r Huge tiornenimde S o u p s On The Bookshelf O Nomel melette ette W a f fl e s POSITIVELY POETRY from page 79 stature and his homosexuality which no doubt led to his alcoholism and bottomless well of depression. Only the stoniest of hearts would fail to be moved by Hart's poignantly dejected words to "Glad to Be Unhappy" or "It Never Entered My Mind." Its baffling, too, why the bios are essentially the same length across the board. How can giants like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin receive the same degree of ink as much lesser lights? Gottlieb and Kimball give welcome credit to underappreciated African- American lyricists like Andy Razaf ("Ain't Misbehavin") and the Canadian-born but Detroit-raised Shelton Brooks (who wrote Sophie Tucker's signature tune, "Some of These Days"). The editors rightfully credit Cecil Mack's "That's Why They Call Me `Shine— as "one of the most telling comments on prejudice in popular song," but although they include the lyrics to Irving Berlin's "Supper Time," they don't mention the song's genesis as a black woman's lament for her lynched husband: "Supper time/ I should set the table,/ Cause it's supper time./ Somehow I'm not able,/ 'Cause that man o' mine/ Ain't comin' home no more." The editors happily don't neglect the works of lyricists whose stars may not have been as bright as Porter's or Johnny Mercer's but who made valu- able contributions to the craft, such as Ned Washington. ("My Foolish Heart") or Bart Howard ("Fly Me to the Moon.") And they deserve accolades for including Alan Jay Lerner's superb lyrics to "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore," with its stinging indict- ment of youth's supposed allure: "The fountain of youth is dull as paint./ Methuselah is my patron saint." There's also a section at the book's conclusion where one-hit wonders are recognized, from Nancy Hamilton's "How High the Moon" to Larry Conley's "A Cottage for Sale." Even with its inevitable shortcom- ings, Reading Lyrics is a welcome and absorbing volume, one that makes even a casual reader appreciate and respect a craft where standards were high, wit was rapier-sharp and words were not only meaningful but, like Hammerstein's "silver-white winters that melt into springs," remain some of our favorite things. E BEHIND THE MUSIC to-col M e n u from page 79 popularity and emotional power — from sheet music and African American jazz to World War II and Frank Sinatra to movies like the Wizard of Oz and Casablanca. An index in the back separates the songwriters' tunes by category and another lists the 25 most per- formed songs of the 20th century as compiled by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). They are: • "Happy Birthday to You," by Mildred J. Hill and Patty Hill • "Tea for Two," by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar • "Moon River," by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer • "Over the Rainbow," by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg • "White Christmas," by Irving Berlin • "Hello, Dolly," by Jerry Herman • "As Time Goes By," by Herman Hupfield • "Blue Moon," by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart • "Rhapsody in Blue," by George Gershwin • "Night and Day," by Cole Porter • "Santa Claus Is Coining to Town," by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie • "Misty," by Errol Garner • "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," by Burt Bacharach and Hal David • "Mack the Knife" (theme from The Threepenny Opera), by Kurt Weill and Mark Blitzstein • "Unchained Melody," by Alex North and Hy Zaret • "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts roasting"), by Mel Torme and Robert Wells • "Sweet Georgia Brown," by Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey and Maceo Pinkard • "Winter Wonderland," by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith • "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," by Douglass Cross and George C. Corey Jr. • "I Only Have Eyes for You," by Harry Warren and Al Dubin • "I Got Rhythm," by George and Ira Gershwin • "The Way We Were," by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman • "Star Dust," by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parrish • "I Could Have Danced All Night," by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner • "That Old Black Magic," by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer Li Fresh Fresh Salads B09015 St Lox Fresh flake Fat Free calE M uffins Dine-In • Carry-Out Open Mon.-Sat. 6:30 - 3:00, Sun. 8:00 - 3:00 r 1/2 OFF ti 1,1 ggwhite Omelette Buy 1 Get the te Second .'i , `A Eggwhite Omelette i for 1/2 Off MI q 1 Expires 4/20/01 Not Valid With Any Other Offer Mon. - Fri. 6:30 am - 11 om Pi 0. 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