LLyyrriiccNNOOTTEESSTM AN ACTIVITIY GUIDE FOR KIDS J ohnny Mercer © 2002, Camp Broadway LLC All rights reserved This publication is based on the life and work of lyricist Johnny Mercer. The content of The Life and Works of Johnny Mercer edition of LyricNOTES™ is fully protected under the copy- right laws of the United States of America and all other countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All rights regarding publishing, reprint permissions, public readings, and mechanical or electronic reproduction, including but not limited to, CD-ROM, information storage and retrieval systems and photocopying, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are strictly reserved. Printed in the United States of America First printing, June 2002 For more information on Johnny Mercer and The Great American Songbook, contact: The Johnny Mercer Foundation (212) 835-2299 http://www.johnnymercerfoundation.org For more information on LyricNOTES™ and other arts related programs for students, contact: Camp Broadway LLC 145 West 45th Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036 Telephone: (212) 575-2929 Facsimile: (212) 575-3125 Email: [email protected] www.campbroadway.com LyricNOTESTM AN ACTIVITIY GUIDE FOR KIDS Johnny Mercer Table of Contents Namely You: Who Is Johnny Mercer? . .4 A short life story of Johnny Mercer, from Savannah to Hollywood Too Marvelous For Words: Johnny Mercer's Collaborators . .8 Johnny’s thoughts on songwriting, inspiration and teamwork – and which comes first, the words or the music Hooray For Hollywood: Mercer’s Point of View . .12 High points of Johnny Mercer’s career, his Oscars, and his take on Hollywood It’s A Great Big World: Growing Up: A Timeline . .14 What was going on in the world during Mercer’s lifetime I Thought About You: Mercer’s World and Ours . .16 What was “hep” in the 30s, 40s, and 50s? Compare then to now. 2 Come Rain or Come Shine: Mercer Today . .18 Johnny Mercer’s songs in TV and movies -- and rap Spring, Spring, Spring: Nature Lyrics . .20 Johnny Mercer wrote about nature and the seasons – now you can too. I’m An Old Cowhand: Character Lyrics . .22 Capturing a character in song Let That Be A Lesson To You: Mercer Facts . .24 Everything you always wanted to know about Johnny Mercer A CrossLyric Puzzle . .26 A crossword all about Johnny Mercer — test your solving skills! More Mercer Lyrics . .28 Accentuate the Positive: Music and Lyrics . .30 Resources . .32 How to learn more about Johnny Mercer and the Great American Songbook Log on to www.johnnymercerfoundation.org m The next time you’re listeningto listen to all of the great Mercer songs throughout song on a CD or on the radio, imagine a boy in Savannah, Georgia, listeningthis book. to his own favorite music, dreaming of being a singer and songwriter. That boy did more a than dream — he grew up, traveled to New York, sang on the radio, towrote your songs favorite for Broadway and for the movies, founded a record company, won Academy Awards, and published hundreds of songs (one of his favorites was called “Dream.”) He was e named Johnny Mercer. I first met Johnny Mercer when I was seven years old. He'd come out to Hollywood r to write songs with my father, Richard Whiting, and my mother wanted me to sing for him. Well, I did. And when I was finished he called me over to him and he said, “Kid, I want to give you two words of advice. ‘Grow up!’” So I did. And later on, Johnny became my mentor and best friend. He signed me to my first record contract at Capitol R ecords, because he was the boss. D To the rest of the world he was a poet. A spinnerThat's of dreams.the way Johnny'sI remember love Johnny. affair with music didn't come from the glitter of Broadway or Hollywood, but from growing up in Savannah near a small par local band play ragtime. k,Hiswher lyrics came naturally from the colorful way people e on Sundays he would go listen in wonder to a talked. “ 3 You Gotta A H ccentuate the P ome,” and the sounds -- the clicketyositive,” clack of“Anyplace the railr I Hang My Hat is whistling through the Spanish Moss, and the rain, like silver slivers racing across the horiz oad track, the wind on. When Johnny Mercer came on the scene, with his distinctive brand of impish Southern charm, he made an impact just as strong as any of today’s MTV favorites. But, musical tastes change. Styles change. H its come and go. So why do we still sing Johnny Mercer’s songs and listen to his words? He was able to do what only a small number of songwriters can: with his wor deep, universal, and timeless. Singers keep singing his songs because the words hit home as strongly today as they did the day he wrote them. Song lyrics are the poetry of the people – and Johnny Mercer Johnny Mercer spoke for us all. ds, he tapped into something with Margaret Whiting We hope this book helps to introduce you to Johnny Mercer and the Great American Songbook. You can take the next step, and write lyrics of your own – just like Johnny Mercer did, you can put words to a dream. M argaret Whiting The Johnny Mercer Foundation u Who is Johnny Mercer? o Savannah, GA When he was 17, his father’s real estate Award winning lyricist John Herndon business failed. The family couldn't afford Mercer was born in Savannah, Georgia, to send Johnny to college, so he head- Y November 18, 1909. ed to New York City to try his luck in the theater. y By the time he was three, l Johnny already loved to New York, NY e sing. As a teenager, he fell In New York, Johnny wrote in love with jazz. He was songs and tried out for shows. also drawn to gospel He auditioned for “The m music and other African- Garrick Gaieties,” a popular American folk music he a music and comedy revue. heard when he was grow- ' in h is ing up. f The producers told him they s e o N g y didn't need any more actors, but nn Johnny was sent to the Woodberry oh 4 d J they did need more songs. He gave r ol Forest School in Virginia. He took piano 8 yea them one called “Out of Breath.” and trumpet lessons, and sang in the chapel choir. When he was 15, he wrote his first Mine’s a hopeless case song, “Sister Susie Strut But there’s one saving grace, Your Stuff.” Anyone would feel as I do; Out of breath and scared to death of you. “I think the three greatest moments in a songwriter’s life are when he writes his first song, even when he’s fifteen, in my case. The second time is when he gets his first song published. And then the third time is when he gets his first hit, a real hit song that you hear – you go down the street and people are singing it that don’t know who you are, they just love the song – and that’s really a thrill.” Johnny (far left) at Woodberry Forest School. (left) Johnny Johnny also met a and Ginger on dancer in the their honey- oon. (below, show, Ginger m from left) John Meehan, who Jefferson, became his wife. Ginger, Johnny, Later, they had a and Amanda. daughter, Amanda, and a son, John Jefferson. Johnny wrote a - lyric about his little girl, nick “Mandy.” named 5 Mandy is Two You ought to see her eyes of cornflower blue; They really look as if they actually knew That she’s a big girl now. y his idol Paul Whiteman, “The Johnny won a singing contest, and was noticed b King of Jazz.” Johnny was hired to write songs and sing with Whiteman’s band, using his Southern drawl in sings like “Pardon My Southern Accent.” Try This Who Wrote It? Pick your most FAVORITE song EVER! Do you know who wrote it? Who is the lyricist and who is the composer? Once you know for sure, bring a recording of your favorite song into your class and play it for your classmates. Now, you can quiz them! Do they realize that the artist who is singing or playing your favorite song may not be the same person who wrote Johnny with band leader Paul Whiteman the lyrics and the music? It’s YOUR turn to teach them! u Who is Johnny Mercer? (cont’d) o Hollywood, CA He wrote lyrics for many different composers, In 1934 Johnny headed to Hollywood to write but sometimes wrote his own music for his songs for movie musicals (and even appear in a lyrics – like the 1942 song “Dream.” Y few!). His song “I’m An Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande” was a hit in the movie Dream when you’re feelin’ blue y Rhythm on the Range. Four years later, his Dream, that’s the thing to do l song “Jeepers Creepers” was nominated for Just watch the smoke rings rise in the air e an Academy Award. You’ll find your share He won an Oscar on Of memories there his ninth nomination, m for the song “On The Besides being a songwriter and singer, Johnny Atchison, Topeka and a Mercer was also a businessman. He helped the Santa Fe,” sung found Capitol Records in 1942 (the name by Judy Garland in the was suggested by his wife, Ginger).