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Alan and Marilyn Bergman

(Redirected fromAlan Bergman)
"Alan Bergman" redirects here. For the dancer, seeAlan Bergman (dancer).

Alan Bergman(born September 11, 1925) andMarilyn Keith Bergman(November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, honored with fourEmmys,threeOscars,and twoGrammys(includingSong of the Year). They are in theSongwriters Hall of Fame.[1]

Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn and Alan Bergman in 2002
Occupation
  • Songwriters
Years active1950s–2017
Notable workSeenotable works
Children1
Alan Bergman
Born(1925-09-11)September 11, 1925(age 99)
Brooklyn,New York, U.S.
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of California, Los Angeles
Spouse
Marilyn Katz
​
​
(m.1958; died 2022)​
Marilyn Bergman
Birth nameMarilyn Keith Katz
Born(1928-11-10)November 10, 1928
Brooklyn,New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 8, 2022(2022-01-08)(aged 93)
Los Angeles,California, U.S.
EducationThe High School of Music & Art
New York University
Spouse
Alan Bergman
​
(m.1958)​

Personal life

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Alan Bergman was born inCrown Heights, Brooklyn,in 1925,[2]the son of Ruth (Margulies), a homemaker and community volunteer, and Samuel Bergman, who worked in children's clothing sales.[3]He studied atUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hilland earned his master's degree in music atUCLA.

Marilyn Bergman was born in 1928 also inCrown Heights, Brooklyn,coincidentally at the same Brooklyn hospital (Brooklyn Jewish Hospital and Medical Center)[4]where Alan had been born three years earlier, and was the daughter of Edith (Arkin) and Albert A. Katz.[5]Both Alan and Marilyn are fromJewishfamilies. Marilyn studied music atThe High School of Music & Artin New York before studying psychology and English atNew York University.[6]

Despite the geographical proximity of their upbringing in New York, the Bergmans did not meet until they had both moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. The Bergmans married in 1958 and had a daughter, Julie Bergman Sender, who works as an independent film producer.[7][8]

Marilyn Bergman died from respiratory failure on January 8, 2022, at the age of 93.[9]

Career

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Alan worked as atelevision directorand songwriter at Philadelphia'sWCAU-TVin the early 1950s.Johnny Mercerencouraged Alan to move to Los Angeles and become a professional songwriter.[7][10]Marilyn had moved to California and was friends with songwriterBob Russelland his wife, Anna, and later described "drifting into songwriting really by accident because I had a fall and broke my shoulder and couldn't play piano so I started writing lyrics". Marilyn also felt that she lacked the discipline or talent required to become a concert pianist. The Bergmans had both become collaborators with composerLew Spenceand only met when Spence suggested they all work together.

With Spence, the Bergmans wrote the lyrics for the title tracks forDean Martin's 1958 albumSleep WarmandFrank Sinatra's 1960 albumNice 'n' Easy.[11][12]In 1961, the Bergmans wrote their first title song for a motion picture, forThe Right Approach,composed by Spence. In 1964, the Bergmans wrote lyrics to their firstBroadwaymusical,Something More!,to music bySammy Fain.[13]

The Bergmans wrote lyrics for "In the Heat of the Night"with music byQuincy Jonesfor the 1967 filmof the same name,which has been described as their "breakthrough".[14]The couple had later work with Jones onMichael Jackson's soundtrack album forE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982), for which they wrote the lyrics for "Someone In the Dark", and the 2007Ennio Morriconetribute albumWe All Love Ennio Morriconefor which they wrote lyrics to "I Knew I Loved You", which was sung byCeline Dion.[15]

The Bergmans' long relationship with the French composerMichel Legrandbegan in the late 1960s. The couple wrote English lyrics for Legrand's song "The Windmills of Your Mind"featured inThe Thomas Crown Affair(1968), which won them their firstAcademy Award for Best Original Songat the41st Academy Awardsin 1969. The Bergmans and Legrand were subsequently nominated for the Best Original Song award in the following two years for "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"fromThe Happy Ending(1969), and "Pieces of Dreams"from the 1970 film of the same name.The couple's minor work with Legrand in this period included thecontrafactum(rather than a translation) "You Must Believe in Spring" of Maxence's song from the filmThe Young Girls of Rochefort,"Listen to the Sea" fromIce Station Zebra(1968), and "Nobody Knows" and "Sweet Gingerbread Man"fromThe Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart(1970).[16]Legrand also featured eight of the Bergmans' lyrics onhis 1972 album with Sarah Vaughan.[17]

The Bergmans teamed up withMarvin Hamlischto writeBarbra Streisand's hit "The Way We Were"used in thefilm of the same name.The song was labeled byTurner Classic Movies's Andrea Passafiume as "one of the most recognizable songs in the world".[18]Hamlisch and the Bergmans won theAcademy Award for Best Original Songat the46th Academy Awards,theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Songin 1974, and theGrammy Award for Song of the Yearin 1975.[19][20]According to theNational Endowment for the ArtsandRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) in their list of the top 365 "Songs of the Century", the single was placed at number 298.[21]

In 1983, at the55th Academy Awards,the Bergmans' work on "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"composed by Legrand for the filmBest Friendswas nominated for the Best Original Song award. The Bergmans became the first songwriters ever to have written three of the five nominations for the Academy Award for Best Song, being nominated for "It Might Be You"fromTootsie(composed byDave Grusin), and "If We Were in Love" fromYes, Giorgio(composed byJohn Williams), in addition to "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?". At the subsequent Academy Awards, their work with Legrand on the 1983 filmYentlwon them theAcademy Award for Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score,with the songs "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"and"The Way He Makes Me Feel"from the film also being nominated for the Best Original Song award.

The Bergmans were also co-writers of "An American Reunion", the opening ceremony of the inaugural festivities at Washington D.C.'sLincoln Memorialthat markedBill Clinton's first term asPresident of the United Statesin January 1993.[7]In the late 1990s the Bergmans received their final nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, for "Moonlight" (composed byJohn Williams) for the 1995 filmSabrinaand "Love Is Where You Are" (music byMark Isham) for the 1999 filmAt First Sight.Also in 1999, the Bergmans received their lastPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyricsfor "A Time to Dream" "(music by Hamlisch) for the AFI'sAFI's 100 Years 100 Movies Special.

TheKennedy Centercommissioned the Bergmans to write a song cycle in 2001, they chose to collaborate with the composerCy Coleman.The resulting work,Portraits in Jazz: A Gallery of Songswas performed on May 17, 2002.[8] The Bergmans wrote the lyrics toBilly Goldenberg's television musicalQueen of the Stardust Ballroomwhich won the couple their thirdPrimetime Emmy Award Outstanding Achievement in Special Musical Material,it was later the couple's second Broadway show,Ballroom,which opened in 1978.[22]

In 2007, Alan Bergman released his first album as a vocalist,Lyrically, Alan Bergman,featuring lyrics written by him and his wife and arranged byAlan Broadbentand Jeremy Lubbock.[23]Reviewing the album forAllmusic,John Bush praised Bergman's "excellent interpretive skills" and Christopher Loundon in theJazzTimesdescribed Bergman's voice as a "...revelation, suggesting both the wise, elder Sinatra and the astutely mellow Fred Astaire, with a touch of the offbeat dreaminess of Chet Baker."[24]

The Bergmans had a long professional relationship with Barbra Streisand. In addition to their work on the filmsYentlandThe Way We Were,in which Streisand starred, the Bergmans wrote Streisand's One Voice concert which was releasedas a live album in 1987.Marilyn also served as the executive producer of the One Voice concert. The Bergmans' song "Ordinary Miracles" fromStreisand's 1994 concert tour and HBO specialwon the couple their third Emmy Award, with the couple's script for the tour also being nominated for a CableACE Award. The Bergmans received their fifth Emmy nomination for the song "On the Way to Becoming Me" (music by Marvin Hamlisch) from the AFI tribute to Streisand.[6]The Bergmans also served as board members of Streisand's charitable foundation.[25]Streisand's 2011 albumWhat Matters Mostwas recorded in tribute to the Bergmans and featured ten songs by the couple that she had not previously recorded.[26]

In 2017, The Bergmans collaborated with playwrightJosh RavetchonChasing Mem'ries: A Different Kind of Musical.[27]

Awards and honors

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The Bergmans were the recipients of numerous academic honors and lifetime achievement awards. The couple wereinducted into the Songwriters Hall of Famein 1980, and subsequently received theJohnny Mercer Awardin 1997.[7]The Bergmans were awarded honorarydoctoratesby theBerklee College of Musicin 1995. They also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from theNational Academy of Songwritersthat year. In 1996, the couple were the recipients of the inaugural Fiorello Lifetime Achievement Award from New York City'sFiorello H. LaGuardia High School.The Bergmans were later inducted into the LaGuardia High School's Hall of Fame.[8][28]In 1986, Marilyn was awarded theWomen in FilmCrystal Award.[29]Marilyn was later appointed an Officer of theOrder of Arts and Lettersby theFrench Ministry of Culturein 1996.[30]In 1998, Marilyn received an Honorary doctorate fromTrinity Collegein Hartford, Connecticut, and in 2011, Alan was presented with a Distinguished Alumnus award from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina. The Bergmans were the recipients of theNational Music Publishers AssociationLifetime Achievement Award in 2002, Marilyn was also the recipient of the Creative Arts Award from the Kaufman Cultural Center that same year.[7]

The Bergmans held several executive positions in organizations connected with the arts. Marilyn served as the president and chairman of the board of theAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers(ASCAP) for fifteen years, from 1994 to 2009. Bergman was elected president and chairman after she had served five terms, since 1984, as the first woman ever to serve on ASCAP's board of directors. Marilyn completed her term as president in April 2009 and has then continued to serve on the board of ASCAP.[6]Marilyn also served two terms as president of CISAC, The International Confederation of Performing Rights Societies. Alan has served on the boards of directors of The Johnny Mercer Foundation, The Artists' Rights Foundation, and The Jazz Bakery.[6]The Bergmans also served on the executive committee of the Music Branch of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesand were board members of the National Academy of Songwriters.[7]Marilyn also served as the president of theNational Recording Preservation Board.[31]

In 2022, Marilyn was inducted into theWomen Songwriters Hall of Fame.[32]

Notable works

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Notable lyrics and compositions by the Bergmans include:

Musicals
Films
Television

References

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  1. ^"Marilyn & Alan Bergman's 10 Best Lyrics".Billboard.2022-01-10.
  2. ^Nathan, John (August 18, 2011)."Happily married, and in a relationship with Streisand".www.thejc.com.Retrieved2016-08-23.
  3. ^"Bergman, Alan 1925–".www.encyclopedia.com.Encyclopedia.com.
  4. ^https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/marilyn-bergman-stars-of-david
  5. ^"Bergman, Marilyn 1929–(Marilyn Keith) | Encyclopedia.com".www.encyclopedia.com.
  6. ^abcd"Alan and Marilyn Bergman biography".Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-05-29.
  7. ^abcdef"Songwriters Hall of Fame - Johnny Mercer Award".Songwriters Hall of Fame.Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2013.Retrieved6 November2015.
  8. ^abcVernell Hackett (September 1, 2002)."Marilyn Bergman: 'Drifted' Into Songwriting".American Songwriter.Retrieved4 November2015.
  9. ^Bruce Haring (January 8, 2022)."Marilyn Bergman Dies: Multiple Oscar, Emmy, Grammy Winning Lyricist Was 93".Deadline.Retrieved8 January2022.
  10. ^Ankeny, Jason."Alan Bergman".vervemusic.com.allmusic.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-12-22.
  11. ^William J. Mann (9 October 2012).Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.ISBN978-0-547-90586-0.
  12. ^Will Friedwald (1995).Sinatra! the Song is You: A Singer's Art.Simon and Schuster. pp. 256–.ISBN978-0-684-19368-7.
  13. ^"Something More! - Broadway Show - Musical | IBDB".Internet Broadway Database.Retrieved26 June2023.
  14. ^"Alan and Marilyn Bergman".Allmusic biography.Allmusic.
  15. ^All Love Ennio Morricone Alan and Marilyn BergmanatAllMusic
  16. ^abWeber, Bruce (13 July 1968)."From The Music Capitals of the World (Los Angeles)".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 74.ISSN0006-2510.
  17. ^Sarah Vaughan with Michel LegrandatAllMusic
  18. ^Passafiume, Andrea."The Way We Were (1973)".Turner Classic Movies.Archivedfrom the original on November 27, 2016.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  19. ^"Winners & Nominees Best Original Song – Motion Picture".Hollywood Foreign Press Association.Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2017.RetrievedDecember 31,2016.
  20. ^"17th Annual Grammy Awards".The Recording Academy.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2017.RetrievedDecember 31,2016.
  21. ^"Songs of the Century".CNN.March 7, 2001.Archivedfrom the original on May 2, 2014.RetrievedNovember 17,2016.
  22. ^"Ballroom! - Broadway Musical - Original".Internet Broadway Database.Retrieved26 June2023.
  23. ^Lyrically, Alan BergmanatAllMusic
  24. ^Christopher Loundon (October 2007)."Jazz Albums: Lyrically, Alan Bergman".Jazz Times.Retrieved4 November2015.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^Tom Santopietro (1 April 2007).The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand.St. Martin's Press. pp. 176–.ISBN978-1-4299-0853-5.
  26. ^What Matters MostatAllMusic
  27. ^"Chasing Mem'ries".Geffen Playhouse.2017-11-25.Retrieved2024-09-08.
  28. ^"30th Anniversary Gala".LaGuardia High School - 30th Anniversary Gala.LaGuardia High School. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-04.
  29. ^"WIF Awards Retrospective - Women In Film".Women in Film. August 2020.RetrievedJune 26,2023.
  30. ^"Words Can't Express".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 26 October 1996. p. 44.ISSN0006-2510.
  31. ^"Marilyn Bergman biography".ASCAP - Marilyn Bergman biography.ASCAP.
  32. ^"WOMEN SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME AWARDS RETURNS FOR SECOND YEAR TO CELEBRATE AND INDUCT FEMALE ICONIC HITMAKERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C."InDaHouse.April 14, 2022.
  33. ^Mancini, Henry; Kaplan, Audrey Kleiner (1987).The New Henry Mancini Songbook.Miami, FL: CPP/Belwin. p. 116.ISBN9781576237687.
  34. ^"Dave Grusin – Two For The Road (The Music Of Henry Mancini)".Discogs.
  35. ^Donald J. Stubblebine (1991).Cinema Sheet Music: A Comprehensive Listing of Published Film Music from "Squaw Man" (1914) to "Batman" (1989).McFarland. p. 123.ISBN978-0-89950-569-5.
  36. ^Vincent Terrace (1 January 1981).Television: 1970-1980.A.S. Barnes.ISBN978-0-498-02539-6.
  37. ^Paul Grein (10 January 2002)."Marilyn & Alan Bergman's 10 Best Lyrics".Billboard.There’s a New Girl in Town.
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