Who Wrote These Standards? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Johnny Mercer

As he says in one of his songs:

"Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between"

Mercer's style of songwriting was not too well suited to the Broadway shows of the early 1930s, so he moved to Hollywood, to act and write songs for movies. There his career took off - over the years he worked with most of the composers of the day. Johnny Mercer died in 1976.

Answer: Irving Berlin

The composer of "White Christmas" and "God Bless America" was born in Russia, and come to the US as a small child. He apparently could not read music, and wasn't any great shakes as a piano player either, but oh, could he write songs! He died at the age of 101, in 1989.

A partial list of his well known songs includes those mentioned in the question, plus:
"Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)"
"Blue Skies"
"Cheek to Cheek"
"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly"
"Easter Parade"
"The Girl That I Marry"

And on, and on....

Answer: Billy Strayhorn

By all accounts, this was a highly successful partnership; their musical styles fit together seamlessly. They worked together for more than thirty years, and after Strayhorn's death, Ellingtion released "And His Mother Called Him Bill", a collection of his songs.

Answer: Ira Gershwin

Everybody thinks of George as the genius, in this pair, but Ira was no slouch, either. After George's death he continued writing with other composers for many years. He wrote one of my all time favorite songs, along with Harold Arlen: "The Man That Got Away". If you have seen the Judy Garland/James Mason version of "A Star is Born", you'll know the song I mean. Ira Gershwin died in 1983.

Answer: George Gershwin

The brothers, George and Ira, first collaborated on 1924's "Lady Be Good". They worked together almost exclusively from then on until George's death in 1937. George also composed groundbreaking modern classical music such as "An American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue". He died young, at the age of 39.

The list of familiar Gershwin tunes is almost endless:

"Oh, Lady be Good"
"They Can't Take That Away From Me"
"Nice Work If You Can Get It"
"Love is Here to Stay"
"Someone to Watch Over Me"
"I Got Rhythm"
"Of Thee I Sing"
"Fascinating Rhythm"
"A Foggy Day in London"
"Summertime"

Answer: Dorothy Fields

Fields wrote many of her most memorable songs in collaboration with Jimmy McHugh - "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love", "I'm In The Mood For Love" and one of my all time favorites, "I Must Have That Man". She also worked with Jerome Kern, and produced songs like "I Won't Dance" and "A Fine Romance" for his shows.

Her effortless wit and style make the forced lyrics of some modern showtunes stink like three day old fish. Listen to "I Can't Give You Anything But Love":

"Dream a while
Scheme a while
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for
Gee, I'd like to see you looking swell, baby
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby
Till that lucky day
You know darned well, baby
I can't give you anything but love"

Answer: Harold Arlen

Arlen, born Hyman Arluck, was the son of a cantor - I was a little amazed, while researching this quiz, to see how many Jazz Age artists were cantor's sons; I guess "The Jazz Singer" had it right after all. He worked with many lyricists during his long career, but had his longest and most fruitful partnerships with Yip Harburg ("The Wizard of Oz") and Johnny Mercer. He died in 1986.

Answer: Cole Porter

Cole Porter was the epitome of the sophisticated, witty songwriter, and his lifestyle bore it out - glittering parties, questionable sexuality and all. Who else could have written lyrics like these for a cowboy song?

"I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses" ("Don't Fence Me In", 1944)

A short list of well known Porter tunes includes:

"Anything Goes"
"Begin the Beguine" (called by Irving Berlin "That long, long, song")
"It's De-Lovely"
"Easy to Love"
"I've Got You Under My Skin"
"Just One of Those Things"
"Miss Otis Regrets" ...well, you get the idea.

Answer: Jerome Kern

Kern studied music as a young man at the New York College of Music and in Germany. He found his way to musical theatre by way of Tin Pan Alley. He also worked in England, and wrote music for silent films. He was very busy writing for musicals all through the teens and twenties. Jerome Kern passed away in 1945.

Answer: Richard Rodgers

Rodgers' collaboration with Hart brought us songs such as "My Funny Valentine", "The Lady is a Tramp", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", and "Blue Moon".

With Hammerstein, he wrote what are probably the most famous musicals of the twentieth century: "Oklahoma", "Carousel", "South Pacific", "The King and I", "The Sound of Music", and several less well known shows.

Rodgers was the first EGOT winner - Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. He died in 1979.