Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin, born Israel Isidore Beilin on May 11, 1888, was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. He grew up in the United States after his family left Russia to escape unfair treatments of Jewish people. Berlin became famous for writing many popular songs that are still loved today. He received important awards such as an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1977, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald R. Ford.

Berlin wrote hundreds of songs, many of which became famous hits before he was even thirty years old. Some of his most well-known songs include "God Bless America," "White Christmas," and "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Even though he could not read sheet music very well and could only play the piano in one key, he still created wonderful music that touched many people. His songs have been sung by many famous singers and are still enjoyed around the world.

Throughout his long career, which lasted over sixty years, Berlin wrote music for Broadway shows and Hollywood films. His work helped shape American music and culture. He passed away in 1989 at the age of 101, leaving behind a legacy of beautiful songs that continue to inspire people everywhere.

Early life

Berlin was born Israel Beilin on May 11, 1888, in the Russian Empire to a Jewish family. His family later moved to the United States, arriving in New York City in 1893. As a child, Berlin helped his family by selling newspapers on the streets. He loved music and began singing songs he heard, which earned him small amounts of money from listeners.

Berlin started working as a singing waiter in cafes when he was young. He taught himself to play the piano and began writing his own songs. His first song was published in 1907. Berlin kept writing and performing, and by 1910, he had become well-known for his music. One of his early hits was Alexander's Ragtime Band, which became very popular.

Songwriting career

Before 1920

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" (1911)

Berlin rose as a songwriter in Tin Pan Alley and on Broadway. In 1911, Emma Carus introduced his first world-famous hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", followed by a performance from Berlin himself at the Friars' Frolic of 1911 with Clifford Hess as his accompanist. He became an instant celebrity, and the featured performer later that year at Oscar Hammerstein's vaudeville house, where he introduced dozens of other songs. The New York Telegraph described how two hundred of his street friends came to see "their boy" onstage.

The tune revived the ragtime fervor that Scott Joplin had begun a decade earlier, and made Berlin a songwriting star. From its first and subsequent releases, the song was near the top of the charts as others sang it. Initially the song was not recognized as a hit, however; Broadway producer Jesse Lasky was uncertain about using it, although he did include it in his "Follies" show. It was performed as an instrumental but did not impress audiences, and was soon dropped from the show's score. Berlin regarded it as a failure. He then wrote lyrics to the score, played it again in another Broadway review, and this time it was called "the musical sensation of the decade". Composer George Gershwin said it was "the first real American musical work".

Sparking an international dance craze

Berlin was surprised by the sudden international popularity of the song, and wondered why it became a sudden hit. He decided it was partly because the lyrics started the heels and shoulders of all America and a good section of Europe to rocking. In 1913, Berlin was featured in the London revue Hello Ragtime, where he introduced "That International Rag", a song he had written for the occasion.

The international success of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" gave ragtime "new life and sparked a national dance craze". Two dancers who expressed that craze were Vernon and Irene Castle. In 1914, Berlin wrote a ragtime revue, Watch Your Step, which starred the couple and showcased their talents on stage. That musical revue became Berlin's first complete score with songs that "radiated musical and lyrical sophistication". Berlin's songs signified modernism, and they signified the cultural struggle between Victorian gentility and the "purveyors of liberation, indulgence, and leisure". The song "Play a Simple Melody" became the first of his famous "double" songs in which two different melodies and lyrics are counterpointed against one another.

Simple and romantic ballads

Some of the songs Berlin created came out of his own sadness. For instance, in 1912 he married Dorothy Goetz, the sister of songwriter E. Ray Goetz. She died six months later of typhoid fever contracted during their honeymoon in Havana. The song he wrote to express his grief, "When I Lost You", was his first ballad. It was an immediate popular hit and sold more than a million copies.

He began to realize that ragtime was not a good musical style for serious romantic expression, and over the next few years adapted his style by writing more love songs. By 1918 he had written hundreds of songs, mostly topical, which enjoyed brief popularity. Many of the songs were for the new dances then appearing, such as the grizzly bear, chicken walk, or foxtrot. After a Hawaiian dance craze began, he wrote "That Hula-Hula", and then did a string of Southern songs, such as "When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam". During this period, he was creating a few new songs every week, including songs aimed at the various immigrant cultures arriving from Europe.

An important song that Berlin wrote during his transition from writing ragtime to lyrical ballads was "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", which became one of Berlin's "first big guns". The song was written for Ziegfeld's Follies of 1919 and became the musical's lead song. Its popularity was so great that it later became the theme for all of Ziegfeld's revues, and the theme song in the 1936 film The Great Ziegfeld.

World War I

On April 1, 1917, after President Woodrow Wilson declared that America would enter World War I, Berlin felt that Tin Pan Alley should do its duty and support the war with inspirational songs. Berlin wrote the song "For Your Country and My Country", stating that "we must speak with the sword not the pen to show our appreciation to America for opening up her heart and welcoming every immigrant group." He also co-wrote a song aimed at ending ethnic conflict, "Let's All Be Americans Now".

Yip Yip Yaphank

In 1917, Berlin was drafted into the United States Army, and his induction became headline news. But the Army wanted Berlin, now aged 30, to do what he knew best: write songs. While stationed with the 152nd Depot Brigade at Camp Upton, he then composed an all-soldier musical revue titled Yip Yip Yaphank, written as a patriotic tribute to the United States Army. The show was taken to Broadway where it also included a number of hits, including "Mandy" and "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning", which Berlin performed himself.

The shows earned $150,000 for a camp service center. One song he wrote for the show but decided not to use, he would introduce 20 years later: "God Bless America".

1920 to 1940

Berlin returned to Tin Pan Alley after the war and in 1921 created a partnership with Sam Harris to build the Music Box Theater. He maintained an interest in the theater throughout his life, and even in his last years was known to call the Shubert Organization, his partner, to check on the receipts. In its early years, the theater was a showcase for revues by Berlin. As theater owner, producer and composer, he looked after every detail of his shows, from the costumes and sets to the casting and musical arrangements.

By 1926, Berlin had written the scores to two editions of the Ziegfeld Follies and four annual editions of his Music Box Revue. These shows spanned the years of 1921–1926, premiering songs such as "Say It With Music", "Everybody Step", and "Pack Up Your Things and Go to the Devil". Life magazine called Berlin the "Lullaby Kid", noting that "couples at country-club dances grew misty-eyed when the band went into 'Always', because they were positive that Berlin had written it just for them. When they quarreled and parted in the bitter-sweetness of the 1920s, it was Berlin who gave eloquence to their heartbreak by way of 'What'll I Do' and 'Remember' and 'All Alone'".

"What'll I Do?" (1924)

This ballad of love and longing was a hit record for Paul Whiteman and had several other successful recordings in 1924. Twenty-four years later, the song went to no. 22 for Nat King Cole and no. 23 for Frank Sinatra.

"Always" (1925)

Written when he fell in love with Ellin Mackay, who later became his wife. The song became a hit twice (for Vincent Lopez and George Olsen) in its first incarnation. There were four more hit versions in 1944–45. In 1959, Sammy Turner took the song to no. 2 on the R&B chart. It became Patsy Cline's postmortem anthem and hit no. 18 on the country chart in 1980, 17 years after her death, and a tribute musical called "Always... Patsy Cline", played a two-year Nashville run that ended in 1995.

"Blue Skies" (1926)

Written after his first daughter's birth, he distilled his feelings about being married and a father for the first time: "Blue days, all of them gone; nothing but blue skies, from now on." The American public often associated Irving Berlin's music with Jewish cultural sensibility. The song was introduced by Belle Baker in Betsy, a Ziegfeld production. It became a hit recording for Ben Selvin and one of several Berlin hits in 1927. It was performed by Al Jolson in the first feature sound film, The Jazz Singer, that same year. In 1946, it returned to the top 10 on the charts with Count Basie and Benny Goodman. In 1978, Willie Nelson made the song a no. 1 country hit, 52 years after it was written.

"Puttin' On the Ritz" (1928)

An instant standard with one of Berlin's most "intricately syncopated choruses", this song is associated with Fred Astaire, who sang and danced to it in the 1946 film Blue Skies. The song was written in 1928 with a separate set of lyrics and was introduced by Harry Richman in a 1930 film of the same name. In 1939, Clark Gable sang it in the movie Idiot's Delight. In 1974 it was featured in the movie Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks, and was a no. 4 hit for synth-pop artist Taco in 1982, when its composer was 95.

"Marie" (1929)

This waltz-time song was a hit for Rudy Vallée in 1929, and in 1937, updated to a four-quarter-time swing arrangement, was a top hit for Tommy Dorsey. It was on the charts at no. 13 in 1953 for The Four Tunes and at no. 15 for the Bachelors in 1965, 36 years after its first appearance.

"Say It Isn't So" (1932)

Rudy Vallée performed it on his radio show, and the song was a hit for George Olsen, Connee Boswell (she was still known as Connie), and Ozzie Nelson's band. Aretha Franklin produced a single of the song in 1963, 31 years later.

"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (1937)

Performed by Dick Powell in the 1937 film On the Avenue. Later it had four top-12 versions, including by Billie Holiday and Les Brown, who took it to no. 1.

"God Bless America" (1938)

The song was written by Berlin twenty years earlier, but he filed it away until 1938 when Kate Smith needed a patriotic song to mark the 20th anniversary of Armistice Day, celebrating the end of World War I. Its release near the end of the Depression enshrined a "strain of official patriotism intertwined with a religious faith that runs deep in the American psyche," stated The New York Times.

Berlin's daughter, Mary Ellin Barrett, states that the song was actually "very personal" for her father, and was intended as an expression of his deep gratitude to the nation for merely "allowing" him, an immigrant raised in poverty, to become a successful songwriter. "To me," said Berlin, "'God Bless America' was not just a song but an expression of my feeling toward the country to which I owe what I have and what I am." The Economist magazine writes that "Berlin was producing a deep-felt paean to the country that had given him what he would have said was everything."

It quickly became a second national anthem after America entered World War II a few years later. Over the decades it has earned millions for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, to whom Berlin assigned all royalties. In 1954, Berlin received a special Congressional Gold Medal from President Dwight D. Eisenhower for contributing the song.

The song was heard after September 11, 2001, as U.S. senators and congressmen stood on the Capitol steps and sang it after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. It is often played by sports teams such as major league baseball. The Philadelphia Flyers hockey team started playing it before crucial contests. When the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team pulled off the "greatest upset in sports history", referred to as the "Miracle on Ice", the players spontaneously sang it as Americans were overcome by patriotism.

Other songs

Though most of his works for the Broadway stage took the form of revues—collections of songs with no unifying plot—he did write a number of book shows. The Cocoanuts (1929) was a light comedy with a cast featuring, among others, the Marx Brothers. Face the Music (1932) was a political satire with a book by Moss Hart, and Louisiana Purchase (1940) was a satire of a Southern politician obviously based on the exploits of Huey Long. As Thousands Cheer (1933) was a revue, also with book by Moss Hart, with a theme: each number was presented as an item in a newspaper, some of them touching on issues of the day. The show yielded a succession of hit songs, including "Easter Parade" sung by Marilyn Miller and Clifton Webb, "Heat Wave" (presented as the weather forecast), "Harlem on My Mind", and "Supper Time", a song about racial violence inspired by a newspaper headline about a lynching, sung by Ethel Waters.

1941 to 1962

World War II patriotism—"This is the Army" (1943)

Berlin loved his country, and wrote many songs reflecting his patriotism. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau requested a song to inspire Americans to buy war bonds, for which he wrote "Any Bonds Today?" He assigned all royalties to the United States Treasury Department. He then wrote songs for various government agencies and likewise assigned all profits to them: "Angels of Mercy" for the American Red Cross; "Arms for the Love of America", for the U.S. Army Ordnance Department; and "I Paid My Income Tax Today", again to Treasury.

When the United States joined World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Berlin immediately began composing a number of patriotic songs. His most notable and valuable contribution to the war effort was a stage show he wrote called "This Is The Army". It was taken to Broadway and then on to Washington, D.C. (where President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended). It was eventually shown at military bases throughout the world, including London, North Africa, Italy, Middle East, and Pacific countries, sometimes in close proximity to battle zones. Berlin wrote nearly three dozen songs for the show which contained a cast of 300 men. He supervised the production and traveled with it, always singing "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning". The show kept him away from his family for three and a half years, during which time he took neither salary nor expenses, and turned over all profits to the Army Emergency Relief Fund.

The play was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1943, directed by Michael Curtiz, co-starring Joan Leslie and Ronald Reagan, who was then an army lieutenant. Kate Smith also sang "God Bless America" in the film with a backdrop showing families anxious over the coming war. The show became a hit movie and a morale-boosting road show that toured the battlefronts of Europe. The shows and movie combined raised more than $10 million for the Army, and in recognition of his contributions to troop morale, Berlin was awarded the Medal for Merit by President Harry S. Truman. Berlin's daughter, Mary Ellin Barrett, who was 15 when she was at the opening-night performance of "This is the Army" on Broadway, remembered that when her father, who normally shunned the spotlight, appeared in the second act in soldier's garb to sing "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning", he was greeted with a standing ovation that lasted 10 minutes.

Annie Get Your Gun (1946)

The grueling tours Berlin did performing "This Is The Army" left him exhausted, but when his longtime close friend Jerome Kern, who was the composer for Annie Get Your Gun, died suddenly, producers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II persuaded Berlin to take over composing the score.

Loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley, the music and lyrics were written by Berlin, with a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields, and directed by Joshua Logan. At first Berlin refused to take on the job, claiming that he knew nothing about "hillbilly music", but the show ran for 1,147 performances and became his most successful score and biggest box office success. It is said that the showstopper song "There's No Business Like Show Business" was almost left out of the show altogether because Berlin mistakenly thought that Rodgers and Hammerstein didn't like it. However, it became the "ultimate uptempo show tune".

On the origin of another of the play's leading songs, Logan described how he and Hammerstein privately discussed wanting another duet between Annie and Frank. Berlin overheard their conversation, and although the show was to go into rehearsal within days, he wrote the song "Anything You Can Do" a few hours later.

One reviewer commented about the play's score, that "its tough wisecracking lyrics are as tersely all-knowing as its melody, which is nailed down in brassy syncopated lines that have been copied—but never equaled in sheer melodic memorability—by hundreds of theater composers ever since." Singer and musicologist Susannah McCorkle writes that the score "meant more to me than ever, now that I knew that he wrote it after a grueling world tour and years of separation from his wife and daughters." Historian and composer Alec Wilder says that the perfection of the score, when compared to his earlier works, was "a profound shock".

Annie Get Your Gun is considered to be Berlin's best musical theatre score not only because of the number of hits it contains, but because its songs successfully combine character and plot development. The song "There's No Business Like Show Business" became "Ethel Merman's trademark".

Final shows

Berlin's next show, Miss Liberty (1949), was disappointing, but Call Me Madam (1950), starring Ethel Merman as Sally Adams, a Washington, D.C., socialite, loosely based on the famous Washington hostess Perle Mesta, fared better, giving him his second-greatest success. Berlin made two attempts to write a musical about his friend, the colorful Addison Mizner, and Addison's con-man brother Wilson. The first was the uncompleted The Last Resorts (1952); a manuscript of Act I is in the Library of Congress. Wise Guy (1956) was completed but never produced, although songs have been published and recorded on The Unsung Irving Berlin (1995). After a failed attempt at retirement, in 1962, at the age of 74, he returned to Broadway with Mr. President. Although it ran for eight months, (with the premiere attended by President John F. Kennedy), it was not one of his successful plays.

Afterwards, Berlin officially announced his retirement and spent his remaining years in New York. He did, however, write one new song, "An Old-Fashioned Wedding", for the 1966 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun starring Ethel Merman. Though he lived 23 more years, this was one of Berlin's final published compositions.

Berlin maintained a low profile through the last decades of his life, almost never appearing in public after the late 1960s, even for events held in his honor. However, he continued to maintain control of his songs through his own music publishing company, which remained in operation for the rest of his life.

Film scores

In 1927, Irving Berlin's song "Blue Skies" was part of the first full-length movie with sound, The Jazz Singer, performed by Al Jolson. Later, films like Top Hat (1935) started a series of special musical movies featuring stars such as Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, and Alice Faye. These movies had new music written by Berlin, and some also included his older songs.

The 1942 film Holiday Inn introduced the song "White Christmas", which became one of the most popular songs ever. First sung by Bing Crosby in the movie, it stayed at the top of music charts for ten weeks and sold over 50 million copies. The song won Berlin an Academy Award for Best Music in an Original Song. It became a favorite for many artists and remained a classic for years to come.

Songwriting methods

Irving Berlin had a special way of writing songs. He would write a whole song, with words and music, every single day. He didn’t believe in waiting for inspiration; instead, he thought his best work came from hard work. Berlin often wrote late at night, starting after dinner and continuing until early morning.

He once asked a friend if he should study music theory, but his friend told him his natural talent was enough. Berlin followed this advice. Later, he joined groups that help musicians protect their work. Berlin believed that the words in a song were very important for making it popular, while the tune helped it last forever. He preferred to write in one special musical key and had special pianos to help him change keys easily. Even though he learned to write music down, he still liked to tell his songs to someone who would write them out for him.

Music styles

Irving Berlin's music was known for its lively rhythms and beautiful melodies that always felt fresh and exciting. Many famous composers admired his work. Unlike some of his friends, Berlin made his songs sound simple and natural, as if they came straight from everyday talking. His songs helped shape jazz music, teaching other composers important styles and rhythms.

Berlin was one of the few songwriters who wrote both the words and music to his songs. He even helped start the career of another famous songwriter. His music mixed many different styles, making him a key part of American music history.

Personal life

Marriages

In February 1912, Irving Berlin married Dorothy Goetz from Buffalo, New York. Sadly, she became very ill during their honeymoon and passed away that same year. Berlin wrote his first ballad, "When I Lost You", to express his feelings.

Later, in the 1920s, Berlin fell in love with Ellin Mackay. Her father did not approve of their marriage because of their different backgrounds. Despite this, they married in a quiet ceremony. They stayed married for 63 years and had four children together. Their son, Irving Berlin Jr., sadly passed away as a baby.

Lifestyle

Berlin often walked back to his old neighborhoods in New York City, remembering his early life. He remained humble and close to his friends throughout his career. He loved celebrating holidays with his family and was proud of his adopted country, often saying he owed his success to America. Berlin supported civil rights and was honored for his efforts to bring people together.

Death

Irving Berlin passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 22, 1989, at his home in Manhattan. He was 101 years old and had natural causes for his passing. He was laid to rest in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.

After his death was announced, lights on Broadway theater marquees were dimmed in his honor. President George H. W. Bush praised Berlin, saying his music would always be important to American history. Just before sharing his thoughts, the President had led a crowd in singing Berlin's famous song "God Bless America." Former President Ronald Reagan also shared his sadness at the loss of this talented man whose music touched many lives.

Musicians and performers, including Morton Gould and Ginger Rogers, remembered Berlin for creating songs that spoke to people's hearts across many generations. Working with Berlin was described as a special and joyful experience.

Legacy and influence

Kennedy Center Tribute to Irving Berlin, 1987

Irving Berlin was a major influence on American music. He was called the spirit of America itself. He wrote many famous songs that people still love today. Some of his most popular songs include "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Cheek to Cheek," and "There's No Business Like Show Business." He also wrote special songs for holidays like "Easter Parade," "White Christmas," and "Happy Holiday."

"White Christmas" became one of the best-selling songs ever, with over 50 million records sold. Another famous song, "God Bless America," became very important in the United States. After September 11, 2001, many people sang this song to show unity. His songs have been sung by many famous singers and continue to bring strong feelings to people all over the world.

Awards and honors

Irving Berlin received many awards for his work. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "White Christmas" in the movie Holiday Inn. He also received a Tony Award for Best Original Score for the musical Call Me Madam, a Congressional Gold Medal in 1954, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1968.

He was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and a Medal of Liberty in 1986. Berlin was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

Musical scores

This section lists the musical scores created by Irving Berlin. Most of these scores were used in plays, and some were later turned into movies, but only the movies where Berlin was the main composer are included here.

Stage

Film scores

*This symbol marks films that were first created for the stage.

Song lists

Main article: List of Irving Berlin songs

This section lists songs written by Irving Berlin. The actual list of songs will be shown in a table below.