Bennie Benjamin

Claude August "Bennie" Benjamin (November 4, 1907 – May 2, 1989) was a Virgin Islands–born American songwriter. He had particularly successful songwriting partnerships with Sol Marcus, with whom he wrote "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World)", and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"; and with George David Weiss, with whom he wrote "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" and "Wheel of Fortune". Most of his songs were in the traditional pop idiom.

Early life Benjamin was born in Christiansted, on the island of Saint Croix, then part of the Danish West Indies (later within the United States Virgin Islands). As his family did not have sufficient funds to allow him to train as a minister, he trained as a tailor and cabinetmaker before moving to New York City in 1927.

In 1942, Benjamin enlisted in the U.S. Army, and performed in and produced entertainment shows. After returning to civilian life, he joined with lyricist George David Weiss and established a second successful songwriting partnership with him. The pair wrote some twenty hit songs over the next decade. Their early successes included "Oh! What It Seemed to Be", a 1946 hit for Frank Sinatra, Frankie Carle, and others; Perry Como's number 1 hit "Surrender"; and "Rumors Are Flying", a number 1 hit in 1946 for Frankie Carle and also a hit for The Andrews Sisters and others. They also wrote together for the Disney films Fun and Fancy Free and Melody Time. Later hits written by Benjamin and Weiss included "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore" (recorded by the Stardusters and Perry Como); "I'll Never Be Free" (a pop hit as a duet between Tennessee Ernie Ford and Kay Starr and an R&B hit for both Dinah Washington and Louis Jordan); "Can Anyone Explain? (No! No! No!)" (Ames Brothers); and "These Things I Offer You (for a Lifetime)" (by Benjamin, Weiss, and Morty Nevins, recorded by Sarah Vaughan). In 1952, Benjamin and Weiss wrote one of their most successful songs, "Wheel of Fortune", a number 1 hit for Kay Starr which sold over one million copies and provided the theme for a TV show.

Although Benjamin and Weiss continued to work together, their hits became less frequent and their working partnership ended in 1955. Benjamin then began working again with Sol Marcus, and the pair wrote "Lonely Man", recorded by Elvis Presley, and several songs recorded by Nina Simone, including "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". The song was co-credited to Benjamin, Marcus, and Gloria Caldwell, the wife of songwriter Horace Ott. It was recorded by Simone in 1964 and was later a hit for The Animals.

Having first established a publishing company with Perry Como in 1950, Benjamin became more active as a music publisher in the 1960s and set up Benjamin Publishing in 1965 and Bennie Benjamin Music in 1968. He was actively involved in ASCAP, winning an award for "I'll Never Be Free" in 1979, and was on the Council of the American Guild of Authors and Composers. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. The Benjamin Foundation was established upon his death. As of 2024, it has contributed over three million dollars to Virgin Islands healthcare.

Notable songs