ahrens, Dean Pitchford, Glenn Slater, Chad Beguelin, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Menken has received numerous accolades, including eight Academy Awards (four for Best Score and four for Best Song), seven Golden Globes, eleven Grammys (Song of the Year for Whole New World, six awards for Best Song or Instrumental Composition Written for Motion Picture, and three awards for Best Recordings for Children), a Tony (Best Score for Newsies), and an Emmy. He was named a Disney Legend in 2001. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, Menken received its Johnny Mercer Award in 2017. Menken was presented with a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 2010, received the Society of Composer & Lyricists Lifetime Achievement award in 2019, and inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2021.
Research shows that a number of Menken’s songs are included in shows/movies that reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Menken bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this composer?
Animated film musicals: Aladdin (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Pocahontas (1995), Tangled (2010), and The Little Mermaid (1992).
Live action film musicals: Aladdin (2019), A Christmas Carol (2004), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Disenchanted, Enchanted (2007), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and Newsies (1992).
Stage musicals include: A Bronx Tale: The Musical (2016), A Christmas Carol (1994), Aladdin (2014) Beauty and the Beast (1994), God Bless You Mr. Rosewater (1979), Hunchback of Notre Dame (2014), King David (1997), Little Shop of Horrors (1982 & 2003), Newies (2012), Sister Act (2009), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1986 & 2015), and The Little Mermaid (2008).
This is a fun video of Alan Menken playing a medley of songs he has written: https://youtu.be/Syzw3znAW7o including music from Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
JOHNNY MERCER
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that at least one of Mercer's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. The hit song Lazy Bones (1933 with composer Hoagy Carmichael) has been criticized for naturalizing "black sloth" and relegating Black men to an antebellum past (reference). Mercer was the lyricist for the 1946 musical St. Louis Woman, based on the novel God Sends Sundays by African American writer Arna Bontemps. Lena Horne, for whom the show was written, declined to star in it after the NAACP criticized the musical for "offering roles that detract from the dignity of our race."
Blues in the Night Yes: Note [song snatches used as background music in racist short film]
Satin Doll Yes: Note
That Old Black Magic Yes: Note [plays on cultural trope that love can be generated or controlled through "black magic"]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
John Herndon “Johnny” Mercer (1909-1976) was a prolific lyricist and composer, with over 1,400 songs to his credit, as well as a popular singer and a record label executive. His lyrics combined a keen appreciation of American colloquialisms with a profoundly poetic sensibility. At their best, they have a richness and emotional complexity. Mercer’s many collaborators included Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Gordon Jenkins, and Harry Warren. He also contributed to the scores of Broadway musicals and films. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book is the only one of Fitzgerald's Song Books devoted to the work of a lyricist.
A native of Savannah, Georgia, Mercer moved to New York intending to become an actor, but turned to music when he failed to land a role in the Garrick Gaieties in 1930, contributing a song to the production instead. Winning an amateur singing contest in 1932 led to a job as singer and songwriter for bandleader Paul Whiteman. Mercer moved to Hollywood in 1933, and by 1938 was recording duets with Bing Crosby. He became a featured singer on Benny Goodman’s Camel Cavalcade radio program in 1939, and in the early 1940’s had his own radio show, Johnny Mercer’s Music Shop. One of the founders of Capital Records in 1942, he was its first President and chief talent scout. Mercer recorded his own songs for Capital Records as well as attracting such artists as Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, and Margaret Whiting to the label. Mercer became the founding President of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1969.
Four of Mercer’s songs received Academy Awards for Best Original Song: On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe (1946 with composer Harry Warren), In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening (1951 with composer Hoagy Carmichael), Moon River (1961 with composer Henry Mancini), and Days of Wine and Roses (1962 with Mancini). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971. The Hall of Fame’s Johnny Mercer Award is that group’s highest honor, given as a lifetime achievement award to writers who have already been inducted into its Hall of Fame.
Research shows that at least one of Mercer's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Mercer's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Songs include P.S. I Love You (1934, Gordon Jenkins), Goody Goody (1936, Matt Melneck), I'm An Old Cowhand (1936, words and music), Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?) (1937, Bernie Hanighen), Too Marvelous For Words (1937, Richard Whiting), Jeepers Creepers (1938, Harry Warren), Hooray For Hollywood (1938, Richard Whiting), Day In‑‑Day Out (1939, Rube Bloom), I Thought About You (1939, Jimmy Van Heusen), Fools Rush In (1940, Rube Bloom), Blues In The Night (1941, Harold Arlen), Skylark (1941, Hoagy Carmichael), I Remember You (1942, Victor Schertzinger), I'm Old Fashioned (1942, Jerome Kern), That Old Black Magic (1942, Harold Arlen), Hit The Road To Dreamland (1942, Harold Arlen), My Shining Hour (1943, Harold Arlen), One For My Baby (1943, Harold Arlen), Ac‑Cnt‑Tchu‑Ate The Positive (1944, Harold Arlen), Let's Take The Long Way Home (1944, Harold Arlen), G.I. Jive (1944, words and music), Laura (1945, David Raskin), Out Of This World (1945, Harold Arlen), Early Autumn (1949, Woody Herman and Ralph Burns), Autumn Leaves (1950, English version of a French song, music by Joseph Kozma), Here's To My Lady (1951, Rube Bloom), Something's Gotta Give (1955, words and music), Satin Doll (1958, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn), Charade (1963, Henry Mancini), Summer Wind (1965, Henry Mayer), and How Do You Say Aug Wiedersehn? (1967, Tony Scibetta).
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Johnny_Mercer
https://research.library.gsu.edu/c.php?g=115614&p=754312
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/johnny-mercer-1909-1976/
COLE PORTER
Race DEI Concerns
Cole Porter songs are included in a least one show, Anything Goes, that needs to be considered through a DEI lens, as the show contains stereotypical portrayals of Chinese characters. Research also shows that a number of Porter's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns:
Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) Yes: Lyrics
Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) (Minshall) Yes: Note
Don't Fence Me In Yes: Note [use of the archaic term, “cayuse” in the lyrics]
It's De-Lovely Yes: Note [from problematic musical Anything Goes]
You're the Top Yes: Note [from problematic musical Anything Goes]
https://upennfword.com/2019/11/22/reviving-intolerance-in-musical-theater/
https://learning-curve.blogspot.com/2011/12/broadway-show-anything-goes-is-racist.html
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Cole Porter (1891-1964) was a prolific American composer and songwriter who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. He defied his grandfather's wishes, taking up music as a profession instead of pursuing a legal career. Porter became a major songwriter for the Broadway musical stage and Hollywood films, whose songs were lauded for their wit, verbal sophistication, and complexity.
Born to a wealthy Indiana family, Porter began violin and piano lessons at an early age, and was composing his own songs by age ten. After attending Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, he went on to Yale University, where he was popular socially and active musically, writing approximately 300 songs while serving as president of the Glee Club and a member of the Whiffenpoofs acapella group and Scroll-and-Key fraternity. He was voted “most entertaining” by his classmates. Briefly studying law, and then music, at Harvard, Porter moved to New York, where his debut musical comedy See America First (1916) closed after 15 performances. He left for Paris in 1917, leading the life of a socialite while sending songs to his New York agents. He returned to the United States in the 1920’s, achieving his first hit with the musical Paris (1928), which introduced the songs Let's Do It (Let’s Fall in Love) and Let’s Misbehave. More Broadway hits followed, and he also wrote for Hollywood films.
Porter continued to work despite a 1937 horseback riding accident that left him disabled and in pain for the rest of his life, undergoing more than thirty operations and a 1958 leg amputation. His most successful musical, Kiss Me, Kate (1948), won the first Tony for Best Musical, with Porter also receiving the Tony for Best Composer and Lyricist. He was inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and The ASCAP Foundation Cole Porter Award was established in his memory in 2009.
Research shows that a number of Porter's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Cole Porter's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this composer?
Shows and films included See America First (1916), Paris (1928), The Battle of Paris (1929 film), Gay Divorce (1932; 1934 film), Anything Goes (1934; 1936 film), Jubilee (1935), Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940 film), Something for the Boys (1943; 1944 film), Night and Day (1946 film), Kiss Me, Kate (1948; 1953 film), Can-Can (1953; 1960 film), Silk Stockings (1954; 1957 film), High Society (1956 film), and Les Girls (1957 film).
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Cole_Porter
https://www.coleporter.org/bio.html
RICHARD RODGERS
Race DEI Concerns
Richard Rodgers songs are included in some shows that need to be considered through a DEI lens, for example, The King and I and South Pacific. While none of his songs have a rating of "No" or "Yes: Caution", a few are "Yes Note" so ensembles are encouraged to discuss the meaning and context of the songs and shows.
Bali Ha'i Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie South Pacific]
I Have Dreamed Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie The King and I]
I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie South Pacific]
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie Oklahoma!]
Some Enchanted Evening Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie South Pacific]
This Nearly Was Mine Yes: Note [from problematic musical South Pacific]
Whistle a Happy Tune Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie The King and I]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about this composer?
Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) was one of the dominant composers of American musical comedy, known especially for his works in collaboration with the librettists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers and Hart’s first professional success was a revue, The Garrick Gaieties (1925), which included the song Manhattan. In 1936 their comedy On Your Toes was produced. In 1942 Rodgers began working with Hammerstein on an adaptation of Lynn Riggs’s play Green Grow the Lilacs. The result, the 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning Oklahoma! (1943; film 1955), enjoyed a then-unprecedented Broadway run of 2,248 performances.
Rodgers and Hammerstein were a powerhouse, transforming Broadway and musical theater by basing shows on plays and novels, using original dialogue and creating seamless storytelling, from formats of speech to song. During the 1940s and '50s the duo created some of the most enduring musicals of all time, including Carousel, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and South Pacific, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Additionally, Rodgers and Hammerstein created a special television musical of Cinderella—their only musical written for TV—which starred Julie Andrews and was first broadcast in 1957.
After Hammerstein died in 1960, Rodgers collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and Martin Charnin, among others, and he became the first person to accumulate every major award possible in his field: Tonys, Emmys, Grammys, Oscars (EGOT) and two Pulitzer Prizes, in addition to numerous honorary awards. Rodgers was also among the first honorees of the newly created Kennedy Center Honors in 1978; President Jimmy Carter presented him with the award.
Research shows that a number of Rodger's songs are included in shows/movies that reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Rodger's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this composer?
A prolific composer, Rodgers wrote more than 900 songs. He is best known for songs from Oklahoma, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Rodgers
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that at least one of Stephen Sondheim's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. In The Ballad of Booth, from the controversial musical Assassins, John Wilkes Booth depicts himself as a man who believes killing President Lincoln was a patriotic act and then reveals his character through the use of a racial slur (n-word). The rights holders consider the slur integral to the message of the song.
Something's Coming Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie West Side Story]
Somewhere Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie West Side Story]
Tonight Yes: Note [from problematic musical/movie West Side Story]
https://www.samuelnorman.com/post/the-phonetics-of-fascism
http://www.newlinetheatre.com/assassins.html
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (1930-2021) was an American composer, songwriter and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth‑century musical theater, Sondheim was credited for having "reinvented the American musical” with shows that tackled "unexpected themes that range far beyond the [genre's] traditional subjects" with "music and lyrics of unprecedented complexity and sophistication." His shows addressed "darker, more harrowing elements of the human experience," with songs often tinged with "ambivalence" about various aspects of life.
Born in New York City, Sondheim moved to Bucks County PA in 1940 with his mother where he met his mentor/father figure Oscar Hammerstein. He obtained a music degree from Williams College, and received a fellowship that allowed him to spend two years studying music with composer Milton Babbitt. Sondheim’s first significant contributions to Broadway were writing the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). He eventually devoted himself to writing both music and lyrics for the theater. Over the years he collaborated with producers and directors Hal Prince, James Lapine, and John Weidman. Sondheim also contributed incidental music to several films.
Sondheim's accolades were numerous: eight Tony Awards (including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, a Pulitzer Prize, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and later received its highest honor, The Johnny Mercer Award. Sondheim has a theater named for him both on Broadway and in the West End of London. Film adaptations of Sondheim's work include West Side Story (1961), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Into the Woods (2014), and West Side Story (2021).
Research shows that at least one of Sondheim's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. Others are from movies/musicals that pose DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Sondheim's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Lyricist for musicals West Side Story (1956) and Gypsy (1959). Composer and lyricist credits include musicals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1974), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1981), Into the Woods (1987), Assassins (1990), and Passion (1994).
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Stephen_Sondheim
https://www.biography.com/musician/stephen-sondheim
RICHARD M. AND ROBERT B. SHERMAN
Race DEI Concerns
Sherman Brothers songs are included in some movies/shows that have received criticism through a DEI lens, such as The Jungle Book.
Chim Chim Cher-ee Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Feed the Birds Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Let's Go Fly a Kite Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Spoonful of Sugar, A Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Stay Awake Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Step in Time Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Yes: Note [from problematic movie Mary Poppins]
Jungle Book song concerns:
Bare Necessities Reviewers' Note
Racism Warnings on Classic Disney Films
Perceptions of Race in The Jungle Book
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
The Sherman Brothers -- Robert B. Sherman (1925-2012) and Richard M. Sherman (1928-2024 ) -- were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films. They wrote more motion-picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history.
Both graduated from Bard College and served in the U.S. Army, where Robert led the first squad of men to liberate the Dachau concentration camp in 1945 and Richard served as conductor for the Army band and glee club from 1953 to 1955. They began writing songs together in the early 1950's at the behest of their father, who had been a successful Tin Pan Alley songwriter. The Sherman brothers composed songs for the Mouseketeers starting in 1958 and were employed by Walt Disney as exclusive staff songwriters for many years. After leaving the company, they worked as freelance songwriters on scores of motion pictures, television shows, theme park exhibits and stage musicals.
The brothers received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards (from a total of nine nominations), two Grammy Awards, 23 gold and platinum albums, BMI's Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were named Disney Legends in 1990, inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2005 and awarded the National Medal for the Arts at the White House in 2008.
Research shows that a number of Sherman Brothers songs are included in shows/movies that reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Sherman Brother bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Film scores include Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book (except The Bare Necessities, which Terry Gilkyson wrote), Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Happiest Millionaire, Charlotte's Web, and The Aristocats. Their most famous song, and most heard around the world, is It’s a Small World After All, which is played at the Disney Parks attractions of the same name.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_B._Sherman
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Richard_Sherman
https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/robert-sherman/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_M._Sherman
JULE STYNE
Race DEI Concerns
Research did not reveal any problematic racial DEI concerns in Styne's career. The Tony-award winning show Hallelujah Baby! (1968) addressed race relations, limited opportunities for Black people, and the price of selling out to white audiences for money. The show's leading man vetted the lyrics to ensure they were not racist.
http://www.rationalmagic.com/Bursting/BlackMusicals.html
The Song's Gotta Come From the Heart Yes: Lyrics [references to Al Jolson]
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the composer?
Jule (Julius Kerwin) Styne (1905-1994) was a British‑American songwriter and composer whose catalogue contains over 1,500 published songs. His compositions were known for their rhythmic and melodic flow, syncopation and drive, and sensitivity to lyrics and emotion.
The son of Ukrainian‑Jewish parents, Styne was born in London and emigrated with his family to Chicago in 1912. A piano prodigy, by age ten he was performing with the Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit Symphonies. He worked with jazz bands in 1920s Chicago, playing alongside such rising stars as Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. Styne acquired a vocal coaching business in New York City, and was brought to Hollywood by 20th Century Fox to coach such stars as Shirley Temple and Alice Faye. He teamed up with Sammy Cahn in the 1930s, collaborating with him on a nonexclusive basis for nine years and nineteen films. His first full Broadway score, High Button Shoes (1947), was also written with Cahn. Styne’s subsequent Broadway shows include Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), Peter Pan (1954), Bells Are Ringing (1956), Do Re Mi (1960), Gypsy (1959), and Funny Girl. His collaborators included Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Bob Merrill, Leo Robin, Stephen Sondheim, and E.Y. Harburg.
Styne received numerous accolades, including an Oscar (1955, Three Coins in the Fountain), a Tony (1968, Hallelujah Baby), a Grammy (1965, Funny Girl), the Donaldson Award, the Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Kennedy Center Honor (1990). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, and received its highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1993.
Research did not reveal any problematic racial DEI concerns in Stynes' career.
What other material has been written by this composer?
Songs include I Don't Want to Walk Without You (1942), Let It Snow, Let It Snow! (1945), I Fall in Love Too Easily (1945), Time After Time, Never Never Land (1954), Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), It’s Magic (1948), Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (1949), Just in Time (1956), The Party’s Over (1956), Everything’s Coming Up Roses (1959), Let Me Entertain You (1959), Rose’s Turn (1959), Make Someone Happy (1960), Don’t Rain on My Parade (1964), and People (1964).
Please supply the links you used for this part of your research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Jule_Styne
https://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/jule-styne/
https://www.npr.org/2005/12/31/5073612/let-me-entertain-you-the-songs-of-jule-styne
Marty Symes
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that at least one of Symes songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns.
Darkness on the Delta (When It's) - Inadmissible | Idealized Old South/Lost Cause
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Symes was born in Brooklyn New York in 1904. He was a lyricist with a relatively small output, but almost every tune was a hit in its time, and at least three have entered the jazz standards repertoire. His first significant collaborator was composer Jerry Livingston. In 1932 they wrote "Darkness on the Delta", which became a hit for Mildred Bailey. In 1936, Symes wrote the lyrics for “There Is No Greater Love,” which has been recorded by Guy Lombardo, Billie Holiday, Al Hibbler and many other artists. Symes's “I Have But One Heart", composed by Johnny Farrow, was used by Nino Rota in his score for the 1972 film, The Godfather
Research shows that at least one of Syme's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Syme's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Songs include Darkness On The Delta, There Is No Greater Love, Under a Blanket of Blue, It’s the Talk of the Town, Born to be Blue, I’ve Got an Invitation to Dance, I Have But One Heart, and Somebody’s Thinking of You Tonight.
Please supply the links you used for this part of your research.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Symes
https://www.discogs.com/artist/638130-Marty-Symes?redirected=true
https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/23/archives/alvin-s-kaufman-is-dead-a-writer-of-popular-songs.html
https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/108178/Kaufman_Alvin_S
Ned Washington
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that at least one of Symes songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns.
When I See an Elephant Fly - Inadmissible | Overt racist lyrics or tropes in current or previous versions
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington,1901 – 1976) was a12-time Oscar nominated lyricist. He won the Best Original Song award twice: in 1940 for "When You Wish Upon a Star" in Pinocchio and in 1952 for "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" in High Noon. Washington had his roots in vaudeville as a master of ceremonies. Having started his songwriting career with Earl Carroll's Vanities on Broadway in the late 1920s, he joined the ASCAP in 1930. In 1934, he was signed by MGM and relocated to Hollywood, eventually writing full scores for feature films. During the 1940s, he worked for a number of studios and collaborated with many of the great composers of the era, including Hoagy Carmichael, Victor Young, Max Steiner, and Dimitri Tiomkin. Washington is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Research shows that at least one of Washington's songs reflects problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Washington's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Town Without Pity, Rawhide, Gunfight at O.K. Corral, songs from Let’s Do It Again, Take the High Ground, My Foolish Heart, Mad About You, Don’t Call It Love, Baby Mine, When I See an Elephant Fly, The Nearness of You, Smoke Rings, I’m Gettin' Sentimental Over You, I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance.
Please supply the links you used for this part of your research.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Washington
Song Writer's Hall of Fame - Ned Washington
JACK YELLEN
Race DEI Concerns
Research shows that a number of Yellen's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. He wrote a number of songs about Dixie and other tropes about the Old South (as well as some "specialty" songs such as My Sweet China Doll). Some of his songs have been assessed as admissible with the SAT. Some were likely never arranged for barbershop, but represent a problematic history.
Are You From Dixie? No (all arrangements inadmissible) [Dixie references; idealized Old South/lost cause]
Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) No (all arrangements inadmissible) [c**n song]
Look Me Up When You're in Dixie No (all arrangements inadmissible) [Dixie references]
Louisville Lou No (all arrangements inadmissible) [Jezebel trope]
Examples of other problematic songs in song library (not submitted to SAT)
Big Boy https://sheetmusicsinger.com/highbrownsongs/big-boy/
Alexanders Band is Back in Dixieland https://egrove.olemiss.edu/sharris_c/158/
Southern Gals https://egrove.olemiss.edu/sharris_c/134/
My Little China Doll (sheet music image) https://www.etsy.com/listing/1190840022/my-little-china-doll-vintage-sheet-music?gpla=1&gao=1&
Copy/Paste Information for SAT Submissions:
What did your research tell you about the lyricist?
Jack Selig Yellen (1892-1991) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs Happy Days Are Here Again, which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the theme song for his successful 1932 presidential campaign, and Ain't She Sweet, a Tin Pan Alley standard. Yellen collaborated with many composers including Milton Ager, Abe Olman, Harold Arlen, Sammy Fain, Ray Henderson, Joe Meyer, Lew Pollack and Samuel Pokrass. Throughout his career, he wrote scores for several Broadway productions including What’s in a Name, Rain or Shine, John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, You Said It, George White’s Scandals of 1935 and 1939, Boys and Girls Together, Sons o’ Fun, and Ziegfeld Follies of 1943. Yellen moved to Hollywood under contract to film studios and became a screenwriter and lyricist for 20th Century Fox. His filmography includes score credits for Road Show, The King of Jazz, George White’s Scandals (1934, 1935), Happy Landing, King of Burlesque, Captain January, Sing, Baby Sing, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
Yellen was one of the earliest members of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and served on its board of directors from 1951 to 1969. In 1972 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
Research shows that a number of Yellen's songs reflect problematic racial DEI concerns. See additional information and the song list in Yellen's bio on the Songwriter Biographies page.
What other material has been written by this lyricist?
Among the hit songs in the Jack Yellen catalog are Down By the O-Hi-O, Are You from Dixie?, Alabama Jubilee, How’s Every Little Thing in Dixie?, I’m Waiting for Ships That Never Come In, A Young Man’s Fancy, Lovin’ Sam, Who Cares, Mama Goes Where Papa Goes, I Wonder What’s Become of Sally, Cheatin’ On Me, Big Bad Bill, Forgive Me, Crazy Words, Crazy Tune, Ain’t She Sweet?, Glad Rag Doll, Happy Days Are Here Again, A Bench in the Park, Sweet and Hot, You Said It, Oh, You Nasty Man, It’s an Old Southern Custom, Life Begins at Sweet Sixteen, The Right Somebody to Love, Are You Havin’ Any Fun?, Something I Dreamed Last Night, Happy in Love and Love Songs Are Made in the Night.
Please supply the links to any sources you used for this section of research.
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Jack_Yellen
https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/105070/Yellen_Jack