Mack David

Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, notable for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing lyrics or music or both for over one thousand songs. He was particularly well known for his work on the Disney films Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, and for the mostly-English lyrics through which Édith Piaf's signature song "La Vie en rose" gained much of its familiarity among native speakers of English.

David was the elder brother of American lyricist and songwriter Hal David. song, "Sunflower", was published in 1948, and Frank Sinatra turned it into a hit. Jerry Herman's hit theme song for Hello, Dolly! composed over a decade later, used four bars of David's "Sunflower". When David sued Herman for copyright infringement, Herman settled out of court with David (for a reputed $250,000),

Academy Award nominations 1950 "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" (with Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman) from Cinderella 1959 "The Hanging Tree" (with Jerry Livingston) from The Hanging Tree 1961 "Bachelor in Paradise" (with Henry Mancini) from Bachelor in Paradise 1962 "Walk on the Wild Side" (with Elmer Bernstein) from Walk on the Wild Side 1963 "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (with Ernest Gold) from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 1964 "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (with Frank De Vol) from Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte 1965 "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" (with Jerry Livingston) from Cat Ballou 1966 "My Wishing Doll" (with Elmer Bernstein) from Hawaii

Composer and lyricist of popular songs In addition to his many Academy Award nominations, David also had a number of hit songs, including: "Rain, Rain, Go Away" (1932) Duke Ellington's "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" (1939) "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine", sung by Patti Page in 1950 (with subsequent cover versions), later covered by Elvis Presley as a rockabilly-styled tune in 1954 "The Unbirthday Song" (with Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman) from Alice in Wonderland (1951) The Shirelles' "Baby It's You" (1961 with Burt Bacharach and Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams)) "(Beware of) The Blob" (a charted hit by The 5 Blobs; film theme song to 1958 camp-horror classic The Blob, starring Steve McQueen, with Burt Bacharach "It Must Be Him" (1967 with Gilbert Becaud) Theme song to Casper the Friendly Ghost (1950 with Jerry Livingston) "Trick or Treat for Halloween" (with Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman) from Trick or Treat (1952)

David collaborated with many composers, including Raymond Scott, Al Hoffman, Alex Kramer, Count Basie, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, and Jerry Livingston, on numerous songs for stage and screen, including Casper the Friendly Ghost, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Bourbon Street Beat, Surfside 6 and "This Is It" (for the 1960s The Bugs Bunny Show).

Perhaps David's most popular lyrics were written for "La Vie en rose", a French song with lyrics by Édith Piaf and music by Louiguy (Louis Guglielmi), which was Piaf's signature song. Although David did not write an English translation of Piaf's lyrics, his words captured the spirit of the song; his version was performed by artists such as Louis Armstrong. The song was recorded by over eighty international singers and musicians and been featured in several dozen motion pictures.

David's song "Candy" (co-written with Whitney and Kramer) was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald for her 1968 album 30 by Ella.

Work on Broadway Bright Lights of 1944 (1943) – revue – lyricist Gilbert Bécaud on Broadway (1966) – concert – featured lyricist Molly (1973) – musical – co-lyricist Sophisticated Ladies (1981) – revue – featured songwriter for "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" Swing! (1999) – revue – featured songwriter for "Candy"

Inventor David had a varied interest in musical composition. In 1975, according to the New York Times in David's obituary: "Mr. David was granted a patent for inventing an electronic system for composing songs from fractional recordings. The system, which included playback units, stored records of lyrics and melodies. The operator selected words and music that fit together and recorded the combination."