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Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Alvin and the Chipmunks ( 2007 ) PG | A struggling songwriter named Dave Seville finds success when he comes across a trio of singing chipmunks: mischievous leader Alvin, brainy Simon, and chubby, impressionable Theodore. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV User Lists Related lists from IMDb users a list of 43 titles created 01 Apr 2012 a list of 38 titles created 09 May 2012 a list of 48 titles created 20 Oct 2012 a list of 23 titles created 06 Mar 2013 a list of 42 titles created 30 Dec 2015 Title: Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) 5.2/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 2 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards  » Videos The world famous singing pre-teen chipmunk trio return to contend with the pressures of school, celebrity, and a rival female music group known as The Chipettes. Director: Betty Thomas Playing around while aboard a cruise ship, the Chipmunks and Chipettes accidentally go overboard and end up marooned in a tropical paradise. They discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems. Director: Mike Mitchell     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.1/10 X   Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami...and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother. Director: Walt Becker When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world into New York City. Director: Raja Gosnell Jon Arbuckle buys a second pet, a dog named Odie. However, Odie is then abducted and it is up to Jon's cat, Garfield, to find and rescue the canine. Director: Peter Hewitt Jon and Garfield visit the United Kingdom, where a case of mistaken cat identity finds Garfield ruling over a castle. His reign is soon jeopardized by the nefarious Lord Dargis, who has designs on the estate. Director: Tim Hill The Smurfs team up with their human friends to rescue Smurfette, who has been kidnapped by Gargamel since she knows a secret spell that can turn the evil sorcerer's newest creation - creatures called the Naughties - into real Smurfs. Director: Raja Gosnell Stuart and Snowbell set out across town to rescue a friend. Director: Rob Minkoff The Little family adopt a charming young mouse named Stuart, but the family cat wants rid of him. Director: Rob Minkoff     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X   Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear, finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters. Directors: Roger Allers, Jill Culton, and 1 more credit  » Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Martin Lawrence, Debra Messing     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X   Barry B. Benson, a bee just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue them. Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick E.B., the Easter Bunny's teenage son, heads to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. In LA, he's taken in by Fred after the out-of-work slacker hits E.B. with his car. Director: Tim Hill Edit Storyline In a tree farm, three musically inclined chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, find their tree cut down and sent to Los Angeles. Once there, they meet the frustrated songwriter David Seville, and despite a poor house wrecking first impression, they impress him with their singing talent. Seeing the opportunity for success, both human and chipmunks make a pact for them to sing his songs. While that ambition proves a frustrating struggle with the difficult trio, the dream does come true after all. However, that success presents its own trials as their unscrupulous record executive, Ian Hawke, plans to break up this family to exploit the boys. Can Dave and the Chipmunks discover what they really value amid the superficial glamor around them? Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com) The Last Man Home.......Is Not Alone. See more  » Genres: Rated PG for some mild rude humor | See all certifications  » Parents Guide: 14 December 2007 (USA) See more  » Also Known As: Alvin y las ardillas See more  » Filming Locations: $44,307,417 (USA) (14 December 2007) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia David Seville was a stage name of Ross Bagdasarian , and his son was originally supposed to portray the character in the film. He took the name "Seville" from the area in Spain, where he had done military service. See more » Goofs When Dave is late for work and almost forgets his pants, his old Pro Stereo skateboard is against the wall to the left of the front door. When he returns from his meeting, the board is to the right of the door and leaning in the corner. See more » Quotes [first lines] Alvin (singing voice), Simon (singing voice), Theodore (singing voice): [a capella] Where is the moment we needed the most/You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost/They tell me your blue skies fade to gray/They tell me your passion's gone away/And I don't need no carryin' on/Cause you had a bad day/You're taking one down/You sing a sad song just to turn it around/You say you don't know/You tell me don't lie/You work at a smile and you go for a ride/You had a bad day/You've seen what you like/And how does it feel for one more time/You had a bad day/... [...] See more » Crazy Credits In the end credits, there is a disclaimer that says 'No chipmunks were harmed during the filming of this movie.' See more » Connections Arranged by and Performed by Daniel May Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource Music Catalog (Memphis, Tennessee) – See all my reviews (Synopsis) Three chipmunk brothers, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are living their lives in the forest storing nuts away for the winter when one day their tree is cut down and carried off into the city to become a Christmas tree. They must find a new home and they end up at Dave's house. The only thing that makes them different is that they can talk and even sing. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) is a struggling song writer who has a great idea about making the chipmunks a new show act, singing his songs. The only thing is that you must remember is that they are chipmunks and they act like chipmunks by tearing up Dave's house and interrupting his love life. However, they also begin to bond as a family with Dave becoming like a Dad. The chipmunks become a big hit and superstars with cute voices and fancy dance moves. The record company executive Ian (David Cross) sees big money in his future and takes over the act and pushes Dave to the side. Dave must try to save his little family before they becomes a show biz disaster. (My Comment) I enjoyed this movie because it brought back good memories. I can't believe that their first song was recorded 50 years ago. They have that certain sound that just makes you smile when you hear them. You recognize their sound immediately. The animated characters of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are lovable now as they were 50 years ago. I always liked it when Dave would scream the name of "Aaaaalviiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnn!!!" and Alvin would say "OooooK!!!" Those two words just make you smile. Children of all ages can see this movie without any problem. I am sure that all the parents will like it, and I know your child will, because it is a fun movie. (20th Century Fox, Run Time 1:30, Rated PG) (8/10) 67 of 110 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? Yes

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The Chipmunks - Biography | Billboard The Chipmunks Alvin Simon Theodore Ross Bagdasarian David Seville Possibly the most popular TV and musical cartoon of all time, the Chipmunks enjoyed several periods of prosperity -- beginning with the '60s era of adolescent Baby Boomers, cresting in the '80s, when the Boomers' children were growing up, and riding the wave clear into the new millennium. The man who brought the Chipmunks to life, Ross Bagdasarian, was born on January 27, 1919, in Fresno, California. He came to Los Angeles in 1950, and appeared in the films Viva Zapata, Stalag 17, and Rear Window. Bagdasarian also worked as a songwriter, reaching the charts first in 1956, as his production of Alfi & Harry's "The Trouble with Harry" hit number 44. He later charted two solo singles (recorded as David Seville), "Armen's Theme" and "Gotta Get to Your House." In 1958, Bagdasarian began experimenting with a novel technique -- recording normal vocals but then speeding up the playback on a tape machine. The process yielded the number one hit "Witch Doctor" in early 1958, and the phenomenon mushroomed later that year when his Christmas gimmick single "The Chipmunk Song" spent four weeks at the top of the charts. "Alvin's Harmonica" reached number three just two months later, and Christmas reissues of "The Chipmunk Song" charted in the Top 40 over the next four years. The Alvin Show premiered on prime-time television in 1961, with all voices supplied by Bagdasarian. It only ran for one year, but was a success in a Saturday-morning slot. Five more Chipmunks singles charted in the early '60s, and five LPs also did well, including a Beatles cover album in 1964. Although Bagdasarian died in 1972, his son Ross Jr. revived Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in 1979 on Saturday mornings and on the 1980 album Chipmunk Punk. The series became more popular than in the '60s, and albums of the Chipmunks singing country, Christmas, rock, and Hollywood favorites were big sellers, though they didn't enjoy chart success. Although the cartoon was no longer in production by the '90s, new Chipmunks records continued appearing, among them 1998's A-Files: Alien Files. In 2007, a film series debuted with Alvin and the Chipmunks -- the first being so successful that it spawned three sequels: 2009's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, 2011's Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, and 2015's Alvin and the Chipmunks 4. A revival of the TV series was also planned to premiere on Nickelodeon in early 2015. ~ John Bush, Rovi Related Artists

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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – EW.com Comedy, Kids and Family We gave it a C- If only for the sake of adults, couldn’t the folks behind the Alvin films have had the good grace to turn Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel into a musical? Like the original big-screen Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007), this new one is a slapstick pacifier, the kind of movie that features gags like Simon getting three-point-shotted into a wastebasket by an angry jock. Yes, griping about intentionally stupid jokes in an intentionally silly sequel seems like a churlish and rather pointless thing to do. Yet when Alvin, Simon, and Theodore take the stage to perform a number like “You Really Got Me” (sounding more like a pip-squeak Van Halen than the Kinks), or when they twirl around on top of a blender and toss off a smokin’ a cappella version of “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” it’s funky, charming, and — yes — irresistible. In the age of Glee and American Idol, when even little kids groove on the pop of different eras, the songs in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel are natural-born showstoppers. The trouble is, there are only three or four of them in the whole movie. My hopes were raised with the appearance of the Chipettes, a trio of Bambi-lashed female chipmunks who mail themselves to L.A. in a FedEx packet and sign a contract with Ian Hawk (David Cross), the evil agent-promoter from the first film. But they get to do exactly one song (it’s a goodie, “Single Ladies”). Mostly, we’re stuck with a lame plastic plot that has Alvin and his boys going to high school, plus Zachary Levi (from NBC’s Chuck, essentially taking over for Jason Lee, who makes only a token appearance) doing sub-Adam Sandler routines as the chipmunks’ caretaker. Will kids eat up this cutely fractious claptrap? Of course they will. They’ll eat up whatever you put in front of them. But that doesn’t make The Squeakquel good for them. C- Show Full Article

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Alvin Seville | Alvin and the Chipmunks Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Work, failure, being alone, losing his cap, threats to his family and friends Quote "OKAY!!" Alvin Seville is one of The Chipmunks and the titular protagonist of the series and movies. He is the leader of the group as well as the self-proclaimed "awesomest" one. Alvin greatly relishes his role as band front man and his antics and ego regularly get him and his brothers (sometimes even Dave ) into trouble. Contents Biography 60s Series Alvin, the shortest of the Chipmunk brothers, is always scheming, whether it be because he wants to get out of chores ( Overworked Alvin ) or is just trying to find a place to relax ( Alvin's Cruise ). Alvin has much musical talent; he not only sings, but also plays the harmonica. He loves his harmonica and will play it any time he can, even if it ends up messing up the song (" Alvin's Harmonica "). Alvin has trouble grasping other languages or their cultures but enjoys traveling the world anyway (" I Wish I Could Speak French ", " Comin' Thru' the Rye "). He can be lazy when it comes to working, but he is very imaginative ( Sir Alvin ). He doesn't take lightly to people insulting him and his brothers' music ( Squares ), and sometimes even resorts to violence when dealing with people he dislikes (Daisy Bell in "Three Blind Mice"). He will also manipulate people when his fame is at stake ( Disc Jockey ). At times the selfish side of Alvin can take over, but, in the end, he always returns to help his brothers and Dave ( Alvin's Alter-Ego ). Alvin's interest in girls isn't as strong as in later incarnations, but he definitely is a charmer (" August Dear "). 80s Series Alvin is the oldest, as revealed in the episode Grounded Chipmunk after making the statement, "I've never been alone, except those five minutes before Simon was born." Alvin is charming, musical (able to play guitar, piano, and harmonica, among many others), and full of animal magnetism. He always seems to make up hare-brained schemes to accomplish whatever his goal at the time is; whether it be trying to help his brothers, keeping Dave from figuring something out, or getting out of a sticky situation. However, Simon seems to refer to his often illogical or crazy plans as challenging the ordinary. Alvin has always possessed an impulsive behavior which has, at times, irritated or angered others around him, most obviously Dave. At times Alvin's determination can be viewed as being thoughtless, greedy, or manipulative. As a result of his constant habit of reacting to opportunity, Alvin has gotten his brothers or himself in trouble quite a few times such as the balloon race in The Chipmunk Adventure and a large number of episodes. Although Alvin is very much self-centered, he does care about his brothers. In Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, Alvin helped Theodore temporarily get a bully off his case, causing the principal to remark, "I'll say this for Alvin: he sticks up for his little brother." Alvin is an emotional roller coaster: his enthusiasm endless and despair bottomless. Alvin is often shown to be quite self-absorbed and greedy, but is also seen to be selfless and giving such as when he gives away his harmonica, one of his most prized possessions, to a child with a terminal illness in A Chipmunk Christmas . In A Chipmunk Reunion , Alvin has a difficult time forgiving his mother for leaving them until the end. Alvin is commonly portrayed as the charming member of the trio. In the Dr. Simon and Mr. Heartthrob  episode, he dresses stylishly and attempts to attract a group of visiting girls before being usurped by Simon, who drank a special kind of elixir which granted him natural magnetism and charm. CGI Films Alvin retains some of the traits he possessed from the 80s such as his impulsiveness, desire for fun, and charm as seen in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel where he manages to capture the attention of a group of girls using his cute looks and as well as the French language (e.g. he called Becca Mademoiselle after kissing her finger). Nevertheless, he has difficulty at showing affection toward Dave such as in the first film, Alvin and the Chipmunks, where he struggles at telling Dave that he loves him as a father, but less so with his brothers such as the time Alvin tried to kiss Simon to cheer him up in the second film. CGI Series Alvin contains much of his traditional personality: charming, impulsive, and self-centered. He continues to flirt with women such as the principal ( Principal Interest ) or have crushes on famous individuals ( Mister Manners ). Though he acts in his self-interest, he recognizes when his schemes go too far and does what's necessary to make up to the one he hurt ( To Serve And Protect ). He's still protective of his brothers ( Bully For You ) and has familiar emotional attachment at times ( Warbie ). Alvin retains his sporty lifestyle of the 80s, frequently seen on his skateboard ( What A Gem ), though tends to go too far when others are concerned ( Mutiny ). Appearance Alvin's signature appearance has changed over the years. Before The Alvin Show, Alvin looked like a normal chipmunk somewhat similar to his CGI films appearance. Alvin wears just a red shirt with the letter 'A'. After The Alvin Show was created Alvin was given more human features. His red shirt with his signature yellow 'A' is lengthen to go down to his new black shoes. Alvin was also given a red baseball cap and is the shortest of his brothers. In Chipmunk Punk , Alvin wears clothes similar to The Alvin Show with the red sweater and matching hat but now wears white and dark blue shoes, since the album was released Alvin has a box cut instead of his regular hair as to match the visual style of the cover. When the Alvin and the Chipmunks series was created, Alvin wore a red sweater with his signature yellow 'A' and a baseball cap. He also wore white and blue pattern shoes. In the early episodes, Alvin's eye color is black but as the series progressed, his eye color changed to blue. In some episodes, Alvin wears light red footie pajamas with an 'A' on it, while in others, he wears a red t-shirt with a yellow 'A' on it along with red pajama pants. In the CGI/live-action films, Alvin only wears a red hoodie with a yellow 'A' on it. His appearance was modified to look more closely to a real life chipmunk and has brown eyes. In the 2007 Alvin and the Chipmunks, Alvin is only seen wearing his cap twice; the first time on a magazine cover and the second at the end of the movie. In ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks , he wears a red and blue-hooded sweater with his signature yellow "A" on it, which also has a hole in the left sleeve (right in the promotional images), blue jeans, and red/orange/white converse shoes. Alvin regains his signature red baseball cap as a common accessory, but it now has green under the visor and orange on the top-visor. He also has light orange-brownish fur. Relationships Dave The relationship between Alvin and Dave is frustrating for the two of them at times. Frequently Alvin won't cooperate which makes Dave scream his signature catchphrase "ALLLVIIINNNN!!!!", to which Alvin replies with a loud "OKAY!!" Although they can both irritate each other, they really love and care for each other. Simon Although the two of them are brothers, Alvin and Simon argue a lot of times because of their differences. In The Alvin Show, Alvin and Simon didn't fight too much or have a developing relationship until in the 1980's series. Alvin and Simon have a large bonding relationship in Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman while trying to find a cure for Theodore. It is obvious Alvin cares for Simon because in Bully For You , he wanted to help save Simon from Derek , the school bully. Theodore Alvin's relationship with Theodore can sometimes be hard for Theodore. Sometimes Alvin enjoys playing pranks and teasing Theodore, which usually upsets Theodore, sometimes Alvin doesn't realize that he would hurt Theodore's feelings. Although Alvin enjoys pranking Theodore, he cares and stands up for him because in Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman , he saved Theodore from Nathan , the school bully. Alvin: Are you in, or...in? - ( Meet the Wolfman ) Alvin: That's it! I can't take this anymore. I can't! I give up! I'm sick of struggling for survival, competing with gophers and earthworms and that loser sparrow who always takes my nuts! And I'm especially sick of this stupid! Stupid! TREE!! - ( Alvin and the Chipmunks ) Alvin: Dave likes to wear, dirty underwear, with little hairs! - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: Our parents were hippies. They left early to join a commune. - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: We're not performing monkeys, Dave! Why do we have to sing for that guy anyway? - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: MAJOR ROCK STARS. - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: We're not watching TV! - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: Simon, Theodore, help! - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: You'll never take us alive!!! - (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Alvin: Oh, relax. Like Ryan says, who's going to beat singing chipmunks? - ( The Squeakquel ) Alvin: I never thought I'd say this, but...pink is my new favorite color. - (The Squeakquel) Alvin: Got it. Straight to the top. Ironic. - (The Squeakquel) Alvin: Simon, this is ridiculous. Building a shelter was your idea! Yours!!! - (Chipwrecked) Alvin: Ah, I see your problem. It's obvious. This has been written by aliens. - ( Un-Send! ) Trivia The origin of his name comes from Alvin Bennett . [1] Over the years, he had crushes (or interests) on many human female characters. Some examples include Miss Fancy from the 60s episode Fancy , Sandy the Babysitter and his math teacher Miss Stone from the 80s series episode Romancing Miss Stone , Dena from Funny, We Shrunk the Adults , Becca in The Squeakquel , and The Principal from the ALVINNN!!! series. Even though Alvin is the oldest by five minutes (as stated in the 80s episode Grounded Chipmunk ), many fans believe that he is younger than Simon since Simon is taller and more mentally mature. Alvin's age is unknown in the CGI/live-action films. Alvin refers to himself as the "middle child" in the ALVINNN!!! series episode The Sub . In the CGI/live-action films, Alvin has only worn his baseball cap in the 2007 movie (in a magazine and at the end). In the CGI/live-action films, Alvin is also depicted as having the ability to speak basic French unlike in both the 1980's animated series and  The Alvin Show in which he is shown to be unable to speak French in "Petit Papa Noel" from A Very Merry Chipmunk , and he is shown to wish he could speak French in The Alvin Show musical segment " I Wish I Could Speak French ." According to Romancing Miss Stone, Alvin says that his birthday is nearby and he is turning nine years old (along with his brothers). However, later on in the series, they are stated to be eight years old several times. Alvin's attire has changed many times throughout the franchise with him wearing the most clothes in the new CGI series and him wearing the least amount of clothes in the live action/CGI films. During the 2000-era, Alvin was, and is, known as the self-appointed "leader" of the group. And, presumably meaning The Alvin Show , he suffered from small "munk" complex and tried to make up for it with his grand schemes and animal magnetism. In the CGI/live-action films, Alvin is shown to have great hands when catching: in The Squeakquel (when he joins the football team and makes a game-winning touchdown catch), Chipwrecked (he catches a pocket knife with one hand in mid-air), and The Road Chip (he catches a ring with one hand in mid-air, with a fully-extended body). Also see

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A Christmas Story | Christmas Specials Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Amazon Instant Video This article is about the 1983 movie. For other specials with the same title, see A Christmas Story (disambiguation) . A Christmas Story is a 1983 American/Canadian comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd , including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. Directed by Bob Clark, the film has since become a holiday classic and is known for being shown numerous times on television during the Christmas season. In 2012, the Library of Congress recognized the film and was chosen for preservation into its National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." [1] Contents Synopsis SPOILER: Plot details or story follow. The film is set in the fictional city of Hohman (based on real-life city of Hammond, Indiana). 9-year-old Ralph "Ralphie" Parker wants only one thing for Christmas: "an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time." Between run-ins with his younger brother Randy and having to handle school bully Scut Farkus, and his sidekick Grover Dill, Ralphie does not know how he will ever survive long enough to get the BB gun for Christmas. Ralphie Parker, the film's protagonist. The plot revolves around Ralphie's overcoming a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to his owning the precious Red Ryder BB gun: the fear that he will shoot his eye out (the classic BB gun mother's block, "You'll shoot your eye out.") In each of the film's three acts, Ralphie makes his case to another individual; each time he is met by the same retort. When Ralphie asks his mother for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, she says, "No, you'll shoot your eye out." Next, when Ralphie writes a theme about wanting the BB gun for Mrs. Shields, his teacher at Warren G. Harding Elementary School, Ralphie gets a C+, and Mrs. Shields writes "P.S. You'll shoot your eye out" on it. Finally, when Ralphie asks an obnoxious department store Santa Claus for a Red Ryder BB gun, he responds, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid. Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho!", before pushing Ralphie down a long slide with his boot. One day after he gets the C+ on his composition, Ralphie is struck in the face with a snowball thrown at him by the bully Scut Farkus who then begins to tease and taunt Ralphie. Ralphie finally reaches his breaking point and then charges at Farkus knocking him down, and after knocking down Grover Dill, who tries to intervene for his pal, proceeds to beat Scut's face bloody. During the fight, Ralphie begins to swear non-stop as he lands blow after blow to the squealing Farkus. Ralphie's mother shows up and pulls her son off the bully, and takes him home. This part of the film occurs shortly after a scene where Ralphie gets into trouble for swearing while helping his father fix a flat tire. Ralphie is worried about the swearing and is sure he will be in big trouble when his father gets home from work. Instead, Ralphie's mother tells his father about the fight casually at the dinner table. She then changes the subject of the conversation to an upcoming Chicago Bears game, distracting his father and getting Ralphie off the hook in the process. On Christmas morning, Ralphie looks frantically for a box that would hold the BB gun to no avail. He and his brother have quite a few presents, but he is disappointed because he did not get the gun. His disappointment turns to joy as his father points out one last half-hidden present, ostensibly from Santa. As Ralphie unwraps the BB gun, Mr. Parker explains the purchase to his none-too-thrilled wife, stating that he had one himself when he was 8 years old. Ralphie goes out to test his new gun, shooting at a paper target perched on top of a metal sign, and predictably gets a ricochet from the metal sign. This ricochet ends up hitting just below his eye, which causes him to flinch and lose his glasses. While searching for the glasses, Ralphie ends up stepping on them, breaking them. However, he concocts a story to his mother about an icicle falling on him and breaking his glasses, which she believes. Suddenly, a horde of the next door neighbor's dogs, which frequently bother Ralphie's father, manages to get into the house, trash the kitchen and eat the turkey that was prepared for that evening's meal. Making a last-minute decision, Ralphie's father takes everyone out to a Chinese restaurant where they have a hilarious time eating what the narrator calls "Chinese Turkey" (in reality, Peking Duck, cooked complete with the head). At the end of the story, we see Ralphie lying in bed on Christmas night with his gun by his side. Randy is holding the toy zeppelin he received. The voiceover states that this was the best present he received or would ever receive. Subplots Several subplots are incorporated in the body of the film, based on other separate short stories by Shepherd. The most notable involves the Old Man winning a "major award." He entered a trivia contest out of the newspaper, which asked for the name of The Lone Ranger's nephew's horse (thanks to his wife, who supplied the answer: Victor). A large crate arrived and inside was a lamp shaped like a woman's leg wearing fishnet stockings, much to Mrs. Parker's displeasure. Just two days later, Mrs. Parker broke the lamp, infuriating the Old Man. The leg was the logo of the contest's sponsor, the Nehi bottling company (the details of the contest were not necessarily made clear in the movie). Other vignettes include: Ralphie's friends Flick and Schwartz disputing over whether a person's tongue will stick to a frozen flagpole. Schwartz ultimately issues Flick a "triple dog dare" (the most serious of those used by the kids), and Flick's tongue gets stuck to the pole, much to his terror. A suction tube within the flagpole was used to simulate the freezing of Flick's tongue to the pole. Ralphie receiving his Secret Society decoder pin from the Little Orphan Annie radio show. After weeks of anxious waiting, and missing out on the daily "secret message" (which to a kid appeared very important) Ralphie finally is able to participate. *However, he learns a lesson in being ripped off, as the secret message turned out to be an Ovaltine radio commercial. Ralphie and his friends dealing with the neighborhood bully, Scotty Farkus (Zack Ward). The Old Man's legendary battles with the aging and malfunctioning furnace. Ralphie letting slip the dreaded "Queen Mother of Dirty Words", the "F-dash-dash-dash word" (censored with the word "Fudge" after his father knocks a hubcap from his hands, spilling its contents, the lug nuts from a flat tire) and later, when asked where he'd heard the bad word, falsely blaming his friend, Schwartz, and not pointing out that his father utters the word daily. After Ralphie's mother telephones Schwartz's mother to inform her that her son had been responsible for passing along the bad word to Ralphie, we hear Schwartz getting what appears to be the thrashing of his life at the hands of his hysterical mother. Ralphie himself gets a bar of soap in the mouth for saying the word. To keep it censored, Billingsly says "fudge" on camera (the narration points out that he really didn't say "fudge"). The numerous smelly and bothersome bloodhounds of the next door neighbors, the Bumpuses, including the dogs destroying the Christmas turkey (prompting the family to go out and have Peking duck instead, resulting in a giggling fit by the mother and the boys). Several fantasy sequences depict Ralphie's daydreams of glory and vindication, including the vanquishing of a small army of villains dressed in stereotypical burglar costume of flat caps, black masks and striped shirts with his Red Ryder BB gun obtaining his parents' gratitude, an extremely good grade for his written theme about the BB gun, and parental remorse over a case of "soap poisoning" (related to his cursing). Mrs. Parker's misadventures in overly bundling Randy up for the winter weather by wrapping him in sweaters and a jacket so tightly he is unable to put his arms down, then Randy getting inadvertently knocked down and unable to get up under his own power (his only defense when they are confronted by Scotty Farkus.) Randy's refusal to eat a meal on his own incites hilarity between him and his mother at the dinner table. Spoilers end here. Drew Hocevar One of the Two Christmas Elves In the DVD commentary, director Bob Clark mentions that Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of the Old Man; Clark expresses gratitude that he ended up with Darren McGavin instead, who also appeared in several other Clark films. He cast Melinda Dillon on the basis of her similar role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Peter Billingsley was already a minor star from co-hosting the TV series Real People; Clark initially wanted him for the role of Ralphie, but decided he was "too obvious" a choice and auditioned many other young actors before realizing that Billingsley was the right one after all. Ian Petrella was cast immediately before filming began. Tedde Moore had previously appeared in Clark's film Murder by Decree, and Jeff Gillen was an old friend of Clark's who had been in one of his earliest films. Shepherd provides the movie's narration from the perspective of an adult Ralphie, a narrative style later used in the dramedy The Wonder Years . The film's writers, Jean Shepherd and Bob Clark. have cameo appearances in the film; Shepherd plays the man who directed Ralphie and Randy to the back of the Santa line, and Clark plays Swede, the neighbor the Old Man was talking to outside during the Leg Lamp scene. History and related works Origin Three of the semi-autobiographical short stories on which the film is based were originally published in Playboy magazine between 1964 and 1966. Shepherd later read "Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder nails the Cleveland Street Kid" and told the otherwise unpublished story "Flick's Tongue" on his WOR Radio talk show, as can be heard in one of the DVD extras. Bob Clark states on the DVD commentary that he became interested in Shepherd's work when he heard "Flick's Tongue" on the radio in 1968. Additional source material for the film, according to Clark, came from unpublished anecdotes Shepherd told live audiences "on the college circuit." Critical reception Initially overlooked as a sleeper film, A Christmas Story was released a week before Thanksgiving 1983 to moderate success, earning about $2 million in its first weekend. Critics were severely divided on the film, with the majority of reviews on the negative side. Leonard Maltin proclaimed it a "Top screen comedy," while Roger Ebert proclaimed it "Funny and satirical ... a sort of Norman Rockwell crossed with MAD magazine. Vincent Canby's mostly negative New York Times review echoed the more common response. Critics seemed focused on the fact that Bob Clark, director of the critically reviled Porky's was the man behind the camera, and could not grasp the concept of Clark coming up with an instant classic like A Christmas Story The film would go on to win two Genie Awards, for Bob Clark's screenplay and direction. Years later, Ebert would re-evaluate the film, this time more favorably, writing that "some of the movie sequences stand as classic." By Christmas 1983, the film was no longer playing at most venues, but remained in about a hundred theaters until January 1984. Gross earnings were just over $19.2 million. In the years since, due to television airings and home video release, A Christmas Story has become widely popular and is now a perennial Christmas special. Originally released by MGM, Warner Bros. (through Turner Entertainment Co.) now has ownership of the film due to Ted Turner's purchase of MGM's pre-1986 library and Time Warner's subsequent purchase of Turner Entertainment. Television A Christmas Story first aired on television on HBO during the mid-eighties and quickly attracted a growing following. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the film began airing quietly on then-SuperStation WTBS and WGN America (then known as Superstation WGN). From 1988 to 1992, the film had a short-lived tradition of airing on the American Thanksgiving night (or the night after Thanksgiving) to open the holiday television season. In 1988, then-fledgling FOX network aired the movie the night after Thanksgiving. In 1989 and 1990, TBS showed it on Thanksgiving night, and in 1991 and 1992, they aired it the night after. Turner, now a part of Time Warner 's umbrella of cable networks, has maintained ownership of the broadcast rights, and since the mid-1990s, airing the movie increasingly on TBS, TNT and TCM . By 1995, it was aired on those networks a combined six times over December 24-25-26, and in 1996, it was aired eight times over those three days. Due to the increasing popularity of the film, in 1997, TNT began airing a 24-hour marathon dubbed "24 Hours of A Christmas Story," consisting of the film shown twelve consecutive times beginning at 7 or 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and ending Christmas Day. This was in addition to various other airings earlier in the month of December. In 2004, after TNT switched to a predominantly drama format, sister network TBS, under its comedy-based "Very Funny" moniker, took over the broadcast rights for the marathon. Clark stated that in 2002, an estimated 38.4 million people tuned into the marathon at one point or another, nearly one sixth of the country. TBS reported 45.4 million viewers in 2005, and 45.5 million in 2006. In 2007, new all-time ratings records were set, with the highest single showing (8 p.m. Christmas Eve) drawing 4.4 million viewers. Viewership increased again in 2008, with 8 p.m. Christmas Eve drawing 4.5 million viewers, and 10 p.m. drawing 4.3 million. In 2007, the original tradition was revived as TNT aired A Christmas Story twice the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend (November 25). In 2011, the 24-hour marathon is scheduled to continue on TBS, for the 15th overall year, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Christmas Eve. Home video releases Settings Locations The movie is set in a fictional town in Indiana, strongly resembling Hammond, Indiana where writer Jean Shepherd grew up. Local references in the film include Warren G. Harding Elementary School, and Cleveland Street (where Shepherd spent his childhood years). Other Indiana references in the dialogue include a mention of a person "swallowing a yo-yo" in nearby Griffith, Indiana, the Old Man being one of the fiercest "furnace fighters in northern Indiana" and that his obscenities were "hanging in space over Lake Michigan," a mention of the Indianapolis 500, and the line to Santa Claus "stretching all the way to Terre Haute." The Old Man is also revealed to be a fan of the Bears (who he jokingly calls the "Chicago Chipmunks") and White Sox, consistent with living in northwest Indiana. The school scenes were shot at the Victoria School in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The school was sold to developers in 2005 and has been remodeled into a women's shelter. The Christmas tree purchasing scene was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, as it was the only location that still used red PCC streetcars - in fact, TTC streetcars can be seen during the scene. Ralphie beating up the neighborhood bully was also filmed in Toronto, as was the soundstage filming of interior shots of the Parker home. The St. Catharines' Museum owns some props used in the film, including two pairs of Ralphie's glasses (one of which is the smashed pair), and two scripts. Director Bob Clark reportedly sent location scouts to twenty cities before selecting Cleveland, Ohio, as the principal site for filming. Higbee's department store in downtown Cleveland was the stage for three scenes in A Christmas Story. The first is the opening scene in which Ralphie first spies the Red Ryder BB Gun. The second is the parade scene, filmed just outside Higbee's, on Public Square, at 3 AM. The final scene is Ralphie and Randy’s visit to see Santa which was filmed inside Higbee's. Higbee's kept the Santa slide that was made for the movie and used it for several years after the movie’s release. Higbee's was known for decades as a cornerstone of Public Square, as well as for its elaborate child-centered Christmas themes and decorations (e.g. the Twigbee Shop), with Santa as the centerpiece, until the store, which became Dillard's in 1992, closed for good in 2002. Higbee's was exclusive to Northeast Ohio—there were no Higbee's stores in Shepherd's hometown. As such, he was most likely referring to Goldblatts in downtown Hammond (with the Cam-Lan Chinese Restaurant three doors down on Sibley Ave.) The parade was filmed at night for one reason. The producers wanted to film during day, but at this time, the BP Tower was under construction and during the daytime you could see the 1960s Erieview Tower and Federal Building from the Public Square. The exterior shots (and select interior shots, including the opening of the leg lamp) of the house and neighborhood where Ralphie lived were filmed in the Tremont section of Cleveland's West Side. The house used as the Parker home in these scenes has been restored, reconfigured inside to match the soundstage interiors, and opened to the public as A Christmas Story House . The "...only I didn't say fudge" scene was filmed at the foot of Cherry Street in Toronto. In 2008, two fans from Canada released a fan film documentary that visits every location used in the movie. Their film, Road Trip for Ralphie, was shot over two years and includes footage of the film makers saving Miss Shields's black board from the dumpster on the day the old Victoria School was gutted for renovation, discovering the antique fire truck that saved Flick, locating all the original costumes from the movie and tracking down the real-life location of the movie's Chop Suey Palace in Toronto. Many years after the film was shot one of the old schools used in St. Catharines was demolished. During demolition, one of the movie scripts was found in the bleachers. It had scribbling on it from the directors. Vehicles Cleveland car buffs donated the use of a number of vintage vehicles for the film, which helped to enhance the authenticity of the production despite a limited budget. During filming in downtown Cleveland, members of a local antique automobile club, following a preset route, repeatedly circled the square. At the end of filming each day, the cars were thoroughly washed to remove road salt, and parked underground beneath the Terminal Tower. The Parker family car was a 1937 Oldsmobile Model F-37 four-door trunkback sedan. It is made clear early on the Old Man's bittersweet relationship with his car, as revealed in the lines: "Some men are Baptist, others Catholic; my father was an Oldsmobile man;" "That hot damn Olds has froze up again;" "That [SOB] would freeze up in the middle of summer on the equator!". Transit fans will notice several Toronto pcc streetcars in a couple scenes. Ralphie's Red Ryder BB Gun The Red Ryder BB gun was available beginning in 1938 and for many years afterward (and indeed, still is), but never in the exact configuration mentioned in the film. The Daisy "Buck Jones" model did have a compass and a sundial in the stock, but these features were not included in the Red Ryder model. The compass and sundial were placed on Ralphie's BB gun but on the opposite side of the stock due to Billingsly being left-handed. Tributes and parodies In a segment produced for A Very Cartoon Cartoon Fridays Holiday Special , Dexter dares Johnny Bravo to stick his tongue on the TV monitors behind them, because Johnny thinks his tongue will not stick to them. In another segment of the broadcast, Chicken complains that he did not get the BB gun that he wanted, to which everyone replies, "You'll shoot your eye out!" At the beginning of The Powerpuff Girls Christmas special, 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas , Buttercup worries that she will not get an official Red Raider carbine-action two-hundred-shot range-model air rifle. Princess Morbucks responds, "Who would want a stupid old BB gun? Besides, you'll shoot your eye out." In the Back at the Barnyard Christmas episode, It's an Udderful Life , Eugene "Snotty Boy" Beadie wants a Red Ryder Reindeer Tazer as his Christmas gift. Ralphie and the kid with goggles make a cameo in Grace Goodwin 's flashback in Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice . Dating the story Director Bob Clark stated in the film's commentary CD that he and author Shepherd wished for the movie to be seen as "amorphously late 30's, early 40's." The film is not specifically about a given year, it is about a particular time in American family life. The film appears to be set roughly around the tail end of the Great Depression but before the United States involvement in World War II. There are references throughout the film that viewers enjoy linking to particular years, and if one connects a reference to a particular year, the movie can be "dated" as being as early as 1935 or as late as 1947. Some of the other "year clues" include - but are by no means limited to - the following: 1935: In the scene where Ralphie and his friends peer into the Higbee's toy store window, Lionel's model of the Union Pacific M-10000 can be seen running around a loop of track. That model was made from 1935-1941. Pre-1937: The tin Zeppelin mentioned in the original story ("it rolls and it beeps"), and appearing unremarked under the Christmas tree. Zeppelin travel ended for all intents and purposes with the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937. 1937: Reference in the newspaper quiz to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , released by Disney that year. Snow White can also be seen in the Higbee's window. The Parker family car. 1938: The color comics on Christmas Day - implying a Sunday. Christmas fell on a Sunday in 1938. 1939: Characters from The Wizard of Oz , released that year, appear in the Christmas parade. 1940: The license plates on the cars are silver (white) on a black field. Those were the colors of the Indiana license plates that year. Each year, Ovaltine brought out a different model for this decoder ring. The Radio Orphan Annie secret decoder model used in the movie is the 1940 model. The Red Ryder Daisy BB gun with "Golden Bands" was offered only in the first year of its manufacture. Christmas 1940 would be accurate for the Goden Band model. Scenes in the movie clearly show the rifle had golden bands. Additionally the 1940 Daisy pre-Christmas ads shown in the movie feature the gold banded rifle. In short the Red Ryder Daisy with "gold bands" ties the movie to Christmas 1940. 1943: The Bing Crosby/Andrews Sisters recordings of "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" are both very clearly heard on the living room radio (both recorded on September 27, 1943). 1946: Ralphie's father complains in the movie that "the Sox traded Bullfrog!" which is a reference to Chicago White Sox pitcher Bill Dietrich, who was in fact released from the Sox, not traded, in 1946. 1947: The police car in the schoolyard scene. Many other "year specific" references can be found in the film, as 1939-40 is slightly later than author Jean Shepherd's own childhood (he was 19 years old in 1940) but earlier than that of director Bob Clark (who was born in 1939). While Shepherd was age 10 in 1931, Clark was age 10 in 1949 - a separation of 18 years. If the consensus between Shepherd and Clark was to find a "middle-ground" for their youths, they may well have divided the difference in half (9), then added that amount of years to the earliest date (1931), thereby arriving at 1940. These minor contradictory items only indicate what director Bob Clark said in his commentary, as previously stated above: The film is set in the "amorphously later Thirties, early Forties." The movie is intended as a credible, warm and thoroughly inviting memory of an innocent American Christmas around the World War II era. The individual viewer can elect to "date" the film to any year they wish, but for whatever year they choose, many contradictions occur within the film, and this fits exactly with the writer and directors idea of "around 1940". Sequel In 1994, a sequel with the same characters, but none of the same cast, was released. Titled It Runs In The Family (or My Summer Story), it told some further adventures of Ralphie and his family. While available on DVD, both it and its connection to the holiday classic are nearly unknown. A more direct sequel, a direct-to-video film titled A Christmas Story 2 , was released by Warner Bros. on October 30, 2012. Soundtrack Ralphie's Revenge & the "F" Word Joy To the World & Silent Night The Bumpus Hounds Make Their Rounds Glorious, Beautiful Christmas (closing credits music) Silent Night - Mormon Tabernacle Choir A Christmas Story House Home Hunting The house that was used as the Parker residence is located in Cleveland, Ohio For the film adaptation of these stories, Bob Clark chose Cleveland, Ohio because of Higbee's Department Store. Scouts had been unsuccessful in finding a department store that was willing to be part of the film. Higbee's vice president Bruce Campbell agreed to take on the project on the condition he be allowed to edit the script for cursing (namely "the Queen Mother of Dirty Words"). Appropriately, the fictional boyhood home of Ralphie Parker is on Cleveland Street, the name of the actual street where Shepherd grew up. In addition to the house exteriors, Cleveland was the location used for the scenes involving Higbee's department store, despite the fact that there were no Higbee's stores in Shepherd's hometown. Restoration and reconfiguration In December 2004, Brian Jones, a San Diego entrepreneur and fan of the film since childhood, bought the house used by the producers as the Parker home on eBay for $150,000. Jones used revenue from his business, The Red Rider Leg Lamp Company, which manufactures replicas of the "major award" Ralphie's father won in the film, for the down payment. The previous owners had reconfigured installing modern windows, and covered the original wood siding with blue vinyl. Watching the movie frame by frame, Jones drew detailed plans of the interiors — which had been filmed on a Toronto sound stage — and spent US $ 240,000 to gut the structure, reconfigure it to a single-family dwelling, transform it into a near-replica of the movie set, and restore the exterior to its appearance in the film. A Christmas Story House Museum Jones purchased the house across the street and converted it into A Christmas Story House Museum, which contains some of the props from the movie, including Randy's snow suit, the Higbee's window toys, and hundreds of behind the scenes photos. The house to the left of the museum features a gift shop with movie memorabilia, which opened to the public on November 25, 2006, with original cast members attending the grand opening, and the site drew 4,300 visitors during its first weekend. Related promotions According to their official web site , the official Christmas Story Chinese Restaurant is "The Pearl of the Orient." The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel offers a package deal for two that includes overnight accommodations and tickets to the House. As a bonus, the film is aired in the room 24 hours a day. Patty LaFountaine-Johnson, a local actress who portrayed one of the Higbee Santa's elves, hand-sews and autographs red-and-green felt hats similar to her movie costume and sells them at the house's gift shop. Broadway musical In 2012, a musical version of the holiday classic, co-executive produced by Peter Billingsley, ran during the holiday season at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre.  The show was revived at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden for 2013.

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Chip and Dale | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [Source] Chip and Dale are a pair of cunning and mischievous chipmunks. Although the duo have similar looks and rarely appear separately, they each have distinct personalities and a few distinguishing physical features. Chip can be identified by his small black "chocolate chip" nose and a single front tooth, whereas Dale has a larger nose which is red and two adjacent front teeth. Chip is also usually the more logical, positive, and cunning of the two, with Dale being the less intelligent. Contents Background Personalities Chip is the brains of the duo and thus is shown to be clever, fearless and somewhat bossy. Unlike his best friend, he's a quick thinker. When dealing with Donald, Chip shows to be much more of a threat than Dale, both mentally and physically. He is also no-nonsense and becomes easily frustrated with Dale's incompetence. In Rescue Rangers, Chip constantly thinks about being on duty to the point where he is thought to not know how to be fun; because of such, Dale's blundering causes him nothing but headaches. Dale is sometimes lazy, dim-witted and clumsy, and can be a little more sensitive. In earlier appearances, he was completely foolish to the point where he can truly be called an idiot. In later years, that aspect of his personality was toned down to just being carefree, fun-loving, and goofy. In Rescue Rangers, Dale wears a Hawaiian shirt, possibly to show how relaxed his personality is; he gets along easier with Monterey Jack and Zipper than Chip. While the two are nearly inseparable and count each other as their closest friends, the one thing that can tear them apart is a romantic interest. They have been known to have feelings for the same girl most of the time and battle each other for the affections of the girl in question. In Rescue Rangers, both are in love with Gadget, but can't seem to be open about their feelings, nor does she notice at all. Voices The classic voices of Chip and Dale were mostly provided by Helen Silbert, Dessie Flynn /Dessie Miller and James MacDonald . The earliest voices of the chipmunks were provided by female office staff, without credit. In Private Pluto , the chipmunks' speech was created by speeding up sound clips of normal speech. In a number of the shorts that followed, many of these same sound clips were re-used again and again, though later shorts used new dialogue specifically recorded for them. At one point in Winter Storage , Chip and Dale get into an argument while caught in a trap. When the scene switches to an outside view of the box (with Donald Duck sitting on the box), the dialogue being heard is actually a sped-up segment of the voice-over narration from the Goofy short A Knight for a Day . Since 1988 , Chip has been voiced by Tress MacNeille and Dale has been voiced by Corey Burton . However, in Mickey Mouse Works, House of Mouse, the first season of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the Have a Laugh! versions of the classic shorts, Tress voiced both chipmunks. History Chip and Dale in their first appearance, Private Pluto . Chip and Dale first appeared in a 1943 Pluto cartoon titled Private Pluto . In this appearance, they look a lot more like realistic chipmunks and did not have names. The two then-nameless twin chipmunks were never intended to be used again after that short, but when Walt Disney needed new characters to challenge Donald Duck , a decision was made to revive the two chipmunks, leading them to acquire their now-familiar names and personalities. Their names are a pun on the name "Chippendale" (a reference to furniture-maker Thomas Chippendale ). This was suggested by Bill "Tex" Henson, a screenwriter at the studio. As mentioned, Chip and Dale began their careers in Private Pluto. In that cartoon, Pluto is a part of the army and runs into trouble when it appears that two nameless chipmunks are hanging around the site in a pillbox. In this appearance, the two were completely indistinguishable in terms of both appearance and personalities. Afterward, the two would later appear in several of Pluto's cartoons, as well as those including Mickey Mouse . They did not get their names until the short Chip an' Dale . In that short, they meet their new nemesis Donald Duck, whom they would make countless appearances with, even beyond the animated short films. The chipmunks became far more famous for antagonizing Donald and are possibly best known for appearing in his shorts, having gained their trademark appearances and personas when dealing with the hot-tempered duck. Chip and Dale became so popular that they were able to star in their own series of cartoons, joining Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck , Goofy and Pluto . Only three shorts were created in that series. The first was Chicken in the Rough , where Dale becomes trapped in a chicken coop and needed to be rescued. The next and most famous one was Two Chips and a Miss , where they go out to a nightclub and battle for the attention of a female chipmunk named Clarice . The last was The Lone Chipmunks , where Chip 'n' Dale foil the outlaw Pete . Quite often in these shorts, their tails flicker and sometimes they are both seen running on all fours, much like actual chipmunks. An interesting note is that, in earlier shorts, they had the appearance of more realistic chipmunks (much like the woodland creatures in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ), only to gain their iconic, far more cartoony designs once their popularity and screen time grew. Appearances Walt Disney anthology series In a 1959 episode of the anthology series entitled " The Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale ", Walt Disney was unable to host the show personally. Instead, he left a message on his tape recorder informing viewers of his arrangements to have Chip and Dale host in his place. The chipmunks use the time to go through an old book which holds memories of their fondest exploits. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Chip and Dale and the other main characters as they appeared in Rescue Rangers. After the success of DuckTales , Chip and Dale starred in their own series, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers . They were friends of a famous retiring police dog, whose owner was framed by a crime boss for stealing a ruby. Through the adventure to retrieve the ruby and prove the cop's innocence, they met and recruited Gadget Hackwrench , Monterey Jack , and Zipper , forming the Rescue Rangers officially. They also get new enemies, most notably Fat Cat and Professor Norton Nimnul . Chip serves as the unspoken leader of the group, while Dale tends to provide most of the comic relief, though Dale does end up becoming the hero at times. Both chipmunks possess a crush on Gadget, becoming rivals for her affections. A running gag in the show has Chip being constantly interrupted when he attempts to tell Gadget his feelings for her. The two have even been love interests themselves. In " Adventures in Squirrelsitting ", a squirrel named Tammy falls in love with Chip, and in " Good Times, Bat Times ", a bat named Foxglove falls in love with Dale. Both of them apparently don't return these affections. A live-action/CGI feature film based on the series is currently in development. Chip and Dale in Mickey Mouse Works . Chip and Dale are recurring characters in Mickey Mouse Works , where they are recast as enemies of Donald Duck once again. One of the duo's most notable appearances in the series is in the short " Mickey's Mixed Nuts ", where the chipmunks battle Mickey Mouse (someone that they didn't usually pester in past productions) for the last bag of nuts at a supermarket. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Chip and Dale appear in the segment Donald Duck: Stuck on Christmas. The two are briefly seen several times throughout the story. At the beginning, they are seen opening their presents. They appear again when they are hit with a snowball by Huey Duck, who then gets hit back by Chip. Their next appearance occurs near the end when an object is thrown into their home and it turns out to be a bag of nuts wrapped as presents from Huey, Dewey, and Louie . At the end, they are last seen throwing away their Christmas decorations and cleaning up. Chip and Dale in House of Mouse Chip and Dale have recurring roles in House of Mouse , primarily as guests at the club. Both chipmunks are seen shaking hands with Donald Duck in the show's intro. The episode " Chip 'n' Dale " is centered around the chipmunks as they spend their evening stealing bags of nuts from the guests while evading Donald. At the end of the episode, an advertisement is shown in which they seem to have their own storage organization where they store "everything you don't need". In " Ladies' Night ", Minnie hires them to perform an act as the "Chip and Dale Dancers". In " Ask Von Drake ", the chipmunks can be briefly seen during Ludwig Von Drake's headcount of all the Disney character guests . The duo also appears in " House of Turkey ", where Donald complains about how he can't understand what they're saying, only for Daisy to retaliate by saying that she can't understand him either. They also appear briefly in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse . Right after Pluto's Christmas Tree is shown, Chip and Dale pop out of a small artificial tree and catch Pluto's attention. Pluto starts barking at them, but in a reprise of the closing gag from the preceding short, they slap a "Do not open till Christmas" sticker over his mouth. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Chip and Dale are recurring characters in this computer animated series. They are some of Mickey's friends. Unusually, the two don't seem to have a rivalry with Donald and Pluto. Most of the chipmunks' roles in the series are minor with the exception of the episode " Goofy's Coconutty Monkey ", where they are the culprits behind the mysterious disappearance of the jungle's coconuts. In the end, they returned their stash, thinking they were giant nuts. They play another significant role in the episode " Goofy's Thinking Cap " where Mickey, Donald, and Goofy need twelve nuts for Clarabelle's scavenger hunt, to which the chipmunks gladly oblige. Chip and Dale with Mickey in Mickey Mouse. Chip and Dale appear in the episode " Space Walkies ". During a voyage in outer space, Mickey and Pluto step out of their spacecraft to allow Pluto a chance to relieve himself. After which, Mickey tries to rush Pluto back to the ship by using a miniature spacecraft resembling a frisbee disk. The disk, it turns out, is a craft owned by an annoyed Chip and Dale, who berate Mickey for toying with their craft before their appearance catches the attention of Pluto, and vice versa. Almost instantly, Pluto attacks the chipmunks, and a chase through space follows. On the rings of a planet, however, Chip and Dale are able to elude Mickey and Pluto, giggling at their success and their adversaries' misfortune. Cameos In Fun and Fancy Free , Chip and Dale briefly appear, laughing at Bongo the Bear 's failed attempt to climb a tree. In Mickey's Christmas Carol , Chip and Dale make a cameo appearance dancing at Fezziwig 's Christmas party in Scrooge's past. Dale makes a brief cameo appearance in the Quack Pack episode " Hit the Road, Backwater Jack " when a man is trying to empty things in his pockets. Video Games Chip and Dale are recurring characters in the Kingdom Hearts video game series . In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Chip and Dale are found in Disney Town , managing the Rumble Race tracks. They complain to Terra that Pete is playing unfairly so Terra takes part in the race and ends up beating Pete. In Kingdom Hearts, they send Donald , Goofy and Pluto to Traverse Town in the Gummi Ship as they serve as the royal engineers. In Kingdom Hearts II, the duo are given a considerably larger role as they accompany Sora , Donald and Goofy around to different worlds using two miniature Gummi Ships that fly alongside the main vessel. In Disney Castle , they warn the visitors of a Heartless invasion and later on, they were the ones to have first reported The World That Never Was . In Kingdom Hearts coded, the two are still royal engineers and were the ones to build the datascape for Jiminy's Journal. Kinect Disneyland Adventures Chip and Dale appear as meet-and-greet characters in front of their treehouse in Mickey's Toontown and also dance alongside Mickey's float in the Mickey's Soundsational Parade mini-game. At one point, the duo asks the player to locate some acorns for them to eat. Other games The two are the lead characters of Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour . The story goes that the two accidentally break the firework machine, and must take part in races around the resort to restore it. Chip's likeness was featured in Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two . They can be seen, dressed in their Rescue Rangers outfits, in the audience shots at the beginning and end of the Castle of Illusion remake . In Disney Magical World , Chip and Dale own a store where they make furniture for the player use in the cafe. Chip and Dale posing for a photo at a Disney park. In the Disney parks , Chip and Dale are some of the most common and popular characters. Chip and Dale can be found for meet-and-greets in a wide variety of locations, including Main Street, USA and Mickey's Toontown . Toontown also features the Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse attraction. They also have a small statue dedicated to them in the central hub, surrounding the "Partners" statue. In The Disney Afternoon Live!: Plane Crazy, which ran at Disneyland in 1991 , Chip and Dale are recruited along with Baloo and Launchpad McQuack to recover the X-22 spy jet when it is stolen by Don Karnage and Fat Cat . At one point, Chip has a brief sword fight with Don Karnage, tricking the pirate into believing he's fighting Dale. Walt Disney World Resort Chip and Dale appear in the Festival of Fantasy parade, daily, as well as Storybook Circus for meet-and-greets. The two used to appear in Cinderella's Surprise Celebration , as part of the Gift of the Laughter segment. The two playfully tease Donald as they sing Everybody Has a Laughing Place . Chip and Dale make a cameo appearance among the baggage claim scans at Star Tours: The Adventures Continue , when they appear on-screen, the robot G2-9T remarks that the two are " clones ", although their noses don't make them perfect clones. In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom , the two have their own spell card called "Chip and Dale's Bag of Tricks". This card was only available to guests that attended Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the fall of 2012 . At Christmastime, the duo make rare appearances with articulated heads during the holiday castle show Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration at the Magic Kingdom . Filmography

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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel | Channel Awesome | Fandom powered by Wikia Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel 2,694pages on Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Released (For the Nostalgia Critic's review of the movie, go here ) [We start off with Todd in the Shadows, in the light, in front of his computer] Todd: Hmm, what to do, what to do? There doesn't seem to be any massively terrible pop songs I need to review right now. Well, I suppose I can finish off that Top 10 Worst Songs List of 19--[Suddenly his Skype alert goes off] Lupa? Lupa? [Instead it's Film Brain] Todd: [dejected] Oh... Hi, Matthew. FB: So Todd, the fourth year anniversary's coming up. Do you wanna do another crossover? Todd: Oh absolutely, I really enjoyed watching Sunday School Musical. Okay, maybe not enjoyed... FB: Don't you wanna wait and see what movie I have planned? Todd: No it's cool, I trust your judgement. What is it? FB: Oh, nothing. Just [taking out the DVD of...] Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Todd: [he takes out a shotgun and cocks it] Bring it on. [Now we get to the opening of Bad Movie Beatdown while we hear Todd playing a piano version of Ready To Roll. The opening contains additional clips of Todd this time.] [After the opening finishes, suddenly Todd busts into FB's hotel room, but without the shotgun] FB: Aah! Todd: Let's do this! FB: Didn't you have...a weapon? Todd: They would not let me take it on the plane. So, why did you pick that movie to review? Cause of its butchering of decent pop songs? FB: [smiling] No, I just like seeing my fellow contributors in pain. Todd: Yeah, I figured after the whole Rap Critic thing with Big Mama's House and all that. How can you stand all this crap? FB: [steepling his hands] Because I'm insane. Todd: Yeah, no shit. Well, let's get this over with. [Image of Ross Bagdasarian] Todd (VO): In 1958, struggling songwriter Ross Bagdasarian found himself a winning gimmick after discovering he could make his voice sound funny by increasing the speed of the recording. [cover of "Christmas with The Chipmunks", slowly zooming out] He built three cartoon characters to fit the high pitch: Alvin, Simon and Theodore, The Chipmunks. They were a big hit in the '50s, [brief clip of '80s TV show] a big hit again during the '80s, [brief clip of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (2007) movie trailer] and revived one more time by a live-action movie in 2007. [clips from the first movie play] And despite a terrible marketing campaign that prominently featured a scene where Alvin eats shit, I actually didn't think that movie was that bad. It actually had a few funny jokes, had a decent running plotline about making fun of the miserable behind the scenes machinery of teen pop stardom, and it was self aware about the silliness of making a live-action Chipmunks movie. Now keep in mind there's no way it could've actually been "good", per se, but when you got the movie versions of [posters of...] Garfield , Underdog or The Smurfs to compare it to, I maintain you could do worse. FB (VO): I agree, and I largely put this down to ex-Simpsons writer Jon Vitti being one of the writing team. I've watched it twice: once as a review candidate and once for this review before you harp on me, and it's harmless. It's not exactly great, but you could certainly do far worse. And honestly the kids loved it because it made a whopping $360 million dollars worldwide, so a sequel was inevitable. FB: Enter [holds up DVD case] the Squeakquel, which is exactly what you think the first one would be and then some. And as someone who's watched all three Alvin and the Chipmunk movies, I can tell you that this, by far, is the worst. Todd: You actually saw the third one? Is that even out on dvd yet? FB: [puts down DVD] I saw it in the theater in a professional capacity. Todd: Are you sure you're not obsessed-- FB: You shut up! I'm not obsessed with Alvin and the Chipmunks! Todd: ...Why don't we go on to the review? [We start off at the Regency logo] Todd (VO): So the movie begins... [Suddenly a chipmunk laugh is heard, then a guitar chord] Chipmunk: We're baaack! Todd: Well that's unnerving. FB: I think that sent a chill down every parents' spine. FB (VO): So the movie begins at a charity festival in Paris where the Chipmunks, full-fledged pop sensations are performing to a sell out crowd. Chipmunks: [singing The Kinks, "You Really Got Me"] Girl, you really got me now/You got me so I don't know what I'm doing Girl, you really got me going/You got me so I can't sleep at night Todd: Well that was a brutal murder of a perfectly good song. God, what did Ray Davies ever do to you, Squeakquel? FB (VO): In fact they're so famous, they're even being broadcasted around the world. Todd (VO): Oh look, the eskimos are watching in their igloo. That's nice, movie. Never too young to introduce the kids to embarrasingly inaccurate stereotypes, I always say. FB (VO): Also back this time is Dave Seville, played once again by Jason Lee, wearing that pained look of someone who knows the phrase "contractual obligation" all too well. Alvin starts getting extremely into this gig, and because the chipmunks have throwing arms that would make Superman jealous, manages to get up into the scaffolding, pulling out some wiring by accident. [This makes a cardboard cutout of Alvin snap off and swing toward Dave] Alvin: Dave! Look out! Todd: Lot of punch in that cardboard cutout. Is Dave made of styrofoam or what? [Dave's now in traction in a hospital bedroom] FB (VO): That's right, Jason Lee so does not want to be in this movie that barely three minutes have passed before they start writing him out as he's stuck in a Parisian hospital bed. He tells the Chipmunks, voiced pointlessly by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney. not that you can tell, that they'll be in the care of Aunt Jackie. Dave: I want you guys to go home and live a normal childhood. I even made arrangements for you to go to school. Chipmunks: School? FB: I think that cardboard cutout seriously injured Dave's brain. I mean these are chipmunks, not children. They should be having normal chipmunk lives. I mean for goodness sake, what do they need to go to school for? Are you training them to be the next chipmunk lawyers, chipmunk scientists? FB (VO): And bye, Jason Lee. The Chipmunks are to be escorted out when Alvin predictably starts causing trouble. [Alvin jumps onto the bed remote which makes it go up and down, rocking Dave] Doctor: The more stress you put on Monsieur Seville, the longer it'll take him to recover! Alvin: You'll never take me! I'm not going anywhere without Daaa--[suddenly the doctor shoots Alvin with a tranquilizer, making him go loopy] Daydream believer and a homecoming queen. [And Alvin drops onto the bed all conked out] Simon: Maybe we should give him another shot. Todd: Yeah, one more shot in that tiny body might actually kill him. Go right ahead. FB: I mean that's not one, but two scenes where he's caused grievous bodily harm. This movie's dark, man. FB (VO): So the Chipmunks fly back to America and this is where they meet Aunt Jackie. You know Dave, I don't think an elderly woman in a wheelchair is going to keep up with these tornadoes of destruction. Also with her is Toby, an aggravating gobshite played by that guy from Chuck. [Zachary Levi] Aunt Jackie: The luggage, get the luggage. Toby: Yeah, let me get those. [Toby brushes against Aunt Jackie, making her go back] Aunt Jackie: Toby! Alvin: Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes! Theodore: Abandon wheelchair! [Aunt Jackie then starts going down the stairs and then gets hit by a cart] Todd: God, how many victims are the chipmunks gonna claim? One more and they're officially serial killers. FB: I mean nothing says "good clean family entertainment" like two people being hospitalized in the first ten minutes. FB (VO): So with Dave and Aunt Jackie taking permanent residence in hospitals for most of the remaining running time, it's up to Toby to take care of the Chipmunks. [sarcastic] Oh deep joy. Toby: You guys have nothing to worry about seriously because I'm not gonna be anything like Dave. You know, Dave's gone. Theodore: Gone? Toby: Not gone! Not "gone" gone. He's-he's-he's not dead, he's very much alive. He's completely coming back! Todd: When he wants another paycheck. FB: With each syllable this guy utters, the more I miss Jason Lee's unenthusiasm. [Alvin comes out of a cupboard with a bag of cheese balls] Alvin: Holla! The cheese balls are in the hizouse! [singing Bee Gees, "Stayin' Alive"] Well you can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a cheese balls man, no time to talk! Staying aliiiiiiii--[he holds that note for a long time] FB: [shutting his ears] Oh god! Todd: [facepalming] Um, this really doesn't need a musical number. [Alvin jumps up to kick a pan down off the rack to pop the bag open] Alvin: --iiiiiiiive! Bingo! Todd: Wouldn't that just crush the cheese balls? Two people in the hospital and the cheese balls are okay? FB: Todd, Todd, Todd. If you've learned anything from the first ten minutes of the movie, it's that physics operates differently in the presence of talking chipmunks. FB (VO): And from one irritating shoehorned pop song to another. [The Chipmunks are riding in a bowl in a blender at high speed] Chipmunks: [singing Dead or Alive, " You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) "] You spin me right round baby right round like a record baby right round round round. [The group soon gets flung across the room] FB: Well at least it's better than the Flo Rida cover. Todd: Hey, fun fact. Did you know that you could fit all three chipmunks in a blender? I certainly did. [The phone rings and Alvin and Simon answer it] Chipmunks: Hello? Alvin: [he hangs up on Dave] Yup, nobody does that better than him. Todd: No, actually, he's quite terrible at it. Too panicky. Watch and learn. [We get a clip of the 50's cartoon] Dave: Okay, Alvin? Alvin? [Alvin's trying to open presents] ALVIN!! [that makes Alvin jump to the mike] Todd: Note the threat of implied violence. That's how it's done. Todd (VO): Okay, so they go to school. High school, to be precise. Hang on, even in-universe, they're obviously way younger than high schoolers, so what the hell's going on? FB (VO): And I'm certainly not going to question Dave's judgement in sending three tiny chipmunks into a bustling school where they run the daily risk of being crushed, run over and stampeded on a daily basis for a completely pointless education. [Rolling down the halls on a skateboard is a kid in an Eagle mascot costume] Mascot: Go Eagles! Theodore: Eagle! [he turns tail and tries to run, but the mascot jumps over him, and then falls down a flight of stairs while the Chipmunks look on] FB: And that's another hospital well accounted for. Todd: I'm noticing a theme. Maybe we should just keep Alvin locked in a cage. That way no one gets killed. FB (VO): The Chipmunks are taken to their class where the girls instantly fawn over them. Oh yeah, I forgot. They're world famous singing chipmunks, so any normality is out of the window anyway. Some jocks are none too pleased about their lady stealing powers. Ryan Edwards: Somebody's gonna have to knock those guys down to size. [Todd just sighs at that statement] FB: Okay, if you're sexually threatened by something you can carry in your back pocket, you've got some serious self confidence issues. FB (VO): The jock bullies show what big meanies they are by chasing the Chipmunks across the school, even giving Simon a dreaded swirlie. Ryan: It's swirlie time! Simon: Oh come on guys this is so 1980's! Aaah! Please, please! [and he gets swirlied] Todd: Just because you point out that it's an outdated cliché doesn't excuse it. FB: Well I guess they figured the audience was so young enough that they wouldn't notice. Besides, is this really necessary? I think that toilet is enough to drown that chipmunk. Ryan: It's the fatty ratty. [the kids are poking at Thedore who's on a locker] Theodore: Cut it out! Todd: What the hell could have happened there? FB: All I know is I'm firmly guarding my testicles. Todd (VO): Uh-oh, now they're in trouble. But the principal is willing to cut them a deal. You see their music program is gonna be shut down unless the school wins a music competition. God that sounds familiar... FB: I'm pretty sure there's a black Christian choir who could help you out with that. FB (VO): It turns out the principal is also a bit of a fan. Dr. Rubin: I just cannot believe that you're actually sitting in my office! I have all of your CDs. I even went to see you last year in Denver! Todd (VO): Is she flirting with them? They're her students. And rodents. This is wrong on so many levels. FB: But you see, we're having a two-for-one sale on pedophilia and bestiality. Buy now and we throw in necrophilia absolutely free! Todd (VO): Meanwhile at JETT Records, the evil record producer from the first movie, Ian Hawke, played by David Cross, swears vengeance on the Chipmunks that ruined his career. He's apparently homeless and spends his time eating garbage from the company dumpster and fighting a rat for muffins. Todd: I feel like this is a metaphor of some kind for David Cross' participation in this franchise. FB: It's like the writers thought to themselves, "How can we demean David Cross more than we already have?" FB (VO): Somehow sneaking aboard a FedEx truck, enter the Chipettes; Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor, pointlessly voiced by Christina Applegate, Anna Faris and Amy Poehler, who are hit so hard by the pitch shifting you can't even tell them apart. They've come to see Ian because they think he can make them stars like Alvin and the Chipmunks. I know it's a minor point, but where on earth did Jeanette get those glasses? In the first film, Simon's glasses were actually explained, whereas here they come right out of the packet. Todd: Are you sure you're not taking this too seriously? FB: It's a point about laziness, okay? Todd: ...Okay. Todd (VO): Ian takes them to his "office" on the roof where the Chipettes show off their skills. Chipettes: [singing Corinne Bailey Rae, "Put Your Records On"] Girl, put your records on/Tell me your favorite song/You go ahead, let your hair down Todd: They're naked. This is bothering me. FB: Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one. I mean I know they're chipmunks, but they're so anthropomorphic that seeing them without clothes kind of freaks me out. Todd: Yeah, the furries might like this. I don't. Todd (VO): To make the chipmunks not think he's a homeless loser, he breaks into a model apartment with a grand piano? Todd: You do realize the realtor has to show up at some point, right? FB (VO): The following day we see...the Chipmunks playing dodgeball? Whose bright idea was that? Alvin: Remember your five D's: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge! FB: So Justin Long is Alvin, making a reference to Dodgeball, which Justin Long was in, and...oh shit. (This meta realization has made the gamma go up!) Todd: Oh look what you did, you made the universe divide by zero again. FB: Sorry? Ryan: You're next, furball! Alvin: You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? I'm the only one here, so you must be talkin' to me. [Todd's facepalming] FB: Ah yes, a reference to that popular well-known children's movie, Taxi Driver. Todd: Hey, how do you think it would smell if you pressed Alvin in a George Foreman grill? I'm guessing delicious. [FB's nodding with a grin] Sorry, go on. FB (VO): It turns out that Alvin's got a good catching and throwing arm, and that the jocks actually want him for their football team. FB: Their football team? He's 8" tall! Todd: Let it go, man. It's Chipmunk Town. FB (VO): And thus, Alvin becomes the most popular kid in school. Even has the pussy on demand if he wanted it. Of course if you already forgot... Todd (VO): I did. FB (VO): Quiet, you. The Chipmunks are joining the music competition which Ian sees in the newspaper. Todd (VO): So this is Ian's evil plan: he's going to use the Chipettes to steal the Chipmunks' fame by entering the Chipettes into the same school where Alvin and company promptly fall for their female counterparts. Todd: So, the school has two sets of singing chipmunks wandering around. FB: Surely the principal wouldn't allow this considering they might be a threat to the music contest? Todd (VO): And sure enough, Ian and his chest hair shows up to position the Chipettes as rivals to the Chipmunks in the contest. Brittany: [singing " Hot N Cold " by Katy Perry] You change your mind like a girl changes clothes. Chipettes: [singing] And you know that you're no good for me, yeeaahh! Cause you're hot and you're cold/You're yes then you're no/You're in and you're out/You're up and you're down. Brittany: Yeah yeah yeaaaahhh! [Meanwhile Ian's flailing around with lights strapped to his suit while a thought bubble saying "KILL ME" is put over him] Todd: You notice they skipped the line about PMSing like a bitch. Hey here's a riddle everybody; What's Kidz Bop, but worse? FB (VO): Ian convinces the principal to a public vote. Both groups will perform on Friday and whoever gets the most applause represents the school in the contest. That's if the Chipmunks can get their act together because Alvin and Simon are beginning to fall out over Alvin's popularity. This makes Theodore nervous, and he goes to sleep with Toby. Theodore: Can I sleep with you? Toby: [sleepily] Sure, okay. [Theodore gets under the covers, but not before Toby blasts a fart] Theodore: Dutch oven! Not the Dutch oven! Oh, anything but the Dutch oven! Must find fresh air before it's too late! Aah! It's too late! It burns! Ohh, mama! [he gets out of the covers and passes out] Todd: [facepalming again] Oh good, the obligatory fart joke. FB: [imitating a kid] Daddy, what's a Dutch oven? Todd: Cause Dave never farted in bed. Colon like daisies, that man. FB (VO): Speaking of Dave, the writers remembered that Jason Lee was in their movie as Toby answers Dave's call from Paris and lets slip that he's the one taking care of the kids. Dave immediately tries to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Presumably around the point he discovered that My Name Is Earl was cancelled. [Dave tries to use the bed remote to lift his leg up, but pushes it too much that it lifts him off the bed] Dave: Nurse! Get me out of here! Help! Todd: Okay, that one wasn't Alvin's fault, he's just an idiot. FB (VO): There's also a completely stupid filler scene here where the jock bullies tell Simon that he's a litter monitor, and then laugh at him as he takes his nonexistant position seriously. I thought Simon was supposed to be the smart one. Surely he'd see right through this blatant prank? Todd (VO): Well Simon gets thrown in the garbage and Alvin goes to help him, but they're pissed off at each other, especially when Alvin admits he may not be singing against the Chipettes because he has a football game at the same time. [Todd's facepalming again] FB: Oh, so it's becoming High School Musical. Todd: Okay, let me sum up the situation so far. Todd (VO): Alvin is in conflict with the other Chipmunks, who are in conflict with the school bullies, and they're all in conflict with the guy from Chuck, as well as with the Chipettes and with David Cross, who is taking advantage of the Chipettes as well as, for the record, setting the Chipettes in conflict with each other. Todd: Got all that? [FB shakes his head] Neither do I. What the hell is the plot of this movie? Todd (VO): So Alvin debuts on the football field in a stupendously stupid sequence. Alvin: I'm taking you down, Jennifer! Linebacker: You're the one going down, rat face. Alvin: I'm gonna crack you like an acorn, and eat you for dinner. With some fava beans and a nice Chianti. [And then proceeds to flick his tongue like Hannibal Lecter] FB: A Silence of the Lambs reference? Yeah, that's a film the kids should be aware of. Todd: Hey, maybe they'll reenact the mangina sequence next. [Todd gives FB a creepy smile, which makes him scooch away from him] FB (VO): They throw the ball with Alvin on it, which I'm pretty sure is cheating, but there you go. [the ball lands down on top of Alvin] Ooh, he's dead! [Of course, Alvin's alive and well] No, of course not, but he ends up scoring the winning touchdown, if you call it that, and is his usual irritating self. Alvin: That's what I'm talkin' about! Don't hate the player, hate the game! And I love how awesome I am! Uh-huh! FB (VO): Urge to kill rising! Todd (VO): Did you know that thousands of small rodents are killed every year by farming combines? Just a little piece of trivia, don't know why that popped in my head. FB (VO): At the same time during the sing-off, Alvin still hasn't arrived, and the Chipettes are up first. Brittany: [singing Beyonce, " Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) "] All the single ladies. (All the single ladies) All the single ladies. (You put your hands up) Up in the club, just broke up, doing my own little thing. Decided to dip, now you wanna trip, cause another brother noticed me. Chipettes: [singing] If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it. If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it. Todd: Oh good. Because Single Ladies wasn't enough of an annoying tuneless mess anyway, why not do it with chipmunk voices? FB: By the way, chipmunks in sexy dresses telling me that if I like it I should put a ring on it? Do not want! FB (VO): And because Toby is completely useless, he still hasn't found Alvin, and the Chipmunks have to forfeit, meaning the Chipettes win by default. Todd: [sarcastic] Oh no, this is horrible. Now they won't be able...to... FB: To see who would sing in a contest to save the school's music department. Todd: A what? FB: To save the school's music department. Todd: Oh, right. FB: Yes, don't worry about it. FB (VO): Alvin arrives late to realize he's a bit of a prick. Worse still during the night, Theodore, feeling upset over the lack of family unity, has run away to the zoo. Todd (VO): Whoa Matthew, you might wanna explain this for the people who haven't seen the movie. FB (VO): Good point. In one of the numerous sub-plots competing against each other in this mess, Theodore's inexplicably become a fan of the show Meerkat Manor, hence he has ran of to join the meerkats. FB: Well hopefully he won't get a cameo from this guy. [Quick clip from a Compare The Market commercial] Aleksandr: Simples! Todd: What the hell was that? FB: It's a UK thing. Trust me, they found that hilarious. Todd: ...I'll take your word for it. Todd (VO): At the zoo, Theodore enters what he thinks is the meerkat exhibit, but has now been changed into the birds of prey exhibit instead, even though those wild animals would easily be able to fly out of the enclosure. Todd: And why would a talking animal want to live with a number of non-talking animals? And for that matter, can Theodore not read? And if he can't, why did he think meerkats were gonna be there in the first place? FB: It's so he can get rid of his fear of eagles, Todd. You know, the other asinine Theodore thing we've been skipping over cause there's so much crap in this movie. Todd: Oh yeah, right, we totally skipped that. Wow, there is a lot of shit in this. FB: There sure is. Todd (VO): Alvin, Simon and Toby come to the rescue--Okay, not so much in Toby's case, he's a moron--and Alvin talks to a distinctly uninterested eagle. Alvin: I get why you want Theodore. I do. But, I'm sorry. I can't let that happen. He's my brother. Not that you'd know that, because I've been such a big jerk lately. Todd: You know, I don't think there's much use talking to a non-talking animal. FB: I bet that eagle's thinking to himself, "Mmm, tasty chipmunk! Om nom nom nom!" Theodore: I gotcha, Alvin! [Theodore slips between the eagle's legs, stomps on it's foot to no effect, then runs with Alvin. Alvin slips through the screen, only for Theodore to get stuck.] Theodore: Help! [Alvin and Simon pull him out, then run away to the gate just as Toby finally got in] Toby: Guys, that was huge! Todd: No, it really wasn't. Todd (VO): Also the Chipettes have captured the record company's attention and got a gig opening for Britney Spears. But oh no, they'll miss the competition, and Ian threatens them if they, or more specifically Brittany, don't sing. Todd: Are we really supposed to care about the fate of the music program? FB: And maybe I'm misreading this, but does Ian have a thing for Brittany? Please tell me he's not after some chipmunk tail. Todd (VO): Okay, competition's happening, got a few sub-Kidz Bop performances and for some reason, the Chipmunks are there even though they're not performing. Brittany calls Alvin, Ian's locked them in a cage. FB: And thus concludes the Chipettes doing a mini-remake of the first film. Todd: Oh no, if the kids don't arrive on time, they'll never be able to save the...what is it, the gym? The orphanage? FB: Close enough. FB (VO): So Alvin comes to the rescue on a toy motorbike, and with Simon's help, they break out of the cage and escape while Ian isn't looking. They hop onto the motorbike whilst Ian watches in horror and gives chase. Alvin: Don't worry! I'm gonna get a little help from my friend, Digger! Whoo! [Coming out of the sewer is a gopher named Digger] Digger: Roger that, Alvin! Whoa! Feels like I'm back at the racetrack! Todd: Who the heck was that? FB: That's...[he consults his notes on this] Digger, the NASCAR gopher. Todd: Who? No. Why? FB: Maybe it's to set up his own movie? Todd: Did he get one? FB: No. [Todd double facepalms while FB tosses his notes in the air] Todd (VO): Ian chases them with a toy helicopter, for some reason, and then Alvin and the Chipettes hop onto said helicopter, for some reason, they throw their helmets at Ian, forcing him to throw the plane's remote into the air which the Chipettes catch. And then the toy motorbike runs right into Ian's nuts. FB: It wouldn't be a lowest common denominator kids movie without some testicle smashing. Todd: I just want to point out that David Cross' memoirs are titled "I Drink For A Reason." This is the reason. FB (VO): The two remaining Chipmunks are waiting for Alvin to return, so to stall, *fake gasp* wait, is Toby taking the stage? Todd (VO): Okay, here's another thing we forgot to mention. The school music teacher was the guy from Chuck's crush in high school. So now he's taken the stage, confessed his love/horribly embarrassed her. Sorry we skipped over that, but trust me if you blinked, you wouldn't have missed it anyway. Toby: [singing badly] Ever since I met you, I want to be your guy. / But as you probably noticed, I'm...pathologically shy. / Standing on this stage right now I think I'd rather die, / so I'm just gonna start by saying...hi. FB: Your problem isn't that you're "pathologically shy." It's that you're a stupid, filthy, jobless moron. Get off the stage! FB (VO): Luckily Alvin and the Chipettes fly in through a conveniently open window and join up with Simon and Theodore. Together they perform this completely unrehearsed, yet completely choreographed performance of [singing it] "We Are Family." And look who's decided to show up five minutes from the end, it's Dave! Todd (VO): And the school wins the competition, saving the music department. Todd: And those music departments for all those other schools in the competition? Shut down. Todd (VO): As for the Britney Spears opener, uh, well... [Sticking out of the curtain is a sock puppet] Ian: [doing bad imitations] "Hey everyone. I'm Jeanette." "And I'm Eleanor." [he comes out on stage in make-up and a dress] And I'm Brittany! And we're the Chipettes! Todd: Poor David Cross. FB: I bet he drinks Jack Daniels by the crate. Todd: We should do that after we're done. FB: You're damn right we should. Todd (VO): So Dave's returned and everything's back to normal. Dave even adopts the Chipettes alongside the Chipmunks. FB: So they're both adopted sisters and love interests? Both: Eeewwww! [Dave turns the light off, but Alvin turns it back on] Alvin: Not tired! Dave: Alvin, come on, it's time for bed. [he turns the light off again and Alvin turns it on again] Alvin: Still not tired! [Another round of off and on] More awake! Dave: Alvin, that's it, don't make me come over there! Alvin: Okay! [Alvin turns the light off, only for Dave to trip on a skateboard, falling down once again. Alvin turns the light on once more.] Todd: Well that's Dave back in the hospital again. FB: Alvin's a shit. Todd (VO): And if you stick around during the credits you see the comeuppance for the jock bullies and David Cross being humiliated further still by being thrown into a dumpster. Again. You know, stuff they couldn't resolve in the main narrative. Todd: And why should they? They don't care. They made a shitload of money. FB: Almost half a billion dollars worldwide. Todd: ...I hate people. [Clips of the movie play as they give the closing summary] FB (VO): They just didn't care. The whole thing feels rushed because there are so many plot elements to throw into the mix here that it never falls into a cohesive storyline. It is a film filled with almost unparralelled annoyance. You want Alvin to die because he's so arrogant, you want to inflict pain on Zachary Levi for being so insufferable, and you want to slap some dignity into David Cross. The only wise person here is Jason Lee, who knew to sit out most of this dungheap for a borderline cameo appearance. His straight man presence is sorely missed. Todd (VO): This was a pointless embarrassment. The first movie was sort of admirable in how it at least poked fun at the stupidity of its own premise, but the Squeakquel--god that word sounds stupider everytime you say it--the Squeakquel has no interest in doing so whatsoever. It's just as stupid, but now it's given up trying to be clever about it, and the plotting is unruly half-assed. They introduce a conflict in one scene, completely ignore it for hour long stretches, then resolve it. This sucked. Screw you, Matt. Screw you. FB: I love you, too. I'm Matthew Buck, beating down bad movies everywhere. Todd: And I'm Todd in the Shadows saying, come on Matt, you only did this review because you love Alvin and the-- FB: I AM NOT OBSESSED WITH ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS!! [He tackles Todd to the floor, then we go to credits]

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Jamie Lee Curtis - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS Actress | Director | Soundtrack Jamie Lee Curtis was born on November 22, 1958 in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of legendary actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis . She got her big break at acting in 1978 when she won the role of Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978). After that, she became famous for roles in movies like Trading Places (1983), Perfect (1985) and A Fish Called ... See full bio » Born: a list of 30 people created 23 Dec 2010 a list of 33 people created 08 Dec 2011 a list of 37 people created 29 Jun 2012 a list of 36 people created 24 Apr 2014 a list of 32 people created 1 month ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Jamie Lee Curtis's work have you seen? User Polls Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 10 wins & 26 nominations. See more awards  » Known For  2014 Only Human (TV Movie) Evelyn Lang  2000 Pigs Next Door (TV Series) Clara (voice)  1998 Nicholas' Gift (TV Movie) Maggie Green  1995 The Heidi Chronicles (TV Movie) Heidi Holland  1986 As Summers Die (TV Movie) Whitsey Loftin  1978 The Love Boat (TV Series) Linda  1978 Charlie's Angels (TV Series) Linda Frye  1977 Quincy M.E. (TV Series) Girl in Dressing Room - Visitors in Paradise (1977) ... Girl in Dressing Room Hide   2003 Freaky Friday (performer: "...Baby One More Time" - uncredited) Hide   1977 Murder at the World Series (TV Movie) (dialogue coach) Hide   2010-2016 Tavis Smiley (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2012-2016 Home & Family (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2016 Hollywood Today Live (TV Series) Herself  2016 Access Hollywood (TV Series) Herself  2016 Access Hollywood Live (TV Series) Herself - Author, This Is Me in New York City  1998-2016 The View (TV Series) Herself - Guest - Episode #2.50 (1998) ... Herself - Guest  1994-2016 Today (TV Series)  2016 Inside Edition (TV Series documentary) Herself  2007-2016 Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) Herself  2010-2015 The Talk (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2015 The Chew (TV Series) Herself - Guest Herself - Presenter: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series  2015 Artbound (TV Series)  2010-2015 Made in Hollywood (TV Series) Herself  2014 Bystander Revolution (TV Series documentary) Herself  2012 Marie (TV Series documentary) Herself  2008-2012 Rachael Ray (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2012 Beauty CULTure (Documentary short) Herself  2011 Hollywood's Top Ten (TV Series) Herself  2011 Food Revolution (TV Series) Herself  2010 Halloween: The Inside Story (TV Movie documentary) Herself / Laurie Strode  2010 Video Games Live (TV Movie) Herself  2010 Independent Lens (TV Series documentary) Herself - Narrator  2009 The Movie Loft (TV Series) Herself  2007 Live Earth (TV Special documentary) Herself  2007 Trading Places: Dressing the Part (Video documentary short) Herself  2005-2006 Corazón de... (TV Series) Herself  2003-2004 This Morning (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2001-2004 E! True Hollywood Story (TV Series documentary) Herself  2004 Film 2016 (TV Series) Herself  2003 Richard & Judy (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2003 Super Short Show (TV Series) Herself  2001-2003 Biography (TV Series documentary) Herself  2003 VH1 Goes Inside (TV Series documentary) Herself  2003 48 Hours (TV Series documentary) Herself  2003 Something Fishy (Video documentary short) Herself  2002 Halloween: Resurrected (Video short) Herself  1996-2000 The Daily Show (TV Series) Herself - Guest  2000 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (TV Special documentary) Herself (uncredited)  1999 Virus: Ghost in the Machine (Video documentary short) Herself  1999 Epidemic Africa (Documentary short) Narrator  1999 Saturday Night Live 25 (TV Special documentary) Herself (uncredited)  1999 'Halloween' Unmasked 2000 (Video documentary) Herself  1998 Celebrity Profile (TV Series documentary) Herself  1998 Comme au cinéma (TV Series documentary) Herself  1998 Caiga quien caiga (TV Series) Herself  1997 Directors: James Cameron (Video documentary) Herself  1997 The Directors (TV Series documentary) Herself  1997 Mundo VIP (TV Series) Herself  1996 Very Important Pennis (TV Series) Himself  1996 1996 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (TV Movie documentary) Herself  1995 Showbiz Today (TV Series) Herself  1994 The Full Wax (TV Series) Herself  1994 Lista Top 40 (TV Series) Herself  1994 CBS This Morning (TV Series) Herself - Guest  1994 The Making of 'True Lies' (TV Movie documentary) Herself - Hostess  1993 Larry King Live (TV Series) Herself - Guest  1988 Talking Pictures (TV Series documentary) Herself  1980-1985 Good Morning America (TV Series) Herself - Guest  1980-1984 Saturday Night Live (TV Series) Herself - Host / Various / Herself - Audience Member - Thompson Twins (1984) ... Herself - Audience Member (uncredited)  1982 Coming Soon (Video documentary) Herself  1982 Inside America (TV Series) Herself  1980 Hour Magazine (TV Series) Herself  1979-1980 Match Game 73 (TV Series) Herself / Herself - Panelist  1979 Circus of the Stars #3 (TV Special documentary) Herself - Performer  1979 Fantasy Film Festival (TV Series) Herself  1978 The Hollywood Squares (TV Series) Herself - Panelist  1978 The $10,000 Pyramid (TV Series) Herself - Celebrity Contestant - Episode dated 10 July 1978 (1978) ... Herself - Celebrity Contestant  1977 Dinah! (TV Series)  1971 Jerry Visits (TV Series) Herself  2009-2016 Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) Herself  2008 The O'Reilly Factor (TV Series) Herself - 'Patriot' (segment "Pinheads & Patriots")  2005 E! True Hollywood Story (TV Series documentary) Herself  1997 The Haunted History of Halloween (TV Movie documentary) Herself - Muhammed Ali/Peter Falk/Carl Sagan (1977) ... Waitress - Columbo Episode Related Videos TV Commercial; for Voice Stream Wireless (2000) See more » Publicity Listings: 1 Print Biography | 9 Interviews | 17 Articles | 25 Pictorials | 31 Magazine Cover Photos | See more » Official Sites: Did You Know? Personal Quote: My life is so filled that for me to accept acting work now means that I have to basically let somebody else do the job that I want to do, which is raise my children. It's not that I'm retired, it's just that I no longer accept acting work. See more » Trivia: Was childhood friends with Eric Douglas . He once tried to kiss her while both were sitting in a tree. Curtis then pushed Eric out of the tree; he fell to the ground, which resulted in a hernia that had to be operated on. See more » Trademark:

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Andrew Lloyd Webber | The official website for Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and many more 8th September 2016 School of Rock Smells Like Tween Spirit! Follow the kids of School of Rock as they get ready to begin performances at the New London Theatre on 24 October 2016. 2016 26th May 2016 Leona Lewis to star as Grizabella in Cats on Broadway Chart-topping pop star Leona Lewis will play the iconic role of Grizabella in the first-ever Broadway revival of Cats. 2016 School of Rock to open at the New London Theatre School of Rock will open at the New London Theatre in October 2016. 2016 School of Rock Open Auditions We are searching for brilliantly talented children who can sing, act and play rock instruments. 2016 4th February 2016 First ever school production of School of Rock the Musical Oakland School for the Arts in California will present the world premiere amateur youth production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s newest Broadway smash hit. 2015 20th October 2015 Andrew Lloyd Webber to start music education programs in 20 New York public schools Lloyd Webber has gifted the City of New York’s Fund for Public Schools with $150,000 toward new instruments. 2015 19 October 2015 School of Rock - The Musical's 360° music video surpasses 1,000,000 views on YouTube and Facebook in less than 3 days The first-of-its-kind video is the FASTEST on Broadway to reach 1 million views combined on YouTube and Facebook in less than 3 days. 2015 14 October 2015 YOU’RE IN THE BAND! First-of-its-kind 360° music video from "School of Rock - the Musical" Andrew Lloyd Webber to release first-of-its-kind 360° music video of “You're in the Band” from "School of Rock - the Musical" on YouTube and Facebook. 2015 8 September 2015 Andrew Lloyd Webber names Historic England Angel Awards winners A rescued country house, a miners’ railway hauler house, a church redundant for 30 years, restored coffin works and the “pointing queen” all celebrated as winners. Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, John Whittingdale MP, presents award for Best Heritage Rescue. 2015 17 July 2015 In conversation with… Andrew Lloyd Webber On Thursday 23 July, historian, curator and Trustee of Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village, MaryAnne Stevens will interview Lord Lloyd Webber on his love of Victorian art, from the historic surroundings of the Artists’ Village. 2015 19 June 2015 Lord Lloyd Webber spoke in the House of Lords' debate on the economic importance of the creative industries in the UK Yesterday, 18th June 2015, Lord Lloyd Webber joined the debate raised in the House of Lords on the economic importance of the creative industries in the UK. Here is what he said: 2015 12 May 2015 Andrew sends a video message to the Music In Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST) students who performed with Nicola Benedetti at the Barbican last night Lord Lloyd Webber, who was unable to attend the inaugural MiSST concert with Nicola Benedetti in person due to commitments overseas, congratulated all the participants in this video message 2015 20 April 2015 Statement from Andrew Lloyd Webber in response to the extensive coverage of his speech at the London Press Club Awards In response to the extensive coverage of his speech at the London Press Club Awards, Andrew Lloyd Webber said: “I am delighted there has been so much interest in my speech to the London Press Club Awards in which I elaborated on what John Betjeman wrote about the architecture of entertainment being by definition impermanent and needing to adapt to changing theatrical taste... 2014 18 December 2014 School of Rock - the Musical to premiere on Broadway in December 2015! The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group & Access Industries, The Shubert Organization, and The Nederlander Organization announced today that School of Rock—The Musical, will have its World Premiere on Broadway. 2014 27 November 2014 Statement from The Lord Lloyd-Webber on arts education in schools Lord Lloyd Webber believes passionately in the importance of the arts in education but was sadly unable to take part due to rehearsals for the new production of CATS at the London Palladium. He is most grateful to the Earl of Clancarty for raising the debate and would like to make the following points. 2014 2 October 2014 Andrew to appear at the Cheltenham Literature Festival Andrew Lloyd Webber is the latest name to join the line-up for The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival this weekend. 2014 28 September 2014 Nicole Scherzinger to star in Cats! Nicole Scherzinger will be making her West End stage debut as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats. 2014 25 July 2014 Andrew Lloyd Webber: The plane facts about shutting down Heathrow Today, the Evening Standard has published an article by Andrew Lloyd Webber regarding London Heathrow and the huge environmental and economic gains that will come from developing a new airport on the Isle of Grain. 2014 19 July 2014 Statement from Andrew regarding the Assisted Dying Bill “I have listened closely to the excellent debate in the House of Lords yesterday and am persuaded that the Assisted Dying Bill should move forwards. The House of Lords clearly will be able to discuss and hopefully allay many of my concerns.” ALW. 2014 7 July 2014 CATS returns to London for 12 weeks only at the London Palladium Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical "Cats", based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, returns to the West End for a strictly limited 12 week run at the London Palladium from 6 December 2014. 2014 7 July 2014 Lost Letters... We are very sorry but a batch of letters has gone missing between Andrew's home and his private office. This happened during w/c 23 June 2014. 2014 14 May 2014 Andrew receives an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Music Andrew Lloyd Webber was honoured earlier today with an Honorary Doctorate by HRH The Prince of Wales at the Royal College of Music's Annual Awards ceremony. 2014 13 May 2014 Andrew welcomes Norm Lewis & Sierra Boggess to Phantom on Broadway Andrew Lloyd Webber was in New York on Monday to welcome incoming stars Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess to Broadway’s longest running show. 2014 20 March 2014 Phantom in New York proudly welcomes two great Broadway stars this May Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'The Phantom of the Opera', directed by Harold Prince, will proudly welcome Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis as The Phantom, and Broadway & West End star Sierra Boggess, as Christine Daaé, at The Majestic, New York, on 12th May. 2014 14 February 2014 Andrew on BBC Radio 2 with Chris Evans This morning, Andrew joined Harvey Weinstein, George Clooney and Nerina Pallot live on this morning's BBC Radio 2 The Chris Evans Breakfast Show. 2014 30 January 2014 Rocket Pictures to Produce animated feature film of Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice's 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat' Elton John’s Rocket Pictures has acquired the film rights to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s global stage phenomenon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat. 2013 30th December 2013 Gillian Lynne Receives DBE It was announced that Gillian Lynne CBE, 87, has had the title of Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) conferred upon her in the 2014 New Years Honours List for her services to Dance and Musical Theatre. 2013 22 December 2013 Sex, Lies and a Very British Scapegoat In this exclusive documentary, Andrew tells the story of Stephen Ward, the man at the centre of the 'Profumo Affair', pinpointing the events that led to Ward becoming a scapegoat for the affair. 2013 Andrew on BBC One's The One Show Last night, Andrew appeared on BBC One's The One Show! 2013 6 December, 2013 Andrew Lloyd Webber on The Graham Norton Show Tonight, Andrew Lloyd Webber will appear on The Graham Norton Show, BBC 1 at 10:45 pm. 2013 26 November 2013 Andrew Lloyd Webber introduces Stephen Ward at the Royal Variety Performance 2013 Last night the London Palladium, the world's most famous variety theatre, played host to a Grammy Award winner, a BAFTA Award winning Dame, BRIT and MOBO Award winners and Olympic champions at this year's Royal Variety Performance. 2013 30 Sept, 2013 Stephen Ward Press Launch Close friends of the production and some key members of the press were invited to an exclusive Stephen Ward launch event in London's Soho, featuring special performances from the cast. 2013 June 26, 2013 Stephen Ward Announced Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Christopher Hampton and Don Black, and directed by Richard Eyre, STEPHEN WARD charts the rise and fall from grace of the man at the centre of the Profumo scandal. 2013 15 May, 2013 £4m restoration of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane unveiled On the 350th anniversary of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Lord Lloyd Webber and The Really Useful Theatres Group are delighted to announce the stunning restoration of the Rotunda, Royal Staircases and Grand Saloon. 2013 April 23, 2013 New charity launched to implement music-based curriculum The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and The Charles Wolfson Trust announce that they will be donating £2 million over four years to establish a new charitable entity The Music In Secondary Schools Trust. 2013 March 27, 2013 Theme from Stephen Ward released for pre-order The ‘Theme from Stephen Ward’, by Lloyd Webber, was specially arranged for classical guitar, and performed by Miloš Karadaglić, a 29 year old Montenegrin, recently described by The Times as “a new classical guitar God”. 2013 Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years An evening of show-stopping performances, one-off collaborations and insights from Andrew on his extraordinary career. 2013 February 27, 2013 Stagecoach perform Cats at the NIA Part-time theatre school network Stagecoach Theatre Arts celebrates its 25th anniversary with an epic performance of the world-renowned musical at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham with thousands of performers from Stagecoach schools nationally and internationally taking part. 2013 February 27, 2013 The Perfect Song Andrew Lloyd Webber and award-winning lyricist Leslie Bricusse collaborate professionally for the first time ever on a song to appear on West End star, Michael Ball’s new album. 2013 February 27, 2013 Phantom US Tour Announcement RUG and CML announce that the spectacular new touring production of The Phantom of the Opera will launch a North American tour beginning November 2013 2013 February 20, 2013 Jesus Christ Superstar announce 2013 Australian tour The Really Useful Group and Frontier Touring proudly announce that the new arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar will tour Australia in 2013. The production will begin its tour of the continent in Perth on 31 May. 2013 5th February 2013 Tickets for the second Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE UK Arena Tour go on sale. The spectacular show returns to the UK in October 2013 by popular demand and will feature the same stellar cast as before: award-winning Tim Minchin (Judas Iscariot), Melanie C (Mary Magdalene), Chris Moyles (King Herod) and winner of ITV's Superstar, Ben Forster (Jesus). 2012 19th November 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE Arena Tour DVD/Blu-Ray released! Witnessing this stunning show was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people, but now you can relive the whole experience with Tim Minchin, Melanie C, Chris Moyles and Ben Forster in beautiful HD and crisp 5.1 surround sound in the conform of your own living room. 2012 November 7, 2012 Danielle Wade wins CBC's Over The Rainbow Ontario's Danielle Wade wins the coveted ruby slippers as Canada's top Dorothy on CBC's Over The Rainbow 2012 Andrew Lloyd Webber Awards for local people who save their heritage The winners of the English Heritage Angel Awards, founded last year by Andrew Lloyd Webber 2012 Andrew joins the Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Tour cast on stage at the M.E.N. View photos of Andrew on stage with the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in Manchester 2012 Andrew presents award to Gary Barlow Gary wins GQ Award for Outstanding Achievement 2012 June 29, 2012 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Melanie C at O2 Silver Clef Awards Andrew Lloyd Webber arrives on the red carpet with Melanie C at today's Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards. 2012 SING tops official Singles AND Album charts A double number 1 slot for Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber composition 2012 May 24, 2012 Over The Rainbow Canada CBC launches nationwide search for Dorothy to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Canadian production of The Wizard of Oz 2012 May 18, 2012 Official Diamond Jubilee song unveiled Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Sing’ includes huge number of musicians - watch the video exclusively on MSN 2012 May 14, 2012 Andrew to receive BASCA Fellowship Andrew will be receiving a BASCA Fellowship at this year’s Ivor Novello Awards on Thursday 17 May. 2012 May 10, 2012 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jessie J reunite Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jessie J will reunite as they both win 2012 Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards 2012 March 16, 2012 Love Never Dies number 1 in mid-week charts Love Never Dies soars to number 1 in the UK's mid-week Music DVD charts, and number 4 in the overall top 200. 2012 March 9, 2012 Love Never Dies released in the UK Next Monday, 12th March, sees the DVD, Blu-Ray and iTunes release of Love Never Dies in the UK and Ireland. 2011 Andrew at The Royal Variety Performance Nicole Scherzinger performs The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Variety Performance 2011 Andrew at The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Exclusive video footage backstage at the final 25th Anniversary performance on Sunday 2nd October 2011. 2011 September 29, 2011 Andrew discusses the English Heritage Angel Awards on BBC 2’s Culture Show Tomorrow, Friday 30 September at 7.00pm, Andrew is interviewed about the English Heritage Angel Awards on BBC 2’s Culture Show. 2011 September 26, 2011 Andrew attends Love Never Dies filming In our exclusive video footage, Andrew visits The Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia to oversee the filming of Love Never Dies 2011 Andrew attends Love Never Dies final performance at The Adelphi Andrew attends Love Never Dies final performance at The Adelphi 2011 August 19, 2011 Andrew attends The Sound of Music in Norwich Andrew Lloyd Webber visits Verity Rushworth and cast of The Sound of Music tour at the Norwich Theatre Royal 2011 July 1, 2011 The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall Series of concerts at The Royal Albert Hall this October announced to celebrate The Phantom of the Opera's 25th anniversary this year. 2011 June 13, 2011 Andrew on the Stratford Festival production of Jesus Christ Superstar Last Saturday, 11th June, Andrew attended the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Des McAnuff. 2011 June 11, 2011 Andrew announces The English Heritage ‘Angel’ Awards In today’s Daily Telegraph, Andrew announced a new annual award scheme, The English Heritage ‘Angel’ Awards. 2011 June 8, 2011 Andrew lends his support to 1711 Walk This Sunday 12 June will see the launch of 1711 Walk, a new 17 mile route running from Greenwich to Westminster linking 12 of London’s finest Baroque churches 2011 June 1, 2011 Andrew attends Love Never Dies premiere in Melbourne Exclusive video footage of Andrew Lloyd Webber onstage after the Australian premiere performance of Love Never Dies 2011 ALW Foundation to invest in the Arts Funds for ongoing support of Culture, Heritage and the Arts 2011 April 12, 2011 Andrew Lloyd Webber: A Passion for the Pre-Raphaelites new documentary for ITV1 Two exclusive video clips from 'Andrew Lloyd Webber: A Passion for the Pre-Raphaelites', which airs on ITV1, Sunday 1 May, 10.15 pm 2011 April 11, 2011 Andrew in rehearsal with Julian Lloyd Webber and Jiaxin Cheng Andrew rehearses with his brother Julian and Jiaxin Cheng ahead of this Thursday's gala concert to celebrate Julian's 60th birthday. 2011 April 4, 2011 Andrew to perform with Julian Lloyd Webber at his 60th birthday Gala Concert On Thursday 14th April Andrew will join his brother, acclaimed cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, in a special rare public performance. 2011 On Thursday 16th December BBC1 broadcasts the 82nd Royal Variety Performance. 2010 December 9, 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber to greet the Royal Party at this year’s Royal Variety Performance This evening Andrew and his wife Madeleine will greet the Royal Party outside the London Palladium ahead of 82nd annual Royal Variety Performance 2010 Phantom celebrates 10,000 performances in the West End Special guests drop in to enjoy the landmark performance... 2010 Happy Birthday to the London Palladium… Exclusive video footage as Andrew hosts the London Palladium's 100 birthday celebrations. 2010 October 12, 2010 Love Never Dies Australian premiere announced LOVE NEVER DIES, the continuing story of The Phantom of the Opera, will have its Australian premiere in Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in May 2011, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced in London. 2010 Andrew hosts centenary celebration for the London Palladium London Palladium stars join Andrew to celebrate the world-famous theatre's 100th Birthday. 2010 October 6, 2010 Andrew to perform in Julian Lloyd Webber’s 60th Anniversary Gala Andrew will give a rare public performance when he joins his brother Julian at the Royal Festival Hall on April 14th next year at a Gala Concert to celebrate Julian’s sixtieth birthday. 2010 We're off to see the Wizard – and it's Michael Crawford! Michael Crawford to star in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. 2010 July 23, 2010 Lord Rowe-Beddoe presents Andrew with key to the Wales Millennium Centre Yesterday, Andrew was honoured to be presented with a ‘key’ to the Wales Millennium Centre by Life President of the Centre Lord Rowe-Beddoe. 2010 Love Never Dies album number one across key retailers in China The Love Never Dies album reaches number one in China. 2010 Sale of Pablo Picasso's Angel de Fernandez de Soto Andrew comments on sale of Pablo Picasso's 'Angel de Fernandez de Soto'. 2010 Winner beats Lauren and Sophie to the ruby slippers 2010 May 22, 2010 Danielle you are Dorothy… and here comes Dangerous Dave as Toto! 18 year old Danielle from Manchester wins the role of a lifetime in BBC One’s Over the Rainbow live final 2010 We’re off to see The Wizard of Oz! The most magical adventure of them all - tickets now onsale. 2010 Andrew gets ready for next week's Over The Rainbow Andrew works with the Dorothys on this weekend's solo songs. 2010 March 19, 2010 BBC ONE Follows the Yellow Brick Road, Over the Rainbow Official press release gives further details on Over The Rainbow, Andrew's BBC ONE search to find Dorothy 2010 February 2, 2010 'Love Never Dies' premieres at The South Bank Show Awards Watch Sierra's performance of the Love Never Dies title track at The South Bank Show Awards. 2010 January 26, 2010 Andrew Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame Last night (Monday 25th January 2009), Andrew Lloyd Webber was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in Theater. 2010 January 11, 2010 Andrew begins his search for Dorothy Hundreds head to Hampden Park, Glasgow to be among the first to audition for 'Over The Rainbow'. 2009 Andrew honoured by Theater Hall of Fame Andrew to be inducted into the 2009 Theater Hall of Fame 2009 Andrew and Ben Elton in Toronto Andrew joins Ben Elton in Toronto for rehearsals for The Boys in the Photograph. 2009 September 16, 2009 9,000 performances of Phantom on Broadway The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, reaches its 9,000th performance in New York. 2009 April 30, 2009 The Boys in the Photograph opens in Canada On 30th April 2009 The Boys in the Photograph received its first professional outing in Winnipeg’s Manitoba Theatre Centre. 2009 Joseph voted Best Musical Revival Joseph wins Whatsonstage.comTheatregoers Choice Award 2009 January 31, 2009 Your Country Does Need You! Jade is the winner The people of the UK have made the final decision - Jade wins Your Country Needs You! 2009 January 8, 2009 The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber sets new record The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber has broken box office records at the Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center in Washington. 2008 December 12, 2008 Andrew meets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin As part of his mission to bring Eurovision glory back to the UK for BBC1 TV show Your Country Needs You, Andrew paid a visit to 2009 Eurovision host country Russia for a very special meeting 2008 25 years of Cats in Japan! A very special anniversary for Cats in Tokyo 2008 September 14, 2008 Andrew's 60th birthday celebrated by BBC concert in Hyde Park A host of stars wowed the crowds in London’s Hyde Park during a massive open-air concert organised by BBC Radio 2 to celebrate Andrew's 60th birthday 2008 Problem Solved, Elicia Mackenzie is Canada's Maria Canada has finally answered the question of 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?' 2008 June 15, 2008 Starlight Express celebrates 20 years of productions in Bochum, Germany On Sunday 15th June, Andrew and Arlene Phillips attended a special gala event to celebrate 20 years of Starlight Express in Germany. 2008 The Phantom of the Opera goes digital! This week The Phantom of The Opera installs a major new sound system. 2008 April 22, 2008 Andrew appears on American Idol In spring 2008, Andrew made a guest appearance on the No. 1 rated US television show American Idol, acting as a mentor... 2008 April 8, 2008 Andrew to receive Classical BRIT Award Andrew Lloyd Webber is set to receive an Outstanding Achievement Award at next month‘s Classical BRITs. 2008 March 15, 2008 I'd Do Anything begins on BBC1 I'd Do Anything, the BBC search for the stars of the Lionel Bart classic show Oliver!, followed Andrew and the BBC’s earlier searches for a Joseph and a Maria. 2008 Andrew's Special Award from SOLT The Society of London Theatre, which celebrates its centenary this year, honours Andrew Lloyd Webber. 2008 Joseph is still amazing audiences 40 years on Joseph celebrates its 40th anniversary. 2008 Andrew joins guest presenters at the Brits Andrew Lloyd Webber presents an award at the BRITs. 2008 February 1, 2008 Andrew appears in Hollyoaks Andrew’s acting debut in Channel 4’s hit teen drama Hollyoaks aired on UK screens on 1st February 2008. 2007 Any Dream Will Do shortlisted for National Television Award National Television Awards update Images of Andrew as guest of honour at the ArtsEd musical theatre graduation ceremony. 2006 December 3, 2006 Andrew is honoured at the Kennedy Center On 3rd December 2006, some of the biggest names in American entertainment and politics paid tribute to Andrew at the 29th annual Kennedy Center Honors. 2006 November 15, 2006 The Sound of Music opens at the London Palladium Connie Fisher, the winner of BBC TV series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? made her West End debut in the London Palladium production of The Sound of Music 2006 June 21, 2006 The 2006 revival of Evita Michael Grandage’s revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1978 classic Evita opened at The Adelphi Theatre in London on 21st June 2006. 2004 September 16, 2004 The Woman in White opens The Woman in White, a free adaptation of Wilkie Collins’s sensational Victorian thriller of the same name, opened at the Palace Theatre, London on 16th September 2004. 2003 April 15, 2003 Tell Me on a Sunday West End revival Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic Tell Me on a Sunday is a one-woman song cycle that charts the course of a young English girl newly arrived in New York 2002 June 16, 2002 Bombay Dreams opens Bombay Dreams award winning composer A. R. Rahman's Bollywood extravaganza for the stage, was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and opened at the Apollo Theatre in London on June 16th 2002. 2000 The Beautiful Game opened at the Cambridge Theatre, London on 26th September 2000. 1998 The film version of Cats is released The film version of Cats, directed by David Mallet, was released in October 1998 1998 August 9, 1998 Boyzone reach number one with 'No Matter What' ‘No Matter What,’ from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Jim Steinman musical Whistle Down The Wind, number one in the UK singles charts 9th August. 1998 July 1, 1998 Whistle Down The Wind opens in the West End Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down The Wind premiered at the Aldwych Theatre in London on 1st July 1998. 1996 November 19, 1996 The 25th Anniversary production of Jesus Christ Superstar Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar originally opened in New York on 12th September 1971. For the 25th anniversary of the show... 1993 December 9, 1993 Sunset Boulevard opens in LA Sunset Boulevard received its American premiere on 9th December 1993 at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles. 1991 June 12, 1991 ‘Any Dream Will Do’ reaches number one in the UK singles chart Jason Donovan, starring in the London Palladium's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, tops the charts 1991 June 12, 1991 The London Palladium revival of Joseph The 1991 London Palladium revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Techniciolor Dreamcoat was directed by Steven Pimlott starring pop star Jason Donovan in the title role. 1989 Aspects of Love premieres at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London 1986 October 9, 1986 The opening of The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera is now a musical phenomenon which has playe all over the world, but the show originally opened at Her Majesty's Thetare in London on 9th October 1986. 1984 March 27, 1984 Starlight Express opens Starlight Express, the world's only musical performed entirely on roller skates, opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London on 27th March 1984. 1982 March 26, 1982 Song and Dance Opens The original London production of Song and Dance opened at the Palace Theatre in London on 26th March 1982. 1972 August 9, 1972 Jesus Christ Superstar Opens in London Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar opened in London at the Palace Theatre on 9th August 1972.

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Shows | Andrew Lloyd Webber 8th September 2016 School of Rock Smells Like Tween Spirit! Follow the kids of School of Rock as they get ready to begin performances at the New London Theatre on 24 October 2016. 2016 26th May 2016 Leona Lewis to star as Grizabella in Cats on Broadway Chart-topping pop star Leona Lewis will play the iconic role of Grizabella in the first-ever Broadway revival of Cats. 2016 School of Rock to open at the New London Theatre School of Rock will open at the New London Theatre in October 2016. 2016 School of Rock Open Auditions We are searching for brilliantly talented children who can sing, act and play rock instruments. 2015 20th October 2015 Andrew Lloyd Webber to start music education programs in 20 New York public schools Lloyd Webber has gifted the City of New York’s Fund for Public Schools with $150,000 toward new instruments. 2015 19 October 2015 School of Rock - The Musical's 360° music video surpasses 1,000,000 views on YouTube and Facebook in less than 3 days The first-of-its-kind video is the FASTEST on Broadway to reach 1 million views combined on YouTube and Facebook in less than 3 days. 2015 14 October 2015 YOU’RE IN THE BAND! First-of-its-kind 360° music video from "School of Rock - the Musical" Andrew Lloyd Webber to release first-of-its-kind 360° music video of “You're in the Band” from "School of Rock - the Musical" on YouTube and Facebook. 2014 2 October 2014 Andrew to appear at the Cheltenham Literature Festival Andrew Lloyd Webber is the latest name to join the line-up for The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival this weekend. 2014 28 September 2014 Nicole Scherzinger to star in Cats! Nicole Scherzinger will be making her West End stage debut as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats. 2014 7 July 2014 CATS returns to London for 12 weeks only at the London Palladium Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical "Cats", based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, returns to the West End for a strictly limited 12 week run at the London Palladium from 6 December 2014. 2014 13 May 2014 Andrew welcomes Norm Lewis & Sierra Boggess to Phantom on Broadway Andrew Lloyd Webber was in New York on Monday to welcome incoming stars Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess to Broadway’s longest running show. 2014 4 April 2014 Stars align for the biggest US arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar Brandon Boyd, JC Chasez, Michelle Williams, John (Rotten) Lydon and Ben Forster take Jesus Christ Superstar on the biggest North American arena tour kicking off in New Orleans on 9th June and then visiting more than 50 cities across the US. 2014 20 March 2014 Phantom in New York proudly welcomes two great Broadway stars this May Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'The Phantom of the Opera', directed by Harold Prince, will proudly welcome Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis as The Phantom, and Broadway & West End star Sierra Boggess, as Christine Daaé, at The Majestic, New York, on 12th May. 2014 14 February 2014 Andrew on BBC Radio 2 with Chris Evans This morning, Andrew joined Harvey Weinstein, George Clooney and Nerina Pallot live on this morning's BBC Radio 2 The Chris Evans Breakfast Show. 2014 30 January 2014 Rocket Pictures to Produce animated feature film of Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice's 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat' Elton John’s Rocket Pictures has acquired the film rights to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s global stage phenomenon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat. 2013 30th December 2013 Gillian Lynne Receives DBE It was announced that Gillian Lynne CBE, 87, has had the title of Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) conferred upon her in the 2014 New Years Honours List for her services to Dance and Musical Theatre. 2013 22 December 2013 Sex, Lies and a Very British Scapegoat In this exclusive documentary, Andrew tells the story of Stephen Ward, the man at the centre of the 'Profumo Affair', pinpointing the events that led to Ward becoming a scapegoat for the affair. 2013 Andrew on BBC One's The One Show Last night, Andrew appeared on BBC One's The One Show! 2013 6 December, 2013 Andrew Lloyd Webber on The Graham Norton Show Tonight, Andrew Lloyd Webber will appear on The Graham Norton Show, BBC 1 at 10:45 pm. 2013 26 November 2013 Andrew Lloyd Webber introduces Stephen Ward at the Royal Variety Performance 2013 Last night the London Palladium, the world's most famous variety theatre, played host to a Grammy Award winner, a BAFTA Award winning Dame, BRIT and MOBO Award winners and Olympic champions at this year's Royal Variety Performance. 2013 30 Sept, 2013 Stephen Ward Press Launch Close friends of the production and some key members of the press were invited to an exclusive Stephen Ward launch event in London's Soho, featuring special performances from the cast. 2013 June 26, 2013 Stephen Ward Announced Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Christopher Hampton and Don Black, and directed by Richard Eyre, STEPHEN WARD charts the rise and fall from grace of the man at the centre of the Profumo scandal. 2013 March 27, 2013 Theme from Stephen Ward released for pre-order The ‘Theme from Stephen Ward’, by Lloyd Webber, was specially arranged for classical guitar, and performed by Miloš Karadaglić, a 29 year old Montenegrin, recently described by The Times as “a new classical guitar God”. 2013 Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years An evening of show-stopping performances, one-off collaborations and insights from Andrew on his extraordinary career. 2013 February 27, 2013 Stagecoach perform Cats at the NIA Part-time theatre school network Stagecoach Theatre Arts celebrates its 25th anniversary with an epic performance of the world-renowned musical at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham with thousands of performers from Stagecoach schools nationally and internationally taking part. 2013 February 27, 2013 Phantom US Tour Announcement RUG and CML announce that the spectacular new touring production of The Phantom of the Opera will launch a North American tour beginning November 2013 2013 February 20, 2013 Jesus Christ Superstar announce 2013 Australian tour The Really Useful Group and Frontier Touring proudly announce that the new arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar will tour Australia in 2013. The production will begin its tour of the continent in Perth on 31 May. 2013 5th February 2013 Tickets for the second Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE UK Arena Tour go on sale. The spectacular show returns to the UK in October 2013 by popular demand and will feature the same stellar cast as before: award-winning Tim Minchin (Judas Iscariot), Melanie C (Mary Magdalene), Chris Moyles (King Herod) and winner of ITV's Superstar, Ben Forster (Jesus). 2012 19th November 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE Arena Tour DVD/Blu-Ray released! Witnessing this stunning show was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people, but now you can relive the whole experience with Tim Minchin, Melanie C, Chris Moyles and Ben Forster in beautiful HD and crisp 5.1 surround sound in the conform of your own living room. 2012 November 7, 2012 Danielle Wade wins CBC's Over The Rainbow Ontario's Danielle Wade wins the coveted ruby slippers as Canada's top Dorothy on CBC's Over The Rainbow 2012 Andrew joins the Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Tour cast on stage at the M.E.N. View photos of Andrew on stage with the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in Manchester 2012 Fourth London show added to Arena Tour! Extra dates added to Jesus Christ Superstar UK Tour due to overwhelming demand 2012 tch the official trailer for ITV's Superstar The official trailer for Superstar is released 2012 May 21, 2012 First O2 show sold out! Second date added Second Jesus Christ Superstar UK Arena Tour date added at The O2, London, due to phenomenal demand 2012 Andrew Lloyd Webber welcomes his live show judging panel for Superstar 2012 May 16, 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar UK Arena Tour Stars align for first ever UK Arena Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, tickets onsale Friday 18th May. 2012 Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar Tony nominations Broadway revivals of Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar nominated in Tony Awards. 2012 March 16, 2012 Love Never Dies number 1 in mid-week charts Love Never Dies soars to number 1 in the UK's mid-week Music DVD charts, and number 4 in the overall top 200. 2012 Wizard of Oz nominated in 2012 Olivier Awards Wizard of Oz nominated for Best Musical Revival at the 2012 Olivier Awards. 2012 Andrew announces casting panel for ITV1 Superstar Andrew Lloyd Webber invites Melanie C and Jason Donovan to assist him on Superstar 2012 March 9, 2012 Love Never Dies released in the UK Next Monday, 12th March, sees the DVD, Blu-Ray and iTunes release of Love Never Dies in the UK and Ireland. 2012 February 3, 2012 Love Never Dies US Movie Release Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies makes its U.S. debut only in movie theaters in exclusive February event 2012 January 18, 2012 ITV1 and Andrew Lloyd Webber today announce ‘Superstar’ ITV1 and Andrew Lloyd Webber today announce Superstar – a brand new show that will give the British public the chance to choose the country’s next major rock star. 2011 Jesus Christ Superstar celebrates 40 years! Jesus Christ Superstar marks a significant production milestone 2011 October 5, 2011 Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway The Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s Production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, directed by Des Mcanuff. 2011 Andrew at The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Exclusive video footage backstage at the final 25th Anniversary performance on Sunday 2nd October 2011. 2011 Andrew attends Love Never Dies final performance at The Adelphi Andrew attends Love Never Dies final performance at The Adelphi 2011 August 19, 2011 Andrew attends The Sound of Music in Norwich Andrew Lloyd Webber visits Verity Rushworth and cast of The Sound of Music tour at the Norwich Theatre Royal 2011 July 19, 2011 Jesus Christ Superstar to move to La Jolla Playhouse Stratford Shakespeare Festival's production of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Des McAnuff, will move on to play the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, later this year. 2011 July 5, 2011 Love Never Dies receives 10 Helpmann Award nominations The Australian production of Love Never Dies yesterday received 10 nominations in the tenth annual Helpmann Awards 2011 July 1, 2011 The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall Series of concerts at The Royal Albert Hall this October announced to celebrate The Phantom of the Opera's 25th anniversary this year. 2011 June 1, 2011 Andrew attends Love Never Dies premiere in Melbourne Exclusive video footage of Andrew Lloyd Webber onstage after the Australian premiere performance of Love Never Dies 2011 March 18, 2011 There's NOSE place like home Dangerous Dave makes his West End debut on 21st April in a special charity gala performance in aid of Comic Relief - tickets now onsale 2011 February 23, 2011 Love Never Dies’ Leading Men win Whatsonstage.com Awards Ramin Karimloo and Joseph Millson win at the Whatsonstage.com Awards as Love Never Dies also secures 7 Olivier nominations. 2010 On Thursday 16th December BBC1 broadcasts the 82nd Royal Variety Performance. 2010 December 9, 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber to greet the Royal Party at this year’s Royal Variety Performance This evening Andrew and his wife Madeleine will greet the Royal Party outside the London Palladium ahead of 82nd annual Royal Variety Performance 2010 November 3, 2010 Andrew and Tim Rice appear on The Culture Show On 4th November, BBC 2's The Culture Show features an exclusive interview with Andrew and Tim Rice to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album. 2010 Phantom celebrates 10,000 performances in the West End Special guests drop in to enjoy the landmark performance... 2010 October 14, 2010 Over The Rainbow…Where Are They Now? As Danielle Hope gets ready to make her debut in The Wizard of Oz, we take a look at what her fellow former Dorothies are up to. 2010 October 12, 2010 Love Never Dies Australian premiere announced LOVE NEVER DIES, the continuing story of The Phantom of the Opera, will have its Australian premiere in Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in May 2011, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced in London. 2010 We're off to see the Wizard – and it's Michael Crawford! Michael Crawford to star in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. 2010 Andrew visits Cardiff for a special announcement about Sophie Evans Andrew visited Cardiff today with Bill Kenwright to make a special announcement... 2010 Love Never Dies album number one across key retailers in China The Love Never Dies album reaches number one in China. 2010 June 7, 2010 Tell Me on a Sunday national tour, starring Claire Sweeney Press release gives further information about upcoming UK touring production of Tell Me on a Sunday. 2010 Oz Blog: The winner is revealed We reach the end of the yellow brick road, as our Dorothy is revealed. 2010 Exclusive footage from the final Over The Rainbow acting mission... 2010 May 24, 2010 Oz Blog: The Final Countdown We’ve reached the end of the yellow brick road as Andrew’s Dorothy is finally revealed in an epic two-part grand finale. 2010 May 22, 2010 Danielle you are Dorothy… and here comes Dangerous Dave as Toto! 18 year old Danielle from Manchester wins the role of a lifetime in BBC One’s Over the Rainbow live final 2010 Danielle, Lauren and Sophie have a go at Polo! A break from their final week of training for the Dorothy finalists 2010 The winning Dorothy to release charity single To be available from Sunday 23rd May 2010 Love Never Dies leading lady, Sierra Boggess, gives the Dorothy semi-finalists some invaluable advice 2010 Oz: Blog: Andrew makes his final choice and the final three are revealed In the final Sunday results show, four become three. 2010 May 15, 2010 Bombay Dreams Movie Announcement Marquee Pictures announces the film adaption of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and A. R. Rahman musical 'Bombay Dreams'. 2010 Oz Blog: The Fantastic Four The tension mounts as the final four contestants battle to reach next week's grand final. 2010 11, 2010 Andrew meets Bobby... Behind the scenes on last week's Over The Rainbow acting mission, as the girls - and Andrew - meet Bobby the Westie (aka Toto). 2010 May 11, 2010 Oz Blog: The second sing-off After saying goodbye to Jenny in Sunday's show, it was time for another Dorothy to hand back her shoes... 2010 May 10, 2010 Oz Blog: A Dorothy Cull... It was Musical Theatre week – and time for a double Dorothy elimination as the semi-finals loom... 2010 We’re off to see The Wizard of Oz! The most magical adventure of them all - tickets now onsale. 2010 From Nancy to Dorothy: A message from Sam and Niamh A message for the Dorothys from I'd Do Anything's Sam Barks and Niamh Perry. 2010 Oz Blog: An Emotional Goodbye Another tough decision for Andrew in Sunday's Over The Rainbow sing-off. 2010 Oz Blog: An audience with the Lord Another weekend of fabulous performances, after the girls worked on their solo songs with Andrew. 2010 May 2, 2010 Andrew and the Dorothys get ready for their close up... It's lights, camera, action as the final seven girls and Andrew take part in a Daily Mirror photoshoot. 2010 An Over the Rainbow update from Andrew Andrew shares his thoughts after working with the Dorothys in his latest video blog. 2010 Andrew gets ready for next week's Over The Rainbow Andrew works with the Dorothys on this weekend's solo songs. 2010 April 27, 2010 It's Toto time for Andrew... Behind the scenes footage with Andrew, the Toto panel and eleven dogs vying to be Toto... 2010 Oz Blog: Standing ovations as we say another goodbye It's goodbye to another of the girls in our latest behind the scenes blog... 2010 Oz Blog: A chorus of Angels... Time for the girls to stretch those vocal chords with panellist Charlotte Church. 2010 Oz Blog: Another sad goodbye... Time for another Dorothy to fly Over The Rainbow. 2010 Behind the scenes at Over The Rainbow Exclusive video footage gives a sneak peek behind the scenes at the studio. 2010 April 19, 2010 Oz Blog: Making a Song and Dance It’s dance week for our Dorothys as panellist John Partridge puts them through their paces... 2010 Oz Blog: It's goodbye to another of our Dorothies... Andrew faces a tough decision in this week's sing-off. 2010 Oz Blog: A Class Act The competition heats up, and the girls get some acting pointers from panellist Sheila Hancock 2010 Oz Blog: The first Dorothy flies over the rainbow It's goodbye to our first Dorothy as the first Over The Rainbow results are in 2010 April 6, 2010 Oz Blog: The first live show... and the public get to choose The Wild Card is revealed, and Andrew and the panel say goodbye to the first of our Dorothy’s. 2010 March 30, 2010 Oz Blog: 20 become 10... As Graham Norton said "The lord is back" - our second 'Oz Blog' reports on this weekend's shows. 2010 March 30, 2010 Oz Blog: Over The Rainbow kicks off with weekend special As Graham Norton said "The lord is back" - in our first 'Oz Blog' we report back on this weekend’s first two Over The Rainbow shows. 2010 March 19, 2010 BBC ONE Follows the Yellow Brick Road, Over the Rainbow Official press release gives further details on Over The Rainbow, Andrew's BBC ONE search to find Dorothy 2010 Andrew and Katherine Jenkins on Dancing On Ice View images from Andrew's appearance on ITV1 show Dancing On Ice. 2010 February 19, 2010 Andrew Lloyd Webber to appear on Weekend Wogan this Sunday Andrew will be a guest on Terry Wogan's BBC Radio 2 show, Weekend Wogan, this Sunday 21st February 2010 from 11am until 1pm. 2010 Andrew pays a visit backstage after The Sound of Music UK tour press night. 2009 April 30, 2009 The Boys in the Photograph opens in Canada On 30th April 2009 The Boys in the Photograph received its first professional outing in Winnipeg’s Manitoba Theatre Centre. 2009 Joseph voted Best Musical Revival Joseph wins Whatsonstage.comTheatregoers Choice Award 2009 January 10, 2009 Lee Mead's final performance as Joseph in the West End After 15 months of performances onstage at London’s Adelphi Theatre, Any Dream Will Do winner Lee Mead hung up his famous Technicolor Dreamcoat on 10th January 2009. 2008 Problem Solved, Elicia Mackenzie is Canada's Maria Canada has finally answered the question of 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?' 2008 June 15, 2008 Starlight Express celebrates 20 years of productions in Bochum, Germany On Sunday 15th June, Andrew and Arlene Phillips attended a special gala event to celebrate 20 years of Starlight Express in Germany. 2008 The Phantom of the Opera goes digital! This week The Phantom of The Opera installs a major new sound system. 2008 Joseph is still amazing audiences 40 years on Joseph celebrates its 40th anniversary. 2008 February 1, 2008 Andrew appears in Hollyoaks Andrew’s acting debut in Channel 4’s hit teen drama Hollyoaks aired on UK screens on 1st February 2008. 2007 Andrew and Ben visit Liverpool Andrew and Ben Elton visit a new production of The Beautiful Game in Liverpool 2007 Lee Mead to sing 'Any Dream Will Do' on Children in Need show. 2007 Andrew helps the Dutch find their Evita Andrew assists on the Dutch search for Evita. 2007 October 10, 2007 How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? nominated for Emmy Award BBC TV show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? is nominated for a 2007 International Emmy Award 2007 October 3, 2007 Canada to be the next nation to Solve a Problem Like Maria... Canadian audiences to help answer the question of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? 2006 November 15, 2006 The Sound of Music opens at the London Palladium Connie Fisher, the winner of BBC TV series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? made her West End debut in the London Palladium production of The Sound of Music 2006 June 21, 2006 The 2006 revival of Evita Michael Grandage’s revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1978 classic Evita opened at The Adelphi Theatre in London on 21st June 2006. 2004 September 16, 2004 The Woman in White opens The Woman in White, a free adaptation of Wilkie Collins’s sensational Victorian thriller of the same name, opened at the Palace Theatre, London on 16th September 2004. 2003 April 15, 2003 Tell Me on a Sunday West End revival Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic Tell Me on a Sunday is a one-woman song cycle that charts the course of a young English girl newly arrived in New York 2002 June 16, 2002 Bombay Dreams opens Bombay Dreams award winning composer A. R. Rahman's Bollywood extravaganza for the stage, was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and opened at the Apollo Theatre in London on June 16th 2002. 2000 The Beautiful Game opened at the Cambridge Theatre, London on 26th September 2000. 1998 The film version of Cats is released The film version of Cats, directed by David Mallet, was released in October 1998 1998 August 9, 1998 Boyzone reach number one with 'No Matter What' ‘No Matter What,’ from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Jim Steinman musical Whistle Down The Wind, number one in the UK singles charts 9th August. 1998 July 1, 1998 Whistle Down The Wind opens in the West End Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down The Wind premiered at the Aldwych Theatre in London on 1st July 1998. 1996 November 19, 1996 The 25th Anniversary production of Jesus Christ Superstar Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar originally opened in New York on 12th September 1971. For the 25th anniversary of the show... 1993 December 9, 1993 Sunset Boulevard opens in LA Sunset Boulevard received its American premiere on 9th December 1993 at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles. 1991 June 12, 1991 ‘Any Dream Will Do’ reaches number one in the UK singles chart Jason Donovan, starring in the London Palladium's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, tops the charts 1991 June 12, 1991 The London Palladium revival of Joseph The 1991 London Palladium revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Techniciolor Dreamcoat was directed by Steven Pimlott starring pop star Jason Donovan in the title role. 1989 Aspects of Love premieres at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London 1986 October 9, 1986 The opening of The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera is now a musical phenomenon which has playe all over the world, but the show originally opened at Her Majesty's Thetare in London on 9th October 1986. 1984 March 27, 1984 Starlight Express opens Starlight Express, the world's only musical performed entirely on roller skates, opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London on 27th March 1984. 1982 March 26, 1982 Song and Dance Opens The original London production of Song and Dance opened at the Palace Theatre in London on 26th March 1982. 1972 August 9, 1972 Jesus Christ Superstar Opens in London Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar opened in London at the Palace Theatre on 9th August 1972. 2001 The film version of By Jeeves is released Directed by Alan Ayckbourn, the film version of By Jeeves was released in October 2001. 2009 'Love Changes Everything' performed at Kennedy memorial 'Love Changes Everything' performed at Senator Edward M. Kennedy's funeral.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's Stephen Ward premieres at Aldwych in December - WhatsOnStage.com Send Email Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's Stephen Ward premieres at Aldwych in December Andrew Lloyd Webber reunites with lyricist Don Black on his latest musical, based on one of the UK's most notorious political scandals, the Profumo Affair. Richard Eyre directs the world premiere production, which opens at the West End's Aldwych Theatre on 19 December 2013 Stephen Ward © Getty Images The much-anticipated world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical inspired by the Profumo Affair, Stephen Ward, will open at the Aldwych Theatre on 19 December 2013 (previews from 3 December). Directed by former National Theatre artistic director Richard Eyre , the show marks the first collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber , lyricist Don Black and playwright Christopher Hampton (who has written the book) since their 1993 musical Sunset Boulevard. Lloyd Webber and Black have also worked together on Tell Me on a Sunday (1980) and Aspects of Love (1989). The 1963 Profumo Affair, one of the most notorious political scandals of the 20th century, takes its name from the Minister of War John Profumo, who reputedly shared a mistress, Christine Keeler, with a Soviet spy and went on to lie when questioned about it in the House of Commons. The headline-grabbing affair shocked society and rocked the self-righteous Conservative Government of Harold Macmillan, leading ultimately to the resignations of both Profumo and Macmillan and ushering in a new era, as the "stuffy" 1950s gave way to the "Swinging Sixties". Rather than the more infamous players of Profumo, Keeler or Macmillan, however, the musical takes its name from, the person the press release refers to as the real victim of the affair: Stephen Ward, a libertarian osteopath and artist who introduced Profumo to Keeler at a country house party. He committed suicide on the last day of the court trial. Andrew Lloyd Webber The Profumo Affair has previously inspired stage versions including Hugh Whitemore's 1997 West End play A Letter of Resignation, starring Edward Fox, and the 2007 fringe musical A Model Girl, starring Emma Williams. Casting for Stephen Ward has yet to be announced . The premiere production is designed by Rob Howell with choreography by Stephen Mear , lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Paul Groothuis . Stephen Ward, Lloyd Webber's first new musical since 2010's Phantom of the Opera sequel Love Never Dies, is produced by Robert Fox Limited and the Really Useful Group.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber - Sunset Boulevard (World Premiere Recording) (CD, Album) at Discogs Vocals [Norma Desmond] – Patti LuPone Notes ℗ © 1993 The Really Useful Group Ltd. Recorded at The Hit Factory London, Abbey Road London, Olympic London and Air Lyndhurst London. Mixed at The Hit Factory London. Made in Germany by PMDC booklet-info: The full libretto (including spoken dialogue and the sequences that have been cut from the recording) is included in this booklet. The script and tracklisting was accurate at the time of going to print but may vary on the recording. The numbers in brackets next to titles should correspond to CD tracks. This album contains all the principal musical numbers and an edited version of the dialogue of "Sunset Boulevard". Obviously text and music cuts have been made for recording purposes. The complete libretto is printed in this booklet. "Sunset Boulevard" was first performed at the Sydmonton Festival in September 1992 and this recording uses several orchestrations that were created for that performance. Apart from these orchestrations the album was recorded in London between July 26th and August 10th 1993. Andrew Lloyd Webber World Premiere 12 July 1993 Adelphi Theatre London Barcode and Other Identifiers Matrix / Runout (CD1): 519 768-2 01 Matrix / Runout (CD2): 519 769-2 01 Label Code: LC 0309

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Andrew Lloyd Webber - IMDb IMDb Soundtrack | Music Department | Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is arguably the most successful composer of our time. He is best known for stage and film adaptations of his musicals Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Cats (1994), Evita (1996), and The Phantom of the Opera (2004). He was born on March 22, 1948, in South Kensington in London, England, the first of two sons of William Lloyd Webber,... See full bio » Born: a list of 25 people created 04 Aug 2011 a list of 29 people created 23 Oct 2012 a list of 21 people created 22 Jun 2013 a list of 33 people created 01 Jul 2015 a list of 34 people created 3 months ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Andrew Lloyd Webber's work have you seen? User Polls Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations. See more awards  » Known For  2016 Strictly Come Dancing (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - The Quarter-Final Results (2016) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")   Tu cara me suena (TV Series) (music - 1 episode, 2016) (writer - 1 episode, 2014) - Episode #5.8 (2016) ... (music: "Memory") - Episode #3.14 (2014) ... (writer: "Amigos para siempre")  2016 Tähdet, tähdet (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Musikaali (2016) ... (writer: "The Music of the Night")  2016 Who's Doing the Dishes? (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Lesley Garrett (2016) ... (writer: "The Phantom of the Opera" - uncredited)  2013-2016 The Voice (TV Series) (writer - 5 episodes) - The Superbattles (2016) ... (writer: "I Don't Know How to Love Him") - The Blind Auditions, Part 3 (2013) ... (writer: "Pie Jesu")  2016 Orphan Black (TV Series) (music - 2 episodes) - Episode #10.6 (2016) ... (writer: "Tetris" - uncredited)  2016 Ochéntame... otra vez (TV Series documentary) (writer - 1 episode) - Somos rumberos (2016) ... (writer: "Amics per sempre (Friends for Life)")   The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode, 2015) (writer - 1 episode, 2015) - Jane Fonda/Andrew Lloyd Webber/Brandon Niederauer (2015) ... (performer: "Any Dream Will Do", "Heaven On Their Minds", "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina", "Music of the Night") / (writer: "Any Dream Will Do", "Heaven On Their Minds", "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina", "Music of the Night")  2015 The Big Short (writer: "The Phantom of the Opera (from the musical)")   The X Factor (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode, 2015) (music - 1 episode, 2007) - Auditions 2 (2015) ... ("Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again") / (writer: "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again") - Live Show 2 (2007) ... (music: "The Phantom of the Opera" - uncredited)  2015 Belgium's Got Talent (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Liveshow 3 (2015) ... (writer: "Think of Me")  2014 Genesis: Together and Apart (TV Movie documentary) (performer: "Theme from The South Bank Show") / (writer: "Theme from The South Bank Show") - Glenn Close/Justin Long/Kurt Braunohler (2014) ... (music: "Surrender" - uncredited)  2014 BoJack Horseman (TV Series) (music - 1 episode)  2013 The 67th Annual Tony Awards (TV Movie documentary) (writer: "The Phantom of the Opera")  2012 Animal Practice (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Pilot (2012) ... (music: "Mr. Mistofelees")  2012 The 66th Annual Tony Awards (TV Movie documentary) (music: "Superstar", "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)")  2012 The Diamond Jubilee Concert (TV Special) (performer: "Sing") / (writer: "Sing")  2012 Ghost (TV Series) (producer: "The Phantom of the Opera") / (writer: "The Phantom of the Opera")  2012/II Love Never Dies (music: "Till I Hear You Sing", "The Coney Island Waltz", "Only For You", "Ten Long Years", "Christine Disembarks", "Are You Ready To Begin?", "What A Dreadful Town!", "Look With Your Heart", "Beneath A Moonless Sky", "Once Upon Another Time", "Ten Long Years Of Yearning", "Mother Please, I'm Scared!", "Dear Old Friend", "Beautiful", "The Beauty Underneath", "Phantom Conforts Christine", "Why Does She Love Me?", "Devil Take The Hindmost", "Invitation To The Concert", "Bathing Beauty", "Before The Performance", "Love Never Dies", "Gustave, Gustave", "Please Miss Giry, I Want to Go Back", "Ah, Christine", "Finale")  2012 Mulheres Ricas (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.4 (2012) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - uncredited)  2011 RocKwiz (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)  2011 Dancing with the Stars (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Round Six (2011) ... (music: "The Phantom of the Opera")  2011 Estudio 1 (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Urtain (2011) ... (writer: "Amigos para siempre")   Banda sonora (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode, 2011) (music - 1 episode, 2009) - Episode #7.3 (2011) ... (writer: "Amics per sempre") - Episode #5.3 (2009) ... (music: "Ja no ens pot preocupar res més")  2011 Gent de paraula (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.29 (2011) ... (writer: "The Phantom of the Opera") - Episode #19.4 (2010) ... (writer: "Pie Jesu")  2010 Midnight Phantom (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Nadja Confronts Brandon (2010) ... (writer: "All I Ask of You")  2010 Huckabee (TV Series) (music - 1 episode)   Los nuevos y clásicos bloopers (TV Series) (producer - 1 episode, 2010) (writer - 1 episode, 2010) - Episode dated 9 July 2010 (2010) ... (producer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina") / (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")  2010 20 to 1 (TV Series documentary) (writer - 1 episode) - Greatest Sporting Anthems (2010) ... (writer: "Amigos Para Siempre")  2010 Madonna: Sticky & Sweet Tour (Video documentary) (writer: "You Must Love Me", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")  2010 House (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)  2009-2010 Live from Studio Five (TV Series) (writer - 4 episodes) - Episode #1.115 (2010) ... (writer: "It's My Time") - Episode #1.52 (2009) ... (writer: "Everybody is a DJ") - Episode #1.51 (2009) ... (writer: "No Matter What") - Episode #1.36 (2009) ... (writer: "No Matter What")   The South Bank Show (TV Series documentary) (writer - 2 episodes, 1978 - 2010) (music - 1 episode, 2010) - 2009 Awards (2010) ... (music: "Love Never Dies") / (writer: "Variations")  2009 Wir sind Kaiser (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #4.11 (2009) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" - uncredited)   50 años de (TV Series) (music - 2 episodes, 2009) (writer - 1 episode, 2009) - Fe (2009) ... (music: "Es más que amor") - Canciones (2009) ... (music: "Jesucristo Superstar") - Una periodista de a pie (2009) ... (writer: "Friends for Life (Amigos para siempre)")  2009 Beautiful People (TV Series) (music - 1 episode)  2009 CBS News Up to the Minute (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode dated 9 October 2009 (2009) ... (writer: "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", "'Til I Hear You Sing")  2008 Fama ¡a bailar! (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Episode #1.80 (2008) ... (music: "Jesus Christ Superstar")  2008 1 quart de 3 (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.4 (2008) ... (writer: "Friends for Life")  2008 Sarah Brightman: Symphony in Vienna (TV Movie) (writer: "Pie Jesu", "Phantom of the Opera" - as A.L. Webber)   The Choir: Boys Don't Sing (TV Mini-Series) (music - 2 episodes, 2008) (writer - 1 episode, 2008) (lyrics - 1 episode, 2008) - Episode #1.4 (2008) ... (writer: "Pie Jesu" - uncredited) - Episode #1.3 (2008) ... (music: "Any Dream Will Do" - uncredited) - Episode #1.2 (2008) ... (lyrics: "Any Dream Will Do" - uncredited) / (music: "Any Dream Will Do" - uncredited)  2008 Idols! (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Liveshow #5 - Musical (2008) ... (writer: "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")  2007 Australian Idol (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode dated 10 August 2007 (2007) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")  2007 El club (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #3.210 (2007) ... (writer: "Friends for Life (Amigos para siempre)")  2007 Memòries de la tele (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.8 (2007) ... (writer: "Friends for Life (Amigos para siempre)")  2007 So You Wanna Be a Popstar (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Halve Finale (2007) ... (music: "No Matter What")  2007 La tele de tu vida (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Episode #1.13 (2007) ... (music: "Getsemaní (Gethsemane - I Only Want to Say)", "Es más que amor (I Don't Know How to Love Him)")  2006 The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (TV Special) (writer: "Memory", "As If We Never Said Goodbye", "Music of the Night")  2006 Sarah Brightman: Diva - The Video Collection (Video) (writer: "Pie Jesu", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", "Amigos para siempre", "Music of the Night")  2006 The 60th Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "The Music of the Night")  2006 The Passion: Films, Faith & Fury (TV Movie documentary) (writer: "I Don't Know How to Love Him")  2006 Diva (Video) (music: "No llores por mí Argentina", "Recuerdos", "Buenos Aires", "Nunca sabrás cuánto haré por tí", "Tournée del Arco Iris")  2005 The 77th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) (writer: "Learn To Be Lonely")  2005 Will & Grace (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Bully Woolley (2005) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - uncredited)  2005 Slovensko hladá SuperStar (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Piate semifinále (2005) ... (writer: "I Don't Know How to Love Him")  2004 The Phantom of the Opera (arranger: "Hannibal") / (producer: "Auction at the Opera Populaire, 1919 (Prologue)", "Hannibal", "Think of Me", "Angel of Music", "Little Lotte", "The Mirror (Angel of Music-Reprise)", "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Music of the Night", "Magical Lasso", "Notes", "Prima Donna", "Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh", "Il Muto", "Why Have You Brought Me Here?", "Raoul I've Been There", "All I Ask of You", "All I Ask of You (Reprise)", "Masquerade", "Why So Silent", "Journey To the Cemetery", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", "Wandering Child", "We Have All Been Blind", "Don Juan", "The Point of No Return", "Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer", "Learn To Be Lonely", "I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It") / (writer: "Auction at the Opera Populaire, 1919 (Prologue)", "Think of Me", "Angel of Music", "Little Lotte", "The Mirror (Angel of Music-Reprise)", "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Music of the Night", "Magical Lasso", "Notes", "Prima Donna", "Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh", "Il Muto", "Why Have You Brought Me Here?", "Raoul I've Been There", "All I Ask of You", "All I Ask of You (Reprise)", "Masquerade", "Why So Silent", "Journey To the Cemetery", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", "Wandering Child", "We Have All Been Blind", "Don Juan", "The Point of No Return", "Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer", "Learn To Be Lonely", "Overture", "I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It")  2004 Singapore Idol (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Spectacular Show 8 - Film Hits (2004) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "The Music of the Night")  2004 Connie and Carla (writer: "Superstar", "Memory", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "Everything's Alright")  2004 Murder in Suburbia (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.5 (2004) ... (writer: "Any Dream Will Do" - uncredited)  2004 SuperStar KZ (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.15 (2004) ... (writer: "No Matter What")  2004 Saved! (music: "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1971))  2004 Along Came Polly (writer: "WHAT'S THE BUZZ", "EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT", "HEAVEN ON THEIR MINDS")   Great Performances (TV Series) (music - 5 episodes, 1998 - 2003) (writer - 1 episode, 1998) (arranger - 1 episode, 1998) (performer - 1 episode, 1998) - Broadway's Lost Treasures (2003) ... ("A New Argentina") / (music: "Jellicle Songs", "Memory") - My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs (2001) ... (music: "Come Rain or Come Shine / I Don't Know How To Love Him / What Kind of Fool Am I?", "The Music of the Night") - My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies (1999) ... (music: "Love Changes Everything", "Unexpected Song", "I Don't Know How to Love Him") - Cats (1998) ... (music: "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats", "Memory") / (writer: "The Naming of Cats", "The Old Gumbie Cat", "The Rum Tum Tugger", "Grizabella, the Glamour Cat", "Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town", "Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer", "Old Deuteronomy", "The Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles", "The Jellicle Ball", "The Moments of Happiness", "Gus: The Theatre Cat", "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat", "Macavity: The Mystery Cat", "Mr. Mistoffelees", "Journey to the Heaviside Layer", "The Ad-dressing of Cats") - Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (1998) ... (arranger: "Introduction and Theme/Variations I-V", "Variations XXII-XXIII") / (music: "Whistle Down The Wind", "Fanfare", "Any Dream Will Do", "Close Every Door", "Requiem for Evita", "Oh What A Circus", "High Flying Adored", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", "There's Light At the End of the Tunnel", "Hosanna", "Pie Jesu", "Superstar", "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)", "The Phantom of the Opera", "All I Ask of You", "Music of the Night", "Tyre Tracks and Broken Hearts", "No Matter What", "The Vaults of Heaven", "Once Upon a Time", "With One Look", "As If We Never Said Goodbye", "Love Changes Everything", "The Heart Is Slow To Learn", "The Jellicle Ball") / (performer: "Whistle Down The Wind")  2003 Waiting (Short) (writer: "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life)")  2003 Deutschland sucht den Superstar (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Mottoshow #4 - Musical (2003) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "Starlight Express", "Memory")  2003 Lea Salonga Live (Video documentary) (music: "You Must Love Me")  2002 Andrew Lloyd Webber: Masterpiece (TV Special documentary) (writer: "The Phantom Of The Opera", "Jesus Christ Superstar Overture", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Any Dream Will Do", "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina", "The Heart Is Slow To Learn")  1999 The Vicar of Dibley (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Autumn (1999) ... (writer: "No Matter What" - uncredited)  1999 Enkelin silmin - 10-vuotisjuhlakonsertti (TV Movie) (writer: "Memory")  1999 Jesus (TV Movie) (writer: "Pie Jesu")  1999 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Video) (music: "Prologue - You Are What You Feel", "Any Dream Will Do", "Jacob and Sons", "Joseph's Coat", "Joseph's Dreams", "Poor Poor Joseph", "One More Angel", "Potiphar", "Close Every Door", "Go Go Joseph", "Pharaoh Story", "Poor Poor Pharaoh", "Song of the King/"Pharaoh's Dream Explained"", "Stone the Crows", "Those Canaan Days", "The Brothers Come to Egypt/Grovel, Grovel", "Who's the Thief?", "Benjamin Calypso", "Joseph All the Time/Jacob in Egypt", "Any Dream Will Do (reprise)")  1999 Notting Hill ("NO MATTER WHAT" (USA version's ending title))  1999 Watership Down (TV Series) (music: "In Fields of Sun")  1998 Bernadette Peters in Concert (TV Movie) (music: "Unexpected Song" - uncredited)  1998 Sarah Brightman in Concert (TV Movie) (music: "Pie Jesu", "Whistle Down The Wind", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", "The Music of the Night", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina")  1998 VH1 Storytellers (TV Series documentary) (music - 1 episode) - Meat Loaf (1998) ... (music: "A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste")   Top of the Pops (TV Series) (writer - 13 episodes, 1977 - 1998) (music - 2 episodes, 1977)  1998 The 52nd Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", "Memory")  1998 TV Offal (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Episode #1.1 (1998) ... (music: "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Midnight", "Jesus Christ Superstar" - as Andrew Lloyd-Webber)  1998 Okay tone (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #2.10 (1998) ... (writer: "Don't Cry For Me Argentina")  1997 Brit Awards 1997 (TV Special) (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - uncredited)  1997 In & Out (writer: "With One Look")  1992-1997 Mystery Science Theater 3000 (TV Series) (writer - 2 episodes) - The She-Creature (1997) ... (writer: "I Don't Know How to Love Him" - uncredited) - Manhunt in Space (1992) ... (writer: "I Don't Know How to Love Him" - uncredited)  1997 The 69th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) (writer: "You Must Love Me")  1996 Evita (producer: "A Cinema in Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952", "Requiem for Evita", "Oh, What a Circus", "On This Night of a Thousand Stars", "Eva and Magaldi", "Eva Beware of the City", "Buenos Aires", "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", "Goodnight and Thank You", "The Lady's Got Potential", "Charity Concert", "The Art of the Possibles", "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You", "Hello and Goodbye", "Peron's Latest Flame", "A New Argentina", "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada 1", "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina", "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada 2", "High Flying, Adored", "Rainbow High", "Rainbow Tour", "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like to Hear)", "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)", "Partido Feminista", "She Is a Diamond", "Santa Evita", "Waltz for Eva and Che", "Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down", "You Must Love Me", "Eva's Final Broadcast", "Latin Chant", "Lament", "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" (end title version) - uncredited) / (writer: "A Cinema in Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952", "Requiem for Evita", "Oh, What a Circus", "On This Night of a Thousand Stars", "Eva and Magaldi", "Eva Beware of the City", "Buenos Aires", "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", "Goodnight and Thank You", "The Lady's Got Potential", "Charity Concert", "The Art of the Possibles", "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You", "Hello and Goodbye", "Peron's Latest Flame", "A New Argentina", "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada 1", "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina", "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada 2", "High Flying, Adored", "Rainbow High", "Rainbow Tour", "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like to Hear)", "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)", "Partido Feminista", "She Is a Diamond", "Santa Evita", "Waltz for Eva and Che", "Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down", "You Must Love Me", "Eva's Final Broadcast", "Latin Chant", "Lament", "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" (end title version) - uncredited)  1996 Como un sueño (TV Movie) (music: "No llores por mí Argentina")  1995 Chicago Hope (TV Series) (music - 1 episode)  1989 Amavasai Iravil (writer: "Memory" - uncredited)  1988 The 42nd Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Music of the Night")  1987 Die Hausmeisterin (TV Series) (music - 1 episode) - Alles beim Alten (1987) ... (music: "Memory" - uncredited)  1987 The 41st Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "I am the Starlight/Starlight Express", "Light at the End of the Tunnel")  1986 The 40th Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina", "Memory") / (writer: "Unexpected Song")  1985 Lavori in corso (writer: "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM", "SUPERSTAR")  1985 The 39th Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "Any Dream Will Do (Reprise)/Give Me My Colored Coat", "Superstar", "I Don't Know How to Love Him", "Buenos Aires", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "Gus: The Theatre Cat", "Memory", "Tell Me on a Sunday") / (performer: "Tell Me on a Sunday")  1983 Fame (TV Series) (music - 1 episode)  1983 Donna Summer: A Hot Summer Night (TV Movie) (writer: "Don't Cry For Me Argentina")  1982 The 36th Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "Jacob & Sons", "One More Angel in Heaven", "Pothiphar", "Those Canaan Days", "Benjamin Calyspo", "Go, Go, Go Joseph", "Song of the King (Seven Fat Cows)", "Pharaoh Story", "Any Dream Will Do/Give Me My Colored Coat")  1982 Tinimbang ang langit (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")  1981 The 35th Annual Tony Awards (TV Special) (music: "Buenos Aires")  1980 Disco (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.113 (1980) ... (writer: "Freu dich bloß nicht zu früh")  1980 The Midnight Special (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #8.33 (1980) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina")  1979 De Mike Burstyn show (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.3 (1979) ... (writer: "Don't cry for me Argentina")  1977 Pink Lips (writer: "Music from 'Jesus Christ Superstar'" - uncredited)  1977 Starparade (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode) - Episode #10.2 (1977) ... (writer: "Don't Cry for Me Argentina")

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Andrew Lloyd Webber :: Rodgers & Hammerstein :: Bio Details View All Trivia about this writer Did you know? SUNSET BOULEVARD�opened with what was then the highest advance in the history of Broadway ticket sales. SUNSET BOULEVARD received 11 Academy Award nominations and won three Academy Awards for Best Music, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay. It is one of about a dozen films in Academy history to have actor nominations in all four categories. In 2001, Andrew Lloyd Webber's comic musical BY JEEVES closed on Broadway. In 1994, Andrew Lloyd Webber's SUNSET BOULEVARD opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre, where it ran for 977 performances. In 2006, Connie Fisher starred in the London revival of THE SOUND OF MUSIC to rave reviews. She had been cast as Maria by the BBC?TV reality show HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA, masterminded by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Millions of Britons voted, making Fisher, formerly a telemarketer, an overnight star. The success of the reality show won it an international Emmy Award and prompted the largest advance of a musical in West End history. In 1986, Andrew Lloyd Webber's SONG & DANCE closed on Broadway after 474 performances and eight Tony Award nominations. In 2001, BY JEEVES opened on Broadway after a successful UK run. The show was Andrew Lloyd Webber's second musical version of the comic "Jeeves"" stories of P. G. Wodehouse. " In 1971, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR opened on Broadway where it ran for 711 performances at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. In 1982, CATS opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden where it ran for 7,485 performances and closed eighteen years later, one of the most beloved musicals of all time. It won the 1983 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book, Direction, and Original Score - with a total of seven Tony wins. In 1979, EVITA opened on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre starring Patti LuPone in the title role. It ran for 1,567 performances, and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book, Score, and Direction. In 2000, eighteen years since its Broadway opening at The Winter Garden, CATS closed after 7,485 performances. At this time it was the longest-running musical in Broadway history; a record only surpassed in 2006, when THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - also by Andrew Lloyd Webber - overtook its run. In 1985, Andrew Lloyd Webber's SONG & DANCE opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre, where it played for 474 performances and received eight Tony nominations, winning Bernadette Peters the Tony Award for Best Actress. In 1983, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT closed on Broadway after a run of 747 performances, and seven Tony Award nominations. In 1998 WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND had its London premiere at the Aldwych Theatre. The musical is a collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, known for his work with musician Meatloaf, and took its inspiration from the 1961 film. The show ran for 1,044 performances. In 1973 JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR closed after 711 performances on Broadway. In 1983 EVITA closed on Broadway after a run of 1,567 performances and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 1978, EVITA premiered at the West End's Prince Edward Theatre where it ran for 2,900 performances. In 1997 CATS broke the record for longest-running musical in Broadway history when it hit its 6,138th performance. This was only surpassed in 2006 by THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - also by Andrew Lloyd Webber. In 1961 THE SOUND OF MUSIC opened at the Palace Theatre, London. Did you know? Thirteen-year-old Andrew Lloyd Webber got to attend the opening because of a fan letter he had written to Richard Rodgers. In 1981 CATS had its world premiere at the West End's New London Theatre. It went on to run there for 8,949 performances. Then, on the production's 21st birthday in 2002, CATS closed its West End run! Fans without tickets were able to watch a live broadcast of the final performance from Covent Gardens. In 1989 Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ASPECTS OF LOVE premiered in London under the direction of Trevor Nunn. The show ran for 1,325 performances, and opened on Broadway the next year. In 1990 Andrew Lloyd Webber's ASPECTS OF LOVE opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre where it ran for 377 performances. In 1997 SUNSET BOULEVARD closed on Broadway after running for 977 performances. In 1948 Andrew Lloyd Webber was born, composer of hit musicals CATS, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, EVITA, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, BY JEEVES, ASPECTS OF LOVE, WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, and SUNSET BOULEVARD. In 1991, ASPECTS OF LOVE closed its Broadway run after 377 performances In 1986, the original production of EVITA closed in London after a West End run of 2,900 performances. In 1982, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre, where it ran for 747 performances. The show was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book, Direction, Choreography, and Original Score. In 1988 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA opened on Broadway. To date it is the longest-running Broadway show and the second longest-running West End musical. The birthday of Christopher Hampton, who won Tonys for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Musical Score for his work on SUNSET BOULEVARD's book and lyrics with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black.

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Sunset Boulevard Will Return to the West End in December | Playbill Sunset Boulevard Will Return to the West End in December By Mark Shenton Nov 17, 2008 Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, which originally premiered at the West End's Adelphi Theatre in 1993, will return to London in a new and intimate production that was first seen at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury earlier this year. The production will begin performances at the Comedy Theatre Dec. 4, prior to an official opening Dec. 15. The show, based on the classic 1950 Billy Wilder film, has book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton . The production follows in the Newbury tradition of using actors who double as their own musicians; John Doyle's production of Sweeney Todd was staged there in 2004 and subsequently played the West End's Trafalgar Studios and Broadway. The Tony-winning orchestrator of that production, Sarah Travis, who won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations, is the musical arranger for Sunset Boulevard . The production is directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, last represented in the West End by Flamenco Flamen'ka. He is also known for his work as a regular judge on the TV series "Strictly Come Dancing." He has previously staged Hot Mikado and Martin Guerre at the Watermill. London’s original Norma Desmond when the show premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in 1993 was New York's original Evita, Patti LuPone , back on Broadway in a Tony-winning turn in Gypsy . For this run, Kathryn Evans – the last actress to play the title role of Evita in that show's original run at the Prince Edward Theatre – will play Norma Desmond. She has also played leading roles in the West End productions of Anything Goes and The Fix and in the U.K. tour of Aspects of Love. The cast also features Dave Willetts (Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera in the West End) as Max Von Meyerling and Ben Goddard (who starred in Horwood's production of Martin Guerre at Newbury) as Joe Gillis. Also in the cast will be Elisa Boyd, Tomm Coles, Alexander Evans, Kate Feldschreiber, Sam Kenyon, Nick Lashbrook, Tarek Merchant, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Helen Power. The production is designed by Diego Pitarch, with lighting by Richard G. Jones and sound by Gary Dixon. The Watermill Theatre production will be produced in London by Howard Panter for the Ambassador Theatre Group Limited, Tulchin/Bartner Productions and Bill Kenwright Ltd. To book tickets contact the box office at 0870 060 6637 or visit www.sunsetlondon.com. Today’s Most Popular News:

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Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals collaborators on Profumo musical | Culture | The Guardian Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals collaborators on Profumo musical Composer to team up with Sunset Boulevard's Don Black and Christopher Hampton on new musical about 60s sex scandal Andrew Lloyd Webber: Profumo affair was 'terrible miscarriage of justice'. Photograph: Ian West/PA Thursday 20 December 2012 10.28 EST First published on Thursday 20 December 2012 10.28 EST Close This article is 4 years old Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed that he will collaborate with Don Black and Christopher Hampton on his new musical about the Profumo affair , which has been rumoured for months but now looks likely to happen. Yesterday, Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail broke the news that Black and Hampton would contribute the book and lyrics between them. Their involvement means the new musical will reunite the team behind Lloyd Webber's 1993 musical Sunset Boulevard , which originally ran for four years in the West End, despite briefly closing after mixed reviews. When the musical premiered on Broadway, Black and Hampton won the Tony award for best book. Until now, that project has been Hampton's only collaboration with the composer, though he has worked on two other musicals: Dracula, also with Black, and the ill-fated Rebecca, the Broadway production of which collapsed this year after its major investors were found to be inventions . Black and Lloyd Webber have a longer history of working together, having collaborated on the 1979 song-cycle Tell Me On a Sunday and, four years later, Aspects of Love . In February, Lloyd Webber told BBC Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans that his next project would follow osteopath Stephen Ward's part in the collapse of Harold Macmillan's government . Ward was the man who introduced the then secretary of state for war John Profumo to Christine Keeler. He was subsequently charged with living off the "earnings of prostitution", and took an overdose on the penultimate day of the trial, dying in hospital four days later after charges had been dropped. Further hints about the project emerged in September, when Lloyd Webber told the Times he was interested in exploring what he called this "terrible miscarriage of justice" . Describing the musical, he said that it was still early days: "It's a matter of getting the shape, making it dramatically secure."

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"`Sunset Boulevard' Makes Grand Entree" by Frank Scheck, - The Christian Science Monitor, December 17, 1993 | Online Research Library: Questia Article excerpt SUNSET BOULEVARD Musical by Andrew LLoyd Webber. At the Shubert Theatre. WHEN Andrew Lloyd Webber announced plans to make a musical out of Billy Wilder's 1950 film classic, "Sunset Boulevard," people wondered how it would translate to the stage. Scenes like the famous opening, with a corpse lying face down in a pool, would be as hard to stage as a car chase. But when you have a source this rich, it makes sense to adapt it faithfully. And Webber and his collaborators, Christopher Hampton and Don Black (book and lyrics), are helped by the technical wizardry of production designer John Napier, who developed some of the most elaborate sets ever seen. Webber's musical, a revamped version of the production currently running in London (starring Patti LuPone), opened recently in Los Angeles, the first of his shows to bypass New York in its American premiere. Glenn Close stars as Norma Desmond, and the actress triumphs over the formidable challenge of playing a role created by Gloria Swanson. Close gives an oversized performance, filled with the grand gesture that is perfectly suitable to a former silent-film actress who is now living in a fantasy world. But the actress also humanizes the character, making her delusion more touching and making the relationship between her and desperate screenwriter Joe Gillis more credible, if less Grand Guignol. Close, who is no stranger to musicals ("Rex" and "Barnum") is also a powerful singer, delivering bravura versions of Webber's soaring melodies. Webber's music permeates the show, creating a near-operatic effect, and the composer has not lost his gift for memorable melodies. … Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Access to powerful writing and research tools Article details Subscribe to Questia and enjoy: Full access to this article and over 10 million more from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers Over 83,000 books Access to powerful writing and research tools Article details

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Timeline | The Phantom of the Opera Universal’s silent film The Phantom of the Opera staring Lon Chaney premiered in San Francisco. 1930 Dialogue sequences are recorded for the 1925 The Phantom of the Opera film and music and sound effects were added for the first time. 1945 The Phantom of the Opera was rewritten and remade with Claude Rains as a Technicolor film. It was somewhat successful. May 1984 Andrew Lloyd Webber reads a review about a stage adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera produced by The Theatre Royal in Stratford, and calls Cameron Mackintosh about the idea of turning it into a new musical. Early 1985 Andrew Lloyd Webber comes across a faded copy of the original Leroux novel in a second hand bookshop in New York, and buys it for a dollar. The book inspired him to create a romantic musical score for his new wife Sarah Brightman. Summer 1985 the first act of The Phantom of the Opera was presented to an invited audience in its early draft form at his at the Sydmonton Festival at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Hampshire country home. Nov 1985 Designer Maria Björnson visits the Paris Opera House to gain inspiration for her set design for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Spring 1986 Andrew Lloyd Webber tests the water with a record which encapsulated the story of The Phantom of the Opera as he then saw it. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ was arranged as a rock number and the single reached number 7 in the charts. Mar 1986 Open Auditions for The Phantom of the Opera begin. 18th Aug 1986 First day of rehearsals for The Phantom of the Opera in London. 9th Oct 1986 After a few weeks of previews The Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London staring Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. 10th Oct 1986 The Times review of The Phantom of the Opera comes out with the headline “God’s Gift to Musical Theatre”. 7th Dec 1986 The Phantom of the Opera wins 3 Lawrence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. 1987 The Original London Cast Album is released in CD format in 1987; it becomes the first album in British musical history to enter the UK albums chart at #1. Feb 1987 Princess Diana attends The Phantom of the Opera with Andrew Lloyd Webber. 26th Jan 1988 The Phantom of the Opera opens on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on West 44th Street to a then record advance of $18million at the box office. Warner Brothers is interested in making it into a film. Crawford, Brightman and Barton reprised their respective roles from the London production. Jan 1988 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Joel Schumacher first meet and discuss the possibility of making The Phantom of the Opera into a film. As to not jepordise the success of the stage version, they both agreed to put their ideas on hold. Apr 1988 The third production in the world of The Phantom of the Opera – opens in Tokyo, Japan. It is the first production in Asia, and is a Japanese local language production overseen by the original creative team. 5th Jun 1988 The Phantom of the Opera wins 7 Tony Awards in New York including Best Musical. 8th Dec 1990 After a few weeks of previews The Phantom of the Opera the first production in Australia opens in Melbourne and Andrew Lloyd Webber attends. The production played for 2 ½ years at The Princess Theatre to just over 1.5 million people. 16th Dec 1999 After a few weeks of previews, the first production in South America of The Phantom of the Opera opens in Mexico City, Mexico. Christmas 2002 Joel Schumacher and Andrew Lloyd Webber meet once again and agreed it is time to make The Phantom of the Opera into a film. 8th Apr 2004 After a week of previews the first production in Africa of The Phantom of the Opera opens in Cape Town, South Africa. 12th Dec 2004 The Phantom of the Opera film premieres in New York at the Ziegfeld Theater. The same week the film is nominated for 3 Golden Globe Awards including Best Musical/Comedy Picture, Best Actress for Emmy Rossum, and Best Original Song for “Learn to Be Lonely.” 2006 The Phantom of the Opera ranks second in BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the “Nation’s Number One Essential Musicals”. 9th Jan 2006 The Broadway production becomes the longest running show ever on Broadway overtaking Cats with its 7,486th performance. 24th Jun 2006 Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular opens as a 95-minute, intermission-less version of the show at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. 26th Jan 2009 The Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera celebrates its 21st anniversary. The Phantom at the time, Ramin Karimloo (who later becomes the Phantom in the London production of Love Never Dies) cuts a cake on stage with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the whole Broadway cast. 9th Oct 2011

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Andrew Lloyd Webber: Biography - Classic Cat Andrew Lloyd Webber 22 mar 1948 (London) - Buy sheetmusic from Webber at SheetMusicPlus In this name, the family name consists of two words; the family name is Lloyd Webber , not Webber . Madeleine Gurdon (1991–present) Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer of musical theatre . He started composing at the age of six, and published his first piece at the age of nine. [1] Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success, and has been referred to as "the most commercially successful composer in history." [2] Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway . He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle , a set of variations , two film scores , and a Latin Requiem Mass . He has also gained a number of honours, including a knighthood in 1992, [3] followed by a peerage from the British Government for services to Music, seven Tony Awards , three Grammy Awards , an Academy Award , fourteen Ivor Novello Awards , seven Olivier Awards , a Golden Globe Award , and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. [4] [5] Several of his songs, notably " The Music of the Night " from The Phantom of the Opera , " I Don't Know How to Love Him " from Jesus Christ Superstar , " Don't Cry for Me, Argentina " from Evita , " Any Dream Will Do " from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and " Memory " from Cats have been widely recorded and were hits outside of their parent musicals. His company, the Really Useful Group , is one of the largest theatre operators in London. Producers in several parts of the UK have staged productions, including national tours, of Lloyd Webber's musicals under license from the Really Useful Group. Contents 13 External links Early life Andrew Lloyd Webber was born in Kensington , London, England, the son of Jean Hermione (née Johnstone; 1921–1993), a violinist and pianist, and William Lloyd Webber (1914–1982), a composer. [6] His younger brother, Julian Lloyd Webber , is a renowned solo cellist . Lloyd Webber started writing his own music at a young age, writing his first published suite of six pieces at the age of nine. He also put on "productions" with Julian and his aunt Viola in his toy theatre (which he built at the suggestion of Viola). Later, he would be the owner of a number of West End theatres , including the Palace . His aunt Viola, an actress, took Lloyd Webber to see many of her shows and through the stage door into the world of the theatre. He also claims that he had originally set music to Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats at the age of fifteen. Lloyd Webber was a Queen's Scholar at Westminster School and studied history for a time at Magdalen College, Oxford , although he abandoned the course to study at the Royal College of Music and pursue his interest in musical theatre . Professional career Early years Webber's first major collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice was The Likes of Us , a musical based on the true story of Thomas John Barnardo . It was not performed, however, until as recently as 2005 when a production was staged at Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival . In 2008 amateur rights were released via the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) in association with the Really Useful Group. The first amateur performance was by a children's theatre group in Cornwall called "Kidz R Us". Stylistically, The Likes of Us is fashioned after the Broadway musical of the '40s and '50s; it opens with a traditional overture comprising a medley of tunes from the show, and the score reflects some of Lloyd Webber's early influences, particularly Richard Rodgers , Frederick Loewe , and Lionel Bart . In this respect, it is markedly different from the composer's later work which tends to be either predominantly or wholly through-composed and closer in form to opera than to the Broadway musical. Around this time, Rice and Lloyd Webber wrote a number of individual pop songs that were recorded as singles for record labels. Wes Sands , Ross Hannaman , Paul Raven , and Gary Bond are among the many artists to have recorded early Lloyd Webber/Rice tunes. A selection of these early recordings were re-released on the 5-CD compilation, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Now and Forever (2003). In 1968, Rice/Lloyd Webber were commissioned to write a piece for Colet Court which resulted in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , a retelling of the biblical story of Joseph in which Lloyd Webber and Rice humorously pastiche a number of musical styles such as Calypso and country music . Joseph began life as a short cantata that gained some recognition on its second staging with a favourable review in The Times . For its subsequent performances, the show underwent a number of revisions by Rice/Lloyd Webber with the inclusion of additional songs that expanded it to a more substantial length. This culminated in a two-hour long production being staged in the West End on the back of the success of Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1969 Rice/Lloyd Webber wrote a song for the Eurovision Song Contest called "Try It and See", which was not selected. The Demo version, sung by Rita Pavone (sounding remarkably like Lulu , for whom the song was written) is available on, 'Now and Forever' - The 5 CD box set. With rewritten lyrics it became "King Herod's Song" in their third musical, Jesus Christ Superstar (1970). The planned follow up to Jesus Christ Superstar was a musical comedy based on the Jeeves and Wooster novels by P. G. Wodehouse . Tim Rice was uncertain about this venture, partly because of his concern that he might not be able to do justice to the novels that he and Lloyd Webber so admired. [7] After doing some initial work on the lyrics, he pulled out of the project and Lloyd Webber subsequently wrote the musical with Alan Ayckbourn who provided the book and lyrics. Jeeves failed to make any impact at the box office and closed after a short run of only three weeks. Many years later, Lloyd Webber and Ayckbourn revisited this project, producing a thoroughly reworked and more successful version entitled By Jeeves (1996). Only two of the songs from the original production remained ("Half a Moment" and "Banjo Boy"). Mid-1970s Lloyd Webber collaborated with Rice once again to write Evita (1976 in London/1979 in U.S.), a musical based on the life of Eva Perón . As with Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita was released first as a concept album and featured Julie Covington singing the part of Eva Peron. The song " Don't Cry for Me Argentina " became a hit single and the musical was staged at the Prince Edward Theatre in a production directed by Harold Prince and starring Elaine Paige in the title role. The first Eva Peron on Broadway in NYC was played by Patti LuPone . She won a Tony for the role, and after experienced growth of nodes on her vocal cords. Evita was a highly successful show that ran for ten years in the West End. It transferred to Broadway in 1979. Rice and Lloyd Webber parted ways soon after Evita. In 1978, Lloyd Webber embarked on a solo project, the " Variations ", with his cellist brother Julian based on the 24th Caprice by Paganini , which reached number two in the pop album chart in the United Kingdom. The main theme was used as the theme tune for ITV1 's long-running South Bank Show throughout its 32-year run. 1980s Andrew Lloyd Webber embarked on his next project without a lyricist, turning instead to the poetry of T. S. Eliot . Cats (1981) was to become the longest running musical in London, where it ran for 21 years before closing. On Broadway, Cats ran for eighteen years, a record which would ultimately be broken by another Lloyd Webber musical, The Phantom of the Opera. [8] [9] Starlight Express (1984) was a commercial hit but received negative reviews from the critics. It enjoyed a record run in the West End, but ran for less than three years on Broadway. The show has also seen two tours of the US, as well as a three-year UK touring production, which will transfer to New Zealand later in 2009. The show also runs full-time in a custom-built theatre in Bochum , Germany, where it is has been running for twenty-one years to date. Lloyd Webber wrote a Requiem Mass dedicated to his father, William, who had died in 1982. It premiered at St. Thomas Church in New York on 25 February 1985. Church music had been a part of the composer's upbringing and the composition was inspired by an article he had read about the plight of Cambodian orphans. Lloyd Webber had on a number of occasions written sacred music for the annual Sydmonton Festival . [10] Lloyd Webber received a Grammy Award in 1986 for Requiem in the category of best classical composition. Pie Jesu from Requiem achieved a high placing on the UK pop charts. Cricket (1986), also called Cricket (Hearts and Wickets), reunited Lloyd Webber with Tim Rice to create this short musical for Queen Elizabeth 's 60th birthday, first performed at Windsor Castle . Several of the tunes were later used for Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard. Lloyd Webber also premiered The Phantom of the Opera in 1986, inspired by the 1911 Gaston Leroux novel . He wrote the part of Christine for his then-wife, Sarah Brightman , who played the role in the original London and Broadway productions alongside Michael Crawford as the Phantom. The production was directed by Harold Prince, who had also earlier directed Evita. Charles Hart wrote the lyrics for Phantom with some additional material provided by Richard Stilgoe , and Lloyd Webber co-wrote the musical's book with Stilgoe. It became a hit and is still running in both the West End and on Broadway; in January 2006 it overtook Cats as the longest-running musical on Broadway. [9] Aspects of Love followed in 1989, a musical based on the story by David Garnett . The lyrics were by Don Black and Charles Hart and the original production was directed by Trevor Nunn. There was a noticeable shift of emphasis towards a quieter and more intimate theatrical experience; the staging and production values were less elaborate than Phantom of the Opera and Lloyd Webber chose to write for a smaller musical ensemble making the through composed score more akin to a chamber work. Aspects had a run of four years in London but closed after less than a year on Broadway. It has since gone on a tour of the UK, and is beginning to enjoy more acclaim than its original production.[ citation needed ] Lloyd Webber has gone on record saying that he feels that Aspects will be one of his works that stands the test of time and even going as far as to compare it to South Pacific.[ citation needed ] 1990s Lloyd Webber was asked to write a song for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and composed " Amigos Para Siempre  — Friends for Life" with Don Black providing the lyrics. This song was performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras . Lloyd Webber had toyed with the idea of writing a musical based on Billy Wilder 's critically acclaimed movie, Sunset Boulevard , since the early 1970s when he saw the film, but the project didn't come to fruition until after the completion of Aspects of Love when the composer finally managed to secure the rights from Paramount Pictures [11] The composer worked with two collaborators, as he had done on Aspects of Love; this time Christopher Hampton and Don Black shared equal credit for the book and lyrics. The show opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 12 July 1993, and ran for 1,529 performances. In spite of the show's popularity and extensive run in London's West End , it lost money due to the sheer expense of the production. Lloyd Webber's many other musical theatre works include Whistle Down the Wind , a musical written with lyrics supplied by rock legend Jim Steinman. Originally opening in Washington, Lloyd Webber was reportedly not happy with the casting or Harold Prince's production and the show was subsequently revised for a London staging directed by Gale Edwards, the production is probably most notable for the Number One hit from Boyzone "No Matter What" which only left the UK charts when the price of the CD single was changed to drop it out of the official top ten. Song and Dance , The Woman in White which Lloyd Webber explored his life-long love affair with the English Choral and Pastoral tradition. The show opened to a bad critical response on Broadway and soon sank without a trace. His The Beautiful Game opened in London and has never been seen on Broadway. The show had a respectable run at The Cambridge Theatre in London. The show has been re-worked into a new musical The Boys in the Photograph which had its world première at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in April 2008. While many of Lloyd Webber's works have had enormous commercial success, [2] his career has not been without failures, especially in the US. Song and Dance, Starlight Express, and The Woman In White, all successes in London, did not meet the same reception in New York, and all lost money in short, critically panned runs. In 1994, Sunset Boulevard became a successful Broadway show, opening with the largest advance in Broadway history, and winning seven Tony Awards that year. However, by its closing in 1997, "it had not recouped its reported $13 million investment." [12] Somewhat unusually, Lloyd Webber (along with Nigel Wright ) was responsible for a 1992 Eurodance single featuring music from the computer game Tetris . [13] [14] Released under the name Doctor Spin , Tetris reached #6 on the UK charts , [15] although Lloyd Webber's involvement was not publicised. He was also involved with Bombalurina 's 1990 cover of " Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini " (UK #1). [16] The band, whose lead singer was children's TV presenter Timmy Mallett was named after a character in Cats. [17] 2000s Lloyd Webber produced a staging of The Sound of Music , which débuted November 2006. He made the controversial decision to choose an unknown to play leading lady Maria, who was found through the reality television show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? , in which he was a judge. The winner of the show was Connie Fisher . There have been a number of film adaptations of Lloyd Webber's musicals: Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) was directed by Norman Jewison , Evita (1996) was directed by Alan Parker , and most recently The Phantom of the Opera was directed by Joel Schumacher (and co-produced by Lloyd Webber). Lloyd Webber produced Bombay Dreams with Indian composer A. R. Rahman in 2002. It was announced on 25 August 2006, on his personal website that his next project would be The Master and Margarita (however, Lloyd Webber has stated that the project will most likely be an opera rather than a musical). Then U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush stand with the Kennedy Center honourees in the Blue Room of the White House during a reception Sunday, 3 December 2006. From left, they are: singer and songwriter William "Smokey" Robinson ; musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber; country singer Dolly Parton ; film director Steven Spielberg ; and conductor Zubin Mehta . In September 2006, Lloyd Webber was named to be a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors with Zubin Mehta , Dolly Parton , Steven Spielberg , and Smokey Robinson . He was recognised for his outstanding contribution to American performing arts. [18] He attended the ceremony on 3 December 2006; it aired on 26 December 2006. On 11 February 2007, Lloyd Webber was featured as a guest judge on the reality television show Grease: You're the One that I Want! [19] The contestants all sang "The Phantom of the Opera". Between April and June 2007, he appeared in BBC One's Any Dream Will Do! , which followed the same format as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? . Its aim was to find a new Joseph for his revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . Lee Mead won the contest after quitting his part in the ensemble - and as understudy in The Phantom of the Opera to compete for the role. Viewers' telephone voting during the series raised more than £ 500,000 for the BBC's annual Children in Need charity appeal, according to host Graham Norton on air during the final. On 1 July 2007, Lloyd Webber presented excerpts from his musicals as part of the Concert for Diana organised to celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales . The BBC Radio 2 broadcast a concert of music from Lloyd Webber's shows on 24 August 2007. [20] Denise Van Outen introduced songs from Whistle Down the Wind , The Beautiful Game , Tell Me on a Sunday , The Woman in White , Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – as well as Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music , which Lloyd Webber revived in 2006 at the London Palladium and 2002's Lloyd Webber-produced Bollywood-style musical Bombay Dreams by A. R. Rahman and Don Black . In April 2008, Lloyd Webber reprised his role as judge, this time in the BBC musical talent show, I'd Do Anything . The show followed a similar format to its 'Maria' and 'Joseph' predecessors, this time involving a search for an actress to play the role of Nancy in an upcoming West End production of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! The show also featured a search for three young actors to play and share the title character's role, however the shows main focus was on the search for Nancy. The role was won by Jodie Prenger despite Lloyd Webber's stated preference for one of the other contestants; the winners of the Oliver role were Harry Stott, Gwion Wyn-Jones and Laurence Jeffcoate. Also in April 2008 he was featured on the U.S. talent show American Idol , acting as a mentor when the 6 finalists had to select one of Lloyd Webber's songs to perform for the judges that week. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jade Ewen Lloyd Webber accepted the challenge of managing the UK's entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest , to be held in Moscow. In early 2009 a series, called Eurovision: Your Country Needs You , was broadcast to find a performer for a song that he would compose for the competition. Jade Ewen won the right to represent Britain, winning with It's My Time , by Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren . At the contest, Jade was accompanied on stage by Lloyd Webber, who played the piano during the performance. Great Britain finished 5th in the contest. [21] On 8 October 2009, Lloyd Webber launched the musical Love Never Dies at a press conference held at Her Majesty's Theatre , where the original Phantom has been running since 1986. Also present were Sierra Boggess , who has been cast as Christine Daaé , and Ramin Karimloo , who will portray the Phantom , a role he most recently played in the West End. On 25 October 2009, a spokesman for Lloyd Webber announced that the composer was suffering from prostate cancer . He said he has recovered and his website said he is confident that he will be back to work in early 2010. 2010s Following the opening of Love Never Dies, Lloyd Webber again began a search for a new musical theatre performer in the BBC One series Over the Rainbow . He cast the winner, Danielle Hope , in the role of Dorothy and a dog to play Toto in his forthcoming stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz . He and lyricist and composer Tim Rice will write a number of new songs for the production to supplement the songs from the film. [22] On 26 February 2010, he appeared on BBC's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross to promote Love Never Dies . It was announced on 8 May that tickets for the London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz were now on sale and preview performances would begin on 7 February 2011, with an official opening in March 2011. [23] On 24 September 2010, the Daily Mail announced that Michael Crawford had been chosen to play the part of the Wizard. In the selfsame article, it was also announced that rehearsals are set to begin in December. Accusations of plagiarism Andrew Lloyd Webber has been accused of plagiarism in his works. His biographer, John Snelson, has acknowledged the strong similarity between the opening melody of the slow movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and the Jesus Christ Superstar song "I Don't Know How to Love Him", but claims that Lloyd Webber: "...brings a new dramatic tension to Mendelssohn's original melody through the confused emotions of Mary Magdalene. The opening theme may be Mendelssohn, but the rhythmic and harmonic treatment along with new lines of highly effective melodic development are Lloyd Webber's. The song works in its own right as its many performers and audiences can witness." [24] In interviews promoting Amused to Death , Roger Waters , formerly of Pink Floyd , claimed that Andrew Lloyd Webber had plagiarised short chromatic riffs from the 1971 song " Echoes " for sections of the musical The Phantom of the Opera , released in 1986; nevertheless, he decided not to file a lawsuit regarding the matter. [25] The songwriter Ray Repp made a similar claim about the same song, but insisted that Lloyd Webber stole the idea from him. Unlike Roger Waters, Ray Repp did decide to file a lawsuit, but the court eventually cleared Lloyd Webber of plagiarism. [26] Lloyd Webber has also been accused of cribbing off Puccini , most notably in Requiem [27] and The Phantom of the Opera. In the Program Guide for the San Francisco Opera 's performance (2009-2010 season) of Puccini 's Girl of the Golden West , on page 42, it states: "The climactic phrase in Dick Johnson'a aria, "Quello che taceta," bears a strong resemblance to a similar phrase in the Phantom's song, "Music of the Night," in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera . Following the musical's success, the Puccini estate filed suit against Webber accusing him of plagiarism and the suit was settled out of court." [28] Personal life He married his first wife, Sarah Hugill, on 24 July 1972 at the age of 24, and had two children, Imogen Lloyd Webber (born 31 March 1978) and Nicholas (born 2 July 1979). Lloyd Webber and Hugill were divorced 14 November 1983. He married his second wife, singer/dancer Sarah Brightman , on 22 March 1984 in Hampshire. He cast Brightman in the lead role in his musical The Phantom of the Opera . They divorced 3 January 1990. He married his third wife, Madeleine Gurdon on 9 February 1991 in Westminster , London. They have three children, all of whom were born in Westminster : Alastair Adam (born 3 May 1992), William Richard (born 24 August 1993), and Isabella Aurora (born 30 April 1996). [29] Alastair and William attend Eton College and Isabella attends St. Swithun's school. Madeleine became Lady Lloyd Webber in 1992 when her husband was knighted, and retained the same casual style when her husband was created a life peer in 1997 (she is now technically Lady Lloyd-Webber). The Sunday Times Rich List 2006 ranked him the 87th-richest man in Britain with an estimated fortune of £700 million. His wealth increased to £750 million in 2007, but the publication ranked him 101st in 2008 . [30] He lives at Sydmonton Court, near Kingsclere in Hampshire , and also owns much of Watership Down . Lloyd Webber is an art collector , with a passion for Victorian art . An exhibition of works from his collection was presented at the Royal Academy in 2003 under the title Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters – The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection. He is also a devoted supporter of Leyton Orient Football Club . Politically, he has supported the UK's Conservative Party , allowing his song " Take That Look Off Your Face " to be used on a party promotional film seen by an estimated 1 million people in 80 cinemas before the 2005 UK General Election to accompany pictures of Prime Minister Tony Blair allegedly "smirking", the party said. [31] Prostate cancer On 25 October 2009 it was reported that Lloyd Webber had been diagnosed with the early stages of prostate cancer . [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] His prostate gland was removed ; on 18 November he was readmitted to hospital suffering from a post-operative infection. In January 2010, he said he was cancer-free. [38] Honours Lloyd Webber was knighted by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1992. In 1997, he was created a life peer as Baron Lloyd-Webber, of Sydmonton, in Hampshire (also by Elizabeth II). His title is hyphenated although his surname is not. He sits as a Conservative member of the House of Lords. Awards Academy Awards Lyrics by Glenn Slater Other works Variations (1978) – A set of musical variations on Niccolò Paganini 's Caprice in A minor that Lloyd Webber composed for his brother, cellist Julian . This album featured fifteen rock musicians including guitarist Gary Moore and pianist Rod Argent and reached number 2 in the UK album chart upon its release. It was later combined with Tell Me on a Sunday to form one show, Song and Dance . Lloyd Webber also used variation five as the basis for Unexpected Song in Song and Dance. The main theme is used as the theme music to The South Bank Show . Requiem (1985) – A classical choral work composed in honour of his father, William Lloyd Webber . Discography See also Pre-Raphaelite and Other Masters: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection – Royal Academy of Arts, London 2003 ISBN 1-903973-39-2 View of Geelong , 1856 painting once owned by Lloyd Webber

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Sir Tim Rice -- Evita © Dewynters. A Concept Album About Who? After the highly successful Jesus Christ Superstar , the next theatrical project Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber were going to embark upon was Jeeves. Then in 1973, Tim heard about ten minutes of a radio programme in his car about Eva Peron, and the idea for Evita came to life. Tim begin in-depth research on Eva Peron (second wife of Argentine president Juan Peron), a none too easy task since at that time there was next to no information written in English about her. Tim even visited Argentina in February of 1974 to see the actual places where Eva Peron had been. In the meantime, Andrew staged Jeeves with Alan Ayckbourn providing the book and lyrics in 1975. After Jeeves, he and Tim began serious work on Evita. Tim Rice began by writing a very factual first draft of the show. Famed American director Hal Prince wanted to do a stage production, but had ideas of his own about what should be done and was booked for at least a year. Instead of going to the stage first, Tim and Andrew Lloyd Webber followed their previous route, and released a double album of the show-to-be in November of 1976. (Andrew and Tim also produced the recording.) Julie Covington sang the part of Eva Peron, and her "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" reached number 1 on the charts in February of 1977 (and reached the number one slots in other countries as well). Colm Wilkinson (then going by the name C. T. Wilkinson) sang the part of Che, Paul Jones was Juan Peron, and Tony Christie sang the part of Magaldi. Barbara Dickson, as Peron's Mistress, had a hit with "Another Suitcase In Another Hall". In Britain, Australia, South Africa, South America, and various parts of Europe, sales of Evita were greater than sales of Jesus Christ Superstar had been. The Move To The Stage Julie Covington refused to repeat her role on stage, saying that the message of the piece would be lost -- and the search for someone to play Eva Peron was on. The prize role went to Elaine Paige, the most notable of whose numerous credits was originating the part of Rita in the Don Black - John Barry 1974 musical Billy (which starred Michael Crawford). Pop singer David Essex was signed on as Che in late April, Joss Ackland was Juan Peron, Siobhan McCarthy was Peron's Mistress, and Mark Ryan played Magaldi. The show was directed by Harold Prince, and presented by Robert Stigwood in association with David Land. Prior to the show opening, a book containing information about the Peron regime and the lyrics to the songs in the musical written by Tim Rice with an afterward by Andrew Lloyd Webber was released. It was called Evita: The Legend Of Eva Peron 1919-1952, was published by Elm Tree books, and sold for three pound ninety-five pence. Tim went to book signings in early June. Despite allegations of fascism, the original album went platinum just before the show opened. When Evita opened at the Prince Edward Theater on 21 June 1978, the box office advance had exceeded $500,000. Elaine Paige won rave reviews, becoming a star over night and later receiving a SWET award -- as did the show. Evita received three 1977/1978 Ivor Novello awards for "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" : Most Performed Song, Best Song, and International Hit of the Year. The show won a 1978/1979 Novello for Best Musical. David Essex had a number 3 hit with "Oh What A Circus" arranged by Mike Batt. The Broadway production opened on 25 September 1979 with Patti LuPone in the title role at the Broadway Theatre. (There had been discussion of Elaine Paige coming to the US, but nothing ever came of it.) Mandy Patinkin played Che, Bob Gunton was Peron, Jane Ohringer played Peron's Mistress, and Mark Syers was Magaldi. The show and cast won seven Tony Awards at the 8 June 1980 ceremony held at the Mark Hellinger, including Best Broadway Musical, Best Score of a Broadway Musical shared by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the Tony for Best Book of a Broadway Musical for Tim. The show went on to play around the world in various places such as Madrid, Sydney, and Vienna. The Mexican production opened at the Teatro Ferrocarrilero on 22 June 1981, and ran for one and a half years. The (Nearly) Never-Ending Film Saga The rumours for a movie of Evita began after its London opening. Of all the women considered for the title role, the two who had proved how well they could play Eva Peron -- Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone -- seemed to have been barely thought about. In 1981 Paramount acquired the rights, with Robert Stigwood slated to co-produce. Ken Russell was brought on to direct, but then was dismissed from the project. The idea of Evita as a movie didn't go away though, and in the mid 1980's Madonna decided she wanted in the picture and met with Stigwood. In 1987/88, Oliver Stone became involved and Weintrabu Entertainment Group (WEG) acquired the film rights from Paramount. Madonna was still looking to star in the picture, but reportedly she meet with Oliver Stone for 15 minutes and found they could not work together. By 1989 Meryl Streep was supposed to be staring in the picture, but both she and WEG later backed out. In 1990 Stigwood struck a deal with Disney, and in early June he, Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Madonna, and Disney executives met in New York to discuss the project. Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of the Disney film studio at the time, was said to be very pro-Evita and pro-Madonna. The director eventually picked was Glenn Gordon Caron. In January of 1991, Meryl Streep was reportedly upset that Madonna would be staring in the movie -- it looked like this time there actually was going to be a movie. However, the estimated budget for the film soon exceeded what Disney was willing to deal with, and the project was put on hold yet again . . . Until 1993 when Disney decided to try again, with Oliver Stone as director (again). Stone closed the deal with Disney on 10 December 1993. Tim Rice said at a gathering for The Lion King in July of 1994 that he got signed on to Disney because he "was walking around the Disney lot, hoping someone would make a film of 'Evita'. I'm still waiting.". Instead of Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer was named the Evita-to-be in 1994, with Antonio Banderas as Che. The movie was still in Disney and Stone's hands. Stone met with Argentine president Carlos Menem in the summer of 1994 who at first seemed agreeable, but then decided that the movie could not be shot on location after all. And then it got quiet again. In late March 1995, the talks began yet again. Madonna was signing a deal with Arnold Rifkin who was friends with Andrew G. Vajna -- who was in control of the movie with Robert Stigwood. In a round about way, it meant that the movie with Madonna was on again. This time the plans did not slink back into oblivion. Evita Is Finally Immortalised On Film After many, many years of planning -- and many proposed directors and proposed stars -- the movie of Evita was finally made. The estimated cost of the movie was about $56 million. Robert Stigwood, Alan Parker, and Andrew G. Vajna were the producers. Cinergy was the production company, and Alan Parker directed. Hollywood Pictures released the film in the US and in Latin America; Paramount released it in Germany and Japan. It starred Madonna as Eva Peron, with Antonio Banderas as Che (the last name of Guevara had been droppped), Jonathan Pryce as Juan Peron, and Jimmy Nail as Magaldi. David Caddick was the musical director. Film Set - Budapest, Hungary   © 1996 property of JJB. Early in 1996, Madonna reportedly tried to contact all those who had played the role of Eva Peron before to gather information about the part. Madonna arrived in Buenos Aires on Saturday, 20 January 1996 to begin filming on location. Her presence stirred up publicity between die-hard Madonna fans thrilled at her arrival, and die-hard Peronists horrified at her portraying their "Saint". As late as 19 February, Menem was still deciding whether or not the movie would allow scenes to be shot at the Casa Rosada (the Presidential Palace). He eventually agreed, and the Casa Rosada scenes were shot on 9 and 10 March 1996 with extras from the local population. By the end of March, Madonna was receiving more acceptance in the role. After the filming in Buenos Aires, the shooting was moved to Budapest, Hungary for six weeks, and then onward to wrap up shooting in London. The entire filming for Evita finished on Saturday, 25 May 1996, and the editing began on 14 June. For the film, the song "The Lady's Got Potential" was included with all new lyrics except for the Cinderella bit. Madonna sang "Another Suitcase In Another Hall". Most of "The Art Of The Possible" was cut. An entire new song, "You Must Love Me", was added for the final bedroom scene. A 10-minute preview of the movie was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in June of 1996, and received glowing reviews and praise. A special about the making of Evita, with interviews with Madonna, was shown on MTV in June of 1996. A minute and a half trailer for the film was released on 31 July. The complete soundtrack release date was changed from 12 November 1996 to 5 November and then back to 12 November in the US, and it was released on 25 November 1996 internationally. The first single was to have been "You Must Love Me" with "Oh What A Circus" on the B side -- it was to be shipped to US radio stations on 1 October 1996, and available for purchase in stores on 15 October. Instead, "You Must Love Me" was released to the public on 29 October in the US and on 21 October in the UK with "Rainbow High" on the B side. On 9 October, the video for "You Must Love Me" was shown on MTV, and the single started to receive airplay. ("Don't Cry For Me Argentina", "Another Suitcase In Another Hall", and "Buenos Aires" were to be issued later.) The video premiered on MTV Europe on 15 October 1996. "You Must Love Me" entered Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart, published on 26 October 1996, at number 55. It was the highest-charting debut single that week. It debuted at #10 in the UK charts. A Uni-CD highlight album of the show was available Internationally (with the US and Canada being exceptions). The Warner Brothers double CD soundtrack was available in stores starting on 12 November 1996 in the US, 18 November in the UK, and was available on 25 November 1996 Internationally. The soundtrack was orchestrated by Andrew Lloyd Webber with additional orchestrations by David Cullen. It was produced by Nigel Wright, Alan Parker, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and David Caddick. It debuted at number 6 on Bilboard's Top Ten albums list. By mid-May 1997, the soundtrack had sales of over 2 million in the US. Evita premiered in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium on 14 December 1996. The London premiere was on 20 December 1996. It opened on Wednesday, 25 December in New York City and Los Angeles, with the world premiere on 10 January 1997 in the United States and 17 January 1997 in other countries. To accompany the film, Alan Parker wrote a book called "The Making of Evita". It was published in both hardcover and paperback editions in December 1996 and included 140 movie stills. Film Accolades The film of Evita ended its first week at number two. "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" enjoyed chart success as a dance mix. The International version was released in January 1997. After one day of US sales, it appeared at #17 on the Billboard Singles Chart. Evita was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards: Best Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy (Madonna), Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (Antonio Banderas), Best Director (Alan Parker), Best Original Song ("You Must Love Me"). The 54th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony was held on 19 January 1997. Evita won three of the five -- Best Musical or Comedy, Madonna as Best Actress, and Best Original Song for "You Must Love Me". Tim Rice accepted the award for the song and paid tribute to the late David Land. "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" was Internationally released in March 1997. It debuted at #7 in the UK charts in the last week of March. There were two international releases, one featuring "You Must Love Me" and movie postcards, and the other with "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry For Me Argentina". The US release was cancelled. Evita was nominated for five Oscars at the 69th annual Academy Awards (art direction, cinematography, film editing, original song, sound), and won for the song "You Must Love Me". Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber accepted the Oscar together at the ceremony held on 24 March 1997. This marked Tim's third original song Oscar ("A Whole New World" with Alan Menken & "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" with Elton John) and Andrew's first. Although the release of the "Buenos Aires" single was put on hold world-wide, several radio stations received copies anyway. A highlight album, Evita: Selections From The Motion Picture Soundtrack was available internationally by July 1997, except in the US. The US debut was slated for 17 June, but was then moved to 29 July 1997. The video was available for rental in the UK on 23 June 1997, 15 July 1997 in Argentina, and was released in the US on 5 August. It was in video stores world-wide by mid September 1997. After about six months from the time the video was available to rent, it went on sale to the general public. The UK release was in early November 1997. There were three laserdisc versions of the film released 19 August 1997 : Dolby Digital widescreen, DTS wide screen, and a special edition version from Criterion. The prices were tentatively set before release at around $40, $60, and $125 respectively. The movie itself is 135 minutes, but the Criterion disc also includes screen tests, demo tapes, commentary by Alan Parker, a 42 minute programme "The Making Of Evita", trailers, and the "You Must Love Me" video. At first there wasn't going to be a DVD release, but a DVD version was made and released in Australia and Denmark on 1 October 1997, and in the US and Canada on 3 February 1998. Other Productions During the struggle to finally bring Evita to the silver screen, a UK tour was launched with Marti Webb, who had played the role in London. Accompanying her were Christopher Corcoran and Duncan Smith, as Che and Peron, during the 1995-1996 tour. Although there was no recording of the tour made, Marti Webb did release a solo album of Evita songs. Almost synonymous with the plans of the movie definitely happening was talk of a Broadway revival. There was even more talk as of the end of February 1998, but no production was staged. Plans were made to stage a production of Evita in Mexico, in August of 1997. The plans changed, and the show wound up starting previews on 9 October 1997 for a 19 October opening at the Teatro Silvia Pinal in Mexico City. Larry Fuller not only choreographed, but directed as well. Sets were by Chirs Nass; lighting by Richard Winckler; sound by Abe Jacob; and costumes by Nuria Marroqui. The show starred Rocio Banquells as Evita, who had played the role in the original Mexican production, and Jose Lavat as Peron. On 18 May 1998, at the 15th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" was honored by being included on the list as one of the most performed songs in the ASCAP repertory for 1997. A new theatrical Latin-esque tour of Evita was put on by Manny Kladitis, Magicworks Entertainment, and Pace Theatrical Group. Journeying across the United States, the tour premiered at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, on 3 November 1998. It was to have taken up residence on Broadway in the Fall of 1999, but these plan never came to fruition. Making yet another return to Evita, the tour was directed by Larry Fuller, the original Broadway choreographer. It was designed by Timothy O'Brien who also served as designer on Broadway. This version of Evita starred Natalie Toro in the title role, Raul Esparza as Che, and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod as Peron. On 26 March 2002 Decca released a 13-track highlights CD of the original Broadway cast album. Through Troika Entertainment, another U.S. / North American Evita tour opened in Boston, Massachusetts on 2 November 2004 and played through 14 November 2004. The tour was again directed by Larry Fuller, but this time the original director Hal Prince was also onboard to oversee the entire creative process. At the end of September 2004, it was announced that Kathy Voytko would play Eva Peron. Bradley Dean was cast as Che, Kate Manning as Peron's Mistress and Gabriel Burrafato as Magaldi. After Boston, the tour played in Chicago, Illinois at the Auditorium Theatre from 16-28 November 2004, in Appleton, Wisconsin at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center from 14-19 December 2004, and in Wallingford, Connecticut at the Oakdale Theatre from 8-13 Februrary 2005. The tour continued through the summer of 2005: Memphis, TN - 26-31 July (Orpheum Theatre); Atlanta, GA - 2-7 August (Fox Theatre); Montreal, PQ - 30 August - 4 September (Pelletier); Cincinnati, OH - 6-18 September (Aronoff Center); Houston, TX - 20 September - 2 October 2005 (Hobby Center); Costa Mesa, CA - 4-9 October (Segerstrom Hall/OCPAC); Tampa, FL - 8-13 November (TBPAC); Ft. Lauderdale - 15-27 November (Aurene Theatre); San Antonio, TX - 29-4 December(Majestic Theatre); Tempe, AZ - 6-11 December (Gammage). West End Revival In late January 2004, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh began discussing the possibility of a revival of Evita for the West End. During a BBC Radio 2 interview on 24 August 2004, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that at producer Cameron Mackintosh's urging the revival would include the Academy Award winning song written for the film version of Evita, "You Must Love Me". In a Radio 4 interview on 20 October 2005, Tim Rice confirmed the plans to include "You Must Love Me", and Andrew Lloyd Webber indicated that he was planning to give the orchestrations for the revival a more Latin flavour. Adelphi Theatre © 2006 JJB. In January 2005, Michael Grandage and Christopher Oram were attached to the production as director and set designer respectively. Rob Ashford was brought onboard as choreographer. Casting for the production began in late summer of 2005 with the expectation that the revival, produced by the Really Useful Group, would open in the summer of 2006. During a radio interview with Simon May on 5 January 2006, Andrew Lloyd Webber confirmed the plans to bring the show's music closer to the story's Latin roots, and indicated that the production would open in June 2006 at the Adelphi Theatre. By mid-January, casting was completed. A press conference was held at the Langham Hotel on 31 January 2006 at which it was revealed that the coveted title role was to go to Elena Roger, an actress from Argentina. She sang "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" to the assembled media accompanied on the piano with the new multi-coloured Evita logo as a backdrop. It was also announced that Matt Rawle was cast as Che and Philip Quast as Peron. In addition to Grandage, Ashford and Oram, further production team members were announced: Simon Lee as musical director, Paule Constable as lighting designer, and Mick Potter as sound designer. Andre Ptaszynski, who had been appointed acting Chief Executive of the Really Useful Group in December 2005, would produce Evita for the Really Useful Theatre Company. At the end of April 2006, the final principal cast members were announced : Lorna Want was cast as Peron's Mistress and Gary Milner as Magaldi. Tickets went on sale 31 January 2006 through the show's official site at http://www.evitathemusical.com . Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber appeared on ITV's Parkinson show 11 March 2006 to discuss the Evita revival, and Elena Roger presented her "Don't Cry For Me Argentina". The duo again stressed a more Latin-esque score and the inclusion of the Oscar-winning number "You Must Love Me". The first rehearsal for Evita took place on 18 April 2006. On 20 April 2006, both Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber were on hand along with the other members of the revival's creative team to address the entire cast and outline the show's development over the coming weeks. Previews for Evita began at the Adelphi Theatre on Friday, 2 June 2006. Evita had its first night on Wednesday, 21 June 2006 (the same date as the original 1978 production). In keeping with the theme of the evening, the first night party was held at the Argentine restaurant Gaucho Grill in Piccadilly. The opening was also attended by Elaine Paige and Susannah Fellows, the original and alternate Eva's from the 1978 production. The critics praised the production (including the book and songs) and proclaimed Elena Roger a star. Curtain Call - ALW, Elena Roger & TR Centre © 2006 JJB. It had initially been hoped that the cast album it would be ready for a pre-opening 19 June 2006 release, but this was not possible. Although the date was then moved to 17 July 2006, the cast album was not ultimately released until 14 August 2006 in the UK. The United States release date was 24 October 2006. Evita received four nominations on 9 November 2006 for the 52nd Annual Evening Standard Theatre Awards. It was nominated for Best Musical, star Elena Roger was nominated for the Milton Shulman Award For Outstanding Newcomer, director Michael Grandage was nominated for the Sydney Edwards Award For Best Director, and Christopher Oram was nominated for Best Design. Elena Roger was named among the top 100 most influential people in theatre by The Stage in its annual list published 29 December 2006. Designer Christopher Oram was also included, as was director Michael Grandage who took the number ten spot. On 18 January 2007 the Laurence Olivier Award nominations for 2006 productions were announced. Among the nominations are four for Evita: Elena Roger for Best Actress In A Musical, Philip Quast for Best Actor In A Musical, Rob Ashford for Best Theatre Choreography, and Evita for Outstanding Musical Production. The West End revival of Evita played its final performance on 26 May 2007. Turkish Production Evita was billed as the theatrical production of the year during its engagement in Turkey in the Spring of 2011. The production played for a limited run in Istanbul at the Istanbul Congress Center located in the central Harbiye district from 12-24 April 2011. Abigail Jaye played the title role of Evita, Mark Powell was Che and Earl Carpenter played Peron. Evita was directed by Bob Tomspon and Bill Kenwright with choreography by Bill Dreamer and musical direction by David Steadman. Broadway Revival After months of speculation, on 9 June 2010 it was finally announced that the West End revival production of Evita would be coming to Broadway, again directed by Michael Grandage and choreographed by Rob Ashford. In addition to revealing that Americans would have the chance to experience Elena Roger's Eva Peron, it was also announced that the part of Che had been cast with the role going to singer Ricky Martin. Although famous for his singing career, Ricky Martin had in fact previously appeared on Broadway in 1996 as Marius in Les Miserable. Producers Hal Luftig and Scott Sanders stated that with Roger and Martin they were seeking a more authentic Latin American flair for the revival. © 2012 JJB. Due in part to scheduling conflicts with productions Michael Grandage had already committed to, Evita would not be able to open in 2011. Instead, the initial announcement indicated that Evita would begin performances in April 2012. The show's budget was estimated $8-9 million. Although no specific venue had been booked, Evita was to play at one of the Nederlander Organization theatres. The tentative schedule was for rehearsals to begin sometime in January 2012. At the 64th Annual Tony Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall on 13 June 2010, Ricky Martin served as an award presenter. Michael Grandage took home the Tony Award for best director of a play for his work on Red. Rob Ashford was nominated for best choreographer the fourth year in a row for his work on the Promises, Promises revival. An Equity casting call for chorus singers was held on 3 February 2011. On 9 August 2011 it was announced that the role of Peron was to be played by Broadway veteran Michael Cerveris who at the time was likely more familiar to Americans as The Observer on the hit television show "Fringe". It was also revealed that Evita would be playing at the Marquis Theatre and that rehearsals would commence in February 2012. The reminder of the cast and creative team was announced on 8 December 2011. Max Von Essen was to play Magaldi and Rachel Potter the Mistress. Christina DeCicco was cast as the Altnernate Eva. As with the 2006 production, Christopher Oram would be the set designer and costume designer and Mick Potter was the sound designer. New to the show were lighting designer Neil Austin and musical director Kristen Blodgette. Tickets for Evita went on sale at 10.00am on Saturday, 29 October 2011 via Ticketmaster. A pre-sale for members of Audience Rewards, an organisation created by theatre producers the Nederlanders, Shuberts and Jujamcyn, began on 17 October 2011. The box office at the Marquis Theatre opened on 30 January 2012. The first publicity photo of the three principal leads was released to the press on 27 October 2011. The March 2012 issue of Vanity Fair (released in February) devoted its "Spotlight" coloumn to Ricky Martin. The article, by interviewers Laura Jacobs and David Nicolas, revealed the choreographer Rob Ashford intended to make Ricky Martin "the danciest Che ever". Entertainment Weekly named Evita first in its list of "12 Plays We're Excited For In '12" in its Stage section for 19 January 2012. Rehearsals for Evita began 23 January 2012. Evita began previews at the Marquis Theatre on 12 March 2012. Both Sir Tim Rice and Lord Lloyd-Webber were in attendance at the opening on 5 April 2012 and joined the cast on stage to thunderous applause during the curtain call. The Broadway revival of Evita received nominations for all of the standard prestigious theatre awards -- Outer Critics Circle Awards, Drama League Awards, Drama Desk Awards and Tony Awards. Although the production did not win any of the awards it was nominated for, its sixteen nominations alone are impressive credentials. The production received five nominations for the 2011-2012 season's 62nd annual Outer Critics Circle Awards on 23 April 2012. Evita was nominated for Outstanding Revival Of A Musical - Broadway Or Off-Broadway, Outstanding Director Of A Musical by Michael Grandage, Outstanding Choreographer by Rob Ashford, Outstanding Set Design - Play Or Musical by Christopher Oram and Outstanding Lighting Design - Play Or Musical by Neil Austin. Nominations for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards were announced 24 April 2012, among which were three for Evita : Distinguished Revival Of A Musical and both Elena Roger and Ricky Martin in the category of Distinguished Performance Award. Final Curtain Call     © 2013 JJB. Evita received five nominations for the 57th Annual Drama Desk Awards which were announced on 27 April 2012. In addition to a nomination for Outstanding Revival Of A Musical, Evita stars Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris were nominated for Outstanding Actor In A Musical and Outstanding Featured Actor In A Musical respectively, Rob Ashford was nominated for Outstanding Choreography and Neil Austin was nominated for Outstanding Lighting Design. Nominations for the 66th annual Tony Awards were announced 1 May 2012. Evita received three Tony nominations: Best Revival Of A Musical, Michael Cerveris for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Musical and Rob Ashford for Best Choreography. In the beginning of December of 2012 it was announced that Evita would close on 26 January 2013 when the contracts for its three original leads - Elena Roger (Evita), Ricky Martin (Che) and Michael Cerveris (Peron) - were up. Unable to find suitable replacements for the powerhouse trio, the producers determined to preserve the integrity and vision of the production and shutter the show. All three leads made speeches during the curtain call at the final performance thanking both those in front of and behind the curtain as well as the show's fans. The entire cast -- including swings, alternates and understudies -- appeared on stage to take a bow. Upon closing on 26 January 2013, Evita had played for approximately 26 previews and 337 performances. Broadway Revival Cast Recording The double CD cast recording of the Broadway revival of Evita was released by Sony's Masterworks Broadway division on 26 June 2012 in the United States and on 6 August 2012 in the United Kingdom. In addition to the 27 tracks from the show, the cast album includes a bonus track of Elena Roger singing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" in Spanish titled "No Llores Por Mi Argentina". The recording also features a Director's Note from Michael Grandage. The complete track listing is: Disc One - 1. Requiem, 2. Oh What a Circus, 3. On This Night of a Thousand Stars, 4. Eva, Beware of the City, 5. Buenos Aires, 6. Good Night and Thank You, 7. The Art of the Possible, 8. Charity Concert, 9. I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You, 10. Another Suitcase in Another Hall, 11. Peron's Latest Flame, 12. A New Argentina, Disc Two - 1. On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada, 2. Don't Cry for Me Argentina, 3. High Flying, Adored, 4. Rainbow High, 5. Rainbow Tour, 6. The Chorus Girl, 7. And the Money Kept Rolling In, 8. Santa Evita, 9. Waltz for Eva and Che, 10. You Must Love Me, 11. She Is a Diamond, 12. Dice Are Rolling, 13. Eva's Final Broadcast, 14. Montage, 15. Lament, 16. No Llores Por Mi Argentina (Bonus Track). U.S. National Tour On 15 May 2012 it was announced that Michael Grandage's revival of Evita would embark on a National Tour of the United States in the Fall of 2013. It was over a year later before any more updates on the tour were given when, on 2 July 2013, the tour's itinerary was revealed to span September 2013 - June 2014. This announcement was quickly followed on 16 July 2013 with the tour's complete cast. Caroline Bowman will play Evita and Desi Oakley will be the alternate Evita. Josh Young, last seen on Broadway as Judas in Des McAnuff's Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, will play Che. The remaining leads include Sean MacLaughlin as Peron, Christopher Johnstone as Magaldi and Krystina Alabado as the Mistress. Members of the company are Ryan Bailer, Nicholas Belton, Jessica Bishop, Ronald L. Brown, Holly Ann Butler, Diana DiMarzio, Katharine Heaton, Tony Howell, Katie Huff, Patrick Oliver Jones, Ian Liberto, Alison Scirrotto and Tug Watson. The Evita tour began at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The itinerary for the tour is as follows: Providence (RI) : 8-14 September 2013 (Providence Performing Arts Center); Chicago (IL) : 17 September - 6 October 2013 (Oriental Theater); St. Louis (MO) : 8-20 October (The Fabulous Fox); Los Angeles (CA) : 23 October - 10 November 2013 (Pantages); San Diego (CA) : 12-17 November 2013 (San Diego Civic Theater); Las Vegas (NV) : 26 November - 1 December 2013 (The Smith Center); Tempe (AZ) : 3-8 December 2013 (ASU Gammage); Costa Mensa (CA) : 10-22 December 2013 (Segerstrom Hall); Seattle (WA) : 31 December 2013 - 5 January 2014 (Paramount Theater); Portland (OR) : 7-12 January 2014 (Keller Auditorium); Denver (CO) : 15-26 January 2014 (The Buell Theater); Minneapolis (MN) : 28 January - 2 February 2014 (Orpheum Theater); Cincinnati (OH) : 18 February - 2 March 2014 (Procter & Gamble Hall - Aronoff Center For The Arts); Charlotte (NC) : 4-9 March 2014 (Blumenthal PAC); Durham (NC) : 11-16 March 2014 (Durham PAC); Tampa (FL) : 18-23 March 2014 (Carol Morsani Hall); Orlando (FL) : 25-30 March 2014 (Bob Carr PAC); West Palm Beach (FL) : 8-13 April 2014 (Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall); San Antonio (TX) : 29 April - 4 May 2014 (The Majestic Theater); Houston (TX) : 6-18 May 2014 (TUTS); Miami (FL) : 27 May - 1 June 2014 (Ziff Ballet Opera House); Atlanta (GA) : 3-8 June 2014 (Fox Theater); Buffalo (NY) : 10-15 June 2014 (Shea's PAC); Philadelphia (PA) : 17-22 June 2014 (Kimmel Center); Greenville (SC) : 24-29 June 2014 (Peace Center). The tour is produced by The Hartman Group, the producer of the Broadway revival, and Troika Entertainment.

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Composers, Lyricists & Writers - Broadway: The American Musical Ben Vereen Robin Wagner “The Phantom of the Opera” (1986) is perhaps Lloyd Webber’s best-known work. Based on Gaston Leroux’s novel, the musical included the songs “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “Think of Me.” Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, then Lloyd Webber’s wife, starred in the original production. “Phantom” is indicative of a trend in the late 1980s toward a “sung-through” musical — one in which spoken dialogue is limited and often replaced by operatic recitative (speech-singing). The lavish sets, impressive special effects, and hauntingly beautiful musical score have made the show one of the most popular musicals worldwide. His first musical was “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “Aspects of Love” (1989) launched the career of its male lead, Michael Ball. The sung-through musical was an adaptation of David Garnett’s tale of intergenerational love and included the ballad “Love Changes Everything.” The show played for over three years in London, but its 1990 Broadway run lasted only 377 performances. “Sunset Boulevard” (1993), based on the film of the same name, included some spectacularly romantic music. Two songs, “With One Look” and “As if We Never Said Goodbye,” both of which are sung by the lead character Norma Desmond, have entered the repertories of singers as diverse as Kiri TeKenawa and Barbra Streisand. As with “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Sunset Boulevard” includes elaborate and impressive sets. John Napier’s grandiose staircase is as much a character in the musical as are any of the humans. The London production starred Patti LuPone, while the Los Angeles and New York productions featured Glenn Close. Betty Buckley succeeded both LuPone and Close in their respective runs. “Whistle Down the Wind” (1998), inspired by the film of the same name, is set in Louisiana in 1959. A collaboration with Jim Steinman, the score includes typically romantic love songs and explosive rock music. In addition to his musical theater works, Lloyd Webber has also written concert works. “Variations” also exists in a version for cello and orchestra. “Requiem” (1985), written for Lloyd Webber’s father, included the memorable duet “Pie Jesu.” With his impressive array of commercially and artistically successful shows, Lloyd Webber is one of the most important composers for the musical theater in the last decades of the 20th century. Both his innate gift for melody and his ability to create music, which live up to the dazzling special effects characteristic of so many of his shows, have contributed immensely to his worldwide success. Source: Excerpted from ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR CULTURE. 5 VOLS., St. James Press, © 2000 St. James Press. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest Mary Martin Weill and his wife, singer Lotte Lenya, emigrated to the USA in 1935. Weill was working on “Huckleberry Finn,” an adaptation of Mark Twain’s celebrated novel, when he died in 1950. In 1995, a new production of “The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny” was presented by the English National Opera at the Coliseum in London. In the following year Weill and Lerner’s 1948 “Love Life” received its “first production outside the USA for 48 years.” The show’s European premiere took place at the Grand Theatre Leeds. In 1999, Weill’s “Der Silbersee” (The Silverlake) was presented by the Broomhill Opera at the new refurbished Wilton’s Music Hall in London in a translation by the popular UK impressionist Rory Bremner. Also in 1999, the opera “He Who Says Yes/He Who Says No,” by Weill and Brecht, was presented Off-Off Broadway. FURTHER READING: Elaine Stritch He first took a crack at writing a full Broadway score with “High Button Shoes.” Styne would collaborate with Robin on the bright score for the Betty Grable film MEET ME AFTER THE SHOW (1951) and the less successful feature remake MY SISTER EILEEN (1955) and would create tunes with Cahn for THE WEST POINT STORY (1950), but around mid-decade he firmly decided to commit his songwriting energies to Broadway rather than to film. His work with Cahn came to an end as a result, but a recurring collaboration with the playful, inventive duo of Betty Comden and Adolph Green began with a revue “Two on the Aisle” (1951) and would later include the charming “Bells Are Ringing” (1956). Through the late ’60s, Styne’s genius for writing slam-bang Broadway hits for strong leading women came to the fore; one not only links Channing with “Gentleman” and Streisand with “Funny Girl,” but also Judy Holliday with “Bells,” Mary Martin with “Peter Pan” (1954), featuring the famous “Never Never Land”) and Ethel Merman with “Gypsy” (1959), which includes the powerhouse anthem “Rose’s Turn.” Although Styne always felt he had more creative freedom on Broadway, most of his major musicals were eventually adapted for the big screen. Beginning in 1957 with a musicalization of RUGGLES OF RED GAP, he also began writing (and later producing) TV musical programs as well. The ’60s had its leaner moments (“Do Re Mi,” “Subways Are for Sleeping,” both 1960 Broadway shows), but, besides “Funny Girl,” this era also saw Styne finally win Tony Awards for his high energy “Hallelujah, Baby!” (1967). He continued with shows like “Sugar” (1972) and “Lorelei” (1974) and created tunes for the Broadway musical rendition of “The Red Shoes” (1993) less than two years before he died. A stocky, feisty man much loved in showbiz circles for his sputtered, incomplete sentences, his wit, adaptability and showmanship, Styne was a lively interview subject and sometime performer up until the end. The creator of songs ranging from the joyous “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and “Make Someone Happy” to the heartbreaking melancholy of “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry” to the triumph of “Just in Time” received many deserved honors before his death at age 88. Source: Excerpted from Baseline. BaselineStudioSystems — A Hollywood Media Corp. Company. Photo credits: Photofest Chita Rivera Stephen Schwartz It was four years before Strouse and Adams took off again with “Applause,” their second big hit. During the remainder of the ’90s Strouse hosted “An Evening with Charles Strouse” in the renowned “Lyrics and Lyricists” series and at “Lincoln Center, as well as working on a variety of projects reported to include a musical adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s 1924 novel, AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY (with Adams) and a new musical based on the film comedy, THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY’S (with Susan Birkenhead). There were also several projects honoring his previous works, such as the revues “Simply Strouse” at New York’s Rainbow & Stars (1996) and Barbara Siman’s “A Lot of Living!” at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre (August 1997), with Dave Willetts, Bonnie Langford, Joanna John, and Chris Coleman. Cabaret performer Jason Graae also released a “sensational” collection of Strouse’s songs on YOU’RE NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A SMILE. His career honors have included three Tony Awards for his work on “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Applause,” and “Annie,” a Grammy for the “Annie” original cast album, and an Emmy for the song “Let’s Settle Down” (with Adams) from the 1996 television version of “Bye Bye Birdie.” Strouse has also composed several operas, a piano concerto, various chamber music, and several film scores, including BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKY’S (1968), THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN (1970), JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT (1980), and ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN (1989). The concerto for piano and orchestra, which he wrote when he was in his twenties, finally received its world premiere in October 1995 when Barbara Irvine played it with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. In 1998, the piece was included in a program called “The Other Side of Broadway,” in which Irvine also previewed works by Harvey Schmidt (“The Fantasticks”) and David Shire (“Big”). Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. photo credits: Photofest Tony Walton His first real success was “1776.” In motion pictures, Stone was a success almost immediately. His first produced screenplay, CHARADE (1963), which he also novelized, was a mystery with romance that paired Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It offered more twists, turns, and surprises than one might think a movie could hold as a bevy of unsavory characters try to discover where Hepburn’s deceased husband hid $250,000. Oddly, Stone won the Academy Award for his next screenplay, FATHER GOOSE, again starring Grant as a beach bum turned lookout for the Australians during World War II who doubles as a guardian of schoolgirls. Although the 1964 film was well received, it garnered neither the critical acclaim of CHARADE nor the box office success. Stone continued to excel at adaptations, with the musical SWEET CHARITY (1969) and THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1-2-3 (1980), based on the mystery novel about a nefarious gang who hijack a subway train. Later came WHY WOULD I LIE? (1980), which put Treat Williams as a social worker trying to unite a youth with his ex-con mother. Stone took a long sojourn from the big screen until JUST CAUSE (1995), which starred Sean Connery as a famed law professor trying to prove Blair Underwood innocent of a crime for which he was convicted. The writer’s small-screen work dates back to an episode of STUDIO ONE (CBS, 1956), and also includes episodes of THE DEFENDERS (CBS, 1961-62). Stone was involved in the creation of the TV adaptation of ADAM’S RIB (ABC, 1973-74), a sitcom based on the 1949 Tracy-Hepburn classic, and IVAN THE TERRIBLE (CBS, 1976), a short-lived but witty series with Lou Jacobi as the head of an extended Moscow. Stone also adapted George Bernard Shaw’s ANDROCLES AND THE LION (NBC, 1968) and penned GRAND LARCENY, a 1989 syndicated TV movie about a female master thief. Stone has also appeared on talk shows and retrospectives, and was a frequent panelist on the PBS show THE WEEK IN REVIEW. Source: Excerpted from Baseline. BaselineStudioSystems — A Hollywood Media Corp. Company. Photo credits: Photofest Jerome Robbins Jule Styne Sondheim avoided filler in his lyrics and concentrated on direct impact through verbal interplay. His lyrics were witty without his ever sacrificing integrity for superficially clever rhyme. Similarly, he maintained his musical individuality even while operating in the adopted Eastern musical style of “Pacific Overtures.” Sondheim’s consistent ability to merge words and music that hint at the deeper personality beneath the prototype character distinguished him as a composer of rare ingenuity and talent. “Side by Side by Sondheim,” a musical tribute to the artist, was successfully produced in 1976. Sondheim’s later works included the film score for REDS (1981) and “Sunday in the Park with George” (1984), which won a 1985 Pulitzer Prize. “Into the Woods” was another musical hit on Broadway in 1987. Sondheim participated on the council of the Dramatists Guild and served as its president from 1973 to 1981. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1983. He won the 1990 Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” from the movie DICK TRACY. Sondheim composed the music for the ABC television presentation TIME WARNER PRESENTS THE EARTH DAY SPECIAL (1990). In 1992, he declined a National Medal of Arts Award, from the National Endowment for the Arts. On July 4, 2000, Sondheim was given the Praemium Imperiale award by the Japan Art Association. He was honored for his work in film and theater. Source: Excerpted from ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD BIOGRAPHY, 2ND ED. 17 VOLS., Gale Research, © 1998 Gale Research. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and Martha Swope George Gershwin George White In this and succeeding shows, such as “Chocolate Dandies,” the collaborators presented a succession of songs, dances, and sketches that were attuned to the new musical sounds of the day — unlike most other Broadway shows, which, also performed by all-black casts, had ignored ragtime and the emergence of jazz. In these and later years Sissle led a number of fine orchestras that featured some of the best musicians available, among them Sidney Bechet, Otto “Toby” Hardwicke, Tommy Ladnier, and Buster Bailey. In the late ’20s Sissle led a band in Paris and London and during the ’30s led successful bands in New York and elsewhere in the USA. He continued touring during the ’40s and ’50s but gradually directed his attention to music publishing. FURTHER READING: REMINISCING WITH NOBLE SISSLE AND EUBIE BLAKE, Robert Kimball and William Bolcom. Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. Photo credits: Photofest Ben Vereen Tony Walton Schwartz turned his attention to the screen, and collaborated profitably with Alan Menken on the Walt Disney animated features POCAHONTAS (1995) and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1996). For POCAHONTAS, the duo won Oscars for Original Musical or Comedy Score and Original Song – “Colors of the Wind” (Schwartz was also given an ASCAP award for Most Performed Motion Picture Song) — and were nominated for their work on THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. In 1999 Schwartz won another Oscar for one of his songs, “When You Believe,” from the DreamWorks animated Bible epic, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. Having successfully demoed his material for some years, in 1997 he released a compelling album on which he sang all nonshow songs, with the exception of “The Hardest Part of Love,” from “Children of Eden.” Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. Photo credits: Photofest David Merrick Barbra Streisand This was “Sing out the News” (1939) and, once again, there was a universally accepted hit song, “F.D.R. Jones.” In the early ’40s Rome wrote songs for several revues and shows, but it was not until after the end of World War II that he had his first major success. This was “Call Me Mister” (1946), from which came “South America, Take It Away.” More revues followed until his first fully fledged musical show, “Wish You Were Here,” in 1952. Two years later he wrote “Fanny,” his most popular Broadway show, which included “Love Is a Very Light Thing.” This was followed by “Destry Rides Again” (1959) and “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” (1962), in which Barbra Streisand made her Broadway debut. In the mid-’60s Rome showed that the social conscience that had marked his early work was still intact when he wrote “The Zulu and the Zayda” (1965), which dealt with racial and religious intolerance. In 1970 he wrote “Scarlett,” based upon the novel GONE WITH THE WIND, for a Japanese production in Tokyo. More than with any other American composer in the field of mainstream popular music, Rome’s work consistently demonstrated an awareness of social issues, often to the extent that it kept him from the massive successes enjoyed by many of his contemporaries. He was also a gifted painter and a dedicated art collector. Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. Photo credits: Photofest Peter Stoneex: Robin Wagnerex: Though Hammerstein’s passing left him without a permanent lyricist, Rodgers continued on his own, composing works for television and the stage. He served as his own lyricist for “No Strings” in 1962. Commenting on his work, Rodgers told Mary Tanenbaum, “I guess I am proudest of ‘Carousel,’ because I like the score best and what the show has to say — based, of course, on the ‘Liliom’ of Molnar — about a man who really didn’t know how to love his wife and child until too late. …” Rodgers’ autobiography, MUSICAL STAGES, contains anecdotes about the composer’s experiences writing Broadway musicals. Margo Jefferson remarked that “in his implacably good-tempered, judiciously written autobiography, Richard Rodgers emerges as all of a piece: a man who knew what he wanted, who got it through a dedication to work that has been total but dispassionate, and one whose supreme gifts as a writer of popular songs remain a mystery — above all to himself.” Mel Gussow reflected, “What makes this book a special pleasure are the reminiscences of those thriving days when songwriting seemed like the headiest occupation in the world.” Source: Excerpted from CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS ONLINE, Gale Group, © 2003 Gale Group. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the Library of Congress Robin Wagner Andrew Lloyd Webber Rice had contributed lyrics to several songs used in features including “Hearts Not Diamonds” (music by Marvin Hamlisch) in THE FAN (1981) and “All Time High” (music by John Barry) in OCTOPUSSY (1983). In 1992, he was selected to help augment the score for Disney’s animated feature ALADDIN after lyricist Howard Ashman had succumbed to AIDS. Collaborating with composer Alan Menken, Rice provided the words for the Oscar-winning “A Whole New World.” He and Menken further collaborated on the stage version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1993). Rice then teamed with Elton John for the songs for Disney’s THE LION KING (1994), for which he received his second Oscar for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” Rice picked up a third Oscar for the ballad “You Must Love Me” written for Madonna to sing in EVITA (1996). The song also marked the first collaboration between Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in over a decade. Source: Excerpted from Baseline. BaselineStudioSystems — A Hollywood Media Corp. Company. Photo credits: Photofest Gwen Verdon Tony Walton In the 1930s and 1940s Porter provided full scores for a number of bright Broadway and Hollywood productions, among them “Anything Goes” (1934), “Jubilee” (1935), “Rosalie” (1937), “Panama Hattie” (1940), and “Kiss Me, Kate” (1948). These scores and others of the period abound with his characteristic songs: “Night and Day,” “I Get a Kick out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “Anything Goes,” “Begin the Beguine,” “Just One of Those Things,” “Don’t Fence Me In,” “In the Still of the Night,” and “So in Love.” Serious injuries in a riding accident in 1937 plagued Porter for the remainder of his life. A series of operations led, in 1958, to the amputation of his right leg. In his last years he produced one big Broadway success (“Can-Can,” 1953). He died on October 15, 1964, in Santa Monica, California. Porter’s songs show an elegance of expression and a cool detachment that seem to epitomize a kind of sophistication peculiar to the 1930s. He was also an authentically talented creator of original melodies. Like George Gershwin, he frequently disregarded the accepted formulas of the conventional popular song (usually a rigid 32-measure framework) and turned out pieces of charm and distinction. Source: Excerpted from ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD BIOGRAPHY, 2ND ED. 17 VOLS., Gale Research, © 1998 Gale Research. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the Cole Porter Trust Harold Rome Charles Strouse MOVIE STARS, REAL PEOPLE, AND ME begins where the first book left off, and covers Logan’s 1956 direction of the film, PICNIC, to the time of the memoir’s publication, although not chronologically. Seymour Peck declared in his review of the book: “In many, short, fast, intense chapters, Mr. Logan plunges ahead, as if he were pacing one of his smash hits or urging an Ethel Merman to sing louder. Much of it is gossipy and inconsequential; much of it is funny and bawdy; much of it is impassioned and illuminating. Mr. Logan’s emotions are usually at high pitch and catch the reader up. The pages whizz by.” Source: Excerpted from CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS ONLINE, Gale Group, © 2001 Gale Group. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the New York Public Library Alan Jay Lerner Agnes de Mille After the huge success of “My Fair Lady,” Lerner and Loewe were invited to write the script, music, and lyrics for a musical film, and while Lerner was enthusiastic about the idea, Loewe was somewhat reluctant. Eventually he agreed, and together they created the incomparable “Gigi” (1958), one of the final flourishes of the old-style Hollywood musical. The magnificent score included “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore,” “I Remember It Well,” “The Night They Invented Champagne,” and the charming title song. After being hospitalized with serious heart trouble, Loewe collaborated with Lerner on “Camelot,” which opened in 1960, and ran for over two years. Although the show’s preproduction was marred with problems, the result was another success, with such outstanding songs as “If Ever I Would Leave You” and “How to Handle a Woman.” Afterward, Loewe decided to retire, emerging briefly in the early ’70s to work with Lerner on two unsuccessful projects — a stage adaptation of “Gigi” and the film THE LITTLE PRINCE. Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. Photo credits: Photofest Reply Composer and lyricist, was born Francis Henry Loesser in New York City, the son of Henry Loesser, a pianist, and Julia Ehrlich. His father, who had been an accompanist for the soprano Lilli Lehmann, gave his children a strong musical upbringing. (Frank’s older brother, Arthur, became a pianist, critic, and educator.) But even as a child Frank was aggressively lowbrow: his first lyrics were set to the rhythms of the elevated trains, and he took pride in winning third prize in a citywide harmonica contest. Years later, the Loesser family would remark that Frank’s songs were “very nice, but of course they’re not music.” Bored with formal education (he flunked out of the City College of New York in 1925, his first year), Loesser tried newspaper work, cartooning, advertising, press agentry, and radio writing. His great pleasure, though, was writing verses for others’ music, a few of them performed in Lions Clubs and other inauspicious places. These were difficult years. Loesser occasionally sold songs, but his first show, the “Illustrators’ Revue” (1936), closed in four nights. For a time he resorted to such jobs as screwing the tops onto insecticide bottles. In 1935, Loesser performed in a club with a singer called Lynn Garland (born Mary Alice Blankenbaker). They were married on Oct. 19, 1936; they had two children. In 1936, Loesser signed a contract with Universal Films and left for Hollywood, a year later switching to Paramount. He remained in Hollywood until World War II, his reputation as a fine lyricist (at least for novelty numbers) rising very quickly. Among the dozens of songs for which Loesser provided the words in those years were “Two Sleepy People” and “Heart and Soul,” with Hoagy Carmichael; “Blue Nightfall,” “Dancing on a Dime,” and “The Lady’s in Love with You,” with Burton Lane; and such others as “Snug as a Bug in a Rug,” “Sand in My Shoes,” “Jingle, Jangle, Jingle,” and “The Boys in the Back Room.” Stubby Kaye in Loesser's matchless musical "Guys and Dolls." During World War II, Loesser served in the Army air force but continued to contribute timely lyrics (such as the winsome “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old”) for films and for isolated songs expressive of the new wartime sensibility. Seizing on the watchcry of Pearl Harbor, Loesser wrote “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,” which came to be to World War II what “Over There” had been to World War I. Shortly thereafter came the moving “Ballad of Rodger Young” and the characteristic Loesser “gripe” song “What Do You Do in the Infantry?” Not only was Loesser suiting his lyrics to the mood of the times, but he was now doing so to his own music, following Jerome Kern’s advice: “Your lyrics make the writing of melody a cinch.” After the war, Loesser returned to writing for films and for Tin Pan Alley, now exclusively his own collaborator. Among his songs from those years are “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”, “On a Slow Boat to China,” and, for the film NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTER, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which won him the 1949 Academy Award for best song. In RED, HOT, AND BLUE (1949) he made his only screen appearance. Despite these successes, Loesser wanted “to create situations” rather than songs: “Songwriting is a little thing and I settled for a big thing.” The “big thing” was the Broadway musical, and Loesser never again wrote single songs. His “Where’s Charley?” (1948), which ran over two years, surprised those who had doubted Loesser’s ability to craft an integrated musical score on his first try. But “Where’s Charley?” paled in comparison to his “Guys and Dolls” (1950), universally recognized as among the greatest of all Broadway musicals. Loesser found the eccentric idioms of the Damon Runyon characters (in Abe Burrows’ script) ideal for his colloquial lyrical style, but the great accomplishment was suiting each song to the character who performs it; the songs here are as important as the book in depicting character and propelling plot. After the war, Loesser returned to writing for films and for Tin Pan Alley. Loesser never doubted that he could amuse, but he felt that touching an audience required more dexterity. His next endeavors moved him in that direction. In 1952 came his only complete film score, composed for Samuel Goldwyn’s HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN; its romantic ballads and children’s songs have the ardor and Old World charm of the film. Then, returning to Broadway, he created his most ambitious work, “The Most Happy Fella” (1956). This musical, for which Loesser wrote the book (based on Sidney Howard’s play “They Knew What They Wanted”) and more than 40 musical numbers, is an unparalleled mixture of Puccinean aria, folk song, and Broadway show tune. “Mr. Loesser has now come about as close to opera as the rules of Broadway permit,” was Brooks Atkinson’s verdict in THE NEW YORK TIMES. “He has told everything of vital importance in terms of dramatic music.” In 1957, Loesser and his wife were divorced. On Apr. 30, 1959, he married Jo Sullivan (born Elizabeth Josephine Sullivan), who had played the female lead in “Most Happy Fella”; they had two children. Loesser was proud of having surpassed his status as “songwriter,” and he had considerable affection for his next musical, the gentle “Greenwillow” (1960), though its commercial failure distressed him sorely. In fact, he had but one more success, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (1961), which marked a return to the wisecracking idiom of “Guys and Dolls.” It was his first attempt at light satire. Though decidedly not in the lyrical vein that Loesser craved, the show suited his knack for parody and character song, and it suited the 1960s: it became the longest-running of any of Loesser’s shows and only the fourth musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. Frank Loesser Michael Kidd Robert Morse It was also his last work to reach Broadway: “Pleasures and Palaces” (1965) closed out of town, while “Señor Indiscretion,” barely completed at the time of Loesser’s death, has not yet had a professional production. Loesser devoted much of his last years to publishing and production, introducing several new talents to Broadway. He died in New York City. Unquestionably Frank Loesser achieved what every artist most covets: the esteem of his colleagues. Richard Rodgers called him “a man for all theater seasons,” while Bob Fosse regarded “Guys and Dolls” as simply “the greatest American musical of all time.” Nonprofessionals are likely to remember Loesser as the composer-lyricist of hundreds of enduring songs and five full scores, music with a trademark combination of tenderness, toughness, and fun. Paddy Chayefsky remarked that “he introduced reality and sanity into the musical comedy,” but he never forgot that he was foremost an entertainer. — John D. Shout Source: Excerpted from the DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, SUPPLEMENT 8: 1966-1970. American Council of Learned Societies, 1988. Reprinted by permission of the American Council of Learned Societies. Photo credits: Photofest Oscar Hammerstein II Florenz Ziegfeld Jerome David Kern was born in New York City. He studied piano with his mother and in high school was often asked to play piano and organ and compose music for school theatrical productions. In 1902, at the age of 17, he tried his hand at a business career working for his father, who owned a merchandizing house. But the young Kern’s enthusiasm for music led to his ordering 200 pianos from an Italian dealer instead of two — the number he was supposed to purchase. This action almost cost his father his business, and to Kern’s relief, it was agreed that he should pursue a career in music. Kern enrolled in the New York College of Music in 1902 and in 1903 went abroad to study music in Germany. He took up permanent residence in London, where he began writing songs for British musical hall productions. A year later, he returned to New York, taking jobs with music publishers — first the Lyceum Publishing Company and then Shapiro-Remick. At this time, British productions dominated Broadway. Kern was hired in 1904 to adapt one of these shows, “Mr. Wix of Wickham,” for the Broadway stage by “Americanizing” some of the numbers and by writing some additional songs of his own. A year later, Kern took a job at another music publisher, T. B. Harms & Co. — which eventually became the publisher of his own works –and continued writing musical interpolations for British shows. Ewen noted that “almost a hundred of his songs were heard this way, in approximately thirty musicals. … [This] apprenticeship prepared him for giant tasks and acievements that lay before him.” In 1915 Kern began writing musicals for the Princess Theatre in New York. The 1910s were a productive and noteworthy period for Kern. He married an English woman, Eva Leale, in 1910 and in 1914 had his first hit, “The Girl from Utah” — another adaptation of a British show. In 1915 Kern began writing musicals for the Princess Theatre in New York. These productions, “Nobody Home,” “Very Good Eddie,” “Oh Boy!,” and “Oh Lady! Lady!!,” were distinguished by a new approach to musical theater, developed by Kern in collaboration with librettist Guy Bolton, and, beginning in 1917, the talents of lyricist P. G. Wodehouse. The musical revue format, with unrelated numbers strung together, was replaced by a more coherent story, more sophisticated songs, and characters that were more believable and realistic. The transformation of the Broadway musical did not happen overnight, however, and Kern also wrote the music for more conventional shows, including “Leave It to Jane,” “Sally,” which included the popular “Look for the Silver Lining,” and “Sunny.” Kern wrote his most important work, “Show Boat,” in 1927 with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. The production, which included the songs “Ol’ Man River,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” and “Make Believe,” is notable for the richness of its music and its influence on other Broadway composers, who saw it as a model of writing for the musical stage. Today some believe it reflects racist attitudes; protesters tried to ban a 1993 revival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but the production went on to great success and re-opened on Broadway in 1994. The groundbreaking 1927 musical "Show Boat," created by Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. A close examination of “Show Boat” reveals that it is actually quite progressive for a show that was written in 1927. The plot, involving a woman who is prohibited from performing on the show boat because she is bi-racial and is married to a white man, is compelling, as is the song “Ol’ Man River,” which is the complete antithesis of the more upbeat tunes popular at a time when many whites did not wish to acknowledge their injustice to African Americans. “Show Boat” was made into a film musical three times — in 1929, 1936, and 1951. In 1954 it became part of the New York City Opera’s standard repertory — the first musical to be adopted by an opera company. The 1930s saw a string of Kern musicals: “The Cat and the Fiddle”; “Music in the Air”; “Roberta,” which was made into a film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in 1935 and which included the song “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”; the Astaire/Rogers film musical SWING TIME, featuring “A Fine Romance” and the Oscar-winning “The Way You Look Tonight”; and VERY WARM FOR MAY, which was a flop but from which the song “All the Things You Are” — perhaps Kern’s best song, if not the best popular song by any composer — survives. In the 1940s Kern moved to Hollywood and devoted the rest of his career to writing music for films. He contributed the songs “The Last Time I Saw Paris” to LADY, BE GOOD, “Dearly Beloved” to YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER, and “Long Ago and Far Away” to COVER GIRL. He died in New York in 1945; his last score was for the film CENTENNIAL SUMMER, which was released in 1946. Most of Kern’s manuscripts were assumed for decades to be lost. But in 1982 hundreds of manuscripts by Kern and other Broadway composers were found in a warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey. In an article in THE NEW YORK TIMES on March 10, 1987, the year that the manuscripts were inventoried after having been moved to Manhattan, Kern scholar John McGlinn was quoted as saying that the discovery was “like opening the tomb of King Tut. There are major works here that had been presumed lost forever; shows that were never revived and were assumed to have vanished off the face of the earth.” Included among the findings were the complete scores for “Very Good Eddie,” “Leave It to Jane,” and “Sunny,” and the original manuscripts of “Ol’ Man River,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” and music that was cut from “Show Boat” after the 1927 production. This “lost” music was added to a 1988 recording of “Show Boat,” restoring the musical to its original glory. Source: Excerpted from CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS, VOLUME 13, Gale Research, © 1994 Gale Research. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. photo credits: Photofest and the New York Public Library Reply An important composer for the American musical theater from the early ’60s, Kander studied music as a child, continued at college, and was determined to make his way in the musical theater. He had some successes in the early ’50s with various lyricists before meeting Fred Ebb (b. April 8, 1932, New York, USA) in 1962. Ebb had already dabbled with lyric writing, and had collaborated with Jerry Herman on some songs for the short-lived musical “A to Z” (1960). Among Kander and Ebb’s first efforts were “My Coloring Book” and “I Don’t Care Much,” both of which were recorded by Barbra Streisand. The new team made their Broadway debut in 1965 with the score for “Flora, the Red Menace,” which included an eye-catching, Tony Award-winning performance by Liza Minnelli, who would subsequently perform much of their work, and become indelibly associated with them. In 1991 they were inducted into the New York Theater Hall of Fame. Although “Flora” was relatively unsuccessful, Kander and Ebb were invited to write the score for “Cabaret” (1966), which starred Joel Grey and Jill Haworth, and won seven Tony Awards, including best score.They wrote two additional songs, “Money, Money” and “Mein Herr,” for the 1972 film version, in which Liza Minnelli gave a sensational performance and won an Oscar. The television special produced by Ebb for Minnelli, LIZA WITH A Z, also won an Emmy award, with a Grammy later going to the recorded highlights album. Ebb’s television work continued with the production of OL’ BLUE EYES IS BACK (1972) for Frank Sinatra. Fred Ebb and John Kander entertaining friends. Other Broadway shows followed, including “The Happy Time,” “Zorba,” “70,” “Girls,” and “Chicago,” which opened in 1975 and ran for 923 performances. In the same year, the duo wrote some songs for the film FUNNY LADY, which starred Barbra Streisand, and followed this with music for two Minnelli films, A MATTER OF TIME (1976) and NEW YORK, NEW YORK (1977). The theme from the latter became an enormous, enduring hit for Frank Sinatra in 1980. Back on Broadway, Kander and Ebb wrote scores for “The Act” (1977) with Minnelli, “Woman of the Year” (1981), which starred Lauren Bacall, and “The Rink” (1984), yet another Minnelli (and Chita Rivera) vehicle. In 1991 they were inducted into the New York Theater Hall of Fame, and a revue, “And the World Goes ‘Round,” which celebrated some 30 of their songs, opened Off Broadway and ran for nearly a year. Another musical anthology, “Sing Happy,” played on the London Fringe in the following year. In 1993 their spectacular musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” starring Chita Rivera, won several Tony Awards in New York following its transfer from the West End. John Kander and Fred Ebb Key Shows Peter Stone Gwen Verdon During the 1996-97 Broadway season, a superb concert version of the 20-year-old “Chicago” won six Tonys, while “Steel Pier,” a new Kander and Ebb musical about a dance marathon held in Atlantic City in 1933 at the height of the depression, failed to convert any of its 11 nominations, and closed after only two months. In 1996, the songwriters were among the recipients of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation’s 12th annual Mr. Abbott Awards. It was an appropriate gesture, because George Abbott directed Kander and Ebb’s first Broadway musical, “Flora, the Red Menace.” The two men were also recipients of Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.Apart from their work together, both Kander and Ebb have enjoyed successful independent careers. Kander has written music for film soundtracks, including KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1980), and Ebb has continued to produce and co-produce numerous television specials, including GYPSY IN MY SOUL (1976) and BARYSHNIKOV ON BROADWAY (1980). FURTHER READING: Ethel Merman David Merrick In 1966, Herman had another triumph with “Mame,” which is generally considered to be his best score. Once again, there was a marvelous title song, which was accompanied by other delights such as “If He Should Walk Into My Life,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” “Open a New Window,” “Bosom Buddies,” and “It’s Today.” Since then, his infrequent, but classy scores have included “Dear World” (“And I Was Beautiful,” “The Spring of Next Year,” 1969), “Mack & Mabel” (“I Won’t Send Roses,” “When Mabel Comes in the Room,” “Movies Were Movies,” 1974), “The Grand Tour” (1979), and “La Cage aux Folles” (“Song on the Sand [La Da Da Da],” “With You on My Arm,” “I Am What I Am”). The latter show opened in 1983, and ran for 1,176 performances in New York. Herman won a Grammy for the “Mame” cast album, and Tony Awards for his work on “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles.” There was some controversy when Herman’s “old fashioned” music and lyrics for the latter show triumphed over Stephen Sondheim’s typically contemporary score for “Sunday in the Park with George.” Herman has been inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The latter organization honored him with their Johnny Mercer Award in 1987, and in 1996, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Press Club. Herman occasionally presents an evening devoted to his own songs, and many shows have been staged in tribute to him over the years, including “Jerry’s Girls,” which played on Broadway in 1986. Jerry Herman and Carol Channing. In 1993, Herman left New York to live in Bel Air on the West Coast, but denied rumors of retirement, explaining that his 10-year absence had been due to lack of inspiration: “Nothing has come along that is fresh and interesting.” Revivals of his earlier works, with which he is usually closely involved, are constantly circulating. In the early ’90s, these included U.S. regional productions of “La Cage aux Folles” and “Mame,” as well as a 30th anniversary international tour of “Hello, Dolly!”, complete with its original leading lady, Carol Channing, which reached Broadway in October 1995. He enjoyed his first real success with his score for the Broadway musical “Milk and Honey,” Two months later, Herman’s personal favorite of all his own shows, “Mack & Mabel,” made its West End debut. Herman’s “dry” spell finally came to an end in December 1996, when the two-hour musical, MRS. SANTA CLAUS, was transmitted on CBS television. The composer’s first creative contribution to the medium, it starred the original Auntie Mame, Angela Lansbury. Among the highlights of Herman’s score were “Almost Young,” “We Don’t Go Together,” “He Needs Me,” “Avenue A,” and “Whistle.” There was no mention of his recent triple bypass and other health problems when in 1998 Herman was joined by old friends Lee Roy Reams and Florence Lacey on stage at the Booth Theater in New York, playing and singing a mixture of his familiar and not so well-known songs, in “An Evening With Jerry Herman.” Also in 1998, another celebratory revue, “The Best of Times,” was presented at the Bridewell and Vaudeville theaters in London. Although a generation removed from the past masters of the American musical theater — whom he admires so much — Herman’s style adheres closely to the earlier formulae and he brings to his best work a richness sadly lacking in that of many of his contemporaries. Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. photo credits: Photofest Richard Rodgers Kurt Weill Thereafter, as far as the musical theater was concerned, apart from the occasional revue, Hart concentrated mostly on directing, and sometimes producing, shows such as Irving Berlin’s “Miss Liberty,” and Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s smash hits “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot.” He won a Tony Award for his work on “My Fair Lady.” His considerable output for the straight theater included “Light up the Sky,” “The Climate of Eden,” “Winged Victory,” and (with Kaufman) “Once in a Lifetime,” “You Can’t Take It With You” (for which they both won the Pulitzer Prize), and “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” In 1941 he wrote one of his wittiest and most inventive books for “Lady in Dark.” Hart also wrote the screenplays for two film musicals, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (1952) and the 1954 remake of A STAR IS BORN, starring Judy Garland. His absorbing autobiography, ACT ONE, was filmed in 1963 with George Hamilton as Hart and Jason Robards as Kaufman. FURTHER READING: ACT ONE, Moss Hart. Source: Biographical information provided by MUZE. Excerpted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR MUSIC, edited by Colin Larkin. © 2004 MUZE UK Ltd. Photo credits: Photofest Jule Styne Shubert Brothers Their lifetime collaboration began in 1918, when Hart was working for the Shuberts translating German plays and Rodgers was writing varsity shows at Columbia. The two contributed to the Broadway musical “Poor Little Ritz Girl” (1920), and by 1925 they had their own success on Broadway, “The Garrick Gaieties,” an intimate revue sponsored by the Theater Guild in revolt against huge, flossy “girlie” productions. Rodgers and Hart believed that monotony was killing the musical, that songwriters must integrate libretto, lyrics, and music. “Sentimental Me” (“Garrick Gaieties”), a parody of mawkish popular songs, appealed to the hard core of their market — people who were either genuinely urban upper-middle class, or who embraced the sophisticated, innovative New York music and THE NEW YORKER magazine in order to avoid being like the “little old lady from Dubuque.” The praise of Manhattan’s “smart set” — Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott — enhanced the popularity of Rodgers and Hart’s “Peggy-Ann” (1926), a surrealistic Freudian study of an ambitious young career girl. He found his destiny as lyricist to his more stable friend Richard Rodgers. With personal growth, with changing times, Hart’s range broadened and deepened. In the 1920s he was insouciant: “The Girl Friend” (“The Girl Friend,” 1926), “Manhattan” (“Garrick Gaieties”), “Thou Swell” (“A Connecticut Yankee,” 1927), “You Took Advantage of Me” (“Present Arms,” 1928). In the 1930s, while he developed his satirical vein (“I’d Rather Be Right,” 1937, was a take-off on politics), he was more sober, even somber, with an almost despairing melancholy. In “Little Girl Blue” (“Jumbo,” 1935) a woman — ironically, girl no longer — sings, “Sit there and count your fingers, … Old girl, you’re through”; in “Spring Is Here … I Hear” (“I Married an Angel,” 1938), the caustic wordplay again evokes a depression-ridden urban world of unmarried adults in lonely, loveless rooms. Not all was harsh: an etherealized tenderness, an almost desperate romanticism typical of the 1930s suffused “Have You Met Miss Jones?” and the title song from “I’d Rather Be Right,” “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and “My Romance” (both from “Jumbo”), “Where or When” (“Babes in Arms,” 1937), the title song from “I Married an Angel,” and “Falling in Love with Love” (“The Boys from Syracuse,” 1938). “Syracuse,” based on “A Comedy of Errors,” was the pioneer adaptation of Shakespeare for musical comedy. If these songs were delicately oblique enough to suit a post-Victorian generation still afraid to pursue hedonism too far or at least too openly, sentimentality still did not eliminate realism: Hart fused the two in a poignant tribute to a homely lover, “My Funny Valentine” (“Babes in Arms”). Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart began their successful collaboration in 1918. By 1940 Hart and Rodgers had decided that more of the naturalism of contemporary literature and drama must come to musical comedy. In collaborating with John O’Hara on an adaptation of his novel PAL JOEY, they were somewhat in advance of a public reluctant to accept the possibility that nice-looking, lithe young white song-and-dance men could fornicate with and leech upon women. Joey did both. Most of the numbers were harshly witty. An older woman, despoiled by Joey, sings to the ingenue, “Take him, but don’t ever let him take you.” Received with mixed response, “Joey” was revived for enthusiastic audiences a decade later. Similar sarcasm pervaded “By Jupiter” (1942). When wartime came, Hart was out of step with a patriotic public absorbed with traditional American values. The folksy “Oklahoma!” — that hearty slice of rural Americana conceived by Rodgers — held no interest for Hart, now immersed in cheap midtown Manhattan bars, and Rodgers turned for lyrics to Oscar Hammerstein II. Hart returned to collaboration with Rodgers on a 1943 revival of “A Connecticut Yankee.” On opening night, acting strangely, he slipped away and vanished for two days. Found ill in a hotel room, he was rushed to a New York City hospital, where he died three days later of pneumonia. He was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery, Maspeth, Queens. His brother Teddy, a musical comedy star, was his sole survivor. A student of literature and an inveterate playgoer from childhood, Lorenz Hart contributed to musical comedies sharp, tasteful lyrics finely coordinated with rhythm and melody and with the plot, mood, and action of the play. Although lyrical fashions moved away from his pungent colloquialism with the banalities of the 1950s and the “hip” polemics of the 1960s, Hart brought into the mainstream of songwriting a conversational directness like Ernest Hemingway’s which eliminated strained poetic diction and bathos. If much of his work seemed precious to a more earnest later generation, not so the biting criticism of urban life implied in “The Lady Is a Tramp” (“Babes in Arms”). — Hughson Mooney Source: Excerpted from the DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, SUPPLEMENT 3: 1941-1945. American Council of Learned Societies, 1973. Reprinted by permission of the American Council of Learned Societies. Photo credits: Photofest and the Library of Congress Shubert Brothers Florenz Ziegfeld Ira Gershwin was Harburg’s classmate at Townsend Harris Hall, the prep school for City College. “There we wrote a humorous column for the high school paper entitled ‘Much Ado,’ ” related Harburg, “and we collaborated on one Broadway show in 1934, ‘Life Begins at 8:40,’ for Bert Lahr. Ira and I have been close friends ever since school. I still visit him when I’m out on the coast.” Harburg noted that he was influenced by his teachers at City College and by authors George Bernard Shaw, Sir William Schwenk Gilbert, Jonathan Swift, Sean O’Casey, Oscar Wilde, and Mark Twain, all of whom were noted satirists. When asked about his techniques for composing lyrics, Harburg told CA [CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS]: “Anything goes, as long as it generates a song. Most ballad tunes are written first, and the lyrics fitted to the music. Sometimes the composer is given a title or possibly a line or two to work with. Most comedy songs start with several lines or possibly a whole verse. There are no formulas. Everything is geared to the particular psyches of composer and lyricist.” He was teamed with composer Harold Arlen for the 1939 MGM classic THE WIZARD OF OZ. Harburg believed that musicals “have become a lost art for the newer generation that is undisciplined, without roots in poetry or literature.” He called “The Wiz,” a modern version of THE WIZARD OF OZ, “a theatrical disgrace in keeping with the ugliness of today’s culture.” In Harburg’s view, popular songs today “are not joyous. They’re grim.” He told Aljean Harmetz that songs are not written with “the craftsmanship, and the fine skill of the composers of the ’20s and ’30s. … Today even when there is no melody, the sound engineer can give you enough vibrations to make a song a hit.” Harburg's song "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" was featured in the musical "Americana." Of his own songs, Harburg reflected, “It is hard to say which is my favorite, but I would rate ‘Last Night When We Were Young’ as a possible choice.” Though the movie THE WIZARD OF OZ has appeared on television each spring for many years, Harburg said he did not watch it every year, “but I [did] like to catch it every so often.”   Harburg, who appeared on the CBS television show 60 MINUTES on March 5, 1978, was co-author of the librettos for “Jamaica” and “The Happiest Girl in the World.” He also wrote two books of poetry entitled RHYMES FOR THE IRREVERENT and AT THIS POINT IN RHYME: E. Y. HARBURG’S POEMS. Source: Excerpted from CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS ONLINE, Gale Group, © 2001 Gale Group. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the New York Public Library Richard Rodgers Stephen Sondheim After Oscar’s first year of law school, he convinced his uncle, Arthur, to hire him as an assistant stage manager on one of his upcoming shows. By 1919 he was promoted to production stage manager for all of Arthur’s shows. In his position as production stage manager Oscar was able to do some writing and re-writing on scripts in development. Eventually he was writing musical comedies of his own. His first success as a librettist came in 1922 with “Wildflower,” written with Otto Harbach. A more major success in 1924, “Rose-Marie,” written with Harbach, Rudolph Friml, and Herbert P. Stohart, led to his collaboration with composer Jerome Kern. Kern and Hammerstein had both been concerned with the “integrated musical,” a musical in which the book, lyrics, and score all grow from a central idea and all contribute to the story line. They adapted Edna Ferber’s sprawling novel about life on a Mississippi River boat into the landmark 1925 musical “Show Boat,” with Kern composing the score and Hammerstein writing the book and lyrics. “Show Boat” firmly established Oscar’s success and reputation as a writer and lyricist. In 1929 Oscar divorced his wife of 12 years, Myra Finn, and married Dorothy Blanchard Jacobson. The next decade turned out to be a happy one for Oscar personally, but unhappy professionally. He spent much of his time in Hollywood, working on contract to various studios. He discovered that he did not work well under the rigorous time demands of the movie industry, having achieved his greatest success with “Show Boat”‘s one year writing period. In 1942 he returned to New York with Dorothy and began leisurely work on an adaptation of Bizet’s “Carmen.” Oscar adapted the lyrics and story to create the Americanized, all-black “Carmen Jones.” The opera received great acclaim. “Show Boat” firmly established Oscar’s success and reputation as a writer and lyricist. When he had finished the libretto for “Carmen Jones,” Oscar was contacted by an old Columbia acquaintance, Richard Rodgers, whose partnership with Lorenz Hart had recently dissolved. Rodgers had read Lynn Riggs’ “Green Grow the Lilacs” and wanted to collaborate with Hammerstein on a musical adaptation for the Theatre Guild. Hammerstein had also read the play, and the two began work on the musical, tentatively titled “Away We Go!” Rodgers and Hammerstein worked toward the concept of the integrated musical, with Hammerstein writing most of the lyrics before Rodgers wrote the score, the reverse of the normal process. Robert Mamoulian was signed on as director, Agnes de Mille as choreographer, and Terry Helburn as producer for the Theatre Guild. When the musical, retitled “Oklahoma!,” opened on Broadway on March 31, 1943, it was an enormous success, both critically and popularly. “Oklahoma!” ran for 2,212 performances in its initial Broadway engagement, and in 1944 it received a special Pulitzer Prize. The team of Rodgers and Hammerstein was a success. They produced their own work and promising works by other artists and at one time had five of the highest grossing shows running at the same time on Broadway. They followed up their success with collaborations on “Carousel” (1945), “Allegro” (1947), “South Pacific” (1949), “The King and I” (1951), “Me and Juliet” (1953), “Pipe Dream” (1955), “Flower Drum Song” (1958), and “The Sound of Music” (1959), for which Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse wrote the book, Rodgers composed the score, and Hammerstein wrote the lyrics. “South Pacific” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1950. “South Pacific”, “The King and I,” and “The Sound of Music” all won Tony awards for best musical. Most of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals have been adapted for the screen, with the greatest success going to OKLAHOMA! and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Hammerstein’s talents as a lyricist and librettist are undeniable. Countless productions of Hammerstein musicals on Broadway, on tour, and in professional, amateur, and academic theaters around the world testify to the remarkable quality of his work. Hammerstein’s influence on the next generation of lyricists and librettists was also direct and observable. Most notable was his influence on Stephen Sondheim, lyricist for such shows as “West Side Story,” “Sweeney Todd,” and “Sunday in the Park with George.” Sondheim was a close friend of the Hammerstein family from childhood and attributed his success in theater directly to Hammerstein’s influence and guidance. Oscar Clendenning Hammerstein II died in his home in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1960, a victim of stomach cancer. He left behind three children, William and Alice by Myra Finn and James by Dorothy Blanchard Jacobson. On September 1, 1960, at 9 p.m., the lights were extinguished on Broadway in memory of Oscar Hammerstein II, the “man who owned Broadway.” Source: Excerpted from ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD BIOGRAPHY, 2ND ED. 17 VOLS., Gale Research, © 1998 Gale Research. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization Jule Styne Robin Wagner By 1971, Hamlisch had earned his first Oscar nod for Best Original Song. He and Johnny Mercer collaborated on “Life Is What You Make It” for the soundtrack of KOTCH. While they won a Golden Globe Award, the pair lost the Academy Award to Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from ‘Shaft’.” Within two years, however, Hamlisch made history by becoming the first individual to win three music Oscars in the same year for his work on adaptation of Scott Joplin rags for THE STING and his lush romantic score and title song (with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman) for THE WAY WE WERE (both 1973). Though capable in a number of idioms, Hamlisch is particularly adept at incorporating a pop sensibility into his compositions. Over the next two decades, he racked up an additional eight Academy Award nominations, mostly for the original songs for such films as THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977), ICE CASTLES, and SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR (both 1978), SHIRLEY VALENTINE, (1989) and THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES (1996). The latter was co-written with rocker Bryan Adams, Adams’ frequent collaborator Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange, and Barbra Streisand. Over the same period, Hamlisch has contributed haunting, effective scores to such features as ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980), SOPHIE’S CHOICE (1982), and FRANKIE & JOHNNY (1991). Hamlisch turned his attention to the Broadway stage in the early ’70s. Hamlisch turned his attention to the Broadway stage in the early ’70s, creating the music for the landmark Broadway show “A Chorus Line” (1975). While initial critical reaction overlooked the score in favor of the dazzling production and Michael Bennett’s outstanding direction and choreography, audiences responded to the music. (The ballad “What I Did for Love” has become a modern standard.) He shared a Tony Award for Best Score (with lyricist Edward Kleban) and the Pulitzer Prize in Drama (with Kleban and book writers James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante). “A Chorus Line” held the record as the longest-running musical in Broadway history until June 1997 when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” surpassed it. Marvin Hamlisch sitting with group that includes Michael Bennett, the director/choreographer of A Chorus Line. Hamlisch’s other stage outings have met with mixed receptions. “They’re Playing Our Song” (1978) was loosely based on his romantic relationship with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager. With a book by Neil Simon, a driving, popular score by Hamlisch and Sager, and star turns by Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz, the show was a success. Not so his follow-ups. “Jean” (1983) was an ill-fated attempt to musicalize the life of actress Jean Seberg that failed in London and has never been produced in the USA. “Smile” (1986), based on Michael Ritchie’s underrated 1975 feature, teamed him with Howard Ashman, but the results were mixed. The musical failed to sustain an appropriate tone, although Hamlisch wrote some lovely songs and one, “Disneyland,” has become an audition staple. A 1993 reteaming with Neil Simon for a musicalization of “The Goodbye Girl” also fared badly with critics and audiences. Hamlisch has found a secondary career as a guest conductor at American symphonies. In 1994, he served as the musical director for Barbra Streisand’s long awaited return to live performing. For the filmed version of the concert, which aired on both HBO and CBS, Hamlisch earned two Emmy Awards. Other TV credits include the scores for such series as BEACON HILL (CBS, 1975) and the lovely nostalgic theme to BROOKLYN BRIDGE (CBS, 1991-93) and such TV-movies as THE ENTERTAINER (NBC, 1976), THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLLES (NBC, 1987), and DAVID (ABC, 1988). Source: Excerpted from Baseline. BaselineStudioSystems — A Hollywood Media Corp. Company. Photo credits: Photofest and Martha Swope Reply A consummate lyricist, whose career spanned some 40 years, like his younger brother George Gershwin, Ira was an indifferent student, but became fascinated by popular music, and particularly the lyrics of songs. He began writing seriously in 1917, sometimes using the pseudonym “Arthur Francis,” and had a number of minor successes, including the score for the stage show, “Two Little Girls in Blue” (music by Vincent Youmans). In the ’20s and ’30s he was closely associated with his brother, collaborating on numerous Broadway shows such as “Primrose” (with Desmond Carter), “Tell Me More!” (with Buddy DeSylva), “Tip-Toes,” “Lady, Be Good!”, “Oh, Kay!”, “Funny Face,” “Rosalie,” “Treasure Girl,” “Show Girl” (with Gus Khan), “Strike up the Band,” “Girl Crazy,” “Pardon My English,” “Let ‘Em Eat Cake,” and “Porgy and Bess.” From those productions came some of the perennial standards of American popular song. Despite the brothers’ prolific output, which resulted in hits such as “That Certain Feeling,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Do-Do-Do,” “‘S Wonderful,” “How Long Has This Been Going On?”, “I’ve Got a Crush On You,” “I Got Rhythm,” “But Not for Me,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “Embraceable You,” and so many more, Ira Gershwin found time to write lyrics for other composers. Among these collaborations were “Cheerful Little Earful” (from the stage show “Sweet and Low,” with Billy Rose and Harry Warren), “Let’s Take a Walk Around the Block,” “You’re a Builder-Upper,” “Fun to Be Fooled,” and “What Can You Say in a Love Song?” (from the revue “Life Begins at 8:40,” with Harold Arlen and E. Y. “Yip” Harburg), and “I Can’t Get Started,” “He Hasn’t a Thing Except Me,” and “Island in the West Indies” (from the revue “Ziegfeld Follies of 1936,” with Vernon Duke). In 1931, the brothers collaborated on the score for the Broadway show, “Of Thee I Sing,” which became the first musical to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Ira and George Gershwin with Guy Bolton. Just before George died in 1937 from a brain tumor, he worked with Ira on the movies A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS (“A Foggy Day,” “Nice Work if You Can Get It”), SHALL WE DANCE (“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” “They All Laughed,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”), and THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES (“Love Is Here to Stay,” “Love Walked In”). Ira finished the score for the latter film with Vernon Duke, and in the years immediately following his brother’s early death, wrote very little. When he eventually resumed work, he teamed with Kurt Weill on the Broadway musicals “Lady in the Dark” (1941), which starred Gertrude Lawrence, with Danny Kaye (“My Ship,” “Jenny,” “This Is New,” “Tchaikovsky”), and “The Firebrand of Florence” (1945), and worked on other stage shows with Aaron Copland (“North Star,” 1945) and Arthur Schwartz (“Park Avenue,” 1946). He also wrote the lyrics for several films, among them the outstanding scores for COVER GIRL, with Gene Kelly (“Long Ago and Far Away,” “Make Way for Tomorrow,” “The Show Must Go On,” “Put Me to the Test,” with Jerome Kern), A STAR IS BORN with Judy Garland (the unforgettable “The Man That Got Away,” “Gotta Have Me Go with You,” “It’s a New World,” with Harold Arlen), and THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (“My One and Only Highland Fling,” “Shoes with Wings On,” “You’d Be Hard to Replace,” with Harry Warren). Ira was an indifferent student, but became fascinated by popular music. Ira Gershwin Ethel Merman Kurt Weill Several of George and Ira Gershwin’s stage shows were adapted for the screen, and a collection of their old numbers formed the score for the multiple Oscar-winning AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951). In 1959, Ira published a delightful collection of his wonderfully witty and colloquial lyrics, entitled LYRICS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. He retired in the following year, occasionally working on lyrics of past successes when they needed refining or updating for revivals of the most popular Gershwin shows. Ten years after his death in 1983, some of his most popular lyrics were still being relished in the New York and London productions of “Crazy for You,” a rehash of the Gershwins’ 1930 hit, “Girl Crazy.” There was a full house in December 1996 when a gala concert was held at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the centennial of Ira’s birth. Stars such as leading Gershwin authority Michael Feinstein, Debbie Gravitte, Vic Damone, Rosemary Clooney, and Maureen McGovern were there, as was Burton Lane, Ira’s only living collaborator. Lorna Luft led an all-star cast in the British tribute, “Who Could Ask for Anything More!”, at London’s Royal Albert Hall. FURTHER READING: Reply American composer George Gershwin (1898-1937) was eminently successful in popular music, as well as in the classical field with several concert works and an opera that have become standards in the contemporary repertory. George Gershwin played a prominent role in one of the most colorful eras of American popular music: the so-called age of Tin Pan Alley — roughly 1890-1930 — when popular music became big business. In Tin Pan Alley (28th Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue in New York City) numerous music publishing houses poured forth popular songs each year. The musical theater and the private parlor rang with the sounds of ragtime, romantic ballads, and comedy songs. Talented composers such as Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Jerome Kern, among dozens of lesser figures, fed this lucrative music-making machine and flourished. George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn in New York City on Sept. 26, 1898, the son of Rose and Morris Gershovitz, immigrants from Russia. After settling in New York’s Lower East Side, his father changed the family name to Gershvin; when George entered the professional world of music, he altered the name to Gershwin. George Gerswhin at the piano on the set of the Astaire-Rodgers film SHALL WE DANCE. When George was 12, the moderately well-off family purchased a piano; he soon showed a marked inclination for improvising melodies and was given piano lessons. Later he studied the theory of music and harmony. Though Gershwin was not interested in formal education and never finished high school, he continued to study music. Even after his success in musical comedy, he studied with composer Henry Cowell and with music theorist Joseph Schillinger. Music Business When Gershwin was 15, he went to work for a large publisher of popular music as a try-out pianist (or “song plugger”). He began writing his own songs about this time (mostly with lyricist Irving Caesar), none of which his employer was interested in publishing. Finally, in 1916, his first song appeared: “When You Want ‘Em You Can’t Get ‘Em.” Gershwin also began to get a few songs set into current musical shows, a common practice of the day. By 1918 he had shown enough promise to be hired by Harms, Inc., as a songwriter at a weekly salary. Gershwin scored his first big success in 1919 with the song “Swanee” (words by Irving Caesar), introduced by Al Jolson in “Sinbad.” In the same year he composed his first complete score, for the successful musical “La, La, Lucille.” George Gershwin George White Musicals of the 1920s During the 1920s Gershwin established himself as one of the musical theater’s most talented and successful composers. He wrote five scores for successive editions of “George White’s Scandals” (1920-1924) and began a series of shows with his brother, Ira, as lyricist, which included “Lady, Be Good!” (1924), “Primrose” (1924), “Tell Me More” (1925), “Tip-Toes” (1925), “Oh, Kay!” (1926), “Funny Face” (1927), “Rosalie” (1928), “Treasure Girl” (1928), “Show Girl” (1929), and “Strike Up the Band” (1929). Gershwin scored his first big success in 1919 with the song “Swanee.” Concert Works In 1924 the prominent bandleader Paul Whiteman asked Gershwin to write an original “jazz” work for a concert. The result, “Rhapsody in Blue” for piano and jazz band, was Gershwin’s debut in the concert hall as pianist and composer, his first attempt at writing an extended piece, and the first time jazz rhythms and blues-oriented melodies were used successfully within a classical framework. Reviewing the premiere, Olin Downes wrote that the “composition shows extraordinary talent, just as it also shows a young composer with aims that go far beyond those of his ilk. …” These aims were demonstrated again in the “Piano Concerto in F” (1925), commissioned by Walter Damrosch for his New York Symphony; “Three Preludes for Piano” (1926); and “An American in Paris” (1928), premiered by Damrosch and the New York Philharmonic. After “Rhapsody in Blue,” Gershwin himself scored all his orchestral works. In the 1930s Gershwin composed four more musicals with Ira: “Girl Crazy” (1930); “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” (1933); and “Pardon My English” (1933). He also wrote film scores, including DAMSEL IN DISTRESS and SHALL WE DANCE. He spent two years on his last major work, the opera “Porgy and Bess” (1935), based on a novel by DuBose Heyward about a ghetto in Charleston, S.C. The composer died of a brain tumor in Beverly Hills, Calif., on July 11, 1937. To commemorate the 100th year of his birth, the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Gershwin with a posthumous citation on April 14, 1998. Gershwin’s best songs have proved to be some of the most durable of his era, and his classical works give his career a dimension shared by none of his Tin Pan Alley companions. His fondness for African-American music is responsible in part for the rhythmic vitality and blues-tinged lyricism of all his works. His best scores, especially those utilizing Ira Gershwin’s trenchant and sympathetic verses, are as fresh, vigorous, and unconventional as any written for the American musical theater. Moreover, Gershwin’s music has a peculiar American stamp recognized the world over. Source: Excerpted from ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD BIOGRAPHY, 2ND ED. 17 VOLS., Gale Research, © 1998 Gale Research. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the Library of Congress Richard Rodgers Gwen Verdon In 1926 Fields met the popular song composer J. Fred Coots, who suggested that they write some songs together. Although nothing memorable came out of this brief association, Coots introduced Fields to another composer and song-plugger, Jimmy McHugh. Through McHugh she got a job as a lyricist at Mills Music, Inc., where one of her first assignments was to write the lyric for a tune commemorating aviator Ruth Elder’s attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Fields later referred to herself as “Mills Music’s fifty-dollars-a-night girl,” because she was paid 50 dollars for each lyric she composed. In 1927 Fields received sole billing as lyricist for a revue at Harlem’s Cotton Club that featured Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. The following year she and McHugh wrote the song “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” which was dropped from the revue “Revels of 1928,” but found a home alongside another soon-to-be-popular Fields-McHugh number, “Diga Diga Doo,” in the all-black hit, Lew Leslie’s “Blackbirds of 1928.” After this initial success, the Fields-McHugh team collaborated on “International Revue” (1930), a flop despite two enduring songs, “Exactly Like You” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” The family of jazz pianist Thomas (“Fats”) Waller maintained that Waller, not McHugh, actually composed the melodies to “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” and others, and sold them to McHugh for a nominal fee. In any case, however, it is undisputed that Fields is the lyricist. From 1930 to 1939 Fields worked in Hollywood, first with McHugh, with whom she wrote songs such as “I’m in the Mood for Love” and “Dinner at Eight” for the movie musicals LOVE IN THE ROUGH (1930) and EVERY NIGHT AT EIGHT (1935), and then with Jerome Kern. Kern and Fields first worked together on ROBERTA in 1935, and subsequent collaborations included I DREAM TOO MUCH (1935), SWING TIME (1936), and JOY OF LIVING (1938). In 1936, Kern and Fields won the Academy Award for Best Song for “The Way You Look Tonight,” from SWING TIME. Other Kern-Fields songs from this period that have gone on to become standards include “Lovely to Look At” and “A Fine Romance.” Jerome Kerns and Fields collaborated on songs for movie musicals during the 1930s. On July 15, 1939, Fields married David Eli Lahm, a clothing manufacturer. They had two children before his death in 1958. The same year, she returned to New York to work with composer Arthur Schwartz on the musical “Stars in Your Eyes.” She then collaborated with her brother Herbert, with whom she had already worked on screenplays and the short-lived musical “Hello Daddy” (1928), and on the books for three Cole Porter hits: “Let’s Face It” (1941), “Something for the Boys” (1943), and “Mexican Hayride” (1944). In 1945 Dorothy and Herbert Fields wrote the book for Sigmund Romberg’s “Up in Central Park.” Her lyrics for the show included “Close as Pages in a Book.” In 1946, Fields approached Oscar Hammerstein with her idea for a musical based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Hammerstein agreed to produce the show, and Kern and Fields were contracted to write the songs. When Kern died before they were able to begin work on the project, Irving Berlin was hired to replace him. Berlin wrote both music and lyrics for “Annie Get Your Gun,” but Dorothy and Herbert Fields contributed an excellent book. The finished product, starring Ethel Merman as Annie, ran 1,147 performances. It remains one of the most popular shows in the repertoire. In 1927 Fields received sole billing as lyricist for a revue at Harlem’s Cotton Club. Fields’ work habits were highly disciplined. Typically, she would spend eight weeks researching, discussing, and making notes on a project, before settling into an 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. daily work routine. She worked at a bridge table in her apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and preferred to write with pencil on a yellow legal pad. She kept notebooks in which she copied passages from Dryden, Shaw, and Thoreau; unusual synonyms for commonly used words; humorous proverbs; rhyming phrases; odd-sounding words; and anything else that might come in handy in writing a lyric. Tall, slender, and well dressed, with chestnut hair and hazel eyes, she spoke well and was active in charitable causes throughout her life. Fields collaborated with her brother and composer Morton Gould on the lackluster “Arms and the Girl” in 1950. The following year, she wrote several fine lyrics to Arthur Schwartz’s melodies for “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” She scored two films with composer Harold Arlen, MR. IMPERIUM (1951) and THE FARMER TAKES A WIFE (1953), then returned to Broadway to work with Schwartz again on “By the Beautiful Sea” (1954). Herbert Fields died in 1959, while “Redhead,” the show they were working on with composer Albert Hague, was having its out-of-town tryout. Although not a great show, “Redhead” captured the Tony Award for Best Musical in a lean year for Broadway theater. Her penultimate musical, “Sweet Charity,” written with composer Cy Coleman and librettist Neil Simon, was the biggest hit of the 1965-1966 season. Songs such as “Big Spender” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now” proved that Fields, despite her advancing age, had not lost her knack for up-to-the-minute slang and phraseology. In 1971, Fields became the first woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her last show, “Two for the Seesaw” (1973), also written with Coleman, was not a popular success, but her lyrics were praised for their evocation of modern life in New York. She died at home in New York City. During her 48-year career Fields cowrote more than 400 songs and worked on 15 musicals and at least 26 movies. Her lyrics were noted for their strong characterization, clarity of language, and middlebrow humor. An amateur pianist and lifelong lover of classical music, she was highly conscious of the melodic line, and tailored her lyrics to float freely over it. Fields’ professional longevity, rare for a songwriter in the popular field, may be attributed to her undimming imagination and her willingness to adapt to changing trends in the musical theater. — Gregory Robinson Source: Excerpted from DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY, SUPPLEMENT 9: 1971-1975, Charles Scribner’s Sons, © 1994 Charles Scribner’s Sons. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Photo credits: Photofest and the Library of Congress

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The Balfour Declaration, 1917 (History and Full Text) By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated November 02, 2015. The Balfour Declaration was a November 2, 1917 letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Lord Rothschild that made public the British support of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Balfour Declaration led the League of Nations to entrust the United Kingdom with the Palestine Mandate in 1922. A Little Background The Balfour Declaration was a product of years of careful negotiation. After centuries of living in a diaspora, the 1894 Dreyfus Affair in France shocked Jews into realizing they would not be safe from arbitrary antisemitism unless they had their own country. In response, Jews created the new concept of political Zionism in which it was believed that through active political maneuvering, a Jewish homeland could be created. Zionism was becoming a popular concept by the time World War I began. World War I and Chaim Weizmann During World War I, Great Britain needed help. Since Germany (Britain's enemy during WWI) had cornered the production of acetone -- an important ingredient for arms production -- Great Britain may have lost the war if Chaim Weizmann had not invented a fermentation process that allowed the British to manufacture their own liquid acetone. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance It was this fermentation process that brought Weizmann to the attention of David Lloyd George (minister of ammunitions) and Arthur James Balfour (previously the British prime minister but at this time the first lord of the admiralty). Chaim Weizmann was not just a scientist; he was also the leader of the Zionist movement. Diplomacy Weizmann's contact with Lloyd George and Balfour continued, even after Lloyd George became prime minister and Balfour was transferred to the Foreign Office in 1916. Additional Zionist leaders such as Nahum Sokolow also pressured Great Britain to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Alhough Balfour, himself, was in favor of a Jewish state, Great Britain particularly favored the declaration as an act of policy. Britain wanted the United States to join World War I and the British hoped that by supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine, world Jewry would be able to sway the U.S. to join the war. Announcing the Balfour Declaration Though the Balfour Declaration went through several drafts, the final version was issued on November 2, 1917, in a letter from Balfour to Lord Rothschild, president of the British Zionist Federation. The main body of the letter quoted the decision of the October 31, 1917 British Cabinet meeting. This declaration was accepted by the League of Nations on July 24, 1922 and embodied in the mandate that gave Great Britain temporary administrative control of Palestine. The White Paper In 1939, Great Britain reneged on the Balfour Declaration by issuing the White Paper, which stated that creating a Jewish state was no longer a British policy. It was also Great Britain's change in policy toward Palestine, especially the White Paper, that prevented millions of European Jews to escape from Nazi-occupied Europe to Palestine before and during the Holocaust . The Balfour Declaration (it its entirety) Foreign Office November 2nd, 1917 Dear Lord Rothschild, I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet. His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country. I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely,

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Arthur Balfour Arthur Balfour ▼ Primary Sources ▼ Arthur Balfour Arthur Balfour was born on the family's Scottish estate in East Lothian in 1848. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge , he entered the House of Commons in 1874 as the Conservative MP for Hertford. In 1878 Balfour became private secretary to his uncle, the Marquess of Salisbury , who was Foreign Secretary in the Conservative government headed by Benjamin Disraeli . In the 1885 General Election Balfour was elected to represent the East Manchester constituency. The Marquess of Salisbury , who was now Prime Minister, appointed him as his Secretary for Scotland. Other posts during the next few years included Chief Secretary of Ireland (1887), First Lord of the Treasury (1892) and leader of the House of Commons (1892). Balfour replaced his uncle as Prime Minister in 1902. The most important events during his premiership included the 1902 Education Act and the ending of the Boer War . The topic of Tariff Reform split Balfour's government and when he resigned in 1905, Edward VII invited Henry Campbell-Bannerman to form a government. Campbell-Bannerman accepted and in the 1906 General Election that followed the Liberal Party had a landslide victory. Balfour remained leader of the Conservative Party until he was replaced by Andrew Bonar Law in 1911. He returned to government when in 1915 Herbert Asquith offered him the post of First Lord of the Admiralty in Britain's First World War coalition government. The following year, David Lloyd George , the new Prime Minister, appointed him as Foreign Secretary, and consequently was responsible for the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which promised Zionists a national home in Palestine. F, who worked for The Times reported: "I saw that Balfour was not a great man. He had charm and wit; he could be energetic when he chose, but he chose very seldom; he had a marvellously acute mind, but he feared the logic of its conclusions. He was truly bored by almost everything, and he was born lazy. I recall one of his official secretaries telling me furiously how Balfour was primed for a critical debate, given sheaves of notes, told what his line of argument must be. And then, spluttered Robert Morant, he stuffed all the papers in his pocket without looking at them, and made a speech that missed all the essential points. After such episodes he would be more than usually charming, and would ask with a smile and a slight lift of his shoulders, What does it matter?" Balfour left Lloyd George's government in 1919 but returned to office when he served as Lord President of the Council (1925-29) in the Conservative government headed by Stanley Baldwin . Arthur Balfour died in 1930.

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Arthur Balfour - Bio, Facts, Family | Famous Birthdays Arthur Balfour Leo Named Arthur#7 About From 1902 until 1905, this British Conservative Party politician served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. After ending what proved an unpopular administration, he held a number of other political offices, including Leader of the Opposition; First Lord of the Admiralty; Foreign Secretary; and Lord President of the Council. Before Fame After graduating from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, he entered politics and became a Member of Parliament as well as Secretary for Scotland and Chief Secretary for Ireland. Trivia He resigned as Prime Minister in 1905 and was succeeded by Liberal Party politician Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Family Life The children of James Maitland Balfour and Lady Blanche Gascoyne-Cecil, he and his seven younger siblings were raised in both Scotland and England. He was the nephew of British Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (Lord Salisbury).

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Arthur Balfour | Jewish Virtual Library Tweet Arthur Balfour was born on the family's Scottish estate in East Lothian in 1848. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he entered the House of Commons in 1874 as the Conservative MP for Hertford. In 1878 Balfour became private secretary to his uncle, the Marquess of Salisbury, who was Foreign Secretary in the Conservative government headed by Benjamin Disraeli . In the 1885 General Election Balfour was elected to represent the East Manchester constituency. The Marquess of Salisbury, who was now Prime Minister, appointed him as his Secretary for Scotland. Other posts during the next few years included Chief Secretary of Ireland (1887), First Lord of the Treasury (1892) and leader of the House of Commons (1892). Balfour replaced his uncle as Prime Minister in 1902. The most important events during his premiership included the 1902 Education Act and the ending of the Boer War. The topic of Tariff Reform split Balfour's government and when he resigned in 1905, Edward VII invited Henry Campbell-Bannerman to form a government. Campbell-Bannerman accepted and in the 1906 General Election that followed the Liberal Party had a landslide victory. Balfour remained leader of the Conservative Party until he was replaced by Andrew Bonar Law in 1911. He returned to government when in 1915 Herbert Asquith offered him the post of First Lord of the Admiralty in Britain's First World War coalition government. The following year, David Lloyd George, the new Prime Minister, appointed him as Foreign Secretary, and consequently was responsible for the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which promised Zionists a national home in Palestine. Balfour left Lloyd George's government in 1919 but returned to office when he served as Lord President of the Council (1925-29) in theConservative government headed by Stanley Baldwin. Arthur Balfour died in 1930.

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Balfour a Leader for Half a Century Balfour a Leader for Half a Century By THE NEW YORK TIMES The death of the Earl of Balfour puts an end to a career which for distinction and length of service has few equals in modern English history. At the Congress of 1878 in Berlin, he was already well known as a promising young statesman. Long after all the other participants in that congress were dead, Balfour was Lord President of the Privy Council and playing tennis and golf in his seventy-ninth year. The one English statesman with whom his name was continuously linked, and whose career covered the same period, was the late Earl of Oxford and Asquith. Again and again Lord Balfour's political career seemed to have ended. It started languidly enough when, as a bored semi-invalid, he sat in the House of Commons, sucking a thermometer and taking it out now and then to note his temperature. He was called "Miss Nancy" Balfour in those days. Later he was to be called "Bloody" Balfour. He showed a hardihood in weathering political storms that brought H. G. Wells to write in 1926 of "that damned madonna lily; he grows where he is planted." Lord Balfour was a statesman almost in spite of himself. By inclination he was the philosopher, the esthete, the thinker, the cultured gentleman of leisure, spending his life among the books and music he loved and knew so well. When at the height of his career as Prime Minister he said: "Give me my books, my golf clubs and my leisure, and I would ask for nothing more. My ideal in life is to read a lot, write a little, play plenty of golf and have nothing to worry about. If I could give up politics without disorganizing things or neglecting my duty, I would gladly do so." At another time he said: "I would rather be known as having added something to our knowledge of truth and nature than for anything else I can imagine." The Philosopher in Politics That love of philosophy threw an aureole about his life that set him apart both from the ordinary statesmen and from the great mass of people with whom, as a politician, he should have been in close contact. The background of his life was philosophy, and out of it his political conduct and theories emerged without ever losing contact. His mind was that of a subtle, analytical thinker meeting each new problem as a trained logician dealing with abstract ideas, not with people. He was any man's match in a debate, but many a lesser public figure could sway a crowd with oratory where Lord Balfour would have little effect. Although he was intimately connected with British politics for over half a century, he always gave the impression of a man who had withdrawn within himself. It was a case where appearances were deceptive, but because of that attitude he never really caught the public fancy, and there is no public figure in England of this century who aroused so little hatred or so little love. To most of the British people he was an abstraction, a paradox, an enigma that they could not solve. When they heard him speak it was only to feel more deeply puzzled. His voice was smooth and he could be eloquent, but it was said of him that "you seldom know what Balfour means." The very keenness of his mind led him into metaphysical subtleties. He saw, as his philosophic master Hegel did, the antithesis of every point that was being made. His sentences were involved and often trailed off ungrammatically without a closing period. During his Premiership he made speech after speech on the tariff policy without ever committing himself to anything definite. "As an intellectual feat it is unparalleled," one observer said at the time, but it did not serve to make him popular. He lacked the fire and conviction that made so powerful an orator of Lloyd George. Like Asquith, he was too much the aristocrat and too undemocratic in his theories to appeal to the many. It was in debate that his oratorical abilities were at their best. His probing mind, his caustic wit, his dialectical ingenuity, and with it all his polished, urbane temper and bearing, made him a dreaded opponent in Parliamentary strife. Sprang From Old Scottish Family Arthur James Balfour was marked for politics from birth, for he was one of "the family." His mother was Lady Blanche Cecil, the sister of the third Marquess of Salisbury, who played so prominent a part in nineteenth century politics. His father was James Maitland Balfour, the head of the cadet branch of an old Scotch family, Balfour of Balfour, so called from the seat of the family at Balfour Castle in Fife. The future Earl was born July 25, 1848, the oldest of eight children, five boys and three girls. His father died when he was 9 years old and his mother when he was 24. The family lived at Whittingehame, in Haddingtonshire, Scotland. After receiving his education at Eton, where he was "fag" to Lord Lansdowne, who was destined to be Foreign Minister in his Cabinet, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he entered Parliament at the suggestion of his uncle, the Marquess of Salisbury, as representative of the family borough of Hertford. Already his languid air and apparent physical frailty had earned him the sort of raillery he was to suffer from all his life. In Cambridge they called him "Miss Nancy." When he first entered Parliament he was "Miss Balfour." His opponents made much of the fact that he had been one of "The Souls," that exclusive group headed by the late Lord Curzon. His health was so delicate that it was a question whether he would not have to spend his Winters in Egypt and forego any idea of a political career. As an M.P. he was not a particular success. His maiden speech was not delivered until his third session in the House, and then it was on the characteristically abstruse topic of bimetalism. His real career began in 1878, when his uncle succeeded Lord Derby as Foreign Minister, and took the young man with him to Berlin as his secretary at the notable congress over which Prince Bismarck presided and which changed the map of Europe. It was just after the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War, which had involved most of the Balkan States and Asia Minor. Lord Beaconsfield, the Prime Minister, headed the British delegation, with Lord Russell and Lord Salisbury as plenipotentiaries, and it was under them that Balfour received his first important lessons in diplomacy. He returned to join in a half-hearted way the famous Fourth party, which was composed of four men: Lord Randolph Churchill, Sir Henry Drummond-Wolff, John Gorst and himself as the least important. Their chief political reason for existence was to form an opposition against Gladstone, and they spent most of their time in Parliament baiting him. In 1884 the party broke up, and two years later the Marquess of Salisbury made his nephew Chief Secretary for Scotland. As Chief Secretary for Ireland A year later came his first important political job, and the most hectic position he held in his long career. In March, 1887, he became Chief Secretary for Ireland. It was a critical period in imperial politics as regards Ireland. Parnell was then leading the violent forces that were agitating for Home Rule, and the debates in the House were bitter. Balfour's appointment was received literally with guffaws of laughter. The "silk-skinned sybarite," "Pretty Fanny," "Clara" Balfour, was going to undertake a job at which the strongest men had failed. A little later he gave the order to shoot down rioters without hesitation, and the epithets were changed to "Bloody Balfour" and "Bomba Balfour." Impervious alike to the personal danger he ran and the attacks made upon him on the floor of the House, he went relentlessly on his way, employing the coercive measures of the typical Conservative of that day. He was an aristocrat who did not believe in popular government, and he considered the Irish politically inferior to the English. "They have great gifts," he said at the time. "They have wit, imagination, eloquence, valor; in many respects they are our superiors. But in one respect they are our inferiors and no amount of Gladstonian rhetoric can make them otherwise. They are politically incapable of self- government." When he returned to the House in 1891 it was to take up the leadership of the Unionist or Conservative party and to be First Lord of the Treasury. His party did not remain in power long, and Balfour found himself leader of the Opposition. In 1895 the Unionists again had a majority, and from then until 1902 Balfour led them. In 1898, when Lord Salisbury was ill, he took over the work of his uncle as Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and when his uncle resigned in 1902 while Prime Minister, Balfour succeeded him in that position. Issues of His Premiership His Premiership is generally not considered a success. The one great accomplishment during his tenure of office was the negotiating of the alliance with Russia, Japan and France, the so-called "iron ring" around Germany, which she tried to break in the World War. Balfour's part in the negotiations was probably not as great as that of Delcasse in France, but it is generally believed to have been important. His government lasted three years, and much of the last half of that time was spent in trying to avoid a break on the government's tariff policy. Balfour's Colonial Secretary was Joseph Chamberlain, who urged a policy of protection. Balfour had always been a free-trade advocate, and he was faced with the necessity of dodging the tariff issue or repudiating Chamberlain. He chose the former policy and for fully a year his opponents were unable to get a definite expression of opinion out of him on tariff policy. The supporters of Chamberlain within the Unionist party and all the imperialistic "die-hards" finally formed an opposition that put the Liberals in power. Their slogan was "B. M. G.," meaning "Balfour must go." At the next general election the Unionist party was overwhelmingly defeated, and Balfour himself was hopelessly beaten in North-East Manchester, a seat which he had held for twenty years. He was subsequently elected for the City of London on the resignation of Sir Edward Clarke and regained his leadership of the Conservative forces; but his star remained in eclipse. The old slogan, "B. M. G.," was still in force, and in 1911 he renounced the leadership of his party. He gave as reasons his advanced age and the increasing need of leisure, not dreaming of the part he was still to play in his country's history. Sought American Support in War More than any other man in England, with the notable exception of Lord Roberts, he had advocated preparation for an inevitable world conflict. Back in 1903, while he was still Premier, he created the Commission of Imperial Defense, under which pre-war mobilization was carried out and plans made on the declaration of war to send expeditionary forces to France. He early saw the necessity of gaining American support for the Allies. He became First Lord of the Admiralty in the Coalition Cabinet of 1915, and Foreign Secretary in 1916. In April, 1917, he came to the United States as head of the British High Commission, just after this country had declared war. While the situation at the time gave added vigor to his advocacy of friendship between the two countries, Balfour could claim with justice that he had always believed in the necessity of Anglo- American cooperation. As far back as 1895 he had said: "The time will come, must come, when some one, some statesman of authority more fortunate even than President Monroe, will lay down the doctrine that between English-speaking peoples war is impossible." After the war, Balfour was one of the British delegates to the peace conference, and a firm supporter of the League of Nations, which was soon formed. He played a secondary role to Lloyd George, and his name was prominently connected only with the negotiations by which Shantung was ceded to Japan. The Chinese have always held him responsible for that part of the treaty. In the post-bellum deliberations at San Remo, Hythe, Brussels, San Sebastian, Rome, London, Geneva and other places, Balfour played an important part, although not a very conspicuous one. In October, 1921, he made a second notable visit to America as head of the British delegation to the Washington Arms Conference. He worked hard to cooperate with the other delegations, and accepted in principle Secretary Hughes's proposal for curtailing naval forces. His proposal to abolish submarines, however, was opposed by France and Italy. When he returned to England he was offered a peerage for the third or fourth time, and again declined. But soon afterward he was made Knight of the Garter, and in March, 1922, entered the House of Lords with the title of Earl of Balfour and Viscount Traprain of Whittingehame. Give Impetus to Zionist Plan In 1922 Lord Balfour formulated a plan for the payment of the French war debt to England, which was accepted in principle three years later, by which the British Government would collect money to enable it to pay the war debt to the United States. He was President of the Commission on Trade and Industries of the League of Nations, and a member of the International Chamber of Commerce. He was the strongest and most influential advocate of Zionism which that movement had. His interest in Zionism started in 1917 when he made a much-discussed speech which came to be known as the Balfour declaration, advocating a national home for Jews in Palestine. His political enemies said he made the declaration for its effect on America and her participation in the war. Whether that was true or not, his interest developed and his sincerity after the war was never questioned. The Balfour declaration soon became the recognized standard of Zionist ideals for Palestine, and it likewise was the basis of the organization of the Jewish Agency, composed of Zionists and non-Zionists, who met at Zurich, Switzerland, in the Summer of 1929 to form a cooperative body to advance the Jewish homeland ideal. The twelfth anniversary of his speech was celebrated nationally by Zionists on Nov. 4, 1929. In 1925 Lord Balfour visited Jerusalem to open the Hebrew University there. His attitude had aroused the ire of nationalist Arabs, and his trip to Palestine ended by his being spirited out of Damascus after a furious outburst on the part of an Arabian mob. In the same year he succeeded the late Lord Curzon as President of the Privy Council, under Prime Minister Baldwin. A year later came still another important post. When the Inter- Imperial Commission of the Imperial Conference in London was formed to reorganize the British Empire, he was appointed chairman. The resolution drafted by the commission in November, 1926, by which the Dominions of the empire were placed on a status of equality was signed by Balfour. In 1927 he acted temporarily as Secretary of State for the Dominions, was Deputy Prime Minister while Mr. Baldwin made his visit to Canada, and fought hard, in London, to avert the failure of the Geneva Naval Conference. The famous statesman received, on his eightieth birthday, July 26, 1928, honors such as are accorded to few men. Party divisions and personal differences were put aside and the nation acclaimed him as one of its favorite sons. The new building of the British Academy, of which he was president, was dedicated on the preceding day at a function, attended by Lord Balfour, where the Prince of Wales paid the principal tribute to him. On the following day Lord Balfour received an expensive automobile as the gift of the members of Parliament. A sum that remained from the subscriptions also was set aside "as a reservoir whence you can draw the fines you'll undoubtedly have to pay." The cloud of ill health that soon was to force him to lessen his public activities had begun to settle over the venerable statesman several months before, when heart trouble had forced him to cancel many engagements. He suffered also from laryngitis, and, as 1929 approached, his absences from the House of Lords became of longer duration. In April of that year his complete retirement was foreshadowed when it was learned that his famous town house was to be sold. This residence at 4 Carlton Gardens is probably second in political fame only to 10 Downing Street, official residence of the Prime Ministers of Great Britain. Built in 1825 by Adrian Hope, it was leased by Lord Palmerston, who lived there until he died. It was purchased by Mr. Balfour, from Hope's son, in 1871. Among its contents were Lord Balfour's collection of Chinese and Sevres porcelain, part of which also was catalogued for sale, and a series of paintings executed for him by Burne-Jones. His last years were devoted largely to the completion of his autobiography, dealing with the great men and events with which he had been associated during his long life. Balfour Never Married The Earl of Balfour never married. Various reasons have been given. He was engaged in early life to Miss Mary Lyttleton, who died before they could marry, and, according to one report, he remained faithful to her memory. Others have pointed to his attachment for his charming and brilliant mother. Still others assert that his emotional life was absorbed in his intellectual pursuits. But these are all guesses. Very little of his private life was known to outsiders. In early life he aroused considerable discussion with a book called "A Defense of Philosophic Doubt," published in 1879, of which it was said that everybody talked about it and nobody read it. It was an attempt to lead mankind into the path of faith by showing the fallibility of human reasoning. However, Balfour was accused of agnosticism, and was called a skeptic until his next book, "The Foundations of Belief," was published in 1895. He wrote two other books on philosophy, "Criticism of Beauty" in 1909, and "Theism and Humanism," in 1914. He was a gifted musician, and was said to have played the piano with professional skill. He once wrote an essay on the music of Handel, his favorite, and was the founder and President of the Handel Society. He was the first prominent Britisher to take up golf, and even wrote a book on the subject. His title of Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews was a proud possession. At tennis he was no less skillful. His interest in contemporary affairs was always keen. He was the first public man in England to ride in an airplane. At that time some wit said of him: "If they succeed in his lifetime in running a light railway to the moon, the first passenger in the guard's van will be Earl Balfour."

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BBC - History : British History Timeline 22 July 1901 The 'Taff Vale' case leads to the birth of the Labour party The Taff Vale Railway Company successfully sued a trade union, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, for the costs of industrial action taken by its members. The Labour Representative Committee, a socialist federation formed in 1900, convinced the trade unions that the political representation of labour was now essential. This organisation later became the Labour party. 31 May 1902 Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Second Boer War The treaty of Vereeniging confirmed British victory over the Boer republics after three years of war, and laid the foundations for the Union of South Africa. Notably, it still ignored the rights of the black population. The cost and conduct of the war prompted concerns that Britain was no longer fit for its imperial role. 11 July 1902 Arthur Balfour succeeds Lord Salisbury as prime minister The Conservatives, led by the Marquess of Salisbury, dominated British politics after the Liberals' split over the issue of 'Home Rule' for Ireland in 1886. Salisbury's successor and nephew, Arthur Balfour, shared with his uncle an interest in foreign imperial policy. He was premier for two-and-a-half years. September 1903 'Lib-Lab' pact enables Labour to break into national politics A secret pact was ratified between the Liberal party and the Labour Representative Committee, which in certain constituencies allowed Labour a free run at elections, unimpeded by a Liberal candidate. In the long run, the pact may have done more to destroy the Liberal party than preserve it. 10 October 1903 Women's Social and Political Union is formed to campaign for women's suffrage The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded by six women, of whom Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst soon became the most prominent. Frustrated at the lack of progress on women's rights, their activities soon became more confrontational, and included prison hunger strikes. 8 April 1904 'Entente Cordiale' is signed between Britain and France This agreement reconciled British and French imperial interests, particularly in Africa, but also marked the end of centuries of intermittent conflict and paved the way for future diplomatic and military cooperation. The two countries were united in their suspicion of Germany's ambitions. Germany, in turn, hoped to persuade Britain to abandon the alliance. 31 March 1905 Germany tests the 'Entente Cordiale' by triggering a crisis in Morocco Wilhelm II visited Tangier to demonstrate German opposition to France's assumption of suzerainty over Morocco, and to test the strength of the Anglo-French entente, which the Germans expected to crumble. It did not, and Britain displayed its commitment to France by initiating military staff talks between the two countries in 1906. 4 December 1905 Liberals form a government under Henry Campbell-Bannerman In November, the Conservative Prime Minister Arthur Balfour tried to expose the divisions within the Liberal opposition by resigning, but his rival Henry Campbell-Bannerman formed a Liberal government and then led it to a smashing success at the polls in January 1906. Armed with an overall majority, the Liberals embarked on a programme of social reform. 10 February 1906 Royal Navy launches the first 'Dreadnought' class battleship HMS 'Dreadnought', the first of a new class of 'all big-gun' battleships, was launched at Portsmouth. It was by far the most powerful battleship afloat, and raised the stakes in the Anglo-German naval arms race. 31 August 1907 Britain and Russia agree an entente on 'spheres of influence' in Asia The two countries agreed spheres of influence in Asia, so freeing Britain from its worries about a Russian invasion of India. But an agreement to resolve imperial disputes took on the appearance of a European pact. The 'Triple Alliance' of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary (also known as the 'Central Powers') was faced by a 'Triple Entente' of Britain, France and Russia (also known as the 'Entente Powers'). 8 April 1908 Herbert Asquith becomes Liberal prime minister Illness had forced Liberal Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman to resign, and he was succeeded by Herbert Asquith. In his cabinet reshuffle, Asquith brought in Reginald McKenna and Winston Churchill, and appointed the radical, David Lloyd George, as chancellor of the exchequer. 27 April 1908 Olympic Games open at White City in London The 1908 games were originally to be held in Rome, but were reassigned to London at short notice and held at the purpose-built White City stadium. Famously, the marathon ended in dramatic fashion when the race leader, Dorando Pietri of Italy, was disqualified after he collapsed and had to be helped over the finishing line. Widely recognised as the best organised Games to date, they featured 22 nations, 110 events and more than 2,000 athletes. 27 October 1908 Parliament approves old age pensions New legislation gave a weekly means-tested pension of a maximum of five shillings to all those aged over 70. Only about half a million people received the pension, and thus the significance of the legislation lay as much in the fact that it established a principle as in its immediate benefits. 29 April 1909 Chancellor David Lloyd George introduces the 'People's Budget' The introduction of the new 'Dreadnought' class battleship and the subsequent naval arms race with Germany prompted David Lloyd George, the chancellor of the exchequer, to introduce a tax on land, to increase income tax, and to propose a 'super-tax' on incomes over £5,000 per annum. He presented these increases as designed to fund social reforms. 30 November 1909 House of Lords rejects the 'People's Budget' In rejecting Chancellor David Lloyd George's budget, the Conservative-dominated House of Lords broke the parliamentary convention that the upper house should not overturn a financial bill. This ensured that House of Lords reform was one of the issues at stake in the next general election. 15 February 1910 Liberals win the election but lose their overall majority The election precipitated by the Lords' rejection of the 'People's Budget' resulted in 275 seats for the Liberals, 273 for the Conservatives and 40 for Labour. The budget was then passed. The Irish Nationalists, with 82, were now in a position to force Irish 'Home Rule' back up the agenda. 6 May 1910 Edward VII dies and is succeeded by George V Both Edward VII, who died in 1910, and his son, George V, ensured that the monarchy was more active than it had been in the latter years of Victoria's reign, but they exercised their influence discreetly. Edward's funeral brought together the royalty of Europe - many of them his relations - for the last time before war broke out in 1914. 19 December 1910 Liberals retain power in the second general election of the 1910 After the general election in February, efforts to broker a deal on parliamentary reform failed, and the Liberals went back to the polls at the end of the year. They and the Conservatives each secured 272 seats, and, with Labour supporting the Liberals, the Irish Nationalists held the balance of power. 1 July 1911 German gunboat provokes the 'Agadir crisis' with France The Germans despatched a gunboat to the Moroccan port of Agadir to assert their rights against the French. A Franco-German settlement was negotiated, but the British were alarmed, fearing the Germans planned to turn Agadir into a naval base. As with the first Moroccan crisis in 1905, Germany only succeeded in strengthening the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France. 10 August 1911 House of Lords loses its power of veto over legislation The Liberals finally forced through House of Lords reform, which had been on the cards for two years. The reforms meant that the Lords could not veto legislation that had passed the House of Commons in three successive sessions, and that parliament itself would be dissolved after five years, not seven. In separate legislation, pay for members of parliament was introduced. December 1911 National Insurance Act provides cover against sickness and unemployment Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George devised a contributory scheme of health insurance for those in employment, which provided payment for medical treatment. Grafted on to the act was a limited plan for unemployment benefit drawn up by Winston Churchill. With this legislation, the Liberals laid the foundations of the Welfare State. 11 April 1912 Liberals propose Irish 'Home Rule' for the third time Reflecting their dependence on Irish Nationalist votes in the House of Commons, the Liberals proposed 'Home Rule' for Ireland. In response, Ulster Protestants and unionists formed the Ulster Volunteer Force, a paramilitary force which threatened the government with civil war if the measure was carried. 13 April 1912 Royal Flying Corps is established The foundation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) reflected British recognition of the growing importance of military aviation. In 1918, the RFC was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force (RAF). 15 April 1912 'Titanic' sinks with the loss of 1,503 lives The White Star liner 'Titanic' was the largest vessel in the world at the time of her launch. Her builders and owners claimed that she was 'practically unsinkable', but on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York she collided with an iceberg and sank within hours, with the loss of 1,503 lives. 'Titanic' could carry over 3,500 people, but was equipped with only enough lifeboats to save 1,178, a fact that contributed to the massive loss of life. 4 June 1913 Suffragette Emily Davison is killed by the king's horse Emily Wilding Davison was severely injured when she threw herself in front of the king's horse at the Derby, and died in hospital a few days later. The militancy of her organisation, the Women's Social and Political Union, proved counter-productive to the cause of women's rights, but the more moderate National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies also had little to show for its efforts through negotiation. 20 March 1914 Elements of the army say they won't enforce Irish 'Home Rule' The officers of the 6th Cavalry Brigade, stationed outside Dublin, indicated that they would refuse to enforce Irish 'Home Rule' in Ulster if a parliamentary act proposing greater autonomy for Ireland were carried. The army was divided within itself, representing a potential flashpoint for the government. Irish Home Rule was shelved at the outbreak of World War One. 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb terrorist, in Sarajevo. The Austro-Hungarian government blamed Serbia and used the killing as a pretext for war. For most Britons this was an remote and insignificant event, but the conflict would escalate sharply, drawing in the 'Great Powers' and ultimately resulting in the outbreak of World War One. 23 July 1914 Austro-Hungarian ultimatum to Serbia provokes a crisis in Europe On 6 July, Germany effectively gave unconditional backing to any action Austria-Hungary took regarding the recent assassination of its crown prince, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, by a Bosnian Serb in Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary used this 'blank cheque' to deliver an ultimatum to Serbia on 23 July, which was widely recognised as little more than a pretext for war. With Russia standing by Serbia, Britain invited Germany to join a 'Great Power' conference to resolve the conflict, but Germany refused. 4 August 1914 Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July, Serbia's ally Russia mobilised its army. Austria-Hungary's ally, Germany, in turn declared war on Russia. Russia's alliance with France now threatened Germany with war on two fronts. Germany acted to quickly neutralise France by a well-planned surprise invasion through neutral Belgium - the 'Schlieffen Plan'. Britain, as guarantor of Belgian neutrality, told Germany to withdraw. The ultimatum expired on 4 August and Britain duly declared war. 23 August 1914 British Expeditionary Force meets the German army at Mons A British Expeditionary Force (BEF) of over 100,000 men was sent to repel the German invasion of France. It retreated after an initial engagement close to the Belgian border at Mons, then took part in a successful counter-attack on the river Marne in early September. This resistance by the BEF, Belgian and French forces frustrated Germany's 'Schlieffen Plan' for quickly neutralising France. Already fighting Russia, Germany now faced a trench-based war of attrition on two fronts. 31 October 1914 First Battle of Ypres exhausts the British army For the British army on the Western Front, the town of Ypres in Flanders was crucial, because it screened the Channel ports through which the army was supplied from Britain. The Germans tried unsuccessfully to break the line at Ypres in a battle which lasted until 22 November. British forces suffered 54,000 casualties. 5 November 1914 Britain declares war on the Ottoman Empire Germany formed an alliance with the Ottoman Empire on 2 August 1914, but the Turks resisted German pressure to enter the war until the end of October when it shelled Russian ports on the Black Sea. Britain, France and Russia responded with declarations of war. The Ottoman Empire in turn declared a military 'jihad' in November. The implications for Britain, with a vulnerable empire stretching across the Middle East to India and including a large Muslim population, were considerable. 25 April 1915 British and allied troops land on the Gallipoli peninsula The failure of British naval efforts to break through the Dardanelles and so threaten Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, led to a decision to land troops on the Gallipoli peninsula. A combined force of British, New Zealand, Australian and French colonial troops were unable to break out of their beachheads and the campaign ultimately ended in defeat, with all troops evacuated by the end of the year. 7 May 1915 'Lusitania' is sunk by a German submarine The British passenger liner 'Lusitania' was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank with the loss of 1,200 lives. Of those, 124 were American civilians, but despite strong pressure US President Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States was 'too proud to fight'. The sinking aroused widespread anti-German feeling in Britain. 25 May 1915 Herbert Asquith forms a coalition government Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith formed a coalition government following the 'Shell Crisis', which was sparked press reports of shell shortages at the front. The principal beneficiaries of this coalition in terms of the top jobs remained the Liberals rather than the Conservatives. 25 September 1915 First British use of poison gas, at Loos, France While the French attacked further south, the British struck at Loos, using chlorine gas for the first time in their initial attack. However, the wind was not favourable, and gains were limited. The battle continued until mid-October. The first use of poison gas in World War One was by the Germans on 22 April 1915 during the opening engagements of the Second Battle of Ypres. 27 January 1916 Conscription is introduced in Britain In addition to raising a large army, Britain needed to allocate its manpower rationally between military service and wartime production to meet the demands of 'total war'. Conscription enabled it to do both. Opposition to the measure in the House of Commons was limited (36 votes to 383), but parliament still acknowledged the rights of the individual in allowing conscientious objection. 24 April 1916 Irish rebels of the 'Easter Rising' seize the post office in Dublin Irish nationalists, supplied with German rifles, rebelled at Easter and seized key buildings in Dublin, including the post office where their final stand was made. Most of the population was unsupportive and the rebellion was crushed within a week. The British executed the leaders, inadvertently making martyrs of the rebels and inspiring those who followed. 29 April 1916 British garrison at Kut-el-Amara surrenders to the Turks British troops invaded Mesopotamia (Iraq), then part of the Ottoman Empire, at the end of 1914. The rapid advance on Baghdad outstripped itself and the troops fell back to Kut-el-Amara, where they were encircled. Efforts to relieve the garrison failed and it surrendered. British prestige in the Middle East plummeted. 31 May 1916 Battle of Jutland results in a bruising British victory over the German fleet The British Grand Fleet clashed with the German High Seas Fleet at Jutland in the North Sea, but the heavily outnumbered Germans managed to escape in the night. The British lost more ships than the Germans, but the German fleet was rendered unable to put to sea again, thereby ensuring British naval supremacy remained intact. 1 July 1916 Battle of the Somme begins with a British and French attack The Allies planned a series of coordinated offensives for 1916. On the Western Front, the French and British attacked astride the river Somme, where their two armies met. On 1 July, the British army suffered its worst casualties in a single day - 57,470 men, of whom nearly 20,000 were killed. The battle continued until 18 November 1916. 15 September 1916 Tanks are used for the first time, by the British at Flers, France The static trench warfare of the Western Front prompted the British to develop a self-propelled vehicle that could cross barbed wire and trenches and protect those inside from enemy fire. The 'Mark 1' tank was first employed during the Battle of the Somme, at Flers-Courcelette, but it was not until November 1917 that they were employed in decisive numbers. Once problems with reliability were overcome, the British and French used their new weapon to considerable effect against the Germans. 6 December 1916 David Lloyd George becomes prime minister Prime Minister Herbert Asquith opposed the creation of a smaller war committee to run the war effort on a daily basis. His Liberal colleague and Minister for Munitions David Lloyd George, with the support of the Conservatives, used the split to force Asquith out and replace him as prime minister. Lloyd George set up a war cabinet whose members were freed from other cabinet duties. 18 December 1916 General Douglas Haig assumes command of the British Expeditionary Force Faith in the original commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French, had been dwindling - not least owing to his belated release of the reserves in the Battle of Loos. Partly thanks to the intervention of George V, Sir Douglas Haig was appointed to succeed French. 1 February 1917 Germans declare unrestricted submarine warfare By sinking all merchant ships, regardless of nationality, the Germans hoped to starve the British into submission in six months. They failed and the campaign prompted the United States, the principal neutral power, to declare war on Germany on 6 April 1917. 31 July 1917 General Douglas Haig launches the Third Battle of Ypres The main British offensive for 1917 was designed to clear the German threat to the Channel ports and to break through to the Germans' own communications. The fighting continued until 18 November, ending on the ridge at Passchendaele. By then, unusually heavy rains and the destruction of the landscape by heavy shelling had turned the ground to an impassable morass of mud. 2 November 1917 'Balfour Declaration' gives British support to a Jewish homeland in Palestine In a letter to a leading member of the British Jewish community, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour stated the British government's support for a Jewish national home in Palestine, the first such declaration by a world power. It is believed that similar promises were made to the Arabs prior to the publication of the Balfour Declaration in correspondence between Sir Arthur Henry McMahon, British high commissioner in Egypt, and the Hashemite Hussein Ibn Ali, the Sharif of Mecca. 7 November 1917 Bolsheviks, under Vladimir Lenin, create a communist revolution in Russia In February 1917, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was forced to abdicate after serious reverses in the war against Germany. A provisional government of liberals and moderate socialists was established, but it also failed on the battlefield and was overthrown in a carefully planned coup by the Bolsheviks, who promised 'peace, bread and land' to the war-weary Russian people. Inspired by the writings of Karl Mar, the Bolsheviks established a government based on the 'soviet' (governing council). 11 December 1917 General Edmund Allenby leads British forces into Jerusalem After seizing Beersheba and Gaza in the first week of November, British forces under General Edmund Allenby forced the Turks to abandon Jerusalem. Prime Minister David Lloyd George described this as a 'Christmas present' for the British people at the end of a year when a conclusion to the war seemed remote. 6 February 1918 Limited numbers of women are given the vote for the first time The Representation of the People Act enfranchised all men over the age of 21, and propertied women over 30. The electorate increased to 21 million, of which 8 million were women, but it excluded working class women who mostly failed the property qualification. 3 March 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk takes Russia out of World War One Seeking peace at virtually any cost, the new communist Russian government under Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). The terms were humiliating. Russia handed over massive swathes of territory, constituting a third of its population, 50% of its industry and 90% of its coal mines. Opposition to the treaty helped ignite the Russian Civil War, which lasted until 1922. 21 March 1918 German offensive makes massive gains on the Western Front Following peace with Russia, German commanders planned to use fresh troops from the Eastern Front to attack before American troops began to arrive in the west. After a short but stunning bombardment, the Germans attacked across the old Somme battlefields and made the greatest advance on the Western Front since 1914. It was eventually halted east of Amiens, France. In response, the Allies gave French general Ferdinand Foch overall responsibility for coordinating their armies on the Western Front. 9 April 1918 Second major German offensive causes a crisis on the Western Front The second German offensive of 1918 made three major incursions into the Allied line and precipitated a crisis on the Western Front. British Field Marshal Douglas Haig's order of the day on 11 April famously told his men that they must stand and fight 'with their backs to the wall'. Despite the stunning success of the offensive, the German army had significantly overstretched itself without achieving a decisive victory - a factor that would contribute to its eventual defeat. May 1918 Massive flu epidemic reaches Britain The 1918-1919 'Spanish flu' epidemic killed more than 200,000 people in Britain and up to 50 million worldwide. Despite its name, the virus seems to have originated in the United States, but quickly spread around the world, infecting up to 30% of the world's population. 8 August 1918 British make major advances at the Battle of Amiens The British and French, using the greatest concentration of tanks in World War One, advanced up to six miles in a single day. So many German soldiers were forced to surrender that their commander-in-chief General Erich Ludendorff called it 'the black day of the German army'. 26 September 1918 General Ferdinand Foch launches an Allied offensive on the Western Front General Ferdinand Foch, who had been appointed the supreme commander of the Allied armies on the Western Front on 26 March 1918, coordinated attacks by British, French and American forces. The British broke through the principal German fortified defences, the formidable Hindenburg line, on the following day, and the advance continued unabated into October 1918. 26 October 1918 Turkey opens armistice talks with Britain With the Ottoman army in retreat on three of its four fronts - in Bulgaria, Syria and Iraq - the Turks opened negotiations to surrender. Unlike the negotiations with the other enemy powers, these were bilateral talks between the British and the Turks, with no French or Russian involvement. 11 November 1918 World War One ends when Germany signs an armistice By September 1918, Germany was exhausted and saw no prospect of victory. The Allies' terms became progressively harsher as they pressed their advantage on the Western Front, both to ensure the removal of Kaiser Wilhelm II as head of state and to guard against the future renewal of hostilities by Germany. Despite onerous terms, Germany eventually capitulated and signed an armistice that brought the fighting on the Western Front to a halt at 11am on 11 November 1918. 14 December 1918 David Lloyd George's coalition wins the post-war election This was the first election in which women voted. The results were Conservative and Coalition Liberals 509, Labour 72, Independent Liberals (former Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith's followers) 36, others 27. Although 73 members of Sinn Fein were elected, who included among their number Britain's first woman member of parliament Countess Constance Markievicz, they refused to take their seats. 13 January 1919 Sir Satyenda Prassano Sinha becomes the first Indian peer A distinguished lawyer who had been a member of the Governor General's Council in India, Sir Satyenda Prassano Sinha had been knighted in 1914 for his services to the British government. In 1919, he advised on the Government of India Act. He became Baron Sinha of Raipur. 18 January 1919 Paris Peace Conference, to draw up treaties to end World War One, opens Seventy delegates representing the 32 allied and associated powers met to decide on peace treaties following the end of World War One. In reality, the treaties were mainly the work of the British, French, Italian and US leaders. One of the treaties prepared at the conference, the Treaty of Versailles, imposed harsh reparations on Germany, and is widely considered to have contributed to the eventual outbreak of World War Two. 21 January 1919 Sinn Fein sets up its own parliament, the 'Dáil Eireann', in Dublin The harsh British reaction to the 1916 Easter Rising allowed Sinn Fein and the 'revolutionaries' to triumph over the moderate Home Rulers in the 1918 election. The Sinn Fein members of parliament - having refused to take their seats in the British House of Commons - announced that they constituted an independent Irish parliament called the 'Dáil Eireann'. A provisional government was elected with Éamon De Valera as president. 31 January 1919 Massive rally in Glasgow sparks fears of a Russian-style revolution Glasgow had a history of radicalism, and World War One turned it into a centre for organised protest against poor working conditions. The Liberal government feared this mass rally was the beginning of a working class revolution along the lines of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The rally was broken up by police, and troops and tanks were deployed on Clydeside. In reality, the protesters objectives were not that revolutionary - a 40-hour working week and a living wage. 18 March 1919 Rowlatt Act extends the suspension of civil liberties in India The Rowlatt Act extended wartime 'emergency measures', such as detention without trial. Mohandas Gandhi of the Indian Congress Party asked Indians to use non-violent civil disobedience in protest against the act, and to refuse to cooperate with the British government. The 1918 Montagu-Chelmsford Report offered reform, but not self-rule - despite the sacrifices India had made in the war and US President Woodrow Wilson's declaration regarding national self-determination. 10 April 1919 British soldiers kill hundreds of unarmed Indian civilians at Amritsar, India A large crowd attending a Sikh religious festival in defiance of British martial law was fired on without warning by troops under the command of Brigadier General Reginald Dyer. More than 300 people were killed. The 'Amritsar Massacre' crystallised growing Indian discontent with British rule, which was only heightened when Dyer faced no other punishment than an official censure. Led by Mohandas Gandhi, the Indian Congress Party now became a nationwide movement committed to independence. 11 September 1919 British government declares Sinn Fein's 'Dáil Eireann' (parliament) illegal When the British government outlawed Sinn Fein's Dáil Eireann, it sparked a vicious two-year guerrilla war between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in southern Ireland and British forces, which included the hated 'Black and Tan' auxiliaries. With the IRA unable to deliver a decisive victory, and the British government increasingly worried about rising casualties and international criticism over its conduct of the war, a truce was called in July 1921. 12 October 1919 British troops are withdrawn from the civil war in Russia In 1918, a British force had been sent to Archangel in Russia to prevent Allied stores falling into Bolshevik or German hands and to take pressure off the Western Front after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk had taken Russia out of World War One. The evacuation of Murmansk in 1919, and the evacuation of Archangel two weeks previously, ended the British attempt to intervene on the anti-Bolshevik ('White Russian') side in the civil war in northern Russia. 1 December 1919 Lady Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in parliament American-born Nancy Astor was not the first British woman member of parliament (MP), but she was the first one to take her seat. Constance Markievicz became the first woman MP in 1918, but as a member of Sinn Fein she had refused to take her seat. 23 December 1919 Government of India Act fails to meet demands for greater independence The Government of India Act further angered Indians already disillusioned by the Rowlatt Act and the Amritsar Massacre. The act created a bicameral parliament, with power shared between British and Indian politicians (the so-called 'diarchy'), but the most important ministries were held by Britons. More reforms were to be discussed in ten years. The Congress Party responded with strikes and boycotts of British goods. This was declared illegal and Congress leader Mohandas Gandhi was imprisoned. 23 December 1919 Exclusion of women from many jobs is made illegal The Sex Disqualification Removal Act made it illegal for women to be excluded from most jobs, and allowed them to hold judicial office and enter the professions. Women could now become magistrates, solicitors and barristers. 1920 Women at Oxford University are allowed to receive degrees Academic halls for women were first established at Oxford in the 19th century, but although women had been able to attend degree level courses, they could not receive degrees until 1920. 25 April 1920 Britain is given mandates for Mesopotamia and Palestine The mandate system was conceived by US President Woodrow Wilson. France and Britain were commanded to govern their mandates in the interests of their inhabitants, until these territories were ready to be admitted to the League of Nations. The British took over two areas that had previously formed part of the now defunct Ottoman Empire. 1 July 1920 First British high commissioner of Palestine is appointed In 1917, the Balfour Declaration had given official British support for a Jewish national home in Palestine. The territory's new high commissioner, former Home Secretary Sir Herbert Samuel, was Jewish, but he was determined to deal even-handedly with the Palestinian Arabs and the increasing numbers of Jewish immigrants. In May 1921, Arab unrest caused Samuel to halt Jewish immigration. July 1921 Unemployment reaches a post-war high of 2.5 million Prime Minister David Lloyd George had promised 'a land fit for heroes' following World War One, but after a short post-war boom, demobilised soldiers found it increasingly difficult to get work. Deprivation was widespread and industrial relations deteriorated. War debts to the United States and non-payment of European allies' war debts meant the government could not pay for many planned reforms. The 1922 Geddes Report recommended heavy cuts in education, public health and workers' benefits. 23 August 1921 British mandate of Mesopotamia becomes the Kingdom of Iraq The three former Ottoman provinces of Baghdad, Basra and Mosul, named Iraq by the British, were in a state of revolt. In an effort to quell the unrest, Emir Faisal was made king and administrator of the country. King Faisal was a member of the Hashemite family, who had been important British allies against the Ottoman Empire. 6 December 1921 Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty is signed, resulting in partition of the island This treaty ended the war between the breakaway southern Irish Republic and Britain, and was supposed to resolve the sectarian 'Ulster problem' by partitioning Ireland. It turned southern Ireland into a dominion - rather than a republic - called the 'Irish Free State', with the British sovereign as head of state. The fact that the treaty still bound Ireland to Britain caused deep conflict and led to the outbreak of the Irish Civil War. 28 June 1922 Irish Civil War breaks out The civil war was ignited by the Anglo-Irish Peace Treaty, which created a partitioned Irish 'Free State' within the British Empire. The pro-treaty faction under Michael Collins accepted partition and believed the treaty would eventually lead to a republic. The anti-treaty faction, led by Éamon de Valera, rejected partition and wanted a republic immediately. The war ended in victory for the pro-treaty Free State government under Collins (who was assassinated) but caused lasting bitterness. 19 October 1922 Prime Minister David Lloyd George resigns as his wartime coalition breaks up The wartime coalition of Conservatives and David Lloyd George's Liberals won the 1918 general election and began the work of national recovery after World War One. But in 1922, Tory backbenchers overruled their own party leader and voted to leave the coalition, resuming independence as Conservatives. They were disgusted by Lloyd George's Anglo-Irish Treaty and fearful he was about to go to war with Turkey. With his government fatally compromised, Lloyd George resigned. 23 October 1922 Conservative Andrew Bonar Law becomes prime minister Having precipitated the fall of David Lloyd George's Liberal-Conservative coalition government with a brilliant speech to his Conservative colleagues, Andrew Bonar Law was invited by George V to form a government. Law called a general election on 15 November 1922. The Conservatives won 344 seats, Labour 142, National Liberals (Lloyd George's party) approximately 53, Liberals (under Herbert Asquith) approximately 62. Ill health forced Bonar Law to retire in 1923. He died six months later. 15 May 1923 The British Mandate of Transjordan becomes a semi-independent state The mandate for Palestine was divided along the River Jordan, with 'Transjordan' on the eastern side. The Hashemite Emir Abdullah, eldest son of Britain's ally the Sharif Hussein of Mecca, became ruler of the territory. In 1946, Transjordan received independence and Abdullah became King Abdullah I of Jordan. 22 May 1923 Conservative Stanley Baldwin becomes prime minister Conservative Stanley Baldwin became prime minister, with Neville Chamberlain as chancellor of the exchequer, after Andrew Bonar Law resigned due to ill health. Baldwin proposed to abandon free trade, hoping that tariff reform would help to beat unemployment - an unpopular measure. Following the elections of December 1923, the reunited Liberals joined Labour to extinguish tariff reform by a vote of no confidence. Baldwin resigned. 23 January 1924 Ramsay Macdonald becomes the first Labour prime minister After the vote of no confidence that saw Stanley Baldwin resign as prime minister, the leader of the largest opposition party, Ramsay Macdonald, was called on to form a minority Labour government. Labour was unable to realise its more radical ambitions because of its reliance on Liberal support. This helped Macdonald allay fears that a party representing the working class must be revolutionary, but disappointed many supporters on the left. 29 October 1924 Conservatives win a landslide election following the 'Zinoviev Letter' In February 1924, the Labour government formally recognised the Soviet Union, despite nervousness about Communist ambitions. In October, MI5 intercepted an apparently seditious letter from a Soviet official to British communists. Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald agreed to the suppression of the 'Zinoviev letter', but it was leaked just before the election. Stanley Baldwin's Conservatives won by a landslide. Labour's share of the vote actually increased, but the Liberals were totally eclipsed. 28 April 1925 Chancellor Winston Churchill returns Britain to the 'Gold Standard' In his first budget as chancellor of the exchequer, Winston Churchill returned Britain to its pre-1914 monetary system, whereby sterling was fixed at a price reflecting the country's gold reserves. The move resulted in massive deflation and overvaluing of the pound. This made British manufacturing industries uncompetitive, which in turn exacerbated the massive economic problems Britain was to face in the 1930s. 5 August 1925 'Plaid Cymru' is formed to disseminate knowledge of the Welsh language Although the party was initially formed to promote Welsh language and culture, by the 1930s it had a political agenda and was determined that Wales should achieve independent status as a dominion. 26 January 1926 John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television John Logie Baird, a Scottish engineer and inventor, gave a demonstration of a machine for the transmission of pictures, which he called 'television'. Around 50 scientists assembled in his attic workshop in London to witness the event. It was not until after the World War Two that televisions became widely available. 3 May 1926 General strike is declared after miners reject the Samuel Report The Samuel Report sought to rationalise the British coal industry, whose coal had become too expensive, through pay cuts and increased hours. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) ordered a general strike. Well-organised government emergency measures and the lack of widespread public support for the strikers meant it was called off after nine days. 16 May 1926 Irish politician Éamon de Valera establishes the Fianna Fáil party The Irish Civil War made the Irish Free State a reality. Éamon de Valera, who had fought against the treaty that established the Free State, now created the Fianna Fáil party to participate in its political life. Fianna Fáil members elected to the Free State's Dáil (parliament) initially refused to take their seats unless the oath of allegiance to the British sovereign was abolished. Faced with exclusion from politics, Fianna Fáil eventually took the oath, dismissing it as an 'empty formula'. 19 October 1926 Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa are recognised as autonomous In 1923, a dominion's right to make a treaty with a foreign power had been accepted. The Imperial Conference in London went further towards legally defining a dominion by recognising that the dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) were autonomous and equal in status, a decision that was later affirmed by the 1931 Statute of Westminster. 1 January 1927 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is created A group of radio manufacturers, including radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, set up the British Broadcasting Company in 1922. In 1927 the company was granted a Royal Charter, becoming the British Broadcasting Corporation under John Reith. Reith's mission was improve Britain through broadcasting, and he famously instructed the corporation to 'inform, educate and entertain'. 7 May 1928 All women over the age of 21 get the vote The fifth Reform Act brought in by the Conservative government altered the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which had only allowed women over 30 who owned property to be enfranchised. The new act gave women the vote on the same terms as men. September 1928 The first 'talkie' (film with dialogue) is shown in Britain British audiences were introduced to talking pictures when the 'The Jazz Singer', opened in London. Cinema-going was immensely popular during the 1920s and 1930s and virtually every town, suburb and major housing development had at least one cinema. There was often a double bill of a main and 'B' feature, supported by a newsreel. 30 September 1928 Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin While working at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, Alexander Fleming noticed that a mould growing on a dish had stopped bacteria developing. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain developed penicillin further so it could be used as a drug, but it was not until World War Two that it began to be mass produced. 30 May 1929 Labour wins the general election with Ramsay Macdonald as prime minister Ramsay Macdonald headed the first Labour government with a clear majority. It lasted for two years. Labour won 287 seats, the Conservatives 262 and the Liberals 59. Macdonald's administration coincided with the Great Depression, a global economic slump triggered by the Wall Street Crash. Unemployment jumped by one million in 1930, and in some industrial towns reached 75%. 24 October 1929 Wall Street Crash sparks the Great Depression The crash of the American Wall Street financial markets in 1929 crippled the economies of the US and Europe, resulting in the Great Depression. In Britain, unemployment had peaked just below three million by 1932. It was only with rearmament in the period immediately before the outbreak of World War Two that the worst of the Depression could be said to be over. 21 January 1930 London Conference on Naval Disarmament starts A powerful disarmament movement reached the peak of its activities in the 1930s. Ramsay Macdonald, a committed internationalist and pacifist, was an enthusiastic believer that the League of Nations could make the world disarm through dialogue. But in 1931, Japan seized Manchuria and pulled out of the League. The rise of militarist regimes across Europe meant that by 1933 the idea of 'collective security' was looking increasingly unworkable. 12 March 1930 Mohandas Gandhi leads a march to the sea in protest against the Indian salt monopoly Mohandas Gandhi defied the British government, which had a monopoly on salt-making, by leading a 400km march to the sea to make his own salt. Five million Indians copied him in defiance of the government. Gandhi was imprisoned from 1930-1931, as were approximately 60,000 others. 24 June 1930 'Simon Report' proposes representative government for India In 1927, a parliamentary commission headed by Sir John Simon was sent to India to investigate grievances and make recommendations on the future of the country. Notably, the commission did not have any Indian members. Although the commission recommended representative government in the provinces (provincial assemblies), it advised that power should remain with the British Viceroy. The Indian National Congress, which wanted dominion status granted immediately, organised huge demonstrations. 12 November 1930 'Round Table' conference on India opens in London Three of these conferences took place from 1930-1933, the last of which failed to include any Indian members. The collapse of the Round Table talks led to further mass non-cooperation in India. A new Government of India Act was passed in 1935, granting Indians an elected assembly and extending the powers of the eleven provincial assemblies. 4 March 1931 Mohandas Gandhi agrees to suspend civil disobedience in India With popular protests causing significant problems, the viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, agreed the Delhi Pact, under which political prisoners would be released in return for suspension of the civil disobedience movement. In the same year, Mohandas Gandhi attended a Round Table conference as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress (INC). Gandhi was promised dominion status for India, but it was rejected by the INC because he had failed to consult its minority leaders. 22 - 23 August 1931 Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald resigns in a row over the budget Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald asked a commission, headed by Sir George May, to investigate Britain's dire economic situation. The May Committee recommended slashing government expenditure, including unemployment benefit. Macdonald agreed, but the measures were voted down by his cabinet colleagues. He offered his resignation to the king, George V, but was instead persuaded to lead a 'national government' coalition, which included Conservatives and Liberals, but only three Labour ministers. 27 October 1931 'National government' coalition wins the election, but Labour support plummets Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald called a general election to seek legitimacy for his 'national government' coalition. He was returned to power with 556 pro-national government MPs, of which 471 were Conservatives. The Labour Party expelled Macdonald for what was perceived as treachery. The new national government forced through the measures that Macdonald's Labour colleagues had vehemently opposed. 16 February 1932 Éamon De Valera's Fianna Fáil party wins the Irish general election Once the champion of armed opposition to the Irish Free State, Éamon De Valera now rose to lead it with this general election victory. After a second general election win in 1933, De Valera began unilaterally dismantling the Irish Free State's relationship with Britain. A trade war began after Fianna Fáil reneged on a £100 million loan from the British government. 1 October 1932 Oswald Mosley founds the British Union of Fascists Oswald Mosley, formerly a Conservative and then Labour member of parliament, modelled his party along Italian fascist lines. The party never became part of the political mainstream and was banned in 1940. Moseley was interned during the war and twice attempted unsuccessfully to return to parliament in post-war Britain. He died in 1980. 3 October 1932 Iraq joins the League of Nations after the British mandate ends Iraq became independent under King Faisal, who died in 1933. Its strategic importance and oil reserves ensured that Britain maintained a military presence there. During World War Two the British occupied Iraq, as the pro-Axis government intended to cut oil supplies and British access between Egypt and India. 1934 Scottish Nationalist Party is founded to fight for an independent Scotland Scottish 'Home Rule' had been supported by both 19th-century Liberals and 20th-century Labour, but had made no progress. The Scottish Nationalist Party was an amalgam of the left-leaning National Party of Scotland (NPS) and the more right-wing Scottish Party. Its objective was to secede from the United Kingdom. 19 July 1934 New air defence programme adds 41 squadrons to the RAF In 1933, German leader Adolf Hitler had withdrawn from the Disarmament Conference and the League of Nations in order to begin re-arming. Despite a 1935 League of Nations 'peace ballot' that showed 90% of the British public favoured multilateral disarmament, the British government reluctantly began to re-arm. There remained a strong political determination to avoid war at all costs. 22 September 1934 Gresford Mine Disaster kills 266 in North Wales This explosion, which killed 266 men, was one of the worst disasters in British mining history. Two hundred children were left fatherless in an area of North Wales where a 40% unemployment rate had already caused widespread poverty. 11 April 1935 Italy, France and Britain meet to discuss German rearmament The Stresa Conference was intended to form a united front against Adolf Hitler's Germany, but Italian leader Benito Mussolini had more in common with Hitler than with the western democracies. On 2 October, he invaded Ethiopia. Despite public sanctions, in a secret agreement dubbed the Hoare-Laval Pact, France and Britain devised a partition plan which gave Italy two-thirds of Ethiopia. 7 June 1935 Conservative Stanley Baldwin becomes prime minister for the third time Stanley Baldwin became prime minister after Ramsay Macdonald resigned due to ill health. The 'power behind the throne' during Macdonald's premiership, Baldwin remained prime minister until 28 May 1937, when he was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain. July 1935 First Penguin paperbacks go on sale, bringing literature to the masses Publisher Allen Lane felt there was a need for cheap, easily available editions of quality contemporary writing. The first ten Penguins included works by Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. They cost just sixpence, the same price as a packet of cigarettes, and were available in traditional bookshops, but also in railway stations and tobacconists. Three million Penguin paperbacks were sold within a year. It was a revolution in publishing that massively widened public access to literature. 20 January 1936 George V dies and is succeeded by Edward VIII As Prince of Wales, Edward had visited many parts of the country hit by the prolonged economic depression. These visits, his apparently genuine concern for the underprivileged and his official overseas tours on behalf of his father made him popular in Britain and abroad. But his choice of bride would spark a constitutional crisis. He had fallen in love with a married American woman, Wallis Simpson. When she obtained a divorce in October 1936, it opened the way for her to marry Edward. 26 August 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty ends the British protectorate of Egypt Britain was reluctant to end its occupation of Egypt because the Suez Canal provided a vital sea route to India. The treaty allowed the British to retain control of the Suez Canal for the next 20 years, and for Britain to reoccupy the country in the event of any threat to British interests. 5 October 1936 Jarrow men march to London to highlight local poverty and unemployment Poverty and mass unemployment (as high as 70%) in the north east of England drove 200 men from Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, to march 300 miles to London to deliver a petition to parliament asking for a steel works to replace the local shipyard that had recently closed down. The marchers attracted considerable public sympathy, but the crusade ultimately made little real impact. In heavy industry areas like the north east the Depression continued until the rearmament boom of World War Two. 10 December 1936 Edward VIII abdicates in order to marry Wallace Simpson Edward VIII wished to marry American Wallis Simpson. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin advised him that the British people would not accept her because she was a divorcee. Faced with losing the woman he loved, Edward chose instead to abdicate. On 11 December, he broadcast his decision to the nation. He married Wallace Simpson in France in June 1937. They became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Baldwin was widely credited with averting a constitutional crisis that could have ended the monarchy. 12 May 1937 George VI is crowned king Edward VIII's younger brother, the Duke of York, was crowned George VI. He and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), became inspirational figures for Britain during World War Two. The monarch visited his armies on several battle fronts and founded the George Cross for 'acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger'. 7 July 1937 Peel Commission recommends partitioning Palestine The idea of partitioning Palestine between its Arab and Jewish inhabitants was rejected by both sides, and by January 1938 a new report had been commissioned. In 1939, a government white paper recommended that the final number of Jewish immigrants should be limited to 75,000, and Palestine should become independent under majority Arab rule. The outbreak of World War Two put the issue on hold. 29 December 1937 New constitution makes Ireland a republic in all but name With the British government distracted by the constitutional crisis of Edward VIII's abdication, Irish Free State leader Éamon De Valera seized the opportunity to draw up a new constitution for Ireland that omitted any references to its place within the British Empire. In addition to making Ireland a de facto republic, the constitution laid claim to the whole of Ireland, including Ulster. De Valera became the 'Taoiseach', the equivalent of prime minister. 12 February 1938 First refugee children of the 'Kindertransport' arrive in Britain A total of 10,000 Jewish children between the ages of five and 17 were sent from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Britain between December 1938 and the outbreak of war in September 1939. Many were given homes by British families, or lived in hostels. Very few of them saw their parents again. 20 February 1938 Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden resigns over the 'appeasement' of Italy With overt militarism on the rise across Europe, Britain persisted with its policy of 'appeasement' - making concessions to avoid provoking a wider scale war. Notably, Britain had not intervened in the brutal Spanish Civil War in order to avoid antagonising Italy. The decision of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to recognise the king of Italy as emperor of Ethiopia following the Italians' unprovoked invasion was a concession too far for Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, who resigned. 12 March 1938 Germany occupies and then annexes Austria in the 'Anschluss' The union of Austria and Germany was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was deeply resented by both countries for its allocation of 'war guilt' and imposition of heavy reparations. When the German army marched into Austria in March 1938, they were welcomed by cheering crowds of Austrians. 28 - 30 September 1938 'Munich Agreement' cedes the Sudetenland to Germany The Munich Conference between Britain's Neville Chamberlain, Germany's Adolf Hitler, Italy's Benito Mussolini and Edouard Daladier of France agreed that the Czechoslovakian territory of the Sudetenland and its three million ethnic Germans should be joined with Germany. Chamberlain returned to Britain claiming he had achieved 'peace in our time'. In fact, it would come to be a clear demonstration that appeasement did not work, as by March 1939 Hitler had seized the rest of Czechoslovakia. 31 March 1939 Britain guarantees territorial integrity of Poland This guarantee formally ended the policy of appeasement, and the British government reluctantly began to prepare for war. Conscription was introduced for the first time in peacetime on 27 April, with little protest. On 23 August, the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact put paid to British hopes of a Russian ally. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain warned Adolf Hitler that Britain would support Poland if it was attacked by Germany. 3 September 1939 Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland On 1 September, German forces invaded Poland. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain still hoped to avoid declaring war on Germany, but a threatened revolt in the cabinet and strong public feeling that Hitler should be confronted forced him to honour the Anglo-Polish Treaty. Britain was at war with Germany for the second time in 25 years. 9 April 1940 Germany mounts surprise invasions of Norway and Denmark Germany invaded neighbouring Denmark on 7 April, and the Danes surrendered after two days. Denmark provided a land route to neutral Norway, which was invaded on 9 April. The small Norwegian army mounted fierce resistance, with the help of 12,000 British and French troops. The campaign in Norway ended when the German invasion of France and the Low Countries changed the focus of the war. The Allies were forced to evacuate. 10 May 1940 Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of the coalition government Following the disastrous Norwegian campaign, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain faced heavy criticism at home. By early May, Chamberlain had lost the confidence of the House of Commons. Labour ministers refused to serve in a national coalition with Chamberlain as leader, so he resigned. Churchill became prime minister on 10 May, the same day Germany invaded Holland and Belgium. 10 May 1940 German invasion of the Low Countries and France begins The German army rapidly defeated France with a strategy called 'blitzkrieg', or 'lightning war', which used speed, flexibility and surprise to execute huge outflanking manoeuvres. Paris fell on 14 June and France capitulated on 25 June. Hitler had achieved in a matter of weeks what the German army had failed to do after four years of desperate fighting on the Western Front of World War One. 26 May 1940 Thousands of Allied troops are evacuated from Dunkirk, France Allied forces were utterly overwhelmed by the German 'blitzkrieg' in France. Thousands of soldiers were trapped in a shrinking pocket of territory centred around the French seaside town of Dunkirk. The Royal Navy's Operation Dynamo succeeded in evacuating approximately 338,000 British and French troops in destroyers and hundreds of 'little ships' - volunteers who sailed to France in their own vessels - over a period of ten days, while under constant attack from the Luftwaffe (German air force). 30 June 1940 German forces occupy the Channel Islands Britain had taken the decision not to defend the Channel Islands in the event of a German invasion. As German forces overran France in June 1940, about 30,000 people were evacuated from the islands, with about twice that number choosing to remain. Jersey and Guernsey were bombed on 28 June with the loss of 44 lives. The German occupation began two days later. The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied during the war. 3 July 1940 French fleet in North Africa is destroyed by the Royal Navy The attack on the French fleet at the Algerian port of Mers-el-Kébir left almost 1,300 Frenchmen dead and the fleet immobilised. Prime Minister Winston Churchill personally ordered the fleet destroyed if it refused to fight alongside British, following France's capitulation to the Germans. Despite the cost in lives, Churchill could not allow the fleet to become a threat to British naval dominance in the Mediterranean. 13 August 1940 Battle of Britain begins with heavy raids by the German Luftwaffe In July 1940, German leader Adolf Hitler ordered preparations for Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain. The Luftwaffe (German air force) first had to destroy the Royal Air Force. Vastly outnumbered, the RAF nonetheless consistently inflicted heavy losses on the German squadrons, thanks to excellent aircraft, determined pilots and radar technology. On 17 September, two days after the Luftwaffe sustained its heaviest single day of losses, Hitler postponed the invasion. 2 September 1940 'Destroyers for bases' agreement gives Britain 50 US destroyers In September 1940, US President Franklin Roosevelt signed an agreement to give Britain 50 obsolete American destroyers in exchange for the use of naval and air bases in eight British possessions. The lease was guaranteed for the duration of 99 years 'free from all rent and charges'. Nonetheless, the US showed no sign yet of entering the war on the Allied side, as many in Britain hoped they would. 7 September 1940 'Blitz' begins with a massive daylight raid by the Luftwaffe German bombing raids had already targeted Liverpool and Birmingham during August, but on 7 September the 'Blitz' intensified as 950 aircraft attacked London. It was the start of 57 consecutive nights of heavy bombing. The raid caused some 300 civilian deaths and a further 1,300 serious injuries. By the end of the Blitz, around 30,000 Londoners had been killed with another 50,000 injured. 15 April 1941 1,000 people are killed in the Belfast Blitz No city, save London, suffered more loss of life in one night raid than Belfast, after 180 German bombers attacked the city. At the height of the raid an appeal was sent to the Irish leader Éamon De Valera, who sent fire engines to help fight the fires raging in the city. 20 May 1941 German troops invade Crete, driving the Allies out of the Eastern Mediterranean German and Italian troops had overrun Greece in three weeks, starting on 6 April. Commonwealth troops were rushed there from Egypt to help the Greek resistance, but had to be evacuated. Many were sent to Crete in an effort to prevent the Axis powers dominating the eastern Mediterranean. Crete was attacked by the Germans on 20 May, and the Allied forces there were defeated and evacuated by the end of the month. 24 May 1941 HMS 'Hood' sunk by the German battleship 'Bismarck' The British battlecruiser 'Hood' was sunk during the Battle of Denmark Strait, probably by a single shell from the German battleship 'Bismarck'. The ship sank so quickly that only three of the 1,418 man crew survived. 'Hood' was a well-known symbol of British imperial power and its loss was a significant psychological blow to Britain. The 'Bismarck' was itself sunk by the Royal Navy on 27 May 1941. 12 August 1941 Anglo-American alliance is sealed with the Atlantic Charter The Atlantic Charter, agreed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin Roosevelt, set out the principles that would shape the struggle against German aggression. It was drawn up during a secret meeting aboard the USS 'Augusta', off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The charter was supported by 26 countries, including the Soviet Union, and after the war formed the basis of the United Nations Declaration. America entered the war four months later. 26 January 1942 First American troops arrive in Europe, landing in Belfast America entered the war on the Allied side in December 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent German declaration of war on the United States. Millions of men and thousands of planes and tanks were deployed to Britain, which became a base for American airmen flying bombing raids over Europe, a staging post for American troops on their way to fight in North Africa, and crucially the launching point for the D-Day invasions that began the liberation of Western Europe. 15 February 1942 British colony of Singapore surrenders to Japanese forces This catastrophic defeat was a fatal blow to British prestige and signalled the fall of the empire in the Far East. The Japanese unexpectedly attacked down the Malay Peninsula instead of from the sea, where Singapore's defences were concentrated. About 70,000 men were taken prisoner, many of whom would not survive the war due to the brutal conditions of their incarceration. 11 March 1942 Sir Stafford Cripps goes to India to offer post-war self-government Sir Richard Stafford Cripps was sent to India in March 1942 to win the co-operation of Indian political groups. The Japanese had occupied Burma, and were at the border of India. Stafford Cripps effectively offered post-war independence, which Mohandas Gandhi described as a 'post-dated cheque on a crashing bank'. The Indian National Congress insisted on immediate independence, which Stafford Cripps refused. Gandhi launched a last civil disobedience campaign, for which he was imprisoned. 30 May 1942 Start of the RAF's 'thousand bomber raids' on German cities Air Marshall Arthur Harris took command of the Royal Air Force's bomber force in February 1942. He wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of Bomber Command with massive, concentrated raids ('area bombing') on key German cities. The first 'thousand bomber raid' was on Cologne, with a second, two nights later, on Essen. A third raid, this time on Bremen, took place on 25 June. The raids caused massive destruction, particularly in Cologne. 19 August 1942 'Dieppe Raid' ends in disaster for the Allies The Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe, on the northern French coast, had a variety of purposes. It would raise morale at a time when the war was going badly, it would show the Soviets that the western Allies could open a second front, and it would teach valuable lessons for the eventual full-scale invasion of Europe. It was a disaster. Of the 6,000 mainly Canadian troops who made it ashore, more than 4,000 were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. 23 October - 4 November 1942 Decisive British victory over German forces at Battle of El Alamein, Egypt General Claude Auchinleck had stopped the Axis forces (mainly German and Italian troops) during the First Battle of El Alamein in early July 1942, but the Allied position was still precarious. When General Bernard Montgomery took command of 8th Army, he built up its strength to a level of superiority before smashing the Axis forces in a carefully coordinated assault, driving them all the way back to Tunisia. By May 1943, the Axis had been completely cleared out of North Africa. November 1942 'Beveridge Report' lays the foundations for the Welfare State Sir William Beveridge's report gave a summary of principles aimed at banishing poverty from Britain, including a system of social security that would be operated by the government, and would come into effect when war ended. Beveridge argued that the war gave Britain a unique opportunity to make revolutionary changes. Beveridge's recommendations for the creation of a Welfare State were implemented by Clement Attlee after the war, including the creation of the National Health Service in 1948. 13 May 1943 Axis siege of the island of Malta is lifted Malta's position in the Mediterranean made it strategically vital for the Allies. It was effectively under siege from 1940 and suffered devastating Axis (Italian and German) bombing. From January to July 1942 there was only one 24-hour period when no bombs fell on the island. In summer 1942, George VI awarded the island of Malta the George Cross in acknowledgement of the bravery of its inhabitants. The siege was finally lifted when Axis forces capitulated in North Africa on 13 May 1943, . 16 May 1943 'Dambusters Raid' by the RAF breaches two dams in the Ruhr valley This Royal Air Force raid by 19 Lancasters utilised a 'bouncing bomb', developed by British scientist Barnes Wallis, in an attempt to destroy three major dams supplying water and power to the important German industrial region of the Ruhr. Two of the dams were breached, but 53 of the 133 aircrew were killed. Severe flooding killed over 1,000 people, but the damage to the Ruhr's industrial capability was relatively minor. Nonetheless, the raids were a major propaganda victory. 23 May 1943 Germany calls off the Battle of the Atlantic Allied merchant shipping losses to German 'U-boats' in the Atlantic had reached crisis levels in late 1942 to early 1943. At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, Allied leaders allocated more resources to the battle. In March 1943, after a 'blackout' of several months, German U-boat ciphers were once again broken, allowing the new resources to be deployed to devastating effect. By May 1943, U-boat losses were so heavy that Kriegsmarine commander Admiral Karl Dönitz called off the battle. 10 July 1943 First Allied troops land in Europe as invasion of Sicily begins When British and American troops landed on the south eastern tip of Sicily, it was the first significant Allied landing on European soil in two years. After a prolonged battle, Axis forces started withdrawing from the island on 11 August. The island of Sicily gave the Allies a foothold for the invasion of mainland Italy, which began in September. May 1944 Butler Act creates free secondary education RA Butler, the progressive Conservative chancellor of the exchequer, created universal free secondary education to the age of 15, something people had campaigned for since the 19th century. There were three types of schools - grammar, secondary modern and technical, entrance to which was determined by the '11 plus' examination. 18 May 1944 Allies win the Battle of Monte Cassino after five months of fighting The battle centred on the ancient Italian monastery of Monte Cassino. The Allies were attempting to break through the German 'Gustav Line', which ran across Italy, south of Rome. The Germans sought to halt the Allied advance north by holding them at Monte Cassino. The bitter fighting lasted over five months, during which the monastery was reduced to rubble. By the time the Allies broke through, casualties numbered more than 54,000 Allied and 20,000 Germans troops. 6 June 1944 Allied forces land in Normandy on D-Day, starting the liberation of France The invasion of Europe - the largest amphibious invasion in history - succeeded in landing 150,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy on the first day, through a massive combined operation requiring hundreds of ships and total air superiority. Behind the lines, Allied paratroops seized key strategic targets, while the French resistance sabotaged rail and communication links. By the end of D-Day, five beachheads were secured, and the Allies had a foothold in France. 22 June 1944 Allies defeat the Japanese at the battles of Imphal and Kohima Since the start of the Burma campaign in 1941, Allied forces had done little but retreat to the point that Japanese forces stood ready to invade north east India. When the command of 14th Army passed to Lieutenant General William Slim, he imbued it with a new fighting spirit and developed a strategy of air support that allowed besieged positions to hold out against Japanese assault. He used Kohima and Imphal to break the Japanese in Burma and by June 1945, 14th Army had retaken Rangoon. 25 September 1944 Allied forces are defeated at the Battle of Arnhem Operation Market Garden was a bold plan to land 30,000 Allied troops behind enemy lines and capture eight bridges spanning a network of waterways on the Dutch-German border near Arnhem. It would allow the Allies to outflank German border defences, opening the way for an advance into Germany and an early end to the war. A combination of factors, including faulty intelligence about German strength and bad weather, resulted in failure. More than 1,130 Allied troops were killed and 6,000 captured. 4 February 1945 Allied leaders shape the post-war world at the Yalta Conference The war leaders agreed that Germany should be forced to surrender unconditionally and would be divided into four zones between Britain, the Soviet Union, France and the United States. It was also agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan after Germany was defeated. 15 April 1945 British troops liberate the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, Germany The liberation of Bergen-Belsen brought the horrors of Nazi genocide home to the British public when film and photographs of the camp appeared in British newspapers and cinemas. Conditions at Bergen-Belsen were so desperate that more than 10,000 prisoners died in the weeks after the liberation of the camp, despite the best efforts of the Allies to keep them alive. Millions were murdered to satisfy Nazi theories about racial-biological purity, at least six million of whom were Jews. 8 May 1945 Britain celebrates the end of war on Victory in Europe Day German forces had been utterly defeated by the end of April 1945. Adolf Hitler committed suicide on 30 April as Soviet forces closed in on his Berlin bunker. The German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz surrendered to Allied General Dwight Eisenhower in France on 7 May. The following day was officially celebrated in Britain as Victory in Europe Day. The entire country came to a standstill as people celebrated the end of war. 26 July 1945 Labour wins the general election by a landslide On 23 May the wartime coalition government ended. Winston Churchill headed a temporary Conservative government until the July general elections, which Labour won with a majority of 146. Returning soldiers wanted social reforms and had rejected the 'war leader' Churchill in favour of Labour's Clement Attlee. The post-war years saw the implementation of many of the reforms recommended by Sir William Beveridge in 1942, and the creation of the Welfare State. 15 August 1945 Victory over Japan Day marks the end of World War Two On 6 August, an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the American bomber 'Enola Gay'. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on the port city of Nagasaki. In all, 140,000 people perished. Less than a week later, the Japanese leadership agreed to an unconditional surrender, and the Emperor Hirohito broadcast his nation's the capitulation over the radio. Victory over Japan day also marked the end of World War Two. 24 October 1945 United Nations comes into existence with Britain as a founder member At the Yalta Conference in early 1945, the 'Big Three' of Britain's Winston Churchill, US President Franklin D Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin agreed to establish a new global organisation - the United Nations. The structure and charter of the organisation were established at another conference in San Francisco. Britain became one of the five 'security council' members, with a power of veto. On 24 October, the UN officially came into existence when its members ratified its charter.

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History of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury - GOV.UK Conservative Major acts Naval Defence Act 1889: greatly enlarged the size of the Royal Navy, to ensure the '2 power standard' which maintained the number of battleships to at least the combined size of the next 2 largest navies (France and Russia). Interesting facts Founded the London County Council in 1889 - the directly elected municipal authority for the County of London. Was in existence until 1965. Salisbury was the last peer to serve as PM, with the brief exception of the 14th Earl of Home who renounced his peerage within a few days of being appointed. “English policy is to float lazily downstream, occasionally putting out a diplomatic boathook to avoid collisions.” Compared to the flamboyance of Disraeli and Gladstone, Lord Salisbury was a reserved, distant figure, yet he ranks among Britain’s longest-serving prime ministers. Born into an aristocratic family, Lord Salisbury was a descendent of Lord Burghley, a minister of Queen Elizabeth I. A frail child and prone to depression, he developed a love of books and botany. After gaining a fourth-class degree in mathematics from Oxford, he set out on a world tour for the good of his health, visiting South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. He returned much stronger, with a keen interest in the British Empire. Lord Salisbury entered the Commons in 1853 at the age of 23, as MP for Stamford. To earn enough to support himself and his wife, he started writing political articles for journals, gaining him a reputation as a sharp and clever commentator. His first political post came in 1866, when he was appointed Secretary of State for India under the Earl of Derby . Less than a year later, he resigned in opposition to plans to extend the electoral franchise. In 1868 he entered the House of Lords following the death of his father, and became Chancellor of Oxford University a year later. He maintained his intellectual interests, building a laboratory at Hatfield House where he experimented with electricity. When the Conservatives returned to office in 1874, he became Secretary of State for India under Disraeli . Although their relationship started out stormily, it improved so much that in 1878 Disraeli appointed Lord Salisbury as Foreign Secretary, and he helped to secure peace in the Balkans at the Congress of Berlin. He took over the Conservative leadership on Disraeli’s death in 1881, and reluctantly became prime minister of a minority administration in 1885. His first administration included legislation on housing the working class but within months an election cut short his term. Returning to office in 1886, his second administration was much stronger, benefiting from the Liberals’ internal strife. Reforms at home included the Local Government Act of 1888, transferring the administration of counties to elected county councils, and the 1891 Free Education Act that abolished fees for primary education. Instead of the traditional role of First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Salisbury unusually combined the role of the Prime Minister with that of Foreign Secretary - a demanding double job. Adopting a hands-off attitude to matters at home, his main interests lay in the direction of foreign affairs, especially British interests in Africa. His other political legacy was strengthening the Conservative party by unifying different factions. Under his direction, the colony of Rhodesia (today’s Zimbabwe) was established, with its capital city named Salisbury. The Prime Minister’s diplomatic skills were demonstrated in 1890 to 1891, through a settlement reached with the other European imperial powers over African territories. By the time he became Prime Minister for the third and final time in 1895, he had become a well-loved elder statesman. Home legislation included the Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1897, making the employer liable for accidents at work. Abroad, problems were brewing in the Cape Colony in South Africa - the Boer War broke out in 1899, splitting the Cabinet and leading to his resignation in 1902. His nephew, Arthur Balfour, replaced him as Prime Minister. He died in 1903 at Hatfield House, his family home in Hertfordshire. Help us improve GOV.UK

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History of Gordon Brown - GOV.UK GOV.UK The Rt Hon David Cameron MP Gordon Brown Gordon Brown Labour 2007 to 2010 Born 20 February 1951, Giffnock, Glasgow, Scotland Dates in office Labour Major acts Climate Change Act 2008: to set a target for the year 2050 for the reduction of targeted greenhouse gas emissions. Counter-Terrorism Act 2008: to confer further powers to gather and share information for counter-terrorism and other purposes. Interesting facts Britain’s longest-serving modern Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was appointed Chancellor in May 1997, when Tony Blair became Prime Minister, through to June 2007 when he started as Prime Minister himself. As Prime Minister, Gordon Brown oversaw the devolution of powers in Northern Ireland, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and the world's first ever Climate Change Act. Gordon Brown was born in Scotland and grew up in the industrial town of Kirkcaldy. He started at Edinburgh University aged 16, becoming the youngest fresher there since the war. It was at university that he began to have problems with his sight and doctors diagnosed him with a detached retina, which was caused by an injury he received in his final game for his school rugby team. He gained a First Class honours degree in History and became the youngest ever Rector of Edinburgh University in 1972. Gordon Brown became MP for Dunfermline East in the 1983 General Election with a majority of 11,000 and shared his first office in the House of Commons with Tony Blair, where they became friends. Later he became Shadow Chancellor and backed Tony Blair for the leadership of the Labour Party. Working together they won a landslide majority in 1997. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer during the longest ever period of economic growth. He also made the Bank of England independent and announced, at the Gleneagles Summit in 2005, an agreement to support the world’s poorest countries and deal with climate change. His passion for global justice was shown in his negotiation to cancel the debts of the world’s poorest nations and the tripling of the development budget. It was during his time as Chancellor that he proposed to Sarah Macaulay and 7 months later they were married at their home in North Queensferry. Gordon Brown became Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 after Tony Blair left office. During his time as Prime Minister he oversaw changes such as the introduction of neighbourhood policing in every area, a legally-enforceable right to early cancer screening and treatment, and the world’s first ever Climate Change Act, which was implemented in autumn 2008. The greatest challenge he faced in office was the worldwide financial crisis and the following recession. In April 2009, he hosted the G20 Summit in London where world leaders pledged to make an additional $1.1 trillion available to help the world economy through the crisis and restore credit, growth and jobs. They also pledged to improve financial supervision and regulation. UK combat operations in Iraq, which had begun during his predecessor’s time in office, came to an end under Gordon Brown. British forces withdrew from the country at the end of April 2009. He regularly visited Iraq and Afghanistan and, in December 2009, he became the first Prime Minister for some considerable time to stay in a war zone when he stayed overnight in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He became heavily involved in international negotiations to reach an agreement to replace the Kyoto Treaty and, in December 2009, he attended the United Nations summit in Copenhagen. Following the summit, he pledged to lead an international campaign to turn the agreements reached at Copenhagen into a legally binding treaty. During his time in office, he worked with his Irish counterpart Brian Cowen to negotiate the devolution of policing and justice powers in Northern Ireland. An agreement was finally reached in February 2010 and the powers were passed to Northern Ireland’s government in the following April. Help us improve GOV.UK

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Margaret Thatcher | prime minister of United Kingdom | Britannica.com prime minister of United Kingdom Written By: Alternative Titles: Iron Lady, Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven Margaret Thatcher Prime minister of United Kingdom Also known as Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven Iron Lady David Cameron Margaret Thatcher, in full Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, née Margaret Hilda Roberts (born October 13, 1925, Grantham , Lincolnshire , England —died April 8, 2013, London ), British Conservative Party politician and prime minister (1979–90), Europe’s first woman prime minister. The only British prime minister in the 20th century to win three consecutive terms and, at the time of her resignation, Britain’s longest continuously serving prime minister since 1827, she accelerated the evolution of the British economy from statism to liberalism and became, by personality as much as achievement, the most renowned British political leader since Winston Churchill . Margaret Thatcher. David Montgomery—Hulton Archive/Getty Images Early years The daughter of Alfred Roberts, a grocer and local alderman (and later mayor of Grantham), and Beatrice Ethel Stephenson, Thatcher formed an early desire to be a politician. Her intellectual ability led her to the University of Oxford , where she studied chemistry and was immediately active in politics, becoming one of the first woman presidents of the Oxford University Conservative Association. After graduating in 1947 she worked for four years as a research chemist, reading for the bar in her spare time. From 1954 she practiced as a barrister , specializing in tax law. In 1951 she married a wealthy industrialist, Denis Thatcher (b. 1915—d. 2003), who supported her political ambition. The couple had twins, a son and a daughter, in 1953. Thatcher first ran for Parliament in 1950 but was unsuccessful, despite increasing the local Conservative vote by 50 percent. In 1959 she entered the House of Commons , winning the “safe” Conservative seat of Finchley in northern London. She rose steadily within the party, serving as a parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance (1961–64), as chief opposition spokesman on education (1969–70), and as secretary of state for education and science (1970–74) in the Conservative government of Edward Heath . While a member of the Heath cabinet (Thatcher was only the second woman to hold a cabinet portfolio in a Conservative government), she eliminated a program that provided free milk to schoolchildren, provoking a storm of controversy and prompting opponents in the Labour Party to taunt her with cries of “Thatcher the milk snatcher.” She also created more comprehensive schools—introduced by the Labour Party in the 1960s to make rigorous academic education available to working-class children—than any other education minister in history, though they were undermined during her tenure as prime minister. After Heath lost two successive elections in 1974, Thatcher, though low in the party hierarchy , was the only minister prepared to challenge him for the party leadership. With the backing of the Conservative right wing, she was elected leader in February 1975 and thus began a 15-year ascendancy that would change the face of Britain. Prime minister Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Thatcher led the Conservatives to a decisive electoral victory in 1979 following a series of major strikes during the previous winter (the so-called “Winter of Discontent”) under the Labour Party government of James Callaghan . As a prime minister representing the newly energetic right wing of the Conservative Party (the “Dries,” as they later called themselves, as opposed to the old-style moderate Tories, or “Wets”), Thatcher advocated greater independence of the individual from the state; an end to allegedly excessive government interference in the economy, including privatization of state-owned enterprises and the sale of public housing to tenants; reductions in expenditures on social services such as health care, education, and housing; limitations on the printing of money in accord with the economic doctrine of monetarism ; and legal restrictions on trade unions. The term Thatcherism came to refer not just to these policies but also to certain aspects of her ethical outlook and personal style, including moral absolutism, fierce nationalism , a zealous regard for the interests of the individual, and a combative, uncompromising approach to achieving political goals. Margaret Thatcher, 1980s. British Culture and Politics The main impact of her first term was economic. Inheriting a weak economy, she reduced or eliminated some governmental regulations and subsidies to businesses, thereby purging the manufacturing industry of many inefficient—but also some blameless—firms. The result was a dramatic increase in unemployment, from 1.3 million in 1979 to more than double that figure two years later. At the same time, inflation doubled in just 14 months, to more than 20 percent, and manufacturing output fell sharply. Although inflation decreased and output rose before the end of her first term, unemployment continued to increase, reaching more than three million in 1986. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the Tory Party conference in Blackpool, England, 1981. Hulton Archive/Getty Images Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies Thatcher embarked on an ambitious program of privatization of state-owned industries and public services, including aerospace, television and radio, gas and electricity, water, the state airline, and British Steel. By the end of the 1980s, the number of individual stockholders had tripled, and the government had sold 1.5 million publicly owned housing units to their tenants. Nonetheless, rising unemployment and social tensions during her first term made her deeply unpopular. Her unpopularity would have ensured her defeat in the general election of 1983 were it not for two factors: the Falkland Islands War (1982) between Britain and Argentina, over possession of a remote British dependency in the South Atlantic, and the deep divisions within the Labour Party, which contested the election on a radical manifesto that critics dubbed the “longest suicide note in history.” Thatcher won election to a second term in a landslide—the biggest victory since Labour’s great success in 1945—gaining a parliamentary majority of 144 with just over 42 percent of the vote. Thatcher entered office promising to curb the power of the unions, which had shown their ability to bring the country to a standstill during six weeks of strikes in the winter of 1978–79. Her government enacted a series of measures designed to undermine the unions’ ability to organize and stage strikes, including laws that banned the closed shop, required unions to poll their members before ordering a strike, forbade sympathy strikes, and rendered unions responsible for damages caused by their members. In 1984 the National Union of Mineworkers began a nationwide strike to prevent the closing of 20 coal mines that the government claimed were unproductive. The walkout, which lasted nearly a year, soon became emblematic of the struggle for power between the Conservative government and the trade union movement. Thatcher steadfastly refused to meet the union’s demands, and in the end she won; the miners returned to work without winning a single concession . A terrorist bombing at a Conservative Party conference in Brighton in 1984, the work of the Irish Republican Army , nearly killed Thatcher and several senior members of her government. After battling Ken Livingstone’s Labour-led London government, Thatcher abolished the Greater London Council in 1986. By the end of Thatcher’s second term, few aspects of British life had escaped the most sweeping transformation of Britain since the postwar reforms of the Labour Party. Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest In foreign affairs, the Falklands War illuminated her most significant international relationship, with Ronald Reagan , president of the United States (1981–89). Thatcher and Reagan, who together made the 1980s the decade of conservatism , shared a vision of the world in which the Soviet Union was an evil enemy deserving of no compromise, and their partnership ensured that the Cold War continued in all its frigidity until the rise to power of the reform-minded Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. In keeping with her strong anticommunism—a 1976 speech condemning communism earned her the nickname “Iron Lady” in the Soviet press—Thatcher strongly supported the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent, a stance that proved popular with the electorate, given the Labour Party’s repudiation of Britain’s traditional nuclear and defense policies. In Africa, Thatcher presided over the orderly establishment of an independent Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) in 1980 after 15 years of illegal separation from British colonial rule under a white minority. However, she encountered considerable criticism both at home and abroad for her opposition to international sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa . Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher at the White House, Washington, D.C., July 17, 1987. Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library The second half of Thatcher’s tenure was marked by an inextinguishable controversy over Britain’s relationship with the European Community (EC). In 1984 she succeeded, amid fierce opposition, in drastically reducing Britain’s contribution to the EC budget. After her third electoral victory in 1987, she adopted a steadily more hostile attitude toward European integration . She resisted “federalist” continental trends toward both a single currency and a deeper political union. Her traditionally pro-European party became divided, and a string of senior ministers left the Cabinet over the issue. Trending Topics Eyjafjallajökull volcano The implementation of a poll tax in 1989 produced outbreaks of street violence and alarmed the Conservative rank-and-file, who feared that Thatcher could not lead the party to a fourth consecutive term. Spurred by public disapproval of the poll tax and Thatcher’s increasingly strident tone, Conservative members of Parliament moved against her in November 1990. Although she defeated her most senior opponent, former defense minister Michael Heseltine, by 204 votes to Heseltine’s 152, her total fell four votes short of the necessary majority plus 15 percent, and she decided not to contest the election in a second ballot. On November 22 she announced her resignation as Conservative Party leader and prime minister, paving the way for her replacement by John Major six days later. Later years In retirement, Margaret Thatcher remained a political force. She continued to influence internal Conservative Party politics (often to the dismay of Major), and Thatcherism shaped the priorities of the Labour Party, which she had kept out of office for more than a decade. She remained a member of Parliament until the 1992 election and was subsequently elevated, as a peeress for life, to the House of Lords . She continued to speak and lecture, notably in the United States and Asia, and established the Thatcher Foundation to support free enterprise and democracy , particularly in the newly liberated countries of central and eastern Europe. In 1995 she became a member of the Order of the Garter . Following a series of minor strokes, she retired from public speaking in 2002. Thatcher’s daughter, Carol, revealed in her 2008 memoir A Swim-On Part in the Goldfish Bowl that her mother had been showing symptoms of progressive dementia since 2000.

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BBC - History - British History in depth: Prime Ministers and Politics Timeline On This Day Prime Ministers and Politics Timeline Do you know which prime minister brought 'fallen women' to 10 Downing Street? Or which one fought a duel? Or who was known as 'the Goat'? Take a political journey through nearly 300 years of high ideals and low cunning, from Gordon Brown to the first man to hold prime ministerial powers, Robert Walpole. Margaret Thatcher Conservative, 1979 - 1990 Britain's first female prime minister came to power with the country descending into industrial and economic chaos. A relatively inexperienced politician, she nonetheless adopted a personal style of indomitable self-confidence and brooked no weakness in herself or her colleagues. Derisively dubbed the 'Iron Lady' by the Soviet press, she wore the moniker with pride. Her government's free-market policies included trade liberalisation, deregulation, sweeping privatisation, breaking the power of the unions, focus on the individual and the creation of an 'enterprise culture'. 'Thatcherism' has had a profound and lasting economic and social impact on Britain, and still sharply divides opinion to this day. The first PM to serve three consecutive terms (including two 'landslide' victories) she was eventually toppled by her own party following the disastrous imposition of a 'poll tax'. Nonetheless, she is generally considered to be one of the best peace time prime ministers of the 20th Century. James Callaghan Labour, 1976 - 1979 Callaghan inherited the office of prime minister following the surprise resignation of Harold Wilson. With only a tiny parliamentary majority to support him, he faced an increasingly one-sided confrontation with organised labour in the form of rampant strike action. Things came to a head in the so-called 'Winter of Discontent', a phrase from Shakespeare borrowed by Callaghan himself to describe the events leading up to February 1979. Britain was 'strikebound', with public servants staging mass walk outs, leaving food and fuel supplies undelivered, rubbish uncollected and - most notoriously - bodies unburied. Things became so bad in Hull it was dubbed 'the second Stalingrad'. The tabloid press has since been accused of overstating the severity of the situation (and wrongly quoting him as saying 'Crisis? What Crisis?') but it was enough at the time to sound the death knell for Callaghan's government later in the same year. Harold Wilson Labour, 1974 - 1976 In March 1974, Wilson became prime minister for the third time at the head of a minority government, following the first hung parliament (one where no party holds a majority) for 45 years. Often described as a wily fixer and negotiator, it took all of his skills to hold on to power in the face of economic and industrial turmoil. His party was also sharply divided, with many Labour members of parliament (MPs) bitter about Wilson's manoeuvring against his colleagues. He called another general election in October 1974, thereby ending the shortest parliament since 1681, and was returned to office with a majority of just three seats. He presided over a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), and a collapse in the value of the pound which prompted a humiliating 'rescue operation' by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Exhausted, Wilson resigned saying 'politicians should not go on and on'. Edward Heath Conservative, 1970 - 1974 Heath succeeded in taking Britain into the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the European Union, despite two previous failed attempts by Britain to gain entry, in 1961 and 1967. But his government was dogged by torrid industrial relations and recurrent economic crises. Things came to a head in January 1974, when industry was put on a 'three-day week' to conserve fuel. Fuel was in dangerously short supply following a combination of domestic industrial action (coal miners on 'work-to-rule') and a quadrupling of prices by Middle Eastern oil exporting nations in the wake of Israel's victory in the Yom Kippur War. In March 1974, Heath called a general election on the question of 'who governs Britain?' - the unions, or the elected representatives of the people. To his surprise the result was a hung parliament (one where no party holds a majority) and he was ousted. Harold Wilson Labour, 1964 - 1970 In 1964, 'Good old Mr Wilson' - an avuncular, pipe-smoking figure - came to power amid much excitement and optimism. He had promised a 'new Britain' forged in 'the white heat of a second industrial revolution'. In reality, his administration never escaped from a cycle of economic crises, vainly battling against further devaluations of the pound. Wilson won a second general election in 1966 (the year England lifted the football World Cup) making him the first Labour PM to serve consecutive terms. In 1967, the government failed in its application for membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) and was also finally forced to devalue sterling. The electorate became disillusioned with Wilson, who lost narrowly to the Conservatives in the 1970 election. Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Conservative, 1963 - 1964 In 1963, a change in the law allowed hereditary peers to disclaim (or 'drop') their titles, which in turn meant they were able to become members of parliament (MPs). The only peer ever to do so and become prime minister was Douglas-Home, formerly the 14th Earl of Home, who assumed the office when Harold Macmillan retired due to ill health. He was the first prime minister in the post-war period not to win his own mandate (be elected or re-elected by popular vote). Harold Macmillan, Conservative, 1957 - 1963 Macmillan came to power at a time when Britain was confronting its loss of world-power status and facing mounting economic troubles. Nonetheless, he successfully associated the Conservatives with a new age of affluence and the burgeoning consumer revolution. But his oft-quoted assurance 'You've never had it so good' actually finishes 'What is beginning to worry some of us is, is it too good to be true?'. His government is principally remembered for the so-called 'Profumo Affair', a sex scandal that erupted in 1963 and contributed to the Conservatives' defeat at the general election the following year. Secretary of State for War John Profumo had been having an affair with a showgirl who was also seeing the Soviet naval attaché to London - a serious transgression at the height of the Cold War. After lying to the House of Commons, Profumo admitted the truth in June 1963 and resigned in disgrace. Macmillan resigned due to ill health in October the same year. Sir Anthony Eden, Conservative, 1955 - 1957 When Sir Winston Churchill retired due to ill health, Eden took over as prime minister. Many years before, Churchill had anointed Eden as his successor, but later acknowledged he had made 'a great mistake'. His opinion was born out as the new PM blundered into the Suez Crisis. Following Egypt's decision to nationalise the Suez canal, Britain (the principal shareholder), France and Israel invaded in October 1956 to near-universal condemnation and the threat of nuclear strikes by the Soviet Union. Within a week, Britain was forced into an embarrassing climb-down. Humiliated and in ill-health, Eden left the country for a holiday at the Jamaican home of James Bond author, Ian Fleming. He returned in mid-December to the sarcastic newspaper headline: 'Prime Minister Visits Britain'. He resigned on 9 January 1957. Sir Winston Churchill, Conservative, 1951 - 1955 Churchill's desire to return to power, despite his assured place in history, had much to do with his belligerent refusal to accept that the British public had rejected him in 1945. Now the electorate was seeking to put behind it the hardships and privations of the post-war years under Clement Atlee and return to a more traditional idea of society - so-called 'housing and red meat' issues. Churchill tried - and failed - to recreate the dynamism of his wartime administration, and he struggled to adjust to the political realities of the Cold War, preferring direct action and personal diplomacy to proxy wars and cabinet consensus. His refusal to retire, despite suffering a stroke, caused mounting frustrations among his colleagues. At the age of 80, he finally conceded to his failing health and stepped down, although he continued to serve as an MP. Clement Attlee, Labour, 1945 - 1951 World War Two had sharply exposed the imbalances in Britain's social, economic and political structures. For a population that had sacrificed so much, a return to the pre-war status quo was simply not an option. In 1942, a report by Sir William Beveridge, chairman of a Ministry of Health committee, had advocated a system of national insurance, comprehensive welfare for all and strategies to maintain full employment. The 'Beveridge Report' formed the basis of Labour pledges in the 1945 election and resulted in a landslide victory. Attlee's government successfully harnessed the wartime sense of unity to create the National Health Service, a national insurance scheme, a huge programme of nationalisation (including the Bank of England and most heavy industries) and a massive building programme. He also made Britain a nuclear-armed power. These sweeping reforms resulted in a parliamentary consensus on key social and economic policies that would last until 1979. But by 1951, a row over plans to charge for spectacles and false teeth had split the cabinet. Party disunity and a struggling economy contributed to Attlee - cruelly dubbed by Churchill 'a modest man with much to be modest about' - losing the next election. Winston Churchill, Conservative, 1940 - 1945 By the time Churchill was asked to lead the coalition government in 1940, he had already enjoyed colourful and controversial careers as a journalist, soldier and politician. He had twice 'crossed the floor' of the House of Commons, the first time defecting from Conservative to Liberal and serving as First Lord of the Admiralty during the early years of World War One. Demoted in the wake of the slaughter at Gallipoli, he preferred to resign and take up a commission fighting on the Western Front. Despite standing against the Conservatives in a 1924 by-election, Churchill was welcomed back into the party that same year and served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for five years under Stanley Baldwin. But personal disagreements and his vehement anti-Fascism would lead to nearly a decade in the political wilderness. Following Neville Chamberlain's resignation in 1940, Churchill finally realised his 'destiny' and accepted the office of prime minister. Promising nothing more than 'blood, toil, tears and sweat', he almost single-handedly restored Britain's desire to fight on in adversity. Despite Churchill's enormous personal popularity, by 1945 the electorate no longer wanted a war leader and the Conservatives lost by a landslide. Neville Chamberlain, Conservative, 1937 - 1940 Rarely has the hyperbole of politicians been as resoundingly exposed as when Neville Chamberlain returned from his 1938 negotiations with Adolf Hitler, brandishing his famous 'piece of paper' and declaring the agreement it represented to be 'peace for our time'. Within a year, Germany had invaded Poland and Britain was plunged into World War Two. With his policy of 'appeasement' towards Hitler utterly bankrupted, Chamberlain resigned in 1940. He was replaced by Winston Churchill. When the issue of honours was discussed, he stated that he wanted to die 'plain Mr Chamberlain, like my father'. His father, Joseph Chamberlain, was the politician who split the Conservatives in 1903 by pushing for tariffs on imported goods. It was this very issue that convinced Churchill to defect to the Liberals, with whom he first achieved high office. Chamberlain died six months after resigning. Stanley Baldwin, Conservative, 1935 - 1937 When Baldwin returned to power in 1935, the financial crisis sparked by the Wall Street Crash six years before appeared to be over. It was to be swiftly replaced by a constitutional crisis brought about by Edward VIII's desire to marry a twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. Baldwin advised Edward that Mrs Simpson would not be accepted as Queen by the public, and that the king could not condone divorce as head of the Church of England. The king proposed a 'morganatic' marriage, whereby Mrs Simpson would become his consort, but not Queen. The government rejected the idea and threatened to resign if the king forced the issue. The story then broke in the press, to general disapproval by the public. Rather than break the engagement, Edward abdicated on 11 December 1936. Credited with saving the monarchy, Baldwin is also condemned for failing to begin re-arming when it became clear that Nazi Germany was building up its armed forces. Ramsay MacDonald, Labour, 1929 - 1935 MacDonald began his second term at the head of a minority government (one that does not have an outright majority) and with the economy in deep crisis. Britain was still in the grip of the Great Depression and unemployment soon soared to two million. With fewer people able to pay tax, revenues had fallen as demand for unemployment benefits had soared. Unable to meet the deficit, by 1931 it was being proposed that benefits and salaries should be cut. Labour ministers rejected the plan as running counter to their core beliefs. MacDonald went to the king, George V, to proffer his resignation. George suggested MacDonald to try and form a 'national government' or coalition of all the parties. (This is the last recorded direct political intervention by a British monarch.) The National Government was formed, with MacDonald as prime minister, but Stanley Baldwin, leader of the Conservative Party, the de facto 'power behind the throne'. MacDonald is still considered by many in the Labour Party as their worst political traitor. Stanley Baldwin, Conservative, 1924 - 1929 In May 1926, the Trades Union Congress called for a general walkout in support of a coal miners' protest against threatened wage cuts. It was the first and, to date, only general strike in British history. The strike affected key industries, such as gas, electricity and the railways, but ended after just nine days due to lack of public backing and well-organised emergency measures by Baldwin's government. Far from succeeding in its aims, the General Strike actually led to a decline in trade union membership and the miners ended up accepting longer hours and less pay. It also gave impetus to the 1927 Trade Disputes Act, which curtailed workers' ability to take industrial action. Baldwin's government also extended the vote to women over 21 and passed the Pensions Act, but eventually fell as a result of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and the Depression that followed. Ramsay MacDonald, Labour, 1924 In 1924, MacDonald briefly became the first Labour prime minister, ending two centuries of Conservative - Liberal domination of British politics. It was the first party to gain power with the express purpose of representing the voice of the 'working class'. An MP since 1906, MacDonald was respected as a thinker, but criticised by many within his own party as insufficiently radical (despite appointing the first female cabinet minister, Margaret Bondfield, in 1929). His opposition to World War One had made him deeply unpopular and he continually suffered a torrid time at the hands of the press. The publication by two newspapers of the 'Zinoviev letter' did much to damage his chances in the run up to the 1924 election. The letter (which he had seen but decided to keep secret) purported to be from Soviet intelligence and urged British communists to commit acts of sedition. He lost by a wide margin. The letter is now widely accepted to be a fraud. Stanley Baldwin, Conservative, 1923 During his very brief first term as prime minister, Stanley Baldwin bumped into an old school friend on a train. Asked what he was doing these days, Baldwin replied: 'I am the prime minister.' Having come to power following Andrew Bonar Law's resignation, he called an election in the hope of gaining his own mandate (election by popular vote), but lost. Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative, 1922 - 1923 Branded the 'unknown prime minister' by his bitter political rival HH Asquith, Canadian-born Bonar Law is principally remembered for a single speech he made in 1922. The Conservatives had been part of a coalition under the Liberal prime minister, David Lloyd George, since 1916. Many were considering joining Lloyd George permanently, but Bonar Law's speech changed their minds. Instead, the Conservatives withdrew from the coalition and Lloyd George was forced to resign. The king, George V, asked Bonar Law to form a new government. Reluctantly he accepted, despite still grieving two sons killed in World War One and - as it turned out - dying of throat cancer. He held office for 209 days before resigning due to ill health. He died six months later and was buried at Westminster Abbey, upon which Asquith commented: 'It is fitting that we should have buried the Unknown Prime Minister by the side of the Unknown Warrior.' David Lloyd George, Liberal, 1916 - 1922 Lloyd George guided Britain to victory in World War One and presided over the legislation that gave women the vote in 1918, but he is remembered as much for his private life as his public achievements. Nicknamed the 'Welsh Wizard', he was also less kindly known as 'The Goat' - a reference to his countless affairs. (Scandalously, he lived with his mistress and illegitimate daughter in London while his wife and other children lived in Wales.) The first 'working class' prime minister, Lloyd George had risen to prominence by solving the shortage of munitions on the Western Front. It was his desire to get to grips with the requirements of 'total war' that led to his split with then Liberal Prime Minister HH Asquith. It also brought him closer to the Conservatives, with whom he formed a new coalition government when Asquith resigned. That coalition would disintegrate six years later in the midst of a scandal. Serious allegations were made that peerages had been sold for as much as £40,000. (One list even included John Drughorn, who had been convicted for trading with the enemy in 1915.) Lloyd George resigned in October 1922. HH Asquith, Liberal, 1908 - 1916 Asquith's government had shown great longevity, but disintegrated in the face of the unequalled disasters of the Somme and Gallipoli. With World War One going badly, fellow Liberal David Lloyd George had seized his chance and ousted Asquith. But in the preceding eight years, the two politicians had together overseen one of the greatest constitutional upheavals of the 20th Century and ushered in some of the predecessors of the Welfare State. Old Age Pensions were introduced and Unemployment Exchanges (job centres) were set up by then Liberal minister Winston Churchill. But when Lloyd George attempted to introduce a budget with land and income taxes disadvantageous to the 'propertied' classes, it was thrown out by the House of Lords. Lloyd George branded the Lords 'Mr Balfour's poodle' (a reference to Conservative leader AJ Balfour's supposed control over the peers). The stand-off resulted in two general elections during 1910, the second of which the Liberals won with a 'peers against the people' campaign slogan. The budget was passed and, in 1911, the Parliament Act became law. The Act stated that the Lords could only veto a Commons bill twice, and instituted five-yearly general elections. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Liberal, 1905 - 1908 Arthur James Balfour, Conservative, 1902 - 1905 The nephew of the Marquess of Salisbury, Balfour had none of his uncle's political skills despite a long period of mentoring. He was instead something of a philosopher, publishing several weighty books, including 'A Defence of Philosophic Doubt', 'The Foundations of Belief', and 'Theism and Humanism'. Following a cabinet split Balfour resigned, gambling that the Liberals would be unable to form a government and that he would be returned to power. He was wrong. Marquess of Salisbury, 1895 - 1902, Conservative Salisbury came to power for the third and final time when the weak Liberal government of the Earl of Rosebery fell. The political climate was one of rising resentment among the lower and middle classes, who demanded better conditions, social reforms and proper political representation. Bitterly divided, the Liberals would nonetheless experience a revival as they sought reforms of the squalid, disease-ridden British 'concentration camps' used in the Boer War. But it was the founding of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) on 27 February 1900 that signalled a quiet, yet highly significant sea-change in British politics. This coalition of socialist groups would win two seats in the 1900 general election and 29 seats in 1906. Later that same year, the LRC changed its name to the Labour Party. Despite failing health, Salisbury agreed to stay on to help Edward VII manage the transition following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. He resigned in favour of his nephew, AJ Balfour, in the first months of the new King's reign. (Notably, he was the last serving prime minister to sit in the Lords.) Earl of Rosebery, Liberal, 1894 - 1895 Rosebury reluctantly became prime minister on the insistence of Queen Victoria, despite still mourning the loss of his wife. Desperate to have a minister she actually liked, Victoria had taken the unusual step of not consulting the outgoing PM, William Gladstone, about his successor. Rosebery, who always loved horseracing more than the 'evil smelling bog' of politics, was gratefully allowed to resign a year later. Notably, he is the only prime minister to have produced not one, but three Derby winners, in 1894, 1895 and 1905. (Despite his aversion to politics, Rosebery was no stranger to scandal. The Prince of Wales had reputedly once intervened to prevent him from being horsewhipped by the Marquess of Queensbury, with whose son Rosebery was believed to be having an affair. Queensbury's other son was Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde's lover.) William Ewart Gladstone, Liberal, 1892 - 1894 Gladstone's fourth term as prime minister was completely overshadowed by his insistence on introducing a third bill on the subject of 'Home Rule' for Ireland. The Conservative-dominated House of Lords threw the bill out and generally obstructed Liberal attempts to pass legislation. With his cabinet split and his health failing, the 'Grand Old Man' stepped down for the last time. The public was, in any case, exhausted with Home Rule and instead wanted reforms to working conditions and electoral practices. (Meanwhile, out on the political fringe, the Independent Labour Party had been set up under Keir Hardie to represent the working class and 'secure the collective ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange'. Leading figures in the party included George Bernard Shaw and Ramsay MacDonald.) Marquess of Salisbury, Conservative, 1886 - 1892 William Ewart Gladstone, Liberal, 1886 Gladstone came to power for the third time with 'Home Rule' (devolution) for Ireland still the dominant issue. A bitter election battle had seen the Conservative government fall after Irish Nationalist members of parliament sided with the Liberals to defeat them. Instead, the Liberals formed a government in coalition with the Irish Nationalists and Gladstone tried to push through his second attempt at a Home Rule bill. The bill split the Liberals and Gladstone resigned. He lost the general election when the 'Liberal Unionists' - those who wanted Ireland to be ruled from Westminster - broke away from Gladstone's Liberals to fight the next election as a separate party. Most Liberal Unionists were of the 'Whig' or propertied faction of the party, which meant that when they went, they took most of the money with them. Marquess of Salisbury, Conservative, 1885 - 1886 William Ewart Gladstone, Liberal, 1880 - 1885 Having failed to force Gladstone to serve under Lord Hartington, Queen Victoria reluctantly accepted 'that half-mad firebrand' as prime minister for the second time. He had only lately returned to politics from retirement after his so-called 'Midlothian Campaign', in which he spoke to large crowds - a practice considered by polite Victorian society to be 'undignified'. His campaign did much to discredit Disraeli's government and had clearly struck a chord with a public eager for social and electoral reform. The Ballot Act in 1872 had instituted secret ballots for local and general elections. Now came the Corrupt Practices Act, which set maximum election expenses, and the Reform and Redistribution Act, which effectively extended voting qualifications to another six million men. There were other burning issues. The United States had just overtaken Britain as the world's largest industrialised economy, and 'Home Rule' (devolution) for Ireland continued to dominate. In seeking support for Home Rule, James Parnell's Irish Nationalists sided with the Conservatives to defeat a Liberal budget measure. Gladstone resigned and was replaced by the 'caretaker government' of the Marquess of Salisbury. Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative, 1874 - 1880 After a brief taste of power in 1868, it had taken Disraeli six years to become prime minister again. He wasted no time in bringing about the social reforms he had envisaged in the 1840s as a member of the radical Young England group. His Acts included measures to provide suitable housing and sewerage, to protect the quality of food, to improve workers rights (including the Climbing Boys Act which banned the use of juveniles as chimney sweeps) and to implement basic standards of education. In 1876, Disraeli was made the Earl of Beaconsfield, but continued to run the government from the Lords. He persuaded Queen Victoria to take the title 'Empress of India' in 1877 and scored a diplomatic success in limiting Russian influence in the Balkans at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. He retired in 1880, hoping to spend his remaining years adding more novels to his already impressive bibliography, but died just one year later. William Ewart Gladstone, Liberal, 1868 - 1874 Upon taking office for the first time Gladstone declared it his 'mission' to 'pacify Ireland' - a prize that was always to elude him. Nonetheless, Gladstone was to become the dominant Liberal politician of the late 19th Century, serving as prime minister four times despite earning Queen Victoria's antipathy early in his career. (She famously complained that 'he always addresses me as if I were a public meeting'.) He had started his career as an ultra-conservative Tory, but would end it as a dedicated political reformer who did much to establish the Liberal Party's association with issues of freedom and justice. But Gladstone also had his idiosyncrasies. He made a regular habit of going to brothels and often brought prostitutes back to 10 Downing Street. In an era when politicians' private lives were very private, his embarrassed colleagues nonetheless felt it necessary to explain his behaviour as 'rescue work' to save 'fallen women'. Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative, 1868 On being asked to become prime minister following the resignation of the Earl of Derby, Disraeli announced: 'I have reached the top of the greasy pole'. He immediately struck up an excellent rapport with Queen Victoria, who approved of his imperialist ambitions and his belief that Britain should be the most powerful nation in the world. Unhappily for the Queen, Disraeli's first term ended almost immediately with an election victory for the Liberals. Despite serving as an MP since 1837 and twice being Chancellor of the Exchequer, Disraeli's journey to the top was not without scandal. In 1835, he was forced to apologise in court after being accused of bribing voters in Maidstone. He also accrued enormous debts in his twenties through speculation on the stock exchange. Disraeli suffered a nervous breakdown as a result, but eventually paid off his creditors by marrying a rich widow, Mary Anne Wyndam Lewis, in 1839. Earl of Derby, Conservative, 1866 - 1868 The introduction of the 1867 Reform Act made Derby's third term as prime minister a major step in the true democratisation of Britain. The Act extended the vote to all adult male householders (and lodgers paying £10 rental or more, resident for a year or more) living in a borough constituency. Simply put, it created more than 1.5 million new voters. Versions of the Reform Act had been under serious discussion since 1860, but had always foundered on Conservative fears. Many considered it a 'revolutionary' move that would create a majority of 'working class' voters for the first time. In proposing the Reform Act, Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative Leader of the House of Commons, had warned his colleagues that they would be labelled the 'anti-reform' party if they continued to resist. The legislation was passed, and also received the backing of the Liberals under their new leader, William Gladstone. Earl Russell, Whig, 1865 - 1866 Viscount Palmerston, Liberal, 1859 - 1865 Earl of Derby, Conservative, 1858 - 1859 The property qualification - the requirement that a man must own property in order to stand as a member of parliament - was finally abolished during Derby's second term as prime minister. It meant that members of parliament (MPs) were no longer drawn exclusively from the 'propertied' classes and could realistically be 'working class'. This fulfilled one of the six conditions set out by the Chartists - supporters of the Third Chartist Petition, written in 1838. It demanded universal male suffrage (votes for all adult men), secret ballots (rather than traditional open ballots), annual parliamentary elections, equal electoral districts (some had less than 500 voters, while others had many thousands), the abolition of a property qualification for MPs, and payment for MPs (which would allow non-independently wealthy men to sit in parliament). Viscount Palmerston, Liberal , 1855 - 1858 Earl of Aberdeen, Tory, 1852 - 1855 It was something of a cruel irony that Aberdeen came to be blamed for blundering into the dreadful Crimean War. As plain George Hamilton Gordon he had made a successful career as a diplomat and had done much to normalise Britain's relationships with its powerful neighbours. Vivid reports from the front by WH Russel of the Times have since led to the Crimean being styled the first 'media war'. His reports publicised the squalor and disease that were claiming more soldiers' lives than the fighting, and inspired Florence Nightingale to volunteer and take the first 38 nurses out to treat the wounded. In 1855, Aberdeen conceded to his critics and resigned. Earl of Derby, Conservative, 1852 Earl Russell, Whig, 1846 - 1851 Confronted by the Irish Potato Famine, declining trade and rising unemployment, Russell still managed to push through trade liberalisation measures and limits on women's working hours. A dedicated reformer, he nonetheless presided over the rejection of the Third Chartist Petition. Set out 1838, it demanded universal male suffrage (votes for all adult men), secret ballots (rather than traditional open ballots), annual parliamentary elections, equal electoral districts (some had less than 500 voters, while others had many thousands), the abolition of a property qualification for members of parliament (MPs), and payment for MPs (which would allow non-independently wealthy men to sit in parliament). Already rejected once by parliament in 1839, the petition had gathered 5 million signatures by 1848. Presented to parliament a second time, it was again rejected. The Chartist movement slowly petered out, even as revolutions blazed across Europe, but many of its aims were eventually realised. Sir Robert Peel, Tory, 1841 - 1846 Peel's second term as prime minister was nothing short of tumultuous. Economic depression, rising deficits, Chartist agitation, famine in Ireland and Anti-Corn League protests crowded in. A raft of legislation was created to stabilise the economy and improve working conditions. The Factory Act regulated work hours (and banned children under eight from the workplace), the Railway Act provided for cheap, regular train services, the Bank Charter Act capped the number of notes the Bank of England could issue and the Mines Act prevented women and children from working underground. But a failed harvest in 1845 provided Peel with his greatest challenge. There was an increasing clamour for repeal of the Corn Laws, which forbade the import of cheap grain from overseas. Powerful vested interests in the Tory Party opposed such a move, but in the end Peel confronted them and called for repeal. After nearly six months of debate, and with the Tories split in two, the Corn Laws were finally repealed. Defeated on a separate issue, Peel resigned the same day, but was cheered by crowds as he left the Commons. (The 'Peelite' faction of the Tories is widely recognised as the foundation of the modern Conservative.) Viscount Melbourne, Whig, 1835 - 1841 Sir Robert Peel, Tory, 1834 - 1835 Invited by William IV to form a new government, Peel immediately called a general election to strengthen his party. Campaigning on his so-called 'Tamworth Manifesto', Peel promised a respectful approach to traditional politics, combined with measured, controlled reform. He thereby signalled a significant shift from staunch, reactionary 'Tory' to progressive 'Conservative' politics. Crucially, he pledged to accept the 1832 Reform Act, which had recently increased the number of people eligible to vote. Peel won the election, but only narrowly. He resigned the following year after several parliamentary defeats. (Peel is probably best remembered for creating the Metropolitan Police in 1829 while Home Secretary in the Duke of Wellington's first government. The nickname 'bobbies' for policemen is derived from his first name.) Duke of Wellington, Tory, 1834 Viscount Melbourne, Whig, 1834 In a bid to repress trade unions, Melbourne's government introduced legislation against 'illegal oaths'. As a result, the Grand National Consolidated Trades' Union failed. In March of the same year, six labourers were transported to Australia for seven years for attempting to provide a fund for workers in need. They became known as the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs'. Melbourne himself was notoriously laid back. When first asked to become prime minister he declared it 'a damned bore'. Having accepted, he would often refuse to allow his cabinet colleagues to leave the room, insisting 'I'm damned if I know what we agreed on. We must all say the same thing.' Earl Grey, Whig, 1830 - 1834 In June 1832, the Reform Act finally passed into law after 15 torrid months of debate. It extended the vote to just 7% of the adult male population, based on a series of lowered property qualifications. Introduced in March 1831, the bill scraped through the Commons by a single vote, but was thrown out at the committee stage (when the bill is debated in detail - sometimes called the 'second reading'). Parliament was dissolved and the general election was fought on the single issue of the Reform Act - an unprecedented event in British political history. The Whigs won the election and passed the bill, but the House of Lords (with a majority of Tories) threw it out, sparking riots and civil disobedience across the country. With the spectre of France's bloody revolution clearly in mind, William IV eventually agreed to create 50 Whig peers to redress the balance in the Lords if the bill was rejected again. The Lords conceded and the Act was finally passed into law. After all his efforts, Earl Grey is principally remembered for giving his name to a fragrant blend of tea. Duke of Wellington, Tory, 1828 - 1830 Wellington's first term in office was dominated by the thorny subject of Catholic emancipation. Catholics were permitted to vote, but were not allowed to sit as members of parliament (MPs) and had restrictions on the property they could own. Initially, the 'Iron Duke' was staunchly in favour of the status quo, but soon came to realise that emancipation might be the only way to end conflict arising from the Act of Union between Britain and Ireland in 1801. He became such an advocate that he even fought a duel with the 10th Earl of Winchilsea over the issue. The Earl had accused him of plotting the downfall of the 'Protestant constitution', but then backed down and apologised. They still had to go through the ritual of the duel at Battersea Fields, with both men deliberately firing high and wide. Wellington eventually drove the legislation through, opening the way for Catholic MPs. Viscount Goderich, Tory, 1827 - 1828 George Canning, Tory, 1827 Canning finally became prime minister after a long career in politics, only to die of pneumonia 119 days later. He had famously fought a duel in 1809 with his bitterest political rival, Lord Castlereagh, and was shot in the thigh. Castlereagh committed suicide with a penknife in 1822, after becoming depressed about his falling popularity. Earl of Liverpool, Tory, 1812 - 1827 Liverpool is the second longest serving prime minister in British history (after Robert Walpole), winning four general elections and clinging on to power despite a massive stroke that incapacitated him for his last two years in office. Liverpool became PM at a time when Britain was emerging from the Napoleonic Wars and the first rumblings of 'working class' unrest were just beginning to be felt. Staunchly undemocratic in his outlook, Liverpool suppressed efforts to give the wider populace a voice. He was unrepentant when, in 1819, troops fired on a pro-reform mass meeting at St Peter's Fields in Manchester, killing eleven - the so-called 'Peterloo Massacre'. Trade unions were legalised by the 1825 Combination Act, but were so narrowly defined that members were forced to bargain over wages and conditions amid a minefield of heavy penalties for transgressions. (Liverpool's one concession to popular sentiment was in the trial of Queen Caroline on trumped up adultery charges. The legal victimisation of George IV's estranged wife, who was tried in parliament in 1820, brought her mass sympathy. Mindful not to provoke the mob in the wake of Peterloo, the charges were eventually dropped.) Spencer Perceval, Tory, 1809 - 1812 Perceval bears a dubious distinction as the only British prime minister to be assassinated. As chancellor of the exchequer he moved in to 10 Downing Street in 1807, before rising to the office of prime minister two years later. His 12 young children - some born while he was in office - also lived in the PM's crowded residence. Against expectations, he had skilfully kept his government afloat for three years despite a severe economic downturn and continuing war with Napoleon. He was shot dead in the lobby of the House of Commons on 11 May 1812 by a merchant called John Bellingham who was seeking government compensation for his business debts. Perceval's body lay in 10 Downing Street for five days before burial. Bellingham gave himself up immediately. Tried for murder, he was found guilty and hanged a week later. Duke of Portland, Tory, 1807 - 1809 Lord Grenville, Whig, 1806 - 1807 William Pitt 'the Younger', Tory, 1804 - 1806 Faced by a fresh invasion threat from Napoleon, George III once again turned to Pitt. A shadow of his former self due to failing health and suspected alcoholism, Pitt nonetheless accepted. He made alliances with Napoleon's continental rivals - Russia, Austria and Sweden - then, in 1805, Admiral Lord Nelson shattered French invasion hopes at the Battle of Trafalgar. Pitt did not have long to savour victory before Napoleon defeated both Russia and Austria to stand astride the whole of Europe. Heartsick, utterly exhausted, penniless and unmarried, Pitt died on 23 January 1806 at the age of 46. Henry Addington, Tory, 1801 - 1804 Addington secured the Peace of Amiens with France in 1802, but would see Britain plunge into war with Napoleon again just two years later. He also passed the first Factory Act into law. The Act was the earliest attempt to reform working conditions in factories. It set a maximum 12 hour working day for children and addressed issues like proper ventilation, basic education and sleeping conditions. (Notably, his government also awarded Edward Jenner £10,000 to continue his pioneering work on a vaccine for smallpox.) But he was generally poorly regarded, prompting the satirical rhyme 'Pitt is to Addington, as London is to Paddington' - a reference to his distinguished predecessor as prime minister, William Pitt. William Pitt 'the Younger', Tory, 1783-1801 Pitt 'the Younger' was the youngest prime minister in British history, taking office at the tender age of just 24. But his youth did not seem to disadvantage him as he threw himself into the manifold problems of government, holding on to the top office for 17 years - fifteen years longer than his father, Pitt 'the Elder'. His first priority was to reduce the National Debt, which had doubled with the loss of the American colonies in 1783. George III's mental illness then threw up the spectre of a constitutional crisis, with the transfer of sovereignty to the erratic Prince of Wales only narrowly averted by the king's recovery. Further threats to the monarchy emanated from across the Channel, with the bloody French Revolution of 1789 and subsequent war with France in 1793. War increased taxes and caused food shortages, damaging Pitt's popularity to the extent that he employed bodyguards out of fear for his safety. In a bid to resolve at least one intractable conflict, he pushed through the Act of Union with Ireland in 1800, but the related Emancipation of Catholics Bill was rejected by the king a year later. Having lost George III's confidence, Pitt was left with no option but to resign. Duke of Portland, Tory, 1783 Earl Shelburne, Whig, 1782 - 1783 Marquess of Rockingham, Whig, 1782 Lord North, Tory, 1770 - 1782 North is chiefly somewhat unfairly remembered as the prime minister who lost the American colonies. Groomed by George III to lead his parliamentary supporters, North was fiercely loyal to his king, whose policy it had been to 'punish' the American colonials. The American War of Independence, reluctantly entered into by both sides, had been prosecuted at the king's behest in retaliation for their refusal to pay more towards their own defence. As hostilities progressed, North's blundering and indecision worsened an already difficult situation, and by 1782 it was clear that the outcome was likely to be a disaster. He begged George III to be allowed to resign, but the king refused to release him until the war was over. North has since become the yardstick for prime ministerial mediocrity, with later PMs being criticised as 'the worst since Lord North'. Duke of Grafton, Whig, 1768 - 1770 An unremarkable prime minister, Grafton had a quite remarkable appetite for extra-marital affairs and openly kept several mistresses. He scandalised polite society in 1764 by leaving his wife and going to live with his mistress, Anne Parsons, also known as 'Mrs Houghton'. (Horace Walpole referred to her derisively as 'everybody's Mrs Houghton'.) Popular opinion had disapproved of Grafton's behaviour, until his wife did something even more shocking. She eloped with the Earl of Upper Ossory and had a child by him. Grafton divorced her in 1769, then abandoned Mrs Houghton and married Elizabeth Wrottesley, with whom he had 13 children. The Mrs Houghton ended up marrying the king's brother. This unsuitable union gave impetus to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, which decreed that the monarch had to give permission for all royal weddings. Earl of Chatham, Pitt 'The Elder', Whig, 1766 - 1768 Pitt 'the Elder' is widely credited as the man who built the British Empire, although much of this was done in the role of secretary of state under the governments of the Duke of Newcastle. He chose his fights carefully, conducting military campaigns where conditions were best suited to British merchants. Pitt added India, West Africa, the West Indies and the American colonies to Britain's overseas possessions, and was persistently belligerent towards colonial rivals like France and Spain. His relentless imperialism kept the merchants happy but infuriated men like Newcastle who counted the financial cost of his wars. Pitt was a superb public speaker and a master of the devastating put-down, but his career was dogged with recurrent mental illness and gout. Ironically, it was during his term as prime minister that he was at his least effective, often struggling to build support. He collapsed in the House of Lords in October 1768 and died four days later. (Pitt was the MP for a 'burgage borough' - an empty piece of land with no-one living on it. His constituency, Old Sarum, was a mound in Wiltshire. On polling day, seven voters met in a tent to cast their votes.) Marquess of Rockingham, Whig, 1765 - 1766 George Grenville, Whig, 1763 - 1765 Grenville is one of the few prime ministers to have been sacked by the monarch. He was fired after a row with George III over who should rule in his place if his mental health continued to deteriorate. Earl of Bute, Tory, 1762 - 1763 Bute was one of Britain's more unpopular prime ministers. Things came to a head when he failed to lower the taxes he had raised to fight France in the American colonies. Rioting erupted, his effigies were burnt and the windows in his house were smashed. Bute was generally disliked by colleagues and public, and was lampooned for his 'fine pair of legs', of which he was reputed to be extremely proud. His close relationship with the Prince of Wales's widow, the Dowager Princess Augusta, was also the subject of much scurrilous gossip. The nickname 'Sir Pertinax MacSycophant' was a contemptuous reference to the Roman Emperor Publius Helvius Pertinax, who was murdered three months after his meteoric assent by his own bodyguard. Unable to muster support in parliament, Bute resigned in 1763. Duke of Newcastle, Whig, 1757 - 1762 Newcastle healed his rift with Pitt 'the Elder' by inviting him to serve in his government as secretary of state. Effectively a power-sharing coalition of two powerful men, the relationship gave birth to the British Empire. Their government eventually fell as a result of the new king, George III's hostility to Pitt, who had sought to restrict the influence of the monarch in political matters. Duke of Devonshire, Whig, 1756-1757 Duke of Newcastle, Whig, 1754 - 1756 Newcastle became PM after his brother, Henry Pelham, died in office. It is the only instance of two brothers serving as prime minister. Newcastle enraged Pitt 'the Elder' by refusing to promote him in the new government, then compounded the insult by sacking him. Henry Pelham, Whig, 1743 - 1754 Earl of Wilmington, Whig, 1742 - 1743 Sir Robert Walpole, Whig, 1721 - 1742 Walpole is widely acknowledged as the first prime minister, although he never actually held the title. He was also the longest serving, lasting 21 years. But Walpole's first stint in government, as secretary of war, had ended inauspiciously with a six month spell in the Tower of London for receiving an illegal payment. Undeterred, he rose to power again on the back of a collapsed financial scheme in which many prominent individuals had invested. Walpole had the foresight (or luck) to get out early, and as a result was credited with great financial acumen. George I invited him to become chancellor and gave him the powers that came to be associated with the office of prime minister. His owed his longevity in office (and the incredible wealth he accumulated) to a combination of great personal charm, enduring popularity, sharp practice and startling sycophancy. The accession of George II saw him temporarily eclipsed, but he worked hard to win over the new monarch. He was rewarded with both the new King's trust and 10 Downing Street, which remains the official residence of the prime minister to this day. Walpole was eventually brought down by an election loss at Chippenham and died just three years later.

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David Cameron | prime minister of United Kingdom | Britannica.com prime minister of United Kingdom Written By: Alternative Title: David William Donald Cameron David Cameron Prime minister of United Kingdom Also known as David Cameron, in full David William Donald Cameron (born October 9, 1966, London, England), British Conservative Party leader who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom (2010–16). David Cameron. Courtesy of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom A CCTV news broadcast on the immediate aftereffect of the “Brexit” vote (2016), notably … © CCTV America (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Early life and start in politics Cameron, a descendant of King William IV , was born into a family with both wealth and an aristocratic pedigree. He attended Eton College and Brasenose College, Oxford , from which he graduated (1988) with a first-class degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. After Oxford he joined the Conservative Party Research Department. In 1992 he became a special adviser to Norman Lamont, then chancellor of the Exchequer , and the following year he undertook the same role for Michael Howard , then home secretary. Cameron joined the media company Carlton Communications in 1994 as director of corporate affairs. He stayed at Carlton until he entered Parliament in 2001 as MP for Witney, northwest of London. Cameron—young, moderate, and charismatic—quickly attracted attention as the leading member of a new generation of Conservatives . He was widely compared to Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair , who had acquired a similar reputation when he entered Parliament 18 years earlier. After just two years as an MP, Cameron was appointed to his party’s “front bench”—making him a leading Conservative spokesman in the House of Commons . In 2004 Howard, by then party leader, appointed his young protégé to the post of head of policy coordination, which put Cameron in charge of preparing the Conservatives’ 2005 election manifesto . The party, however, suffered a heavy defeat at the polls, provoking Howard’s resignation. Cameron’s self-assured speech at the party’s annual conference in October 2005 transformed his reputation, and he was subsequently elected Conservative leader. David Cameron, after being named the new leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, London, December … © Paul Hackett/Reuters/Corbis Cameron’s revitalization of the Conservatives Cameron sought to modernize the party and shed its right-wing image. He announced that economic stability and strong public services would take priority over tax cuts in the next Conservative government. Under his leadership the party grew in popularity and placed first in the 2006 local elections; it was the Conservatives’ best showing at the polls in some 15 years. In the immediate aftermath of Gordon Brown’s succeeding Blair as Labour leader and prime minister in 2007, the Conservatives began to trail in the polls, encouraging the prime minister to consider calling a snap election to capitalize on Labour’s momentum. By the time Labour held its party conference in September, it had taken a double-digit lead over the Conservatives. But, at the Conservative Party conference in early October, Cameron made an impressive speech, talking for more than an hour without a script. In reference to the upcoming European Union summit in Lisbon to negotiate a treaty on reform, Cameron lambasted Brown for ruling out a referendum on an agreement (contrary to the prime minister’s commitment to hold one on a European constitution). In addition to other issues, Cameron also was critical of Labour’s performance on crime and with regard to the National Health Service (NHS). Most daringly, despite trailing in the polls, he goaded the prime minister to call an election: So, Mr Brown, what’s it going to be? Why don’t you go ahead and call that election? Let the people pass judgement on 10 years of broken promises. Let people decide who’s really making the arguments about the future of our country. Let people decide who can make the changes that we really need in our country. Call that election. We will fight. Britain will win. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent The performance won wide praise, and in its aftermath Brown announced that there would be no general election before 2009. Later that month, after Brown had attended the EU summit in Lisbon , at which the 27 member countries agreed on the detailed wording of the treaty, Cameron followed up with his earlier criticism , arguing that Brown had “absolutely no democratic mandate to sign this without a referendum.” By December the Conservatives had taken a clear lead in the opinion polls, ahead of Labour by up to 13 percent—the biggest lead for the Conservatives since 1989. British Culture and Politics The global economic crisis in 2008 helped Cameron solidify the Conservatives’ position. Though Brown was widely praised outside of Britain for his approach to the crisis, his promise in 1997 that the days of economic “boom and bust” were over played to Cameron’s advantage, as did an internal revolt by Labour ministers in 2008. In March 2009 Cameron made good on a promise to remove the Conservatives from the European People’s Party , a mainstream alliance of conservative parties in the European Parliament . On June 4 the Conservatives topped the poll in the European Parliament elections, and Cameron had the Conservatives enter the legislative body as members of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. David Cameron (right), leader of the British Conservative Party, meeting staff at a textile factory … Andrew Parsons—PA Photos/Landov Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies A parliamentary-expenses scandal, which had been brewing since 2007, broke in May 2009 when the Daily Telegraph reported on widespread abuse by members of Parliament of expense accounts meant to offset the cost of having to maintain a second residence (the so-called Additional Costs Allowance). The scandal cut across party lines, but Labour suffered the brunt of public criticism, and Cameron responded by arguing that the public had a “right to be angry.” Although the polling numbers for Cameron and the Conservatives showed a decline from peaks in early 2009, he and the party appeared to be well positioned for the general election on May 6, 2010 . Prime ministership The Conservative–Liberal Democratic coalition government Voters gave the Conservatives their biggest seat gain since 1931, but the total still fell short of an outright majority. Days of political wrangling followed the election, with negotiators from the Conservative and Labour parties courting Liberal Democratic leader Nick Clegg in an effort to form a government. On May 11, after it appeared that the prospect of a “Lib-Lab” coalition would not bear fruit, Brown resigned as prime minister and was replaced by Cameron. He came to power at the head of a Conservative–Liberal Democratic coalition government—Britain’s first coalition government since World War II —in which Clegg became deputy prime minister. The two leaders seemed to quickly become comfortable with each other, perhaps because of their shared age (both were 43) and similar backgrounds. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (left) with Prime Minister David Cameron, May 12, 2010. Prime Minister’s Office, Crown copyright Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest In June Cameron addressed Parliament in response to the report of Lord Saville’s 12-year official inquiry into the events of “ Bloody Sunday ,” which found that British soldiers had been responsible for the deaths of 14 nationalist demonstrators in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in 1972 and that those demonstrators had posed no serious threat to the soldiers. “The government is ultimately responsible for the conduct of the forces,” Cameron said, “and for that, on behalf of the government—indeed, on behalf of our country—I am deeply sorry.” One of the cornerstones of the Conservative-Liberal power-sharing agreement was a pledge to formulate a budget-reduction plan in short order. In October the man whom Cameron had appointed chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne , announced a five-year austerity plan that included Britain’s most extensive spending cuts in decades, notably reductions to welfare entitlements and layoffs of up to 500,000 public-sector employees. Early in 2011 the Middle East and North Africa were swept by a series of popular uprisings that became known as the Arab Spring . In February Cameron became the first Western leader to visit Egypt after Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power . Another event in the region, the revolt in Libya , particularly captured the attention of Cameron, who became an outspoken critic of ruler Muammar al-Qaddafi ’s brutal repression of the rebels in Libya . Cameron’s calls for military intervention in that country and especially for the imposition of a no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians from Qaddafi’s forces were echoed by French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy . Together they played a pivotal role in winning the UN Security Council ’s authorization of a no-fly zone on March 17. Shortly thereafter a coalition of U.S. and European forces with warplanes and cruise missiles began attacking targets in Libya in an effort to disable Libya’s air force. French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy (right) and British Prime Minister David Cameron greeting a crowd in … Philippe Wojazer/AP The results of the May 2011 local government elections in Britain, especially those for local councils in England , appeared to indicate that Conservative voters were more comfortable than Liberal Democrats with the deficit-reducing austerity measures introduced by the government. The Conservatives made moderate gains to their presence in local government, but their coalition partners experienced their worst performance at the polls since the founding of the Liberal Democrats. In the wake of the election, relations between Cameron and Clegg and their parties were widely described as having become more businesslike in nature. This cooling of coalition camaraderie was largely the result of the Conservatives’ active opposition to a Liberal Democrats-initiated referendum on a change from first-past-the-post elections to the alternative vote , which was strongly rejected by British voters. Trending Topics Opium Wars Following the Scottish Nationalist Party ’s overwhelming victory in the 2011 elections for the Scottish Parliament, Alex Salmond , the first minister of Scotland, announced that he would be forwarding a referendum on independence. Cameron announced that he would respect Scotland ’s efforts in that direction but would “campaign to keep our United Kingdom together with every single fibre that I have.” When the scandal involving the illegal hacking of telephone voice mails by reporters from the News of the World newspaper exploded in July 2011, Cameron was caught in the fallout. Andy Coulson , Cameron’s communications chief, had already left that post in January of the same year in the wake of the growing evidence tying him to the scandal. Coulson had served as the editor of News of the World from 2003 to 2007, when he stepped down after early revelations of the phone hacking came to light. Initially, Cameron had been supportive of Coulson after he left his government post, but, as the scandal deepened in July, Cameron said that he regretted having hired Coulson. Cameron announced on July 13 that a senior judge, Lord Justice Sir Brian Leveson, would head a public inquiry into both the hacking scandal and Britain’s system of media regulation. In early August 2011 Cameron faced a new challenge, as a profusion of neighbourhoods in and around London as well as in a number of other British cities erupted in riots characterized by widespread looting, arson, and destruction of property. The civil disorder was sparked on the night of August 6 when a protest in the North London area of Tottenham over the police shooting of a young man escalated into rioting, which began spreading the next day. “This is criminality pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated,” announced Cameron on August 9 as some 16,000 policemen prepared to take to the streets of London that night. Cameron also called members of Parliament back to London for discussion of the riots. In a speech on August 15, Cameron blamed “a broken society” for a “slow-motion moral collapse.” In a separate statement he promised tougher measures, especially against people living in rented social housing in the event that any member of the family broke the law. The Cameron government’s first major social innovation started to bear fruit in September 2011 with the opening of the first 24 “Free Schools,” which were free to students and funded by the government but able to operate independently of local councils. The government enacted another major change in October at a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Australia , where it was agreed that the British crown could pass to the firstborn child, regardless of sex, and that the ban, more than 300 years old, on a British monarch’s marrying a Roman Catholic was no longer valid. Also in October, the retirement age was set to rise to 66 by 2020 for public-sector workers, and mandatory retirement was lifted. In December Cameron took the nearly unprecedented step of vetoing a proposal supported by the other 26 EU heads of government to amend the EU’s rules to reduce the risks of future financial crisis in the euro zone. It was the first major proposal rejected by Britain since it joined the European Community . Rift in the coalition Unemployment in the United Kingdom began falling in the spring of 2012 and ended the year below 2.5 million, down from a peak of 2.7 million at the start of the year. Many of the new jobs were part-time, however—an indication that the labour market was not in decline but experiencing very slow growth. In July 2012 Cameron’s government (like successive governments before it) sought to replace the partly appointed, partly hereditary upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords , with a chamber that had a more democratic mandate. With some support in all the major parties, the government proposed that the Lords be 80 percent elected (to single 15-year terms) and 20 percent appointed. On July 10, 462 MPs voted in favour of and 124 against the measure. The 91 Conservatives who opposed the bill (and the desires of the party’s leadership) promised to join with Labour in voting against a timetable for the bill, guaranteeing that motion’s failure and enabling the bill’s opponents to use filibustering tactics to block it. Rather than face a humiliating defeat, the government withdrew the timetable motion and effectively killed its own bill. Because reform of the House of Lords had been one of the Liberals’ highest priorities, Clegg, angry at Cameron’s failure to deliver enough support to ensure that the bill became law, retaliated by withdrawing his party’s support for a separate Conservative-advocated constitutional measure to reduce the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600. Clegg said that the two reforms composed a balanced package that should stand or fall as a whole. For his part, Cameron said that there was “fundamental disagreement” between him and Clegg regarding the linkage of the two initiatives . In September 2012 Cameron sought to revive his flagging opinion ratings by shifting four of his least popular cabinet members to less prominent positions. Those moved included Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, whose reforms of the NHS had been attacked by almost every professional body representing doctors and nurses, and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who, many thought, had become too closely involved with leading figures in News International (publisher of News of the World) and who faced criminal charges related to phone hacking and the bribing of police officers. In October 2012 Cameron and Salmond signed an agreement on the details for the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. The prime minister agreed to Salmond’s timing of the vote, to the wording of the referendum question, and to lowering the voting age for the referendum to 16, and Salmond relinquished his demand for a second question that would have given the Scots the option of backing more powers for the Scottish Parliament if a majority of Scots rejected full independence. Opinion polls in Scotland at the time of the agreement found majorities of up to two-to-one against independence and for retaining the union with the rest of the United Kingdom. Also in October, ahead of negotiations on the EU’s budget for 2014–20, Cameron’s government lost a vote in the House of Commons on his proposal that EU spending be allowed to increase only by the level of the inflation rate (in contrast to the majority of EU governments, which wanted a real-terms increase). Labour MPs combined with a minority of Conservatives to demand a real-terms reduction in EU spending. The vote, though advisory, was embarrassing for Cameron. In January 2013 Liberal Democratic MPs manifested their disappointment at Conservatives’ earlier failure to support changes to the House of Lords by joining with the Labour Party to reject proposals to amend the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies that would have benefited the Conservatives at the expense of Labour and, to a lesser extent, the Liberal Democrats. In other areas, notably welfare policy, Clegg also rejected Conservative proposals and, because the Conservatives lacked an overall majority in the House of Commons, effectively vetoed them. Also in January, Cameron set out his plans for a referendum on continued British membership in the EU. He announced that if the Conservatives remained in government as a result of the 2015 general election, he would seek reforms that would return a number of powers from the EU to member states. Cameron said that he would put the outcome of his efforts to a referendum by the end of 2017, when voters would be asked whether they wished the country to remain in the EU. On February 5 the House of Commons voted 400–175 to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales. The bill, which Cameron had backed strongly, became law in July. The Conservatives and, to some extent, other parties lost support to the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in local elections held in much of the U.K. in May 2013 and in a number of parliamentary by-elections. Attracting more than 20 percent of the vote, UKIP—which advocated British withdrawal from the EU and far stricter immigration controls—established itself as the U.K.’s first significant party to the right of the Conservatives with a broad appeal. Some Conservative supporters switched their allegiance to UKIP because it shared their rejection of some of the social reforms that Cameron continued to favour. Cameron, who had once characterized UKIP as “fruitcakes, loonies, and closet racists,” said that it was “no good insulting a political party that people have chosen to vote for” and that Conservatives were going to work hard to win back those who had supported UKIP. Staying out of Syria During the first half of 2013, the United Kingdom joined France in pressing the EU to lift its embargo on the sale of arms and other military equipment to Syria in an effort to support the opposition to the regime of Bashar al-Assad . In late August Cameron sought to intervene more directly in the Syrian Civil War by backing a proposed U.S.-led strike against chemical-weapons installations following a poison gas attack on suburbs of Damascus that allegedly had been launched by Syrian government forces. He recalled Parliament from its summer break for an emergency debate in order to secure approval for British participation in the retaliatory military intervention. The Labour Party and a significant number of Conservative and Liberal Democratic MPs, however, were reluctant to support action, as was the general public. British Prime Minister David Cameron speaking to workers at the Hinkley Point power plant, … Tim Ireland—Press Association/AP Images As part of an attempt to modify his proposal so as to overcome the doubts of MPs, Cameron recast the vote on August 29 so that it was focused on the principle of military action and guaranteed that MPs would be granted a second vote, some days later, before British forces went into action. This meant that Britain could not participate in a U.S.-led attack according to the original timetable. Even so, 30 Conservative and 9 Liberal Democratic MPs voted against the government, and similar numbers abstained. Ultimately, the government proposal was defeated 285–272. It was the first time since 1855 (during the Crimean War ) that any British government had been defeated in a House of Commons vote on military action overseas. Cameron announced immediately that he accepted the result, that he would not seek to have the vote overturned at a later stage, and that the country would not take part in military action against Syria. In October Andrew Parker, the head of the government intelligence agency MI5 , indirectly accused The Guardian newspaper of jeopardizing the U.K.’s security following that newspaper’s reporting of documents disclosed by Edward Snowden , who had worked for the U.S. CIA and National Security Agency (NSA), that indicated that the British surveillance agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), had a far greater capacity to eavesdrop than had been publicly acknowledged. A fierce debate erupted between those (such as The Guardian and many MPs in all parties) who argued for tighter, more-effective controls on the work of GCHQ and those (such as Parker and some newspapers and MPs) who felt that GCHQ needed as much freedom as possible to monitor potential terrorists and others who threatened British interests. Cameron joined Parker in condemning the leaks, maintaining that the activities of the GCHQ were lawful and necessary for the protection of the British people. Relations between the press and Parliament were also strained by the continuing repercussions of the 2011 phone-hacking scandal. The 2012 public inquiry led by Lord Justice Leveson at Cameron’s behest recommended a new, tougher system of press regulation, and dozens were arrested during a series of investigations regarding phone hacking and bribery of public officials. In October 2013 seven people linked to News of the World faced trial for phone hacking, and five others pleaded guilty to avoid trial. That same month the Privy Council granted a royal charter (which had been agreed to in March by Cameron, Clegg, and the Labour Party’s leader, Ed Miliband ) that established a new watchdog system that would give press regulators statutory powers. In June 2014 Coulson, Cameron’s former communications chief, was found guilty of conspiring to hack phones, and in July he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. A bound and gagged British Prime Minister David Cameron watching media mogul Rupert Murdoch burn a … Sang Tan/AP Although Cameron continued to promise an “in or out” referendum on the EU, the Conservatives had largely ceded the issue of Euroskepticism to UKIP. In May 2014 UKIP made huge gains in local elections and finished first in EU parliamentary elections, leading some Conservatives to suggest an alliance with UKIP. Cameron rejected the notion, stating that UKIP leader Nigel Farage wished to “destroy the Conservative Party, not work in tandem with it.” Cameron experienced a reversal within the EU in July 2014 when Jean-Claude Juncker , a candidate whom he had strenuously opposed, was elected president of the European Commission . That same day Cameron announced the most significant cabinet reshuffle of his administration, appointing a group of ministers who reflected a markedly Euroskeptic outlook. Dozens of ministers were sacked or had their portfolios changed. Among those leaving government or accepting reduced responsibilities were foreign secretary William Hague , education secretary Michael Gove , and Ken Clarke, a minister without portfolio who had long been the most consistent pro-EU voice within the Conservative front bench. The Scottish independence referendum, 2015 general election, and “Brexit” As September 18—the day for the referendum on Scottish independence—approached, the “yes” side had gained tremendous momentum, and opinion polling indicated that the outcome was very much in question, though the “no” side held an edge. Only days before the vote, Cameron, Clegg, and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband jointly published in the Scottish newspaper Daily Record a pledge to increase powers for Scotland’s government if the referendum was rejected. In the event, some 85 percent of registered votes went to the polls and convincingly defeated the referendum, with about 55 percent voting “no” and about 45 percent voting “yes.” In the wake of the referendum, having pledged to act quickly to make good on his promise to devolve more powers to Scotland, Cameron appointed an all-party commission to consider the details. At the same time, however, he wanted to bar Scottish MPs in the U.K. Parliament at Westminster from voting on issues that affected only England. After the House of Commons voted 524–43 on September 26 to approve British participation in the U.S.-led air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also called ISIS) insurgents in Iraq, Cameron stressed that the action would be limited to Iraq, that Britain would not attack ISIL in Syria, and that British troops would not be sent to participate in a ground war. In the run-up to the British general election of May 7, 2015, Cameron addressed concerns regarding the scale of immigration to the U.K. by promising to seek a revision of the rules governing free movement of people as part of his plan to renegotiate Britain’s membership in the EU should he remain prime minister after the election. He also reiterated a pledge first made in 2013 to hold a referendum on continued British membership in the EU by the end of 2017 if reelected. Right up to election day on May 7, 2015, opinion pollsters were predicting one of the closest contests in recent British history, with most polls putting the Conservative and Labour parties within one percentage point of each other. In the event, the pollsters were proved wildly wrong, as Cameron and his party won not only the largest share of seats in Parliament but also a slim overall majority, capturing 331 seats (a gain of 24 seats over the 2010 election), many at the expense of their soon-to-be former coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, who watched their total representation fall from 57 seats to 8. At the same time, the Conservatives held off a challenge from the right by UKIP, which managed to win one seat, owing to Britain’s winner-take-all electoral system, despite a stronger showing in the raw vote nationally. Labour’s presence in Parliament fell from 258 seats to 232. On November 10, 2015, in a letter to Donald Tusk , the president of the European Council, and in a speech, Cameron outlined his goals for a restructured role for Britain within the EU. In reinforcing his desire that Britain remain within the EU provided that the reforms that he sought were met, Cameron said that reaching that goal would be challenging but not “Mission: Impossible.” He sought reform in four key areas: (1) increasing competitiveness by reducing regulations on businesses, (2) limiting migration within the EU by allowing Britain to restrict tax credits and benefits for migrants, (3) extending the powers of national legislatures and exempting Britain from measures aimed at achieving “ever-closer-union,” and (4) creating protections for EU members that are not part of the single currency. In the wake of the Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015 , Cameron asked the House of Commons on December 2 to reconsider authorizing British air strikes in Syria against ISIL . More than 150 MPs spoke during the 10-hour debate on the measure, on the eve of which Cameron had stirred controversy by reportedly commenting that those who opposed British military intervention in Syria were “terrorist sympathizers.” Early in the debate Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and other Labour MPs called on the prime minister to apologize for that remark; Cameron did not do so, though he did say that there was honour in voting for either side of the question. Cameron initiated the debate by asking, Do we work with our allies to degrade and destroy this threat and do we go after these terrorists in their heartlands from where they are plotting to kill British people, or do we sit back and wait for them to attack us? Corbyn, who staunchly opposed authorizing the bombing, as did most of his Labour colleagues, nonetheless freed members of his party to vote their conscience , and dozens of them joined Conservatives and others in voting for the measure, which passed 397–223. At a summit meeting of the leaders of the member countries of the European Union in Brussels in February 2016, the European Council, reached at least compromise agreements on most of the reforms proposed by Cameron. Most notably, the British government would be permitted to limit benefits for migrant workers during their first four years in Britain, though this “emergency brake” could only be applied for seven years. Britain was also to be allowed to base benefit payments to the children of immigrant workers on the cost of living in the countries in which those children remained. Moreover, Britain would be exempt from the EU’s “ever-closer union” commitment, allowed to keep the pound sterling as its currency, and reimbursed for money spent on euro-zone bailouts. When Cameron returned to London with the agreement in hand, he received the backing of most of his cabinet, announced that he would campaign for Britain to remain in the EU, and scheduled the referendum for June 23, 2016. There were, however, dissenters within the cabinet who made it clear that they would support Britain leaving the EU. Arguably the most-prominent Conservative proponent of “ Brexit ” (as the British exit from the EU was popularly known) was Boris Johnson , the popular mayor of London. Cameron, who had already announced that he did not plan to seek another term as prime minister, quickly entered into a war of words with Johnson, who was widely perceived to have designs on becoming the next leader of the Conservative Party. In April 2016 Cameron came under fire when it was revealed that he, prior to becoming prime minister, had holdings in an offshore tax-haven-registered trust that had been created by his late father. That information came to light as part of a leak of more than 11 million documents (quickly dubbed the “ Panama Papers ”) from the secretive Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which exposed how a clutch of current and former world leaders as well as dozens of other politicians, public officials, and celebrities throughout the world had used tax havens to hide their wealth. Although Cameron had sold his shares in the trust before assuming office in 2010 and ostensibly had not violated any laws, the news was damaging for him because, as prime minister, he had taken a leading role in the fight against international tax evasion. Although opinion polling on the eve of the referendum showed both sides of the “Brexit” question fairly evenly divided, in the event, some 52 percent of British voters chose to leave the EU, setting the stage for the U.K. to become the first country to ever do so. An emotional Cameron addressed the country from outside 10 Downing Street on June 24 to announce his intention to resign as prime minister by the time of the Conservative conference in October 2016 to allow his successor to conduct the negotiations on the British departure: “I don’t think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination.” He emphasized his belief that there should be no hurry about triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty , under which the EU and the United Kingdom would have two years to negotiate their separation. Johnson appeared poised to replace Cameron, but, in an abrupt turn of events, Johnson withdrew his name from consideration after he lost the crucial support of Justice Secretary Michael Gove , who chose to run for leader himself. After successive votes by Conservative parliamentarians, Home Secretary Theresa May and Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom emerged from the five-candidate field as the finalists. They were to be put to a vote by all party members with the results to come in September, but, when Leadsom unexpectedly dropped out on July 11, the party’s 1922 Committee, which was steering the leadership contest, declared May the new leader, effective immediately. As a result, Cameron’s tenure as prime minister came to a close even sooner than expected. Following Cameron’s final cabinet meeting on July 12, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that across the cabinet there was “huge gratitude” for what Cameron had “achieved for the country and the way he’s changed the Conservative Party.” Cameron formally presented his resignation to the queen on July 13. On September 12, 2016, he also resigned from his seat in the House of Commons, saying: In my view, the circumstances of my resignation as Prime Minister and the realities of modern politics make it very difficult to continue on the backbenches without the risk of becoming a diversion to the important decisions that lie ahead for my successor in Downing Street and the Government.

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Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture - British prime ministers of the 20th century Latest issue British prime ministers of the 20th century Do you know who presided over the setting up of the National Health Service, or who served the shortest time as leader? Read our timeline of British prime ministers of the 20th century for all the answers. Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Conservative 1895 to 1902 Salisbury was the last peer to serve as PM (this was his third tenure), with the brief exception of Douglas Home (below) who renounced his peerage within a few days of being appointed. Arthur James Balfour Conservative 1902 to 1905 Balfour was the nephew of the Marquess of Salisbury but his cabinet was divided on the issue of free trade and without the support of Edward VII he was forced to resign in December 1905. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal 1905 to 1908 Following Arthur James Balfour’s resignation, Edward VII invited the leader of the next largest party, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, to form a government. He was the first leader to officially use the title of ‘Prime Minister’. Herbert Henry Asquith Liberal 1908 to 1916 Asquith is the only Prime Minister to have taken office on foreign soil. At the time that he succeeded Campbell-Bannerman, Edward VII was in Biarritz so Asquith travelled there for the official ‘kissing-hands’ ceremony. David Lloyd George in 1916 David Lloyd George Liberal 1916 to 1922 One of the 20th centuries most radical thinkers, Lloyd George was the first and only Welshman to hold the position of prime minister, introducing state pensions and waging a war on poverty. Andrew Bonar Law Conservative 1922 to 1923 Law was prime minister for just 209 days. He retired due to ill health in May 1923 and died of throat cancer six months later. Stanley Baldwin Conservative 1923 to 1924 Baldwin took over as prime minister after Bonar Law retired but he was soon ousted from his first term, albeit temporarily. James Ramsey MacDonald Labour 1924 to 1924 In 1924 Ramsey MacDonald was asked by King George V to form a government when Stanley Baldwin’s Conservative majority proved ungovernable, and his was the first Labour government. Stanley Baldwin Conservative 1924 to 1929 In his second tenure as prime minister Baldwin extended the right to vote to women over 21. James Ramsey MacDonald Labour 1929 to 1935 In his second minority government in 1929, MacDonald appointed Margaret Bondfield as the first female cabinet minister, but forming a cross-party government proved his downfall. Stanley Baldwin Conservative 1935 to 1937 By taking office as prime minister for the third time Baldwin remarkably served under three monarchs. Neville Chamberlain Conservative 1937 to 1940 Chamberlain famously declared “I believe it is peace for our time” following a meeting in 1938 with Adolf Hitler. Sir Winston Churchill Conservative 1940 to 1945 Following Chamberlain’s resignation in 1940, Churchill succeeded him as prime minister of an all-party coalition government. Clement Attlee Labour 1945 to 1951 Taking over from Churchill at the end of the war, Attlee is perhaps best remembered for setting up the National Health Service. Winston Churchill gives his infamous V sign on 20 May 1940 Sir Winston Churchill Conservative 1951 to 1955 While serving his second term as prime minister Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his many published works. Sir Anthony Eden Conservative 1955 to 1957 Eden is best remembered for his controversial handling of the Suez Crisis, which led to his resignation. Harold Macmillan Conservative 1957 to 1963 Macmillian took over as leader following Eden’s resignation and led the nation through the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was made Earl of Stockton in 1984 and died in 1986. Sir Alex Douglas-Home Conservative 1963 to 1964 The aristocratic Douglas-Home took on the trade unions but only served as prime minister for 363 days , the second shortest premiership in the 20th century. Harold Wilson Labour 1964 to 1970 Wilson won his first election in 1964 but he actually visited 10 Downing Street many years before, when he was eight-years-old, so his aspirations began early. Sir Edward Heath Conservative 1970 to 1974 Grammar school educated Heath served in the Second World War, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Harold Wilson Labout 1974 to 1976 Wilson famously rebuffed a schoolboy who threw a stinkbomb at him by saying “with an arm like that he ought to be in the English Cricket XI.” James Callaghan Labour 1976 to 1979 Callaghan is the only prime minster to have also held the three offices of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. Margaret Thatcher in 1982. University of Salford Press Office Baroness Margaret Thatcher Conservative 1979 to 1990 A formidable leader or a tyrant? Britain’s first woman prime minister divided opinion like none before her, and she passed away in 2013. Sir John Major Conservative 1990 to 1997 From his humble beginnings as the son of a former music hall star, Major was reportedly inspired to become a politician after watching Harold Macmillan present his only budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Tony Blair Labour 1997 to 2007 Blair was the longest serving Labour prime minister and although he initiated reforms in the House of Commons, he was criticised for his involvement in the Iraq War. Gordon Brown Labour 2007 to 2010 Brown’s appointment caused controversy as he wasn’t actually elected, but he oversaw the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and the devolution of powers in Northern Ireland.

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Prime Ministers in the House of Lords | History of government Prime Ministers in the House of Lords — No 10 guest historian series , Prime Ministers and No. 10 The Marquess of Salisbury, the last Prime Minister to lead a government from the House of Lords In Anthony Trollope’s 1876 novel The Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of the title is Plantagenet Palliser, the Duke of Omnium. It may today appear very strange that a member of the House of Lords could head the British government. The last peer to be called upon to serve as Prime Minister,  Sir Alec Douglas-Home , renounced his peerage shortly after taking office in 1963. The  Marquess of Salisbury , who retired in 1902, was the last Prime Minister to lead a government from the Lords. Trollope’s depiction, however, reflected the political realities of his day. Of the thirteen Prime Ministers who served during his lifetime (1815-1882), only four spent their entire premiership in the House of Commons, while seven governed from the Lords. Uniquely,  Lord John Russell  spent his first term (1846-1852) in the Commons, but his second (1865-1866) in the Lords, having been ennobled as Earl Russell in 1861. Benjamin Disraeli transferred from the Lower to the Upper House while in office, having been created Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876. The case of Lord John Russell – a courtesy title which he held as a younger son of the Duke of Bedford – provides a useful reminder that not all those Prime Ministers referred to as ‘Lord’ necessarily sat in the Upper House. As an Irish peer, Lord Palmerston did not have an automatic right to sit in the Lords and was MP for Tiverton while Prime Minister. Although British politics became progressively more democratic during the nineteenth century, more peers than commoners served as Prime Minister in that period. In fact more Prime Ministers spent their premierships exclusively in the Lords during the nineteenth century than the eighteenth century. Two of the nineteenth (and indeed any) century’s longest serving incumbents were peers: Salisbury, who governed for over thirteen years in three administrations, and Lord Liverpool , who served continuously for over fourteen years. In 1817, eleven years before he became Prime Minister, the  Duke of Wellington  remarked, ‘Nobody cares a damn for the House of Lords; the House of Commons is everything in England and the House of Lords nothing’. Events leading to the passage of the 1832 Reform Act appeared to confirm Wellington’s view, bringing down his government, with the Lords eventually forced to yield to the Lower House to pass the Act. Yet Wellington noted in a more reflective mood in 1835 that ‘the House of Lords still constitutionally possesses great power over the legislation of the country’. Before the 1911 Parliament Act tipped the constitutional balance decidedly in favour of the Commons, there were several significant occasions on which the Lords forced the Commons to postpone or reconsider major legislative proposals, notably in 1884 over parliamentary reform and in 1893 over Irish Home Rule. As Walter Bagehot noted in his 1867 work The English Constitution, the Lords also retained its significance as ‘a reservoir of Cabinet ministers’. Nearly half of William Gladstone ’s 1880 Cabinet were peers. Despite the Upper House’s continued significance, some doubted whether a Prime Minister was best placed there. Yet such objections could be grounded less on principle than an aversion to a particular individual. George Canning ’s dislike of the ineffectual Duke of Portland , whom he hoped to succeed, prompted him to argue in 1809 that it was ‘indispensable’ that the Prime Minister sit in the Commons. In 1894, following Gladstone’s retirement, a deputation of Liberal MPs protested to their Chief Whip about a peer filling his place, Queen Victoria having chosen the  Earl of Rosebery  in preference to Sir William Harcourt. There were undoubtedly potential pitfalls for a Prime Minister who sat in the Lords.  Winston Churchill believed that Lord Rosebery’s career was seriously hampered by his peerage, observing, ‘Oh that he had been in the House of Commons! There is the tragedy. Never to have come into contact with realities, never to have felt the pulse of things – that is what is wrong with Rosebery’. Rosebery, who inherited his title aged just twenty, was particularly unusual in never having been an MP; Lord Aberdeen was the only other nineteenth-century Prime Minister in this position. Most Prime Ministers in the Lords could therefore draw on direct experience of the workings of the Commons. Churchill’s critique of Rosebery overlooked his experience outside Parliament. An accomplished public speaker, Rosebery was active in Gladstone’s election campaign in Midlothian in 1880 and was elected to, and served as first chairman of, the London County Council in 1889. Neither was Aberdeen ignorant of electoral politics; while he was in office, two of his sons were elected as MPs. More significant in Rosebery’s unhappy premiership was his difficult relationship with the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir William Harcourt, his main rival for office in 1894. In contrast, once the volatile Lord Randolph Churchill had resigned in 1886, Salisbury had a much smoother relationship with his right-hand men in the Commons, the dependable W.H. Smith and Arthur Balfour, his nephew. Arguably the growth of party discipline during the nineteenth century made it easier for the Commons to be managed on behalf of a Prime Minister who sat in the Lords. Matters were different in the eighteenth century, when it is notable that the longest serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole , chose to remain in the Commons, declining the offer of a peerage in 1723. The average time in office for eighteenth-century Prime Ministers who sat in the Lords was only two years: their absence from the Commons, while not the only factor in their downfall, was a major disadvantage. Resigning in 1770, the Duke of Grafton declared that the Prime Minister needed to be ‘in the scene of action’ in the Commons. With skilled management it was possible to lead from the Lords, even before the creation of disciplined party structures. Lord Liverpool held his ministry together in the troubled period after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. With his own speaking abilities confined to the Lords, astute Cabinet reshuffles between 1821 and 1823 helped to bolster his ministry’s debating strength in the Commons, and resulted in the promotion of three future Prime Ministers: George Canning, Robert Peel and Frederick Robinson (later Viscount Goderich). The more demanding nature of business in the Commons, combined with failing health, was largely responsible for Disraeli’s decision, while serving as Prime Minister in 1876, to go to the Lords, where he described himself as ‘dead, but in the Elysian fields’. This elevation was widely believed to have weakened his political position, not least because it was harder for him to respond to Gladstone’s attacks on Conservative foreign policy. Other Prime Ministers had a less positive view of the Lords. Salisbury described it in 1876 as ‘the dullest assembly in the world’. Earl Grey had been disgruntled when his father accepted a peerage, which would curtail his own promising Commons career once he succeeded to the title on his father’s death. After his maiden speech in the Lords in 1808, Grey complained that ‘it was like speaking in a vault by the glimmering light of a sepulchral lamp to the dead. It is impossible I should ever do anything there worth thinking of’. He was wrong, however, for as Prime Minister in the Lords he oversaw the passing of the 1832 Reform Act. During his premiership, Rosebery likened the Lords to being ‘confined in a gilded dungeon with his bitterest political enemies’. His position as a Liberal peer in a chamber dominated by his opponents was particularly uncomfortable. Even after Salisbury’s retirement in 1902 peers remained potential candidates for the premiership. If the Liberal government had fallen after 1911, the new Conservative Prime Minister might have been Lord Lansdowne rather than Andrew Bonar Law . But significantly, it was the Commons which prevailed when a real, rather than hypothetical, choice between peer and commoner occurred. Advising George V on a successor for the ailing Bonar Law in 1923, Arthur James Balfour urged that the Prime Minister must be in the Commons, reinforcing the King’s own preference for Stanley Baldwin rather than the experienced, but aloof, Lord Curzon. In 1940 Lord Halifax emphasised ‘the difficult position of a Prime Minister unable to make contact with the centre of gravity in the House of Commons’ as a key reason for his reluctance to replace Neville Chamberlain , leaving the way clear for Churchill. Halifax was correct that the centre of gravity of British political life had shifted decisively to the Commons. The political power and influence of the House of Lords had diminished significantly since the nineteenth century, a trend which continued apace in the second half of the twentieth century, making the possibility of any further Prime Ministers governing from the Lords increasingly unlikely. Suggested further reading: David Cannadine, The decline and fall of the British aristocracy (1990) R.W. Davis (ed.), Lords of Parliament. Studies, 1714-1914 (1995) R.W. Davis (ed.), Leaders in the Lords: government management and party organization in the upper chamber, 1765-1902 (2003) Robert Eccleshall and Graham Walker (ed.), Biographical dictionary of British Prime Ministers (1998) Paul Langford, ‘Prime Ministers and Parliament: the long view, Walpole to Blair’, Parliamentary History, 25:3 (2006), 382-94.

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Exile - I Wanna Kiss You All Over (1978) - YouTube Exile - I Wanna Kiss You All Over (1978) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jun 30, 2006 Jimmy Stokley (lead vocals), J. P. Pennington (guitar, vocals), Sonny LeMaire (bass, backing vocals), Marlon Hargis (keyboards, backing vocals), Buzz Cornelison (keyboards, backing vocals) and Steve Goetzman (battery) Exile - Kiss You All Over When I get home, babe, gonna light your fire All day I've been thinkin' about you, babe You're my one desire Gonna wrap my arms around you Hold you close to me Oh, babe I wanna taste your lips I wanna fill your fantasy, yeah I don't what I'd do without you, babe Don't know where I'd be You're not just another lover No, you're everything to me Ev'rytime I'm with you, baby I can't believe it's true When you're layin' in my arms And you do the things you do You can see it in my eyes I can feel it in your touch You don't have to say a thing Just let me show how much I love you, I need you, yeah I wanna kiss you all over And over again I wanna kiss you all over Till the night closes in Till the night closes in Stay with me, lay with me, holding me, loving me, baby Here with me, near with me, feeling you close to me, baby So show me, show me ev'rything you do 'cause baby no one does it quite like you I love you, I need you, oh, babe I wanna kiss you all over And over again I wanna kiss you all over Till the night closes in Till the night closes in Till the night closes in Till the night closes in Till the night closes in Download:

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Exile - kiss you all over - YouTube Exile - kiss you all over Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Apr 26, 2008 Exile - kiss you all over Category Standard YouTube License Music

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KISS Online :: KISS Chronology | The Complete History Of KISS January 30, 1973 - KISS play their first show at a club in Queens, NY called Popcorn.     June 1973 - KISS records a five-song demo tape with producer Eddie Kramer, which winds up in the hands of former teen pop singer and Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart. August 1973 - After a handful of showcase concerts in the summer of 1973, former TV director Bill Aucoin is hired to become the band's manager. With the help of Aucoin, KISS becomes the first act signed to Bogart's new label, Casablanca Records. October 10, 1973 - The band enters Bell Sound Studios in New York City and begins recording their first album. December 31, 1973 - KISS play concert at the Academy of Music in New York City. Simmons sets his hair ablaze while performing his newly inaugurated fire-breathing stunt.   February 5, 1974 - KISS begins first North American tour in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, as an opening act. February 18, 1974 - The band's self-titled debut album, KISS is released. February 21, 1974 - KISS performs Nothin' to Lose, Firehouse and Black Diamond for what would become their first national television appearance, on ABC's In Concert (airing March 29).     April 29 1974 - KISS performs Firehouse on The Mike Douglas Show, a broadcast that also includes Gene Simmons' first televised interview. August 1974 - KISS begins recording their second album, Hotter Than Hell, in Los Angeles and is released October 22, 1974. Album sales are lackluster, but the band's live show starts to create a buzz.     March 19, 1975 - Dressed To Kill is released in March 1975. The album includes Rock And Roll All Nite, a soon-to-be the rock-anthem of the generations.     April 1, 1975 - KISS appears live on NBC-TV's Midnight Special, as the band's over-the-top live performances begin to solidify their reputation as the Hottest Band in the Land.   September 1975 - KISS harness the excitement of their bombastic live performance. KISS Alive! Is released and record sales explode.       October 9, 1975 - KISS celebrate KISS Day in Cadillac, MI after the Cadillac High football team wins the state championship after listening to KISS music before every game.   November 21, 1975 - KISS's popularity grows by leaps and bounds. The KISS ARMY, the band's newly inaugurated fan club quickly grows to six figures. December 31, 1975 - KISS is presented with their first Gold Record awards for KISS Alive! prior to going onstage at Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY. Alive! would go on to achieve quadruple platinum status, and spawned KISS's first top 40 single, the live version of Rock And Roll All Nite.   March 15, 1976 - Destroyer is released. The Bob Ezrin-produced studio album becomes KISS's most commercially successful studio album. Many of the songs from Destroyer remain KISS concert staples to this day.       October 31, 1976 - KISS appears on the The Paul Lynde Halloween Special and performs Detroit Rock City, Beth and King of the Night Time World. For many KISS fans, this was their first exposure to KISS's dramatic stage show and outrageous appearance. Late 1976 - Two more studio albums continued to fuel the KISS fire, November 1976's Rock and Roll Over and June 1977's smash hit Love Gun. February 10, 1977 - KISS are presented with the People's Choice Award for the single Beth in the Best Song category. February 18, 1977 - KISS headline Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time. May 26, 1977 - KISS announce their debut KISS Marvel Comic book and deposit their own blood in the comic book ink at the Marvel printing plant.     June 22, 1977 - KISS is voted the #1 band in America by Gallup Poll. KISS's tour of Japan breaks attendance records previously held by The Beatles. KISSteria is in full effect.     August 8, 1994 - KISS KISS My Ass long form video released US. February 3, 1995 - KISS stages the first Official Worldwide KISS Convention in Perth, Australia. The unique and revolutionary KISS Convention tour of 1995 features a traveling KISS Museum displaying vintage KISS stage outfits, instruments, and memorabilia. Performances by KISS tribute bands, KISS collectors/dealers buying, selling and trading KISS merchandise, precludes an evening appearance by KISS themselves, appearing live and in person, conducting a question and answer session, autograph signing, and a two-hour unplugged set comprised mostly of spontaneous fan requests. March, 1995 - KISS publishes and releases its own 9-pound, 440 page coffee table book, KISSTORY. June 17, 1995 - Former KISS drummer Peter Criss visits the first North American KISS Convention in Los Angeles with his daughter. Peter joins the band onstage singing KISS classics Hard Luck Woman and Nothin' to Lose. August 9, 1995 - KISS performs on MTV Unplugged. The band invites former members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley to participate in a mini-reunion onstage for several songs at the end of the Unplugged set. Late 1995 - In the months following the Unplugged concert, the band returned to the studio for the first time in three years to record Carnival of Souls. The album was completed, but its release was delayed for two years. January 1996 - With the amazing response to the Unplugged show, plans begin for an official KISS reunion with the four original members. February 28, 1996 - The four original KISS members, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss make a surprise appearance at the 38th annual Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles in full KISS makeup and costume, the first time in 17 years. April 16, 1996 - KISS officially announce the reunion of the four original members and the subsequent Alive Worldwide Reunion tour at a press conference on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid in New York City. The conference is simulcast to 58 countries worldwide. June 15, 1996 - KISS's four original members perform onstage together in makeup for the first time in 17 years at KROQ's Weenie Roast in Irvine, CA as an Alive Worldwide Reunion tour warm-up. June 28, 1996 - The KISS Alive Worldwide Reunion tour kicks off at Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI, selling out 40,000 tickets in 40 minutes. The mammoth 13-month tour covers 200 shows in 26 countries, playing to over two million people, setting a record for the top-grossing tour of the year. July 25, 1996 - KISS plays four consecutive sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City. August 1996 - SPIN Magazine, in their largest selling issue ever, unveil each KISS member solo on four individual covers. September 4, 1996 - KISS perform under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York for the MTV Video Music Awards. June 1997 - KISS plays two sold-out shows at Stockholm Sweden's Olympic Stadium, setting the record for the largest single event at the stadium since the 1912 Olympics. September 21, 1998 - KISS announce the release of the Psycho Circus album and tour at a press conference at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA.   September 22, 1998 - KISS Psycho Circus, the first album of new material recorded with the original four KISS members since 1979 is released. The Grammy Award nominated album for "Best Hard Rock Performance" was recorded and mixed in Los Angeles in early 1998. October 31, 1998 - The highly anticipated KISS Psycho Circus tour in 3D KISS kicks off with a special October 31st Halloween performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.   November 24, 1998 - KISS The Second Coming long-form video is released. The double-platinum selling video chronicles the story of how the four original members reunited for the Reunion tour of 1996-97. January 31, 1999 - KISS performs at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, FL.     March 1999 - KISS graces the cover of their own issue of Playboy Magazine, the first time for any music group. August 11, 1999 - KISS are presented with their own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The presentation by Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant is attended by hundreds of KISS faithful.     January, 2008 - KISSOLOGY DVD series certified by the RIAA 20X platinum! March 16, 2008 - KISS open ALIVE 35 world tour to 80,000 fans at the Melbourne Grand Prix. Play sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout Europe (in Summer '08) on their most successful European tour ever. Performed in Russia, Greece, Bulgaria and Latvia for first time ever August 4, 2008 - KISS rock over 50,000 at Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota. Governor Rounds declares KISS Day in South Dakota.   April 3, 2009 - KISS open ALIVE 35 South American tour in Santiago, Chile. Play sold-out stadiums across South America. Performed in Columbia, Venezuela and Peru for first time ever.   May, 2009 - KISS perform on American Idol season finale to over 30 million TV viewers.   July 10, 2009 - KISS open ALIVE 35 Canadian tour by setting attendance record at Sarnia Bayfest.     September 25, 2009 - KISS opens the US leg of their ALIVE 35 Tour with a triumphant SOLD OUT show at COBO Arena in Detroit.   October 6, 2009 - KISS release Sonic Boom, their first studio album in 11 years.The album receives world-wide critical acclaim from fans and press!   February 7, 2010 - KISS' new Dr. Pepper Commercial premieres during Super Bowl XLIV.   May 1, 2010 - KISS kicks off their SONIC BOOM OVER EUROPE tour in Sheffield, England.       March 15, 2011 - KISS rocks over 70,000 fans in the round at Reliant Stadium during Rodeo Houston.   October, 13, 2011 - KISS launch the first-ever KISS KRUISE with over 2500 fans from around the globe.   March 15, 2012 - KISS appear at grand opening of KISS by Monster Mini Golf in Las Vegas, NV.   July 20, 2012 - KISS & Motley Crue open THE TOUR in Bristow, Virginia (just outside of Washington D.C.)   October 9, 2012 - KISS release MONSTER, their 20th studio album.       November 7, 2012 - KISS open the South American MONSTER Tour with over 60,000 fans at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Bad Songs of the Seventies brought out violent thoughts of hatred, revenge, etc. reminded me how lame the radio and record companies are could make me want to break my stereo would make me leave a bar or club if they started playing it would make me boo a band who started playing it suspended my believe in a divine force that governs the universe I'm not saying that there weren't ANY good songs during the 70s but there was just a truck-load of waste back then. If anybody's stupid enough to think that ALL disco sucks, remember that it's just a bastard son of rhythm & blues just like rock'n'roll is- so they're related, see? Also, the 1970's definitely didn't have a monopoly on shitty music- there was tons of crap unleashed on us in the decade before and after and now also (there's a future article there somewhere). Clothes-pin anyone? I've bolded some of the major offenders, which doesn't mean I 'like' the others better but only that some of the songs are a higher grade of crap than the other manure here. Also, if we've misquoted a lyric from one of these masterpieces, please let us know . We don't want to misrepresent great art! Abba "Dancing Queen"       Nostalgia for them was cute for a few seconds but get real- 'see that girl/watch that scene/diggin' the dancing queen' Abba "Knowing Me, Knowing You" Abba "Take A Chance On Me" Abba "Waterloo" Ambrosia "How Much I Feel" America "Horse With No Name"       A Neil Young imitation in voice only America "Tin Man"        'Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man/That he didn't, didn't already have' America "Ventura Highway"       A George Harrison imitation- they flatter him America "Lonely People" Paul Anka "Having My Baby"       Did someone say abortion? Atlanta Rhythm Section "Imaginary Lover"       Sorry guys but Muscle Shoals is a real rhythm section not you Atlanta Rhythm Section "So Into You" Bad Company "Rock and Roll Fantasy"       The Kinks did a little better with this title- 'It's all part of my rock'n'roll dre-eams' Bad Company "Feel Like Makin' Love"       At least this was better than the same title by Roberta Flack Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love?" Bee Gees "Love You Inside Out" Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive" Bee Gees "Too Much Heaven" Bee Gees "Tragedy" Bee Gees "You Should Be Dancing" Bellamy Brothers "Let Your Love Flow"        'Like a bird on wing..' George Benson "This Masquerade" Chuck Berry "My Ding A Ling"        A shame that he had to finally go Number 1 with a kiddie song about his dick Stephen Bishop "On And On"       A lot less funny than his ANIMAL HOUSE cameo where he sang 'I gave my love a chicken that had no bone' Blue Magic "Side Show" Blue Swede "Hooked On A Feeling"       Did these guys sound constipated or what? 'Ooga-choka!' Boney M "Brown Girl in the Ring" Debby Boone "You Light Up My Life"        'You give me hope/to car-ry on...' Bread "If" Bread "Make It With You"       David Gates did produced Capt. Beefheart once so he has SOME hip credentials Jackson Browne "Doctor, My Eyes"       Really dopey title. It makes about as much sense as "Toys 'R' Us."- Wes Eric Burdon "Spill The Wine" Glen Campbell "Rhinestone Cowboy" Captain and Tennille "Do That To Me One More Time" Captain and Tennille "Love Will Keep Us Together" Captain and Tennille "Muskrat Love"       If the Carpenters can be hip, why can't Toni? Captain and Tennille "Shop Around"        They thought they could improve on Smokey? Captain and Tennille "The Way I Want To Touch You" Eric Carmen "All By Myself"       Cool enough for Greg Brady to sing Carpenters "Close To You"       I know Sonic Youth likes Karen but what about Richard? Carpenters "For All We Know" Carpenters "Please Mr. Postman" Carpenters "Rainy Days And Mondays" Carpenters "Sing"        'Sing/Sing a song'- now, that's deep... Carpenters "Top Of The World" Carpenters "We've Only Just Begun"       I am proud to say that I got through my newlywed years without once thinking of this song after our reception- Wes David Cassidy "Cherish" Shaun Cassidy "Da Doo Ron Ron"       File under 'where are they now?' Harry Chapin "Cat's In The Craddle" Harry Chapin "Taxi" Cher "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" Cher "Half-Breed" Chicago "Baby What A Big Surprise" Chicago "Color My World"        I don't care how many times this was played as the slow dance at dances, I never got to like it- Wes Chicago "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is" Chicago "If You Leave Me Now"        'You'll take away the biggest part of me/Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo Baby, please don't go' Chicago "Make Me Smile" Chicago "Saturday In the Park" Chicago "25 Or 6 to 4"       This actually rocked a little but still... Eric Clapton "Lay Down Sally"        This guy definitely forgot this roots Eric Clapton "Promises"       Painful to think about... 'Precious and few are moments sweet two can share' Climax Blues Band "Couldn't Get It Right" Joe Cocker "You Are So Beautiful"       A great blues singer but like Clapton... Natalie Cole "I Got Love On My Mind" Commodores "Easy"       A shame they didn't stick with 'Machine Gun' and 'Brick House' Commodores "Lady" Commodores "Three Times A Lady"        'You're once, twice, three times a lady'       But if it didn't exist we wouldn't have heard Eddie Murphy sing it as Buckwheat- Wes Bill Conti "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)"        A shame they wouldn't let the Feelies cover this for SOMETHING WILD Rita Coolidge "Higher and Higher"       Jackie Wilson is doing somersults in his grave Rita Coolidge "We're All Alone" Coven "One Tin Soldier" Jim Croce "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" Jim Croce "Time In A Bottle" Crosby, Stills and Nash "Just A Song Before I Go"       Alright, as long as you leave Burton Cummings "Stand Tall" Daddy Dewdrop "Chick A Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)" Charlie Daniels "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" Mac Davis "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me"        'I'll just use you / then I'll set you free-ee-ee' Paul Davis "I Go Crazy" Sammy Davis Jr. "The Candy Man" Dawn "Knock Three Times" Dawn "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"       Really big during the Gulf War Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots "Disco Duck"        Using Daffy would have been much funnier than using Donald        At least nobody can claim the name of the band is fraudulent- Wes John Denver "Rocky Mountain High"       Even more country than Hank Williams at the time John Devner "Sunshine On My Shoulder"        I always thought this would be a good tune for post-operative lobotomites to learn- Wes John Denver "Take Me Home Country Roads" John Denver "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" Neil Diamond "I Am I Said"       The Monkees and UB40 do his material better than he does Neil Diamond "Song Sung Blue" Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes "Get Dancin" Bo Donaldson and the Haywoods "Billy Don't Be A Hero"       A bell-bottom soap opera- 'Come back and make me your wife' Doobie Brothers "What A Fool Believes" Carl Douglas "Kung Fu Fighting"        'It was as fast as lightening... In fact, it was a little bit fright-ening' Dr. Hook "Only 16"       These guys were actually funny but maybe that was just Shel Silverstein Dr. Hook "Sharing The Night Together" Dr. Hook "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman"       For some reason this one gets my wife really angry, so it's valuable- Wes Eagles "Best of My Love"        Rule of thumb- do not use 'wo-ho-ho' as a lyric Eagles "Hotel California"        Part of their musical war with Steely Dan. Nice 'accent' Eagles "I Can't Tell You Why" Eagles "Lying Eyes" Eagles "New Kid In Town" Eagles "Take It Easy" Eagles "Take It To The Limit" Eagles "Witchy Woman" Edison Lighthouse "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" Electric Light Orchestra "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" Electric Light Orchestra "Shine A Little Love" Yvonne Elliman "If I Can't Have You"        '..I don't want nobody baby/Wo..oh..oh..' Emotions "Best of My Love" England Dan and John Ford Coley "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" Exile "Kiss You All Over"       This is supposed to be a country band, mind you Freddy Fender "Before The Next Teardrop Falls"        'Wasted Days and Wasted Nights' is Tex-Mex worthy of Sir Douglas but this is much too sentimental Jay Ferguson "Thunder Island" Firefall "Just Remember I Love You"        'And it'll be alright...' Roberta Flack "Feel Like Making Love" Roberta Flack "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway "The Closer I Get To You" Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway "Where Is the Love" Fleetwood Mac "Dreams"        Stevie Nicks- the queen of bad rock soap operas Floaters "Float On"        'Longer than, there've been fishes in the ocean/I've been in love with you' Foreigner "Cold As Ice"        'You're willing to sacrifice our love' Foreigner "Double Vision" Foreigner "Feels Like The First Time" Fortunes "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" Four Seasons "Who Loves You" Four Seasons "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)"        'What a ver-y special time for me/What a la-dy, what a night' Peter Frampton "I'm In You" Peter Frampton "Show Me The Way"       Nice wah-wah vocals Crystal Gale "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" Gallery "(It's so) Nice To Be With You"       'I love all the things you say and do' Leif Garrett "I Was Made For Dancin'"       I don't think so Gloria Gaynor "I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor "Never Can Say Goodbye" David Geddes "Run Joey Run"        On par with 'Billy, Don't Be a Hero' Andy Gibb "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" Andy Gibb "Love Is Thicker Than Water"       Name recoginition always helps Nick Gilder "Hot Child In The City"       'runnin' wild and looking pretty' Andrew Gold "Lonely Boy"       See what happens when you ditch Linda Ronstadt- you become Jerry Brown Grand Funk Railroad "Closer To Home" Henry Gross "Shannon" Guess Who "Share The Land" Guess Who "These eyes"       'You're a bitch girl/you're a rich bitch girl' Hall & Oates "Sara Smile" Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds "Don't Pull Your Love Out" Albert Hammond "It Never Rains In Southern California"       Thanks for the weather report but it does actually George Harrison "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)"       Didn't he learn anything from Monty Python? Heatwave "Always and Forever" Dan Hill "Sometimes When We Touch"       Andrew Dice Clay did a funnier version Hollies "He Ain't Heavy" Hollies "The Air That I Breathe" Eddie Holman "Hey There Lonely Girl"       Nice Four Seasons falsetto though Clint Holmes "Playground In My Mind"       Even kids could see through this Rupert Holmes "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" Thelma Houston "Don't Leave Me This Way" Engelbert Humperdinck "After The Loving"       '...I'm still in love with you' Janis Ian "At Seventeen" Terry Jacks "Seasons In The Sun"       'We had joy, we had fun... But the stars we could reach were just starfish on the beach' Michael Jackson "Ben" Jefferson Starship "Count On Me"       Guess their vocal coach couldn't make this session Jefferson Starship "Miracles"       Amazing to think they once said 'up against the wall motherfukcers' (or was that Pink Floyd?) Jigsaw "Sky High" Billy Joel "Just The Way You Are" Elton John "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" Elton John "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" Elton John "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"       You SHOULD be sorry Elton- what happened to 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting'? Elton John and Kiki Dee "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"       Not as fun as his remake with RuPaul Robert John "Sad Eyes" Rickie Lee Jones "Chuck E's In Love"       Joni Mitchell as a fake boho ain't an appealing proposition Kansas "Carry On My Wayward Son" Kansas "Dust In The Wind"       I used to call it "Ducks in the Wind"- Wes       'All we are is dust in the wind'- wow, man... Andy Kim "Rock Me Gently" Carole King "It's Too Late" Carole King "So Far Away" Kiss "I Was Made For Loving You"       Their attempt at disco Kool and the Gang "Too Hot" Vicki Lawrence "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia"       'don't trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer' Nicolette Larson "Lotta Love"       She should know better than to try to go up against her old boss Neil Young Gordon Lightfoot "If You Could Read My Mind"        'what a tale my thoughts could tell' Gordon Lightfoot "Sundown" Gordon Lightfoot "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" Little River Band "Lonesome Loser"        'Have you heard about the lonesome loser/beaten by the Queen of Hearts every time..' Little River Band "Reminiscing" Lobo "I'd Love You To Want Me" Lobo "Me And You And Dog Named Boo"        'Travelin' an' livin' off the land' Dave Loggins "Please Come To Boston" Kenny Loggins "Whenever I Call You Friend" Loggins and Messina "Your Mama Don't Dance"       Newsflash: neither can you guys Looking Glass "Brandy" Melissa Manchester "Don't Cry Out Loud" Maria Maldaur "Midnight At the Oasis" Chuck Mangioine "Feels So Good"       This guy was actually 'jazz'? Barry Manilow "Can't Smile Without You" Barry Manilow "Copacabana"       'At the Copa/Copacabana/The hottest spot North of Havana..' Barry Manilow "It's A Miracle" Barry Manilow "I Write The Songs"       Supposedly a Brian Wilson tribute- 'I am music' Barry Manilow "Looks Like Me Made It" Barry Manilow "Mandy"        'you came and you gave without taking' Johnny Mathis/Deneice Williams "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" C.W. McCall "Convoy"       Good for a laugh but not for repeated listens: 'Eleven long-haired friends of Jesus in a chartreuse micro-bus' Paul McCartney/Wings "My Love" Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. "You Don't Have To Be A Star Baby"       The title alone is putrid Van McCoy "The Hustle" Mary McGregor "Torn Between Two Lovers"        'Loving both of you, is breaking all the rules' Don McLean "American Pie"       Why do people care what this really means? Meatloaf "Paradise By The Dashboard Light"        Scooter, how could you? Meatloaf "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" Meatloaf "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" Melanie "Brand New Key" Eddie Money "Baby Hold On" Moody Blues "Nights In White Satin"        King Crimson should have stolen their mellotron        Note to wise-asses: this came out in the '60's but was also a hit in the '70's Mocedades "Eres Tu" Anne Murray "You Needed Me" David Naughton "Makin' It" New Seekers "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"       Good enough for Coca Cola New Seekers "Look What They've Done To My Song" Wayne Newton "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" Olivia Newton-John "Have You Ever Been Mellow" Olivia Newton-John "Hopelessly Devoted To You" Olivia Newton-John "I Honestly Love You" Olivia Newton-John "Let Me Be There"       If John Denver can be country, I guess she can too. Maxine Nightingale "Right Back To Where We Started From"       'Love is good/love can be strong' Nilsson "Without You"       Harry was actually cool otherwise (really funny too) but a weepy ballad is too much to forgive Kenny Nolan "I Like Dreaming"        'Sweet dream baby I love you' Ocean "Put Your Hand In The Hand" Alan O'Day "Undercover Angel"       You'd think Elton's drummer would know more about dancin' Odyssey "Native New Yorker"        'I want to be your partner/Dance With Me/The music has just started...' Orleans "Love Takes Time" Donny Osmond "Go Away Little Girl"       A wiser future generation will vindicate Donny Osmond. You watch- Wes Donny Osmond "Puppy Love" Donny Osmond "The 12th of Never" Marie Osmond "Paper Roses" The Osmonds "Down By The Lazy River" The Osmonds "One Bad Apple"       This is what they tried to pit against the Jacksons? Gilbert O'Sullivan "Alone Again Naturally"       Bad enough that he had to sue Biz Markie over this Gilbert O'Sullivan "Claire" Ozark Mountain Daredevils "Jackie Blue" Pablo Cruise "Love Will Find A Way" Paper Lace "The Night Chicago Died"       'I heard my mama cry/I heard her pray...'        To think they wanted the city to have it as their song (about a massacre no less) Dolly Parton "Here You Come Again" Partridge Family "I Think I Love You"       At least Danny's still funny       You're confusing pathetic with funny- Wes Peaches and Herb "Reunited" Peter Paul and Mary "Leaving On A Jet Plane"       Wow, talk about weepy Python Lee Jackson "In A Broken Dream"       Before Rod was Rod Queen "We Are The Champions"       Nice for sporting events but not much else Gerry Rafferty "Baker Street" Lou Rawls "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine"       Didn't Sam Cooke teach him anything? Raydio "Jack and Jill" Chris Rea "Fool If You Think It's Over" Helen Reddy "Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady" Helen Reddy "Angie Baby" Helen Reddy "I Am Woman"       Lovely anthem but why should anyone listen? Helen Reddy "I Don't Know How To Love Him" Helen Reddy "You and Me Against The World" Helen Reddy "Ruby Red Dress (Leave Me Alone)" Paul Revere "Indian Reservation"       Proving once again that the best way not to help a group of people is to write a pop song about 'em- Wes Charlie Rich "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World"        He was much too good to try to go pop like this- great for weeping in your beer though Cliff Richard "Devil Woman" Cliff Richard "We Don't Talk Anymore" Righteous Brothers "Rock and Roll Heaven"        Wonder if Darby Crash is there Minnie Riperton "Loving You"        Screaming on a ballad? How punk Kenny Rogers "Lady"       This was country too? No wonder he went into fried chicken Kenny Rogers "She Believes In Me" Rolling Stones "Angie"       Even Keith would nod off when they did this live Linda Ronstadt "Blue Bayou"       Roy knew how to yell out ballads but she didn't Diana Ross "Theme From Mahagony (Do You Know Where You're Going To)"       'Do you like the things that life is showing you?' Diana Ross "Touch Me In The Morning" Todd Rundgren "Hello It's Me" Samantha Sang "Emotion" Leo Sayer "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" Leo Sayer "When I Need You" Neil Sedaka "Bad Blood"        Couldn't Elton John leave well enough alone? Neil Sedaka "Laughter In The Rain" Bob Seger "We've Got Tonight"        This from an Ike and Tina fan who did 'Get Out of Denver'? 'Who needs tomor-row/why don't you stay?' Silver Convention "Fly Robin Fly" Silver Convention "Get Up and Boogie" Simon and Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" Carly Simon "Anticipation"       At least Heinz liked this... 'It's keepin' me wai-ai-ai-ting' Carly Simon "Haven't Got The Time For The Pain" Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better"        007 deserved better than this Carly Simon "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" Carly Simon/James Taylor "Mockingbird" Rex Smith "You Take My Breath Away" Sniff and the Tears "Driver's Seat" David Soul "Don't Give Up On Us Baby"       Much cooler as Starsky or Hutch Starbuck "Moonlight Feels Right" Starland Vocal Band "Afternoon Delight"        'Sky rockets in flight...' Stealers Wheel "Stuck In The Middle With You"       Do you really need a lame Dylan imitation, even if Quentin Tarentino digs it? Cat Stevens "Another Saturday Night"       Sam Cooke necrophilia Cat Stevens "It's A Wild World" Cat Stevens "Morning Has Broken"        Only a special performer can get on Natalie Merchant's shitlist and want to kill Salman Rushdie Ray Stevens "Everything Is Beautiful"       Anybody who can cluck like a chicken shouldn't bother with Barry Manilow Al Stewart "Time Passages" Al Stewart "Year of the Cat" John Stewart "Gold" Rod Stewart "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy"       Forget the fact that he stole this from Jorge Ben- the answer to the title is no Rod Stewart "You're In My Heart" Stephen Stills "Love The One You're With"       A lovely hippie sentiment Barbra Streisand "Evergreen (Theme From Star Is Born)" Barbara Streisand "The Way We Were" Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"       Even a lounge act wouldn't sink to this pap 'You don't sing me love songs...' Sweet "Love Is Like Oxygen" Donna Summer "MacArthur's Park"       Wasn't Richard Harris bad enough? Supertramp "Goodbye Stranger"       Wasn't it a little early to imitate the Bee Gees? Supertramp "Logical Song" 10CC "I'm Not In Love" Tavares "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel"       Offensive just for the title- it sounds like a really bad pick-up line James Taylor "Fire and Rain" James Taylor "How Sweet It Is"        Worse than Marvin's version but it really gauls me to think that he made much more money off of it James Taylor "You've Got A Friend" Johnnie Taylor "Disco Lady"       Surely a dip in his good standing as a soul man R. Dean Taylor "Indiana Wants Me" B.J. Thomas "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song"       'And make me feel at home/while I miss my baby/while I miss my baby' B.J. Thomas "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" Three Degrees "When Will I See You Again" Three Dog Night "Black and White"        Even worse than Stevie and McCartney trying to make a positive statement on race relations Three Dog Night "Old Fashioned Love Song" Three Dog Night "The Show Must Go On" Toto "Hold The Line"        'Love isn't always on time..' John Travolta "Let Her In"       Barbarino sings John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John "Summer Nights" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John "You're The One That I Want" Andrea True Connection "More More More" Bonnie Tyler "It's A Heartache"       It's a headache Frankie Valli "My Eyes Adored You"        'Like a million miles away from me, you couldn't see...' Frankie Valli "Swearin' To God" Vanity Fair "Hitchin' A Ride" Gino Vannelli "I Just Want To Stop"        '...for your love' Randy Vanwarmer "Just When I Needed You The Most" Village People "In The Navy"       Good for a laugh if you like camp but nothing you'd want to invest in Village People "Macho Man" Bobby Vinton "My Melody Of Love"       Well, at least he was multi-lingual Jennifer Warnes "Right Time Of The Night" Bob Welch "Ebony Eyes" Andy Williams "Where Do I Begin (Theme From Love Story)"       More important- when do you end? Wings "Goodnight Tonight"        Paul goes disco- sounds like a lounge act Wings "Let 'Em In"       Paul ought to know- he became the expert after divorcing Lennon (or vice versa) Gary Wright "Dream Weaver"        Appropriately named- puts you to sleep 'I be-lieve we can make it through the ni-ight..' John Paul Young "Love Is In The Air" Now that you've been suitably sickened, you might want to see the professional, constructive criticism we've gotten over this article. The URL for this page is http://www.furious.com/perfect/badsongs.html Witness the rest of PERFECT SOUND FOREVER

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UK Number One Songs of the 70s UK Number One Songs of the 70s Updated on November 15, 2015 Source The 1970s Number One Songs on Video 1970s popular music in the UK proved that variety is the spice of life, and the Number One hit songs of the decade reflect this phenomenon. From 1970 onwards, the music scene in Britain changed dramatically and a myriad of musical styles reinforced the varying tastes of the average record buyer. Some of the most popular styles that took the British charts by storm were Glam Rock at the beginning of the decade, progressing to Disco and Punk Rock towards the end. In between saw novelty records, the progression of the rock single and the continuing evolution of teen pop, represented by the likes of David Cassidy, Donny Osmond and the Bay City Rollers. Most of these styles and artists were very popular for a time, and their records sold by the shed load. To see the musical changes across the decade is a fascinating exercise, and so this page brings together all the Number One hits from the UK in a video package, together with some short comments regarding each one. The source for this compilation is the Record Retailer/Music Week chart, which was broadcast by the BBC each Sunday evening. Source Matthews' Southern Comfort UK Number One Hits of 1970 31st Jan (5 weeks) Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes): Only ever UK Number One for this studio act. Lead singer Tony Burrows also sang on hits for many other groups. 7th Mar (3 weeks) Lee Marvin - Wandrin' Star: Only UK Number One for this actor with a song from the film Paint Your Wagon. 28th Mar (3 weeks) Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water: Surprisingly, the duo's only ever UK Number One. Only Art Garfunkel sings on this classic, but Paul Simon went on to greater solo success, even though he never had a UK Number One again, while Garfunkel did. 18th Apr (2 weeks) Dana - All Kinds Of Everything: First Eurovision Song Contest winner for Ireland. Her chart career was short-lived and this was her only UK Number One. 2nd May (2 weeks) Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky: Only ever UK Number One for Greenbaum with a self-penned song. Doctor & The Medics took the track to Number One again in 1986. 16th May (3 weeks) England World Cup Squad - Back Home: Mexico World Cup Football sing-along by the 1970 England team. 6th Jun (1 week) Christie - Yellow River: Only ever UK Number One for Jeff Christie with a song he wrote for the Tremeloes. They turned it down, so he recorded it himself. 13th Jun (7 weeks) Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime: First UK Number One for this group led by Ray Dorset. 1st Aug (6 weeks) Elvis Presley - The Wonder Of You: Elvis revived his career in Las Vegas and this was a live recording from his show. At this point, he was only one behind the Beatles as this was his 16th UK Number One. 12th Sep (1 week) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tears Of A Clown: First UK Number One for Motown singer Smokey Robinson who would have to wait another 11 years before hitting the top spot again. 19th Sep (6 weeks) Freda Payne - Band Of Gold: Only ever UK Number One for this American actress. 31st Oct (3 weeks) Matthews' Southern Comfort - Woodstock: Written by Canadian folk legend Joni Mitchell, MSC's only UK Number One was about the famous rock festival of 1969. 21st Nov (1 week) Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile: Posthumous Number One for the American guitar legend who died in London a couple of months earlier. 28th Nov (6 weeks) Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knockin': Only ever UK Number One for Dave Edmunds who had further hit single success later in the Seventies. Source Slade UK Number One Hits of 1971 January 5 ( 3 weeks) Clive Dunn - Grandad: Only UK Number One for this Dad's Army star who gained sales on the back of seasonal sentimentality. January 26 (5 weeks) George Harrison - My Sweet Lord: First UK Number One for the ex-Beatle. Following the song's release, musical similarities between it and The Chiffons' hit He's So Fine led to a lengthy legal battle over the rights to the composition. March 2 (2 weeks) Mungo Jerry - Baby Jump: Written by the group's lead vocalist and guitarist Ray Dorset, it was a maxi-single playing at 33rpm. Second and last Number One for the band. March 16 (6 weeks) T. Rex - Hot Love: The group's first UK Number One. It fared less well in the USA where it peaked at Number 72. It was also the first T. Rex single to feature both a bass guitar and drums. April 27 (2 weeks) Dave and Ansil Collins - Double Barrel: Jamaican duo who scored only the second West Indian reggae chart topper. It became the first reggae single to reach the Top 30 of the US Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 22. May 11 (5 weeks) Dawn - Knock Three Times: Tony Orlando had retired from singing when he was persuaded to front Dawn for studio recordings. Their first UK Number One. June 15 (5 weeks) Middle of the Road - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep: It nearly flopped in the UK as Mac and Katie Kissoon released a version just before. MOTR got the greater airplay and sold in bundles. The Kissoon's version reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but failed to impress in the UK. July 20 (4 weeks) T. Rex - Get It On: The second UK Number One from Marc Bolan's band, selling nearly a million copies. Re-titled Bang a Gong in the US, it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 10 in January 1972, becoming the group's only major US hit. August 17 (4 weeks) Diana Ross - I'm Still Waiting: A first solo Number One for Diana Ross. It was a minor success in the US reaching Number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. September 14 (3 weeks) The Tams - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me: It was originally released in 1964 and became a minor hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching Number 41. It became a favourite on the Northern Soul scene in the UK which led to its Number One position. October 5 (5 weeks) Rod Stewart - Maggie May: It was initially released in the UK as the B-side of the single Reason to Believe, but DJs preferred Maggie May and, after two weeks in the chart, the song became the A-side. It simultaneously topped the charts in the United States. November 9 (4 weeks) Slade - Coz I Luv You: It was the band's second hit song in the UK and the first of six Number One singles. December 7 (4 weeks) Benny Hill - Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West): Comedy single, the song concerned the fictional exploits of Ernie, a milkman who drove a horse-drawn milk cart and his war with the bread delivery man: Two-Ton Ted from Teddington. Source Alice Cooper UK Number One Hits of 1972 January 4 (4 weeks) The New Seekers - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony): A 1971 Coca-Cola TV commercial featured young people from around the world singing on a hilltop and was so popular that the song (without the Coke references) became a hit in its own right. Another recording was issued by The Hillside Singers, but this failed to sell in the UK. February 1 (2 weeks) T. Rex - Telegram Sam: Third UK Number One single for T. Rex., but it only reached Number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100. February 15 (3 weeks) Chicory Tip - Son of My Father: The first UK Number One single to prominently feature a synthesizer, in this case a Moog synthesizer. Originally a song by Giorgio Moroder, he re-recorded it shortly after, but it failed to chart in the UK, though it made the Top 50 in the United States. March 7 (5 weeks) Harry Nilsson - Without You: Suicide inspired song written by two members of Badfinger, who both later committed suicide. April 11 (5 weeks) The Pipes & Drums & Military Band of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards - Amazing Grace: The old favourite traditional hymn as played by this Scottish military bagpipe band. It was the best-selling single of the year in the UK. May 16 (4 weeks) T. Rex - Metal Guru: Apparently, the song is about a car and became the group's fourth and final UK Number One. It did not chart in the USA. June 13 (2 weeks) Don McLean - Vincent: Don McLean wrote this song as a tribute to artist Vincent Van Gogh. It reached Number 12 in the US. June 27 (1 week) Slade - Take Me Bak 'Ome: Second UK Number One for the glam rockers, featuring Noddy Holder on vocals. July 4 (5 weeks) Donny Osmond - Puppy Love: Revival of the song written and recorded by Paul Anka in the '60s, this was Osmond's first UK Number One. August 8 (3 weeks) Alice Cooper - School's Out: Only ever UK Number One for shock rocker Alice Cooper with this classic rock tune. August 29 (1 week) Rod Stewart - You Wear It Well: From the album Never a Dull Moment, this was Rod's second UK Number One. September 5 (3 weeks) Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now: Slade was on a roll! This was their third Number One single in a matter of months. September 26 (2 weeks) David Cassidy - How Can I Be Sure?: First UK Number One for this star of US TV series The Partridge Family. His solo career was more successful in the UK than at home. October 10 (4 weeks) Lieutenant Pigeon - Mouldy Old Dough: It is the only UK Number One single to feature mother and son and became one of the more unusual chart topping singles of the 1970s. It sold 790,000 copies and was the third biggest selling single of 1972. November 7 (2 weeks) Gilbert O'Sullivan - Clair: First UK Number One for this Irishman who dressed as a 1920s worker in a flat cap, braces and baggy trousers. November 21 (4 weeks) Chuck Berry - My Ding-a-Ling: Pioneer of R&B and rock 'n' roll, whose only UK Number One was this live, innuendo-laden novelty song recorded in Coventry, England. December 19 (5 weeks) Little Jimmy Osmond - Long Haired Lover From Liverpool: Jimmy became the youngest person to ever reach Number One on the UK singles chart aged 9 years 8 months. Often cited as one of the worst singles to get to Number One. Source Suzi Quatro UK Number One Hits of 1973 January 23 (5 weeks) The Sweet - Blockbuster!: It made Number One in the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland, but fared less well in the USA where it peaked at Number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Plenty of No. 2 singles for The Sweet, but this was their only Number One. February 26 (4 weeks) Slade - Cum on Feel the Noize: Slade's fourth Number One single in the UK and the first to enter straight at the top. Revived in 1983 by Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot, their version went on to peak at Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 that November. March 26 (1 week) Donny Osmond - The Twelfth of Never: Popular song originally recorded by Johnny Mathis. Osmond's version spent a single week at Number One, while in the USA it peaked at Number 8. April 3 (2 weeks) Gilbert O'Sullivan - Get Down: Second and final Number One for the Irishman, who had a handful of other Top 20 hits. April 15 (4 weeks) Dawn featuring Tony Orlando - Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree: The best selling single of 1973 in the UK. It sold shed loads in the USA too, where it also hit the top spot of the singles chart. May 13 (4 weeks) Wizzard - See My Baby Jive: Written and produced by bandleader Roy Wood, the record owes much to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. June 12 (1 week) Suzi Quatro - Can the Can: Can the Can was the second single by Quatro and her first to reach Number One. It also reached Number One on the Japanese, European and Australian charts in whose market Quatro achieved her most consistent success throughout her career as a recording artist. June 19 (1 week) 10cc - Rubber Bullets: The band's first Number One single in the United Kingdom, being a tongue in cheek homage to the movie Jailhouse Rock. June 26 (3 weeks) Slade - Skweeze Me Pleeze Me: Fifth Number One single for Slade. July 17 (1 week) Peters and Lee - Welcome Home: The duo's only Number One single coming after their success on the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. July 24 (4 weeks) Gary Glitter - I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am): The song is a glam rock anthem, typical of (the now-disgraced) Glitter's early seventies recordings. August 21 (4 weeks) Donny Osmond - Young Love: The oft recorded ballad gave the teen heartthrob yet another best selling single. September 18 (1 week) Wizzard - Angel Fingers: Wizzard's second UK Number One single. Stylistically, it continued in the same Phil Spector-influenced Wall of Sound genre as their earlier hit See My Baby Jive. September 25 (4 weeks) Simon Park Orchestra - Eye Level (Theme From Van Der Valk): The tune became very popular with TV audiences and, in a move which was unusual at the time for television themes, Columbia Records issued it on a single record. Total sales were 1,005,500. October 23 (3 weeks) David Cassidy - Daydreamer/The Puppy Song: This was Cassidy's second and final Number One single in the UK. November 13 (4 weeks) Gary Glitter - I Love You Love Me Love: Glitter's second UK Number One single. December 11 (5 weeks) Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody: The band's sixth and final Number One single in the UK. The song continues to re-enter the UK Top 75 singles chart every Christmas, selling over one million copies in the process. Source George McCrae UK Number One Hits of 1974 January 15 (1 week) The New Seekers - You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me: The band's second and final Number One single. January 22 (4 weeks) Mud - Tiger Feet: First Number One song for the very popular Glam Rockers and the biggest selling track of the year. February 19 (2 weeks) Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive: It was the second Number One in a row for the ChinniChap writing and production team and Quatro's second UK Number One. March 5 (1 week) Alvin Stardust - Jealous Mind: Only Number One from the moody Stardust - born Bernard Jewry. March 12 (3 weeks) Paper Lace - Billy Don't Be a Hero: Paper Lace had the chart-topper in the UK, but their version stalled at Number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods took the song to Number One in the USA. April 2 (4 weeks) Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun: The recording was based on a song called Le Moribond (The Dying Man) by Jacques Brel. The song had been recorded by The Fortunes in 1968 and by Pearls Before Swine in 1970 - but became a worldwide hit for Terry Jacks. April 30 (2 weeks) ABBA - Waterloo: This was the song that won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and began their path to worldwide fame. May 14 (4 weeks) The Rubettes - Sugar Baby Love: Debut single for this band that was originally offered to Carl Wayne to record, but he turned it down. June 11 (1 week) Ray Stevens - The Streak: Single that capitalized on the then popular craze of streaking. June 18 (1 week) Gary Glitter - Always Yours: Glitter's third and final Number One single in the UK. June 25 (4 weeks) Charles Aznavour - She: The song was recorded by Aznavour in several different languages, namely French, Italian, Spanish and German. Elvis Costello recorded a cover version in 1999. July 23 (3 weeks) George McCrae - Rock Your Baby: One of the landmark recordings of early Disco music. In total it sold over 11 million copies internationally. August 13 (2 weeks) The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again: One of the most successful recordings in the Philly Soul sound. It sold 28 million copies in total internationally. August 27 (3 weeks) The Osmonds - Love Me For A Reason: Written by Johnny Bristol, the song was revived by Boyzone in 1994, becoming their breakthrough single in the UK. September 17 (3 weeks) Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting: Recorded in 10 minutes as a B-side, it sold 10 million worldwide and was his only ever UK Number One. October 8 (1 week) John Denver - Annie's Song: This was Denver's only solo hit in the UK - an ode to Denver's then-wife, Annie Denver October 15 (1 week) Sweet Sensation - Sad Sweet Dreamer: The second single from the British soul group, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following spring. October 22 (3 weeks) Ken Boothe - Everything I Own: Jamaican reggae artist with a song by David Gates of Bread. The Bread version only made No.32 in the UK, but Boy George took the song to Number One again in 1987. November 12 (3 weeks) David Essex - Gonna Make You A Star: A first UK Number One for David Essex. He found stardom as an actor before breaking into the charts with Rock On. December 3 (2 weeks) Barry White - You're the First, the Last, My Everything: Originally written as a country song with the title You're My First, You're My Last, My In-Between, this was White's only UK Number One. December 17 (4 weeks) Mud - Lonely This Christmas: Another classic Christmas favourite that is still seasonally popular each year in the UK. Source David Bowie UK Number One Hits of 1975 January 18 (1 week) Status Quo - Down Down: Status Quo had 22 Top 10 UK hits between 1968 and 1996, and this was their only non-collaborated UK Number One. January 25 (1 week) The Tymes - Ms Grace: Could only peak at No.91 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, this song by the US soul group was their fourth and biggest UK hit. February 1 (3 weeks) Pilot - January: Only ever UK Number One for this Scottish group whose two follow-ups failed to make the Top 30. February 22 (2 weeks) Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me): Steve Harley has stated that the lyrics are vindictively directed at his former band members whom he felt had abandoned him. The group's only UK Number One. March 8 (2 weeks) Telly Savalas - If: Another Bread song that failed to chart in the UK by that band, but Savalas of Kojak fame managed to talk his way to Number One. March 22 (6 weeks) Bay City Rollers - Bye Bye Baby: Scottish band that dressed in tartan and built up a fanatical teen following took this Frankie Valli song to the top. The best-selling single of 1975. May 3 (2 weeks) Mud - Oh Boy: Mud's third and final UK Number One came with a virtually a cappella cover of the Buddy Holly hit from 1958. May 17 (3 weeks) Tammy Wynette - Stand by Your Man: 1968 US Country Number One that went to the top when it was finally released in the UK in 1975. June 7 (3 weeks) Windsor Davies & Don Estelle - Whispering Grass: Davies and Estelle were actors in the successful BBC sit-com It Ain't Half Hot Mum. The record is a version of the song which was originally recorded by the Ink Spots in 1944. June 28 (2 weeks) 10cc - I'm Not in Love: A second UK Number One for the band with this classic love song, incorporating its innovative production. The recording includes multiple overdubs of the voices of the band singing a single note in unison. July 12 (1 week) Johnny Nash - Tears on My Pillow: American who specialised in soft reggae arrangements. Had much success in the UK , although this was his only UK Number One. July 19 (3 weeks) Bay City Rollers - Give a Little Love: Rollermania was in full flight by this time, but this was the band's second and final UK Number One single. August 9 (1 week) Typically Tropical - Barbados: Two recording engineers created this reggae dance hit and became One Hit Wonders in the process. In 1999, a reworked version of the song, renamed We're Going To Ibiza!, also reached the UK Number One spot for The Vengaboys. August 16 (3 weeks) The Stylistics - I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love): The split from producer Thom Bell proved disastrous for the group in the US, but The Stylistics continued to be popular in the UK. This was their first and only UK Number One single. September 6 (4 weeks) Rod Stewart - Sailing: Having been a hit twice, this classic anthem remains Stewart's biggest-selling single in the UK. October 4 (3 weeks) David Essex - Hold Me Close: Essex was at the height of his popularity at this time. This was his second and final UK Number One. October 25 (2 weeks) Art Garfunkel - I Only Have Eyes for You: Having separated from Paul Simon, Garfunkel recorded mostly MOR standards. This was his first solo UK Number One. November 8 (2 weeks) David Bowie - Space Oddity: Bowie made No.5 with this track alluding to drug use in 1969, but had more luck with the re-issue, making this his first UK Number One. November 22 (1 week) Billy Connolly - D.I.V.O.R.C.E.: Wonderful parody of the Tammy Wynette song of the same name by this internationally renowned Scottish comedian. November 29 (9 weeks) Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody: SEE DESCRIPTION BELOW. Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody - Number One: December 1975 An all-time classic Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody was accompanied by the following video and was the first Number One to benefit from sustained TV exposure. It spent nine long weeks at the top of the charts and was the year's Christmas Number One. In 1991, the record returned to the Number One spot following the death of lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Source Chicago UK Number One Hits of 1976 January 31 (2 weeks) ABBA - Mamma Mia: Two years after their first UK Number One and Eurovision hit, ABBA were back with their second UK Number One. February 14 (1 week) Slik - Forever and Ever: Band led by Midge Ure. He went on to groups Visage and Ultravox, but his next Number One was a solo effort in 1985. February 21 (2 weeks) The Four Seasons - December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night): Written by original-Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, this was the the follow-up to the hit Who Loves You. The Four Seasons only UK Number One hit. March 6 (3 weeks) Tina Charles - I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance): This was the first of Charles' seven Top 40 chart singles. However, it was also her only Number One in the UK Singles Chart. March 27 (6 weeks) Brotherhood of Man - Save Your Kisses for Me: Winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, the best-selling single of 1976 and the group's first UK Number One. May 8 (4 weeks) ABBA - Fernando: Originally written for ABBA member Anni-Frid Lyngstad, ABBA's third UK Number One became a worldwide hit as ABBA-mania was at its height. June 5 (1 week) J.J. Barrie - No Charge: Awful sentimental slush by this Canadian, who thankfully never graced the UK Singles Chart ever again. June 12 (2 weeks) The Wurzels - Combine Harvester (Brand New Key): A reworking of Melanie's hit from 1971-72 with new rustic-themed lyrics. June 26 (3 weeks) The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything: Landmark record that was the first single by a black British band to top the singles chart. Several cover versions released in the US prevented it being a major success there. July 17 (1 week) Demis Roussos - The Roussos Phenomenon EP: Forever and Ever became the most played track on this EP from the Greek star prone to wearing kaftans. July 24 (6 weeks) Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart: Elton John's first Number One single in the UK, but he would not enjoy a solo British chart-topper until 1990. September 4 (6 weeks) ABBA - Dancing Queen: ABBA's only American chart-topper from April 1977 was their fourth in the UK. October 11 (4 weeks) Pussycat - Mississippi: First Dutch act to make the UK top spot. Success was short lived however and this was their only UK Number One. November 13 (3 weeks) Chicago - If You Leave Me Now: Chicago's biggest hit worldwide, after topping the charts in the US and Australia as well. It went on to win two Grammy Awards. December 4 (3 weeks) Showaddywaddy - Under the Moon of Love: A minor hit in the USA in 1961 for Curtis Lee, this revival was the group's only UK Number One. December 25 (3 weeks) Johnny Mathis - When a Child is Born (Soleado): Now a Christmas standard, it sold 850,000 copies and became Mathis' sole UK Number One. Source Donna Summer UK Number One Hits of 1977 January 15 (4 weeks) David Soul - Don't Give Up On Us: One half of top TV cop show Starsky & Hutch who was a singer before he became an actor. Best selling single of 1977 and his first UK Number One. February 12 (1 week) Julie Covington - Don't Cry For Me Argentina: Julie Covington first sang this song for the original 1976 studio release of the album Evita, but declined the stage role. February 19 (3 weeks) Leo Sayer - When I Need You: After three of his earlier singles had stalled at No.2, this became a massive worldwide hit and Sayer's only UK Number One single. March 12 (3 weeks) The Manhattan Transfer - Chanson d'amour: Only ever UK Number One for this MOR mixed harmony group who worked in New York gay bars, singing 40s and 50s swing classics. April 2 (5 weeks) ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You: Their previous release had stalled at No.3, but they returned for another run of chart toppers with this, their 5th UK Number One. May 7 (2 weeks) Deniece Williams - Free: She was in Stevie Wonder's backing group in the early 70s and this was her only UK Number One. May 21 (4 weeks) Rod Stewart - I Don't Want to Talk About It /The First Cut is the Deepest: Rod's 4th UK Number One. June 18 (1 week) Kenny Rogers - Lucille: An international hit, it reached Number One on the Billboard Country Singles chart and No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100. This hit gave him stardom in the UK. June 25 (1 week) The Jacksons - Show You the Way To Go: Four members of the Jackson Five, including Michael. This was their only UK Number One following their departure from Motown. July 2 (3 weeks) Hot Chocolate - So You Win Again: They had 30 hits from 1970 to 1984, but this was the band's sole UK Number One single. July 23 (4 weeks) Donna Summer - I Feel Love: It has been said that this is the first disco-style song recorded with an entirely synthesized backing track and was enormously influential in the development of disco, electronica and techno music. This was Summer's only UK Number One. August 20 (1 week) Brotherhood of Man - Angelo: The group's second UK Number One, sounding very similar to ABBA's style. August 27 (1 week) The Floaters - Float On: True One Hit Wonders - one Number One single and nothing else from this soul group from Detroit, Michigan, USA. September 3 (5 weeks) Elvis Presley - Way Down: The last single released before his death on August 16, 1977 and it became his 17th UK Number One song. October 8 (3 weeks) David Soul - Silver Lady: The single fared less well in the US, peaking at only No.52, but we loved him in the UK - so much so that this was his second Number One single. October 29 for (1 week) Baccara - Yes Sir, I Can Boogie: This single did not chart in the United States despite receiving major airplay in several markets. It was the first Spanish act to have a UK Number One and also the first female duo to do so. November 5 (4 weeks) ABBA - The Name Of The Game: A 6th Number One for the band and their 3rd in this year, following a successful world tour. December 3 (9 weeks) Wings - Mull of Kintyre / Girls' School: The first single to sell over two million copies in the UK. The UK's best-selling single of all time, until overtaken by Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas in 1984 and one of the UK's best-selling non-charity singles, beaten only by Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Source Boomtown Rats UK Number One Hits of 1978 February 4 (1 week) Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking: Two Jamaican teenagers who put some Caribbean slang to existing music for this One Hit Wonder. Althea & Donna became the youngest female duo to reach the pinnacle of the UK chart. February 11 (1 week) Brotherhood of Man - Figaro: The song spent one week on top of the charts in the UK and became one of the twenty best selling singles of the year. This was to be Brotherhood of Man's final Number One single. February 18 (3 weeks) ABBA - Take A Chance On Me: A 7th UK Number One for the Swedish foursome with another unforgettable ABBA classic. March 11 (4 weeks) Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights: In reaching Number One, Bush became the first woman to write and perform a UK chart-topper, propelling the singer to fame. However, this was Kate's only UK Number One single, despite her numerous chart hits over the years. April 8 (3 weeks) Brian and Michael - Matchstalk Men & Matchstalk Cats & Dogs (Lowry's Song): A One Hit Wonder with a song celebrating the life and work of the painter, L S Lowry. The backing vocals are by the St Winifred's School Choir, who had a Number One in 1980. April 29 (2 weeks) The Bee Gees - Night Fever: A third Number One for the Bee Gees in the UK, from the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, relaunching their careers as kings of disco. May 13 (5 weeks) Boney M - Rivers of Babylon: First UK Number One for this Caribbean act which recorded in Germany. This was the best selling UK single of 1978 and was also the group's only significant US chart entry, peaking at No.30 in the Pop charts. June 17 (9 weeks) John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - You're the One That I Want: This song came from the soundtrack to Grease and the film and music from it dominated the second half of 1978. It is number six on the list of best-selling singles in the UK, where it has sold over 1,975,000 copies. August 19 (5 weeks) The Commodores - Three Times A Lady: Led by Lionel Richie, who wrote the song, the group had considerable success until Richie went solo in 1982. This was their only UK Number One. September 23 (1 week) 10cc - Dreadlock Holiday: A third and final UK Number One for 10cc. By this time Godley and Creme had left the group and the hits quickly stopped. The lyrics, about a white man lost in Jamaica, were based on a true story told by Moody Blues vocalist Justin Hayward about an experience he'd had in Barbados. September 30 (7 weeks) John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - Summer Nights: Another classic track from the film Grease. The soundtrack album was the second best selling of 1978, beaten only by Saturday Night Fever. November 18 (2 weeks) The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap: A first Number One for the Irish punk band led by Sir Bob Geldof. It is notable as it was the first official UK chart topping single by a punk or new wave act. December 2 (1 week) Rod Stewart - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?: A fifth Number One for Rod with a song that became the center of a confirmed plagiarism lawsuit by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor. December 9 (4 weeks) Boney M - Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord: A second and final Number One for Boney M with this cover version of a 1957 chart topper by Harry Belafonte. Source Pink Floyd UK Number One Hits of 1979 January 6 (3 weeks) The Village People - Y.M.C.A.: Only UK Number One for the boys, with this classic disco hit from the New Yorkers who started out in the Big Apple's gay bars. January 27 (1 week) Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick: The only UK Number One of Ian Dury's remarkable career, ironically with more of a novelty song than for what he was best known. February 3 (4 weeks) Blondie - Heart of Glass: One of the best known Blondie recordings, this was a first UK Number One for the band fronted by the enigmatic Debbie Harry. March 3 (2 weeks) The Bee Gees - Tragedy: Yet another UK Number One for the now reinvented disco act. This was from the group's chart topping album, Spirits Having Flown. March 17 (4 weeks) Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive: Established US diva who finally got her only UK Number One with this disco classic. It received the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980. April 14 (6 weeks) Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes: It was written for the soundtrack of the movie Watership Down and Garfunkel scored his second and final UK Number One with this tearjerker. It sold over one million copies, becoming the biggest selling single of 1979 in the UK. May 26 (3 weeks) Blondie - Sunday Girl: Never released as a single in the US, this became the band's second UK Number One. June 16 (2 weeks) Anita Ward - Ring My Bell: Only major hit (on both sides of the Atlantic) for this gospel singer from Memphis TN. June 30 (4 weeks) Tubeway Army - Are "Friends" Electric?: A first UK Number One for Gary Numan under this pseudonym, the single is notable for being the first electronic/synthesizer-based record to become a hit in the post-punk era. July 28 (4 weeks) The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays: Bob Geldof wrote the song based on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. Her explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays." August 25 (4 weeks) Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore: After a lean time throughout most of the 1970s, this first UK Number One for 11 years (Richard's 10th so far) started another run of Top 10 hits throughout the 80s. September 22 (1 week) Gary Numan - Cars: Now recording under his own name, this was Numan's second and final UK Number One. September 29 (3 weeks) The Police - Message In A Bottle: A first UK Number One for the trio led by singer / songwriter Sting, who went on to even greater success. October 20 (1 week) The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star: (The) Buggles consisted of Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley. This single celebrates the golden days of radio and ironically (or intentionally) became the first music video shown on MTV. October 27 (3 weeks) Lena Martell - One Day At A Time: This single was an unlikely success as it came during the height of disco and new wave. Martell's follow-up singles failed to chart, so she has the dubious honour of being classified as a One Hit Wonder. November 17 (3 weeks) Dr Hook - When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman: US group that found favour in the UK with a series of melodic love songs, although this was their only UK Number One. December 8 (1 week) The Police - Walking on the Moon: A second Number One for The Police, with a song that surprisingly didn't chart in the US. December 15 (5 weeks) Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall: In the UK, it was Floyd's first single since 1968's Point Me at the Sky and became one of the band's most well-known songs. It was their biggest hit to date and was banned in several countries because of its lyrical content. It became the final UK Number One of the 1970s. More Music of the 1970s These are some of the best love songs of the 21st century...so far! Are You A Fan of Seventies Music? 37 comments John Dyhouse 2 years ago from UK Wow what music and what a lens thanks for the memories, the early years were much more important to me (wrt music) and I was left behind as the decade progressed. But still I have to admit there was a lot of good tunes MJ Martin 2 years ago from Washington State Well now this little tour was simply amazing. You would have thought my family from the 70's was from the UK or something. Those girls and guys loved to sing all of these it seems to us. This is a wonderful lens to be showing around to the babies born in those late 70's, wow. Job well done. congrats on your Purple Star for sure. Great videos, still humming the tunes. RichLeighHD 4 years ago Brilliant lens, clearly a lot of work has gone into this one! Just wanted to say though that 'Merry Xmas Everybody' has actually been back in the charts every year since 2006; one of the band's to have benefitted from download singles, clearly! emmakeynes 4 years ago

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in the 70s - Meaning of Lyrics From Songs of the Seventies Meaning of Lyrics From Songs of the Seventies These are the meanings behind the song lyrics from various songs of the 70s. In particular, we're looking for songs that aren't immediately obvious. We also have pages on this topic devoted to the 80s and 90s 0.shtml's "" This is a song anbout the Welsh witch-goddess and seducer Rhiannon James Taylor's "I Seen Fire And I Seen Rain" What i interpet the song is when he sings susanna the plans they put an end to you. Sweet dreams and flying machines in peices on the ground represent when his girlfriends plane crashed. Susanna was in sweet dreams and she was in a plane and it sadly crashed. Steely Dan's "Everyone' Gone to the Movies" A song about a guy who shows dirty movies in his den on his own old movie projector to kids. Key Lines "Soon it will be to late..bobbing for apples can wait. I know you're used to 16 or more, sorry we only have 8" That last line is a reference to the size of the film, 16mm or larger would be a pro film...8mm is amateur. The song sounds happy and upbeat, but this hides the character's seedy hobby. Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" It is a song about his love for heroin. To prove this to you I will mention a couple of facts. The word "girl" in drug culture is used for drugs that work on the brains hypothalamus region; this is the same area one feels pleasure during sexual activity. The drugs that pleasure this area are cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy. In the song he says, "slipping and a sliding" which is a description of using a needle for injection. He uses brown because heroin is normally found as a brown powder (china brown). So, before you start to make a reference to a song please research it before you put description into an artists work. -Professor Stylee Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" This is a tough song to decipher..as are many Steely Dan Songs. Its about Stanley Owsley III, a chemist who was well-known in the San Francisco drug culture. He made millions of tablets of strong LSD in his day, and then dissapeared. Key points: "Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the Pearl..you turned it on the world..thats when you turned the world around" And..."All your low-rent friends are dead..life can be very strange...those test-tubes and the scales, just get em all out of here.....is their gas in the car? Yes, there is gas in the car. I think the people down the hall, know who you are.." Its a great lyric, although hidden..like most-all of their lyrics. Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight" *Real Meaning*, Phil and his best friend were swimming at the beach and his mate began to drown so Phil asked a man to help and he said no "Thinking it was a joke" so phil watched his best friend as a kid drown and die. So later on Phil whilst on tour tracked this guy down and sent him front row seat tickets and first class air fair ticket to his tour and limosoine and everything, then when he started singing this song he put the spot light on the guy, and started singing, a few weeks later due to all the humiliation and publicity the guy commited suicide. James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" ...After a little research, I find it was suicide, not cancer that killed Susan. All the more reason not to tell someone in detox or rehab. America's "A Horse With No Name" "A Horse With No Name" was a song meant to compare the similarities and the beauty of the ocean to the desert. It gives a sense of a peaceful state of mind and was written to describe the artist's passion for xenophobic landscapes (as one of the members liked to visit the area around Vandenburg Air Force Base, California). America Sang, "The ocean is a desert with its life underground and a perfect disguise above", to explain that the ocean was much like a desert in the sense that both are barren, exposed to the sun, and uninhibited by (drinkable) water. The artist explicitly describes what he had seen on his �journey�, to convey the idea of wide open peacefulness, �A sky with no clouds.� the Doors's "People Are Strange" About a bad LSD trip. "Faces look ugly when you're alone Women seem wicked when you're unwanted Streets are uneven when you're down When you're strange Faces come out of the rain When you're strange No one remembers your name" no doubt about that Harry Chapin's "Cat's In The Craddle" According to Harry himself, his wife Sandy Chapin wrote the lyrics for Cat?s In The Cradle, while she was pregnant with their first child as a warning to Harry not to miss his child growing up. Bad Company's "Shooting Star" According to the lead singer, Paul Rodgers, the song is a story, and it's almost a warning. He wrote the song about the casulaties of making it in the music business and then dying of a drug overdose. At time he wrote it, he had Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin in mind along with other "superstars" that didn't make it. America's "Horse With No Name" Actually this song is about using heroin. In the 70's this song was banned from many radio stations because "horse" is a street name for heroin. If you listen to the lyrics in the chorus they say "In the desert you can remember your name. 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain." Not only does heroin cause severe memory loss but it is also used as a pain killer. I think this is proof enough of what this song really means. The Eagles's "Hotel California" Actually, the most accepted theory is that Hotel California talks about "high life" in So. California during the time the song was written. It talks about a being trapped in the high life, and having to deal with many obsessions - especially drugs. Many of the lines mentioned in the other review of this song present on this site are a direct reference to drugs: "We are all prisoners here of our own device" - you choose to live the high life, and then are stuck to them; "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave" - as an artist, you can always step away from the spotlight, but you'll always be stuck to it somehow; "this could be heaven or this could be hell" - once more, a reference to the high life, and also to the high during a drug run, and the low afterwards; "And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast The stab it with their steely knives, But they just can't kill the beast" - a reference to buying drugs for someone, doing the drugs, and still wanting more." The Eagles's "Hotel California" Actually...after talking to members of the band...the song is about a gang in california...the line "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave" symbolises the fact that once your in...your in for life.. the girl mentioned in the story is like a metaphor for the gang itself... anyway... thats all The Eagles's "Hotel California" After listening to the song, the first time around, I thought it was about the heavy drug use in the 70's. But after READING the lyrics myself, I gathered it was about the Satanic Church. PLEASE, correct me if I am wrong, somebody out there. Creeped me out! Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" After see faust(a theatrical play), I now believe that Bohiemian Rhapsody is about the lives of faust,the band's lead singer. The play faust is about a man who sold his soul to the devil in return for fame. after some time the devil comes to take faust's soul(which is why at the end of bohemian rhapsody you hear him saying "will you let me go". also, i've heard that the lead singer was diagnosed with HIV. This is pure speculation, but maybe he had a sexual relationship with someone and transmtited the diease.That would explain why he say's " momma I just killed a man". which doesn't imply he's a homosexual(artistic license) but who knows? maybe... Rush's "The Trees" Agree with most previous posts but being a big Rush fan in england in 1977 remember geddy lee (lead singer) getting grief off Radio Tees DJ Alistair Pirrie about it all being about British Colonialism as in oaks traditional english tree and maples guess. Geddy had clearly got a lot of grief over this from lots of other sources and said okay it was but since they were touring it wasn't a good time to get into the discussion Eagles's "Hotel California" All that is said is very interesting about the satanists and drugs but, I read where the Eagle's themselves said that the song lyrics are a tribute to their good friend Jackson Browns wife Phyllis who committed suicide as they were composing the songs for the album. That lends so much to the line "you can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave." Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" Alright..enough with about how this song is just about syd barret...only half of the song probley not even half is about syd...i believe that this song is talking about roger waters X-wife...hence the line..."were just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year..running over the same old ground, but have we found the same old fears? wish you were here!" that is talking about his X-wife and how he wisshed things would have gone better and every year thungs are the same and same..and same old fears are fears of loosing one another...this is not about syd barret...its about roger waters X-Wife...but then again..some parts do talk about syd..but not in the lyrics such as when the song starts on the am radio and some1 plays along that represents the distance he has with other ppl...such as his x-wife and syd...its all simple just think Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" Also a tribute to Syd Barrett. It was a message to their former bandmate that they wished he was still a member of the band. Boom Town Rats's "I Don't Like Mondays" Also the girl who shot the people was asked in court why she did it and she replied "I don't like Mondays" or something along that lines!! The Eagles's "Hotel California" Althoguh many would argue that this is about the bands addictions, jail time, etc etc. i think that this song is a lot of what it means to you. In a way i like to think that Hotel California is simply a tribute to the bands love for California, all the members moved from somwhere else to go to California; so perhaps its just a song about home; the line "you can check out any time you'd like...but you can never leave" doesnt have to mean an addiction, what if its just that once the love of a place, or person is in you, you can break up, or leave the place, but it will never really leave you; interpret this as you will... songs werent meant for 1 person only The Eagles's "Hotel California" Although I think many of you have hit upon some very interesting ideas about the lyrics here (and justifiable ones at that -- especially the "in limbo" entries, as that is my 2nd choice regarding the meaning), nobody as yet has suggested that the song is about an alien abduction (yes, I believe in UFOs). [* Note well - the aliens' UFO/planet/people have apparently recreated the look of earth and earthlings to gain confidence and complicity by the abductees.] Here are arguments regarding my theory. 1) First off, the very opening lines certainly point to an abduction -- "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair; Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air. Up ahead in the distance I saw a shimmering light -- My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim; I had to stop for the night." Dissecting these lines, we find the following: 2) 'On a dark desert highway' = aliens nearly always take and perform their experiments at night, and pick remote areas to do so. 3) 'UP' (ahead...) suggests he saw something 'ABOVE' another thing (his car)-- i.e., in this case, the "something" being the spacecraft. 4) smell of colitas = some abductees report a strange odor emanating from the aliens or in the craft itself (possibly a formaldehyde-like substance??). 5) 'I saw a shimmering light' = well, we all know by now that them thar extraterrestrials like to flash their lights when flying/landing. 6) '...head grew heavy...sight grew dim...' = a hypnotic trance that aliens subject humans to, so that they do not resist abduction. Now on to the rest of the song - the alien mentions are more implicit than explicit, yet there are still clues: 7) 'There she stood in the doorway...this could be Heaven or this could be Hell...And she showed me the way; There were voices down the corridor - I thought I heard them say Welcome ...such a lovely place.' = The 'she' in the lines above can be looked upon as the (remember, in human guise) leader of the abductees in their doomed exile, like the farmer leading lambs to the slaughter (illustrated in the fact that "you can never leave"). 8) The extraterrestrial's realm will soon take control now, as the humans are brainwashed, repeating, like a mantra: Such a lovely place, Such a lovely face. 9) 'And still those voices are calling from far away; Wake you up in the middle of the night' = as in a dream /abductions occur at night and many victims say they thought it was only a nightmare. 10) This next segment, '...her mind is... (through)...Some dance to forget’ = is the narrator being lead on/enticed by the woman at the doorway, to comfort him before any predictably sinister goings on befall him. 11) 'bring your alibis' = hard to come by any witnesses to abductions – since there were nine for the narrator, despair may be setting in. 12)'Welcome to the Hotel California...Were all just prisoners here' = welcome to a prison-like existence where there is no leaving. 13) 'They gathered for the feast; they stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast. Last thing I remember I was running for the door' = These lines are highly indicative of alien experiments, and this newcomer (not yet brainwashed) is still desperate to survive --> the beast /and/ to leave --> running for the door. 14) 'We are programmed to receive' = 'programmed' suggests something non-human. Hence, an alien. "You can check out any time you like But you can never leave." = 'Check out' represents a mental suppression of the abduction, yet the abductee's memory will 'never leave.' ~~~ Well folks, that's my interpretation (with limbo as close runner-up.) ~~ AJH, Aug. 2006 Rush's "The Trees" Although i do agree with the other posts in the means that this song deals with oppression, i disagree with the other posters implied meanings of this song. First, a reasonable conclusion can be that it is obvious this song deals with oppresion "as the maple's scream Oppresion" (regarding the oak's natural stature.) But before immediatly jumping to the idea that all oppresion is bad you need to consider the fact that the forest represents nature, therefore the "oppresion" is a natural oppresion. Listening to other rush songs one can cleary identify that Peart is heavily influenced by the transcendental romantic era of literature. One of the main belifs of this era was the sence that nature was an "all pervading goodness", and society was corrupt. therefore because this oppresion is a natural oppresion, it must be good. Enter the hatchets, axes, and saws. Givin the fact that Niel has brought the "human Society element" to the inanimate forrest suggests that the forrest has been pervaded, making this whole song a pervasion, aka sarcastic. when the Maples formed a union and enforced it's "rules" upon the oaks it does so in a harmful way, attacking the oaks Natural presence. this i belive to be an attack on the Canadian Socialist movement (symbolized be the maple tree[canadian national symbol] which although it has a noble intent=equality, the means it uses to get there are corrupt=destroying others natural rights). In the end the lyrics alone are only half the song, one must truly listen to the tone in which it is presented to pick up the intent of the song. Beatles's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" Although it is obvious that this song (along with a majority of Beatles songs)is about a hallucinagenic, it was not LSD, but rather Angel Dust. Dust being the Diamonds (as stars look scattered across the sky). In the 70's when you took this drug, you believed you could fly. Several deaths were caused by trying. Yes's "South Side Of The Sky" Although it's rather ambiguous, it appears as though this song is about the Chapter from Fellowship of the Ring called The Ring Goes South from The Lord of the Rings. The fellowship is faced with a huge storm in the mountains and proctiaclly freeze to death. "Move forward, was my friends only cry, in deeper, to somewhere we could lie..." You really have to read the chapter and listen to the song. VERY close fit. Elton John's "Daniel" Although the lyrics suggest the song is about the singer's younger brother flying off to Spain (Europe), they are actually about a real life U.S. marine called Daniel, who was injjured by a landmine in Vietnam. He was left wheelchair bound and blind. The military of the day used him for PR perposes, "A BRAVE AMERICAN, WHO GAVE FOR HIS COUNTRY", sort of thing. Television pictures showed Daniel receiving a medal in Washington, waving goodbye before boarding an aeroplane bouned for Spain (Texas). (Note: to the site creater, I was trying to find out Daniel's full name when I happened upon your web page. Should you ever find out who he is I'd appreciate if you'd let me know.) Don McLean's "American Pie" American Pie By Don McLean (BTW - the person who said t was about the JFK assassination... the ONLY part of the song that McLean will decipher is that theopening is about Buddy Holly and the plane crash.) A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while. 1 But February made me shiver With every paper I delivered, Bad news on the door step, I couldn't take one more step, 2 I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride 3 But something touched me deep inside, The day, the music, died. 4 So... Refrain: Bye, bye Miss American Pie 5 Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 6 Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 7 Singin this will be the day that I die. This will be the day that I die. 8 Did you write the book of love 9 And do you have faith in God above, If the bible tells you so. 10 And do you believe in rock 'n' roll? Can music save your mortal soul? 11 And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well I know that you're in love with him Cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym. 12 You both kicked off your shoes 13 And I dig those rhythm and blues. 14 I was a lonely teenage bronkin' buck With a pink carnation and a pick up truck 15 But I knew I was out of luck, The day, the music, died. I started singin... Refrain Now for ten years we've been on our own 16 And moss grows fat on a rollin stone 17 But that's not how it used to be, When the jester sang for the king and queen In a coat he borrowed from James Dean 18 And a voice that came from you and me. 19 Oh and while the king was looking down, The jester stole his thorny crown 20 The courtroom was adjourned; No verdict was returned. 21 And while Lennon read a book on Marx, 22 The quartet practiced in the park 23 And we sang dirges in the dark, 24 The day, the music, died. We were singin'... Refrain Helter Skelter in a summer swelter 25 The birds flew off with a fallout shelter, Eight miles high and fallin' fast. 26 It landed foul on the grass. 27 The players tried for a forward pass 28 With the jester on the sidelines in a cast. 29 Now the half-time air was sweet perfume 30 While the sergeants played a marching tune. 31 We all got up to dance Oh but we never got the chance. 32 As the players tried to take the field The marching band refused to yield. Do you recall what was revealed, 33 the day, the music, died? We started singin'... Refrain Oh and there we were all in one place, 34 A generation lost in space With no time left to start again. 35 So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. 36 Jack Flash sat on a candle stick 37 Because fire is the devils only friend.38 Oh and as I watched him on the stage, My hands were clinched in fists of rage, No angel born in hell Could break that Satan's spell. 39 And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight,40 The day, the music, died. He was singin'... Refrain I met a girl who sang the blues 41 And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away. 42 I went down to the sacred store Where I'd heard the music years before But the man there said the music wouldn't play. 43 And in the streets the children screamed, 44 The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed. 45 But not a word was spoken, The church bells all were broken. 46 And the three men I admire most, The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, 47 They caught the last train for the coast, 48 The day, the music, died. And they were singin'... Refrain They were singin'... Bye, bye Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye Singin' this will be the day that I die. Go to Jerry's Jukebox ________________________________________ Possible Interpretation of Lyrics The following represents a combination of some of the more popular interpretations of the meaning of the "American Pie" lyrics. McClean has remained silent on the meaning, except to say that the song was dedicated to Buddy Holly and that his death is referenced in the first verse. He has left it up to others to figure out what he really meant. 1. The song is about the history of rock and roll music and how it changed after Buddy Holly's death. It is also, however, about McLean's growing up, and his love of the pure rock and roll of the '50s. McLean was a musician. He wanted to make people dance. Most 50's music was meant for dancing and in general upbeat and happy, in contrast to 60's music. Back to Verse 2. McLean was a paperboy on February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly's plane crashed. He was devastated by the news, since Holly was his idol. Back to Verse 3. Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward. Back to Verse 4. The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also took the lives of Ritchie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace"). Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959 became known as "The Day The Music Died." Back to Verse 5. Goodbye to the music of America, the Rock 'n' Roll and dance music of the '50s. It's interesting how McLean has feminized 50's rock music here, the fact that it's a virgin (Miss) form of music that's as American as apple pie. Back to Verse 6. Chevy represents America. The Levee is the bar where McLean and his friends hung out in his hometown of New Rochelle, NY. It closed down. Back to Verse 7. This line is a play on words. Rye is a city in New York near where McLean grew up. When the Levee closed, the "good ol' boys," McLean and his friends, fled to drink in Rye where together they mourned the deaths of the trio. Back to Verse 8. One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line, "That'll be the Day that I Die." Back to Verse 9. "The Book of Love" by the Monotones; hit in 1958. Back to Verse 10. In 1955, Don Cornell did a song entitled "The Bible Tells Me So." This line could also refer to the sense of disparity that maybe God let us down after the assassination of John Kennedy and the general disillusionment of the early '60s. It is also likely that these lines are meant to garnish rock 'n' roll with religious imagery, because most of the early musicians, including Holly, got their start in church choirs or by singing hymns. An old children's hymn called "Jesus Loves Me" has the line "the Bible tells me so" in the lyrics. Back to Verse 11. This is a lament of the decline of the dance music of the '50s. It might also be a reference to The Lovin' Spoonful's hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's "Do You Believe in Magic?" Or, McLean might be questioning the integrity of music and its worth after the plane crash Back to Verse 12. Dancing slow was an important part of early rock and roll dance events -- but declined in importance through the 60's as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence. Back then, dancing was an expression of love, and carried a connotation of commitment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be later. Allegorically, the "him" is probably all the young, handsome teen idols that were common in the late '50s and early '60s. The "you" represents all the teenage girls who swooned over those idols. Back to Verse 13. A reference to a "sock hop," generally held in gymnasiums. Back to Verse 14. McLean is letting us know he prefers the R&B music of the '50's to the sock hop music. Back to Verse 15. "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)," was a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957. McLean was lonely because his music was out of style. Back to Verse 16. It was roughly 10 years after the death of Buddy Holly that McLean started writing "American Pie." Back to Verse 17. The "rolling stone" is a reference to Bob Dylan, since "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first major hit; he was busy writing songs extolling the virtues of simple love, family and contentment while staying at home and raking in the royalties. It also is a reference to The Rolling Stones, and a symbolic reversal of the aphorism, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." To McLean, the music of the '60s was gathering moss--growing stale. "That's not how it used to be" refers to the early days of Dylan. Back to Verse 18. The jester is Bob Dylan. The king could refer to Elvis. The Queen is probably the Queen of England, whom Dylan performed for. In the movie "Rebel Without a Cause", James Dean has a red windbreaker that holds symbolic meaning throughout the film. In one particularly intense scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On the cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", Dylan is wearing just such as red windbreaker, and is posed in a street scene similar to one shown in a well-known picture of James Dean. Bob Dylan played a command performance for the Queen and Prince Consort of England. He was not properly attired, so perhaps this is a reference to his apparel. Back to Verse 19. A reference to Dylan's style of music, folk music, from the people (you and me). Back to Verse 20. This could be a reference to Elvis's decline and Dylan's ascendance. (i.e. Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place.) The thorny crown might be a reference to the price of fame, or another religious metaphor. Back to Verse 21. This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven. It could also refer to the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, which really had no "verdict," and is still open to speculation. Most likely, it is a reference to the fact that there really is no true "king" of rock 'n' roll during this period. For even though Dylan has grabbed (stolen) the mantle of rock's spokesman, the verdict is still out. Back to Verse 22. This is a play on words. Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of the Beatles. Both Lennon and Lenin (Soviet dictator) believed in Marxist philosophy. Back to Verse 23. Allegorically, this line probably refers to the time when the Beatles were still playing in England and Europe. They were still "practicing" because they had not come to America yet. Back to Verse 24. A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant literally, mourning the death of Holly or his music...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock" groups which played long pieces not meant for dancing. It's likely just a reference to McLean's unhappiness with the way music was going. Back to Verse 25. "Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song which appears on the "White Album." Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired" by the song led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders. The "summer swelter" might be a reference to the "Summer of Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts. Back to Verse 26. The Byrd's "Eight Miles High" was on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension". It was one of the first records to be widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics. Back to Verse 27. One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana. Back to Verse 28. The football metaphor could be the Rolling Stones, i.e. they were waiting for an opening which really didn't happen until the Beatles broke up. Or it could refer to attempts of other musicians to come into the limelight while Dylan was laid up. Back to Verse 29. On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident. Back to Verse 30. Drugs, or the hidden messages about drugs in some of the songs of the mid-'60s (half-time in the decade). Back to Verse 31. A clear reference to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles 1967 album that changed rock 'n' roll forever. It was the first theme album, the first to put lyrics on the cover, the first to use synthetic sounds. It had no hit singles, another new concept in album production. It had purported hidden messages, mostly drug messages, allegedly, in songs like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (LSD). McLean liked it (sweet perfume). Back to Verse 32. All the youth got into this album. They didn't get the chance to dance because the Beatles had now pushed rock music away from its dance roots. They used orchestras. They wrote long, slow songs with ponderous rhythms. Or it could also refer to the fact that the Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert lasted only 35 minutes. Back to Verse 33. No one could compete against the Beatles. Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Democratic Convention or Kent State. What was "revealed" was the dark underlying messages of rock music: the Marxism that was alluded to in the previous verse, the avocation of drug use, the overly self-obsessed quality of the lyrics. Back to Verse 34. The "place" was Woodstock. Back to Verse 35. Perhaps this is a reference to "hippies", who were sometimes known as the "lost generation", partially because of their particularly acute alienation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs. It could also be a reference to the '60s TV show, "Lost in Space," whose title was sometimes used as a synonym for someone who was rather high. Perhaps, their preference for psychedelia had pushed rock and roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved. Back to Verse 36. Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May, 1968. Back to Verse 37. The Stones' Candlestick park concert? Candlestick Park was also the venue for the Beatles' final performance--the end of the rock 'n' roll era. Back to Verse 38. It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil". Back to Verse 39. While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1968, the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security (on the advice of the Grateful Dead). In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil" had somehow incited the violence caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in the documentary film "Gimme Shelter". It's also possible that McLean views the Stones as being negatively inspired (remember, he had an extensive religious background) by virtue of "Sympathy for the Devil", "Their Satanic Majesties' Request" and so on. Back to Verse 40. This could be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the Monterey Pop Festival, or simply the bonfires that were lit at the outside concerts. It could be a reference to Jagger dancing and prancing while the murder was happening. Mick Jagger is Satan, the murder provided the sacrifice. Back to Verse 41. Janis Joplin Back to Verse 42. Janis died of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. Back to Verse 43. The "sacred store" might be Bill Graham's Fillmore East, one of the great rock and roll venues of all time. Alternatively, this refers to record stores, and their longtime (then discontinued) practice of allowing customers to preview records in the store. It could also refer to record stores as "sacred" because this is where one goes to get "saved". (See above lyric "Can music save your mortal soul?") The music "wouldn't play" means that nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly et.al.'s music anymore. Or, as above, the discontinuation of the in-store listening boot Rolling Stones's "Angie" Angie was the wife of David Bowie, with whom Mick Jagger was having an affair...well, I think affairs with Bowie AND the wife. Cher's "Dark Lady" Another 'somebody done somebody wrong song' featuring a newlywed couple who goes to see a mysterious gypsy fortune teller. When the "dark lady" predicts stormy weather for their marriage, the married woman (Cher) becomes suspicious. She discovers her husband and the gypsy woman in bed together. As soon as the man dumps his wife, she buys a guns and kills both the cheating husband and the gypsy lover. At the end, the murderess carries no remorse. Jackson Browne's "Rosie" Another great song about masturbation, it describes the band's sound mixer falling in love with a girl he meets at a concert. But the girl ditches him for the drummer, and the unhappy sound mixer goes home alone. But he still has Rosie (Rosie Palm, that is.) "But Rosie, you're alright, you wear my ring. When you hold me tight, Rosie that's my thing. When you turn out the light, I got to hand it to me. Looks like it's me and you again tonight, Rosie." Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Appearing simple at the first glance (a song about a boy who kills a man, the emotional pain that he endures as he faces the consequences, following the operatic section where his fate appears to be decided, and finally the rebelliousness against his fate, before resigning himself to it), Bohemian Rhapsody is a painstrucking, emotional (and very likely an autobiographical) song about searching for identity and being misunderstood as an artist or not accepted as a human being with personal, seemingly unconventional views on life - hence the title 'Bohemian' Rhapsody, as the primary meaning of 'bohemian' is 'artist' - both in literal and metaphorical sense. Bohemian Rhapsody sweeps form sweetly harmonised confusion through melodramatic upheavals as fleeing death, horror, persecution, betrayal, to a final acceptance of all doubts and fears, resigned but sorted. Mercury made the song capable of thousands of interpretations and thus universal. Daria Kokozej www.mercury-and-queen.com The Eagles's "Hotel California" Are you guys smoking something? Hotel California was written with PARTICULAR emphasis with herion and cocaine in mind.... (silver spoon anyone). The fact that your dad thinks that Hotel California is about a love story.....dear god people Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" As Dylan says, the song meaning comes only from how the listener/reader sees it. Personally, I believe it's talking about the higher in society that a person gets, the harder they fall. Also, it's about our general human characteristic of looking down on others who we consider below us, and how quickly we can find ourselves to be just like them. Steely Dan's's "'Kid Charlemagne'" As I understand it, the "gas in the car" lyric is related to the "LA on a dare and you go it alone" lyric in the sense that they both refer to car travels outside of San Francisco to sell LSD in LA. On one such occasion, Owsley is rumored to have run out of gas while in pursuit by the law. Similarly, the "people down the hall know who you are" refers to neighbors who have figured out that their neighbor is the acid kingpin publicly known as Kid Chalemagne. I won't ruin it for you as the rest of the puzzle should fall into place nicely now. Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" As a DEVOTED Simon and Garfunkel fan I must right your wrong and tell you what the REAL meaning behind the "silvergirl" lyric is! I've seen countless interviews w/Paul Simon and he explains it as follows: "My girlfriend at the time was particularly saddened upon finding a few grey hairs in her brush, lamenting that she was getting older. I wrote that lyric as a tribute and inside joke to her. I don't know how the heroin connection rumor got started. The song is basically about friendship." Also, Mother and Child Reunion-the title was taken from a dish Paul Simon had in chinese restaraunt of chicken and eggs (Mother and Child Reunion.) And the song of "I can't for the life of me remember a sadder day." was inspired by the death of his dog. Abba's "Dancing Queen" As a little sister of a HUGE Abba Fan & a Swede herself, I have to add that Abba's "Dancing Queen" was also performed by Abba to the King of Sweden and his new bride, Queen Sylvia. I believe it was played at their wedding reception, but I'm not 100% certain; but anyway I think the song has a double meaning - for the groovy 70s chick, and also for the royal couple. John Lennon's "Imagine" As a person with a PhD in music history I just wanted to point out that I really enjoyed the communist idea in the lyrics. If you think the song is simply approaching the idea of imagination than you are only generating obvious and simple observations but approaching through an interpretation such as communism reveals a great deal of discussion as well as in depth knowledge of the cultural and political issues arising in the time period! Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" As the title cut from the album, "Wish You Were Here" sets the tone for the entire album. As tensions were running high between members Roger Watters and David Gilmour, both members felt the entire album was missing something. This fact is illustrated by the various album covers, each which left out one the elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Because of all the in-fighting, Watters has been known to remark that the name of both the song and album could have been "Wish We Were Here". So, what is the missing element depicted in the song? Many say the missing ingredient is the actual founder of Pink Floyd Syd Barrett. The point is made even clearer on others cuts off the album such as "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", parts one and two. Jimi Hendrix Experience's "The Wind Cries Mary" At the time Jimi wrote the song he had had a huge fight with his girlfriend. When it says "Somewhere a queen is weeping, somehwere a king has no wife." he means his girlfriend is crying and he is loveless. Also, he talkes about clownes and jack-in- the boxes that have gone away, which means there is no more happiness. The Eagles's "Doolin Dalton" Bill Dalton was a train robber in the 1880's Along with his gang of brothers; Bill, Bob, and Emmett. When the song quotes "Two brothers lying dead in coffeeville" its talking about the time in 1884 when the dalton gang robbed the condon bank in their hometown of coffyville and the law men were waiting for them as they walked out. Bob, and Emmit Dalton were killed, but Bill escaped to later on join the doolin gang hjints Doolin' Dalton. Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" Billie Jean is a very disputed song. The true meaning of the lyrics are best told by Jackson himself, from an interview for VH1 a while back. The question was, "Does the real Billie Jean know about the song and if she did what was her reaction?" and Jackson replied, "There is a girl named Billie Jean, but it's not about that Billie Jean. Billie Jean is kinda anonymous. It represents a lot of girls who used to - they used to call them groupies in the '60s - they would hang around backstage doors and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with. And I think I wrote this out of experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to my brothers." Kiss's "Black Diamond" Black diamond was actually written by Paul Stanley,the lead singer. It was inspired by The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar, which is a song about and african american prostitute. so Paul stanley wanted to write his own version. ps. Angus young was not a member of kiss, he is the AC/DC's lead guitarrist, "jailbreak" is also a acdc album, and a Thin Lizzy's as well. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Bohemian Rhapsody is about a boy (most likely a teenager) who shoots a man in the head. The boy is sentenced to death. While he's on death row, he wishes that he was never born. He begs his mother to try and get him out ("Mama mia mama mia let me go"). There's also apparently other people who want him released as well, but there are others who want him dead ("Let him go, Don't let him go, Let him go, Don't let him go"). The word "Bismillah" appears before the aforementioned lines. In fact, it appears a few more times shortly after that. Bismillah is used in Islamic prayer. Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim means "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful". Bismillah appears at the beginning of every chapter of the Holy Qur'an (excluding the ninth chapter). This would all suggest that religion has something to do with the decision to let the boy live or not. On that same subject, the boy feels that he's going to Hell when he dies ("Beezlebub has a devil put aside for me") Eventually, it appears that the boy is to be executed anyway. He feels his mother has betrayed him by not getting him out ("So you think you can love me and leave me to die?") In the end, the boy feels that it doesn't matter anymore. He has apparently excepted his coming death. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Bohemian Rhapsody is an extremely well written, and beautifully composed song which is NOT about AIDS for two reasons: number one- because as someone already stated BoRhap was released in '75 and AIDS didn't gain it's notorioty until '81 and number two- Freddie, if he had contracted the disease prior, or during the develpoment of this song, would most likely not have known about the disease. and the biggest point i want to make is the fact that Freddie (RIP) specifically told virtually anyone who asked that the song had no "hidden meaning" or "underlying message" or "story behind it". so honestly, anyone can say it's about whatever they want, but the real truth is that no one in this world knows or ever will know if it does in fact have a "hidden meaning". if anything, we should just simply take Freddie's word and stop trying to "interpret" it and just enjoy it. that's what it's there for, enjoyment. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Bohemian Rhapsody was written, recorded, and released in the mid 70s, well before AIDS spread beyond Africa so it's not about anybody infecting somebody. I've read that Freddy Mercury simply wanted to write an operatic rock song, and that a lot of the references (such as Visballah, or however it's spelled) are just allusions to literature. Van Morrison's "Brown-eyed Girl" Brown-eyed girl was orginally titled Brown-skinned Girl. V.M. had to change it due to institutional racism. Don McLean's "American Pie" Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, The Byrds, The Beatles' Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.... that's all you need to know. Funny that a song that celebrates the music of the 50s and pretty much disses the 60s and 70s makes so many "best of the seventies" lists. America's "Horse With No Name" C'mon guys, the song doesn't even begin to describe doing heroin. Sometimes it's just better if you take the song at face value. Listen to the music, and the lyrics and if that doesn't describe a very human reaction to austerity that both the desert and the ocean represent to the human psyche, then what is it? Eagles's "Hotel California" The California Rehabilitation Colony (CRC) in Norco originally was a luxury hotel that was converted to a military base in WWII. After the war it was acquired as California's narcotics rehabilitation prison. Addicts can check in voluntarily, but discharge is determined by their progress. Blind spots are monitored by mirrors on the ceilings. The guard captain prevents prison-brewed wine 'pruno' from being used. Many, many other parallels in the lyrics. Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" Captain jack was slang for heroin. "just a little PUSH and you'll be smiling" its obvious Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" has been one of the most mysterious songs of the 70's. To date, Carly has never revealed the identity of the vainee. The names that have been tossed around are, Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson and of coarse former husband James Taylor. In a 1973 interview with "Rolling Stone", Simon said the song was definitely not about James Taylor. Carly has always voided the idea that "You're So Vain" was written about a specific person. Carly said that she had about three or four people in mind, and specifically thought about a couple of people when she wrote it, but the examples of what they did was a fantasy trip. Will we ever know who "You're So Vain" was writtn about? James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Claim: The lyrics of "Fire and Rain" chronicle James Taylor's reaction to the death of his girlfriend in a plane crash. Status: False. Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2000] The real story behind 'Fire and Rain,' as I understand it, is that some friends of James were going to surprise James by bringing his girlfriend, Suzanne, to one of his concerts -- unbeknownst to James. According to the story, Suzanne's plane crashed ('sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground') on her way to see the concert and Suzanne dies ('Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you'). Origins: Gentle, plaintive, and compelling, "Fire and Rain" was the hit that launched the career of James Taylor, one of the 1970's premier singer-songwriters. The song's mournful lyrics of loss and redemption were enigmatic, and many listeners tried to make sense of the words by reading literal meaning into them. Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone. Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you. I walked out this mornin', and I wrote down this song; I just can't remember who to send it to. I've seen fire, and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, But I always thought that I'd see you again. Won't you look down upon me Jesus? You gotta help me make a stand. You just got to see me through another day. My body's achin', and my time is at hand. I won't make it any other way. [repeat chorus] Been walkin' my mind to an easy time, My back turned towards the sun. Lord knows when the cold wind blows, it'll turn your head around. Well there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come: Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground. [repeat chorus] Taylor's audience collectively developed an autobiographical story line for his "Fire and Rain" lyrics: Suzanne, the girl who was now "gone," had been Taylor's girlfriend. They were frequently separated as he travelled on tour, but they kept in close touch, spending "hours of time on the telephone line" and talking about the good "things to come" when Taylor finally established himself as a musician. Seeing how disconsolate Taylor was at being away from his love, his friends arranged for Suzanne to fly out to meet him at his next tour stop. Suzanne joyfully accepted, but the flight carrying her to a reunion with her beloved crashed, and she was killed. Both the "flying machine" and Taylor's "sweet dreams" were now "in pieces on the ground," and he had lost the woman he "always thought" he'd "see again." Although James Taylor's song is indeed autobiographical, it doesn't match the heart-wrenching story line of popular legend. By the time "Fire and Rain" established Taylor as an international pop star at the tender age of twenty-two, he'd experienced plenty of psychological and physical pain upon which he could draw in crafting his lyrics. He already had a long history of depression and substance abuse for which he'd been hospitalized twice (his first hospital experience was the basis of the song 'Knockin' Around the Zoo' on his Apple debut album), and he'd also spent several months recuperating from a near-fatal motorcycle accident. All of this was fodder for his songwriting, as he explained in a 1972 interview with Rolling Stone: "Fire and Rain" has three verses. The first verse is about my reactions to the death of a friend. The second verse is about my arrival in this country with a monkey on my back, and there Jesus is an expression of my desperation in trying to get through the time when my body was aching and the time was at hand when I had to do it . . . And the third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs which lasted about five months. Taylor hasn't spoken publicly about the identity of or the nature of his relationship with the 'Suzanne' referred to in the first verse of the song. In his recent James Taylor biography, Ian Halperin writes: Privately, however, Taylor has admitted to friends that Suzanne was a girl he met when he was in the Austin Riggs mental hospital. They became close friends because they shared many interests and goals . . . He was deeply saddened when he found out Suzanne committed suicide several months after he left the hospital. At first, Taylor didn't find out about Suzanne's death for several weeks, because his friends were afraid that that if they told him he might do a lot of drugs or something drastic to escape the reality of his friend's death. So they waited until he was finished recording before to break the news to him. Even if Taylor's friends are right about how Taylor met 'Suzanne,' they're still wrong about when he met her. Taylor entered Austin Riggs psychiatric hospital in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a few months after his October 1968 return to the United States from England, where he had recorded his debut album for the Beatles' Apple lable. Yet the liner notes from the CD re-issue of that album indicate that among the unreleased tracks recorded by Taylor was an early version of "Fire and Rain," which means the song clearly antedates his stay at Austin Riggs. If 'Suzanne' was an acquaintance from one of Taylor's hospital stays, it had to have been from his 1965 stay at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, when he was seventeen. The mention of the "flying machines in pieces on the ground" is not about an airplane crash; it's an allusion to a group called The Flying Machine that Taylor had formed with his friend Danny Kortchmar. The group disbanded in 1967 when Taylor's drug problems led him to leave New York and return to his parents' home in North Carolina. Last updated: 17 December 2000 The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/firerain.htm Please use this URL in all links or references to this page Click here to e-mail this page to a friend Urban Legends Reference Pages ? 1995-2000 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: Halperin, Ian. Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Story. New York: Citadel Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55972-533-8 (pp. 93-97). Werbin, Stuart. "The Rolling Stone Interview: James Taylor and Carly Simon." Rolling Stone. 4 January 1973. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phil Collins 's "In the Air Tonight" Collins saw a man drowning yet was too far away to do anything, but the man closest, could have saved but didn't do anything. Phil was outraged at the fact the man was not even making an attemp to help his friend who was struggling. "I was there and I saw what you did saw it with my own two eyes" Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" "Comfortably Numb" tells a part of the story of Pink, the album's protagonist. Pink, feeling completely isolated from society, cannot stand the pressures of life as a rock star and collapses in his hotel room before leaving for his concert. A doctor is sent into the room and gives Pink an injection that gives him the energy he needs to perform. The lyrics are written as a conversation, with Waters voicing the doctor and Gilmour voicing Pink. The Undertones's "Teenage Kicks" Correction to the previous post. The lyric is actually "I wanna hold HER, wanna hold HER tight..". It's not about masturbation, but simply about being a teen and not having the guts to ask a girl out you really wanna be with. ABBA's "Dancing Queen" Dancing Queen is about a girl in the disco scene who loves sex and is seeking out men. "You come in to look for a King/Anybody could be that guy." She's out everynight looking for a different man. She's also spreading something to the men she sleeps with, "You're a teaser, you turn 'em on/Leave them burning and then your gone." The Dancing Queen sleeps with the man, passes on an STD and then leaves. While it sounds like a pleasant song, and it has an awesome beat...its really about being a slut in the Disco Clubs. ABBA's "Dancing Queen" The Dancing Queen is about a girl who absolutely loves disco. When she goes to a disco club, the music fills her, and she becomes the dancing queen. Anyone can be her guy, the night is young and the music is high, she's getting in the groove, she's in the mood for dance. And when she gets the chance, she is the dancing queen, young and sweet only seventeen. And Stephanie is also seventeen. Therefore, Stephanie is the Dancing Queen. Deep Purple's "Child In Time" Dear People, I am so surprised to see one of the most obvious songs not on this page. In 1972, Deep Purple came up with the beautiful psychedelic ballad named "Child in Time". It refers to a horrific moment, when the singers daughter was shot by some blind lunatic in the street ("See the blind man shooting at the world, bullets flying taking toll.") During this song, his voice covers almost every frequency, and - to be honest - I tried imitating him, and my throat hurt real bad! I think this song was his way to deal with the situation. Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" Definitely about hallucinogenic drugs. The lyrics--go ask Alice, when she's 10 feet tall. They even mention one pill making you larger and one pill making you small. Classic! Fleetwood Mac's "Sara" Don Henley has said that he believes this is about an abortion of Stevie Nick's child, whom she named Sara, after he got her pregnant. They dated for about 2 years, and Henley thinks it is a tribute to the unborn child. He claims he was building a house at the time, and the line, "When you build your house, call me home" is a message to him. Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" Fat Bottomed Girls, written by Brian May, was, as the author himself put it, a way to have fun with writing, and pull away from his serious side. It was just meant to be a silly song. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Fire and Rain has nothing to do with someone dieing in a plane crash. It's about herion and depression. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Fire and Rain was accually not about a plane crash in which his girlfriend died in, its not even about a plane crash. When he was in the mental hospital he met a girl named Susan and they began dating. He was later released from the hospital suddenly and did not get a chance to say goodbye to her and she assumed that he had deserted her and killed herself. Thats what the line "Susan the plans they made put an end to you"means, the plans of letting him out but not letting her know where he was. His friends did not want to upset him while on tour so they opted not to tell him until he was done touring for the year, thus "Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone" The part of the the song about the "plane crash" is accually about his former band that failed. It was called FLying machine Coven's "One Tin Soldier" First I would like to describe the only irony I see in this song. Coven since the 1600's (look up coven on wikipedia)has described a sect of witches that meet (usually 13 witches). The word eventualy gave rise to the english word "convene" which means to gather. However since this song was written in the 70's, the modern translation of the word "coven" is directly related to witch craft and wicca. When I read the lyrics to this song I see a battle between good and evil. Let me begin: "The Mountain" - The last line of this song states the phrase "peace on earth", which is most well known as the song the angels sung to herald Christ's birth. I believe the mountain could most likely represent heaven, or more likely, Christians, (of the true kind) since the song also spoke about the "people of the mountain". (people is the active word) "The Valley Folk" - I believe the valley folk could be the general population of the world, enticed by thoughts and rumors of treasure, mankind would do anything to have this useless yet primarilly rich element. The valley people represents mankind and the demons that surround them. "The Treasure" - "Peace on earth" was the treasure in this song, and peace can only be accomplised by loving one another. Only when you care for eachother as if you cared for yourself would this world be a peaceful place, which is why I say if anyone alive is waiting to see a peaceful earth, you may as well kill yourself, or realize the truth about life. Now I will narrate the song in a scence. The valley people heard a rumor about tons of treasure that the mountain people were "hoarding" for themselves, and because of their jealousy they decided to ask for the treasure to be given to them under penalty of death. The mountain people replied to them, "With our brothers we will share all the secrets of our mountain and all the riches buried there." But the valley people were stupid (like God said the men of the earth would be) and did not understand the meaning of the letter. (The valley folk were their brothers, if they chose to be) The valley people armed themselves and whent up the mountain to slay the people living there (those who live in God's glory are the mountain dwellers) when they found the rock that rumored to house the tons of gold that would make them rich, they found nothing, except a small inscription that read "peace on earth" The greedy valley people had destroyed the treasure before they even got to see it. The treasure was the peace that the valley people enjoyed with the mountain people and the mountain peoples brothers were indeed the valley people. The chorus of the song seems to explain the mentality of the valley people which directly reflects on the greater majority of man. hate your neighbor, cheat a friend, that you can justify all these thigs in the end. It seems that the valley people, like most of mankind, just doesnt beleive a judgment day will ever come, and that their actions will hold for them no consequence at all. Judgement day will be a terrifying day indeed for most men, as the bible says, "there will be much *gnashing of teeth*" For those still wondering, the truth about life is that we arent flukes of science, and that we were most definitly created to operate the way we do (if you cant understand that, we have a problem email me at batousai1787@hotmail.com)the purpose, and meaning of life is to endure the stupor of the world while seeking the glory of God. its not hard to understand, but it is very hard to successfully do. people are lazy, and that is why we do not have peace on earth today, because very few people are willing to put the effort into love, forgiveness and Christ. If you read all of this, you have too much time on your hands for one, and two, go buy yourself a Bible, and start reading. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Freddie Mercury wrote this song just to make an operatic song. He simply plucked out some notes on the piano, wrote them down, wrote some words to it, and added the operas. In truth, it was expected to be a great failure. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" From http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/firerain.htm: [James Taylor] explained in a 1972 interview with Rolling Stone: "Fire and Rain" has three verses. The first verse is about my reactions to the death of a friend. The second verse is about my arrival in this country with a monkey on my back, and there Jesus is an expression of my desperation in trying to get through the time when my body was aching and the time was at hand when I had to do it . . . And the third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs which lasted about five months. Taylor hasn't spoken publicly about the identity of or the nature of his relationship with the 'Suzanne' referred to in the first verse of the song. In his recent James Taylor biography, Ian Halperin writes: Privately, however, Taylor has admitted to friends that Suzanne was a girl he met when he was in the Austin Riggs mental hospital. They became close friends because they shared many interests and goals . . . He was deeply saddened when he found out Suzanne committed suicide several months after he left the hospital. At first, Taylor didn't find out about Suzanne's death for several weeks, because his friends were afraid that that if they told him he might do a lot of drugs or something drastic to escape the reality of his friend's death. So they waited until he was finished recording before to break the news to him. Even if Taylor's friends are right about how Taylor met 'Suzanne,' they're still wrong about when he met her. Taylor entered Austin Riggs psychiatric hospital in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a few months after his October 1968 return to the United States from England, where he had recorded his debut album for the Beatles' Apple label. Yet the liner notes from the CD re-issue of that album indicate that among the unreleased tracks recorded by Taylor was an early version of "Fire and Rain," which means the song clearly antedates his stay at Austin Riggs. If 'Suzanne' was an acquaintance from one of Taylor's hospital stays, it had to have been from his 1965 stay at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, when he was seventeen. The mention of the "flying machines in pieces on the ground" is not about an airplane crash; it's an allusion to a group called The Flying Machine that Taylor had formed with his friend Danny Kortchmar. The group disbanded in 1967 when Taylor's drug problems led him to leave New York and return to his parents' home in North Carolina Madtown Boyz's "The Gator Chomp" The Gator Chomp is about a young boy who can not stop this crazy girl from calling him. So he has to do drugs to ease the pain that the girl inflicts upon him! The Eagles's "Hotel California" Guys this song is about getting high and deaqling with withdrawals...plain and simple Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" Hate to burst the drug bubbles...or at least in the context of the song. Billy grew up on Long Island (NY). There used to be a "fishing" rowboat rental place (Capt. Jacks) on the south shore and little islands to row out and party till morning...these were days. Queen's "'39" Here's one I didn't see discussed: '39 by Queen. Rich with musical complexity, it is an acoustic folk-rock song about a group of space travelers who take a voyage to explore and perhaps colonize a new world and, due to time dilation, find a more aged Earth upon their return. It was written and sung by Brian May, who received a degree in physics and was working on an advanced degree in astronomy at the time he composed the song. The volunteers leave in a starship in one year of '39 and return from the blue (sky) in another year of '39 ... the kicker being that it is a century (or more?) later! This is significant for the protagonist, who arrives home to a world which is some multiple of 100 years older, but because of the slowing of time for a traveler at near-light speeds, he has only aged one year, as though it is for him still perhaps the original year of '39 ("oh so many years have gone though I'm older but a year"). His loved ones have passed away, causing his heart and the hearts of the other volunteers to "so heavily weigh ... for the Earth is old and grey," but he can see the resemblance of a woman (surely a love from the world of so long ago - perhaps his wife) in the eyes of her younger relative. In this light, the line "your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me" is quite poignant. He comes home to find his love long dead but imagines her calling to him as he looks into the eyes of her descendant, and the love this rekindles in him can no longer be. We are asked to pity him for his life that is still ahead. Rolling Stones's "Paint It Black" His girlfriend/wife/lover dies and he is watching the funeral from afar, because in his grief, he cannot attend it. he wants to see the entire world painted black and in the end contemplates suicide. cheerful song for the masses. :-) Gennesis's "Home By The Sea" Home By The Sea is a huanting piece of music with lyrics that take on the view of someone that has died and is stuck in this house. The house seems to hold many that have passed on. They are able to move around, touch things, even pick them up, but something doesn't feel quite right. Always loved the images that come to mind when I hear these lyrics. "Help me someone, let me out of here then out of the dark we suddenly heard welcome to the Home by the Sea" "shadows with no substance, in the shape of men round and down and sideways they go" The Eagles's "Hotel California" The Hotel California = The Beverly Hills Hotel. Eg: John Belushi OD'd while staying at a BHH bungalo. Janis Joplin OD'd after leaving the BHH. The names of the nearly and/or dearly departed go on..ad infinitum. Check in..no check out. Alotta rockers rock-ed. On gurney wheels they roll-ed. Eagles's "Hotel California" The Hotel California is a drug fee community where hopeless drug addicts would check in indefinitely. You Can check in but never leave. The beast within is the addiction. Some would dance to remember what it was like to be on the outside well other would dance to forget. We haven't had wine here since this place became a drug & alcohol free community in 1969. Would it be heaven or hell to have to live like this? The Eagles's "Hotel California" Hotel California is about the old Camarillo State Hospital. It's where all the old time jazzers and silent screen folk would go to dry out or kick heroin. Charlie Parker also has a famous song about it. Technically, you COULD never leave, as it was a mental hospital/rehab facility. Eagles's "Hotel California" Hotel California is purgatory and the song is about the goings on there. "you can check in but can never leave". The recent Soprano's episode has the song playing in the background when Tony is in a coma and stuck in purgatory. FLEETWOOD MAC's "Rhiannon" I READ A LETTER BY STEVIE NICKS, SHE SAID RHIANNON WAS A TERMINALLY ILL LITTLE GIRL WHO HAD TOUCHED HER HEART BEING SO BRAVE FACING HER DESTINY. THIS LETTER WAS POSTED AT THE N.Y.N.Y. HARD ROCK WHEN HER SIGNATURE SHIRT WAS BEING SOLD. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" I always think this song is about the experiance of being sunk in the very deepest miasma of depression.Also referring to others descriptions: "Pink" is not a character, nor is it JUST the name of their band. They ferived their name frome too jazz greats, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Basically the whole song is about a man receeding further into himself as he gets more and more depressed. It is not about an illness, as it says in the chorus: There is no pain, you are receeding. The person mentioned in the song is alienated from everyone (is there anybody home, a distant ship's smoke on the horizon, only coming through in waves etc), including himself (this is not how i am, i have become comfortably numb)..... Im pretty sure what the song's about, its either about being depressed, or some depressed guy.girl has taken painkillers or sleeping pill to numb him/herself from the pain and the world outside. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I always thought this song was about vietnam veterans and how they seemed distant and "somewhere else" when they returned from war. After witnessing a war such as vietnam, perception is changed and that's where the lyric "do you think you can tell.." and "cold comfort for change" ect comes from. Also, the "wish you were here" implied that the vetran was physically there, but not mentally or emotionally. "two lost souls" and "the same old fears" also imply the emptiness within the retired soldier ect. What do ya think? James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" I believe I've read that each stanza in "Fire and Rain" is about a different topic. The woman he sings of was indeed with him at McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Belmont, MA, and she killed herself. The reference to "flying machines in pieces on the ground" is a reference to his original band--they were known as "James Tayor and the Original Flying Machine." But the the band and the dreams of success that went with it broke apart, "in pieces on the ground." Bread's "Everything I Own" I believe many people like myself thought this song was boyfriend-girlfriend love song. It wasn't until years later that I read that David Gates wrote and recorded this song in memory of his father. Listening to the words of this song give it a whole new meaning when you put yourself in David Gate's place and think of your loved ones that have passed on. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" I believe that the song Fire and Rain is about his significant other whose name is Susanne, who died in a plane crash, and James Taylor wrote down how he is suffering from his loss and is looking for guidance. James Taylor is one of the best musicians to bless the earth. Don McLean's "American Pie" I believe this old song is describing a "Dark Age" for the United States. The day the music died means the day John F. Kennedy was shot and "I can’t remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside The day the music died" is Jacky Kennedy. Also the verse where he talks about the Jester and the King represents the US defeat in Vietnam and the courtroom is the United Nations. "Oh, and while the king was looking down, The jester stole his thorny crown. The courtroom was adjourned; No verdict was returned". "And while Lenin read a book of Marx (communist manifesto), The quartet practiced in the park, And we sang dirges in the dark. the day the music died." This is showing the communist influence in Vietnam and pretty much all over the world. Also one last thing when he says the good old boys are saying this is the day that I die, is representing the young GI soldiers drafted into Vietnam Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" I don't know which idiot wrote the comment about Like A Rolling Stone, but he/she should keep their comments to things they understand. The song is about the changing of America through the troubled times of the 60's and 70's. It's about the loss of innocence and the fall from grace that accompanied Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement. About BD's generation waking up and smelling the coffee..... a little to late. Simon And Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I don't know why it was so difficult to understand the song. I have no idea how the drugs got in there, but it is more of friendship. S&G are trying to say to their friend I will be your bridge over trouble water. The point is that you can't cross a very rapid water without a bridge. " When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all; I'm on your side. When times get rough And friends just can't be found, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down." He's saying I'm there for you when you need me. I'll be your bridge over trouble water. Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London" I dont' find much meaning in it. I just think it is a great karaoke song for howling. You could argue that it is about stylish werewolves stalking and dancing around London. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" I doubt the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody were written with AIDS in mind. Bohemian Rhapsody was written at least 6 years before any type of AIDS related deaths occured. The Queen album "A Night at the Opera" (in which Bohemian Rhapsody appeared) was released in 1975, while AIDS was first recognized in 1981. Simon and Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I enjoyed the other people's interpretation of the lyrics, including Paul Simon's, but the beauty of poetry is that we can all have our personal interpretation, even if it differs from the author's. I feel that the softly sung early verses seem to be that of a father speaking to his baby / daughter, showing that no matter what trials and tribulations she will go through, he will always be there for her. Sail on Silvergirl, which seems to be sung with more vigour, gives me the impression that he is sadly, yet gladly, releasing her to the world ( college, independence, etc.) for her to achieve her independence; yet no matter what happens, he will no longer control her directtly, but always be there for her. (I will ease your mind) Hot Chocolate's "Everyone's A Winner" I feel most people think that this song is about each and every person being special and unique in their own way, particularly the way he's singing about his lover in the song. I think he's singing about every orgasm that he gets and how his lover satisfies him each time they have an intimate encounter. "Every one's a winner baby, that's the truth. (that's the truth) "Makin' love to you is such a thrill." "Every one's a winner baby, that's no lie" (that's no lie) "you Never fail to satisfy" (satisfyyyyy) The Eagles's "Hotel California" I feel this song is about a drug overdose death. First he sees the light,"Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light" "Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way" He sees the devil. "in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast" His life flashes before him, he ultimately winds up in Hell. 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device' "You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!' Don McLean's "American Pie" I had a professor who saw Don McLean in concert in the late 70s. According to my professor, McLean made the following comment. "A lot of people have asked me what this next song is all about, what it means. It means I don't have to work anymore." He then started singing American Pie. As DH Lawrence said, "Never trust the teller; trust the tale.” Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight" I had heard the popular explanation about the friend drowning and Phil tracking the non-helpful witness years later and seating him front and center at the concert. Later, I heard the more plausible explanation that it was Phil's bitter ode to his ex-wife. Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" I hate to destroy the power of this song, but the line "Like a bridge over troubled water/ I will lay me down" and the subject matter for the first two choruses are taken from a poster that Simon saw where a black couple were standing together and the man said to the girl "like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down". He built the rest of the song on this premise. So it is not spiritual in the least and was going to be even more boring. Paul wanted just himself and a piano to perform it, but Garfunkel protested and made him throw in the extra lines and add his voice and the orchestra. James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" I hate to tell you this (no I don`t - if I did I wouldn`t!) but you`ve slightly missed the point: Fire and Rain was written while James Taylor was undergoing treatment for his own addiction but it`s really about how he heard that an old girlfriend of his (Suzanne) had died as a result of her addiction - hence the refrain 'I`ve seen fire and I`ve seen rain..... but I always thought I`d see you again.' ! I actually found this site `cos I`ve intended for years to find out a bit more about the 'Funky Claude' in Deep Purple`s Smoke on the Water - thanks for the extra info, I`m off to websites about the Montreaux Jazz Festival to see what else I can find....... Simon And Garfunkle's "Mrs. Robinson" I have always heard that this song is aout a teacher who has a realtionship with on e of her students, and even though she has sinned, heaven still holds a place for her. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" I have heard a hundred different things that people think this song is about. It doesn't really matter who wrote it or what it was written for because niether of those effect the meaning of the song very much. The inspiration effects the meaning. And the inspiration for this song was some type of opiate. Whether it was morphine or heroin, I don't know but it was some kind of injected opiate. Try some one day and listen to this song, it will be hard to disagree. This song is entirely too "fitting" with that feeling to be about anything else. Or just look at some of the lyrics: I can ease your pain, there is no pain you are receding, ...two ballons now I've got that feeling once again (the strange bodily feeling, not a happy childhood memory), just a little pin prick, you may feel a little sick, and the major one... I have become comfortably numb. I really want to say its more about morphine than heroin because of "we need some information first, just the basic facts, can you show me where it hurts" doctors don't give out heroin. Some of the lyrics show that the writer feels confused: you are only coming through in waves, your lips move but I cant hear what youre saying, when I was a child....I cannot put my finger on it now. Morphine/Heroin will make you confused. Of course if a person hasn't experienced the feeling of this drug firsthand they might think this song is about something else and I dont recommend anyone go out and shoot up so just trust me. It's definitely not about racism. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I have read the other entries made about this song and i understand that it is easy to percieve it as talking about war,drugs and people dying as i used to think that myself but trust me,i've read a lot of stuff by Water's on this song, and it is not. Yes, there are refrences to Syd Barrett in there and yes the whole album is about people being vague and not there mentally and phisically(mainly due to the affect that the music industry has had on them)but the main theme running through the song is a schizophrenic one written by Waters about himself. If you break the song down every sentance has a positive claim exchanged for a negative claim.I.E Heaven,blue skies,green field,smile,hero's,trees,cool breeze,change,walk on part in the war. - The negative side reads hell,pain,cold steel rail,a veil,ghosts,hot ashes,hot air,cold comfort,lead role in a cage.(This is why it is a schizophrenic song). The whole song has a metaphor meaning, it is one side of Waters character crying out to the other side. One side of his personality has a selfish,uncaring and thoughtless persona where as the other has a caring,generous and giving side (Waters explains in many books that this is how the music industry had made him feel at the time) In the line 'did THEY get you to trade', the THEY he is referring too is the music industry. The've made him trade all his good points for his bad points. As the chorus enters we see that it is his bad side singing to his good side 'how i wish ,how i wish you were here.' The lines 'we're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year is both his persona swimming around in his body. Then the lines are followed by 'running over the same old ground,what have we found,the same old fears,wish you were here' This is waters stating that he wishes his good side would always prevail over his bad side but over the years this has not been the case thus finishing off the whole song 'wish you were here'. Very deep stuff I know but it's accurate. Anyone that is really intersted in the Floyd's music and lyrics should read - Which one's Pink by Phil Rose, The Pink Floyd encyclopedia by Vernon Fitch and Echoes the stories behind every Pink Floyd song by Cliff Jones. They make great reading for the Floyd fanatic. Sorry to dissapoint anyone's theory as i was pretty dissapointed myself when i first read about it, i used to think it was a cry for his father ( Eric Fletcher Waters ) who died on the beaches at Anzio in World War 2. Simon and Garfunkle's "Mrs. Robinson" I heard it was about a retired teacher who had an affair with her student. She is now being put in an institution for drug dealing, retired, mentally insane tramps. Thats what my dad said. Eagles's "Hotel California" I heard somewhere that this song was about a gambling addiction. But I think it's really how you percive the song and what you think you think it means. If we keep on over analising these legendary songs we really end up missing the point altogether. They are meant to be enjoyed and that's what i am going to keep on doing no matter what other people try to tell me what they think. The only people that will ever know the truth are the song writers. and sometimes they might not even be clear on it. Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" I heard that Van Morrison titled this song about a black woman he was inspired by and the song was originally titled Brown-Skinned Girl but the radio would not play it and he was convinced to change the name. I am not sure if this is true but I have heard this from several sources. Can you add any thoughts to this? Simon and Garfunkel's "Blessed" I know that many of these songs including this one was written about the Vietnam war and all the insidents revolving around them. I believe that this one is probably about how the US was being to aggressive and will basically rot in hell because we were not meek at all....just dictatorship wise. Eagles's "Hotel California" I love this song! No matter what its meaning, I think you could & obviously have given it many meanings & isn't that what song writing is all about? Unless you actually wrote it - how can you guess. When I was in Puerto Vallarta, I was told Hotel California was written about the Hotel that used to be there at the time that the Eagles were staying there. (which when I was there, the said hotel was dwindling down to rubble). I was also told Tequila Sunrise was written there, too. From what the "locals" were telling all of us North Americans at the "round table", was that the meaning behind the song Hotel California was exactly what became of the hotel, each floor harbouring it's own addictions & the people who had whatever addiction of choice always seemed to be drawn to those specific floors, be it opium, cocaine, heroin, alcohol, etc & never really being able to leave, but that's pretty much the effect Mexico has on people - who wants to leave? (as it's said before...addiction never leaves) The nurse would come everyday to help those in overdoses, or whatever. Made for an entertaining story night - but hey, it was Mexico. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I read an interview by either Waters or Gilmour that this song is actually about the writer of the song's father, who died as a bomber crewman in WW2 leaving the future Pink Floyd member to grow up fatherless in postwar England. This WW2 loss is a very personal and reocurring theme that also influenced several other songs by the same writer. The Eagles's "Hotel California" I read some time ago in an interview with one of the Eagles that this song was written about their record label, who they felt was holding them hostage in the slavery of a terrible contract. All those lyrics about "you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave" and "they stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast" are references to the greedy record execs and the contract they couldn't get away from. The Hotel California itself I guess was representative of the entire music industry, where artists are lured by the promise of fame and riches, but then they are snared by legal contracts, so that they can never get away. They were "all just prisoners here... of their own device" because they themselves actually DID sign the contracts after all. I don't think the song is about Satanists. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" I read two different descriptions of it. I heard somewhere it was written about Vietnam war with Fire and Rain referring to the the weather and explosives that are seen during war. It made sense to me. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" I really think this is just a compiliation of things that make sense, and things that dont. The things that dont probably came to them when they were completley drugged up, and as for the other things, some of the things mentioned above sound pretty accurate. Remember, some of the best songs from Rock and Roll came from drug-induced minds. S&G's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I remember hearing a paul simon interview back in the 70 when he said the line "sail on silver girl" was about an ex-girlfiend. America's "Horse With No Name" I saw an interview with one of the gys in America (I don't even know their names actually but it was a primary memeber - guitar player or lead singer) where he says that Horse With No Name is in fact not about drugs at all. He said something like: "It's really just a very simple song about the desert. All these people came up with interpretations that its about drugs and so on, but it isn't." I don't claim that's a 100% word for word accurate quote but that's roughly what he said. Hopefully that settles the debate here - sorry to all you drug interpretation proponents. Don McLean's "American Pie " I say the Jester is Buddy Holly, not Dylan. "The Coat he borrowed from James Dean" refers to Holly's rebel, rockabilly image. Doesn't work for Dylan. Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" I think It's about a young college girl who was rich but she spent all her money on drugs and cigarettes and became poor. Eagles's "Hotel California" I think it is about drug addiction,heroin/coke.The girl with the benz,is the attraction to the high life.As she lite up a candle and she showed me the way,meaning mealting the dope down.Preparing for the feast stealy knives (syringes) but they just cant kill the beast.(addiction) The Undertones's "Teenage Kicks" I think it's all too eays to right off this song by saying it's just about masturbation. Not only is it fantastic in that it got a chart position with a song about self-abuse, but it also addresses an issue too often skirted over in songs and popular culture - too often in reality there are people who are 'untouchable' and fantasies are the only ways we can come close to them. Eagles's "Hotel California" I think that everyone who is trying to pin down what this song really means is COMPLETELY missing the main point of this song. To understand the meaning of something, you have to first relate back to who made it (in this case, the writers). Considering the amount of metaphore that is used in this song, the writers did not ever clearly state what they were refering to (wheather it's a whore house, drug addiction, satan, death, gambling, etc...), but as confusing and puzzling as this sounds, it's what makes this song so amazing. The riddle of not knowing exactly what the song is refering to gives the listener the experience to relate this song to their own experiences. This makes the song, and experience a much better one, and gives it a lot of value Blue Oyster Cult's "I Love The Night" I think that you are missing the boat with your interpretaion of "I love the night". It's pretty much a wacky "romantic poetry" vampire song that humerously melds corny vampire stories with a quasi-subtle love song. Th elements are all there. The lady in white(pale, wrapped in a grave shroud) comes to him while he is alone and he can't look away(mesemerism). She loves the night(sun kills vampires...but the moon often stillshows when the sun is still up.) She offers to share and show something with him if he will only "welcome her."(enter freely and of your own will: Dracula to Harker.) He mentions "wonder" that "no mortal was meant to know". (the enthrallement and ecstasy associated with having vampires suck your blood ever since stories like Dracula and Camilla were written). Afterwards he learns what has become of him with "one look in the mirror". In other words he is no longer a mortal having known the previously mentioned wonder. He tells the woman that he is leaving that he is a creature of the night now and plans to go off with the vampiress who changed, possibly in a cryptic way so as to not scare her. Simon And Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" I think this song is about Mrs. Robinson being in an intervention (if you have ever seen the A & E show you know what I'm talking about). The Koo koo ca Choos being a sudden blitz of drugs into her system she can't control so she fades out from the intervention. Joe DiMaggio being a random childhood memory brought on by being around her family and wondering where he is. This person is obviously messed up in some respect. Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" I think this song is about a soldier going off to war, and the one voice (Simon's)is nostalgic, and the other voice (Garfunkel's)is the chilling reality. The Eagles's "Hotel California" I think this song is all about love. There are so many metaphors in this song that seem to resemble it. And I was thinking to myself, 'this could be heaven or this could be hell' --> This is referring to someone that has never fallen in love before. They are in love with the idea of falling in love, but have known so many people that have been broken down by it. But then again, they have seen couples that are truely and completely in love, and if they were to discover that with someone it would be heaven. "How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget" -->Some dance to remember, some dance to forget...Some people take up hobbies, or activities to remember or forget certain things. When you were with someone and were really in love and everything was perfect, but you lost them for some reason or another, you would want to remember them. If you were someone and your relationship was not so good, and you had your heart broken, you would be trying to forget. And still those voices are calling from far away, Wake you up in the middle of the night Just to hear them say... --> This one is a little harder to explain. Unless you were in a difficult relationship, you might not be able to understand, but I will do my best to explain. Sometimes when you are in a relationship where you are being mistreated, you tend to try to justify and fix things. You replay things over and over agian in your head after it has all ended trying to figure what you did and where everything went wrong. You cant sleep, you cant eat, it just drains you. So this is where the "still those voices calling from far away" part comes into play. Its the sound of the conversations and arguments replaying over and over again in their head. "wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say.." is about them not being able to sleep, they are just laying their awake liestening to the conversations in their head. And she said 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device' --> This is referring the the fact that people make up excuses for their partners behavior. If we would stop making excuses and face reality we wouldnt be stuck in the position that we were in, we would not be prisoners in the relationship. The stab it with their steely knives, But they just can't kill the beast --> This again is trying to get rid of the love feeling, because you know you are not loved in return. You want to not feel the way you do, but you cant help it, or change it. I had to find the passage back To the place I was before --> He wants to get back to the carefree, undamaged emotional state that he was in, before he was in love. He doesnt want to be in love anymore. You can checkout any time you like, But you can never leave! --> Meaning you can leave the person anytime you want, but once you truely love someone, you can not escape that feeling, you will always care about that person, even after you move on, so to say. Blue Oyster Cult's "I Love The Night" I think this song is biographical in origin, from the experience of Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser. After a traumatic breakup, he walks out at night and is enchanted by a perfect clear starry night, and then the moon rises. Enchanted by the vision and perfection of the night, he envisions the moon as a woman... and the final irony is that the perfect beauty of the night that brings him some surcease from his heartache brings it back in full force, for the final lines are "If only you had been there my dear, We could have shared this together..." Eagles's "The Hotel California" I think this song talks about a Hotel in wich orgies took place.When it says "there she stood on the doorway" it probably means some whore stood on the doorway. This Hotel involved drugs too. This is the kind of life it describes I believe, the kind of life you can never get away form "You can check out any time you like but you can never leave" and also these poor women cannot get away too as they can get away from the pimps that will haunt them and maybe kill them afterwards "they stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast" Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's "Thunder Road" I think this song was a song about a young couple...the boy being ready to face the world and the girl a little scared of the relashionship and where it might lead. The boy comes to the girls house and basically says we are ready for the world so climb on board. It also kind of talks about just getting out and living. Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" I thought it was about a woman going to a nursing home, my boyfriend thinks it's about the neighborhood tramp who also sold marijuana. He got that info from his dad! The Eagles's's "Hotel California" I thought that this song was talking about the 2 biggest problems of the time, Heroin and cancer. Although no one related to cancer, but i see things like you can check out any time as you can die at any time but you can never live as you can never be cured. The mirrors on the cieling is the operations room and the beast is the tumor and they try to cut it off with their knives but they can't kill the beast. The device they are all attached to is again relating to hospitals. What do you think? James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" I was told just the other day by my music appriciation teacher that James Taylor had himself commited because he had a phobia, Suzanne was a woman who had the same one, being alone with someone of the opposite sex. They met at the mental hospital and cured eachother of the phobia, fell in love and planned to marry. They would get out of the hospital on Friday morning and marry Saturday afternoon. James Taylor signed himself out and left with no problem, but Suzanne couldn't leave, they didn't have her insurance release forms, the nurse called her doctor who said, let her leave, she's finally happy, I'll take care of the paperwork Monday, but the nurse lied and said she couldn't leave till Monday. Suzanne kept trying to leave but gave up and hung herself. Harry Chapin's "Cats In The Cradle" I would like to revise the earlier description of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle." The discrepancy lies is in the last statement. Formerly written, "In the end the father realized that his son had grown up to be a work-a-holic just like his dad..." If you listen to the lyrics, you'll see that just as the father had no time for his son when he was growing up, the son had no time for his father when he grew up. "...he came from college just the other day, so much like a man I just had to say, son I'm proud of you can you sit for awhile, he shook his head and he said with a smile, what I'd really like dad is to borrow the car keys, see you later can I have them please... ...I've long since retired, my son's moved away, I called him up just the other day, I said I'd like to see you, if you don't mind, he said I'd love to dad if I could find the time, you see my new job's a hassle and the kid's with the flew, but it's sure nice talking to you dad, it's been sure nice talkin' to you.. and as I hung up the phone it occured to me, he'd grown up just like me, my boy was just like me... It's about it all coming back around, not the son becoming a workaholic... Simon and Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I'm aware of the drug interpretation and the author's actual interpretation but depending on when the boat people incidents in the 1970's occured, this song could be a sort of welcome song for them. The "silver girl" in the song could also be a reference to a girl who has been lying in the sea for so long her skin has become a pale grey. Now this interpretation might not be the most accurate but if you look at these lyrics and the events of the Indochinese refugees there is an ominous connecion that binds them. If this song was written before these events then in could mean that Paul Simon is psychic! Queen's "Killer Queen" I'm not exactly sure why I think this, but the lyrics of this song, in my opinion, have nothing to do with a high-class prostitute, like Wikipedia claims. I've researched various sites on the lyirics and there are a few that I just do not agree with (meaning it doesn't sound to me like that is what is being sung). Personally, from everything I've so far read, this song to ME sounds like it's about a female assassin, or a spy perhaps? "gunpowder, gelatine (one part I disagree with) dynamite with a laser beam" meaning the laser cites on hand guns, perhaps?? Doesn't keep the same address... Rolling Stones's "Horse With No Name" I'm not getting drugs in this song...I always thought it was about the a man and the effects of fame on the brain. Desert has turned to sea...life is like the ocean with its life under ground and the perfect disguise above...people fake and false...putting forward their plastic smiles when really inside its pain and ugly Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" I'm not sure if this explanation has been posted, but after listening to the song hundreds of thousands of times, and never knowing what it meant, I finally had an idea. I then listened to the song, possibly confirming my ideas. After this, I did a reasonable amount of research on mythology, especially females in mythology. According to my analysis, Stairway is about a powerful and righteous female warrior. She is finally killed and battle, but doesn't know that she is dead. She feels, before her death, that there is good in all things. The entire world, according to myth, is in the palm of this lady's hand. Many signs point to her death, but she can understand or comprehend that she has been killed. Her spirit continues to wonder through the heavens, and she sees the other spirits going about their heavenly lives. As stated in the Bible, spirits in heaven can see those in hell and on Earth. The warrior can still see the battle raging, which leads her to believe that she is alive. She meets one of the spirits that has been in heaven for no telling how long, and he explains what is happening. She finds out that the inhabitants of heaven have been waiting on her arrival, due to her righteousness in life. Throughout the song, which is merely an interpretation of the epic poem, she realizes that she has died and gone to heaven. After this realization, she begins to be an encouragement to those with whom she can communicate on Earth. She is a guiding spirit, if you will. Her presence, and her legacy, are a model for people to follow to get into heaven. In conclusion, I state that Stairway to Heaven is a narrative. Not an abstract creation of Robert Plant, but a brilliant discovery of an epic story that he paraphrased and, with the help of the great Jimmy Page, put to music. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I'm sorry but anyone who thinks it's about war (especially American based wars - Vietnam) is clearly missing the point. It IS about Syd Barrett, creative force of Pink Floyd until LSD screwed him up. Syd Barrett actually turned up at the studio when Pink Floyd were recording this album about him. He was a shadow of the man he used to be. I'll say it again; it is NOT about war. No. No. NOOOOO! The Eagles's "Hotel California" If anyone out there doesn't know this yet, though I think you all should, this song is about drug addiction. (especially cocaine) "They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast". And of course the final line before that great dual guitar solo between Don Felder and Joe Walsh, "You can check out anytime you like , but you can never leave". Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" If this song does have a meaning it's not about AIDS, Freddy didn't know he had AIDS when he wrote it, I think the boy on death row is far more likely. John Lennon's "Imagine" Imagine is about communism, and is by no means the greatest song ever made. Infact it's a completely naive song presented into society's common left wing views by Lennon to increase his popularity and how liked he was by the people. Lennon was a fraud. His own son even says so. He didnt care about world peace and harmony, he just knew what people liked to hear about, (peace and harmony) and he fed them. Sure it's a great sounding song, but Lennon was by no means a wondrous guy . He was just an idealist, and a phony one at that (and God only knows we have enough idealist morons around these days). He was a musician with an alright voice and a knack at writing nice songs. In any case, left wing views -especially communism- are crap and always will be. Marx was an idiot and has caused millions of deaths and anyone who promotes communism in turn promotes the state in which so many third world contries are and the deaths that occur daily in the communiste and dictated (becasue really, theyre the same thing) world. To sum up Lennon was a good musician with a knack at impressing the populace with his phony ideas of world peace and love and whatnot and spreading this crap through all the millions of idiots who think that we could possibly ever achieve anything close to the world described in Imagine, and who believe that if we did we'd be better off, which we wouldn't, but that's another argument for anyother day. Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" In Actuality this song was about Syd Barretts' rise and fall in fame Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" In January of 1973, You're So Vain was the # 1 hit song on the radio. Carly had just married fellow pop-superstar James Taylor a month before, so when You're So Vain hit the airwaves, it stirred intense curiosity about which one of her previous lovers was the subject of this wry nod to the male ego. Was it Mick Jagger? Cat Stevens? Warren Beatty? Kris Kristofferson? It was common knowledge that she had been involved with each of them in the past.Carly has never revealed who she had in mind when she wrote You're So Vain, and over 30 years later interviewers are still asking her this same question.................................... The Washington Post - 1983 WP: Who was ?You?re So Vain about? Mick Jagger? Carly: No. WP: Warren Beatty? Carly: It certainly sounds like it was about Warren Beatty. He certainly thought it was about him - he called me and said thanks for the song?. WP: You had gone with him? Carly: Hasn?t everybody? "Clouds in my coffee" are the confusing aspects of life and love. That which you can't see through, and yet seems alluring...until. Like a mirage that turns into a dry patch. Perhaps there is something in the bottom of the coffee cup that you could read if you could (like tea leaves or coffee grinds). Carly Simon 5/17/01 Yes's "'Southside of the Sky'" In a recent interview, Jon Anderson mentioned that the song describes a group of climbers who were lost, and about the euphoria that comes to one as one freezes to death..'Of warmth when you die'...though I do like the comment about the scenario being specifically about the Fellowship. Debbie Boone's "'You Light Up My Life'" In a talk show interview Debbie Boone revealed that this is a "praise song." "You" refers to God. Praise songs are a devotional type of Christian Music separated from Hymns and general popular Christian music. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" In an interview with Howard Stern, James describes the meaning of the song a little differently. James' friends didn't tell him about the death of his friend from cancer because, at the time, he was still trying to overcome his addiction when it happened, and they didn't want to add any additional stress to his situation. The lyrics regarding "the plans" probably describe how he felt. That is, the cancer (or whatever illness it was) actually killed her, but in his mind she was still alive until the planned disclosure of his friends ended that. The Clash's "Atom Tan" In death people have a look which is referred to as an atom tan..by the clash. People die in various ways- described in the song, and get an even atom tan!! Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" In response to the kid who said that he did his so called "research" on this song, Wikipedia does not count as a source at all. Do some real research and then tell us about it. First Freddie was born on the island of Zanibar, second the song has absolutely nothing to do with AIDS. The song was written 11 years before he was diagnosed. No one will ever know the true meaning of the song (if there even is one). The only song that Freddie wrote which he explained the meaning to was Bicycle Race, no one knows the meaning of this one. Stop arguing about it. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" In the literal sense, the song is directed to a dead friend or family member at a funeral in a cemetery. The singer is possibly one of the pallbearers. Until recently, I had no idea where it was taking place and only a vague idea of who the intended recipient was. Only after shooting a video of a family cemetery and setting it to the music of Pink Floyd did it hit me. In the middle of a big green field is a small cemetery plot surrounded by a white, wrought-iron fence. The only trees nearby were the ones inside. It was a hot summer day and a cool breeze was blowing. Inside the fence were several markers. Among the lead role were the headstones of the few who had died in battle -- the heroes. The fence is a cage, our planet is a fishbowl, coffins have cold steel rails, and the veil hides the face of the widow. The clincher for me was this inscription on one of the headstones: "Stranger CAN YOU TELL is this where individuality ceases or does it exist beyond." Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" In the song Mr. Vanzant not Van Dam (he's the karate guy) Sings about Neil Young because he "generalized" the South. Who needs a guy like that around starting trouble during the still very volatile time in the South! Another quote listed the lyrics wrong as well... "Watergate, it does not bother me Does your conscience bother you? Tell me true." is actually "Watergate,does not bother me! Does your conscience bother you? Tell "THE TRUTH." Also the post about Lynard Skynard's "All I Can Do Is Write About It"...quote "This song is about Mr. Van DAm growing up in the south, and the natural beauty of the country. It is so odd how he says," Lord take me and mine before the concrete creeps in." And how he dies not that much longer." Funny you get the idea but have it twisted some. He actually says "I can see the concrete a' slowly creepin' Lord take me and mine before that comes." So yankees...I'm not tryin' to put down no big cities But the things they write about us is just a bore!! How you gonna know about it unless you do it suuun! Hoooray Dixie!!! Coven's "One Tin Soldier" In the song the mountain people say "With our brothers we will share all the secrets of the mountain, all the riches buried there," but the valley people are greedy and want the entire treasure not just part of it so they then start the war to take it. Ironic, isn't it. Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine" Interpretation of this song is varied. In one sense it appears to be a father's message to his son. This is a recurring theme in Floyd songs and is visually available in "The Wall" movie. Roger Water's father was killed during World War II. It can also be said that this song is about a young rock star living within the confines of the rock and roll world. He experiences the lesser sides of stardom and all the evils that go with it. Paul Mccartney And Wings's "Band On The Run" Interpreted to mean different things by the rock press at the time, one being that the song was possibly about outlaws (in the Eagles' "Desperadoes" vein) but more likely about flight, escape and freedom. It was postulated at the time that Paul's having written the theme song for the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die' several months earlier may have inspired him to do "Band". Paul's solo output prior to "Band" was dismissed by critics as lightweight and overstylized (ie. AM radio fluff) so the lyrics on "Band" suggested a man who had been imprisoned by the critics' (and sometimes public) criticism of his work and then suddenly breaks out of the chains and goes free from all that. The song and album of the same name actually welcomed Paul back into the good graces of the rock critics and minds of the public, who felt he put out a confident, well-constructed album after four mediocre ones. Raydio's "You Can't Change That" It is a song about a stalker... stalking his girlfriend. Simon And Garfunkle's "Mrs. Robinson" It is a song about alcohol addiction in housewives from the '60s in the USA where alcoholism was considered a mental disease and they were locked up in mental institutions instead of addiction hospitals. The sympathetic eyes are those of the hospital staff, they 'want to know a little more about you for our files' (mental health files), take a walk around the grounds until you feel at home, and the stuff that they are hiding in the pantry with the cupcakes is the bottle of booze and always keep alcoholism from the children. Marmalade's "Reflections" It is about a person who thinks the world is a bad place, a terrible place to live, and he dont want to die..it is from 1970... Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" It is about the Vietnam war, and how it wasn't the answer. It also relates to what was going on here in America at the time and how tha hippies were discriminated against because they said how they felt and expressed themselves freely.(some with long hair, which he mentions.) Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" It means nothing. according to Queens drummer it means 'Theres just a little bit of chaos in the middle' It snot abut AIDs, its not about Freddies sexuality, its just a crazy song about nothing Blue Oyֹster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" It seems to be a common misinterpretation (due to the line "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity") that this song is about suicide. As Albert Bouchard, one of the band members, stated on several occasions, the song writer Buck Dharma, didn't have exactly that in mind, but merely the idea of not to fear death, probably because it is inevitable and also part of our life. There are also rumors that say that Buck thought at the time he was writing the song that he was dying, but I if that is true, I can't say. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" It seems to me that all of the comments made on pink floyds song 'wish you were here' are most intriguing and certainly interesting, but unfortunately wrong,people are reading far too deep into the song,or not deep enough as i will explain - I am a huge floyd fan and have read many a book on this subject trying to extend my knowledge and appreciation for the band/song as it is a complicated tune to understand. If you listen to the song you will realise that every sentence has a good/happy lyric in exchange for a bad/sad lyric,so when broken down it reads - heaven,blue skies,green field,smile,hero's,tree's,cool breeze,change,lead role in a cage.THUS - hell,pain,cold steel rail,veil,ghosts,hot ashes,hot air,cold comfort,walk on part in the war........Deep stuff i know, I used to think it was about war myself, but trust me it's not, and i only know this because i've read so so so much about the band. It's a schizophrenic song written by waters about himself, on one side of his personality is the good,caring and giving part of his character and on the other side is the selfish, unforgiving and greedy side. It is a song about one side singing to the other.......The bad side is calling to the good side saying how i wish, how i wish you were here. This is made evident by the lyric..'We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl'........The fish bowl being his outer body exterior and the two lost souls being his inner.The inner souls are swimming around 'the fish bowl', one side is crying to the other 'i wish you were here',but unfortunately for waters the bad side previels hence the lyric 'we're just two lost souls swimming a fish bowl year after year, running over the same old ground,what have we found,the same old fears,wish you were here.'............Basically it's saying that the good side of waters character will never exceed the bad side,and unfortunately for him, he knows it. I hate to say it but i was dissapointed myself to find out that the song actually meant this, I had studied the song for a long time and come up with a very strong theory about it being a cry for his father dying in world war 2 but i was wrong. If you are really interested on extending your current appreciation for the band then i strongly suggest reading - 'which ones Pink?' AUTHOR Phill Rose. 'Echoes; the stories behind every Pink Floyd song' AUTHOR Cliff Jones. 'The Pink Floyd encyclopedia' AUTHOR Vernon Fitch.......Happy Reading. Spinners's "Love Don't Love Nobody" It takes a fool to learn that love don't love nobody Max Webster's "Let Go The Line" It's about death and the thought of doing it by way of hanging hence let go the line. It envisions a lifeless body in a casket (caskets are lined with satin)"i see you there in your satin shirt unfocused eyes on the ceiling fluorescent lips on a painted face i think i know what you're feeling. This tightrope begins to feel like home as the wind comes rising from the distant storm and all I know is that tonight I might let go the line.." Bachman Turner Overdrive's "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" It's about venerial disease. "Cause any love is good love so I took what I could get" and "She took me to her doctor for a cure". James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" It's long been established and confirmed by James Taylor that the song was about his fight to free himself from heroin addiction! "sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" is the key lyric. yes, he was bi-polar and fought that, but his career was nearly destroyed by his addiction (as was his relationship with Carly Simon). Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" It's not about AIDS. AIDS was only in Africa until the 80s. So even if Freddie did have AIDS at the time, it couldn't have been diagnosed beacuse it had never been seen in India (where he was born) or England and the States. Roger Taylor (drummer of Queen)is the only person who knows what this song is about, as Freddie only told him. Harry Chapin's "Cat's In The Craddle" It's song about a man who didn't have any time for his son and how this man had missed important events in this young man's life. In the end the father realized that his son had grown up to be a work-a-holic just like his dad. Queen's "Killer Queen" It?s a sing from their third album, released in 1974, called Sheer Heart Attack, maybe the song is about Cocaine, or about a high class prostitute, or about both things, it?s really interesting, the lyrics are great. Thank you! Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" Its a song of salvation... many think it was a devil worshiping song... look closely at lyrics and it shows clearly that zep used abstract scenteces to bring out true meanings of christianity... Cat Stevens's "Cat's In The Cradle" Its about a man who never had time for his son and once the son grew up, he did not have time for his father. The Beatles's "Let It Be" John Lennon once said in an interview that this song was written after Paul had been listening to Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water. This was Paul's inspiration after listening to that song. Queen's "Bohiemian Rhapsody" Just to clear it up. Freddie Mercury wasn't born in India... He was born and grew up in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" K everyonebody listen up this is exactly what this song is about, it has nothing to do what-so-ever with any war at all, or at one guy said "a hallucinated conversation with a toilet from drugs" any true fan knows that Wish You Were Here is clearly about Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett, the founded of Pink Floyd and was with the band from 1965-68 when he became way to involved with acid (lsd) and could not perform anymore. In 1975 Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason decided that after their huge success from Dark Side of the Moon (where some of the songs are still about syd) in 1973 the band deciced to make an entire album dedicated just to the founded of the band...Syd Barrett, when they were recording this song Syd actually showed up when they were recording Shine On You Crazy Diamond, no one in the band recognized Syd at all since he was basically a new person, Syd told they band that he wishes them all failure and that was the last the saw Syd. Syd was the main inspiration of the band Pink Floyd, and even occured in The Wall in 1979. K but back to Wish You Were Here...if you guys dont beleive me then go watch some of Pink Floyd concerts live, or Roger Waters or David Gilmour live and most of the time right before they play this song they say a little something about Syd...not about no Vietnam War...enough said Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" Ken Kesey was one of the original people to introduce acid to the california scene. He started his acid tests, which were events that consisted of people getting high at rented out music, or large halls, and they would get stoned out of their gords listening to the Grateful dead live, and with state of the art equiptment in lighting, and sound. this refers to the Part where they sing about Sanfrancisco and LA, two big test areas, that turned hundreads upon hundreads of people on to LSD. He and his Merry Pranksters drove around California in a day-glo painted bus that was called furthur, they all lived and slept on that bus, mainly getting high. in the song, Steely Dan refers to the technicolored motor home. Kesey was real big, and a lot of heads at the time really looked up to him. Kesey got in trouble with California. He had gotten charged with two possesions of Marajuana, Kesey not wanting to go to court, fled to Mexico. I believe that there is a part in the story "The Electric Kool ade acid test" (which is the true story of Kesey) When Kesey is being sneaked across the border, and before hand he askes the driver, "Is there gas in the car?" The Feds are on his tail in Mexico and California, and Kesey is a fugitive. The problem is that Kesey is also getting his friends in trouble as well, and there is a good chance that if he gets caught, he will spend a whole lotta time in jail. The feds would do anything to get him behind bars, because Kesey was the main provider of acid, other than close friend Owesly, and Leary. His Prankster friends dressed in day glo clothes, and the whole hippie day glo thing was starting to wean out, "Day glo freaks that painted the face, have joined the human race." Get along, Ken Kesey Kesey also wrote "One Flew over the Kokoos nest" Don McLean's "American Pie" The King is not Elvis, it is a reference to folk King, Woody Guthrie. Guthrie was dying from a chronic illness. Dylan would visit him in a NJ State Hospital while stealing the crown of folk hero. This was before he "went electric." Dylan clearly appropriated much of Guthrie's style in his early folk work. Some other references in the song: Eight Miles High refers to the Byrds' song of the same name. Helter Skelter in the summer swelter refers to both the Manson murders and the Beatles song, probably making the point that art and life mirror each other. The levee and the good ole boys is a reference to the murders of civil rights workers Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney in Mississippi. Their bodies were found in a levee. The sacred store is the Fillmore East. Interestingly, the official lyrics to the song included the line "Lennin read a book on Marx" which apparently intentionally combined John Lennon with Lenin, both of whom studied Marx, to some differning extents. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" Led Zeppelin was heavily influenced by the occult, especially Jimmy Page. Stairway was about demons (Pan in paticular). Stairway to Heaven", makes a clear reference to not only the music of Pan and his pipes, but his ability to spiritually influence and guide those who fall under his spell. Lyricist and singer, Robert Plant, begins with the thought that "The piper will lead us to reason." Pan is the Piper. The rest of the lyrics simply explore the Gods of old, or the evil side of spirituality and mythical figures. Page was a great admirer of Aleister Crowley who was indeed a devout and famous satanist. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" was enscribed in one of Zeppelin's albums. This is a verse from the satanic bible. Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" Like a Rolling Stone is a song about New York socialite and model Edie Sedgwick, who left Andy Warhol's factory scene for the chance of a record deal with Dylan's manager. Things went sour when she discovered Dylan's marriage and she left to go into rehab. The song is about how she lived a fast-paced life, primarily on speed, and then crashed later in life. Other songs that Bob Dylan wrote, presumably, about Edie include Leopard-skin Pillbox Hat and Just Like a Woman. Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" Like a Rolling Stone is about a model named edie sedgewick. She did hang with Andy Warhol's crowd and Dylans crowd. It's a song slammer her. It's not a metaphor about a group of people it's a specific person who Dylan was disguisted with and went back and forth from dylan's people and warhol's people. Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" Like a Rolling Stone is about someone who had it all, all the while people told him that he was gonna lose it, then one day he did. now hes on his own on the streets. the song is about having it all, then losing it, just like that. Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" "Like a Rolling Stone" is one of the great lyrical ballads (and poems)of contemporary American thought.. If you have never read the lyrics side - by side - with the song, then don't judge the poetry of the work until you have done so. Before it was "cool" to be a drug - using hippy in the sixties, there was a small counterculture of real hippies in places like New York and San Francisco. Dylan was part of that very small late fifties/ early sixties movement. "Like a Rolling Stone" is a poem about all the presumptous types (once upon a time you dressed so fine) that made fun of people like him (and the rags that he wore and the language that he used). Now, those same snobs, in the lyrics of the poem - a young woman that he knew - have adopted the counterculture as their own. However, she can't handle it, and her drug use has turned her into something far below the people that she once made fun of. She's an out of control rolling stone tumbling with absolutely nothing; "when you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. Your're invisble now, you got no secrets to conceal." And the catch is, she was already a rolling stone back at Harvard before she became a psuedo-hippy ("You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely, But you know you only used to get juiced in it" Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" Lindsey Buckingham wrote this song in a Holiday Inn in 1976 after Stevie Nicks kicked him out. It is like a plea and a blow off at the same time - "If I could, baby, I'd give you my world...open up, everything's waiting for you....You can go your own way! You can call it another lonely day!" So, basically the message is: I still love you...Come back to me...oh, you won't? OK, be that way, then! You'll be sorry, babe! Rolling Stones's "Paint It Black" Listen closely to the lyrics! He wants to commit suicide because a loved one has died. One line that I found particularly profound was "Just like a new born baby it happens every day." Jimi Hendricks's "Hey Joe" Listening to hey joe by jime hendricks i hear a double ententre. the gun could be a hypodermic needle. the lady could be a drug. and he caught it from some guy downtown. could be his dealer. He shot her down could infer that he took the drug. to me this loose interpretation makes more sense. i also think that the performers where aware of this. sort of an inside inside thing. Harry Chapin's "Cats In The Cradle" The Lyrics are actually a poem that his wife had written to him because he was always on the road and spent no time with his son. Don Mclean's "American Pie" Many people who have tried to interprit this song have missed interpreted the chorus completely. The actual way it goes is "So bye bye Ms. American Pie. Drove me Chevy to the Levy but the Levy was dry, and them good old boys were drinking whisky in Rye singing this will be the day that I die". The song does not refer to a levee at all, but a bar/pub, The Levy, which was in the town of Rye... Just thought I should point that out... As I do not have time for a full analization of this song right now I'll just explain the brief outlines of it. Obviously the beginings of the song refer to the Febuary plane crash that killed Holly, the Big Bopper, and Valens. But more then just the crash itself, it refers to the death of rock and roll the people could dance to. The song specifically refers to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The rolling stones. At first it commends Bob Dylan for singing with a "voice that came from you and me." The King in this song is Elvis. The jester, Dylan. It then goes on to talk about "while the King was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown". This refers to the song Bob Dylan wrote that took Eliv's place as number one. Bob Dylan became a sell out as he began to use the electric guitar. References to the Stones include "Moss grows fat on a rolling stone". For lack of time I won't continue to anyalize the song. But you get the jist. This song is about the end of American Rock and Roll that one could dance to as the big bands from England introduced their version of music. It talks about great american artists selling out and making songs that aren't dancable to. And it mourns the loss of the old ways. I apoligize for how fragmented my writing probably was...I am working on a paper that anylizes ever line... When thats done I'll post it here... with spell check. Pink Floyd's "Mother" Mother is a song based on a little boy who lost his father in the war. Ever since his mother has been over protective and caring. This boy is living with his over protective mother and being shunned by the men surrounding him Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" Music can be interpreted differently by everyone, thats the freedom that it brings. Indeed there is usually an underlying meaning for most songs but each person who listens to a piece of music will take what they like from it. For me this song is perhaps talking to the listener more than being about something or someone. I feel the vibes about drugs and more importantly the psychological effects of them are too apparent in this song to dismiss. I have experienced most psychoactives and when you go where you want to go on drugs it is somewhere you love to be, hence wish you were here. You cannot interpret drugs until you have experienced them, 'so you think you can tell'. Drugs offer an insight into the simpler and more complex things in life and i believe that is something the Floyd were getting at here. Bob Marley And The Wailers's "Burnin And Lootin" My interpretation of this song is about when Marley remembers during a curfew probably about the racial wars going on in Jamaica at the time and then how black people would be blamed for crimes they didnt commit and then they had to burn and loot to get the money to repay the policeor get out of jail. Or Burnin and Lootin could mean how the black people would have to work like slaves for the police or whiteman. thats just my opinion anyway, i mean im only thirteen. Rush's "The Trees" My personal belief is that The Trees by Rush is an soulfully deep meaning of life and death... "the maples and oaks" can be applied to any division of human beings... race, color, creed, financal background, etc... but in the end, "they were all kept equal by hatchet, ax and saw"... (ie: death)... God, in the end ultimately gives and takes life, and even though some of us seemingly "take up all the light" it is all for not, for as the trees, from dust we came, and to dust we shall return. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" NPR picked this song as one of the The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th Century (http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/list100.html). Each verse has a different meaning. The first is about a friend who committed suicide, the second is about his battle with heroin addiction, the third refers to a mental hospital and a band he started called "The Flying Machine." With Real Audio, listen to the story here: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20000626.atc.06.ram ZZ Top's "Jesus Just Left Chicago" No, they ain't talking about the son of God. The song is about a drug runner. "You may not see him in person, but he'll see you just the same." You may not actually buy from him, but it's likely that whatever you got came from him. Taking care of business is his game. Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight" OK, enough of this crap about the lyrics to this song being true with 'drowning' and 'saving' and 'revenge' and 'spotlights' and 'suicide'. Here's a link: http://www.answers.com/topic/in-the-air-tonight And here's the truth from PHIL COLLINS HIMSELF!: (Phil) Collins commented on the legends about the song in a BBC World Service interview: “ I don't know what this song is about. When I was writing this I was going through a divorce. And the only thing I can say about it is that it's obviously in anger. It's the angry side, or the bitter side of a separation. So what makes it even more comical is when I hear these stories which started many years ago, particularly in America, of someone come up to me and say, 'Did you really see someone drowning?' I said, 'No, wrong'. And then every time I go back to America the story gets Chinese whispers, it gets more and more elaborate. It's so frustrating, 'cos this is one song out of all the songs probably that I've ever written that I really don't know what it's about, you know. " The Eagles's "Hotel California" OK,...Hasn't anyone here who has been explaining these meanings even noticed that the original album cover was a colour print of The First United Satanic Church of America? If you search the history, alleged as well as documented you'll find the meaning of the song,...or maybe just us old-timers would know that,.... The Eagles's "Hotel California" Oh, for God's sake, "Hotel California" is NOT about Satanism, it's about the insane and hidious life behind the rock life in southern California. The "Stab with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast" was a volley back to Steely Dan and that song that went "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors can hear us." Otherwise, it's just a song about the "Fast Lane" Don McLean's "American Pie" Ok i was always told the jester was Bob dylan. obvious the day the music died was buddy holly. The quartet the beatles. The girl who sang the blues Janice joplyn. the devil mick jagger because of the hells angelsthing. The king elvis hence dylan steeling his crown. queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Ok no more aids!!! haha! anyways Is this the real life- "Is this just fantasy- Caught in a landslide- No escape from reality- Open your eyes Look up to the skies and see- Im just a poor boy,i need no sympathy- Because Im easy come,easy go, A little high,little low, Anyway the wind blows,doesnt really matter to me, To me" This is a common carless teen who is just living his life day by day and doesn't care what happens to him, or to anyone else. "Mama,just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger,now hes dead, Mama,life had just begun, But now Ive gone and thrown it all away- Mama ooo, Didnt mean to make you cry- If Im not back again this time tomorrow- Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters-" He is thinking to him self this, this isn't really him telling his mom anything if you think about it. "Too late,my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine- Bodys aching all the time, Goodbye everybody-Ive got to go- Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth- Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows) I dont want to die, I sometimes wish Id never been born at all" This is his guilt, because he finally has feeling in him, and he is affraid of dieing. (death penalty was pretty common in the 70's) "I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango- Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me- Galileo,galileo, Galileo galileo Galileo figaro-magnifico- But Im just a poor boy and nobody loves me- Hes just a poor boy from a poor family- Spare him his life from this monstrosity- Easy come easy go-,will you let me go- Bismillah! no-,we will not let you go-let him go- Bismillah! we will not let you go-let him go Bismillah! we will not let you go-let me go Will not let you go-let me go Will not let you go let me go No,no,no,no,no,no,no- Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go- Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,for me,for me-" ok so this versus does have demon written all over it... he see's a silhouetto of man, not really a man ( which would point out demon) and the way the demon comes to him scares him. And basically the kid is praying to get out... when he says no WE will not let you go. it is talking about satan and his demons. also this song could also talk about a kid selling his soul. but either or is a pretty close interpetation. also belzebub is the second in comand of satan. "So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye- So you think you can love me and leave me to die- Oh baby-cant do this to me baby- Just gotta get out-just gotta get right outta here-" Ok so this versus is directed to the mom. either she is ashamed because the son either sold his soul or killed a man. and she emotionaly stones him, as in beats him emotionaly... which is used back in the days for punishments for your sins. And then the mom just leaves him there and doesn't care. "Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters-,nothing really matters to me, Any way the wind blows...." Thats to remind you why he is where he is. and thats a good meaning for the song ;-) John Lennon's "Imagine" Ok the song Imagine is all about communism. I mean listen to it people. "Imagine there's no heaven its easy if you try, no hell below us above us only sky" Communism eliminates religion since according to them religion seperates people. "Imagine no possesions I wonder if you can no need for greed or hunger a brother hood of man" Communism states that everybody has an equal share of wealh therefore no need for greed or hunger. "Imagine all the people sharing all the world" this one is self-explanatory. Well there you go!!! Van Morrison's "Brown Eye Girl" Ok, who ever wrote that brown eye girl is about heroin doesn’t known Van worth a damn. First off it’s from 1967 and not the seventies. The song is about Van’s first guitar and the joy of just jamming out and not worrying about selling records. He wrote this song when he was living in Boston with his wife and her child from another marriage in a one room apartment with just a fridge. He was depressed because he could not support them and was longing to find the joy again in music. The song is about the joy he had when he was a young boy up until he was a teen. One section and shows this perfectly is “Whatever happened, to Tuesday and so slow Going down to the old mine with a, transistor radio. Standing in the sunlight laughing Hide behind a rainbow's wall, Slipping and a-sliding, all along the waterfall ,With you, my brown-eyed girl, You, my brown-eyed girl.” The “slipping and sliding” in the song is him having trouble learning the guitar. Van would bring the radio because he would try and copy the blues music from the radio station in Belfast. It also gave him a chance to “jam” with his favorite guitarists like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. John Lennon's "Imagine" Ok. I won't be surprised if they edit some of my beginning comments, and that's no problem, based on their "unfriendly tones". Communism!!?? Are you serious? That has got to be one of the most idiotic interpertations of anything I have ever heard in my life. That's right up there with believing that is says in the bible that one race is superior to another. Which, after reading such a retarded statement, I wouldn't be surprised if you belivied. Anyway, the song "Imagine" from John Lennon is the greatest song ever written, (no matter what anybody thinks), unless of course Jesus ever wrote a song. What he asks the listener to do is absolutely amazing because it is something that anyone and everyone, with maybe the exception of people with severve mental disabilities (and I mean that seriously), can do. "IMAGINE". If you need help look up the definition of the word. "IMAGINE". He's not saying that things HAVE to be a certain way. "IMAGINE". He's not saying that the way he sees things are the way that everybody else has to see them. "IMAGINE". What he's saying is......(drum roll please) I M A G I N E. And if you're wondering how it is that this song is the greatest song ever written... "Imagine all the people, living life in peace". Thank you John and God bless. Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine" Okay, this song is about the constant change of the music industry. Pink Floyd is probably the most unique bands out there. Their odd yet masterful since of music can be touched by no one. They define PSYCHADELIC. The Wish You Were Here album is all devoted to former member Syd Barret, who was forced out of the band due to his overwhelming drug use. I really like Wish You Were Here because each song can be used in similarity to Syd. Especially this song, not liked by most Pink Floyd fans "Welcome To The Machine" uses their earlier sound, the psychadelic keyboard and eerie noises much like Syd had used with the band earlier in their careers. Mostly of all though if you truly want to understand the lyrics its about being a rebel and not conforming to others music. Much like Pink Floyd always did in their amazing career in the music industry. I'm sick of you Floyd fans that only like Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and the Wall. Open up to their earlier work. Meddle, Piper At the Gates of Dawn, Saucerful of Secrets, and Ummagumma. "Those of would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither." - Ben Franklin Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" Okay... enough with the whole "it was a response to Neil Young"; the fact that Neil Young did "Southern Man" had nothign to do wiht the song. Artists like to play with songs, and to be honest if vanzampt were around him and neil young would still be laughing thatp eople think that they were acutally mad. In fact, they were great friends and loved each others songs, Neil loved Sweet HOme Alabama as much as Vanzampt loved Southern Man, there was no conflict. People over look that this song is about a guy missing his home. Skynyrd were a couple of southern boys who just missed home Boomtown Rats's "I Don't Like Monday" On 29 January 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire on children arriving at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego from her house across the street, killing two men and wounding eight students and a police officer. Genisis's "In The Air Tonight" On VH-1's show cant emember the name but it was when the artists told the real meanings of the song Phil Collins tells the story behind "in the air tonight" He says it is about being on the road and coming home to find his wife was cheating on him and how it destryed their marriage. He laughed about the whole "drowning" story!! The Doors's "The End" One of the most sacred songs till date. It clearly reflects the inside of a disturbed mind. Written by a person who always wanted to challenge the authority, this song can have many meanings. The haunting music can always reverbrate in ur ears. Eagles's "Hotel California" The Only mental patients are the ones describing it's meaning!! It's not intended to be analyzed too closely 'cos it was Henley/Frey's attempt at more Steeley Dan type lyrics (Steeley knives).It's meant to be a 'twilight zone' type of story where every turn/room introduces weird characters to stimulate the imagination. By '76,Henley/Frey were so adept at writing, they could write about a personal experience but make it sound like a universally understood subject (see: After the thrill is gone.. which sounds like a couples love fading, but is actually about the pressure of writing better hit songs ("Empty pages and a frozen pen")and being unable to rest on their laurels ("you don't care about winning..but you don't wanna lose"). In 'Hotel', they point out the excesses of L.A. To outsiders,L.A does seem like an asylum. Generally (this is fact)each line of the song is meant to be L.A 'Heaven' or L.A 'hell' depending on the listener's perception. The opening lines describe the welcoming lights of the promised land(L.A) at the end of the desert(or a beckoning asylum waiting to drain the subject's spirit) .Then, the subject finds that instead of a wonderful,spanish influenced(..'mission bell')city of promise and wonder that as it was in the late 60s, it's now a fake,shallow city where 'Tiffany's','Mercedes-worship' and 'meaningless love' have taken over from the 'spirit of '69'. The chorus describes how 'The Hotel'(L.A) will always take in more dreamers('Plenty of room')..and will always have whatever vice you need('Any time of year..you can find it here).In the line..'so I called up the captain..bring me my wine' ..the eagles used to call there their drug dealer 'The count'..I'm guessing..'Captain'/'Count'..'Wine'/'Coke',that's opinion only..not fact. The last verse refers to constant drink and drugs..'mirrors..champagne' and how regardless of self-destruction, it's their '..Own device'. The 'masters chamber' is a nod to the superficial 'music industry critic's constant back-stabbing of The Eagles, but the 'Beast'..(The Eagles ever-improving popularity and record sales) couldn't be killed. The end is a metaphor for the subject(..in this case Henley & Frey), looking back to better days,the early magic and spirit of late 60s LA, but knowing it's now a spiritual graveyard where,no matter how much you bitch, It's the only place that offers you 'Heaven & Hell' at the same time. Although the '..Check out any time' line is also a nod to Jackson Browne's wife's suicide. The reason for the 'Beverly hills hotel' being ot the album cover, is that the Spanish architecture fitted in with the 'simple roots' of LA as suggested in the song, but also to imply L.A city,with all it's super rich and 'wannabe's' as being somewhat of a soul-less asylum. incidentally, Felder(..noted as co-writer) wrote every musical part of the song incuding the bass-line and end solo, before Henley & Frey got their hands on it. -(No.1 Eagles fan) Ian C Cat Stevens's "Father And Son" Orginally, this song was written for the film, Revolussia, which is about a young man who leaves home for the first time to join the Russian Revolution. But the film never took off! The song, Father and Son, by Cat Stevens is sortof, in part, a dialog between a father and his son, with Cat playing both parts! The father is trying to talk his son out of doing something which he considers to be fool heartedly, but to settle down and have a family, as the father is getting on in age and wants to have grandchildren! Beatles's "Let It Be" Paul McCarthney's mother, Mary, had died when he was young. In spite of his success in music he was going through a period of loneliness and dispair. One night his mother, Mary, came to him in a dream and told him that he would find his way and everything would be OK, that he just had to let it be. Not long after, he met his wife, Linda, and wrote the song to express his thanks to his mother. The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" Pete claims to be a victim of sexual assualt. He wrote this from the perpetrator's perspective. Phil Collins's "In The Air Of Tonight" Phil was touring in Florida, and he needed some "alone" time. He took a walk on a nearby beach. He looked out over the water and saw a man in a boat. The man wouldn't help a person drownding in the water right next to him. The person drowned. Phil didn't know what to do. He wrote this song, and through boat registration he figured out who the man was. Phil sent him front row tickets to a concert. When the song about the man came up, Phil sang it staring at the guy the whole time. After the show, the guy turned himself in. Good story huh? It's true! Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight" Phil was with his fiancee on a beach one night when two men approached them. One man raped Phil's fiancee while the other held Phil and forced him to watch. Five years later, Phil went back to the same beach. He doesn't know why, but he was drawn to that same spot where the rape happened. Suddenly, he hears a man in the ocean calling for help. He swims out to save him, but when he gets close, he recognizes him as the man who raped his wife. So he lets the man drown. It's all in the lyrics: "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord. Ive been waiting for this moment, all my life, oh lord." -- Phil finally gets vengeance. "if you told me you were drowning. I would not lend a hand. Ive seen your face before my friend, But I dont know if you know who I am. Well, I was there and I saw what you did. I saw it with my own two eyes." -- He reminds the drowning man about what he did. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" "Pink" is the name of the character from Pink Floyd's album The Wall. It's telling the story of Pink and his addiction to heroin. America's "Horse With No Name" Pleeeease. You guys don't realize what most if not all of America's songs were about. Drugs. Horse is slang for Heroin. Viola! Now I have never done heroin so it's rather difficult for me to connect these lyrics but the song is in fact about Heroin. Deep Purple's "Child In Time" Putting this up as someone's else's post was completely wrong. According the Ian Gillan - Deep Purple's singer and the one responsible for the lyrics: It was 1969 and the band was rehearsing at a Community Centre in West London; it was either Southall or Hanwell. Jon Lord was dicking around (or 'extemporising on a theme' as it's known in the trade) with a tune from the new album by 'It's a Beautiful Day', it was 'Bombay Calling'. I started singing and the words came easily because we were all aware of the nuclear threat which hovered over us at this time which was probably when the 'cold war' was at it's hottest. Through the medium of Radio Free Europe this song and many others reached the ears and hearts of like minded people behind the 'Iron Curtain' and as I found out many years later, it was of a great comfort to them when they understood that there were some peace loving friends out there somewhere. Elton John's "Someone Saved My LIfe Tonight" Quoted from http://www.eltonlinks.com: "The song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is about an episode in Elton's life. In the late sixties, he almost got married to a woman who didn't even like his music and what he was doing. He wanted to get out of that situation, but was too confused, and also didn't want to face her. So one night he got drunk, then left his friends at the bar and went home. When Bernie got back, he found Elton lying on the kitchen floor, his head on a pillow for comfort, the oven open letting gas fill the room. But there was also a window open. So Bernie started to laugh. This suicide attempt was in fact a cry for help. The line "Paying your H.P. demands forever" refers to installment payments. I've been told that the letters H.P. stand for Hire-Purchase or Hire-Pay. It means that he would have had to pay for her expenses all of their married life. He saw this marriage as a neverending chore. In the lines "You almost had me roped and tied, altar-bound, hypnothized", he speaks to her, saying, wow, I almost got caught in your web! It's Bernie who wrote the words, so he had kind of an outsider view of this relationship. He thought she was a Prima Donna, and that Elton was "just a pawn out-played by a dominating queen". So anyway, after having been "saved" by Bernie, and also by Long John Baldry, the blues singer whom the band Bluesology was backing at the time, who talked Elton into getting out of this relationship, his friends came in the morning with a truck to take Elton home. Those lyrics are really great. They tell the story in a very poetic way, in my opinion. In 1974, when Elton recorded the song, it had been a couple of years since it happened. But Elton was still shaken by this experience and he was very emotional in the studio. The producer made him redo the vocals time and time again until they were just the way he wanted them, and Elton found that to be very painful." Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" Recently, Dick Ebersol paid several thousand dollars at a charity auction to find out who the song was about. Carly Simon offered the information in order to help the charity. She whispered it in his ear. She also dropped a few hints this year. The name has an e, a, and an r in it. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" References to "Flying Machine" are references to a band which James Taylor formed in the late 60's. The band didn't do well and therefore the reference to "Sweet dreams and 'Flying Machines" in pieces on the ground. Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)" The Rhiannon myth was not the inspiration for the song "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)". Rather, Stevie Nicks read the name in a romance novel during a flight, liked the name, and wrote the song in 10 minutes. She later learned of the Welsh myth and was shocked to learn that her song also fitted the myth. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" Robert Plant has been a friend and neighbour of mine for several years. I once asked him about the meaning of the lyrics to "stairway" he told me that because it was only written in 20 minutes, there was no great thought put into the lyrics - other than it refers to a rich woman who feels she can buy anything or buy her way out of any trouble. Eventually, though, we all have to 'pay the piper' - or pay for our misdeeds/ excesses in life. If an explanation by one of the authors to a friend is not enough to put an end to all those other theories and weird interpretations (satanism?? ) then I don't know what is. Lena Horne's "Stormy Weather" "Rock and rye" is an alcoholic drink. "Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye wiskey, I cry. If I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die." Check out "Cowboy Songs" by Michael Martin Murphey, cowgirl. Don McLean's "American Pie" SIMPLY----I have heard SO MANY different interpretations, but it all leads down to the main idea that Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash on February 2nd, 1959. Many lyrics allude to this like "But february made me shiver" and "With every paper [news about the crash] I’d deliver". Another main idea is the history of music (and world) from the 60s from the viewpoint of McLean. Thats all u need to know Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" "STH" has been named the Millennium Song (1000 years). IMHO, STH is likened to a fine literature/poetical Zenith. "Stairway" is the spiral staircase/ladder of physical and spiritual DNA. (so this puts LZ ahead of their time). "glitters is gold": an idealist (it's ok to follow yr ideals) or the barring away of rose-coloured glasses/clarity; "buying a stairway": 2nd contract, we are born into our 1st agreement when we come here; we may choose to make our 2nd agreement/path if we desire to follow a higher purpose ("those who stand long")(for the highest good of All); "stores": the 'storehouse' in the hereafter we're now building to draw upon,-a kind of karma or Akashic Record; "word": we are a/our 'word', our 'word' has energy/life/love -- 'go, create, as you have been created!'; 'all roads lead to happiness'--(Buddha); "spirit...leaving": liberation from the bonds of life/death; also, the transcending of the limitations of our ego. {re: STH, this might help a little...a poem by George Darley (1795-1846) called, ""Sylvia or The May Queen""..."Gently! gently! down! down! From the starry Courts on high, Gently step adown, down The Ladder of the sky, Sunbeam steps (staircase) are strong enough For such airy feet; Spirits blow your trumpets rough (the trumpets are round, blowing rings meaning celestial harmony) So as they be sweet!, Breathe them loud,-(instrumental voices),-The Queen descending (the May Queen who comes down and presents clarity of mind "spring clean"), Yet a lowly welcome breathe (whisper), Like so many flowerets (a flower in her breath/hair?) bending Zephry's (Greek god of the "west" wind) breezy foot beneath".}. "rings" could be as in smoke signals/a sign/look for signs in the skies/on the walls of your heart/the rings of time as seen as circular not linear, sychronicity, etc; "voices": The Watchers/the Listeners of Earth's thoughts, and also meaning 'us'; "humming"...a somewhat low vibration or buzzing sound some Lightworkers and others hear in their head "hedgerow" signalling their resonance with the Source/the Piper "on the whispering wind"...the Pipeline/focus. (In "GoingToCal"...an Affinity Line..."throw me a line") who according to George Darley is "Apollo's (Greek god of the West, Sun, and Reason) winged bugleman". May Queen,-Lady Of The Flowers,-Lady Of the Lake/Luck,-The Maiden,Goddess Of Spring,-Flower Bride,-Faerie Queen,-Elf Queen: "in the forests she ruled" (...when the children (us) sings-the new world begins...). Two paths: the ego or/ the Higher Self connected to All; the "whispering wind" of spirit/yearning/intuition. "shadow": our Higher Self who is concerned with our sp. development, not ego/material matters...we align and merge with it. "shines white light": in the universe and dimensions we are a shining mark/Light; we can live in and expand this Light while here...(ie. "turn on your LoveLight, shine it all around" -- Robert, from cd "Mighty Rearranger"). "everything still turns to gold": alchemy, the gradual changing from our dross of material world/self to reveal in us a 'golden' Lightbody of higher and wider consciousness...'a rebirth with new eyes' (as in "GoingToCalifornia"). "listen": listen twice, speak once. "listen" as in: 'to pray' is to ask, 'to meditate' is to listen. (Meditation is not about giving up anything, it's about opening up to what is here in the Now moment...which one can do in silence, & one can do this in some music, eg. STH itself - a meditation.) (Apparently "rock and roll" is an English term.) Regarding STH reverse side which I've heard (it really does sound like Robert's beautiful voice-I couldn't bring myself to listen to it all *:( but you play the reverse of STH going forward not backwards??? huh! ...there are some people who have determined/theorized that when something as lovely as STH is produced there must be a counterbalance, yin/yang, hence the (collective) sub/unconscious hearing of a reverse meaning to STH. Indeed, when listening to some of our government 'Leaders' speeches, one can hear a word like 'peace' reversed to a war-like word like 'bomb'; and a word like 'evil' reversed to 'live' -- but as an immortal Soul, this won't hurt you. Re: "Kashmir", which Jimmy says most closely defines his beloved Led Zep, it is not about the physical place Kashmir but rather about a metaphysical journey. Also, for 'Going To California', etc., google 'astral projection/voyage/trip/OBE'. P.S: 'zep' means 'time' (ha ha, is it possible LZ was a subconscious Name?...nah but it's a fun possibility!!); pls google 'Zep Tepi'(Time Travel,The Watchers)./// "...and they shall 'beat' their swords into guitars and their spears into pruning 'hook's...". (bluesforpeace.com)/// TTFN *:) Judy Collins's "Send In The Clowns" "Send in the CLowns". I know the song came from "Eine Kleine Nacht Musik" abd was written by Stephen Sondheim, and what the expression itself implies. Does anyone know how it related to Judy Collins? Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" Several people in this forum have speculated on the meaning of the song Hey Joe as pertaining to Jimi Hendrix. Problem is, this song was originally recorded by a group called The Leaves, so where do we go from here? Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" "So you think you can love me and leave me to die?" Absolutely an AIDS reference Max Webster's "Let Go The Line" Someone else mentioned that this song is about someone thinking of hanging themselves. I don't get that feeling. This song sounds too casual and laid back for something as serious as that. For me, this song is about people getting burned out by doing too much partying and too much drugs in the late 1970s. "This tight rope just begins to feel like home" implies that the person in the song has gotten used to living on the edge but is thinking about changing his life. The tight rope is the stress that the lifestyle causes... "but tonight I might let go the line"... he's thinking of letting go of his current lifestyle and 'the line' could refer to the line of cocaine (or whatever drug) that he wants to stop doing. And this person must have a friend that he does this stuff with (or maybe it's a roommate or girlfriend) and he comes upon this person lying down, staring into space, completely stoned. And with one look, he can pretty much tell that this person is high as a kite, and will eventually come down. And this repetitive cycle of ups and downs and living on the edge is losing its allure and he's getting to the point where he can take it or leave it. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Someone here wrote that "Fire and Rain" was about JT's girlfriend dying in a plane crash. According to http://www.james-taylor.com/albums/firerain.shtml she committed suicide: Who is Suzanne? Susie Schnerr was a friend from JT?s Greenwich Village days. She committed suicide while he was in London recording his debut album but his friends didn?t want to bring him down during his big break, so they kept it from him until later. "You've just got to see me through another day" The phrase "another day" here and in the song of the same name both refer to recovery from addiction. "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" The Flying Machine was the name of JT?s first band, which broke up when he left for England and his eventual solo debut. Stories claiming the line refers to an actual plane crash are just urban legends. James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" Someone put on this page that this song was about a woman who was with him in the mental ward. Although he was in a mental ward (1970's answer to heroin rehab) and he did write a song about that ("Knockin Round the Zoo"), this song is not about that. Here is the real story: When James Taylor went off to record his first album shortly after he was signed, his girlfriend Susan had to stay at home. They could not afford a ticket for her, and since it was 1970 and he was a new artist, the label did not front the money. As a surprise, as he was finishing up on the album, his friends and the label pitched in to fly Susan to be with him. Tragically, the airplane crashed and she was killed. Since it was a surprise, he did not hear about it until after he finished the album and the label told him what had happened. Isn't that sad? Here are the lyrics. Read them for yourself: Fire and Rain James Taylor Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone Susan, the plans they made put an end to you I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song I just cant remember who to send it to Ive seen fire and ive seen rain I seen sunny days that I thought would never end I saw lonely times when I could not find a friend But i always thought that id see you again Wont you look down upon me Jesus you got to help me make a stand You just got to see me through another day My bodies aching and my time is at hand An' I wont make it any other way (chorus) Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun Lord knows when the cold wind blows itll turn you head around Well there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground Queen's "Killer Queen" Someone said they were usure of the lyrics "Gunpowder, gelatine, dynamite with a laser beam." I believe it's "Gunpowder, Guillotine..." that would fit with the whole 'ways of killing' thing it seems to have going for it. Raydio's "You Can't Change That" Song about a stalker stalking a woman. "You can change the color of your hair, you can change the clothes you wear... You can change your telephone number, you can change your address too, but that won't stop me from loving you, no you can't change that" - kinda creepy huh... James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" Song is about being bi-polar and James Taylors relationship with a bi-polar female who was with him in a mental ward //ups and downs that come with the disease and suicide being a real danger that bi-polars deal with John Lennon's "Imagine" Sorry, but this song is about comunisum! If you've ever read a book like 1984(you probably havent if you live in the states) then you would see it is all about comunisum. He is talking about having a completly perfect world that is only a dream "you may say i'm a dreamer" as in comunisum is only an idea. He goes on to sing "imagine no possesions, i wonder if you can" as in equalless among people. He then says "imagine all the people, sharing all the world" and goes on to say how he is a dreamer. If that doesn't spell comunisum then how about this. After John Lennon wrote that song he was red flaged by the CIA for being a possible an-achist and comunist. Don't believe it?? Have you ever seen John Lennon? I haven't but honestly the guy was a big hippy and probably thought the idea of comunisum was great, and really it is ... but it was just his dreaming ... and that all comunisum is, works on paper but not in real life. America's "A Horse With No Name" Sounds like a good story,"as one of the members liked to visit the area around Vandenburg Air Force Base, California". The was a song about drugs. First part of the journey taking the drug (horse) be involved and move from reality(There was sand and hills and rings)to (Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain)alone. After prolonged exposure (Made me sad to think it was dead)a choice is made (let the horse run free)and back to the living (there was sand and hills and rings) but is it where we want to be (But the humans will give no love)and back to despair. The cycle of hate will repeat as herion is want to do. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" Stairway To Heaven the greatest rock song of all time has many diferent theories as to what it means. Some say its about drugs. "Gold" was a term for marijuana in the 70s and "rings of smoke throuhg the trees and the voices of those who stand looking" means marijuana smoke came up throught the trees and the people around the smoke were talking about the girl smoking it. There are lines meaning things like that throughout the song. Some say it has no meaning and Robert was stoned when he wrote the lyrics. Some say it means whatever you want it to mean. Paige has said that is what it means and that it is a song of hope. A lot of people have heard the rumor about the lines in the song. that go "If there´s a bustle in your hedgerow don´t be alarmed now. It´s just a spring clean for the May-Queen. Yes there two paths you can go by. But in the long run. There´s still time to change the road you´re on." Many people say that when played backwards those lines say a satanic message. My freinds and I have tried this and unfortunately the record I have has a big scratch on it, and the only one who has the record besides me out of my group of freinds lost it. So I don't know if its true or not. Every website, person, etc. who says there is a satanic message says it is something different. There is another rumor that says some really creepy stuff. Jimmy and Robert wrote stairway in a really old mansion where most of the album was made. It goes that while sitting by the fire in this mansion Jimmy was playing an acoustic while Robert hummed to it and at one point while he was starting to write he felt that "Something was moving my pen...". He has said that several interviews. Jimmy Page says that Robert "...had come up with 90% of the lyrics right there on the spot! We were all stunned...". I know that this in another entry, but I heard this rumor long before visiting this website. Some other websites I can give out to help people with Staiway To Heaven are: http://www.durangocoloradousa.com/stairwaytoheaven.html http://www.reversespeech.com/music_reversals.htm http://experts.about.com/q/501/3526313.htm I am a 12 year old zeppelin fan who has been workingon the meaning of Stairway since he was 11. If you feel I was wrong or needed to add things please enlighten me and put them on this website and all over the web. May this song be played forever. Led Zepellin's "Stairway To Heaven" Stairway To Heaven was recorded at Headly Grange in England. Most of the 4th Album was recorded there. Headly Grange was a huge, hundred year old mansion that was cold and drafty and had limited privileges. It was perfect. Stairway was literally recorded in front of a roaring fireplace with Robert Plant & Jimmy Page sitting cross-legged on the floor. Jimmy came in with the intro intact. After a small while of "humming" from Plant, Robert starting to write the lyrics right then and there. "Something was moving my pen..." he has been quoted to say on many an interview. Jimmy Page admitted that Robert "...had come up with 90% of the lyrics right there on the spot! We were all stunned..." Led Zepplin's "Stairway To Heaven" Stairway to Heaven is the old Christian sermon which says you don't have to pay to pray, you are saved by the love of God, not by your deeds, and it's never too late to be saved. The Piper is Jesus. You can read line by line and see how it's about Christianity by visiting here: http://www.sunsetwestproductions.com/forever/stairway.htm For the very intriging words of the greatest rock song of all time to be written on the fly, they must have been inspired by God. Remember the music was written by a band called 'Spirit' but they couldn't come up with any words so they gave it Zepplin. Makes you wonder???? Singer Lena Horne's "Stormy Weather" Stormy weather is I think a song of the 40s sung by Lena Horne. Wanting to know the meaning of 'rock and rye' Your site seems to be the most hopeful. Thanks Helen Cramer Nancy Sinatra's "Sugar Town" Sugar Town by Nancy Sinatra in a song about being totally out of your head having a great buzz on cocain , but remember folks for every high there's a come down. Don Henley, ex Eagles's "The Boys Of Summer" Supposedly a nostalgic love song on the surface, this song is about post-WW2 racism in the US. The "Boys of Summer" were the American troops who went to Europe in the latter stages of WW2 to expedite the end of the war on the German Nazis. The story-teller returns to the US after the war, only to discover that racism is just as evident in the US. He laments, "I'm driving by your house though I know you're not home" - the house is the Whitehouse and the story-teller refers to the emptiness or lack of spirit in the Whitehouse - it's a place that tolerates or fosters racism, too. A black man is also seen down the barrel of a gun as the gunman says to himself, "I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun". James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Susan didn't die in a plane crash!! She was a girl Taylor knew in a mental institution (where he was being treated for heroin addiction). This was after the release of his debut album on Apple Records. Susan suffered from depression and committed suicide. The line "sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" refers to Taylor's band, The Flying Machine, which split due to his drug problems. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Suzanne was the name of a woman he befriended while in rehab for heroin addiction. She committed suicide after she got out. Flying Machines was the name of JT's former band which had broken up. Remember this was the song that made him a star so he was lamenting the loss of his band. It's not a completely literal song and that what makes it so touching. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" "Sweet dreams and flying machines..." refers to the breakup of his band, The Original Flying Machine. See http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p00456.htm The Eagles's "Hotel California" THIS SONG IS ABOUT A BUDDHIST HOTEL IN TEXAS. THE EAGLES USED TO LIVE THERE AND WORSHIP BUDDHA, AND THEY MADE THIS SONG. John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Road" "Take Me Home, Country Road" is a classic ode to the speaker's home state (though not of the singer or the songwriters). On another level, though a line in the last verse hints at another possible meaning to the song "I should have been home yesterday, yesterday..." It is quite possible that the speaker has missed his mother before she died, is making his way home and all his memories of her come flooding back to him, teardrop in his eye. Jason Suggs, Notre Dame, Indiana James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Taylor's hit song "Fire and Rain" is about the suicide of a woman he became close to while in rehab and about getting off heroin itself. There is an amusing myth about the meaning of the song. According to the myth, the song tells the story of Taylor's girlfriend, Suzanne, being killed in an airplane crash on her way to meet him at a concert. The myth is very popular among Taylor fans, and this is why I find it particularly pathetic. The idea of the plane crash comes from the line, "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground." One would think that fans would know the history of their idols. "The Flying Machine" was the name of a band Taylor had in New York--a band that broke up ("in pieces") in large part because of Taylor's drug use. There is an excellent discussion of this Urban Legend on the Snopes Web Site. Be warned, however, that the article makes an assumption about when Taylor met Suzanne by not taking into account the common practice of changing song lyrics drastically over time. Otherwise, the article is dead-on. Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" Technically, they were a band of the 60's, but this album was released Jan. 26, 1970. My dad told me that this song was about "shooting up" or IV drug use. He said the part where they say "Sail on Silver Girl, sail on by, you're time has come to shine...." is about the needle. I don't know how true this is but when you listen to the rest of the lyrics you could see how they might be singing about using drugs to escape the pain of the world. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" That is not accurate, the story that JT told was that Susan was a girl he had met and befriended while in rehab. She commited suicide while on the inside.... America's "A Horse With No Name" That was a nice little concept about comparing the ocean to the desert although extremely naive. A Horse with no name has long been known as a pet name for Heroin. The singer is obviously crooning about the ups and downs of the drug. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" "The Flying Machines" was the first band Taylor played in. The reference in that line is refering to his hopes as a youth and the break-up of the band. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" There are a few errors from the previous posts. Susanne was a friend of James. The song is about Susanne's suicide while James Taylor was recording his debut album. She did NOT die in a plane crash. The line "sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" refers to James Taylor's first band. The "Flying Machines" were not successful, and the line refers to their demise. If you listen to the lyrics, you will realize that he is speaking of things he spoke about with Susanne. The song also deals with his come back from addiction. (the below is from www.james-taylor.com) "Fire And Rain" James Taylor Who is Suzanne? Susie Schnerr was a friend from JT?s Greenwich Village days. She committed suicide while he was in London recording his debut album but his friends didn?t want to bring him down during his big break, so they kept it from him until later. "You've just got to see me through another day" The phrase "another day" here and in the song of the same name both refer to recovery from addiction. "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" The Flying Machine was the name of JT?s first band, which broke up when he left for England and his eventual solo debut. Stories claiming the line refers to an actual plane crash are just urban legends. Steely Dan's "Everyone's Gone To The Movies" There are other possible interpretations here. This man is a pedophile. He doesn't just show dirty movies, he's after other things. He wants to show kids a "new game to play." Mmmm...wonder what that is? There's another reference to him welcoming the kids with open arms. Also, the lyric, "I know you're used to 16 or more, sorry we only have 8" can also have entirely pedophilic and different meanings - not 16 year olds, who in many states are legal, but 8 year olds. The man likes little kids. Anyway, a different way to think about it... Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" There was a lot of speculation as to who "Billie Jean" was when this was released, and the speculation only increased when it became clear that the only way Michael could have children at all was to pay lots of money to a nurse to act as a surrogate. However, it is now clear that the song refers to tennis champion Billie Jean King, with whom Michael had an affair in the early 1980s, and who tried to trick him that the child she was carrying was his, when in fact she was actually pregnant by Demis Roussous, a then-popular Greek singer and Michael Jackson look-alike. Whether Billie Jean thought that Demis *was* actually Michael at the time of conception is not clear. Don McLean's "American Pie" There's actually a grand interpretation of every lyric in this song, but what it's basically about is the grand scope of years after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper (i.e. the "Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost"). It goes from the pop-music sockhops and the popular spurning of original R&B music, to the popularity war between Elvis (the King) and Bob Dylan (the Jester who sang folk music, "a voice that came from you and me"), to the British Invasion, to hard rock and the crudeness that it brought. "The day the music died", in a way, is both the day in February that Buddy's plane crashed, and the decade from his death to the end of the 60's in which rock'n'roll as Don McLean knew it faded away. In a way, it's about the death of innocence, too, and the death of 50's America. The 60's changed everything, and in a way it killed the world that existed before it. "American Pie" is a sort of eulogy for that old way of life, and way of music; it's a ballad for what we all lost, for better or worse, the day the music died. The Eagles's "Hotel California" They said it in an interview themselves that I read a while ago. The entire song, although it is rumored to be about death is about fame and greed.. "Her mind is Tiffany twisted She's got the Mercedes bends She's got a lot of pretty, pretty boys That she calls friends." "Materialism's" mind is twisted by Tiffany's and Mercedes: Tiffany's for expensive jewelry, Mercedes for the expensive cars. People's perspectives get distorted by these things, which explains another fun play on works with "Benz" or bends and twisted. "So I called up the Captain. Please bring me my wine. He said, we haven't had that spirit here since 1969." The Captain's response is interesting, they haven't had that wine since 1969. Since the summer of love, the summer of freedom from possessions. They haven't had the ability to give you that since... Woodstock. "Mirrors on the ceiling, The pink champagne on ice And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'" Ceiling Mirrors are a great reference for our adult audience while Pink champagne is certainly another symbol of luxury. The last line gives up hope and hopelessness in that we are trapped of our own will. In pursuit of wealth we created our lifestyle. "'Relax,' said the night man, We are programmed to receive. You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave!" The night man, the guard, or society, tells us to relax, this is what we're all about, it is normal to desire things. We are brought up and conditioned by society to be receptive to messages about status and wealth. Of course, we can "check out", go on vacation, head to the mountains and get away for a while but, we will never pull ourselves from greed. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" This Taylor classic is about the death of a friend of James' called Suzanne (Susie) Schnerr,who he and a couple of friends were friendly with in New York around the mid 60's and who committed suicide while Taylor was in London cutting his debut album on the Beatles 'Apple' label. He wasn't told about her death until six months after it happened because his own mental health was so delicate. The opening line 'just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone' is about how he felt on learning of her death. The line 'won't you look down upon me Jesus, you gotta help me make stand'is about him making a plea to help him through his drug abuse. She was not a girl-friend and did not die in a plane crash. Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbitt" This is Grace Slick's effort from the band she was in prior to Airplane with her husband (The Great Society), written to scorn the use of extraordinary tales such as Alice in Wonderland, when raising children and expecting them to scorn psychdelia and open minded thinking. Elton John's "Daniel" This is a song about A brother or a friend or someone with a close relationship to a someone, "Daniel." Quite basically, Daniel is leaving home and the songwriter does not want him to leave. On the journey, something happens which kills Daniel. What a song! KISS's "Beth" This is a song about Peter Criss' wife being lonely because he and the band are always on the road and never home. the key line is 'me and the boys will be playing all night' Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" This is a song that describes the influences that WWII had on America, and the reality of post-war America. It's up-beat tune is extremely catchy, distracting mnay listeners from the true meaning: life and times of post-war America. Black Sabbath's "Hand Of Doom" This is a staight up anti-heroin song. "push the needle in, face that sickly grin, holes are in your skin, caused by deadly pins." Guess Who's "American Women" This is about Canada's frosty relations with the US during the Vietnam War. "I don't want your war machines, I don't want your ghetto scenes." "American woman, get away from me." I always thought it was kinda funny; did they think our part of the continent could pick itself up and float away? Eric Clapton's "Layla" This is about Clapton's affair with Beatle George Harrison's wife. To obscure who he was referring to, Clapton used the name "Layla" which was the name of a woman in a book he had just read...wish I could remember the name of the book. The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" This is about Pete Townshend's then-closeted bi-sexuality. "No one knows what it's like to be hated, to be fated to telling only lies", etc. Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" This is about a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland. The water is Lake Geneva, which the casino overlooked. The band was going to record Machine Head there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling which set the place on fire. The band was relocated to another hotel and recorded the album in the Rolling Stones mobile studio. Deep Purple and Frank Zappa lost all his equipment in the fire. "Funky Claude" is Claude Nobs, a man who helped rescue some people in the fire was the person responsible for relocating the band to the Grand Hotel and arranging for themm to use the Rolling Stones mobile studio. Elton John's "All The Girls Love Alice" This is about a young lesbian in town who provides "entertainment" for the women in her neighborhood. Jackson Browne's "Rosie" This is about masturbation with Rosie Palm and her five sisters. "Rosie you're all right, you wear my ring; when you hold me tight, Rosie that's my thing." It's sung from the viewpoint of a musician who had hopes of picking up a groupie one night, but she goes off with the drummer instead. "Looks like it's me and you again tonight, Rosie." Brownsville Station's "Smokin' In The Boys' Room" This is about sneaking out of class to smoke in the bathroom and then getting caught. Kiss's "Black Diamond" This is an early Kiss song written by their original guitarist Angus Young. It's about his cat Diamond who was white but would go out on the streets of London at night and come back home black and dirty. This was on Kiss's first album Jailbreak. Pink Floyd's "Any Colour You Like" This is any instrumental from dark side of the moon... the title comes from an old english saying at the markets near where roger waters lived, when selling cutlery people would say, you can have any colour you like as long as its blue.. metaphorically this is offering a choice when there really isn't any Rush's "The Trees" This is clearly a play on Ayn Rand's philosophy which Rush has given credit to on at least one of their albums. Rand's philosophy is survival of the fittest and individualism. The oaks are the best, they deserve what they have, they earned it based on their ability to grow taller. The end result of the weaker individuals grouping together to create "equality" is that everybody loses (kept equal with hatchet ax and saw). Instead, they should strive to be better as an individual and become like oaks. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" This is one of my favorite songs ever written. I believe that it pertains to the horrors of the Vietnam War. It describes a soldiers confusion with reality in the lyric "can you tell heaven from hell". Many of the soldiers had emotional troubles due to this war. The lyric "trade your heroes for ghosts" was also about the thousands of soldiers killed. And one other lyric "did you exchange a walk on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage?" is about draft dodging and being put in jail which some thought better than walking onto the horrors of war. The point is this song definetly is about the times of the Vietnam War, case closed. Tubeway Army's "Everyday I Die" This is yet another song about masturbation and alienation. It's about unfulfilled fantasies, and is pretty graphic: "The problem of need, I need you. Obscene dreams in rusty beds. No one came here tonight. I pulled on me, I need to. I unstick pages and rear. I look at pictures of you. I smell the lust on my hand...everyday I die." Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London" This might be rumor...but as I understand it this song is about the gangs portrayed in Clockwork Orange, who ran around london killing and raping. Don McLean's "American Pie" This must be one of the two most contested songs of all time (the other being Stairway). I did a thesis on this song for a contemporary poetry class, and what I have written is the result of many hours of research. The best way to understand it is to go line by line, noting the references, and then allowing people to draw their own conclusions. "But February made me shiver, With every paper I'd deliver, Bad news on the doorstep... I couldn't take one more step." February 2nd, 1959 was the date of the plane crash which killed Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper. At the time Don McLean was a paperboy, and on Feb 3rd would have delivered the papers carrying the news of Holly's death. "So... Bye bye Miss American Pie..." The word "so" suggests that the next lines are connected to the previous ones. "Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry" This is reminiscient of a Chevrolet ad slogan of the 50's which ran: “Drive your Chevrolet/through the USA…On a highway or a road along a levee…” "That'll be the day that I die" was one of Buddy Holly's most famous songs. The next line "Did you write the book of Love, and do you faith in God above/ if the bible tells you so" "The Book of Love" was a 1958 hit song by The Monotones. "If the Bible tells you So' was a song by Don Cornell, 1955. "Now do you believe in rock 'n roll?" This hints at the change in setting from the 50's to the 60's, as a well known 60's song by the Lovin Spoonful called "Do you beleive in Magic?" which reads "…I’ll tell you ‘bout the magic to free your soul, but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll." The song goes on for a while longer, but you get the idea. Don McLean has admitted to the Holly references in the first lines, but prefers to leave the rest to the listener's imagination. Email me if you have any more questions. Eagles's "Hotel California" This one really speaks to alot of things going on at the time. Both Henley and Frey have hinted to drug addiction, sex and the excesses of fame. California was the perfect example of all of these things taking place, but it was actually about the US as a whole. Sex-"There she stood in the doorway, I heard the mission bells. And I was thinking to myself, this could be heaven or this could be hell". A little known fact is that Henley was arrested for harboring a young girl (not sure of the age but definitely not 18) Drugs-Mercedes Bends (not Benz, like the car) is a code name for a heroin overdose. "Steely Knives" is their way of mentioning Steely Dan, who had mentioned the Eagles in a song. The theory about Satan worshipping may come more from the inside of the album than from the song itself, supposedly a devilish figure stands in the balcony being crucified. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Has there ever been a more analyzed line in music? This could be about alot of things, drug addiction or sex, but I want to think it's about their rising popularity-that they could never go back to being the good ol' boys that hung out at the Troubadour, drank and smoked and tried to get layed every night without the whole world knowing. This is one of the greatest songs ever written, if nothing else to keep us all guessing. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" This song (as any Floyd fan would know) is about The Floyd's rise to superstardom, because of the album Dark Side of the Moon, and becoming trapped in the world of being a super star thus "Wish You Were Here"...because they weren't... The Beatles's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" This song IS NOT ABOUT LSD as some folks would have you believe. John Lennon's son Julian had come back from school one day with a drawing. When John Lennon asked his son what it was, Julian told him that it was a girl he liked "Lucy" who appeared to be floating in the sky with diamonds that he drew around her that he had hoped one day to give her. If you belive that Lucy in the sky with diamonds is about LSD use, then you probably believe the rumors that Paul McCartney had also died back in the 1960's and that we are still listening and being fooled by his perfect double "Billy Sheers". Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" This song also refers to recordings the band did in the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama where the guys there took them under their wing and showed them how to record in a studio. Ronnie Van Zant affectionately dubs them the "Swampers" and states "they pick me up when I'm feeling blue." The majority of the Skynyrd band hails from Jacksonville FL and no members were from Alabama. Also the recordings made in Alabama lead to the success of their first album. Neil Young and Van Zant were friends, Young thought the song was funny, he even did it in concert on occasion. Ronnie was also known to wear a Neil Young t-shirt during concerts. Also alot of people think the band were racists, they were not. Why else would they "boo" governor Wallace, who was for segregation at the time. The confederate back drop for the band was drummed up by the record company to promote them as a Southern Rock band. The band thought it was a good idea at the time and eventually stopped using the flag later in their career. Skynyrd Rocks! Styx's "The Grand Illusion" This song basically says that we shouldn't follow the rest of world in fads but show our-selves for who we are. The line "America spells compitition" says that we are obsessed with beating other countries. Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar" This song deals with the record company man who promises the world to a would be star. "The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh, by the way, which one is Pink?" reveals disdain for the record company man who fakes enthusiasm for the band while not knowing anything about the band. The "gravy train" is the riches that success in the music world can bring. In short, the music business is all about making money, regardless of artistic creativity, which is the foundation of Floyd's music. Queen's "Death On Two Legs" This song has a lot of meaning, is is a very degrating song, and it is directed to one of Queens managers, who in the 80's took a bunch of "Royalty" money from them and left, So they thought the only thing fit for them to do is right a song about him. The Eagles's "Hotel California" This song has been argued over for a long while now that this song is about a drug addiction and the hotel is a metaphore for a rehab facility, but in fact the hotel is the Las Angeles county morgue. This song is about a car accident and many people died and they ended up with there souls trapped in the morgue. I quote ' We are all prisoners here of our own device'. I qoute 'You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave'. In those sayings is cleary makes a point of death. This song is clearly about a morgue I quote 'this could be heaven or this could be hell.' before those lines are spoken he talks about seeing a light....(the light of death).......he talks about pink shampane on ice (AKA emablming fluids) the mirrors on the ceiling( the mirrors the docters see from in the ceiling. "And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast The stab it with their steely knives, But they just can't kill the beast " He talks about the table were his body lies they cut him open with teh knives they try to kill his spirit but it still lingers. "Last thing I remember, I was Running for the door I had to find the passage back To the place I was before 'Relax,'said the night man, We are programmed to receive. You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave! " He talks about his spirit trying to erase this dream and wake up and the nightmen says he can die anytime he likes but his spirit can never leave. And he says we are programmed to recieve,is that they are programmed to recieve spirits and bodys because they are the LA morgue. Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" This song has definately been known as relating to drugs but is no where close to that. My marching band is playing it now in our show and we sat down and our director, a very big S&G fan, told us about the song and its meaning. He said we are using it as a sign of our relationship towards eachother and thats why he picked it in the first place. The song is definately in no way related to drugs. Rush's "The Trees" This song has so much meaning. To me, it is describing how you can fight back and if you stand together you can overcome anything. "the maples formed a union, and demanded equal rights" Just because a group of people have more money, a better car, house, ext. this DOES NOT mean that they are better than you in any way shape or form. Don McLean's "American Pie" This song has various meanings. On the surface it appears to be about the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly. However, the song is also about the death of the innocence of the 1950's and 1960's. If you wish to over-analyse American Pie you may find connections to other bands but the main thing here is to find the essence of the song. John Lennon's "Imagine" This song is NOT about communism, may sound like it, but no.. It's about how much better the world would be with out religion, seeing as religion causes wars, racism, hate.. putting mankind against eachother.. when in fact it should be the opposite. Beatles's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" This song is NOT about LSD. Initially, the Beatles did nothing to dspel the misconception behind the lyrics. As we all know, controversial lyrics make for a more popular song. It was later told by John Lennon that he got the idea for the song from a drawing his son Julian had done. He asked Julian what it was a picture of and he said "Lucy in the sky with diamonds." Not as intrigueing as a song about LSD, huh? But, still, it was, in my opinion, one of their best. Coven's "One Tin Soldier" This song is a story about a group of people that lived high on a mountain who had a treasure buried under a stone and another group down in the valley that wanted the buried treasure and swore they'd have it one day. First they go and ask the mountain people to turn over their treasure, but they refused. The valley people then mount horses and draw swords and kill all the mountain people in order to claim this treasure. The treasure turns out to be nothing they expected. They turn the stone and look beneath it and, ironically, it says 'Peace on Earth' and nothing more. I beleive the meaning of this is that you have to share such a treasure as peace. Otherwise, it leads to more conflict. The war in this story would never have happened if the mountain people had just shared their treasure. David Bowie's "Heroes" This song is about "old life" meeting "new life". Bowie describes it through the lovelife of his characters. In the beginning, everything seems "king and queen", then .. he can be mean, but they are still together, the process of living in love is not the issue, rather than the result. Later in the song,in modern life, love is different. It has become "epic" ..(in a music way) and also described in the "dolphin verse". In Freudian, water equals the unknown, and the sexual frustration. Standing by the wall, he has been caught with his love (a man), but he regrets nothing. Those who love all, they are nothing, and nothing will help them. Maybe they lie, so be carefull, they are men, men have lead world wars. ! The meaning is, that love is more than just sex between sexes, men and women. It is a universal thing, and if You can be accused of being wrong in that respect, who do You have to answer for then ? The judge on earth will stand to answer someone ... We can be heroes .. we can beat them .. Just for one day .. Maybe not for as long as we are here, but in eternety .. ! That is the message ! Pete .. Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" This song is about ALice and Wonderland. The book not the Disney movie, but u can still match most of the lyrics to the Disney movie. Don McClean's "American Pie" This song is about Buddy Holly dying in a plane crash("the day the music died. It is full of allusions to the 60's and 70's. I was surprised it wasn't on this site, and if anybody knew more about it they could post a longer entrie. Eagles's "Hotel California" This song is about CULTS........being lured in, joining, and (trying to) leave them.... Harry Nilsson's "1941" This song is about Harry's early life growing up as a child. Harry was born in 1941. In 1941 happy father had a son. And by 1944 the father walke right out the door. This is when his parents divorced. By 1945 mom and son were still alive but who could tell by 46 if the two could still survive. He refers to when the circus comes to town as meaning to his life being a circus as a child. Not knowing what was going to happen next. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" This song is about James Taylor's sister, Susan, who died in a house fire. Lynard Skynard's "All I Can Do Is Write About It" This song is about Mr. Van DAm growing up in the south, and the natural beauty of the country. It is so odd how he says," Lord take me and mine before the concrete creeps in." And how he dies not that much longer. Heart's "Magic Man" This song is about Nancy Wilson, who fell under the spell of Charles Manson and for a short time, became a follower. Her mother tried to bring her back home, but she believed he was a "magic man," because she first experienced drugs while with him. Eventually, it was her sister Ann who managed to pull her away from the cult. She arrived at the Manson compound and kidnapped Nancy in the middle of the night. Ann and her mother managed to "de-program" Nancy before it was too late. The Eagles's "Hotel California" This song is about Satan. there are few pieces of evidence to support this claim. first off the first church of satan is located on california st, hence the title "Hotel California." The line that goes "So I called up the Captain, 'Please bring me my wine' He said,'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine." It is interesting to know that wine is the blood of christ and Anthony Lavey the founder of the church of satan wrote the 1st satanic bible in 1969......Coinicidence???? of course the satanic bible would condemn "Wine." Now listen to the song and think about the descriptions they give especially at the beginning Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" This song is about a chick who uses heroin. At the end she dies, and climbs the "stairway to heaven" James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" This song is about a couple in a mental institution. The couple was separated by those in charge, and as a result, the man committed suicide. Garth Brooks's "Unanswered Prayers" This song is about a guy who dated a girl along time ago. They broke up and he wanted her back very badly. He would pray to God every night that God would make her his again. He then met and married someone else, and ran into his old flame, he introduced the two and realized that she and he both had changed. He then looked at his wife and Thanked God for the way he answered that very prayer...with someone else, not the original girl. The Rolling Stones's "Paint It Black" This song is about a guy's girlfriend or wife dying. "I see a red door and I want it painted black"- some churches- have red doors. "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black. With flowers and my love both never to come back" as in a funeral procession. Vicki Lawrence's "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" This song is about a man who is a long haul truck driver and is sung from the perspective of his little sister. After a few days out of town he is on his way back home when he stops at a bar and runs into his best friend Andy. Andy tells him that his wife has been sleeping around and that he has been with her too. The Trucker is angry about the betrayal and decides to do something about it. He heads home to get his gun "the only thing papa had left him" while Andy is making his way home, wondering what is going to happen now that he lost one of his only friends. When the brother/trucker is sneaking through the woods to get to Andy's house he comes across some small footprints, too small to be a man's. When he looks into the house and sees Andy dead he knows that his sister must have killed him, so he fires his gun into the air to draw the attention of the officers in the area on patrol. It doesnt say so but I think that he confessed to the crime to protect his sister and she is bitter because they didnt even bother to investigate and prove he was telling the truth. "The judge said 'guilty' at a make-believe trial". When she refers to the "lights in Georgia" I think that it is a reference to truth and justice, that the actions of the court in her brothers case were so blind that they were working in the dark, railroading her brother to get the best outcome for themselves, even if it wasnt the truth. Boomtown Rats's "I Don't Like Mondays" This song is about a school shooting. A woman who didn't like the day Monday came into a classroom and shot heaps of children. Not very blatant meaning, maybe except for "I want to shoot the whole day down." Eagles's "Hotel California" This song is about a whore house. The "Captin" is the pimp. "Her mind is Tiffany-twisted" means how shes whore whos addicted to the life of sex drugs and money.... She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends" means her 'johns' or 'clients.' "Mirrors on the ceiling, The pink champagne on ice" what high class whore house dosen't come with mirrors on the ceilings and booze. "You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave" is talking about how the hookers can stop being hookers but it will never leave them. America's "Horse With No Name" This song is about drug use and the horse with no name represents heroin. Everything is a metaphor in this song. The journey through the desert represents the initial happiness and eventual horror that will "drown" you in an ocean of despair. Pink Floyd's "Wish You Where Here" This song is about former band mate Syd Barrett. This 1975 album is mostly based around Syd. It is not about the bands drug use or a father lost in World War 2. A Pink Floyd song named "Mother" is about a father who was a casualty of World War 2. Billy Paul's "Me & Mrs Jones" This song is about heroin. "Jonesing" is slang for heroin use. What Billy Paul is talking about his love affair with H. Neil Young's "Down By The River" This song is about heroine. Hence when he says, "down by the river"(his arm), "i shot my baby"(his heart) "she could drag me over the rainbow"( the high) "its so hard standing here being all alone" (the addiction) James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" This song is about how he was in a mental institution and the only thing that kept him going was a girl. When he left the institution he found out that she had killed herself a day before he got out. Rush's "The Trees" This song is about labor unions and how they may help the workers but in the end everyone will be brought down. Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight" This song is about nothing. Phil Collins was setting to go out on a solo tour and had just purchased new equipment. In getting set up and testing the equipment out, he started singing just anything that came to mind. He later added melody and that's the real meaning behind the song. I heard Phil Collins himself tell the story on a late night radio show. Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" This song is about someone who is desperately seeking the love of another someone, and how they would do anything to have their love returned by that person. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" This song is about what Roger Waters perceived as a near death experience. As a child, he experienced an illness which brought on a high fever which he felt would lead to his death. It is a song about drifting in and out of consciousness--both as an ill child, and later as an adult on drugs. The Eagles's "Hotel California" This song is actually about a drug rehab facility in New England which was ironically referred to as "The Hotel California" in part as a means of maintaining discrection while discussing it and in part as a reference to the celebrities and wannabes who spent time there. The narrator is refused wine for obvious reasons. "We are all just prisoners here of our own device" is a reference to addiction. "You can check out any time you like but you can never leave" is another reference to addiction, which can be dealt with but never cured. Once you know what it's about, all the pieces fall into place rather easily with this one. Don McLean's "American Pie" This song is almost like a bard's tale about folk/pop rock between the fiftys and the seventys. The actual "day the music died" is most commonly believed to mean that dread day in 1958 when a small airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper crashed killing them all. The first verse covers the beginning of the end with the death of Mclean's idol and the song continues to progress as did the music of the day. We go through the rise and fall of: Dylan, and folk music; the Beatles and modern pop; the Stones and thier perversion of what rock once had been. The song reads almost like a history book of the social and political semiment and events of the 10 or so years between the writing of the song and the death of Buddy Holly. The lyrics also greatly reflect McLean's first introduction to music in the form of Gospel. We could go on four hours about this song and we promise a line by line break down by verse in the future (when it's not 5:39 in the morning). Coven's "One Tin Soldier" This song is an allegory of what non-natural American's did to the Native Americans. The Native Americans were nearly destroyed by a different people's ignorance of the difference between material wealth and wealth of the greater things in life, like peace (or spirituality). The One Tin Soldier represents the single and only person who stood up for what was right. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" This song is based on roger waters. he had a problem with his hand and on the day of a concert he took something to numb the pain. When he was playing he could not feel his hand but still felt comfortable and as if he was able to play even better, hence the title comfortably numb Simon And Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" This song is basically about a person who is there for his friend self-sacrificially, he is always there to provide a shoulder to lean on no matter what the situation, with little or no regard for him/herself. Jethro Tull's "Crossfire" This song is clearly about a hostage situation that occured in London. It states "Spring light in a hazy May" of course stateing the time of year in which this happened. "A man with a gun at teh door" describes one of the six gunman as they enter the building. "Someone's crawling on the roof above-- all the media here for the show" is describing the SAS (similar to our SWAT or Green Beret) as they wait on the roof for orders. The media is clearly stated as the media...duh... "I've been waiting for our friends to come Like spiders down ropes to free-fall" also describing the SAS as there getting ready to move in on the gunman. "admit one to the embassy ball" which is where it happened (the Iranian embassy in Londan). "Caught in the crossfire on Princes Gate Avenue" Is the street on which the embassy was on. "In go the windows and out fo the lights" describe when the SAS break in threw the windows and gun fire goes off thus making light. "Everyone's tried to talk it through but they can't seem to get the deal right" is talking about a nagociation that neither the gunman nor the government was able to agree on. "Somewhere there are Brownings in a two-hand hold--- cocked and locked, one up the spout" describes the SAS and possible a sharp shooter on the roof waiting for the orders to fire. This is a very interesting store i suggest you look it up and listen to the song. Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" This song is not about heroin. Van MOrrison wouldnt make a song like this about heroin. Its about a guy remembering old times with a girl who had brown eyes not every song is in code, alot of them are obvious, like this one, it is a beutiful song with a beutiful meaning not about drugs! Rush's "The Trees" This song is not about life/death or God as the other poster stated. It's about proletariat uprisings. "The maples want more sunlight but the oaks ingnore their pleas." "...The maples screamed OPRESSION!" "...So the maples formed a union, and demanded equal rights." The themes here pretty blatanly Marxist with the maples representing the working class and the oaks representing the aristocrats or upper classes. The line about all being kept equal with hatchet, axe, and saw is an obvious reference to the tools of the working class, which become their weapons in a revolution. Much like the hammer and sickle are the representation of the Bolshevik revolution. Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London" This song is not about literal werewolves. It's about the good-looking men of London or anywhere else for that matter. You can spot a werewolf anywhere. (A goodlooking guy dressed to kill teeming with confidence with just one thing on his mind) Thus the verse, "I saw a werewolf drinking a pinacoloda at Tradervicks and his hair was perfect, hmm I'd like to meet his tailor." There are werewolves out there, you girls should know that. Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" This song is not about specifically heroin like most people think, but rather the drug dealer in Billy's old neighborhood. Everyone in the neghborhood called the drug dealer "Captain Jack". Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight" This song is not only about quickies for lunch. It is also about an appetizer served at Clyde's of Georgetown (Washington, DC). Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" This song is often misunderstood. The lyrics were written by Roger Waters who is a notorious racist. This lyrics are misunderstood as comfortably numb when in fact the lyrics are comfortably dumb. Waters is writing about the way a black lives and thinks in a sarcastic, comical sense. "Hello.Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?" This line is talking about what goes on inside a black persons head, implying that black people do not think they simply act. The other part of the song is about a dumb black person going to the doctor because he is in pain but is so dumb he cant explain to the doctor what is wrong. " Relax. I need some information first.Just the basic facts, can you show me where it hurts? There is no pain, you are receding." In the end the doctor tells the dumb nigger hes not even hurt hence the last line. In the ending of the song the doctor injects the nigger with some poison that kills him."Just a little pinprick.There'll be no more ...Aaaaaahhhhh! But you may feel a little sick." comment or email me on your reactions The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" This song is part of Townshend's failed lifehouse project, and it's from the bad guy in the storys point of view to show that even they have emotions like the rest of us Bob Marley And The Wailers's "Burnin' And Lootin" This song is really about the segregation and hatred that was taking place in America during the 60's. He wrote the song after he moved to Delaware and witnessed the violence against the blacks. When Bob says "Could not recognize the faces standing over me, they were all dressed in uniforms of brutality" he is singing about the KKK. Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" This song is really good emotional song itself and it revails a person's of life. Every heart it shines a bright light in you just if it does God will have a smile in heaven once more. You always light up my life. Pink Floyd's "'Comfortably Numb'" This song is talkin about how drugs bring you back to the feeling of being a small child and help adults cope with life and the harsh world. The verses are the drug, heroin, talkin to "Pink" and the chorus is his response. The verses describe how the drug will make him feel, "Well i can ease your pain, get you one your feet again." "Just a little pinprick. There'll be no more Ahhhhhh! But you may feel a little sick," describes the effects of heroin on "Pink." The Beatles's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" This song is talking about the halucinations while on LSD. Hence the name, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds(which spells out LSD). Such as distorted colors and the size of things. Which are also in the movie Alice in Wonderland. Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" This song is, in part, the boys from the deep south getting stuck into Neil Young for urging the South to consider civil rights for blacks, in his song "Southern Man". It is an extraordinary attack by one artist on another -- by name! "I heard Mr Young sing about her (i.e. Alabama), I heard ole Neil put her down I hope Neil Young will remember A Southern Man don't need him round anyhow!" The song goes on to show the band's political leanings to the right: "Watergate, it does not bother me Does your conscience bother you? Tell me true." Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London" This song isn't really about "good looking men" as much as it's amking fun of the young men of London who, at the time the song was written were sporting a specific hair-do. The look was ridiculously similar to Lon Cheney's make-up in "The Werewolf" (combed back, feathered and parted in the middle). Since it was a trend of the times in London, every male of a certain age seemed to be wearing the 'do creating a clone-like atmosphere. It's actually one of the greatest slams of all time in it's ability to make fun of the "stylish" Brits. John Lennon's "Imagine" This song portrays qualities similar to that of communism, but I have to say it was definitely NOT his intention. John Lennon was simply throwing out an idea of how the world could be--IMAGINE. The part that some of you seem to take as supporting communism "Imagine there's no heaven its easy if you try, no hell below us above us only sky" is just the realization that religion (and Im not atheist) with its intricate beliefs systems and propensity toward ignorance and unacceptance has actual created a greater portion of all the wars ever fought. The world might be better off if there was no religion at all, but just the idea of a higher power. The part about people sharing the world is a socialistic idea, but I believe it was meant to counter the culture in America with the large rift between rich and poor and especially the greatest rift between first and third world countries. No this song is definitely not about communism. John Lennon was a dreamer and I respect him for that. To diminish him as a pinko commie is just downright ignorant and retarded Pink Floyd's "Time" This song tells of how people can spend thier whole lives just wasting time when they are young. 'Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.' Later on in the song, it says that these people who waste their lives can try to make up their wasted youth but you can't. "And you run adn you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking And racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.' The song is basically saying, in a way that you should cherish the time you have and make the most of it because when you're older and you realize that you have wasted most of your life, it's too late and there's nothing you can do about it. Psychedielic Furs's "Pretty In Pink" This song was a minor "new wave" hit in the very early 80s. It later became the theme tune (re-worked and re-recorded) for a feelgood Hollywood movie of the same name. The band (and others) have laughed about the fact that the movie makers were totally unaware of the songs true meaning. It is not complementing a girl on how attractive she looks in her pink dress or outfit - it's about a girl who was routinely used by insincere lovers who obviously thought she loked "pretty in pink" (ie, in her birthday suit, totally naked). Yes's "South Side Of The Sky" This song was at least in part inspired by a documentary of BBC1 that was aired around 1970/1971. The documentary was about various attempts to climb the infamous north face of the Eiger mountain. It featured one particulary moving interview with the survivor of a pair of British climbers; the other was injured and died during the climb. The surviving climber described the hours he spent on the mountainside with his dying friend as his `proudest', and it had clearly been a devastaing yet at the same time spiritual experience for him. This part of the documentary made a deep impression on me. The first time I heard this song a couple of years later, I was certain that Jon had to have been inspired by that same interview. The initial and final sections convey the awesome loneliness and cold of the climb, while the gentle middle section is the night time vigil and the death of the climbing companion. The clue is also in the title: the `south side of the sky', is an alternative way of describing the north side of the Eiger. I was lucky enough to meet Jon a couple of years ago, and he confirmed that the song had indeed been inspired by the same interview that I recalled. AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" This song was not a devilish song it was mainly about the bands life on the road and what they went through Paul Simon And Art Garfunkle's "Scarborough Fair" This song was not written by Simon.He borrowed part of it from a poem that is in the Oxford Book of Poems pusblished in England and the author is anonymous. The poem is much longer than the song. Bread's "Everything I Own" This song was originally written by David Gates (lead singer) for his father who had just recently passed away. thank you. jay Coven's "One Tin Soldier" This song was the feature of the moive Billy Jack, about a school on a mountainside, which the people of the valley wanted to close down. (I think they were American Indians?) The valley folk are frightened of the people, and can get away with murder if its one of the Indian folk. Billy Jack, the main character, protects the school and its students because he thinks they are precious, and therefore the 'treasure'. There is a shootout, the 'mount your horses, draw your swords' and eventually, to protect the others, Billy gives himself up 'Then one tin soldier rides away'... Its a great movie - I reccomend watching it. Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" This song was written because when the band were on the bus going through Alabama they though it was quite beautiful so they wrote a song about it. Although they did write "a southern man don't need him around anyhow" in response to Neil Young's "southern man" but actually had no dislike toward Neil Young at all. I saw this on a bio of Skynard. Eagles's "Already Gone" This song was written by Bob Strandlund and Jack Tempchin, who were friends of the band members. It is about ending a long term friendship/relationship on a happy note. Around the time that this song was written, Frey ended a long-term relationship with his girlfriend. He thought it would be a great song, because most people could relate to it. The song is also about not letting anyone control your life. "So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the keys" That line means that sometimes people can take over our lives, but there is always a way to escape from it. BTO's "You Aint Seen Nothing Yet" This song was written by CF Turner to make fun of one of his brother or the manager or someone close to him who had a stuttering problem. It was never meant to be recorded and put on an album but later one became known as one of their best known songs The Beatles's "Let It Be" This song was written by Paul after a session of meditation. While in his trance The Beatles road manager George Martin appeared before him stating the words "Let It Be". This is what Paul has said about the song. The Bouys's "Timothy" This song was written by Rupert Holmes who had a hit with the Pina Colada song. What follows is a blurb I'd found again just recently on another web site: He found a group out of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania named The Buoys, and somehow Scepter Records, which was the label of Dionne Warwick and BJ Thomas, agreed to release one single that they would record. Michael knew the label would not promote the song, but wanted to make the most of the opportunity. Rupert suggested they record a song that would get banned. That way, there would at least be some controversy about the group and another label might sign them and promote them. So Rupert tried to write a song that would get banned. Holmes: "At the time, I was working on an arrangement of '16 Tons,' the Tennessee Ernie Ford hit from the '50s, for an artist named Andy Kim. While I was working on the arrangement, there was a cooking show on the TV in the kitchen. It was called The Galloping Gourmet with Graham Kerr. It's on in the background and I'm singing the lyrics to '16 Tons,' playing it to a kind of vamp sort of like 'Proud Mary,' and I sing 'Some people say a man is made out of mud, a coal man's made out of muscle and blood. Muscle and blood and skin and bones, a mind that's weak and a back that's...' and I think, you know, that almost sounds like a recipe - muscle and blood and skin and bones, bake in a moderate oven for 2 hours, top with Miracle Whip. I had seen the movie Suddenly Last Summer about a week earlier on TV, and it had a revelation about cannibalism in it, and I thought, If it's good enough for Tennessee Williams, it's good enough for The Buoys. So I thought, Cannibalism during a mining disaster, that'll get banned. It's not like I'm really telling people to go out and eat someone, this is just this dark, horrible thing that happened in this story. So I write this lyric: 'Timothy, Timothy, where on Earth did you go?' It's about three boys who are trapped in a mine with water but no food for maybe a week. When they're pulled free, they don't remember what happened, but they know they're not hungry. One of them is missing, and that's Timothy. We record this on the weekend and I don't think about it again." When this was released, some little radio stations played it and kids would hear it and figure out what it was about. They would call and request the song, and the radio stations, surprised by the phone response, would then listen to the song to find out what it was about. Says Holmes: "They played the song originally because it had a nice rhythm, kind of like a Creedence Clearwater Revival feel. It was catchy enough, but then they'd hear what the song was about and say 'We can't be playing this, it's about cannibalism!' and they'd pull the song off the air. The kids would call in and say 'Why'd you pull the song off the air,' and they'd say, 'Because it's disgusting, you shouldn't be listening to stuff like that.' Well, all you have to do is tell a teenage kid that he shouldn't be listening to something because it's disgusting and vile and loathsome, and he'll demand it. So the record, unlike "Pina Colada," which vaulted up the charts, went up like one or two digits every week. It was on the charts forever. Stations were playing it, kids were clamoring for it, it would move up the charts, then the station would pull it, the kids would clamor more and some other station would go on it to satisfy that demand. It just kept going up the charts." Holmes: "Scepter Records in the beginning did not even know it was on their label. The promotion men for Scepter Records, who were trying to break a Beverly Bremers single, would say, 'We couldn't get it on that station, they went with this stupid song called Timothy.' Finally, someone said, 'You idiot, it's on our label.' Now they have a problem, because now they're getting up towards the top 20, and they know there are some big stations that are simply not going to play this record. WABC-AM, the biggest station at the time, they never played it. Scepter Records started a rumor that Timothy was a mule to try to get the taint of cannibalism out of the picture and try to make it a Top-10 record. Someone called me and said, 'Was Timothy a mule? You wrote it.' And I said 'No, what can I tell you, they ate him.' Holmes: "It did better than we intended it to do. It was supposed to just start the controversy, instead it actually was a hit. I was a 20 year old kid hungry not for human flesh, but hungry to do something successful in the music business. I think I diagnosed a dilemma that a friend of mine had and found an effective way of solving his problem." This was the only Top 40 hit for the Buoys. They did get an LP deal from Scepter Records out of it, they had a couple of other records that placed in the Top-100. Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" This song was written during the period where Freddie Mercury was confused about his sexuality. He was infatuated with women with large buttoxes. He was quoted with saying "I love women with a pear shaped figure." They make his world go round...ie they rock his bed Elvis Costello's "Veronica" This song was written for Elvis' grandmother, who suffered from alshiemers9spellig sucks), and was in a nursing home. Not sure if her name was really Veronica, but that's what the song is really about. The Ramones's "I Don't Want to Live This Life (Anymore)" This song was written in the early 80's or late 70's is talks about Sid Vicious and his girl friend Nancy Spungen, that he was accused of killing under the influence of heroine. Afther Visious was release from prison under bail he overdosed on heroine, and this was said to be a suicide. He wrote a poem for his beloved Nancy and it was "You were my little baby girl, And I shared all your fears. Such joy to hold you in my arms and kiss away your tears. But now you're gone, there's only pain and nothing I can do. And I don't want to live this life, If I can't live for you. To my beautiful baby girl. Our love will never die..." The Ramones had a bumpy relationship with the Sex Pitols but when Sid died they knew that they had to write a song about the great performer. This song is rare and few people have heard it. Alot of the line used in this song are realated to Sid's poem. Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" This song wasn't written in the 70s but the late 80s and not just about WWII but just about the problems in America from 1940 something to 1980 something. The Undertones's "Teenage Kicks" This song, Im afraid, is about masturbation. The chorus was originally going to be "I wanna hold it, wanna hold it tight...", the teenage kicks in question. The song describes how the singer fancies the new girl in the neighbourhood, but cant bring himself to do anything about it, apart from getting teenage kicks right through the night. The Beatles's "'let It Be'" This song, the last song of the Beatles legend, was released in 1970. The meaning is simple really, you need to learn to just let it be. Billy Paul's "Me And Mrs. Jones" This was a song about a steamy extramarital affair. The Buoys's "Timothy" Three boys are trapped in a cave after the entrance collapses. But only two of them are rescued. The third boy, named Timothy, was sacrificed as food for the survivors. Recently, The Bouys' members denied any cannibalism, insisting that a donkey was "Timothy". Dawn's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" "Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree is a song based on a true story. A man who had served three years in prison for writing bad checks was returning home on a bus headed South on U.S. 17 in Georgia. He had written his wife a letter saying that he would understand if she didn't wait for him, but if she loved him, she could let him know by tying a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree in the city square of their hometown. As the bus rolled in to White Oak, Georgia, the driver slowed down so the man, and all the passengers, could see if she had signalled her intentions. When the yellow ribbon was spotted, the man broke down and cried as the passengers cheered. Wire services picked up the inspiring story and song writers Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown fashioned it into "Tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree." The Eagles's "Hotel California" To start off, this song can have many interpretations, my personal interpretation is that the Hotel California was once an Inn run by canibals. These cannibals would bring some guests in and invite them into their grotesque ways or simply eat them. "You can check out any time you like but you may never leave" can be once you are a cannibal you can never change and go back. Read the rest of the lyrics and you will notice it. Another thing, when the captain doesn't have wine means that they don't drink that anymore, they drink blood. This has been portrayed in the famous Xbox game "Jade Empire" as there is an Inn that is run by cannibals. John Sebastian's "Darlin' Companion" Two lovers are symbolic "horses." The lyric in question is "a little bridling down from you is what I need." A female friend of mine seems to think that there is something sinister or negative being expressed. I do not agree. Johnny Cash and June Carter sang this song once. Kindly advise. Roling Stones's "Wild Horses" Two songs for the price of one! The first stanza was written by Keith Richard in tribute to his son Marlon: "Childhood living is easy to do. The things you wanted, I bought them for you." But Keith couldn't think of any more lines, so Mick Jagger stepped in ,and turned it into a song about his ruptured relationship with Marianne Faithfull:"I watched you suffer, a dull, aching pain; now you've decided to show me the same." Ironically, when the albulm "Sticky Fingers" came out in 1971, featuring this song, Marianne sued Jagger, claiming she had written another cut on the LP, "Sister Morphine", without being credited.The whole mess was later settled out of court.Hell hath no fury like an ex-girlfriend junky! Dimmu Borgir's "Indoctrination" Uh. Another example of a metalband writing useless lyrics. or isn?t it? Indoctrination, in my opinion, deals with the negative sides of religion, firmed in the view that people relinquished from any religious believe are more free concerning their mind, their attitude and their thoughts. Furthermore i see some pictures of the modern media society in front of me while reading the lyrics. The band simply spits out their anger against intolerance and stupidity in common. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" Um- has anyone else noticed Robert Plant's fixation with JRR Tolken? (ahem, "The Battle of Evermore" being a very direct referance to LOTR, and in "Ramblin'" Golem and Mordor are mentioned.)So listen to the song, and you'll notice a few referances to Tolken. Plus, Plant had, infact, been reading a book about Celtic Magic, as has already been mentioned. He said in an interveiw that he was hurt that people thought it ment nothing, because he really was feeling philisophical when writing it. Anyone who's ever wwritten a poem knows how criptic they can come out. I also think that if Plant ment us tho know the full meaning of this song, he wouldn't have been so cryptic! James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Unfortunately the second commentary is a widely-believed myth. Taylor did meet Suzanne during one of his stays at Austin Riggs mental institution (though it is unclear which). She committed suicide shortly after he left the institution and his friends did not tell him of her death until a time later because they did not wish to put a damper on his success. The line refferring to the flyinh machine was an allusion to the name of his band that broke up before he went to england. here are a couple sites supporting what i added: http://www.james-taylor.com/albums/firerain.shtml http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/firerain.htm Eagles's "Hotel California" "Warm smell of colitas, rising up from the air." Often misinterpreted lyric, "colitas," is the technical term for the smell of fresh cannibis. The song is indeed about death, more specifically purgatory. Buffalo Springfield's "I Am A Child" Well I will paste it here. http://lyrics.rare-lyrics.com/B/Buffalo-Springfield.html Hmmm....it wouldn't paste. If you look it up, "the man" is the one I want to figure who it might be. "you are a man" to me might mean big brother or the government, and is rhetorical in Neil Young's questioning of his relationship/involvement in his life. Covens's "One Tin Soldier" Well someone stated earlier about this one saying that the war in this song would have never occured if the mountain people had just shared their treasure with the Valley people. Problem with their thoughts on this song is the Mountain people WERE sharing their treasure. They were a peaceful bunch who did not bother the valley people. When they were given the message from the valley people that they wanted what treasure it was that was held under the stone in the mountain the mountain people agreed completely by saying "with our brothers we will share, all the secrets of the mountain, all the riches buried there" They were correct in saying though that the valley people were greedy and could not settle with simply sharing but had to have it for their very own. The song to sum it up as simply as possible is that the song is about irony first and foremost. But ideally it's about peace. Being patient and sharing what is offered. If they had just accepted the offer the mountain people had given them, peace would have been obtained and the treasure would have belonged to everyone. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" What great imaginations you all have! I heard JT interviewed in NPR when they chose Fire and Rain as one of the "100." He explained the first part of the song is about his close friend's suicide while he was recording over in England. They informed him of it a week later, once the albumn was a wrap, because they didn't want the news to interupt the studio sessions. The middle part is about when he hit bottom with his heroin habit and almost died. The last part is about his surviving the first two and moving forward with his life. So there you have it from the artist himself... The Busboys / Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town" When I was at The Citadel, I was in Tango Company. We were called "The Boys" We were told that "The Boys are Back in Town" was about "The Boys". Cadets most popular bars were Dino's Bar and Grill and Big John's Place. Friday nights "The Boys" would go drinking wearing their Friday Dress Parade uniform and it was not out of the norm for a fight to break out. When "The Boys" were back in town from spring break it wasn't long until summer came. The Citadel is The Military College of South Carolina, located in Charleston, SC. It may be by chance that so many of the lyrics fit "The Boys". I'd appreciate it if you would check into this story. Thank you very much. Matt - Jacksonville, FL Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" When I was teen I naively thought this song from Masters of Reality was about a remarkable person who had helped open the writer's mind. After meeting a girl who did just that for me I referred to her as Sweet Leaf and was horribly embarrassed by being told that the song was merely about marijuana. America's "Horse With No Name" When this song was originally released, it was banned in several cities due to "drug references"; i.e., "horse" is a street name for heroin. Surprisingly (?), it has been noted that the song accurately describes going on, and coming down off of, a drug binge. I don't want to bore readers with details, but many college theses have been written about this song and it's accuracy in describing the psychological and physiological effects of heroin use. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Where do You folks get Your information from? Research people research, dont believe everthing You're told by Your worthless peers. Aids was unheard of in the mid 70's, at least in the UK and USA, and Freddy was from Pakistan anyway, wasn't aids there either... Bohemian Rhapsody by the rock band Queen is Freddy Mercury's take on an old classical opera... La bohème[1] is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Murger. The world première of La bohème was performed in Turin on February 1, 1896 at the Teatro Regio (now the Teatro Regio Torino) and conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. In 1946, fifty years after the opera's premiere, Toscanini conducted a performance of it on U.S. radio, and this performance was eventually released on records and on compact disc. It is the only recording of a Puccini opera led by its original conductor. La bohème is Puccini's most famous and popular opera as well as one of the most performed operas in the repertoire. Leoncavallo composed an opera of the same name and based on the same story, but with his own libretto. His La bohème, which was premiered in 1897, focuses more on the Musetta and Marcello relationship, rather than that of Mimì and Rodolfo as in Puccini's. Leoncavallo's La bohème is almost never played anymore, while Puccini's is, in North America, the second most performed opera, second only to Madama Butterfly, also a masterpiece by Puccini. I found this on Wikapedia the free online encyclopedia. It's called "RESEARCH". I knew it was there because I heard the original a long time ago. I'm so sick of mis-information on this site, sorry...venting, I'm ok now. Tank Stillton was here. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" While members of Pink Floyd were involved in the drug culture, the song actually refers to Roger Walter's experience before a concert (in Philadelphia) when he was ill and given treated by a physicain with an injection to "get you on your feet again". James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Whoever wrote the interpretation of this song to be about a girlfriend of Taylor's who died in a plane crash is just spreading an urban legend. James taylor describes this song in a Rolling Stone Interview in 1972: "Fire and Rain" has three verses. The first verse is about my reactions to the death of a friend. The second verse is about my arrival in this country with a monkey on my back, and there Jesus is an expression of my desperation in trying to get through the time when my body was aching and the time was at hand when I had to do it . . . And the third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs which lasted about five months. When Taylor talks of "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" he is giving reference to a group called The Flying Machine that Taylor had formed with his friend Danny Kortchmar. The group disbanded in 1967 when Taylor's drug problems led him to leave New York and return to his parents' home in North Carolina. Taylor never spoke pubicly about "Suzanne", but it is fact that she was never a girlfriend who died tragically in a plane crash. The Eagles's "Tequila Sunrise" Written about a guy whose girl left him and wakes up every morning after heavy drinking without her. About drinking to try and forget about the one that got away but every time you awake, "this ol' world still looks the same...another frame". John Lennon's "Imagine" Yes this may be the best song in the world but that doesn't mean it can't be about communism. Thats not a bad thing to say about the song, John was an idealist and communism is an idealist order. It was Johns dream and it's brilliant. Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" You aren't entirely correct about your meaning. I have read on several other sites that "Captain Jack" was the neighborhood drug dealer in the neighborshood where Billy grew up. Yes he would 'get you high tonight', but not necessarily one particular drug. Undertones's "Teenage Kicks" You described the '70s punk song BEAUTIFULLY. You couldn't have made it sound any more better and convincing. Did you know that the Who's, "Pictures of Lily" is also about masturbation? ;) Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" You kids are giveing me a heart attack. One of the founders of the band had a serious drug adiction, and left before they were huge. It's about him. Take it from someone who's going through a similar predicament- the song describes it perfectly. You feel like you're in a whole different dimention from someone you used to know very well, and you wish that they were there with you. Harry Chapin's "Cats In The Cradle" You mistakenly credit Cats in the Cradle to Cat Stevens, but this #1 hit was by Harry Chapin. His wife, Sandy Chapin wrote the lyrics when he was on the road as a message to him to spend more time with his kids. Harry Chapin played over 200 dates a year, most of them for charity. Paul Mccartney And Wings's "Silly Love Songs" "You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs, but I look around me and I see it isn't so; some people want to fill the world with silly love songs, and what's wrong with that, I'd like to know, 'cause here I go again; " I Love You...". This 1976 quasi-disco smash hits' lyrics on the face of them were certainly innocent enough as well as ultra-catchy but apparently there was more to them than met the eye. Long a target for derision by rock critics, McCartney and Wings' music was dismissed as petty, lightweight, and trivial by the critics, with none of the social or artistic relevance of John Lennon's work at the time. Just about all of his solo excursions (with the exception of "Band On The Run") were harshy panned, so the lyrics to "Silly Love Songs" were seen by rock critics as a gesture of defiance toward themselves. Apparently, the seemingly lightweight, innocent lyrics bear a double-edged sword in that they communicate a message that Paul doesn't have to turn out super-sophisticated Beatle product , he can write lightweight pop if he chooses to. The above lyrics seem to reflect that. The Eagles's "Hotel California" You're wrong...I know the meaning of this song because someone in my family dated a member of the band and they themselves said this song is about an insane asylum. You can check out anytime you like, but you can't never leave...you can leave the asylum but not the sickness. They stab it with their steely knife, But they just can’t kill the beast, the beast are the voices within. "we are all just prisoners here, of our own device" Their own device again is the sickness within your head. Think about you'll see that I am right! James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" Your write-up about Fire and Rain is incorrect. James Taylor's friend Suzanne died as a result of a suicide. "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" refers not to a plane crash, but to the break-up of his original band, The Flying Machine, as a result of his former heroin addiction. Suzanne did not die in a plane crash. James Taylor has explained the origins of the song a number of times. First part: Learning about the death of his friend Suzanne after the fact (friends refrained from telling him, because he had just signed with Apple Records and they feared he wouldn't make his debut album if he learned of her death.) Second part: Dealing with drug addiction and depression, and searching for the strength to carry on. Third part: Beating his addiction and coming to grips with newfound success...putting it all in perspective. John Lennon's "Imagine" Yup, it sure sounds like communism. We read Orwell in the states! Were not total apes, lol. love Orwell. Read animal farm, then listen to the lyrics. I'd say, though, that what Lennon had in mind was a Utopia, no? Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" ` being from alabama myself might help....... Van Zant lived in alabama in his younger years. look at the connection with muscle shoals & the sturdio there he used so much. muscle shoals is called swampland. the muscle shoals studio band used so much then was called "the swampers". listen to the song. then try swamp music form second helpings.. ya'll come now . ya hear Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" The accual meaning of the song was discussed in an original interveiw with rodger waters. when the reporter asks the quetstion waters goes into an elaborate story of how the whole album was written while they were using many drugs and because of the drugs he could not discharge for weeks with the extra stree of the band not being a whole anymore and the album deadline he used more and more drugs and came to hallucinate and have conversations with his toilet the song was written in hopes the deadly constipation would go away and releif would come Rolling Stones's "Paint It Black" actually...the song if you listen to the words is about a soldier returning from Nam. How the soldier, having seen such terrible things, wants to "paint his memory "black". Listen to the words and how the man is going crazy...at least that's the way it was explained to me. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" The author of the description does realize Pink Floyd is the name of a band. Not a solo person itself. He refers to "Pink" as if its the first name of a person. Also many of the songs on this website where created far before 1970 such as White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane and Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" The band originally wrote the song as a filler for the album, the all thought it was a simple little ditty they didnt want it realeased and didnt think it would amount to much, they said on the radio that they watched aplaced burning down near water and that was that Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody " bohemian rhapsody by queen is a suicide note left to a mans mother basically apologizing. Don McClain's "American Pie" the day the music dies when buddy holly, big bopper and richie vallens dies in a plane crash Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" deep purple= puplre haze= weed. and if you are familiar with the configurations of a bong, the smoke collects on the water while the weed burns(fire) above in the piece(in the sky) SIMPLE. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" The entire aong is a huge metaphoe for AIDS. Listen closely to the lyrics. He refers to, :...just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled MY trigger now he's dead"> That is a direct reference to knowingly spreading the disease. Many other references within the song. "Spare him his life from this monstrocity"?!?! And. "We will not let him go!:, refers to the disease and how it grips you. The list is too long to go into here Eagles's "Doolin' Dalton" The entry about this song mentioning Bill Dalton being part of the Dalton Gang has some severe errors -- that being one of them. Having grown up in the town where the Dalton Gang died (Coffeyville, Kansas), I once wrote a very in-depth article about the Dalton Gang based on factual information gathered from the town's museum dedicated to the citizens killed during the Dalton Raid. Here are the facts: Bill Dalton was a brother of Bob, Grat and Emmett Dalton. Bill was a laywer in California in the 1880's (reference line: "Lay down your law books now, they're no damn good"). Bill never rode with Bob, Grat and Emmett. Bob, the oldest was a big fan of Jesse James (as well as the Daltons being cousins to Frank and Jesse). It was Bob's ambition to "do one better" than Jesse. He conceived the idea of robbing two banks in broad daylight in the same town at the same time. There were five members of the Dalton Gang: Bob, Grat and Emmett Dalton, Dick Broadwell and Bill Power. The robbery was planned for the town of Coffeyville because they had grown up around there and knew the town. Since the Daltons grew up near Coffeyville, they wore disguises of facial hair and business suits, however, the disguises weren't good enough. A local recognized Bob in the Condon Bank and alerted the people as to what was going on. Also, the date in the original entry is wrong. The raid occurred on October 5, 1892, not 1884. Grat and Emmett went into the First National Bank and Dick, Bill and Bob were in the Condon Bank. When the shooting started, none of the bandits were in the street. When they tried to escape, all of the bandits except for Emmett were killed as were four citizens, including the town marshall, who had obtained long arms from a local hardware store. Bob and Grat Dalton are buried in Coffeyville's Fairview Cemetery (reference line: "two brothers lying dead in Coffeyville") along with Bill Power. All three graves are across the road from another Dalton brother, Frank, a lawman from Arkansas. On the stone marking the graves, Bill Power's name is misspelled: it is listed as "Powers". Dick Broadwell's body was taken to Hutchinson, Kansas and is buried there (although some accounts of the raid indicate that Dick Broadwell was not really his name). Emmett Dalton survived the raid but was badly wounded. He wasn't expected to make it through the night, but he did and was sentenced to Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, KS. He was pardoned later by the governor of Kansas. Emmett moved to Hollywood to try his hand at acting. Bill Dalton left his law practice and did ride with Bill Doolin for a while (reference line: "'til Bill Doolin, met Bill Dalton"). It seemed that every Dalton boy with the exception of Frank eventually turned to thievery as a way of life (reference line: "Go down Bill Dalton, it must be God's will"). As a side note, every year around October 5, the town of Coffeyville, KS holds a festival to remember the four citizens who died in that raid and a re-enactment of the raid is performed in the town's plaza area, where the original Condon Bank building still stands to this day. The Beatles's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" The final fact is: The song idea came from a drawing from his son (http://www.beatlesagain.com/bpix/lsdpic.jpg is the link to the actual picture). Obviously, the lyrics from the song are inspired by Lennon's drug use, but the idea for the song came from his son's picture. Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" The first 3 people that commented on what Dylan's song"Like a rolling stone" is about were on the right track...the 4th one is reading way too much into it. It is based on the saying "A rolling stone gathers no moss" and it is, in fact, about Warhol "Superstar" Edie Sedgwick, and what Dylan thought about her at that time (though he seems to want to keep this a secret). The secret is out now though, thanks to Jean Stein and everyone that she interviewed. Check out the URL below. It includes a photo of Warhol with the Siamese cat on his shoulder. The "finest school" is Harvard, The "chrome horse" is the limo that she always rode around in (before she blew her inheritance), He refers to Warhol as a "diplomat" because his studio was a 2 minute walk from the UN, The "Siamese cat" comment is explained w/ the photo (Warhol loved them), The "Go to him now he calls you, you can't refuse" is about how she wanted to get away from Warhol when she realized he was using her, but she had to go back because she had no more money... so she did, actually, go crawling back, but it was a disaster. Let's see, oh, and the "after he took from you everything he could steal" is because, for many years, Warhol never paid anyone that was in his movies! He used people, which made Dylan sick enough to write this song. It seems that, when he wrote this at least, she annoyed him too. She was an interesting character, but somewhat oblivious...suffice it to say, she had a lot on her mind. Sorry Bob, the cat is out of the bag. :-I http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/ediesedgwick/ Too bad Sienna Miller is playing Edie in the upcoming movie, she's all wrong for that part. Hot Chocolate's "Emma" The first entry for Emma incorrectly cites a car accident causing Emma's death. How someone weaves a "car" into this song is puzzling. Anyone hearing/reading the actual lyrics knows that the singer finds Emma dead on her bed, presumably from suicide (depression). The song also makes clear that Emma was expected by all who knew her to be a huge success. When success in the movies (silver screen) did not arrive for her, depression set in and she took her own life (I would presume sleeping pills). The lyrics aren't complicated on Emma. Hot Chocolate's "Emma" The first reviewer is confusing this song with Joe Walsh's "Song For Emma", which he wrote for his 3-year-old daughter Emma after she was killed in a car accident. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" The first verse of this song is about suzanne, the second verse is about his drug addiction and the third verse is about his rehab..."sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground' refers to a band he once was in called The Flying Machine in which the band was broken up due to James' drug addiction/rehab. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" follow this link and it will tell you the REAL story behind the lyrics. It is basically a combo of the above mentioned meanings without the gossipy rubbish. http://www.james-taylor.com/albums/firerain.shtml Abba's "Voulez-vous" A girl (perhaps with some of her friends) wants to have good night after a little hangout in the bar/club. She likes one-night stands and she did it before; perhaps she's kinda tired of the whole thing, as she knows what's going to happen next. She only asks him "voulez-vous", which means "do you want?" and both of them know everything without farther words... (I actually thought before that they sang "we have no bathing suits" and "masters of the sea" ...oops) James Taylor's "Fire & Rain" The girl in the song is Suzanne, and she was his sister and they took her to a hospital and that's what he's referring to when he said they took her away. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody " The has the feel of a mini opera with seven acts. The play starts with an overture and then sings about the murder that changes the young man's life. The next acts (verses) of the opera are the five stages of grief. I'll attempt The first is depression as shown by the lyrics as "Goodbye everybody-I've got to go" and "sometimes wish I'd never been born at all." The second verse shows Denial/Isolation as he he slides into madness. "Scaramouch, Scaramouch will you do the fandango?" The next verse is Bargaining as seen by "I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me... spare him his life from this monstrosity". Next comes anger with "So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye.... Just gotta get right outta here!" and then the last verse/act is Acceptance with "Anyway the wind blows". There are the five stages of grief and they seem to fit pretty well in the overall theme of the song. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/firerain.htm I had always always assumed that the song was about some girl "Suzanne" that he had known who committed suicide. The above confirms that. Looks like precisely who Suzanne is, how they met, and what the plans made that put an end to her were. However, the account you have on your site is wrong. snopes.com is a site devoted to debunking urban legends, and I presume they did their homework. Jimi Hendrix's "Hay Joe" i dont know how no one else added this, i know its early than the 70,s but the song hay joe is about relationshiop problems and the wifer cheating on the husband so he ended it. "i heard you shot ure lady down, down to the ground" it says. Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" i dont know why people just make stuff up about this song but the title has nothing to do with the song THE TITLE of the song refers to a black lab that walked into their studio while they were recording. Eagles's "Hotel California" i heard it was about whorehouse "she has a lot of pretty boys that she calls friends"refers to the regular customers. "some dance to remember , some dance to forget" . dance is a euphamism for sex. "you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave" means you will always come back. Pink Floyd's "Goodbye Blue Sky" The innocent young boy at the begining is the start to the deeply chilling tale of losing tranquility to war. "Did you see the frightened ones? Did you hear the falling bombs?" means: did you notice that what your government was hiding from you? "Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when thepromise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue sky?" means: citizens must protect themselves even though the government is telling them that everthing is safe and alright. "The flames are all gone but the pain lingers on" means: the war may end but the death, suffering, and family loss will remain. It also being in a easy, soft tone adds to its subliminal, haunting nature. Van Der Graaf Generator's "A House With No Door" it is about lonelyness and how unbearable it is and the only thing to break the loneliness is someone to love The Eagles's "My Man" it was written by bernie leadon for tho on the border album 4th track on the 1st side i think it was written about gram parsons james taylor's "Fire And Rain" it wasnt because he was bi polar or anyhting like it. it was because his wife and kid died in a plane accidnet Mark Lindsay's "Arizona" it's a song that sang in the early 70's.It's all talking about Arizona.Arizona take off your rainbow shades, Arizona have another look at the world, Arizona cut off your Indian braids, Arizona hey won't you go my way.And that is the chorus.I really need this meaning of the song, i need it for my project that is do next week.So please can you send it to me Eagles's "Hotel California" its about addiction and also the fact it is a whore house. We could through all the lyrics and the things. THC is the active hallucinagenic in marijuana. Refer to, stab it with steely knives but just can't kill the beast, we haven't had that spirit her since 1969 etc. the whore house part - lots of pretty girls we call friends. some dance to remember and some dance to forget. Mirrors on the ceiling, pink champagne on ice Also, there are obviously two meanings when he says: We are all just prisoners here of our own device. So there has to be two meanings. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" k, This song also has nothing to do with Rogers Waters expierences, on the album The Wall it is largley credited to Roger Waters since most of the album is about him n how he felt he was being excluded from everyone by building an imaginary "wall" around him, which he realized this in a 77 Animals tour when he spit on someone in the crowd...but this song was one of the 3 on the whole album that was written by David Gilmour, Comfortably Numb, Young Lust, and Run Like Hell, were all written by David Gilmour, and Comfortably Numb was originally going to be used in David Gilmours solo album, but this song fit right in with the topic of The Wall, so they used it for The Wall...enough said The Eagles's "Hotel California" The last entry is correct. The Hotel California is a metaphor for Southern California. I've heard either Henley or Frey describe the song as such. One other interesting aside, the "steely knives" line was a tip of the hat to Steely Dan, whose song "Everything You Did," a song about an arguing couple which includes the line "Turn up The Eagles, the neighbors are listening." Don McLean's "American Pie" The line "Oh, and as I watched him on the stage, My hands were clenched in fists of rage.No angel born in hell Could break that satan’s spell. And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite, I saw satan laughing with delight The day the music died" talks about the Rolling stones concert at Altomont. The stones hired the Hells Angles for security. While the Stones were playing "Sympathy for the Devil" a man was beaten to death by the Hells Angles. The Stones had to be air lifted off the stage because of this. They made a huge mess. James Taylor's "Fire & Rain" The line about Susanne- she was Susanne Schnerr of Greenwich Village, NYC. Friends, don't think they were "involved". She committed suicide, don't know where JT was at the time. Flying Machine- J.T.'s first band in Greenwich Village. I guess that ruins your wonderful urban legend fodder. AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" a lot of people think highway to hell is a satin worship song but it not. teh band jsut made the song because it had a good rythem. a lot of the other bands at this time like the song because of the cords the angus used. most people like teh song for the ythem anyways. so all the parents that think they are satin worshipers tehre not Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" The lyrics actually tell the story of the recording of Machine Head . Deep Purple were originally all set to record the album at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. They were just awaiting a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert to be held before the recording could begin. But the Casino burnt down during the concert, after some stupid had fired a flare gun into the Casino's ceiling. (Purple were in the audience. The actual Zappa concert has turned up on one of the Beat the Boots discs, I think.) They ended up at the Grand Hotel, closed for the winter season, where the recording eventually commenced during December 1971. They recorded the album with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, also mentioned in the lyrics. Who's "Funky Claude" ? Funky Claude in the lyrics is Claude Nobs, who helped them out. He's still involved in the Montreux Jazz Festival, and seems to be a very important man in the music business in the Swiss town. As stated in the lyrics, he helped saving some kids during the fire at the Casino. He was also the man who found the Grand Hotel for them. There's a picture on him on the gatefold sleeve on the original LP release of the album. "Break a leg , Frank!" Actually, these were troubled times for Frank Zappa, who first lost all of his gear in the fire in Montreux. A couple of days later, when he played in London, a fan tore him off stage, and Zappa broke his leg as he fell into the orchestra pit. This, again, led to Ian Gillan dropping the comment "Break a leg, Frank!" near the ending of Smoke on the Water at a March 1972 concert recorded for the BBC, available on the excellent EMI 2CD set Deep Purple in Concert. The song itself was created more or less spontaneously; Roger Glover had the picture of the smoke spreading over the Lake Geneva in his head, and the line Smoke on the Water eventually stuck. He suggested to Ian Gillan that they should use it as a song title, but Ian shrugged it off, saying people would believe it was a drug song. Then Ritchie suddenly came up with the later hierostratically famous (and notorious!) riff, and things fell into place. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" The lyrics, written by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant next to an evening log fire, were inspired by his search for spiritual perfection. A seminal influence was the book Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence, which Plant had recently read; it contained references to May Queens, pipers, and "bustling hedgerows." The line, "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees," could be a reference to William Wordsworth's poem Tintern Abbey: "...and wreaths of smoke / Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!" The line "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west / And my spirit is crying for leaving" may be a reference to the Elves in the works of Tolkien The May Queen is also known as The Maiden, the goddess of spring, flower bride, queen of the faeries, and the lady of the flowers. The May Queen is a symbol of the stillness of nature around which everything revolves. She embodies purity, strength and the potential for growth, as the plants grow in May. She is one of many personifications of the energy of the earth. She was once also known as Maid Marian in the medieval plays of Robin Hood and of the May Games - she is the young village girl, crowned with blossom, attended by children with garlands and white dresses. Some folklorists have drawn parallels between her and Maia, the Roman Goddess of Springtime, of Growth and Increase whose very name may be the root of "May". Also Jimmy Page Bought Allister Crowley's Castle and The May Queen is a poem written by Allister Crowley. I saw a documentary on the band and it said they were in to the occult which is the reason for their individual symbols, which I'm not going to get into because of the many different opinions on those symbols, some say they are of evil and some say they are of divinity, samething if You ask Me, symbolism is evil anyway You slice it, and so is divinity of self, if You're a Christian. Page won't even fly on a plane anymore because he's afraid of his past in the occult, not My opinion, it was documented. Sad though...John Bohnom was the one that died and He in My opinion was the lesser of the 4 evil's, other than being a drunken doper He was just a sheep hearder and farmer. Anyway the band would not go on after His death because they were afraid of the very thing that made them..."Evil". (Let Us not forget about them ripping of all those old blues songs from Howlin Wolf and others, and then crediting themselves for the work, I believe that is plajorism.) To sacrifice the band was to save them from death so to speak... at least for now. Lyric> "Yes there are two paths you can go by but in the long run There's still time to change the road you're on Your head is humming and it won't go because you don't know The piper's calling you to join him Dear lady can't you hear the wind blow and did you know Your stairway lies on the whispering wind" The two paths I believe are Gods Path and Satans path, The Piper led the rats to their death because of their lemminghood and free will,The whispering wind might be her faith, because You can't buy Your way into Heaven. Ancient people's (Mayan's and Egyptian's) believed that the great pyramid is the stairway to heaven as well as any pyramid with stairs(Most Mexican Pyramid's have stair's). Some of this is opinion and some documentation, nevertheless I think it was a great song till people started picking it apart... it's just poetry to Me, Poetry can mean what ever the reader or listener wants it to mean...So there. What are You gonna annalize next? Freebird? Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" The main theme behind the song is about those on the outside of society being ignored or not taken seriously by main society and being looked down on for their views and way of life by those who don’t questions and just go along with what the Government tells them what is best for them. Now some of these people begin to realise that have been duped by the Govt. and that they don't have to act like sheep. So now they are on the outside - and know they now how if feels to be on your own like a rolling stone i.e. a thinker some who is active and not just going along with popular view and apathy but it's lonly when your against the popular view that's why most people go along with the flow. Dylan uses people around him at the time as a conduit for his metaphors. Eagles's "Hotel California" A man in santa barbera, california who once worked at the California Hotel told me to tru meaning behing "hotel california" It was a half-way house for post rehab, post prision parolees. A cheap place to stay while on parole and a pit stop before returning to "civiisation". Eventually, because of cut backs, all "half-way" houses where abolished. But the "California Hotel", through donations managed to keep it's doors open for a few lost souls that didn't have anywhere else to go. "You can check out anytime...but you can never leave", is refering to the theory that "once an addict always an addict", and "you can take the man out of prison..but you can never take prision(or the experience of being in prision) out of the man." Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" The name black dog refers to a jackel...the jackel refers to Anubis who is the Egyptian God Of the Dead. The song is about a woman who makes Robert Plant very happy, and a big legged woman has no soul. Vicki Lawrence's "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" The narrator is the sister of a hard luck man. She tells about how her brother was told by his best friend that his wife was cheating on him, and the friend was one of her paramours. Outraged, the brother purchases a gun and plans to kill his now ex-friend. He finds his friend already slain. When the police arrive, the man is arrested, tried by a kangaroo court, and hanged. We find out towards the end that the real killer is the man's sister, who has also killed his wife and claims "that's one body that'll never be found". Hot Chocolate's "Emma" The narrator pines for his only love named Emma. At the end of the song, we find out that Emma was killed in a car accident. The Boomtown Rats's "I Don't Like Mondays" oh my god the Song from Boomtown Rats from I Don't Like Mondays is a reality Song. The Boomtown rats singing over the girls school is shooting dead from a school personality. The Murder say "I Don't Like Mondays" and i shoot a massaka. great greencar of Germany The Boomtown rats's "I Don't Like Mondays" oh my god the Song from Boomtown Rats from I Don't Like Mondays is a reality Song. The Boomtown rats singing over the girls school is shooting dead from a school personality. The Murder say "I Don't Like Mondays" and i shoot a massaka. great greencar of Germany Led Zepplin's "Stairway To Heaven" ok firstly why is it that when a song writer mentions jesus, god, angels or anything that vaguely resembles satanism people immediately think that the poor writer is religious... why dont you all stop usingperfectly decent songs to justify your own beliefs believe it and leave the artist alone.i believe stairway to heaven is about a drug induced vision its nothing to do with satanism, or going to heaven its just a beautiful song its not really about anything just beauty, wonder at small things being able to just experiance things in a new way. Eagles's "Hotel California" ok geniouses you are all wrong. the person who cane the closest is the guy who was talking about a half way house. but the truth is there use to be an insame asylum where the current Cal state univercity chanell islands is. the song was written about that place. the line "you can check out anytime but you canot leave" means you can metally check out anytime but you can never leave the place. if you ever get a chance to drive by it you will see the old spanish style of the place which has "corridores and church bells". the part which they say "And in the master’s chambers, They gathered for the feast The stab it with their steely knives, But they just can’t kill the beast" they are talking about in their cells or rooms they try and fight of their dreams and and insane hullicinasions but they cannot. so there ya go. do all the research you want this is right. Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" The person Carly is referring to is...Mick Jagger...If you listen to Janet Jackson's song...Son of A Gun (I Betcha Think This song...)which Carly Simon collaborated with Janet on this track..Carly says it in the song..."the apricot scarf is worn by Mick..." Rolling Stones's "Angie" The person who said this song was about Mick Jagger and David Bowie's wife. It wasn't even written by Mick. Keith Richards wrote it about Anita Pallenberg. HE said meant "Anita I Need Ya". The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" The "pompatus of love" actually means.......Nothing. He needed a 3 syllable word to fit into that line of the song, and that was the first thing that came to his mind. That is straight out of an interview with him. James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" A quote from James Taylor himself, to set the record straight: THE ROLLING STONE INTERVIEW: JAMES TAYLOR AND CARLY SIMON by STUART WERBIN Rolling Stone #125 January 4, 1973 ... CARLY: I am wondering what connotation Jesus had for you. JAMES: Rhymes with cheeses, Jesus, pieces actually, in "Fire and Rain" - "look down upon me, Jesus." "Fire and Rain" has three verses. The first verse is about my reactions to the death of a friend. The second verse is about my arrival in this country with a monkey on my back, and there Jesus is an expression of my desperation in trying to get through the time when my body was aching and the time was at hand when I had to do it. Jesus was just something that you say when you're in pain. I wasn't actually looking to the savior. Some people look at it as a confirmation of belief in Christ as the one true path and the one sole way, which I don't believe in, although he can certainly be a useful vehicle. And the third verse of that song refers to my recuperation in Austin Riggs [a Massachusetts hospital] which lasted about five months. ... The Who's "Behing Blue Eyes" The real meaning behind the song is because they were in a war and their drill sargent had blue eyes and it was the vieatnam war Drupi's "Vado Via" a really slow but with a stong rock back beat.sung in italian and i would like the lyrics in both english and italian and the meaning Beatles's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" The reason I think this song has to do with LSD is because of a couple of reasons. First off, the excuse that some little kids drawing inspired all those wierd lyrices is very curious. 2- When you listen to the song and it says - 'pastercian(sp) porters, with looking glass eyes'., this is not a child's imagination, but this is something you would see if you were halucinating on some drug. Also, everyone knows, beatles were experimenting with diff. drugs. Now the reason they had to give this song an 'innocent' excuse, was because earlier they said they were more popular than Jesus Christ. They obviously did not want to create another negative stir. The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" A recent radio station gave this "fact" before playing this song. The song is about the Nazi regime of WWII and how Hitler desired and blonde hair blue eyed society but at what cost? This song was about the anguish that the Nazi soldiers felt about the death/concentration camps "no one knows what it's like to be the bad man to be the sad man behind blue eyes". Knowone could know how badly the soldiers felt that were carying out these orders given to them by a ruler trying to create a blonde hair blue eyed perfect society. Simon & Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" The rumor about the song being about drug use appeared in a book by Brian Wilson Key titled Subliminal Suduction. This book and its sequel Media Sexploitation where pop culture icons in the early 70's The book talks about various songs and there hidden messages. The "sail on silver girl" line was specifically mentioned. Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" some posters have said that this is based on Ken Kesey. Good guess, since he was a good friend of Bear (Stanley Owsley III). According to the web Site: http://www.steelydan.com/bbc.html, it was as follows: Question: was "Kid Charlemagne" based on a real person? Walter: "I would say it was very loosely inspired by a character named Owsley. His name was actually Augustus Stanley Owsley. He was a well-known psychedelic chef of the day. Later a sound man for the Grateful Dead. I believe he's still alive." Bear did not dissappear, he moved to Australia. He is an incredible genius, and one day more will be written about his influence on modern culture and modern Music. Until then, you can find out more about Bear at http://www.thebear.org/ Black Sabbath's "The Writ" The song "Hard Road" was off Black Sabbath's "Sabotage" album. The song was about the band's trouble with record management. They had switched management 2 or 3 times when this album was recorded. They were handed lawsuits on stage and in the studio for breech of contract. One of the lines of the song says "Just who do you think we are? Just another rock and roll star for you, just for you?" Eventually Black Sabbath would get out of the trouble and switch to much better management, but by that time, only Tony Iommi would remain of the orginal lineup. Don Henley's "The End Of The Innocence" The song Talked about the war & government in a meathaphor England Dan & John Coley's "'it's Sad To Belong '" a song about finding the right one when you are already taken James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" The song actually had 3 parts in the verses: the first verse was about the death of a girl he knew during his stay at McLean Hospital in the 60s, the 2nd was about his battle w/depression, the 3rd was about the goings-on around him during his stay at Austin Riggs, most notably the breakup of his former band, The Flying Machines ("...sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"). Don Mclean's "American Pie" the song american pie was about Buddy holland,Big bopper and Richie vallens.. "But february made me shiver" buddy holland,big bopper and richie vallens were on a plane that crashed on february 3 1959. With every paper I’d deliver. "Bad news on the doorstep;I couldn’t take one more step" the only other full time job Don had was a paper boy. "I can’t remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride" Buddy's wife was pregnant when he died, and had a miscarriage not long after he died. "But something touched me deep inside the day the music died" after the plane crash febuary 3 1959 was called "The day the music died". "So bye-bye, miss american pie" rumour had it that the plane that had Buddy holland on it was called American pie. Jackson Browne's "Shape Of A Heart" The song describes Browne's relationship with Daryl Hannah Led Zeppelin's "Four Sticks" The song foursticks was named four sticks because John Bonham the drummer of led Zeppelin would play this song with four sticks. Cream's "White Room" the song has a lot of lines that lead me to believe they are talking about jail or "the nut house" white room, with black curtains, they prisoner colors...in the station, police station. where the sun never shines, another way to show jail. you said no strings could secure you...meaning you said you wouldnt be held back. good bye windows, you dont have many windows in jail, now do you?with the lonly crowd means your icolated from everyone else.if you ask me...its aboutjail and solotary confinement The Eagles's "Hotel California" The song has nothing to do with Satanism and in fact discuses the decadence of the music industry in California during the 70s - Don McLean actually discussed this in an interview in the mid 90s. Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson"

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Instrumental Hits From the '60s and '70s | Spinditty Instrumental Hits From the '60s and '70s Instrumental Hits From the '60s and '70s Updated on April 20, 2016 Enjoy Instrumental Hits From Yesterday The 60s and 70s provided some pivotal points in music history. By the end of this time period, rock, punk, funk, and disco had gained a lot of ground. However, we sometimes forget the popular and important instrumental hits that also received a lot of airtime and played a significant role in changing music, as well. Some of these instrumentals were original creations, while others were adaptations of old classics. Some introduced (or at least featured) new instruments like the Moog synthesizer and the electronic keyboard. Below, I will review some of the most popular of the instrumental hits from the 60s and 70s and let you listen in to get an earful of the music that help shaped today's music. Classical Gas In 1968, Mason Williams released "Classical Gas," a piece he composed and performed on classical guitar. Although it's been covered by a number of artists since this time, this is the original version. This is one of the instrumental hits I recall listening to on a car trips with my parents when I was in grade school. Part of its popularity was due to the fact that both young people and old could appreciate it equally. You can hear Williams perform it below. Music Box Dancer Released as a single in 1978, "Music Box Dancer" was a chart-topper. This piano piece was composed by Frank Mills and has been performed by many artists over the years. This song hit the charts later in my teens, and although more of my listening time was spent with rock and disco types of tunes, this piano piece had a timeless appeal for all age groups, as well. Below, you can hear the original version. The Entertainer Also among the instrumental hits from the 70s was a song that was actually first written decades earlier by Scott Joplin. The ragtime piece "The Entertainer" was adapted by Marvin Hamlisch and served as the theme for the movie The Sting. I can recall hearing it on the radio and seeing the movie a few years later on broadcast TV, but I best remember it from a live performance by the local high school band. That's popularity: When everyone else picks it up! You can hear it as it was recorded as the theme for the movie below. Popcorn In the late 60s, Gershon Kingsley wrote and recorded "Popcorn" but it wasn't until 1972 — when a band called Hot Butter played it on the Moog synthesizer — that it became successful on the charts, in the US and abroad. I can remember new sounds emerging when I entered middle school, and the Moog synthesizer was something we began hearing. Certainly, electronic music hadn't evolved to the level where it is today (in European discos and such) but it definitely seems to have had its start here. Below, you can hear Gershon Kingsley's original version of this popular instrumental. Hymne This instrumental came off of the album Opera Sauvage released in 1979. Greek musician Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou wrote and performed many instrumental pieces throughout the 1970s, 80s, 90s and beyond, including the soundtracks of a number of movies. However, this is the first one that I personally recall hearing. Obviously, he was interested in electronic music. You can hear Vangelis's version below. Theme to A Summer Place Max Steiner wrote the music for the theme to the movie A Summer Place, and in 1960, this tune hit the charts as recorded by Percy Faith. I don't actually recall this movie or hearing the tune as a child, but I can say that it's one from that time period which I've heard hundreds of times since without knowing its origins. That's another sign of popularity: It crosses generations without our even being aware that we know the tune. You can hear this hit instrumental below. Hawaii Five-O Theme Hawaii Five-O was a popular television series in the US during 1968 and for several years running. It was a detective/cop show starring Jack Lord. The theme to the show was created by Morton Stevens and is recognized easily by millions of people even now, more than 40 years later. The theme song is certainly better-known than the show itself, and probably helped the tourism industry in Hawaii at the time. You can hear the theme from the show below. Rockford Files Theme The Rockford Files was a TV series about a detective played by actor James Garner. It ran from 1974 through 1980. The theme song, written by Mike Post, became popular and was often heard on the radio. While James Garner was quite popular as a good guy and clearly had a lovable and humorous title character in this show, the theme song is probably what most people today would likely remember from the series. Listen to this theme song below. Last Date Pianist Floyd Cramer wrote and played another one of the hit instrumentals from the 1960s known as "Last Date." I am familiar with this song primarily from an old album that my parents had. Basically, I grew up hearing it and have always thought it had a very sad feel to it. You can check it out below. Baby Elephant Walk "Baby Elephant Walk," written by Henry Mancini, became popular in 1962 when it was featured in the movie Hatari. This hit instrumental is one that I believe I recall from other sources, since I never saw Hatari. I have to believe that's it's been used elsewhere as background for the actions of curious little animals and youngsters. You can hear it below. Walk, Don't Run The song "Walk, Don't Run" was released by the Ventures in 1960 and gained widespread popularity. However, my research shows that the song was actually written several years earlier by Johnny Smith. A number of musicians have performed the song before and since. Again, this hit instrumental obviously saw a lot of airtime well after the time it was released in 1960, or I would never be aware of it. Surfing music in general was popular on oldie stations for many years. You can hear "Walk, Don't Run" below. Wipe Out In 1962, the Sufaris wrote and recorded "Wipe Out" and in 1963, it was near the top of the charts. This instrumental features only two words, the two in the title of the song, which can be heard at the beginning of the recording. It's probably one of the most recognized surfing songs ever recorded. Telstar This one, titled "Telestar," was recorded and released in 1962 by the Tornadoes. The song — named after a communications satellite that had been launched that year— was recorded to emulate some of the sounds associated with that device. My only memories of this particular song are of hearing it many years later late at night when a local radio station signed off. The crackling sounds at the beginning and end of the recording were particularly eerie when heard at midnight. Listen to it below. The Theme from The Exorcist The theme music for the 1973 movie The Exorcist is a compositon by Mike Oldfield entitled "Tubular Bells." This song makes up an entire album of two versions that run over 20 minutes each. The movie, adapted from a novel by William Peter Blatty, is one of the most celebrated horror films of all time. You can hear a portion of "Tubular Bells" below. The Theme from Love Story The movie Love Story, released in 1970, starred Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw as young lovers who are torn apart by a terminal illness. The theme song was one of the major instrumental hits of the decade. It was entitled "Where Do I Begin" and written by Francis Lai. The song was subsequently recorded by a variety of artists, both with and without lyrics/vocals. You can hear this sad and beautiful song below. Feels So Good "Feels So Good" was first written and performed by Chuck Mangione in 1977 and released on his album of the same name that year. In 1978, he released a shortened version as a single and it hit the charts. The flugelhorn is featured in this song. You can hear "Feels So Good" performed live below. Joy British group Apollo 100 recorded a classical tune and made it a major hit in the US in 1972. The song, entitled "Joy," was a version of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," and arranged by Tom Parker. I recall having a single of this instrumental which I loved playing simply for its ability to lift up the spirits. Hear it on the video provided below. Rock and Roll: Part 1 and 2 Another instrumental hit from the 70s that has been widely heard in the years since is Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Part 2." Part 1 has lyrics but Part 2 is primarily an instrumental with the word "Hey" repeated at various points. It hit the US charts in 1972 and later became very popular at sporting events, which is where I vividly remember hearing this tune. Outa-Space Billy Preston released the single "I Wrote a Simple Song" in 1971, but the original B-side of the record was the tune that really took off. "Outa-Space" was the upbeat Funk/R&B instrumental hit that year. A Fifth of Beethoven Yes, even disco offered instrumental pieces. In 1976, Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band recorded and released "A Fifth of Beethoven." Of course it was adapted from the classical piece, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. While it's been used in a variety of films and shows, its use in the disco hit "Saturday Night Fever" is probably its most memorable. You can hear "A Fifth of Beethoven" in the video provided here. Green Onions Blues and Soul also offered some instrumental hits in the 60s and 70s: "Green Onions" by Booker T & the M.G.s was very successful. It was recorded in 1962 and featured an organ. The video posted below shows a live performance of this tune. Music to Watch Girls By First written as a commercial jingle for Diet Pepsi, "Music to Watch Girls By" was recorded by Bob Crewe in 1967. It was a chart success and went on to be recorded by other artists as well, both with and without lyrics. A Taste of Honey "A Taste of Honey" is an instrumental classic written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was released with the film of the same name and won a Grammy award in 1962. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass also recorded a version in 1965 and took it back to the charts for a 1966 Grammy award. I remember this hit instrumental song from the Herb Alpert Album, Whipped Cream & Other Delights, that my parents used to play when I was a kid. Love Is Blue The music for "Love Is Blue" (in French, "L' Amour est Bleu") was written by André Popp. It was recorded both with and without lyrics. In the US, the most popular version was released in 1967 and was an instrumental hit, making it onto the charts in 1968 as recorded by Paul Mauriat. You can hear this version of the song in the video provided below. Frankenstein Rock provided another interesting instrumental piece during the 1970s: "Frankenstein" was created by Edgar Winter and released by his group, the Edgar Winter Group, on the album They Only Come Out at Night. It made heavy use of the synthesizer which was new at the time. It hit the charts in 1973. You can watch it performed live on the video provided here. No Matter What Shape Your Stomach's In Another very popular instrumental, "No Matter What Shape Your Stomach's In," was recorded by the T-Bones and hit the top of the charts in December, 1966. Three members of the band later recorded under the name Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds. The song was also used in Alka Seltzer commercials. Stranger on the Shore "Stranger on the Shore" was written by Acker Bilk and first released in 1961. He performed it on clarinet with a chorale backing. It's been recorded since by many artists and used in a number of films. The performance you see below was video recorded in the 1980s. Calcutta "Calcutta" was another chart-topping instrumental in the 1960s. It was recorded by bandleader Lawrence Welk and hit #1 on the charts in 1961. It sold over a million copies and pushed the album by the same name to #1, as well. Rise The 1979 instrumental "Rise," recorded by Herb Alpert, was a favorite that sold millions. This original recording featured Alpert's trumpet and hit the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It later received a Grammy award. Breezin' In the mid-1970s, George Benson released the hit "Breezin'," the title of the single and the album. The jazz guitarist became famous as a child and has continued his career through current day. Below is a video that features a studio version of "Breezin'." Spanish Flea As you can see in this article, Herb Alpert was very popular in the 60s and 70s. Another one of his hits was "Spanish Flea," a song that millions of people recognize but probably don't know the name of. It was released in 1965. Previous versions of the song were done by other artists and included vocals. Lara's Theme In 1965, the movie Dr. Zhivago was released. The epic film was a success and so was its music. "Lara's Theme" was very popular at the time as an instrumental and was later released as "Somewhere My Love" with vocals added. TSOP "The Sound of Philadelphia" (TSOP) was a hit in 1974. It was popularized on the show Soul Train and was done by MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother). Love Theme (from The Godfather) The original Godfather movie (the first in a trilogy) was a top-grossing film in 1972 and produced a couple of instrumental hits. One of the most popular was the love theme which also had a vocal version called "Speak Softly Love." Of course, the Godfather theme was another popular tune itself.

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Bradboard Top Songs of the 1970s I Fought the Law - The Clash More Than a Feeling - Boston  Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin  Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe  Holidays in the Sun - The Sex Pistols I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones  Come Sail Away - Styx  Pretty Vacant - The Sex Pistols Rock and Roll All Nite - Kiss  Somebody to Love - Queen  Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC Eighteen - Alice Cooper  (Don�t Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult  Dust in the Wind - Kansas  Midnight Rider - Gregg Allman  (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash Black Dog - Led Zeppelin  Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel  Hard Luck Woman - Kiss  A Horse With No Name - America  Bad Company - Bad Company  The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy  School's Out - Alice Cooper  Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin  Clash City Rockers - The Clash T.N.T. - AC/DC Feel Like Makin' Love - Bad Company  Hurricane - Bob Dylan  Is This Love - Bob Marley & The Wailers  Only Women Bleed - Alice Cooper  Beast of Burden - The Rolling Stones  Heart of Gold - Neil Young  The Thrill is Gone - B.B. King  Iron Man - Black Sabbath All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople  Alison - Elvis Costello Can't Get Enough - Bad Company  I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick  Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd  Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Joe Jackson  Barracuda - Heart  God Save the Queen - The Sex Pistols What Do I Get? - The Buzzcocks We Are the Champions - Queen  Ventura Highway - America  I Was Made For Lovin' You - Kiss  Welcome to My Nightmare - Alice Cooper  Lady - Styx  Have You Ever Seen the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival  Beautiful Girls - Van Halen  Fire and Rain - James Taylor  City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie  Back in the Saddle - Aerosmith  I Shot the Sheriff - Bob Marley & The Wailers  I Go Crazy - Paul Davis  Hold the Line - Toto  Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple  White Riot - The Clash Stir It Up - Bob Marley & The Wailers  Shout it Out Loud - Kiss  Under My Wheels - Alice Cooper  Tommy Gun - The Clash Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen  Rockaway Beach - Ramones  You Really Got Me - Van Halen  Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles  Sonic Reducer - The Dead Boys Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang  No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper  Killer Queen - Queen  Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley & The Wailers  Elected - Alice Cooper  Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin  Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel  Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin  Boys Don�t Cry - The Cure You Can�t Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones  Psycho Killer - Talking Heads  Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper  Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Neil Young  I Love the Nightlife - Alicia Bridges  Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas  Riders on the Storm - The Doors  One Way or Another - Blondie  Love Hurts - Nazareth  Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) - Led Zeppelin  Big Balls - AC/DC I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor  Go On Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac  Fox on the Run - Sweet  Closer to the Heart - Rush  Rock 'n' Roll High School - The Ramones Old Man - Neil Young  Jamming - Bob Marley & The Wailers  Dream Police - Cheap Trick  We've Got Tonight - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band  Man In Black - Johnny Cash Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello Rocky Mountain High - John Denver  Life During Wartime - Talking Heads  Everything I Own - Bread  Sex & Drugs & Rock 'N' Roll - Ian Dury Heard It In a Love Song - The Marshall Tucker Band  Your Song - Elton John  You're My Best Friend - Queen  Who'll Stop the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival  Search and Destroy - Iggy & The Stooges Running on Empty - Jackson Browne  It's A Long Way to the Top - AC/DC Maggie May - Rod Stewart  Man on the Silver Mountain - Rainbow I Only Want to Be With You - Bay City Rollers  Hey You - Pink Floyd  Father and Son - Cat Stevens  Amie - Pure Prairie League  Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin  Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young  Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones  Good Times - Chic  Ain't That a Shame - Cheap Trick  Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen  Baby Hold On - Eddiy Money  Angie - The Rolling Stones  All By Myself - Eric Carmen  Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan  Let it Be - The Beatles  Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks  The Real Me - The Who  Stay - Jackson Browne  Love Her Madly - The Doors  Love Gun - Kiss  Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones  Without You - Nilsson  Don�t Look Back - Boston  Heart of Glass - Blondie  Hot Child in the City - Nick Gilder  Lean On Me - Bill Withers  Lights - Journey  Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd  Dream On - Aerosmith  Don�t Stop - Fleetwood Mac  Give a Little Bit - Supertramp  Last Dance - Donna Summer  Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh  Tuesday's Gone - Lynyrd Skynyrd  You're So Vain - Carly Simon  Disco Inferno - The Trammps  Rock and Roll Fantasy - Bad Company  Pump It Up - Elvis Costello Point of No Return - Kansas  Peace Train - Cat Stevens  I Never Cry - Alice Cooper Behind Blue Eyes - The Who  Changes - David Bowie  I Need a Lover - John Cougar  Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon  My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars  Because the Night - Patti Smith Group  Paradise By the Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf  Making Plans for Nigel - XTC Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money  Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed  Ramblin' Man - Allman Brothers Band  How You Gonna See Me Now - Alice Cooper  Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp  Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell  Daniel - Elton John  Sheena is a Punk Rocker - The Ramones Stayin Alive - The Bee Gees  Take Me To the River - Talking Heads  Do Ya - Electric Light Orchestra  Roadhouse Blues - The Doors  Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits  Stranglehold - Ted Nugent  Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers  Just What I Needed - The Cars  Young Americans - David Bowie  Trampled Under Foot - Led Zeppelin  Low Rider - War  Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas  Joy to the World - Three Dog Night  I've Seen All Good People - Yes In the Navy - Village People  If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman  Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra  Best of My Love - The Emotions  Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen  Cecilia - Simon & Garfunkel  The Wonder of You - Elivs Presley Night Fever - The Bee Gees  Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon  Breakdown - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers  Good Times Roll - The Cars  Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Suede  It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It) - The Rolling Stones  We Will Rock You - Queen  Who Are You - The Who  Roxanne - The Police  Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh  Mind Games - John Lennon  Get Down Tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band  Get Closer - Seals & Crofts  Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe - Barry White  Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass  Close To You - The Carpenters  Cum on Feel the Noize - Slade  Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner  Golden Years - David Bowie  Whiskey in the Jar - Thin Lizzy Y.M.C.A. - Village People  We've Only Just Begun - The Carpenters  Be My Lover - Alice Cooper Baby, I Love Your Way - Peter Frampton  Bicycle Race - Queen  Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band  Hello Hurray - Alice Cooper  Welcome to the Machine - Pink Floyd  Don�t Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra  Tush -  ZZ Top  Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - Meat Loaf  Wheel in the Sky - Journey  Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon  Slow Ride - Foghat  Mama Told Me (Not To Come) - Three Dog Night  Love, Reign O'er Me - The Who  I'm Not in Love - 10cc  Mexico - James Taylor  Bad Time - Grand Funk Railroad Reeling in the Years - Steely Dan  Saturday in the Park - Chicago  You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth - Meat Loaf  Tiny Dancer - Elton John  Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce  Day After Day - Badfinger  Don�t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston  Dream Weaver - Gary Wright  Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young  Still the Same - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band  Show Me the Way - Peter Frampton  Blinded By the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Bang A Gong (Get it On) - T. Rex  Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band  Hot Stuff - Donna Summer  Message in a Bottle - The Police  Oye Como Va - Santana  You're the One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John  The Pretender - Jackson Browne  Rock and Roll Part 2 - Gary Glitter  Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations  Stuck in the Middle With You - Stealers Wheel  I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song - Jim Croce  Dreams - Fleetwood Mac  How Deep is Your Love - The Bee Gees  You've Got a Friend - James Taylor  Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters  That's the Way (I Like It) - KC and the Sunshine Band  Take the Long Way Home - Supertramp  Take it Easy - The Eagles  Rebel Rebel - David Bowie  Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce  50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon  Love is Like Oxygen - Sweet  Christine Sixteen - Kiss  Mama Weer All Crazee Now - Slade  Another Saturday Night - Cat Stevens  Lola - The Kinks  My Sweet Lord - George Harrison  Woman From Tokyo - Deep Purple  The Prince - Madness See Me, Feel Me - The Who  Miss You - The Rolling Stones  Aqualung - Jethro Tull  Carolina in My Mind - James Taylor  Department of Youth - Alice Cooper  Jive Talkin' - The Bee Gees  Let's Get it On - Marvin Gaye  Knowing Me, Knowing You - Abba  Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell  Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum  Why Can't We Be Friends - War  You Should Be Dancing - The Bee Gees  You Make Loving Fun - Fleetwood Mac  Don�t Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Kiki Dee  I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton  Tragedy - The Bee Gees Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who  Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan The Hustle - Van McCoys  Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John  I'm a Believer - Neil Diamond  Levon - Elton John  Thank God I'm a Country Boy - John Denver  Superstition - Stevie Wonder  Best of My Love - The Eagles  Good Girls Don't - The Knack Black Water - The Doobie Brothers  Domino - Van Morrison  Old Time Rock and Roll - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band  Prove it All Night - Bruce Springsteen  Rocket Man - Elton John  Your Mama Don�t Dance - Loggins & Messina Share the Land - The Guess Who  You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker  The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence  Sometimes When We Touch - Dan Hill  Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac  Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd  Starman - David Bowie Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes  What's Going On - Marvin Gaye Easy - The Commodores  Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes - Jimmy Buffet  Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne  Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - Billy Joel  You're The First, The Last, My Everything - Barry White  Hotel California - The Eagles  Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton  Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart  Take it to the Limit - The Eagles  Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer  Peaceful Easy Feeling - The Eagles  You're in My Heart - Rod Stewart  You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman Turner Overdrive  Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John  Silly Love Songs - Wings  I Just Want to Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb  It's So Easy - Linda Rondstadt  Maybe I'm Amazed - Wings  Slip Slidin' Away - Paul Simon  Flaming Youth - Kiss Takin' Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive  The Logical Song - Supertramp  You're No Good - Linda Ronstadt  War - Edwin Starr  The Joker - Steve Miller Band  SOS - Abba  Reason to Believe - Rod Stewart  Money - Pink Floyd  Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings  Let it Ride - Bachman Turner Overdrive  Le Freak - Chic  American Woman - The Guess Who  Rock'n Me - Steve Miller Band  Heartache Tonight - The Eagles  How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - James Taylor  I Am Woman - Helen Reddy  Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band  Lovin' You - Minnie Riperton  (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - KC &  the Sunshine Band  Black Betty - Ram Jam  Gimme Three Steps - Lynyrd Skynyrd  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John  Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves - Cher  You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate  The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk Railroad You Are the Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder  That Smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd  Make it With You - Bread Hot Legs - Rod Stewart  Don�t Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson  Mississippi Queen - Mountain  Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel  Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John  Twisting the Night Away - Rod Stewart  We're An American Band - Grand Funk Railroad  Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire  Evil Ways - Santana  Life in the Fast Lane - The Eagles  Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton  It's Too Late - Carole King  Haven't Got Time for the Pain - Carly Simon  Right Time of the Night - Jennifer Warnes  Reunited - Peaches & Herb  December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - The 4 Seasons  Can't Smile Without You - Barry Manilow  Nobody Does it Better - Carly Simon  Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress) - The Hollies Song Sung Blue - Neil Diamond  Honesty - Billy Joel  Hold Your Head Up - Argent  Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting - Elton John  Takin' it to the Streets - The Doobie Brothers  Take the Money and Run - Steve Miller Band  Welcome Back - John Sebastian  We Are Family - Sister Sledge  Honey Honey - Abba  Hoplessly Devoted To You - Olivia Newton-John  I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family  Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel  Shower the People - James Taylor  Follow You Follow Me - Genesis Spill the Wine - War  What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers  Forever in Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond  Happy Days - Pratt & McClain  I Write the Songs - Barry Manilow  If You Leave Me Now - Chicago  New Kid in Town - The Eagles  The Entertainer - Billy Joel  Three Times a Lady - The Commodores  Head Games - Foreigner

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Love: part one of 1000 songs everyone must hear | Music | The Guardian The Beach Boys 1966 Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson have both acknowledged the musical arms race that their bands were in from 1965-67, vying to stretch the boundaries of pop. At the time, Sgt Pepper seemed the peak, and a drained and damaged Wilson withdrew, his creativity spent. Forty years on, Pet Sounds wears better than Pepper, and this dazzling, complex, ethereal song seems a pinnacle of pop’s ambition. And you can hum every hook-drenched second of it. CSte Wouldn’t It Be Nice The Beach Boys 1966 The third single from Pet Sounds, Wouldn’t It Be Nice was backed with God Only Knows, which is pretty much as close to pop perfection as you can get on two sides of a seven-inch. The pure, bubblegum-layered harmonies perfectly capture the innocence of young lovers dreaming of a future together when “we could be married/ And then we’d be happy”.If only love was as pure and simple. LB The Beatles 1964 Based on a chance remark by a chauffeur overheard by Paul McCartney, this US No 1 is not one of Lennon and McCartney’s greatest lyrics. However, its place here is earned by its melody and sound – a giddy rush of pure pleasure that echoes everyone’s experience of their first love. The “hold me/ love me” bridge is irresistible, and Lennon’s one sudden, needy “woah-oh!” ad-lib adds the crucial note of hormonal desperation. GM Girl The Beatles 1965 A significant landmark in the Fabs’ move away from themes of teen romance towards grittier sexual and emotional terrain, the shift is mirrored in the more sophisticated, minor-chord European cadences of the music. A couple of years before she appears in his life for real in the form of Yoko Ono, John Lennon is already submitting to the independent bohemian artist figure in song, the kind of girl you “want so much it makes you sorry”. GT I Want to Hold Your Hand The Beatles 1963 If it were possible to distil youth and joy into a pop song, it would sound very much like this. The single that broke the Beatles in America – its deceptively simple structure and unambiguous exuberance were the tonic the country needed to raise its spirits after JFK’s assassination – its immensity hasn’t diminished an iota in 46 years. The heart still surges at hearing that opening burst: “Oh, yeah, I’ll tell you something.” CS She Loves You The Beatles 1963 The Fab Four’s biggest-selling UK single remains one of the most exhilarating examples of pop joy ever recorded. A high point of Lennon and McCartney’s early, shared songwriting, the harmonised “yeah yeah yeah”s and wild “ooh”s became the early Beatles’ most recognisable sonic trademarks. But the lyric – inspired by a McCartney idea to write a song in the third person – is intriguingly odd, slyly suggesting that the singer has been doing the dirty with his friend’s heartbroken ex. GM Something The Beatles 1969 John Lennon called it the best song on Abbey Road. George Martin admitted that he was surprised Harrison had it in him. But Something, Harrison’s first Beatles single and possibly the band’s best love song, was ostensibly (although George was always ambivalent) about Harrison’s first wife, Pattie Boyd. A brooding, delicate delight that was championed by the world’s biggest bands, as covers by Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson and Frank Sinatra attest. WD With a Little Help from My Friends The Beatles 1967 Written specifically for Ringo to sing, A Little Help ... might be plodding and sentimental, but it retains a childlike charm that still makes it popular with younger generations of Beatles fans – even if its message of solidarity chimes somewhat with a band beginning to fall apart. Joe Cocker’s bombastic cover, though toe-curlingly earnest, is probably the definitive version, both to swaying veterans of Woodstock and fans of the Wonder Years. WD Song for Whoever The Beautiful South 1989 Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray showed their cheeky side on the Beautiful South’s first single, the story of a cynical songwriter who dates girls in order to get material for his records: “I’ll love you till my pen runs dry.” If it weren’t so damned self-reflexive and unromantic, Song For Whoever could be a beautiful love song. As it was, the track turned Heaton and co into one of Britain’s best-loved pop bands. WD How Deep is Your Love? The Bee Gees 1977 While this gorgeous ballad is best experienced in its original setting – as the closing music to Saturday Night Fever, as Tony Manero teeters between his old life in Brooklyn and the promise of a new one in Manhattan – it’s just as wonderful on its own. Barry, Robin and Maurice rarely mustered dreamier harmonies; the song shimmers and swoons. And it’s all the more remarkable for having emerged when the band were mainly writing energetic disco tunes. CS Big Star 1972 A sweet offer of a walk home from school – and the prospect of taking things further – is tinged with petulance in Alex Chilton’s much-covered snapshot of adolescence. “Won’t you tell your dad/ Get off my back,” he asks, with the pay-off – “Tell him what we said about Paint it Black” – setting up the generation gap. Note, also, how its gently picked guitars speed up slightly, increasing the tension as Chilton tempts his girlfriend to defy dad with the line, “Would you be an outlaw for my love?” MH I’ll Take Care of You Bobby “Blue” Bland 1959 One of the greatest singers America has produced, Bobby “Blue” Bland’s voice has a richness and depth that allows him to interpret almost any song. This version of a Brook Benton song is stripped to the bone; just a high-pitched keyboard accompanying the most inappropriately named vocalist ever as he explains to his inamorata why the smartest way to get over her recent dumping is to take up with old Bobby. Never has catching someone on the rebound sounded so noble. SY David Bowie 1993 The hypnotic closer on Bowie’s underrated Black Tie White Noise album was first composed as a floating instrumental to be played at his wedding to Iman in 1992. Bowie later added lyrics, transforming the song into a declaration of deep joy from a man intent on changing his errant ways. “I’ll be a good boy,” he promises in his most majestic croon as bells chime around him. “I believe in magic/ Angel for life.” GT Sit Down I Think I Love You Buffalo Springfield 1966 Stephen Stills’s song catches the contradictions that made the Springfield exciting, and also led to their split. A delicate guitar part and a rough and ready solo elbow each other for attention; deliberate Beatles echoes burst through a consciously American riposte to the British invasion. And there’s the strange mixture of desperation and bullying in the words – a “sit down” with an implied “and shut up”. CSte Everybody Needs Somebody to Love Solomon Burke 1964 Solomon Burke squeezed his career as a soul singer in between his more permanent post as preacher. And this was the tune they’d play as they passed around the plate. With its chanted vocals, ad-libs and call-and-response chorus, this is as close as secular music gets to the sound of the black church. That hasn’t stopped brave souls from the Rolling Stones to the Blues Brothers having a stab at it. SY R D Burman 1975 Translating from Hindi as “beloved, oh beloved”, RD Burman’s gypsy dance number originally soundtracked a band of bandits getting crunked at a desert rave-up in the seminal “curry western” Sholay. Yet with its snake charmer rhythms, melancholy vocal line and frenzied climax, Mehbooba’s declaration of intent took on a life of its own to become a mainstay on hipster playlists and Asian wedding after-parties the world over. Not bad for a song that began life as a homage to Demis Roussos. MM Hounds of Love Kate Bush 1985 Love as a prowling source of terror – “It’s in the trees!/ It’s coming!” – with the singer as quivering quarry. Musically, the title track of Bush’s 1985 masterpiece is perfectly in synch with the subject matter: the rhythm track pounds like a heartbeat in the throes of panic-stricken ecstasy, while the scything strings add a manic, compulsive element. And after three minutes of enthralling will-she-won’t-she? comes the magnificent climax: “I need la-la-la-la-la LOVE!” GT The Man With the Child in His Eyes Kate Bush 1978 Written when the Kent prodigy was just 16 and originally recorded in 1975, Kate Bush’s second single has always been surrounded by rumours that it was about one of her older mentors. Bush herself insisted that its sensual fairytale lyric was inspired by the childlike quality she perceived in all men, and especially her older brothers. But there’s still something subversive in this timeless piano ballad’s magical evocation of a girl’s secret, and possibly imaginary, love. GM Kate Bush 1994 A song of wishful projection into a longed-for future – “Someday he’ll come along …” - George and Ira Gershwin’s standard was written for the 1927 musical Strike Up the Band and has been recorded by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Barbra Streisand. This 1994 visitation by Kate Bush, featuring the venerable Larry Adler on harmonica, is a sensuous treat, reinventing La Bush for four minutes as a trembling torch singer. GT Love Me Forever Carlton and the Shoes 1968 The rock steady era saw Jamaica adopting the close-harmony style of the soul vocal groups. Though it was dominated by their rivals at Treasure Isle, Studio One’s rhythms proved as durable as their songs. Love Me Forever had the superb vocals of Carlton and the Shoes (Carlton’s brothers, later members of the Abyssinians), but the sinuous bassline of the band led by Jackie Mittoo is unsurpassable. SY The Dark End of the Street James Carr 1967 Has the delicious treachery of illicit romance ever been articulated with such heartbreaking honesty? Written in 1967 by the Muscle Shoals pairing of Dan Penn and Chips Moman, it portrays two adulterers hiding in the shadows, hopelessly in love yet despising their weakness. Covered by the world and his ex-wife, Carr’s southern soul original remains definitive. Crucially, there’s no get-out clause: “They’re gonna find us someday,” he sings, with something like relief. GT I Walk the Line Johnny Cash 1956 Cash’s first US country No 1 is one of the great mystery love songs of its era. The lyrics are a simple, heartfelt testimony to staying faithful to one’s true love. But the song’s ghostly qualities lie in its train-track rhythm, Sun Studios echo and Cash’s voice, so deep it seems raised from the earth’s core. Cash admitted that his eerie hum at the beginning of each verse was so he could find his pitch for the constant key changes. GM Ray Charles 1954 Although the lyrics are strictly old-school sexism, this was a revolutionary moment in American music. Critic Peter Guralnick called it “a blinding flash of light in which the millennium, all of a sudden and unannounced, had arrived.” Adapted from a gospel song, it had pentecostal fire, barroom energy and distinctly secular lyrics, Ray hymning a woman who lived way over town but still knew her place was in the home. No one quite knew how to categorise this fusion of gospel, jazz and r’n’b; years later they’d call it soul. SY Stoned Out of My Mind The Chi-Lites 1973 Co-written by Chi-Lites leader Eugene Record and his equally talented singing wife Barbara Acklin, this superficially uplifting funk ballad cleverly tapped into the drug culture with its misleading title. But Chicago’s finest sweet soul group were always concerned with pain rather than pleasure, and Record’s fey falsetto tells a masochistic tale of betrayal and female domination. “I was just a backseat driver in a car of love,” he bemoans, beautifully and tragically. GM The Chi-Lites 1974 A throwback to the days of sharp suits and smooth harmonies, the Chi-Lites romanced a generation on the cusp of the disco revolution. That’s How Long is straight from the textbook, a spoken intro leading into the pledge of lifelong devotion delivered in a falsetto that could’ve flattened even Eddie Kendricks. The dramatic opening brass fanfare was sampled for Jay-Z’s biographical December 4th. SY Stay Free The Clash 1978 Generally dismissed for its lack of blood and fire, the Clash’s second album, Give ’Em Enough Rope, did at least throw up this towering account of Mick Jones’s friendship with his school chum Robin Crocker. The song’s final six words (“Go easy/ Step lightly/ Stay free”), sung by Jones himself, are among the most poignant in the Clash songbook, not least because Crocker would later serve a jail term, while his pal would go on to be celebrated as punk’s pre-eminent guitar hero. PM Sam Cooke 1961 Putting his fate into the hands of the gods, Sam Cooke’s plea to Cupid is a gentle reminder that power over matters of the heart is not something that is offered to even the most mellifluous of soul singers. Cooke’s death in 1964 at the age of 33, when he was shot by the manager of a Hollywood motel, robbed us of a singer whose artistry was an exquisite combination of the tender and tough. SB I’m in the Mood Again Elvis Costello 2003 Recently parted from his second wife, in 2003 Costello recorded a clutch of sombre piano ballads detailing the split and his burgeoning relationship with jazz singer Diana Krall, now the third Mrs McManus. The final song on North is a lovely, Sinatra-esque thing, Costello wandering the streets of Manhattan at dawn, bewildered at stumbling upon amour once again. “You took the breath right out of me/ Now you’ll find it in the early hours in a lover’s song.” Bewitching. GT Elvis Costello and the Attractions 1986 The compelling sound of a middle-aged serial shagger – our Declan? Oh yes! Admitting that he has finally met his Waterloo, in the no-nonsense form of ex-Pogues bassist and second wife Cait O’Riordan. “When we first met/ I didn’t know what to do,” he concedes. A highlight of 1986’s King of America, Costello later described it as “a rarity: a love song without an escape clause”. The game is well and truly up. GT Then He Kissed Me The Crystals 1963 Were those early teen-pop classics as innocent as they seemed? When, in the middle-eight of this definitive Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry girl-group ballad, Dolores “LaLa” Brooks recalls, “He kissed me in a way that I’ve never been kissed before”, is she really just singing about snogging? This yearning expression of love’s young dream had its hyperactive twin in the Crystals’ equally adorable Da Doo Ron Ron. GM Friday I’m in Love The Cure 1992 The Cure’s prettiest pop hit is less a straight love song, and more a witty new take on rock’s traditional love of the weekend. Over galloping beat, piping keyboards and cascading guitars, Robert Smith casually dismisses the object of desire and everything else (including New Order on the opening “I don’t care if Monday’s blue”) apart from seeing “your shoes and your spirits rise” on a big, dressed-up Friday night out. The effect is both touching and warmly funny. GM Pour Some Sugar on Me Def Leppard 1987 From the massive reverb on the snare to the joyously ridiculous air-brushed sexuality, Pour Some Sugar on Me is one of the quintessential moments in 80s stadium metal innuendo. What’s brilliant is how the lyrics, which wouldn’t sound out of place in a Prince song – “You got the peaches, I got the cream/ Sweet to taste, saccharine” – are all undercut with the unimpeachable Britishness of a line like: “Do you take sugar? One lump or two?” RV Born to Be With You Dion 1975 If you were wondering about the honking saxes on the end of Duffy’s Distant Dreamer, they’re producer Bernard Butler’s homage to this Phil Spector classic, also a favourite of Bobby Gillespie and Jason Pierce. Forty musicians were in on the session, but here Spector’s wall of sound is a shaky edifice, perfectly matching teen-idol-turned-junkie Dion DiMucci’s fragility. Interestingly, though often assumed to be written by the autobiographically inclined DiMucci (he’s still married to the original Runaround Sue), the track is a cover of a 1956 Don Robertson hit for the Chordettes. MH A Teenager in Love Dion & the Belmonts 1960 The ne plus ultra of doo-wop ditties, written in 1959 by Brill Building maestros Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman; by 1960, three different versions of the song were in the UK top 10. Its plain depiction of the perennial vagaries of teen love – “One day I feel so happy/ Next day I feel so sad” – masked a less innocent picture. Dion DiMucci, a heroin addict since his mid-teens, checked into rehab not long after the single was released, and his pleading lead vocal lends the song extra edge. GT Fats Domino 1956 Vincent Rose, Al Lewis and Larry Stock’s 1940 standard about making out in the country had already been recorded by the likes of Gene Krupa, Glenn Miller, Gene Autry and Louis Armstrong by the time avuncular New Orleans pianist/vocalist Antoine Dominique Domino transformed it into rock’s first multi-million-selling easy listening ballad. The lyric’s memories of adolescent sexual thrills and broken promises is made bereft of angst by the rolling piano and the warm grin of Fats’s rich voice. GM Girl from the North Country Bob Dylan 1963 A variation on the traditional Scarborough Fair, Dylan’s first great love song is partly a hymn to the freezing landscape of Hibbing, Minnesota, where he was raised, and partly a fond glance back to his 1958 high-school sweetheart Echo Helstrom, the girl he loved before the complications of the big city and subsequent fame set in. He would rarely sound so touchingly sincere again. GT Bryan Ferry 1976 There are many classic pop songs about pre-wedding dreams and messy divorce. But the Roxy Music leader’s emphatic reworking of Wilbert Harrison’s 1962 r’n’b stomper is perhaps the only great dance-rock record about the less dramatic realities of keeping a marriage together. Saxophones wail and a woman unleashes a celebratory howl as the Geordie lounge lizard makes his case for the defence. Famously, supermodel girlfriend Jerry Hall left Ferry for Mick Jagger a year later. GM Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye Ella Fitzgerald 1956 The greatest American singer interprets the greatest American songwriter? It’s tough to argue against their credentials, especially when Virginia’s First Lady of Song effortlessly glides through Cole Porter’s cleverest of musical jokes: “There’s no love song finer/ But how strange the change” … and the music’s light turns to darkness, and literally changes key … “from major to minor”. Fitzgerald’s purity of tone and lightness of touch locates every nuance within this most melancholy of jazz standards. GM Killing Me Softly With His Song Roberta Flack 1973 The 1996 Fugees version was the bigger hit, but Flack’s original is far superior. Though she didn’t write it herself, she sings it as if her life depends on it, and the simple, piano-based arrangement underscores her quiet urgency. Flack started out singing jazz, and you can hear it here, in her restrained and elegant treatment. By contrast, the Fugees felt the song wasn’t complete without lumpen rapping, and their cover is well-nigh unlistenable. CS I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) Aretha Franklin 1967 No one peels back the layers of a standard love song like the Queen of Soul. Aretha’s first Atlantic single made her an overnight star and brought adult female sexuality to chart pop as she found both the lust and the agony in Ronnie Shannon’s blues-based ballad. The testimony of a woman masochistically addicted to a no-good, cheatin’ man, the song led the 1967 Aretha set still regarded by many as the finest soul album of all-time. GM I Say A Little Prayer Aretha Franklin 1968 The Queen of Soul singing Bacharach and David is a recipe for a universal anthem, irrespective of the outrageously quirky time signatures employed. Unquestionably an uplifting love song for many, this clever lyric holds a darker potential; never present and cherished by religious blessing, could it be the object of the song is either in mortal danger or no longer living? MR Frankie Goes to Hollywood 1984 While the mention of the Hooded Claw, Penelope Pitstop’s nemesis, may suggest that this love song wasn’t entirely serious, its lovely, lavish arrangement and the sincerity of singer Holly Johnson’s delivery buoy it to the romantic stratosphere. Tribute to its effectiveness include the fact that it became Curly and Raquel’s song in Coronation Street, and that it causes a warm glow every December, when it originally got to No 1 before being flattened by Band Aid. AN It’ll All Come Around Patsy Gallant 1978 French-Canadian Gallant recorded several albums in French and English in the early 70s, but it was with her late 70s disco-influenced albums that she really found her voice. Her most famous song is From New York to LA, but the one to search out is this true lost classic. Four minutes of magnificent uplifting, soulful pop, over which Gallant lustily explains that, no matter what, “it’ll all come around, you know it always does ... because I love you.” If you only discover one song through this series, make it this one. LB Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart Judy Garland 1939 Written in 1934 by James Hanley, this exuberant evocation of how love seems to transform every aspect of the natural world – “’Twas like a breath of spring/ I heard a robin sing” – is timeless. Recorded by Garland in 1939, with its long, slow, luxurious intro leading into a finger-snapping coda, the song perfectly mirrors the initial hesitation and subsequent headlong abandon that defines falling in love. Björk should have a go at this. GT Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell 1967 This Ashford and Simpson mini-symphony was also recorded three times by Diana Ross; twice with the Supremes and later for her first major solo hit. While Ross’s 1970 version was a diva epic, the Marvin and Tammi version is a pop gem, capturing the optimism of young love with its tall tale of two people willing to climb mountains, traverse valleys and cross rivers just to be with each other. GM You’re All I Need to Get By Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell 1968 By the time husband-and-wife songwriting team Ashford and Simpson presented this intense love ballad to Motown’s most popular vocal duo, the pair had to record separately as Terrell was wheelchair-bound. The Philadelphia chanteuse had been diagnosed with a brain tumour after collapsing in Gaye’s arms onstage at a 1967 show. She died in 1970 at the age of just 24. In that context, the song’s evocation of love as lifeforce is an almost overwhelming experience. GM Al Green 1974 As with every Green vocal performance, his extraordinary, surreal phrasings and improvisations both give instant truth to anything he sings while also rendering words somewhat superfluous. But Let’s Get Married takes Green’s weirdness to another level, as he pleads ecstatically for marriage while also admitting that he’s just bored, at one point adding: “Might as well.” Later that year, his already-married girlfriend poured boiling grits over his head and shot herself when he refused to marry her. GM Let’s Stay Together Al Green 1971 Green’s greatest moment and the most convincing song of devotion in the entire pop canon, if only because his vocal is ecstatic with romance, giddy with optimism and underpinned by quiet faith, that determination to see it through whether “times are good or bad, happy or sad”. He’s now a Reverend, of course – how could you marry in his church and not walk down the aisle to this? GG Al Green 1972 Green’s early 70s work adds up to one long, soulful essay on the extreme highs and lows of lust and love. This strutting workout from the I’m Still in Love With You album revolves around a gritty, hypnotic guitar riff and Green’s stunning vocal growls, screams and sighs on the theme of “Love can make you do wrong/ Make you do right.” One suspects that wrong has the upper hand. GM Sweet Child O’ Mine Guns N’ Roses 1987 Axl Rose could go back into hibernation for another 17 years and still not better the rock majesty of Sweet Child O’ Mine. Slash’s opening riff, which he originally dismissed as filler, defines the sound of a band who could have ruled the world, and for a year or two, pretty much did. Rose wrote his “first positive love song” about his then girlfriend and, beneath the bombast and bacchanalia of the band themselves, it displayed a rare, tender glimpse into Rose’s psyche. WD I’m Into Something Good Herman’s Hermits 1964 Husband and wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King were the champions of innocent love songs in the early 60s, providing hits for the Drifters, Gene Pitney and the Phil Spector stable. This tune was their first hit with a British band. The unthreatening, boyish grin of frontman Peter Noone, and the Manchester band’s sparky arrangement, sent it to No 1 in the UK. Undemanding but polished, its well crafted simplicity is the key to this song’s longevity. CSte Whitney Houston 1985 It’s easy to forget now, but there was a time when Whitney Houston was everyone’s big sister. Sure, she had that voice, but her bright-eyed enthusiasm also turned her journey to the top of the charts into a rite of passage. So in this song, with Whitney exploring the common dilemma of quite what that boy is after, in which she claims to be “too shy, can’t speak”, she spoke for more than herself. Produced by Narada Michael Walden, the sound was that of 1985; synthesised flourishes, ersatz saxophone and 808 drum kicks. PMac I’m So in Love Leroy Hutson 1973 By 1973 Curtis Mayfield had totally immersed himself in continuing the hard-hitting social commentary lyric writing he had broken new ground with while a member of the Impressions. The love ballads were left to his Curtom proteges, of which Hutson is the best and least acknowledged. Heralding the start of his sublime debut album, this track effortlessly depicts the blissful confusion of being in love. MR The Isley Brothers 1973 Although Summer Breeze notionally celebrates the weather, it’s really about domestic bliss, the usual furniture of a walk home on a gorgeous day building to a sustained pitch of excitement as our five-o’clock-hero returns to a hot meal and a cuddle from the one he loves. It took a funk band to make this ballad by hippie duo Seals and Croft really rock. Summer Breeze was the Ohio clan at the height of their fusion thang, Ernie’s guitar solo as much a feature as Ronald’s falsetto. SY Are You Ready For Love Elton John 1979 In 1977, Elton John started work on a soul album with legendary Philadelphia producer Thom Bell (the Spinners, the Stylistics, the Delfonics). It came to nothing. Two years later, he reworked the sessions for a three-track EP, The Thom Bell Sessions, scoring a minor hit with Mama Can’t Buy You Love. But it wasn’t until 2003 when dance DJ Justin Robertson “rediscovered” the B-side that Are You Ready For Love’s killer pairing of pop hook and disco groove achieved its full potential, reaching No 1. CC Paul McCartney and Wings 1973 Macca’s never been afraid to tell it like it is. The trouble for his detractors is that for most of his career that’s meant he’s been writing about being deeply in love with his wife. Not very rock’n’roll, really – but then again, after all the songs about rebellion and teenage angst, maybe domestic bliss is quite a radical thing to sing about. It’s like falling asleep in front of a large fire, chez McCartney. RV 90% of Me is You Gwen McRae 1974 Overshadowed at the time by McCrae’s Rockin’ Chair, and even more so by hubby George’s massive international hit, Rock Your Baby, 90% of Me Is You had to wait until the 80s to get noticed. It got its afterlife on the British rare groove scene, due recognition of its perfect composition. The strings and groove foretold the arrival of disco, the lyrics a tale of devotion bordering on submission, chilling in the light of later claims that she was beaten by her husband. SY Merrilee and the Turnabouts 1968 More than 30 artists have recorded this tune written by Wild Thing songwriter Chip Taylor, including the Pretenders, Olivia Newton-John and Nina Simone. The best known is country singer Juice Newton’s 1981 power ballad. The definitive version, however, is Merrilee and the Turnabouts’ 1968 original. Merrilee Rush’s bittersweet vocal transforms the lyrics about a one-night stand from male fantasy into an ambiguous human encounter. The real stroke of genius is that it’s not clear who’s taken advantage of whom. CC Can’t Get You Out of My Head Kylie Minogue 2001 Kylie’s ill-fated spell at Deconstruction Records saw the artist formerly known as “Charlene off Neighbours” paired with the likes of Saint Etienne, Pet Shop Boys and Brothers in Rhythm in an attempt to make her cool. Ironic, then, that it took a track written and produced in the shed of Mud’s Rob Davis to truly bring out the electro-pop diva in her (she turned up with a packed lunch, apparently). It’s pure pop alchemy: those insistent bleeps effortlessly complementing the lyric’s obsessive sentiment. MH Van Morrison 1968 The lynchpin of Astral Weeks is one long goodbye, as much a song of love for a lost time and place as for a person. The ravenous card-playing drag queen of the title may be a composite hewn from various Belfast beatniks, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see her. After 10 minutes of rapturous poetry – “throwing pennies at the bridges down below” - Morrison finally loses himself in the “love that loves to love”. Mesmeric. GT You’ve Got a Friend Randy Newman 1995 Cult genius/mainstream songwriter, lovable failure/noted film composer, Randy Newman’s idiosyncratic career finally reached household name status in 1995 with this Oscar-nominated track. Co-written with Lyle Lovett, it was ostensibly about the friendship between a boy and his toy cowboy, but in reality was a charming ode to comradeship that, like Toy Story, the film it soundtracked, broke from the realms of kids’ entertainment and into the pop canon. WD Gram Parsons 1973 “He didn’t mind if she wasn’t very pretty/ For deep inside his heart he knew she was the only one.” Sweetly judged romance from the pioneering king of 70s country rock, telling the story of a farming couple. The late Gram Parsons is on mellow form here on this track from his debut solo album GP, almost duetting with the pedal steel guitar that runs through the song as he hits the chorus: “She sure could sing.” So could he . RV I Will Always Love You Dolly Parton 1974 Apparently, someone else had a hit with this, but it’s Dolly’s version that ought to be the one played at funerals and – inappropriately – at weddings. Written about one-time mentor and partner Porter Wagoner, Dolly’s heartbreaking version was a Billboard country No 1, but a relatively minor hit for the queen of country. It wasn’t of course until the huge success of Whitney Houston and her Bodyguard that the track became as large as its own bombastic chorus. WD Wilson Pickett 1967 One of the most beautiful soul ballads ever recorded, this was just one of several Bobby Womack-penned numbers Pickett recorded while at Atlantic in the late 60s and, like Aretha Franklin material of the same period, is elevated to ethereal status by Womack’s own, uniquely delicate guitar playing. The simplistic lyric avoids trying to detail the indescribable, but the evident glee and profoundly emotive swells of brass and backing vocals let you know he’s feeling the real thing. MR She is Beyond Good and Evil The Pop Group 1979 The fertile post-punk scene threw up some ambitious singles but none as out-there as the Pop Group’s extraordinary debut. A title borrowed from Fredrich Nietzsche, and an abrasive, strung-out backdrop that melded punk, funk, dub-reggae and free jazz, She is Beyond Good and Evil still sounds like a blueprint for the future. That no one, not even the Pop Group, ran with the possibilities therein is a testament to the song’s singular beauty. SOH Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love Cole Porter 1928 If the foundation of pop music is the well-turned sexual euphemism, then this is the daddy of them all. Cole Porter’s number – highly amusing, if reasonably obscure to modern ears (what’s “shad roe”?) – makes quite clear that every different type of species does “it” in a fashion so jovial and sprightly it would seem a positive shame to introduce the word “sex”. Numerous covers, and various reworkings (most notably by Noël Coward), have kept the song alive, even if it might now seem most striking for its quaintness. PMac Can’t Help Falling in Love Elvis Presley 1961 This stately signature Elvis ballad was written by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, based upon the lilting melody of Jean Paul Egide Martini’s 1780 classical piece Plaisir d’Amour. Despite all those European art credentials, it originally surfaced on Blue Hawaii, the first of Elvis’s trashy travelogue movies. Nevertheless, the song’s operatic grandeur and Presley’s assured vocal made it his most popular ballad – and the last song The King performed onstage before his death in 1977. GM Elvis Presley 1956 A song so good they named a movie after it, Love Me Tender derived from unusual sources. The melody was lifted from a civil war ballad, Aura Lee (or the Maid with Golden Hair), and the lyrics composed by one Ken Darby, who had worked on the soundtrack for Elvis’s film debut, originally entitled The Reno Brothers. It was Elvis’s vocals, though, that made the song more than the sum of its parts; half-seduction, half-lullaby, their dreamy, woozy quality provided the soundtrack to many breathless nights in the parents’ Cadillac. PMac I’ll Stand By You The Pretenders 1994 Classic pop ballads evoke that “Ooh, where have I heard this before?” feeling on first listen. Always a strong singles band, the Pretenders’ swelling tale of unswerving loyalty (“Nothing you confess/ Could make me love you less”), co-written with Like a Virgin veterans Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, treads that fine line between wedding reception schmaltz and fist-in-the-air defiance with a consummate, understated ease. Even a Children in Need version by Girls Aloud couldn’t wreck this one, although they gave it their best shot. SM The Proclaimers 1994 “Ah love ye/ And ah wanna be with ye!” There is a time for finely etched poetry, and there is a time for Scottish twins to get their glasses all steamed up with the prospect of frogmarching some lucky lass down the aisle. This wonderful, joyous stomp celebrates the often unfashionable tradition of getting hitched: “Yeah, it’s just a piece of paper/ But it says I love you.” A proper love song. GT You’re My Best Friend Queen 1975 Even Queen’s most fanatical worshippers might not list sincerity among Freddie Mercury and co’s greatest qualities. So step up bassist John Deacon, who wrote this wonderfully sincere tribute to his wife Veronica while trying to learn how to play the Wurlitzer electric piano. Mercury matches him all the way, too, as he bathes the song in complex, lilting Beach Boys-style harmonies and sings the lead with uncharacteristic restraint. It’s a rare rock song that concludes “I’m happy at home”, and means it. GM A R Rahman 1995 Songs about love across the barricades delivered in a coquettish fashion are something of a staple in Bollywood. Which is why Kehna Hi Kya by AR Rahman – who last month won two Oscars (Best Original Score and Best Original Song) for Slumdog Millionaire – is all the more extraordinary. With its extravagant vocal gymnastics and qawwali-esqe devotional wails, this tale of inter-religious attraction set a new standard and leaves you in no doubt that Rahman deserves his “India’s greatest living composer” tag. MM Unchained Melody The Righteous Brothers 1965 Alex North and Hy Zaret’s Unchained Melody, written for obscure prison film Unchained, is said to have spawned more than 500 cover versions, including four UK No 1s. The definitive version, whatever Robson and Jerome fans may claim, remains the Righteous Brothers’. Actually sung solo by Bobby Hatfield, the 1965 Phil Spector production was the 10th major release of the track and remains the favourite version of everyone who isn’t Gareth Gates. WD Rihanna 2007 It wasn’t the wettest summer on record that kept this record at No 1 for 10 weeks, but the fact that it was a full-throated declaration of loyalty and devotion, delivered with an admirable lack of sentiment and set to buzzsaw synths and beats that sounded like thunderclaps. Even Jay-Z’s dull rap couldn’t stop a hook that went “ella-ella-ella” and which Rihanna delivered with a lethal accuracy absent from your average weather report. AN You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 1962 Unashamedly grown-up stuff, even for Motown in 1962. The opening line sets the anguished tone – “I don’t like you, but I love you” – leading into an emotionally and musically complex rake around the dangerous attractions of stone-bad love. Robinson wrote this serpentine song, and he imbues it with an exquisite helplessness that is all his own. The 1963 Beatles version, on the other hand, makes up in sheer passion what it lacks in nuance. GT The Shangri-Las 1964 The Shangri-Las epitomised teenage yearning but added a gritty, tough-girl twist. This 1964 number is one of the great teen tragedy songs, an endearing mixture of innocence and poignancy that ends with Jimmy, a boy from “the wrong side of the tracks”, dying in a motorbike crash after Betty dumps him at the behest of her parents. It makes perfect listening for any girl who has ever had her heart strings twanged by a bad boy. SB Will You Love Me Tomorrow? The Shirelles 1961 The first major hit for Brill Building songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King was also the first girl-group single to hit No 1 in America. And no subsequent song has captured the emotional risk of teenage sex with such terror and desire. Shirley Owens’s voice aches with youthful vulnerability, but when Carole King covered her own song in singer-songwriter style on her 1971 album, Tapestry, the song proved heartbreakingly relevant to women of all ages. GM Simon and Garfunkel 1970 A hymn to friendship that, ironically, exposed simmering tensions: Simon instantly regretted allowing Garfunkel to sing the song solo and thus hog the limelight on their biggest hit, and they split soon after. The central image was inspired by the line “I’ll be your bridge over deep water, if you trust in me”, taken from the gospel song Oh Mary. The quasi-religious flavour is preserved in the churchy piano chords and soaring vocal, and remains moving, despite over-exposure. GT Fly Me to the Moon Frank Sinatra 1966 There are numerous versions of this ebullient standard, including one by – shudder – Westlife, but the definitive Fly Me … is Sinatra’s (of his various recordings of it, the one to hear is on the Sinatra at the Sands album). This is the man at his most freewheeling and breezy: he was in his prime, the vocal cords were mature but supple, he was about to marry 21-year-old Mia Farrow; accordingly, this song has a marvellous spring in its step. CS Get Me to the Church On Time Frank Sinatra 1966 Originally written for My Fair Lady and later recorded by Sinatra, this is a roguish, rambunctious pre-nuptials farewell to the old days of late nights, dancing and smooching, looking forward to a new life of responsible wedded bliss. The intentions are sound and instantly recognisable: let me enjoy my final spree, don’t let me do anything too stupid, and for Pete’s sake, get me to the church on time. GT Frank Sinatra 1955 Deeply conservative it may be – who the hell says you can’t have one without the other? – but this 1955 Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen classic is worth celebrating for its jaunty rhythm and sparkling rhyme schemes: marriage/disparage; gentry/elementary. And dissenters can take comfort in the fact that its central message was subverted as the theme to mordant US comedy Married With Children. GT True Love Travels on a Gravel Road Percy Sledge 1969 Percy is a southern soul singer permanently on the cusp of tears, one who could make a winning lottery ticket sound like personal tragedy. Small wonder his take on a ballad about a long, true romance eliminates the positive and accentuates the negative, as if the woman who’s stuck by him through thin and thin is about to run off with the church mouse while the choir mocks him in the background. An epic about snatching misery from the jaws of happiness. SY Patti Smith 1979 The elliptical Smith rarely writes straightforward love songs; this is one of them. Dedicated to then-husband-to-be Fred “Sonic” Smith, it’s one of her more tuneful productions, but the selling point is the lyric, which translates the feeling of being in love into some of rock’s most beautiful poetry: “Night of wonder for us to keep/ Set our sails, channel out deep/ After the rapture, two hearts meet/ Mine entwined in a single beat.” CS There is a Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths 1986 This sublime ballad from The Queen is Dead defines the multi-dimensional brilliance of Morrissey’s lyrics. The poetic longing makes you cry; the black comedy of the chorus makes you laugh. But the delirious melodrama also implies that love and death are identical objects of desire. While Moz spins your head with “the pleasure and privilege” of being mown down by double-decker buses and 10-ton trucks, Johnny Marr’s glistening guitars and exquisite orchestral arrangement cast their own mystical spell. GM I Got You Babe Sonny and Cher 1965 Young love is a staple of pop music. But rarely have circumstances combined with sentiments so serendipitously as in Sonny and Cher’s breakthrough hit. Sonny, 22 at the time, met Cher, then 16, in a cafe: you can hear their elders saying that their love “won’t pay the rent”. But it did – as these fake hippie alumni of Phil Spector’s studio built a career on a winning song that was both utterly contrived – Sonny stole the “babe” from Bob Dylan and the counterculture, for one – and totally believable. KE You Gotta Come a Little Closer Soul Brothers Six 1973 The Philly soul act are known for 1967’s Some Kind of Wonderful, their only hit, but this seductive cut, a flamboyant entreaty to an aloof lover, is an unexpected triumph. Singer John Ellison’s gospel-suffused vocals have an affirmational lustre, with just the right injection of libidinous intent. Set to a funky groove and sassy brass, it’s hard to see how any potential inamorato could resist his plea. SB Wannabe The Spice Girls 1996 Sporty, Scary, Baby, Posh and Ginger’s opening salvo was a straight-on-target bullet at the heart of female solidarity. Boyfriends? Largely rubbish. Gal pals? Ace! Two and a half minutes of relentless frivolity, Wannabe introduced the brilliantly nonsense phrase “zigga-zig-ah!” into the lyrical lexicon and gifted the world the first glimpse of Victoria Beckham [then Adams]’s pout – an enduring commercial currency nobody could have possibly foreseen. For its duration, the five were not just invincible, they even seemed to rather like each other. PF The Supremes 1970 The post-Diana Supremes enjoyed diminishing returns, but among their few 70s hits was Stoned Love, easily the equal of anything recorded with La Ross. Written by Frank Wilson, it managed to take this most carefully conservative of groups into the hippie era without compromising their pop appeal. Despite the druggy wink of the title and its cunning plan to “bring fighting to an end”, this was prime Motown pop-soul with an added dose of stringed-up sophistication. SY You Can’t Hurry Love The Supremes 1966 A much-loved example of the Supremes’ irresistible innocence, this Holland-Dozier-Holland classic remains a staple of any self-respecting girl-group DJ set. The lyric makes the case for patience and the sound advice of a girl’s loving mum, but it’s also about Diana Ross’s unique ability to express youthful longing, and the peerless Funk Brothers rhythm section of Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson creating one of the most imitated uptempo dance riffs in pop history. GM Why Do Fools Fall in Love? The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon 1956 On the day in 1955 when Harlem doo-wop group the Teenagers auditioned for Gee Records, their leader Herman Santiago fell ill. Up stepped 13-year-old boy soprano Lymon and the rest is pop infamy. Why Do Fools … set the standard for teen idols singing about the pain of love like bruised adults, and for doo-wop as the acceptable black face of early rock. Despite the clean teen image, Lymon got into heroin and was dead by the age of 25. GM Twinkle 1964 Lynn Annette Ripley, aka Twinkle, out-outraged the Sex Pistols by getting herself banned by the BBC at the tender age of 16. The haunting debut single from the Surbiton singer-songwriter went top 5 in Britain despite adult horror at its morbid tale of a lovers’ tiff leading the titular boyfriend to ride off on his motorcycle to his inevitable death. Twinkle’s plea for him to “wait at the gate of heaven for me” is the clue to Morrissey’s admiration. GM Mad About the Boy Dinah Washington 1952 Written by cultural polymath Noël Coward for the 1932 revue Words and Music, this has it all: unrequited love, the problems kicked up by sexual feelings between the young and the more mature, and – in Coward’s version – explicit homosexual yearning. The tortuous impossibility that defines the song is fully realised by Washington’s 1952 recording, arranged by Quincy Jones and full of blue notes, soul and real longing. GT Jimmy Webb 1968 Stringing telegraph cables across the bread belt of the US is hardly the stuff of conventional romance. And yet the song Webb composed for Glen Campbell evokes the wistful loneliness of a travelling engineer, imagining he hears his love “singing in the wires”. Backing up the country existentialism are violins, stabbing out a morse code, and Webb’s own organ, mimicking the hum and whine of analogue telecommunications. KE You Do Something to Me Paul Weller 1995 Generally thought of as the archetypal lad rocker rather than touching balladeer, the Modfather actually possesses a well-developed sensitive side, in evidence since English Rose on 1978’s All Mod Cons. From 1995’s Stanley Road, this bittersweet analysis of romantic obsession is his definitive slowie, its apparent sentimentality tempered by the realisation that the object of his desire isn’t exactly perfect, acknowledging: “You do something wonderful, then chase it all away.” GG Music to Watch Girls By Andy Williams 1967 In 1967, as pop entered its most psychedelic stage, family-friendly pin-up Andy Williams released a single so incongruously chirpy that it seemed to have flown in from the mid-50s. In its way, though, Music to Watch Girls By reflected its era. Its optimism was very much of the 60s, when kicking back and checking out the girls in their increasingly-mini miniskirts kept men happily occupied. Though a period piece now, the tune is still a delight. CS Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) Frank Wilson 1966 Northern soul fans’ obsession with rarity often comes at the expense of quality. But in Do I Love You both merge into the holy grail of collectors’ soul. Frank Wilson was a Motown producer-songwriter whose solo career was stillborn with this one record, promos of which were melted down. But it’s a glorious, if raw affirmation of everything the label was about: high-speed drums, delirious chorus and the thrill of love dripping from every pore. One copy of the record sold in 1996 for a reputed £15,000. SY Neil Young 1977 Young’s guitar classic became a much-requested highlight of The Old Grey Whistle Test, with footage of the (even then) grizzled Canadian battling against a wind machine while soloing to infinity and beyond. But it’s the match of Young’s frenzied playing and the lyrics that gives the song its bite. Anyone could write of being “blown away” by the hurricane of love. “I want to love you but I’m getting blown away” is a much more arresting thought. Young revamped it for pump organ in 1993: it’s just as good that way. CS Only Love Can Break Your Heart Neil Young 1970 Those raised on Saint Etienne’s epochal dance version might initially balk at the funereal tempo, but they’re usually won over by the time Stephen Stills’s languid harmonies come round. Written for Graham Nash after his break-up with Joni Mitchell, in the lyric Young advocates a retreat into a child’s world rather than taking a gamble on love, before suggesting he’d like to “call” his damaged friend to see if he could “come out”. It’s a typically heartfelt and understated piece of songwriting. MH

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20 Songs You Might Not Know Were Covers | Mental Floss 20 Songs You Might Not Know Were Covers Fanpop.com Like us on Facebook When a song becomes popular, sometimes people forget (or are unaware) that the new hit actually originated with another artist. The popular cover might be ahead of its time or re-arranged with a fresher, more modern take, but somehow it managed to find a bigger audience than the original.  1. “Torn” — Natalie Imbruglia (1997) // Ednaswap (1995) The Cover The Original In 1997, pop star Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” was a No. 1 hit throughout Europe, the United States, and her native Australia. But the song was first performed and recorded by Los Angeles-based alternative band Ednaswap for their 1995 self-titled debut. A number of recording artists throughout the years have covered the song, but Imbruglia’s version is the most successful and popular iteration of the hit single, and it  earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance . 2. “Don’t Turn Around” — Ace of Base (1994) // Tina Turner (1986) The Cover The Original Swedish pop group Ace of Base released a hit single titled “Don’t Turn Around” in 1994. The song reached the #4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the pop group’s third hit song after “All That She Wants” and “The Sign.” Songwriters Diane Warren and Albert Hammond (of “It Never Rains in Southern California” fame) originally wrote “Don’t Turn Around” for Tina Turner and were disappointed when the record label relegated it to the B-side of the single “Typical Man” in 1986. Neil Diamond also covered the song in 1992 , but Ace of Base’s version is the most popular. 3. “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” — Cyndi Lauper (1983) // Robert Hazard (1979) The Cover The Original Cyndi Lauper’s first hit single as a solo artist, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” reached the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. Lauper was nominated for two Grammys for the song, including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Performance. Self-proclaimed Country-Western fan Robert Hazard  originally wrote and recorded “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” as a demo for his band Robert Hazard and the Heroes in 1979. (Hazard never released his version, though.) 4. “Tainted Love" — Soft Cell (1981) // Gloria Jones (1965) The Cover The Original In 1965, American singer Gloria Jones recorded the original version of “Tainted Love” as the B-side to the single “My Bad Boy’s Comin’ Home.” The song was a commercial failure, but gained a small cult following in underground British nightclubs in the late '70s. English synth-pop duo Soft Cell recorded a modern version of “Tainted Love” in 1981. Soft Cell’s version was a No. 1 hit in eight countries, while it reached the No. 8 spot in the United States in 1982. 5. “Respect” — Aretha Franklin (1967) // Otis Redding (1965) The Cover The Original In 1965, Otis Redding wrote and recorded the song “Respect." Two years later, R&B singer Aretha Franklin popularized it, and the song became her signature. Both versions have the similar lyrics (though Franklin's added the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" chorus to the song), but Franklin’s invokes female empowerment while Redding’s is a euphemism for sex.  6. “I Love Rock 'n' Roll” — Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (1981) // Arrows (1975) The Cover The Original Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker—the frontmen of the British rock band Arrows— wrote and recorded the anthem “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” in 1975. The song got the band a TV appearance on the show 45, which eventually led to the band getting its own TV show based on their performance of the song. In 1976, while she was on tour in England with her band The Runaways , Joan Jett watched Arrows perform the song on their show. Then, in 1981, Joan Jett recorded a version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” with her new band The Blackhearts. It became a No. 1 hit single in the United States for seven weeks and was certified platinum when it sold over one million units. 7. “Nothing Compares 2 U" — Sinead O’Connor (1990) // The Family (1985) The Cover The Original Music icon Prince wrote and originally recorded the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” for his side project The Family in 1985. While the song received little recognition, Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor popularized it in 1990. O'Connor won three Moonmen Awards at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, and Best Post-Modern Video. 8. “Hey Joe” — The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966) // The Leaves (1965) The Cover The Original While the authorship of the song “Hey Joe” is ambiguous and unclear, the earliest recording of the song dates to 1965 , by the California-based garage band The Leaves. “Hey Joe” was a modest hit for The Leaves, but it was The Jimi Hendrix Experience's first hit single overseas in 1966. It peaked at No. 6 on the U.K. Singles Chart in 1967, but it failed to gain any recognition in the United States. Over the years, the song became iconic; Rolling Stone placed it at #201 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . 9. “It’s Oh So Quiet”— Björk (1995) // Betty Hutton (1951) The Cover The Original In 1995, Icelandic solo artist Björk released a cover song titled “It’s Oh So Quiet,” which American actress/singer Betty Hutton first recorded in 1951 . The song was a B-side to Hutton’s single “Murder, He Says.” “It’s Oh So Quiet” remains Björk’s biggest hit, peaking at the No. 4 spot in the United Kingdom. The song’s popularity was partly due to director Spike Jonze’s infectious music video that included large dance numbers and sweeping camera movements. 10. “Manic Monday” — The Bangles (1986) // Apollonia 6 (1984) The Cover The Original Prince wrote “Manic Monday” for his female trio band Apollonia 6 for their self-titled debut in 1984. Ultimately, he pulled the song from the album and later offered it to the band The Bangles under the pseudonym “Christopher,” a character he played in the 1986 film Under the Cherry Moon. “Manic Monday” was a huge hit for The Bangles, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list—just behind Prince and the Revolution’s “Kiss.” 11. “Hound Dog” — Elvis Presley (1956) // Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (1953) The Cover The Original Songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote “Hound Dog” for Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton in 1953. While Thornton’s original version was a No. 1 hit on the R&B charts for seven weeks , Elvis Presley’s iteration immediately became the most popular after its 1956 release. Presley’s version was a crossover success that spent 11 weeks on the top of country, pop, and R&B charts simultaneously. “Hound Dog” was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” 12. “Cum On Feel The Noize" — Quiet Riot (1983) // Slade (1973) The Cover The Original In 1973, British glam rock band Slade released “Cum On Feel The Noize," which went straight to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom and Ireland and was a top 10 single throughout parts of Europe. Ten years later, American heavy metal band Quiet Riot recorded and popularized song in the United States. The single reached the No. 5 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. 13. “I Want Candy" — Bow Wow Wow (1982) // The Strangeloves (1965) The Cover The Original American music producers Bert Berns, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer recorded a bubblegum pop tune titled “I Want Candy” in 1965. Donning shaggy wigs and zebra-print vests, Feldman, Goldstein, and Gottehrer took it upon themselves to perform the song as the faux Australian pop trio The Strangeloves. In 1982, British New Wave band Bow Wow Wow released “I Want Candy,” with its music video receiving heavy airplay and rotation during the early days of MTV. Although Bow Wow Wow would have many admirers throughout the years, including Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt, this was the band’s only hit song in the U.S. 14. “I Think We’re Alone Now" — Tiffany (1987) // Tommy James and the Shondells (1967) The Cover The Original In 1967, American songwriter Ritchie Cordell wrote the single “I Think We’re Alone Now” for the rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. The song was a hit, reaching the No. 4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Twenty year later, “I Think We’re Alone Now” was popularized by teen recording artist Tiffany, whose version reached the top spot on Billboard’s list for two weeks. Its music video launched the then-16-year-old into pop music stardom. Interestingly, Tiffany's song was replaced at No. 1 by Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony,” another cover of a Tommy James and the Shondells single. 15. “When The Levee Breaks" — Led Zeppelin (1971) // Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie (1929) The Cover The Original In 1971, British rock band Led Zeppelin re-arranged and popularized the song “When the Levee Breaks” for their fourth album, which is referred to as Led Zeppelin IV. Husband and wife singer-songwriters Kansas Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie originally recorded “When the Levee Breaks” as a blues song in 1929 about the Great Mississippi Flood that took place a few years earlier. But Led Zeppelin’s arena rock anthem became an iconic piece of music from the '70s, and the song would go on to be highly influential among rock bands and hip-hop artists since its release. 16. “Hard To Handle” — The Black Crowes (1990) // Otis Redding (1968) The Cover The Original Posthumously released on the aptly titled “The Immortal Otis Redding” in 1968, “Hard To Handle” was a fitting single for a legendary musician. While the single only reached No. 38 on the R&B charts, a cover by the Georgia-based band The Black Crowes was their  breakthrough single —it reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks in 1990. 17. “I Swear” — All-4-One (April 1994) // John Michael Montgomery (1993) The Cover The Original American songwriters Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers wrote the love ballad “I Swear” for country music recording artist John Michael Montgomery, who released it in December 1993. The single reached the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart, and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 , hitting No. 42. A few months later in April 1994, the R&B quartet All-4-One released their rendition of “I Swear,” which became a bigger hit than the original. Their version reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 and was certified Platinum by the end of 1994. 18. “Don’t Cha” — The Pussycat Dolls (April 2005) // Tori Alamaze (March 2005) The Cover The Original In March 2005, recording artist Tori Alamaze released “Don’t Cha” as her debut single. When the song failed to gain mainstream attention, Universal Records dropped Alamaze from their label and the song’s producer CeeLo Green gave the song to the girl group The Pussycat Dolls. Just one month later, The Pussycat Dolls released “Don’t Cha” as their debut single, and the song received positive reviews and reached No. 2 on Billboard. The Pussycat Dolls’ version went on to sell more than 6 million copies worldwide , while Alamaze was all but forgotten. 19. “The Tide Is High” — Blondie (1980) // The Paragons (1967) The Cover The Original The Paragons were a Jamaican ska/rockstead band whose vocal harmonies were influenced by American soul and R&B groups. In 1967, they released a single called “The Tide is High,” written by band member John Holt. Thirteen years later, Blondie guitarist Chris Stein discovered the track on a reggae compilation album he’d bought in England. Blondie recorded it for their Autoamerican album, adding strings and a horn section (borrowed from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show band). “The Tide is High” went on to become Blondie’s second No. 1 single. 20. “Black and White” — Three Dog Night (1972) // Greyhound (1971) The Cover The Original “Black and White” was written in 1954 by David Arkin and Earl Robinson in response to the Brown vs The Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court decision that outlawed racial segregation in U.S. public schools. Several artists recorded the tune—Pete Seeger and Sammy Davis Jr. among them—but a British reggae group called Greyhound took it to the U.K. Top 10 in 1971. A year later, American band Three Dog Night recorded the song and topped both the Billboard pop and easy listening charts. More from mental_floss...

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Neil Diamond - Songwriter, Singer - Biography.com Neil Diamond Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond wrote "I'm A Believer" for The Monkees, and peformed his own pop hits, including "Heartlight" and "Sweet Caroline." IN THESE GROUPS » quotes “I've never tried to be what I'm not. I am what I am: raggedy, over-the-top, heartfelt, emotional, reflective, passionate, angry and sad at times.” “I'm a 'people pleaser'—I think most performers are, and when I'm in front of an audience I'll try to make those folks happy any which way I can.” —Neil Diamond Synopsis Born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 24, 1941, Neil Diamond began writing songs while studying at New York University. His own hits include "Sweet Caroline," "America" and "Heartlight." He also wrote "I'm A Believer" performed by The Monkees, and his song "Red, Red Wine" was a big hit for band UB40 in 1983. Diamond's recent albums include 12 Songs (2005) and Home Before Dark (2008). Career Beginnings Born on January 24, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, Neil Leslie Diamond was is best known as a successful pop music singer who scored a number of hits during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Diamond wrote the hits "I'm A Believer" (1966) and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" (1967) for the Monkees, and had his own first No. 1 hit with "Cracklin' Rosie" (1970). The son of a shop owner, Diamond spent most of his youth in Brooklyn. He did live in Wyoming for a time while his father served in the military. Diamond got his first guitar at age 16. Before long, he began writing his own songs. Diamond landed a fencing scholarship to New York University. While a premed student at the university, he continued to pursue his interest in music. In the early 1960s, Diamond released his first single, "What Will I Do," which he recorded with Jack Packer. The duo released the song under the name "Neil & Jack." Early Hits Eventually dropping out of college, Neil Diamond worked as a song writer for several companies. He joined forces with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, two talented songwriters and producers. The trio began to market Diamond as both a singer and songwriter. Diamond had his first taste of pop success with the 1966 single "Solitary Man." That same year, he penned the Monkees' No. 1 hit "I'm a Believer." Diamond continued to score hits on his own over the next few years, including "Cherry, Cherry" and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon." His popular 1969 single, "Sweet Caroline," was reportedly inspired by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy. In 2014, during an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Diamond put that particular rumor to rest saying the song was written about his wife. The song made it into the Billboard Top 5. That same year, Diamond's "Holly Holy" reached the No. 6 spot on the pop charts. Top Pop Star In 1970, Neil Diamond scored his first solo No. 1 pop single with "Cracklin' Rosie." He hit the top of the charts again with "Song Sung Blue" two years later. Also in 1972, Diamond released the hugely popular Hot August Night, which was recorded at a series of concerts he did at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre. He also composed the soundtrack for the 1973 film Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, based on the Richard Bach book. While the movie was a flop at the box office, the soundtrack earned Diamond a Grammy Award. Diamond scored another big hit with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," his 1978 duet with Barbra Streisand. In 1980, he tried for success on the big screen with his remake of The Jazz Singer. Critics were less than kind regarding his efforts, but the film's soundtrack featured such hits as "Love on the Rocks" and "America." The Jazz Singer album sold more than 5 million copies. Other artists have also made the charts with their own renditions of Diamond's songs. The British band UB40 hit it big with "Red, Red Wine" in 1983, and Urge Overkill's cover of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" was featured on the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994). In 1996, Diamond released the album Tennessee Moon, which marked his first foray into country music. He teamed up with Rick Rubin for 12 Songs (2005), which was heralded as a comeback for Diamond. "They call it a 'comeback.' For me, I never thought that I was away," Diamond later told Newsweek. While Diamond hadn't been on the charts in a while, he remained a very popular live act. 12 Songs put him back on the album charts, reaching as high as the No. 4 spot.

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Kathleen Ferrier (Contralto) - Short Biography Kathleen Ferrier (Contralto) Born: April 22, 1912 - Preston suburb of Higher Walton, Lancashire, England Died: October 8, 1953 - London, England In the 41 years that made her life, Kathleen Ferrier became one of the best-loved and most admired singers in the world. Ferrierן¿½s voice was a true contralto - quite a rarity ן¿½ not a forced-down mezzo, and her style of singing was uniquely British. The daughter of a school-teacher, Kathleen Ferrier left school at the age of 14 and became a telephone operator on the Blackburn exchange. Not the most promising of beginnings for a future interpreter of George Frideric Handel , Gustav Mahler and Gluck. Yet her background had been musical, her mother had insisted she had piano lessons from an early age, and her father was a music teacher and enthusiastic chorister who had instilled rigid principles of musicality into his daughter. If a piece was to be played it was to be played properly, and according to the composerן¿½s intentions. By the time she was 17 she had passed her ARCM examination in piano and undoubtedly could, had she wished, have become a concert pianist. But, although she regularly entered piano competitions as an amateur, she chose marriage instead. Had that worked out, and had she become a mother, music would never have been more than a hobby, albeit a passionate one. The marriage, however, was a disaster and annulled - yet she was indebted to her husband for at least one gesture. In 1937 the Carlisle Festival took place and Kathleen had entered as a pianist. He bet her a shilling she would not also enter as a singer (she has previously sung in public at a few minor, unpaid functions), and she took him up. She sang Roger Quilterן¿½s To Daisies and won both categories. The Carlisle Journal recorded that she had ן¿½one of the finest voicesן¿½ they had heard. From then on, at the age of 25, Kathleen Ferrier became a professional singer, learning her trade by appearing virtually wherever she was asked. Her first professional engagement was at he Aspatria Harvest Festival for which she received a fee of 7s.6d. She took singing lessons from a local teacher, J.E. Hutchinson, regularly driving for lessons to Carlisle from her home in Silloth in a second-hand Morris. She was a proficient pupil and he a dedicated teacher. It became apparent to both of them that the Ferrier voice has possibilities of which neither of them has initially dreamed. In 1942, three years after war had broken out, Kathleen Ferrier moved to London to try her luck as a concert singer. Her first recital was at lunchtime concert at the National Gallery organized by Dame Myra Hess , where she sang (in English) Lieder by Johannes Brahms , Schubert and Wolf. She continued her studies, but this time under Roy Henderson, a celebrated former Glyndebourne baritone. Part of the individual timbre of the Kathleen Ferrier voice is due to the fact that it is a natural sound with no conservatory training. Both Hutchinson and Henderson conceded that that the voice was already there when she came to them and that they merely refined and coached the instrument. On May 17, 1943 Kathleen Ferrier appeared in G.F. Handel ן¿½s Messiah at Westminster Abbey with fellow soloists Isobele Baillie , Peter Pears and William Parsons, conducted by Reginald Jacques . Benjamin Britten was in the audience. Critic Neville Cardus singled out this appearance as the moment when Ferrier first ן¿½made a serious appeal to musiciansן¿½. Numerous oratorios followed including Edward Elgar ן¿½s The Kingdom and The Dream of Gerontius, Felix Mendelssohn ן¿½s Elijah and J.S. Bachן¿½s B minor Mass ( BWV 232 ), plus recitals and performances of J. Brahms ן¿½ Alto Rhapsody and Four Serious Songs. In 1946 Kathleen Ferrier sang Lucretia in the premiere of B. Britten ן¿½s The Rape of Lucretia for the reopening of Glyndebourne after the war, a part the composer specifically tailored to her talents. The following year saw the inauguration of the Edinburgh Festival for which Bruno Walter had been invited to conduct the Wiener Philharmoniker . He had chosen Das Lied von der Erde, having been a pupil of G. Mahler . G. Mahler was largely unknown to British audiences, his music considered too rich for British palates. Ferrier was 34 at the time and Bruno Walter decided hers was the perfect voice for the work. She began to specialize in G. Mahler and sang not only Das Lied von der Erde but also the Kindertotenlieder and the Rückert-Lieder all over Europe and in subsequent tours of America. For many among the audience it was their first taste of the composer. It is in no small part thanks to Ferrierן¿½s perseverance that G. Mahler is now so popular both in Britain and America, Bruno Walter himself was so impressed by Ferrierן¿½s singing that he paid her the ultimate compliment of personally accompanying her at the piano during various recitals. Numerous British, continent and American concerts followed. In these Kathleen Ferrier reintroduced many previously neglected British songs to her audiences, such as Blow the wind southerly, Now sleeps the crimson petal and Ma bonny lad, some of which she was castigated for singing at the time, as they were considered artistically inferior but which now, thanks to her courage in recording them, form a much-loved part of her musical heritage. In 1953, at the request of John Barbirolli , Kathleen Ferrier was engaged to sing Orpheus at Covent Garden in a new production of Gluckן¿½s Orfeo et Euredice (she had first sung the role at Glyndebourne in 1947). This was to be sung in English and re-titled Orpheus. Critics were unanimous in their praise of her singing and interpretation but, tragically, she lived only long enough to complete two performances before succumbing to the cancer against which she had valiantly struggled for the last years of her life. Source: Liner notes to CD series ן¿½Kathleen Ferrier - Vol. 2, 3 & 7ן¿½ (Decca, 1992, Author: Maurice Leonard) Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2001) Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works Conductor

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Kathleen Ferrier — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm 20th century Kathleen Ferrier (1912–1953) started singing professionally late; she was thirty when she did her first performance as a soloist (in Händel’s ‘Messiah’). She only performed in two operas, Britten’s ‘The Rape of Lucretia’ (1946) and Gluck’s ‘Orfeo ed Eudridice’ (1947). Her rising star as a highly characteristic alto was cut short when she died at only 41; from breast cancer. Luckily, she managed to do many recordings in her too brief career, among the most treasured… read more Play album Buy

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"Blow The Wind Southerly" | Kathleen Ferrier - YouTube "Blow The Wind Southerly" | Kathleen Ferrier Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Dec 30, 2013 'Blow the Wind Southerly', arr. W. G. Whittaker English Traditional, Northumbrian Folk Song. Kathleen Ferrier (22.III.1912 Higher Walton, Lancashire - 8.X.1953 London, England) was an English contralto singer who achieved an international reputation with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the classical works. Her death from cancer, at the height of her fame, was a shock to the musical world and particularly to the general public, which was kept in ignorance of the nature of her illness until after her death. I remember my mother saying when Kathleen Ferrier died that we had lost a voice that could never be replaced. Sixty years later one has only to hear a few notes to know that it is her, and what a wonderful sound it is! She was especially known in Britain for her unaccompanied recording of the Northumbrian folk tune Blow the Wind Southerly, which was played regularly on BBC Radio for many years after her death. Other Recordings: Ombra mai fù http://youtu.be/Z4wTylAZhxw The text to Blow the Wind Southerly was first published in England in an 1834 collection of songs, ballads, and various other writings called The Bishoprick Garland and was edited by J. Ritson. Actually, only a small part of that poem was used for this traditional song. The melody probably predates the early nineteenth century origins of the text. The authors of both the words and music are anonymous, but the song can be traced to Northumbrian County in northern England. The leisurely paced melody is lovely in its sentimental charm and carefree, folk-ish manner. Oddly, its closing phrase bears a striking resemblance to the last notes in the famous melody to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." The two themes are otherwise of a different emotional cast, Blow the Wind Southerly is hardly jovial in its sense of longing, but it is gentle and light in its melancholy. The text speaks of a young woman beseeching the wind to blow southerly to bring her lover's ship to shore. This delightful song will appeal to most listeners with an interest in traditional song. KATHLEEN FERRIER. Althought her career was tragically short, Ferrier was among the most famous English singers of the twentieth century. Her contralto voice - a rarity in itself - was characterized by a firm, warm tone that found its expressive niche in the great works of oratorio and art song, as well as in her two operatic roles (only two!): Lucretia in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia and Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. During the years of WWII Ferrier toured widely in England, gaining a reputation as an especially fine concert artist. She joined the Bach Choir in London, and was alto soloist for a 1943 performance of Handel's Messiah at Westminster Abbey. Benjamin Britten first put her on the operatic stage at Glyndebourne on July 12, 1946, in the premiere of his chamber opera The Rape of Lucretia. She then toured with the work throughout England and appeared on an historic recording of major extracts from the work conducted by the composer. Britten would later compose the alto part in his Canticle No. 2 for her. She appeared in the United States for the first time in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the New York Philharmonic and Bruno Walter; her subsequent recording of the work - also under Walter's direction - remains a classic. Walter also appeared as her accompanist in lieder recitals in Edinburgh and London. Another of Ferrier's notable successes was the part of the Angel in Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. In February 1953, Covent Garden staged Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice specifically for Ferrier, who was deemed ideal for the part of Orpheus. However, she was able to appear in only two of the scheduled four performances because of weakness caused by her already advanced cancer. These were her last appearances; she died in London on October 8, 1953. Before she died she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The opera critic Rupert Christiansen, writing as the 50th anniversary of Ferrier's death approached, maintained that "no singer in this country has ever been more deeply loved, as much for the person she was as for the voice she uttered". Her death, he continued, "quite literally shattered the euphoria of the Coronation" (which had taken place on 2 June 1953) Ian Jack, editor of Granta, believed that she "may well have been the most celebrated woman in Britain after the Queen." Among the many tributes from her colleagues, that of Bruno Walter has been highlighted by biographers: "The greatest thing in music in my life has been to have known Kathleen Ferrier and Gustav Mahler - in that order". Very few singers, Lord Harewood writes, "have earned so powerful a valedictory from so senior a colleague". At a memorial service at Southwark Cathedral on 14 November 1953 the Bishop of Croydon, in his eulogy, said of Ferrier's voice: "She seemed to bring into this world a radiance from another world" Category

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Kathleen Ferrier - Concerts, Biography & News - BBC Music Read more about sharing. Kathleen Ferrier Biography (Wikipedia) Kathleen Mary Ferrier, CBE (22 April 1912 – 8 October 1953) was an English contralto singer who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the classical works of Bach, Brahms, Mahler and Elgar. Her death from cancer, at the height of her fame, was a shock to the musical world and particularly to the general public, which was kept in ignorance of the nature of her illness until after her death. The daughter of a Lancashire village schoolmaster, Ferrier showed early talent as a pianist, and won numerous amateur piano competitions while working as a telephonist with the General Post Office. She did not take up singing seriously until 1937, when after winning a prestigious singing competition at the Carlisle Festival she began to receive offers of professional engagements as a vocalist. Thereafter she took singing lessons, first with J.E. Hutchinson and later with Roy Henderson. After the outbreak of the Second World War Ferrier was recruited by the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), and in the following years sang at concerts and recitals throughout England. In 1942 her career was boosted when she met the conductor Malcolm Sargent, who recommended her to the influential Ibbs and Tillett concert management agency. She became a regular performer at leading London and provincial venues, and made numerous BBC radio broadcasts. This entry is from Wikipedia , the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License . If you find the biography content factually incorrect or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia . Find out more about our use of this data. Show more

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Kathleen Ferrier - Contralto Corner Contralto Corner Contact Kathleen Ferrier Her career started with a private bet with her husband, and ended up with composers such as Benjamin Britten creating roles for her (Lucretia). She also sang Bach and Handel and Mahler, as well as traditional English folk songs. She had been suffering from bone cancer, and during her final performance of Orpheus, her thigh bone splintered. Ferrier finished the performance, and had to be carried out on a stretcher. She died a few months later. HOME > CONTRALTO PROFILES > KATHLEEN FERRIER Kathleen Ferrier was (and still is) one of the world’s great singers. Her appeal transcends all ages and seemingly all generations, more so perhaps than any other singer. She died more than fifty years ago, yet she is still remembered and her voice is still heard and loved by millions around the world. Kathleen Mary Ferrier was born on 22 April 1912 at Higher Walton , a village near Preston in Lancashire in the North of England. She died in London on 8 October 1953. During her short career she went from one triumph to another, received the adulation of her peers, of critics and of audiences all over the world and still maintained her natural charm, nobility, humility, humour and love for truth, people and life. Kathleen’s father was the village schoolmaster at Higher Walton. A good singer himself, he taught most of the music at the school. He later became a headmaster in Blackburn and the family moved there when Kathleen was two years old. Kathleen did not begin her career as a singer. She was a keen member of the school choir but even then she had a big voice and she was usually asked just to stand at the back and sing quietly. Her mother, keen to encourage Kathleen’s musical interest, arranged piano lessons for her and, as a talented young pianist of only 14 she passed the final grade of the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music . A newspaper of the time called this ‘an unprecedented success for so youthful a student.’ Kathleen left school at 14 and went to work for the GPO in Blackburn, first in the telegrams department and then as a switchboard operator. In July 1930, at the age of 18, Kathleen took part in her first concert as a pianist, which was broadcast from Manchester , and began to accompany many local singers in a musical scene which was very active in Lancashire. She regularly entered and won all the major music festivals, but had become interesting in singing and began taking some rudimentary lessons from the singers she accompanied. By the time Kathleen was 23 she was married and living in Silloth , on the Cumbrian coast, where her husband was the local bank manager. Kathleen gave piano lessons to the local children. When she entered the prestigious Carlisle Festival in 1937 as a pianist, her husband bet her a shilling that she dare not enter for the singing contest as well as the piano prize. Never one to refuse a dare Kathleen accepted the challenge, entered the contralto solo class and not only carried off both trophies, but won the first prize for the best singer at the Festival. Carlisle was a turning point, and this brilliant new singer was in great demand. In 1939 she made her first radio broadcast as a singer. Kathleen was approached by CEMA – the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, and the forerunner of the Arts Council of Great Britain . It was now wartime and CEMA were doing an ENSA style job in bringing music to people in the factories, villages and hostels throughout Britain, during the war years. In June 1941 she signed up with CEMA and her professional career had effectively begun. The CEMA tours were hard but invaluable and important training for Kathleen. Wartime travel was extremely difficult and the venues were geographically haphazard, the North one day, South next, North the day after, and so on. She sang in church halls, cinemas, schools and factories – in fact anywhere where an audience could be got together. In 1942 Kathleen sang for the great English conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent who told her that she had a great future, but that to further her career she must live in London. With the help of her sister, Winifred, the decision was made and they moved into a flat in Hampstead . Kathleen began lessons with the baritone singer Professor Roy Henderson who helped to improve Kathleen’s voice dramatically. Kathleen’s career began to take off. She made records and became well known on the concert platform and in all the great oratorio works, particularly the Messiah and Elgar's masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius. The composer Benjamin Britten wrote his second opera, The Rape of Lucretia, with Kathleen in mind for the title role. Kathleen sang for the first time in New York in 1948, to great acclaim, and then began tours of America, Canada, Holland, Scandinavia and America again. The problems of travelling abroad were almost as bad as travelling at home. Stars in those days did not have the entourages they have now, and Kathleen was mostly on her own, coping with indifferent and sometimes non-existent hotel arrangements. During 1951 Kathleen had an operation to remove a malignant breast tumour. This seemed to be successful and she resumed her career after a spell in hospital. She toured again, at home and abroad and was one half of many brilliant collaborations – with Roy Henderson, Benjamin Britten, Sir John Barbirolli and the great German conductor Bruno Walter , with whom she was instrumental in bringing the work of the composer Gustav Mahler to a much wider audience. Throughout 1952 she was dogged by problems of movement and it was found that further treatment was necessary. Determined as ever, she fulfilled as many of her commitments as she could between regular hospital visits. Eventually though, she was unable to meet the travel demands. She and Barbirolli were working on an English version of Orfeo and it was as much as she could do to keep up with this. Despite a further operation her condition continued to deteriorate and she was re-admitted to hospital where she died on 8 October 1953. Kathleen Ferrier’s life was not a tragic one, even despite its brevity. She was forty-one years old when she died. In the ten years or so of fame which were granted her she achieved more than most singers achieve in a lifetime. In tribute Bruno Walter said that the greatest privileges in his life were to have known and worked with Kathleen Ferrier and Gustav Mahler – in that order. © The Kathleen Ferrier Society

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Kathleen Ferrier (Contralto) - "I Know Where I'm Going" - YouTube Kathleen Ferrier (Contralto) - "I Know Where I'm Going" Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Oct 10, 2011 I was reminded of Kathleen Ferrier's lovely performance of this old folk song here by Denis Healey (Baron Healey) in his appearance on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs". I must explore more of her work. "The Lancashire-born contralto Kathleen Ferrier (1912- 1953) proved to be the most significant British female singer to emerge after the end of the Second World War in 1945. Her professional singing career spanned a single decade (1942-1953), but in that time she rose to international recognition in a remarkably short time. Her early death from cancer at the age of 41, far from allowing her name and reputation to disappear with time, has increased her reputation through her recordings for succeeding generations. Her memory also remains undimmed for those who heard her in person. It was a unique voice that transcends time. As the Daily Mail commented following her death: "The singer who stirred the world more than any other artist of her time"." (Naxos Records). Here are the words, as sung here (as with all folk music, there are now multiple versions of the lyrics after years of these words being passed down the generations - primarily by word of mouth): I know where I'm going And I know who's goin' with me I know who I love But the dear knows who I'll marry. I have stockings of silk Shoes of fine green leather Combs to buckle me hair And a ring for every finger. Some say he's black But I say he's bonnie The fairest of them all My handsome winsome Johnny. And painted rooms are bonnie But I would leave them all To go with my love Johnny. I know where I'm going And I know who's goin' with me I know who I love But the dear knows who I'll marry". For me, "Donny" would work very well ;) Category Standard YouTube License Music

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RITA COOLIDGE ALL TIME HIGH James Bond 007 OCTOPUSSY The val doonican show 1983 - YouTube RITA COOLIDGE ALL TIME HIGH James Bond 007 OCTOPUSSY The val doonican show 1983 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Sep 17, 2012 Clip from THE VAL DOONICAN MUSIC SHOW 1983 Featuring Rita Coolidge Performing The title track to the JAMES BOND film OCTOPUSSY. Category

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Title Theme Songs From The James Bond Films Quantum Of Solace - Daniel Craig Another Way To Die - Alicia Keys & Jack White "Never Say Never": a remake of the 4th Bond Film "Thunderball" is not part of the franchise that is ENO Productions, thus not an official James Bond film. There have been 22 official films, Daniel Craig is the 6th Bond & the 1st Bond to be blonde-haired & blue-eyed. The song by Alicia Keys & Jack White (2008) is the first ever duet to be featured as a main theme. Many Thanks To the Music Contributors See also John Barry as a Feature page [ HERE ]

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All Time High by Rita Coolidge Songfacts All Time High by Rita Coolidge Songfacts Songfacts Rita Coolidge's career hit an all time high when she got to perform this theme song to the James Bond movie Octopussy. However, Coolidge was never a big fan of the song, as she felt the lyrics were never really finished. The song was written by film composer John Barry and lyricist Tim Rice, who both worked on the music for Octopussy. Coolidge flew to London to record the song, and found that Rice was still working on the lyrics. "Even after we did the record, the song felt a little incomplete," she said. Audiences did not share Coolidge's reticence, and the song was a hit. Bond themes are not literal, but written to capture the mood of the characters. This song is written from the perspective of a typical Bond girl who falls in love with 007 and finds herself on a thrilling adventure. It Octopussy's producer Cubby Broccoli who chose Coolidge for the theme song. His daughter was a big fan of Rita, and convinced her dad that she was the right vocalist. This is one of the few Bond theme songs that is not titled after the movie; understandable when you consider the implications of releasing a song called "Octopussy." The next Bond theme without the movie in the title was " You Know My Name ," which Chris Cornell wrote for the 2006 film Casino Royale. Cornell had no interest in writing a song titled "Casino Royale," but he would have written one called "Octopussy." "Nobody wrote a song called 'Octopussy' but I think that was a mistake!," he told The Sun. "They had a great opportunity and they squandered it." This song plays a part in the 2012 movie Ted, where Mark Wahlberg's character takes the stage at a Norah Jones and sings the song (poorly) to his estranged girlfriend, since they watched the movie Octopussy on their first night together. Wahlberg gets booed off the stage, but his talking bear companion says, "Still better than Katy Perry."

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Sam Smith sings theme song for James Bond film 'Spectre' - CNN.com 1 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers English singer Matt Monro is best known for his hearty rendition of the theme tune for 1963's "From Russia with Love." (The first James Bond movie, "Dr. No," had an instrumental title song.) Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Shirley Bassey, perhaps the most iconic Bond theme-song singer, sang the title theme to 1964's Goldfinger." Bassey brought her strong, distinctive voice back to the series in title tunes for 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever" and 1979's "Moonraker." Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Welsh singer Tom Jones, best known for hits like "What's New Pussycat" and "She's a Lady," sang the title tune for 1965's "Thunderball." Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers These boots were made for walking, but she was made for singing: Nancy Sinatra performed the theme to "You Only Live Twice" in 1967. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Jazz great Louis Armstrong sang "We Have All the Time in the World," the secondary musical theme from the 1969 Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The song became a hit in the UK 25 years later when it was featured in a Guinness beer commercial. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Paul and then-wife Linda McCartney and their pop group Wings performed the title number from 1973's "Live and Let Die," the first of the Bond movies to star Roger Moore as Agent 007. The song is still a staple of Paul McCartney's live concerts. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Scottish pop singer Lulu sang the title song for 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun." Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Carly Simon scored a major radio hit with "Nobody Does it Better," the theme from the 1977 Bond film, "The Spy Who Loved Me." Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers After the band Blondie recorded another version that was rejected, Scottish pop star Sheena Easton was tapped to sing "For Your Eyes Only" for the 1981 Bond movie of the same name. The song reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Hide Caption Photos: James Bond theme song singers Rita Coolidge sang "All Time High," the theme from 1983's "Octopussy." Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers American singer Lani Hall, wife of bandleader Herb Alpert, sang the title song to 1983's "Never Say Never Again," which brought Sean Connery back for his final Bond role. The film was made by a different production company from the other James Bond movies, so some fans don't consider it part of the official series. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Singer Simon Le Bon and British pop group Duran Duran did the title song for 1985's "A View to a Kill." Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Norwegian pop band A-Ha recorded the title song for 1987's "The Living Daylights," the first of two films starring Timothy Dalton as Bond. It was the last theme written by longtime Bond composer John Barry. Hide Caption Photos: James Bond theme song singers Soul legend Gladys Knight sang the theme to "License to Kill" in 1989. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers After a six-year hiatus, the Bond series rebooted with 1995's "GoldenEye" and Pierce Brosnan in the lead role. Tina Turner sang the theme song, which was written by U2's Bono and the Edge. Hide Caption Photos: James Bond theme song singers Sheryl Crow performed the title song to 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies." Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Garbage, led by Shirley Manson, did the title track to 1999's "The World is Not Enough." Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Pop icon Madonna finally did her first and only Bond theme song in 2002 for "Die Another Day." Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers One of the few men to sing a Bond theme, rocker Chris Cornell performed "You Know My Name" from 2006's "Casino Royale." It was the first film to feature Daniel Craig as Bond. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Pop star Alicia Keys and blues rocker Jack White teamed up to sing "Another Way to Die," the theme from 2008's "Quantum of Solace." White also wrote the song. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers British pop star Adele sang the title theme from "Skyfall" in 2012. Three years later, the world is still awaiting the singer's long-delayed new album. Hide Caption

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Octopussy (1983) - FAQ The content of this page was created directly by users and has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff. Visit our FAQ Help to learn more FAQ How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie? For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Octopussy can be found here . What is 'Octopussy' about? When British agent 009 turns up dead holding a fake Faberge egg, MI6 director M ( Robert Brown ) sends 007 James Bond ( Roger Moore ) to follow the path of the real Faberge egg, which is currently being auctioned at Sotheby's Auction House in London. That path leads to an international smuggling operation, headed by a beautiful jewel smuggler known only as Octopussy ( Maud Adams ) along with exiled Afghani Prince Kamal Khan ( Louis Jourdan ), whom Bond observes meeting with renegade Russian General Orlov ( Steven Berkoff ) and planning to detonate a nuclear bomb at a U.S. Air Force Base in West Germany in hopes of forcing Europe into unilateral disarmament, leaving the borders open to Soviet invasion. Is "Octopussy" based on a book? All of the James Bond movies are based, in some part, upon novels by British author Ian Fleming [1908-1964]. The title Octopussy comes from Fleming's posthumous collection of short stories in Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966). However, very little of the short story "Octopussy" is featured in the film. The short story "Octopussy" deals with Bond and a character called Major Dexter-Smythe. This character turns out to be the father of Octopussy who, in one scene, recaps the events of the original short story to Bond. The scenes where Bond is bidding on the Faberg� egg at auction are taken from "Property of a Lady." This title is referenced in the catalog announcing the sale of the egg. The remainder of the film is an original story crafted by the screenwriters although some elements, such as Gobinda ( Kabir Bedi )'s crushing of the dice, are clearly inspired by events in earlier Bond films. Who sings the title song? Unlike most previous Bond movies, Octopussy does not have a true title song. The song that plays during the opening and closing credits is All Time High, sung by American singer, Rita Coolidge. However, a phrase from the song, "...we're two of a kind..." is used in the movie when Octopussy tells Bond that she and he are "two of a kind" and Bond agrees. Is Robert Brown playing Bernard Lee's M or a different M? Following the death of Bernard Lee , who played the role of M in previous Bond movies, Brown took over the role for Octopussy. Some fans have speculated that Brown is playing a different character, promoted to the position of M...perhaps Admiral Hargreaves, the character Brown played in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). M is the head of British intelligence in Fleming's novels (a reference to the real-life chief of the Secret Intelligence Service who is known as C, short for Cumming, as in Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, the first chief of SIS). M's full name is Admiral Sir Miles Messervey, K.C.M.G. Author Gary Giblin (James Bond's London) interviewed Octopussy director John Glen who confirmed that Brown was playing Lee's character M, not someone promoted to the position of M, and that only he and Brown would have remembered the character of Admiral Hargreaves anyway! What exotic places does Bond visit in this movie? The movie opens in an undisclosed Latin American country (presumably Cuba) where Bond is finishing a mission that has no relation to the rest of the movie. Bond is next seen in London where he is being briefed in the death of 009 in East Berlin. Because M suspects Russian involvement in both the death of 009 and the sale of the Faberg� egg, Bond is ordered to follow Kamal to Delhi, India in order to find out why he wants the egg so badly. When Bond hears that Orlov and Kamal are planning to meet at Karl-Marx-Stadt in East Berlin, it's off to Germany. In the finale, Bond returns to India just in time to save Octopussy. Just what is a Fabergé egg? As Bond describes it, a Faberg� egg is "one of the jeweled eggs made by Carl Faberg� as an Easter gift for the Russian royal family. They're priceless and very rare." Each year between 1885 and 1894, Russian jeweler Carl Faberg� [1846-1920] fashioned a jeweled egg for Czar Alexander III to give to his wife, the Empress Maria. The practice continued with the next Czar, Nicholas II, who ordered two eggs each year, one for his mother and one for his wife Alexandra, until his abdication in 1917. All totaled, Faberg� fashioned 105 eggs, of which only 69 are known to still exist. Why does Kamal want the Fabergé egg so badly? Kamal is a cog in a network that smuggles priceless treasures out of Russia. He employs jewelers that create well-crafted replications of the pieces. The thefts of the real items are accomplished by General Orlov, who steals the items from the Soviet Fine Art Repository and then replaces them with the fakes. Orlov does not know that 009 managed to get the fake egg to the British ambassador and believes that it was lost when 009 fell into a river, so now there is no replacement egg for the real one about to be auctioned. With no time to fashion another replacement before a scheduled inventory of the Repository, Orlov orders Kamal to buy back the real egg at any price. I have trouble following the path of the two eggs. The path of the eggs goes like this: 009 steals the fake egg and is killed for it, but, before he dies, he gets the fake egg to the British ambassador in East Berlin who sends it on to MI6. The real egg goes on auction at Sotheby's, where Bond switches the fake egg for the real one, causing Kamal to unknowingly buy the fake egg. Bond follows Kamal to Delhi, taking the real egg with him and using it for security in a game of Backgammon with Kamal. Kamal's accomplice, Magda ( Kristina Wayborn ), steals back the real egg from Bond. Of course, Bond knows that she has stolen the real egg, but he says nothing because he Q installed a homing device in it. Magda returns it to Kamal, who is now in possession of both the fake and the real egg. Kamal then gives the real egg to Orlov who smashes it, believing it to be a fake. How does Octopussy fit into the story? Although she makes a brief appearance (her back only) in the first half of the movie, Octopussy's face isn't seen until the second half. Octopussy is one of Kamal's accomplices. She owns a traveling international circus, and she uses it to help Kamal smuggle various jewels and treasures across the Soviet border into the Western world. She lives on a floating palace in Delhi. No one knows her real name. She got the name Octopussy from her father, Major Dexter-Smythe, who studied octopi. She uses a picture of a blue-ringed octopus as the icon for her Order of the Octopus and as tattoos on the women she employs as bandits, smugglers, and guards. How does Octopussy know James Bond? Bond was responsible for the capture of her father, Smythe, 20 years ago, after he was suspected of stealing a cache of Chinese gold and killing his partner. However, Bond gave Smythe 24 hours to settle his affairs. Smythe used those 24 hours to commit suicide and avoid the disgrace of a court martial. Instead of revenge when she finally meets Bond, Octopussy thanks him for giving her father an honorable way out of his predicament. How does the movie end? Among much fanfare, the circus train arrives at U.S. Air Force base in Feldstadt, West Germany at 2:20 and sets up for a show. The nuclear bomb in the Human Cannonball's cannon is set to go off at 3:45. Bond hitches a ride to the nearest town, then steals a car, and, with the politzei in hot pursuit, makes it to the base at 3:15, passing Kamal and Gobinda going in the opposite direction. With 5 minutes to spare, Bond dons a clown suit and walks into the main tent where the Human Cannonball's act is being announced. With 90 seconds to spare, he tries to convince the U.S. General that there is a bomb in the cannon, but the General just laughs, thinking that it's part of the act. Bond grabs an axe and tries to break the lock on the bomb, but the polizei overpower him. With 14 seconds to go, Octopussy suddenly steps forward and shoots off the lock. Bond is able to disarm the bomb just as it reaches 0. Shortly thereafter, back in India, Octopussy and Magda plot to avenge Kamal's betrayal, his having left them to die in the explosion. Octopussy's Octopus girls raid the Monsoon Palace, while Octopussy confronts Kamal. He tries to tell her that he was betrayed by Orlov and didn't know anything about the bomb. He then knocks out her down. She tries to escape but is knocked unconscious by Gobinda. When she regains consciousness, she is in Kamal's private plane. Having joined the raid in Q's hot air balloon, Bond follows the airplane and manages, while on horseback, to leap onto the tail just as the plane takes off. With the plane airborne, Bond inches forward on top the plane, Kamal all the while trying to knock him off by flying in rolls and loops. When Bond knocks out one of the plane's two engines, Kamal sends Gobinda out to kill Bond, but Bond knocks Gobinda to his death. He then gets into the cabin. Kamal begins to lose control of the plane and tries to land. As the plane skids along the ground, Bond and Octopussy jump off, just as the plane goes over a cliff and crashes. In the final scenes, Soviet General Gogol ( Walter Gotell ) asks M for the return of the Romanov star, while Bond recuperates in bed with Octopussy on her barge. Who are the two unfortunate men Bond finds in the freezer at Kamal's place? They are the forgers Kamal used to create the fake Romanov jewels. Bond overhears Orlov say "Can you trust them?" and Khan says he can assure Orlov of their silence (it's very quiet). They are followed off screen by Gobinda, who killed them or had them killed and hung them in the freezer. In the morning, they are thrown into a ditch for the tigers to dispose of them (though Bond takes the place of one).

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Check out Sam Smith's new James Bond theme - CNN.com 1 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers English singer Matt Monro is best known for his hearty rendition of the theme tune for 1963's "From Russia with Love." (The first James Bond movie, "Dr. No," had an instrumental title song.) Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Shirley Bassey, perhaps the most iconic Bond theme-song singer, sang the title theme to 1964's Goldfinger." Bassey brought her strong, distinctive voice back to the series in title tunes for 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever" and 1979's "Moonraker." Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Welsh singer Tom Jones, best known for hits like "What's New Pussycat" and "She's a Lady," sang the title tune for 1965's "Thunderball." Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers These boots were made for walking, but she was made for singing: Nancy Sinatra performed the theme to "You Only Live Twice" in 1967. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Jazz great Louis Armstrong sang "We Have All the Time in the World," the secondary musical theme from the 1969 Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The song became a hit in the UK 25 years later when it was featured in a Guinness beer commercial. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Paul and then-wife Linda McCartney and their pop group Wings performed the title number from 1973's "Live and Let Die," the first of the Bond movies to star Roger Moore as Agent 007. The song is still a staple of Paul McCartney's live concerts. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Scottish pop singer Lulu sang the title song for 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun." Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Carly Simon scored a major radio hit with "Nobody Does it Better," the theme from the 1977 Bond film, "The Spy Who Loved Me." Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers After the band Blondie recorded another version that was rejected, Scottish pop star Sheena Easton was tapped to sing "For Your Eyes Only" for the 1981 Bond movie of the same name. The song reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Hide Caption Photos: James Bond theme song singers Rita Coolidge sang "All Time High," the theme from 1983's "Octopussy." Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers American singer Lani Hall, wife of bandleader Herb Alpert, sang the title song to 1983's "Never Say Never Again," which brought Sean Connery back for his final Bond role. The film was made by a different production company from the other James Bond movies, so some fans don't consider it part of the official series. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Singer Simon Le Bon and British pop group Duran Duran did the title song for 1985's "A View to a Kill." Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Norwegian pop band A-Ha recorded the title song for 1987's "The Living Daylights," the first of two films starring Timothy Dalton as Bond. It was the last theme written by longtime Bond composer John Barry. Hide Caption Photos: James Bond theme song singers Soul legend Gladys Knight sang the theme to "License to Kill" in 1989. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers After a six-year hiatus, the Bond series rebooted with 1995's "GoldenEye" and Pierce Brosnan in the lead role. Tina Turner sang the theme song, which was written by U2's Bono and the Edge. Hide Caption Photos: James Bond theme song singers Sheryl Crow performed the title song to 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies." Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Garbage, led by Shirley Manson, did the title track to 1999's "The World is Not Enough." Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Pop icon Madonna finally did her first and only Bond theme song in 2002 for "Die Another Day." Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers One of the few men to sing a Bond theme, rocker Chris Cornell performed "You Know My Name" from 2006's "Casino Royale." It was the first film to feature Daniel Craig as Bond. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Pop star Alicia Keys and blues rocker Jack White teamed up to sing "Another Way to Die," the theme from 2008's "Quantum of Solace." White also wrote the song. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers British pop star Adele sang the title theme from "Skyfall" in 2012. Three years later, the world is still awaiting the singer's long-delayed new album. Hide Caption

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James Bond Songs James Bond Songs Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service "We Have All The Time In The World" Louis Armstrong

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Rita Coolidge - All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) 1983 - YouTube Rita Coolidge - All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) 1983 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on May 10, 2012 Rita Coolidge - All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) Label: A&M Records 1983 Arranged , Conductor, Producer: John Barry Lyrics: Tim Rice

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James Bond Songs From Lowest to Highest Charting on Hot 100 | Billboard Pressefoto Kindermann/ullstein bild via Getty Images Sean Connery as James Bond circa 1962. More than any other film franchise, the long-running James Bond series has a rich musical history. Sure, the Star Wars score is peerless, but each Bond film brings with it the excitement of a major pop star recording a new song suited for the 007 series. It wasn't always that way, of course. Bond's first big-screen foray, Dr. No, boasted the first appearance of the iconic, oft-imitated surf guitar Bond theme music -- but no major pop hit. The next one, From Russia With Love, found English pop singer Matt Munro crooning the title track, but again, it wasn't all that memorable. It wasn't until the third Bond film that the gauntlet was truly thrown. Oozing drama, danger and kitschy sensuality, Welsh singer Shirley Bassey sang the Goldfinger title track and set the tone for the next 50-plus years of Bond themes.  While plenty of lists have been devoted to the best Bond theme songs, we're taking a more historical perspective and looking at which Bond themes actually made a mark on the charts. From the lowest to the highest charting Bond themes in America, here's the history of 007 on the Hot 100. Honorable mentions: Tina Turner 's wonderful "GoldenEye" (written by Bono and the Edge) just nearly missed the Hot 100. The 1967 film Casino Royale -- a Bond spoof featuring Peter Sellers and Woody Allen -- boasted a Burt Bacharach song called "Casino Royale" that peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100, as recorded by easy-listening legends  Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Band .  Jack White & Alicia Keys, "Another Way to Die" from Quantum of Solace (2008) – No. 81 The only James Bond song performed by two separately credited artists, "Another Way to Die" found the blues-leaning garage rocker and the Grammy-winning soulstress combining forces for Daniel Craig's worst-reviewed Bond film. Chris Cornell, "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale (2006) – No. 79 The Soundgarden frontman gave the Bond franchise one of its hardest-rocking songs, and the result earned him a Grammy nomination. Sam Smith, "Writing's On The Wall" from Spectre (2015) – No. 71 (as of the chart dated Nov. 14, 2015) Sam Smith's dramatic, falsetto-filled Bond song has strong '60s shades. Thus far, it's peaked at No. 71 on the Hot 100. Shirley Bassey, "Diamonds Are Forever" from Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – No. 57 Bond's most prolific vocalist, Shirley Bassey's memorable, menacing "Diamonds Are Forever" hit No. 57 but returned to the Hot 100 nearly 40 years later when Kanye West sampled it for "Diamonds of Sierra Leone," which peaked at No. 43. Nancy Sinatra, "You Only Live Twice" from You Only Live Twice (1967) – No. 44 One of the best Bond songs, Nancy Sinatra's entry hit No. 44 on the Hot 100, but in a markedly different version than the one in the film. The charting single version, produced by Lee Hazelwood, emphasized guitars over orchestral production. Rita Coolidge, "All Time High" from Octopussy (1983) – No. 36 Soft rock singer Rita Coolidge earned her last Hot 100 hit with "All Time High," the main song for Octopussy. It's safe to say had she sang a titular track for the film, it would not have been a top 40 hit.  Tom Jones, "Thunderball" from Thunderball (1965) – No. 25 British belter Tom Jones gave the fourth Bond film the dramatic "Thunderball," which peaked at No. 25. Shirley Bassey, "Goldfinger" from Goldfinger (1964) – No. 8 The song that set the tone for every Bond song to follow, Bassey's big voice (backed by vamping horns) demanded attention. The lyrics are ridiculous, but she delivers them with such conviction you barely notice. Madonna, "Die Another Day" from Die Another Day (2002) – No. 8 In addition to producing one of Bond's biggest hits, Madonna also appeared in the film as a fencing master who crossed blades with Bond.  Adele, "Skyfall" from Skyfall (2012) – No. 8 The only James Bond song to win an Oscar, "Skyfall" was Adele's stop-gap between her 21 and 25 albums. Sheena Easton, "For Your Eyes Only" from For Your Eyes Only (1981) – No. 4 Best remembered for "9 to 5" (aka "Morning Train), Sheena Easton scored another big hit with the title track to James Bond's first '80s film. The song was nominated for an Oscar. Paul McCartney & Wings, "Live and Let Die" from Live and Let Die (1973) – No. 2 Produced by longtime collaborator George Martin, Paul McCartney's post-Beatles band scored a massive, enduring hit with this fiery rocker. It's also the first Bond song to be performed by the person who wrote it. Carly Simon, "Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – No. 2 Like McCartney, Simon was one of the '70s biggest hitmakers, and her bedroom Bond ballad gave the series one of its biggest hits and its first Best Original Song Oscar nomination.  Duran Duran, "A View to a Kill" from A View to a Kill (1985) – No. 1 The only James Bond song to top the Hot 100, "A View to a Kill" is a memorable song from one of the series' least memorable films. It's also one of two Duran Duran No. 1s ("The Reflex" was their first chart topper).

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Ranked | All of the James Bond Theme Songs - CraveOnline Film Ranked | All of the James Bond Theme Songs How does Sam Smith's 'Writing's On The Wall' hold up against every other James Bond song in history? by  Witney Seibold Oct 6th, 2015 The notion of the James Bond title song didn’t begin until the second James Bond feature (From Russia with Love in 1963), but it has been a stable staple of the series ever since, and sometime along the way, audiences began anticipating the title tune almost as much as seeing the movie itself. Which hot new pop star would be active and classy enough to tackle Bond?  Check Out: Why James Bond is a Bad Spy We here at Crave have, of course, seen every Bond film, written about them extensively, and listened to all of the Bond songs. And, using our infinitely impeccable taste, have ranked them 27th to 1st (We included some ancillary Bond songs for good measure, including a few non-canonical ones). So read on, agents, to discover our findings.   27. “Die Another Day” – Madonna (Die Another Day) The worst of the James Bond films (seriously, Die Another Day is awful) also has the worst theme song. Madonna’s odd, bad electro-thumping sets the tone for nothing in particular, and only opens up the movie for a meaningless cameo by Madonna herself as a fencing instructor. 26. “All Time High” – Rita Coolidge (Octopussy) So boring. Octopussy is not the worst of the Roger Moore films (that’d be Moonraker), but this tender ballad is such a snore.  25. “Never Say Never Again” – Lani Hall (Never Say Never Again) 1983 was not a good year for Bond, as a competing studio elected to release a non-canonical Bond film with Sean Connery the same year the canonical studio released Octopussy. The formula was the same (the story was, after all, taken directly from Thunderball), but the impact deadened. 24. “Moonraker” – Shirley Bassey (Moonraker) Bassey previously sang two Bond themes, and her inclusion here feels like a gimmick. It’s the least interesting of her songs, and she doesn’t get a chance to belt. You don’t hire Shirley Bassey unless she’s going to belt something.  23. “For Your Eyes Only” – Sheena Easton (For Your Eyes Only) Although For Your Eyes Only is the best of the Roger Moore Bond films, Sheena Easton’s theme song is so lugubrious and chewy, it hardly sticks in the mind at all. It’s pretty plain yogurt. Fun trivia: This is the only Jame Bond title sequence to feature the artist actually singing on screen.  22.“Licence to Kill” – Gladys Knight (Licence to Kill) Although possessed of a little more attitude than “For Your Eyes Only” or “All Time High,” Gladys Knight’s song leaves just as gentle an impact. Can you sing any part from this one for me? 21. “Three Blind Mice” – Monty Morman (Dr. No) Dr. No, as the first proper James Bond feature film, technically didn’t have a trademark Bond song, opting instead to play the infamous Jame Bond intro music, and then pairing it with this bizarre little ditty about three blind mice (in the film, three assassins). It’s a fine piece, but its lack of center has it low on the list.  20. “You Know My Name” – Chris Cornell (Casino Royale, 2006) The 2006 “soft reboot” of James Bond is considered by purists to be the first “proper” James Bond film, and it was so good, it actually turned older James Bond fans into newfound purists. Aside from the badass opening chords, this song settles into a dull grunge rock anthem that was already 10 years too old.  19. “The Living Daylights” – a-Ha (The Living Daylights) The best of the James Bond songs function as standalone pop songs as well as James Bond songs. “The Living Daylights” works fine as a pop song, but it doesn’t feel much like a Jame Bond theme. Also, whatever happened to a-Ha? As it turns out, they’re still active .  18. “Writing’s on the Wall” – Sam Smith (SPECTRE) Like “You Know My Name,” Sam Smith’s newest jam for the upcoming SPECTRE feels like a pop hit that escaped from ’90s radio. It’s a dark and dour Badalamenti-ish tune that sounds like something from Lost Highway more than something from a James Bond film. But then, maybe the film itself is also dour; I haven’t seen it yet.  17. “Another Way to Die” – Jack White and Alicia Keys (Quantum of Solace) I actually love this song on paper. It’s a jumpy, rocking tune that feels like a genuine James Bond hit, and it would be near the top of this list were it not for the awful vocals. Alicia Keys and Jack White do not have voices that go together well at all, and hearing them sing together is rather grating. One or the other, kids. Not both.  16. “The World is Not Enough” – Garbage (The World is Not Enough) Hm… It’s okay. The sound and the sentiment are there. It’s ranked low because it’s just sort of flat.

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Rita Coolidge, John Barry - Octopussy: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack [Enhanced CD] - Amazon.com Music These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:Octopussy: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack [Enhanced CD] by Rita Coolidge Audio CD $34.00 Only 2 left in stock. Sold by Josselyn Jingles and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. FREE Shipping on orders over $49. Details Moonraker by Shirley Bassey Audio CD $7.99 Only 5 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $49. Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Editorial Reviews Amazon.com While Octopussy, 13th installment of the highly successful James Bond series was the second largest grossing film in America in 1983 (the year of Return of the Jedi ), it hardly springs to mind as one of the classics of the series--or of Roger Moore's sometimes-spotty tenure as Bond for that matter. But divorced from filmic proceedings neither as over-the-top fun as Live and Let Die or as refreshingly down-to-earth as For Your Eyes Only, John Barry's score (his 10th of the series) holds up quite well, carrying on his masterful tradition of reinforcing even the silliest plot turn with the familiar, emotionally gripping orchestrations that are perhaps the most underrated element of Bond's ongoing appeal. Rita Coolidge gives a game effort on the commercially disappointing main "title," "All Time High," one of the series' rare instances of the title song not being named after the film--but then you try writing a song with "Octopussy" in the lyrics! --Jerry McCulley From the Label John Barry (1983)OCTOPUSSY is one of Roger Moore's last outings as the world famous James Bond. In this action adventure, 007 takes on an evil Afghan and a glamorous woman (no surprises there) who plot to plunder Tsarist treasures and start WW III. Composer John Barry is known for his signature Bond work, as well as for the soundtracks to the Oscar®-winning Dances With Wolves and Out of Africa. The lyrics to the theme song "All Time High" (sung by Rita Coolidge) were written by Tim Rice. Track Listings

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From Shirley Bassey to Sam Smith: the James Bond Theme Songs, Ranked 18. "Thunderball" by Tom Jones (1965) True story: Jones actually put so much into hitting the song’s final high note that he fainted. And while the song is decent – and, sure, very James Bond-y – it’s not the strongest of the bunch, and that may be because it wasn’t initially intended as the opening number. Shirley Bassey recorded a better one, "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" , for the film, and Dionne Warwick did a take on it too, but the producers ultimately opted for a track that bore the movie’s name, even if the vague term “Thunderball” doesn’t exactly lead to easy lyrics. Most tantalizing of all? Johnny Cash also wrote a song called "Thunderball," but it wasn’t used. 17. "Moonraker" by Shirley Bassey (1979) Theory: The more vague James Bond movie titles don’t make for good literal translations to songs. It didn’t help that Bassey only came in last minute to record “Moonraker” and that she’d already recorded two superior James Bond themes. Hey, it’s at least better than the disco remix that plays over the end credits. 16. "License to Kill" by Gladys Knight (1989) The track was a moderate hit for Knight, and she has the right vocal style for a James Bond theme, but this last theme before the Pierce Brosnan era just doesn’t soar quite as high as others. 15. "Die Another Die" by Madonna (2002) The first Bond theme of the new millennium made a drastic departure from typical opening number fare. Who would have expected eletroclash to kick off a James Bond movie? The thing with “Die Another Day” is that it’s a decent post-’90s Madonna track but just doesn’t sound a whole lot like a Bond theme. Bonus points, though, for Madonna’s cameo in the film itself – a feat no other Bond theme singer had accomplished. (She’s the lesbian fencing instructor to Rosamund Pike’s character, BTW.) 14. "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton (1981) Easton rode the success of “Morning Train” straight into singing the theme to the twelfth Bond film, beating out even a song with the same title performed by Blondie. This writer says Blondie should have gotten the nod. Argue among yourselves how memorable Easton’s track is, but regardless note that Easton is to date the only Bond theme singer to actually appear in the opening credits. 13. "Another Way to Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys (2008) The first-ever Bond theme sung as a duet, the opening song to Quantum of Solace sounds like a decent enough Jack White single. And while he teams up well enough with Keys, you’d be forgiven for concluding that the track doesn’t fully capture the essence of classic James Bond. 12. "Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey (1971) It’s not the Bond song for which Bassey is best known, but it’s a good theme that gets at the glitz and greed that typifies so many characters in James Bond’s universe. 11. "The World Is Not Enough" by Garbage (1999) Shirley Manson’s voice made the perfect Bond theme choice in 1999. And the song was written with many of the themes at the heart of the films in mind – love and world domination, namely – to the point that it made a solid addition to the Bond canon. 10. "Writing’s on the Wall" by Sam Smith (2015) That opening orchestral blast certainly sounds James Bond-y enough, but fans of the films seem divided on Smith’s theme for the upcoming Spectre, with Smith’s falsetto in particular drawing mixed reactions. For now, consider this a placeholder ranking. We’ll have to hear the song in the context of the film itself, accompanied by the visuals, to give a more definitive evaluation. 9. "You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra (1967) A beautiful song whose instrumentation sets the stage for Bond’s first adventure in Japan, “You Only Live Twice” puts Sinatra’s vocals to good use, but there’s an even better, more guitar-centric version of the song produced by frequent Sinatra collaborator Lee Hazlewood. 8. "James Bond Theme" by John Barry and his orchestra (1962) The first cinematic James Bond adventure, Dr. No, is the only one to lack a typical lyrical theme song, but you really can’t beat the thrilling guitar on that original James Bond song, performed here by John Barry and his orchestra. The theme has endured through fifty years of sequels – minus the calypso-style "Three Blind Mice," of course. 7. "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell (2006) What a way to kick off a rebooted franchise. Cornell’s song nods to Bond’s long history as a legendary hero – that title, come on – and yet departs from tradition by skewing harder rock. It’s also notable that the opening sequence switches out sexy female silhouettes for abstracted male ones. 6. "GoldenEye" by Tina Turner (1995) Though it may be surprising that it took until 1995 for Turner to be tapped to record a sing a Bond theme, she made good with “GoldenEye,” in which she channels classic opening numbers but also makes it her own. The track was written by U2 members Bono and The Edge. Fun fact: The Ace of Base song "Juvenile" was initially written as a potential theme to GoldenEye. Just replace the syllables “juvenile” with “GoldenEye.” 5. "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings (1973) The eighth Bond outing breaks with tradition and allowed Paul McCartney’s band to unleash a full-on rock-and-roll theme song. The song alternates between melodic and frantic, and that’s a pretty good musical shorthand for the life of James Bond: tender and sweet one minute and then running for dear life the next. 4. "Skyfall" by Adele (2012) Adele seems like she was born to sing a Bond theme. Her dark, soulful vocals ultimately won Best Original Song awards at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Best of all, previous Bond compositions by Shirley Bassey and Carly Simon helped inform the track. 3. "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon (1977) Rather than have Carly Simon sing a James Bond-style theme song, the producers allowed to sing a Carly Simon-style song. The result? One of the biggest hits of Simon’s career and a song that went on to a second life as an easy-listening standard. This one’s just a great love song, even independent of its association with The Spy Who Loved Me. 2. "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey (1964) To this day, this is the song most people think of when they hear the words “James Bond theme.” Bassey’s brash, beautiful voice not only sets the tone for the movie itself but prepares the audience for Auric Goldfinger, who at the time was the greatest foe 007 had taken on yet. Decades later, every subsequent singer of every subsequent Bond theme is trying to recapture the magic Bassey found in this one. 1. "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran (1985) This may be heretical, but we’re not actually giving the top slot to “Goldfinger.” Nope, it goes to “A View to a Kill,” not only our favorite Bond song but also one of Duran Duran’s greatest hits. In fact, it’s the first Bond theme to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. And aside from Grace Jones as May Day, it may be the best part about A View a to Kill. Show Full Article

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Adele's Skyfall theme: top 10 James Bond songs - Telegraph James Bond Adele's Skyfall theme: top 10 James Bond songs Adele's 'Skyfall' has the makings of a James Bond classic, says Thomas H Green as he looks at what sets the best 007 film theme tunes apart. By Thomas H Green 12:17PM BST 05 Oct 2012 This Friday will be exactly 50 years since the first James Bond film, Dr No, hit British cinemas. The franchise is arguably cinemas’s most successful ever and, to celebrate the occasion, singer Adele makes her theme to the latest Bond, Skyfall, available online at seven minutes past midnight – or 0.07 as the publicity, naturally, has it. Every Bond theme is an event in itself, one of the highest markers in a singer’s career (so iconic it seems perverse that Rita Coolidge and Sheryl Crow snaffled one each). Recorded at Abbey Road with a full orchestra, Adele’s song – judging from the minute-and-a-half briefly leaked earlier this week – has the makings of a classic. This is heartening as the best Bond themes live on outside the films to become standards, songs whose kitsch aspects are somehow matched by a streak of genius and genuine passion. Here’s our top ten. 1. You Only Live Twice by Nancy Sinatra Related Articles Bond girls past and present 04 Dec 2014 So luscious is John Barry & Leslie Bricusse’s ultimate Bond corker that its sweeping strings have seduced generations of musicians into covers and wholesale borrowing, from Coldplay to Robbie Williams, Soft Cell to Cee-lo Green. Released in 1967, it features lyrics dipped in that era’s hippy whimsy: “You only live twice, or so it seems, one life for yourself and one for your dreams.” Coming off the back of gigantic hits Somethin’ Stupid (with dad Frank) and These Boots Are Made for Walkin’, Nancy Sinatra was, nonetheless, hugely daunted by taking on a Bond theme. She needn’t have been. Forty-five years later it has yet to be topped. 2. Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey While the Bond franchise was firmly established by 1964, it was sassy 27-year-old Shirley Bassey salivating over “the man with the Midas touch, a spider’s touch” who set the musical template in stone. Written by louche playboy actor and easy listening oddball Anthony Newley with lyricist Leslie Bricusse, Bond regular John Barry added his characteristic undertow of jazz raunch and hip modernism. Although much parodied, notably by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers films, for Bassey it became a career-crowning glory, remaining her signature song ever after. Also features pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page on guitar. 3. We Have All The Time In The World by Louis Armstrong Sixty-seven-year-old Louis Armstrong returned from heart problems and depression over the death of his manager for a final resurgence in his last years. It began with this song, on which he doesn’t play trumpet but, working with John Barry, sings a delicious growling vocal to build a much-adored elegiac ballad. However, it had to wait until a Guinness TV ad in 1994 to become a bona-fide top five hit. Playing over the end credits of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, its title is taken from 007’s final words to his assassinated wife in what remains the most striking conclusion to any Bond film. 4. Diamonds Are Forever by Shirley Bassey Harry Salzman, the Canadian-British entertainment impresario who had originally won big by gambling on optioning Ian Fleming’s Bond books, was not impressed with the song Diamonds Are Forever. He hated the massed double entendres (“Hold one up and then caress it/Touch it, stroke it and undress it”) but his partner Albert “Cubby” Broccoli forced the issue so Shirley Bassey returned for her second Bond theme in 1971, injecting it with a nuclear dose of Las Vegas pizzazz and even laying down an Italian version, Una Cascata di Diamanti (Vivo de Diamanti), for the film’s release in that country. 5. Live And Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings In 1973 Live And Let Die’ became the first Bond theme to be nominated for an Oscar. It was originally intended to be sung by an African-American, in keeping with the blaxploitation-tinted plot, but its writer, Paul McCartney, wouldn’t play ball unless his new band Wings played it. Containing one of pop’s greatest grammatical clangers – “this ever-changing world in which we live in” – hasn’t stopped it becoming the heaviest-rocking Bond theme until Chris Cornell’s somewhat less well-loved You Know My Name for Casino Royale in 2006. 6. Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon Carly Simon’s career, with You’re So Vain five years behind her, appeared to be on the skids by 1977, but her melodramatic power ballad for The Spy Who Loved Me put her back on top. The song, written by A Chorus Line composer Marvin Hamlisch and his girlfriend Carole Bayer Sager, is a blatant ode to the potency of a lover, and its title has repeatedly been used to promote the Bond franchise. There have been many cover versions over the years, but perhaps the best and most unlikely is by Radiohead. 7. From Russia With Love by Matt Monro Like the 1960s themselves, the formula for a Bond theme was only just crystallising in 1963 and the second Bond film didn’t showcase its song to much effect, over the end titles and as a brief clip from a radio during the action. Composed by Lionel Bart in his immediate post-Oliver! pomp, the song featured syrupy orchestration by John Barry and the easy-going croon of Brit pretender Matt Monro. The song, like those first Bond films, has developed its own much admired afterlife. 8. The Man With The Golden Gun by Lulu A controversial choice, as it’s often regarded as one of the most preposterous Bond themes – but that’s the point. Roger Moore’s 1970s Bond was preposterous, as well as sexist and comic, and the song, which its composer John Barry put together in just over a fortnight and grew to loathe, is undoubtedly over-the-top. Its appeal lies in the way Scottish pop lass Lulu belts out perennial Bond lyricist Don Black’s ludicrous lines – such as “He has a powerful weapon/ He charges a million a shot” (and worse) – with blues-rock gusto, while tinny cartoon rock throbs behind her. An acquired taste. 9. The World Is Not Enough by Garbage Latter-day Bond composers face the difficult choice of whether to pastiche the established style or risk opprobrium by breaking new ground. Madonna notably came unstuck attempting the latter with her incongruous electro-disco Die Another Day, but David Arnold, who’s been in musical charge of the five most recent Bonds (but not Skyfall), usually gets it right. The World Is Not Enough, produced with Garbage in 1999, is his most successful, a crafty blend of classic orchestration, electronic tics and outright rock, effectively fronted by Shirley Manson, who, from the promo video’s robot assassin antics, clearly revelled in her Bond moment. 10. Living Daylights by A-ha In the mid-Eighties, Bond embraced the planet’s biggest teen-pop heart-throbs. First Duran Duran for 1985’s A View To A Kill, then Norwegian trio A-ha for the Timothy Dalton relaunch, The Living Daylights. The former was a Bond and a band past their peak but A-ha remained on firing form. Unfortunately, they didn’t get on with co-writer John Barry and released their own album version of the song, which, in truth and for once, is better than Barry’s, whose fiddly orchestral flourishes clashed with their synthesisers. They are also the only artist ever to perform a Bond theme who are neither British or American. Start your free 30 day Amazon Prime trial»

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Ranking every James Bond theme song: 1-23 | For The Win Ranking every James Bond theme song: 1-23 Ranking every James Bond theme song: 1-23 By Mike Foss November 2, 2015 4:02 pm Follow @themikefoss 852 shares By: Mike Foss | November 2, 2015 4:02 pm Follow @themikefoss James Bond’s 24th film is set to hit theaters in the United States on Friday. While the performances of the many actors who have portrayed the British super spy have always been hotly contested, the opening themes have also garnered a healthy amount of attention. Though 1962’s Dr. No failed to have an opening theme, but every film to follow did, with varying degrees of success. 23. All Time High (Octopussy) – Rita Coolidge Let’s just forget any of this happened. The movie. The song. Let’s burn it all. 22. Die Another Day – Madonna This was weird. Really weird. Too weird. No more of this. 21. Tomorrow Never Dies – Sheryl Crow If you told me Sheryl Crow was going to pick up her acoustic guitar and give us a splashy, sun-soaked tribute to 007 … well, no, that would have been terrible, too. 20. Living Daylights – A-Ha Remember every terrible musical gimmick that happen in the ’80s? A-Ha made a song with all of them so you’d never forget. 19. The Man With the Golden Gun – Lulu This is a hilarious song. Make no mistake, it’s also horrendous. But at least it’s absurdity is memorable. 18. License to Kill – Gladys Knight Gladys Knight is talented enough to make you forget that License to Kill is a less-sexy version of Goldfinger. But then you remember when you rank all of the James Bond themes for worst to best and realize how lame that is. 17. Another Way to Die (Quantam of Solace) – Jack White & Alicia Keys This song should have worked a lot better than it did, but White and Keys’ theme was significantly better than the film, so there’s that. 16. From Russia With Love – John Barry Orchestra The first Bond film to have an opening theme, John Barry’s effort started the tradition we enjoy today. 15.  A View to Kill – Duran Duran Yep, this is what Duran Duran would sound like if they made a James Bond theme. 14. The World is Not Enough – Garbage I have to admit I forgot about this movie and this song. After looking up the movie, I remember it. It wasn’t that great. The song is pretty good, though. 13.  On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – John Barry Orchestra John Barry’s second instrumental theme bests his first by laying the foundation of every opening Bond theme which followed. 12. For Your Eyes Only – Sheena Easton Remember earlier in the list when you listened to A-Ha’s gimmicky effort at a James Bond song in the ’80s? This is what a gimmicky James Bond song in the ’80s is supposed to sound like. 11. You Know My Name (Casino Royale) – Chris Cornell, 2007 Some would tell you this is a bad song and the lead singer of Soundgarden is a terrible choice for the James Bond theme. That’s wrong. Had Chris Cornell sung the exact same song in 1996 for Goldeneye, he would have been lauded. But this was 2007, so it was cool to dismiss his effort as washed up. When all is said and done, this is far from the worst Bond theme. Yes, I’m jaded by my love of ’90s alt-rock. Black hoooooole sunnnnnnn … 10. Moonraker – Shirley Bassey You could have your choice of vocalists sing a Bond theme and none of them will come close to Shirley Bassey, who appears on three Bond tracks. Moonraker was an utterly absurd film, but Bassey’s voice carries this song masterfully. 9. Writing’s on the Wall (Spectre) – Sam Smith You did it, Sam Smith. The newest Bond theme cracks the Top 10 on our list. Why? It doesn’t rip anyone off, it doesn’t try to incorporate the trope du jour, and simply just tries to be a good song. For these efforts, Sam Smith bested 13 other songs who didn’t. 8. Nobody Does it Better (The Spy Who Loved Me) – Carly Simon Simon’s ode to the lovemaking ability of 007 will make you blush if you listen to the lyrics, and yet it somehow comes off as wholesome with the piano backing. 7. Thunderball – Tom Jones Me to you while listening to this song: You want to be a spy with me? Yep! You want to do karate in a tuxedo? Yep! You want to drive super fast sports cars and then blow them up? Hell yep! 6. Diamonds are Forever – Shirley Bassey When the title of the film is Diamonds are Forever, you would expect a lavish opening theme. Shirley Bassey happily delivers. 5. Goldeneye – Tina Turner Was the decision to place Goldeneye so high based purely on the Nintendo 64 video game of the same name? Yes, what of it? 4. Skyfall – Adele I fully admit this probably jumps a full three places if radio stations didn’t assault people with this theme for the entire 2013 holiday season. That said, Adele’s performance still gives me chills. 3. You Only Live Twice – Nancy Sinatra This theme hits perfectly mixes the spectacle every good Bond theme needs with Sinatra’s delicate and haunting vocals. 2. Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey Completely unforgettable and flawless in every way. You can’t be a fan of a Bond film without loving this song. 1. Live and Let Die – Paul McCartney Yeah, yeah, Goldfinger was robbed. Whatever. This is an amazing song, and the only good thing that Wings did for pop culture. There hasn’t been a Bond theme before or after that has come near Live and Let Die’s stratosphere.

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Australia Population (2016) - World Population Review World Population Review Australia Population 2016 [[getCurrentPopulation()]] As of November 2016, Australia has an estimated population of 24.26 million, up from the official 2011 census results of 21.5 million. Australia is the 53th largest country in the world in terms of population, between Cote Cameroon and Madagascar. It is also the most populous country in Oceania, three times more populous than its neighbour Papua New Guinea (8.2 million) and 5 times more populous than New Zealand (4.5 million). As the 6th largest nation in the world, Australia has a very low population density of just 3 people per square kilometer, or 7 per square mile. This makes it one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Mongolia, Western Sahara and Suriname have fewer people per square kilometer than Australia. Some parts of Australia are even less densely populated. In the Northern Territory, every square kilometer holds just 0.2 people. Most of Australia's population is concentrated on or around the more hospitable coastal areas, as you can see in the density map further down the page. The most recent Australian census was held in 2011 and confirmed that the population of Australia on census night (August 9 2011) was 21,507,717. The 2016 census is currently in progress, and the results will be released in April 2017. The Australian Bureau of Statistics also provides the Australian Population Clock, which uses population indicators to estimate the current population count. Largest Cities in Australia There are five Australian cities with a population of more than a million people. . Sydney (4.9 million) Sydney is the home of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics. Sydney is Australia's largest and most cosmopolitan city. It is also the capital and largest city of New South Wales. The 2011 census revealed its population to be 4,391,674, an increase of 6.6% over the 2006 numbers. 2016 estimates placed the population at 4,920,970, which accounts for 20% of the nation's total population. Melbourne (4.5 million) Melbourne, Australia's second city and great rival to Sydney, is the capital of Victoria. Situated on the south coast, it was home to 3,999,982 people at the time of the 2011 census. It is growing even more quickly than Sydney and is forecast to become Australia's largest city within 25 years. According to 2016 estimates, the population is 4,529,496, which is 19.05% of Australia's population. Brisbane (2.3 million) Brisbane, capital of Queensland, had a population of 2,065,996 on the day of the 2011 census. In the five years since the 2006 census, its population grew by an impressive 11.5%. Estimates in 2016 put the population around 2,308,720, or 9.71% of the nation's overall population. Perth (2 million) Perth, capital of Western Australia, is the fastest growing state capital in Australia. It's population went up from 1,512,105 in 2006 to 1,728,867 in 2011, a growth rate of 14.3% in just five years. Growth has continued through 2016, with a population estimated to be 2,039,193. Adelaide (1.3 million) Adelaide, capital of South Australia, is home to 1,316,779 people. Its growth rate of 5.9% from 2006-2011 makes it the slowest growing city among Australia's 5 largest cities. As well as the five cities listed above, Canberra, the capital of Australia, is the country's eighth largest city, home to an estimated 424,666 people. Hobart, the only state or national capital not listed, has an estimated 220,593 residents, making it Australia's eleventh most populous city. Population of Australian States and Territories There are five Australian states, ranging in population from 0.5 million to 7.2 million in population. New South Wales (7.6 million) New South Wales is Australia’s largest state, home to an estimated 7,618,200 people in 2016. Its capital and largest city is Sydney. Victoria (5.9 million) Victoria, named after the English Queen, is Australia’s second largest state. Its estimated population 2016 was 5,938,100. Its largest city is Melbourne, Australia’s second city, where three quarters of all Victorians live. Queensland (4.7 million) Queensland is Australia's third largest state. Its estimated population in 2016 was 4,779,400. Queensland's largest city is Brisbane. Western Australia (2.5 million) Western Australia is home to an estimated 2,591,600 people. Its capital city, Perth, is home to 2 million of WA's 2.5 million residents. South Australia (1.6 million) South Australia, which is located in the center of Australia's south coast, is home to approximately 1,698,600 people. Its largest city is its capital, Adelaide, which is home to all but 400,000 of South Australia's residents. Tasmania (0.5 million) Tasmania is Australias smallest state, although still more populous than any of its territories. Home to approximately 516,600 people, its largest city is Hobart, which has a population of over 220,000. Australian Capital Territory (390,800) The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave inside of New South Wales. Home to Australia's capital city Canberra, 390,800 people live in the ACT. Northern Territory (244,600) The Northern Territory has an esimated 244,600 residents, making it the least densely populated part of Australia and one of the least densely populated areas in the world. Its largest city is Darwin, where more than half of the Territory's residents make their homes. Australia Demographics The Australian population census of 2011 showed that of the 21,507,717 declared residents, 25.4% of the population claimed their ancestry to be Australian. Those that claimed to be of English ancestry represented 25.9% of the total population. Other figures included Irish at 7.5%, Scottish at 6.4% and Italian at 3.3%. Australia's population has quadrupled since World War I, mostly due to immigration. From the end of World War II through 2000, nearly 6 million immigrants came to Australia, accounting for 2 out of every 7 Australians. At the last census in 2011, over 30% of Australians were born in another country and over 46% had at least one overseas-born parent. The most common immigration sources in Australia are the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, India, and Vietnam. In 2011, the official indigenous population of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders was over 548,000, or 2.5% of the total population, up from 116,000 in 1976. This increase is due in part to the fact that many people with at least some indigenous heritage were undercounted before. As with other developed countries, Australia's demographics are shifting toward an older population. The median age in Australia is 37 years. Source: Jason Tong

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Australia's nearest neighbours, Australia's place in the region, Australia in its regional context, Geography Year 9, NSW | Online Education Home Schooling Skwirk Australia 1 Exams Introduction The continent of Australia shares marine territorial boundaries with its nearest neighbouring countries. The nearest of these countries include Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, which are all island nations or territories in the South-East Asian and Asia-Pacific regions. Australia also shares a contested overland border in the Australian Antarctic Territory which adjoins territories claimed by several nations. Indonesia is Australia's largest near neighbouring country and belongs to both the Asia-Pacific and South-East Asian regions. Australia's second and third largest neighbours, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, are referred to as belonging to the Oceania region. This region is divided into the three island groups of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The north-easterly islands are part of Melanesia, and the larger of these are called 'continental' islands as distinguished from the much smaller islands of Micronesia and Polynesia. Territorial Boundaries Australia's boundaries with its nearest Asia-Pacific neighbours are determined by Australia's '200 nautical mile' (371 kilometre) Exclusive Economic Marine Zone (EEMZ) or Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) which is the second largest Exclusive Economic Marine Zone in the world after the United States. With the inclusion of all of Australia's island territories it is the largest Fishing Zone. Australia has a legal claim to this continental shelf under the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) (1982). These territorial limits exceed 350 nautical miles (649 kilometres) with the inclusion of the Lord Howe Island territory. See Image 1 Neighbouring Nations New Zealand New Zealand is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean and is situated southeast of the Australian continent across the Tasman Sea. The country contains two major islands (named the South and the North), which are the 12th and 14th largest in the world, as well as the much smaller island of Kermadec to the north, Tokelau to the north-east and Stewart Island in the far south. New Zealand is located in the mid-latitudes and extends for 1600 kilometres between 34 degrees and 47 degrees south latitude. Its area of 270 000 square kilometres is one-thirtieth the size of Australia's but its population of 3.5 million is nearly six times as dense as that of its larger neighbour. New Zealand was initially governed as a dependency of New South Wales before it separated as a colony in the nineteenth century. Its prime metropolis is Auckland which is located at the base of the Northland peninsula on an isthmus that comprises its narrowest neck of land. It has become New Zealand's largest city with urban sprawl that is expanding, particularly toward the south. See Image 2 Indonesia Indonesia is situated to Australia's immediate north and shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, Brunei and Malaysia. Indonesia is the largest of Australia's near neighbours with 60% of its large population crowded into the island of Java and its national capital in Jakarta. It consists of an arc of 17 508 islands that stretch for roughly 5 120 kilometres and in which 6000 are inhabited. It is 2012 kilometres from north to south and spans three time zones. Its islands include Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi, as well as Borneo and western New Guinea. Other islands include Timor and Bali. See Image 3 Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea is one of Australia's largest and most populous Asia-Pacific neighbours. Sharing a border with Indonesia, it is located to Australia's immediate north. It consists of the eastern half of the large island of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago (whose largest islands are New Britain, New Ireland, and Manus), the northernmost Solomon Islands of Bougainville and Buka, and several smaller island groups east of New Guinea. Its capital is Port Moresby which is the largest urban metropolis south of Honolulu, north of Australia, and east of Indonesia. It was granted independence in 1975 from its former status as a colony of Australia. See Image 4

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France Population (2016) - World Population Review World Population Review France Population 2016 [[getCurrentPopulation()]] France, or the French Republic, is located in western Europe, with many overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the English Channel and North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rhine, bordering Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Andorra, and Monaco. In 2016, the population in France is estimated to be around 66,689,000. France also has many territories, including Clipperton Island, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and others. In 2016, the population of France is estimated at 66,689,000, which ranks 20th in the world. France has an estimated 2016 metro population of 64,750,000, which does not include overseas territories. Combined, the territories add an additional 2 million people. Metropolitan France has a population density of 117.37 people per square kilometer, which ranks 95th in the world. Paris is the largest city and capital of France. The City of Paris has just 40 square miles of land with a population of 2.24 million in the city limits, and the most populous urban area in all of the European Union. The city proper has a density of over 21,000 people per square kilometer. The much larger Paris Region, with 4,638 square miles of land, has its own president and regional council with a population of 12 million. This accounts for 18% of France's total population. France Demographics A law from 1872 prohibits the French Republic from conducting census by making any distinction between its citizens in terms of race or religious beliefs, so French demographics can be a bit hard to determine. In 2004, it was estimated that 85% of the population of Metropolitan France was white or of European origin, with 10% from North Africa, 3.5% Black and 1.5% Asian. This law does not apply to surveys or polls, and a marketing company called Solis estimated numbers of ethnic minorities in 2009 as 5.23% Maghrebis, 2.94% black (a majority from Sub-Saharan Africa) and 0.71% Turkish. In 2010, 27% of newborns in Metro France had at least a single foreign-born parent. Most French people today are of Celtic origin. The country has experienced large-scale immigration over the last 100 years. It's believed that 40% of France's population is descended, at least in part, from the waves of immigration since the start of the 20th century. France Population Growth The figures reported in 2011 confirmed that France as a whole was growing at a faster rate than most other countries across the globe. In fact, its natural growth, which excludes any immigration figures, accounted for nearly the whole of the natural growth recorded in the European Union in 2003. The birth rate exceeded the death rate by a considerable amount -- 302,432 in 2006 which was the highest recorded figure since 1973. Further contrasts in the rates led to the final figures declared in the 2011 census. The country also has the second highest number of children per family in Europe; 2.01 when the last figures were announced. France Immigration Like many of its neighbors, France represents a huge attraction for immigration and when statistics were released in 2008, it was reported that 11.8 million foreign born immigrants and their immediate descendants were residents in the country; a figure which accounted for around 19% of the total population of the time. Exact figures in relation to this are slightly hampered by the fact that it is illegal for the French state as an entity to compile statistics when it comes to race and ethnicity. Data in relation to this is therefore supplied by independent agencies such as INED and INSEE. What is clear however is that France’s population is growing quite significantly. The large discrepancy in the birth and death rate shows no signs of narrowing and as such, it will be fascinating to see the results from the next national census. Largest Cities in France For a country of such size, it is surprising that there is only one city proper with a population exceeding 1 million. The largest cities in France include: Paris (2.2 million) The wider Paris urban area had a population of over 12.1 million in 2013. Marseille (853,000) While it's the second largest city in France, it has the third largest urban and metropolitan area with a population of 1.6 million. Lyon (484,000) Including suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon is the most populous area of France with a population of 1.7 million. Toulouse (449,000) This is the fourth largest metropolitan area of France with a population of 1.2 million. France Population Growth Metropolitan France is expected to see its population grow by another 9 million people over the next 40 years, placing the country's population around 72 million by 2050. To reach this projection, fertility rates will need to stay about the same, mortality will need to decrease, and net migration will need to remain about 100,000 annually. With its population growing despite decreases in many of its neighboring countries, France is finally back in the race to be the most populous country in Europe. By 2050, it's expected that Germany will have just 70-74 million (compared to 2012's 82 million), while Britain's population will be about 73 million, compared to today's 63 million.

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Demographics | About Australia About Australia Facts Demographics Australia’s estimated resident population at March 2011 was just over 22.5 million, an increase of 1.4% over the previous year.  The growth of Australia’s population has two components: natural increase (the number of births minus the number of deaths) and net overseas migration. The growth rate has been declining since the peak of 2.2% for the year ended 31 December 2008 and was the lowest growth rate since the year ended 30 September 2005. All states and territories experienced positive population growth for the year ended 31 March 2011. Western Australia recorded the fastest growth (2.2%) and the Northern Territory the slowest (0.4%). The estimated resident population for each state and territory at 31 March 2011 was as follows: New South Wales 7,287,600;   Australia’s Ageing Population Australia’s population, like that of most developed countries, is ageing as a result of sustained low fertility and increasing life expectancy. This is resulting in proportionally fewer children (under 15 years of age) in the population. The median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) of the Australian population has increased by 4.8 years over the last two decades, from 32.1 years at 30 June 1990 to 36.9 years at 30 June 2010. Between 30 June 2009 and 2010 the median age remained relatively steady at 36.8 years. Over the next several decades, population ageing is projected to have significant implications for Australia, including for health, labour force participation, housing and demand for skilled labour. The ageing of Australia’s population, already evident in the current age structure, is expected to continue. The median age of Australia’s population is projected to increase to between 38.7 years and 40.7 years in 2026 and to between 41.9 years and 45.2 years in 2056 . At 30 June 2010, Tasmania had the oldest population of all the states and territories with a median age of 39.9 years. The second oldest was South Australia with a median age of 39.2 years, followed by New South Wales (37.2 years), Victoria (36.9 years), Western Australia and Queensland (36.2 years), the Australian Capital Territory (34.7 years) and the Northern Territory (31.3 years). Most of Australia’s population is concentrated in two widely separated coastal regions. By far the larger of these, in terms of area and population, lies in the south-east and east. The smaller of the two regions is in the south-west of the continent. In both coastal regions the population is concentrated in urban centres, particularly the state and territory capital cities.   Australia’s Population density Population density varies greatly across Australia. Australia’s total population density at June 2008 was 2.8 people per square kilometre. Among the states and territories, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest population density at 147 people per square kilometre and the Northern Territory had the lowest population density at just 0.2 people per square kilometre. At 30 June 2008, population density was highest in the capital cities of Australia’s states and territories. With the exception of Canberra, all these capital cities are located on the coast. Population density in other coastal and surrounding areas was also relatively high, particularly in the southeast corner of the country. On the other hand, most of central and western Australia had a population density of less than one person/km2. Five of the top ten most densely-populated statistical local areas (SLAs) were located in Sydney, which is currently the most populous city in Australia. At 30 June 2008, the Sydney statistical division had a population of 4.4 million people.   Australia’s Sex Ratio At June 2010, there were 94,600 more females than males residing in Australia, with 11.12 million males and 11.21 million females. The sex ratio (the number of males per hundred females) was 99.2, up from 98.6 in 2005. The sex ratio of the states and territories at June 2010 varied from 97.3 in Tasmania, up to 107.7 in the Northern Territory. Only in the Northern Territory and Western Australia did males outnumber females, while in Queensland the ratio was almost even (99.9%).   Australia’s Indigenous population Over recent decades, changing social attitudes, political developments, improved statistical coverage and a broader definition of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin have all contributed to the increased likelihood of people identifying as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia was estimated to be 517,000 people at 30 June 2006, or 2.5% of the total Australian population. In 2006, around 90% of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples identified as being of Aboriginal origin, 6% identified as being of Torres Strait Islander origin and 4% identified as being of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is relatively young, with a median age of 21 years compared to 37 years for the non-Indigenous population in 2006. In 2006, around one-third (32%) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lived in major cities of Australia, 43% in regional areas and 25% in remote areas. The majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in New South Wales (30% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lived in this state), Queensland (28%) and Western Australia (14%). While 12% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in the Northern Territory, they do make up almost a third (30%) of the total Northern Territory population. In all of the other states and territory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make up less than 4% of the total population. The latest ABS projections of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population show an increase from 517,000 people in 2006 to between 713,300 and 721,100 people in 2021. The projected average annual growth rate of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population between 2006 and 2021 is 2.2%, much higher than the same rate for the total Australian population (1.4%) (ABS 2010).   Birthplace Australia’s population has increased each year since the end of World War II, due to a combination of high post-war fertility and high levels of migration. In 1901, 23% of Australia’s population was overseas-born. In 1947 the proportion of the population born overseas had declined to 10%. The creation of a national government immigration portfolio in 1945 accompanied a gradual increase in the proportion of overseas-born Australians and by 1992 this proportion had increased to 23%. In 2002 the number of overseas-born Australians had passed 4.5 million or at 23% of the total population and in 2007 this increased to 25%. The diversity of countries of birth has increased substantially over the years. Patterns of immigration have also changed. For the last few decades, the Italy, Greece and Netherlands-born populations in Australia have been declining. The major migration flows from these countries occurred immediately after World War II and there has been relatively little migration from these countries more recently.    Migration to Australia Almost 6 million migrants, born in over 200 countries, live in Australia. People born in the United Kingdom continued to be the largest group of overseas-born residents, accounting for 1.2 million people. The next largest group was born in New Zealand with 544,000 people, followed by China (380,000 people), India (341,000) and Italy (216,000). Over the last decade, the proportion of those born in the UK declined from 5.9% of Australia’s population in 2000 to 5.3% in 2010. In contrast, the proportions increased for people born in New Zealand (from 1.9% to 2.4%), China (from 0.8% to 1.7%) and India (from 0.5% to 1.5%). The majority (76%) of overseas-born residents were of working age, 15–64 years at June 2010. Migrants born in Asia, America and Africa had proportionally larger young (0–14 years) and working age (15–64 years) populations compared to those from Europe.

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New Zealand is home to 3 million people and 60 million sheep Statistics NZ Home > Browse for statistics > Population > Population mythbusters > New Zealand is home to 3 million people and 60 million sheep New Zealand is home to 3 million people and 60 million sheep Sections on this page Population mythbusters It’s widely believed that New Zealand has 20 sheep for every person – information that adds weight to myriad sheep jokes. How accurate is this these days? To begin with, we must find out how many people live in New Zealand. The population passed the 4 million mark in 2003. Our  population clock put the event at precisely 5.30 pm on Thursday, 24 April. By 30 June 2015, the estimated resident population had reached 4.60 million people. Next, we must find out how many sheep we have. According to Statistics NZ's agricultural production statistics, we had an estimated 29.5 million sheep at 30 June 2015. This means that the sheep-to-person ratio has fallen and contrary to popular belief there are actually about six sheep per person, not 20. Conclusion This myth is busted. The information is now out of date. However, it is still true that people in New Zealand are greatly outnumbered by sheep, and our sheep-to-person ratio is high relative to other countries. It’s still twice as high as Australia's, for example, which currently has fewer than three sheep per person. As with New Zealand, this is due to declining sheep numbers and a growing human population. New Zealanders have also long been outnumbered by cattle, although not to the same extent as by sheep. There are currently 6.4 million dairy and 3.6 million beef cattle in New Zealand. While the cattle population is growing at a slower rate than the human population, there has been a notable shift in the make-up of the cattle population. In 1994, 43.2 percent of cattle were dairy cattle. By 2015, that proportion had increased to 64.0 percent. A bit of sheep history New Zealand sheep numbers peaked in 1982, with a total of 70.3 million sheep. In the same year, 3.18 million people lived in New Zealand. This works out to 22 sheep per person. Sheep numbers have gradually declined since the mid-1980s, due to factors such as depressed wool prices, droughts in the 1990s, and competition from other land-intensive farming activities (eg dairy and forestry). While sheep numbers stabilised and even grew slightly in the mid-2000s, numbers soon decreased again, reaching the low of 29.5 million in 2015. Some sheep facts from  An Encyclopedia of New Zealand for the historians among us: New Zealand's first sheep were set ashore by Captain Cook in 1773. Rapid sheep population growth in the 1850s and 1860s was due mostly to permanent immigration, rather than natural increase. In 1864 alone, 13,000 sheep arrived in Canterbury from Australia. Droughts meant that sheep could always be bought cheaply from Australia. Drought continues to affect Australian farmers and sheep numbers. The first shipment of frozen lamb and mutton sailed to London from Port Chalmers on the Dunedin in 1882. For your information

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Mapping the Global Muslim Population | Pew Research Center October 7, 2009 Mapping the Global Muslim Population A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion. While Muslims are found on all five inhabited continents, more than 60% of the global Muslim population is in Asia and about 20% is in the Middle East and North Africa. However, the Middle East-North Africa region has the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries. Indeed, more than half of the 20 countries and territories 1 in that region have populations that are approximately 95% Muslim or greater. More than 300 million Muslims, or one-fifth of the world’s Muslim population, live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large. India, for example, has the third-largest population of Muslims worldwide. China has more Muslims than Syria, while Russia is home to more Muslims than Jordan and Libya combined. Of the total Muslim population, 10-13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90% are Sunni Muslims. Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq. These are some of the key findings of Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population, a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The report offers the most up-to-date and fully sourced estimates of the size and distribution of the worldwide Muslim population, including sectarian identity. Previously published estimates of the size of the global Muslim population have ranged widely, from 1 billion to 1.8 billion. 2 But these commonly quoted estimates often have appeared without citations to specific sources or explanations of how the figures were generated. The Pew Forum report is based on the best available data for 232 countries and territories. Pew Forum researchers, in consultation with nearly 50 demographers and social scientists at universities and research centers around the world, acquired and analyzed about 1,500 sources, including census reports, demographic studies and general population surveys, to arrive at these figures – the largest project of its kind to date. (See Methodology for more detail.) The Pew Forum’s estimate of the Shia population (10-13%) is in keeping with previous estimates, which generally have been in the range of 10-15%. Some previous estimates, however, have placed the number of Shias at nearly 20% of the world’s Muslim population. 3 Readers should bear in mind that the figures given in this report for the Sunni and Shia populations are less precise than the figures for the overall Muslim population. Data on sectarian affiliation have been infrequently collected or, in many countries, not collected at all. Therefore, the Sunni and Shia numbers reported here are expressed as broad ranges and should be treated as approximate. These findings on the world Muslim population lay the foundation for a forthcoming study by the Pew Forum, scheduled to be released in 2010, that will estimate growth rates among Muslim populations worldwide and project Muslim populations into the future. The Pew Forum plans to launch a similar study of global Christianity in 2010 as well. The Pew Forum also plans to conduct in-depth public opinion surveys on the intersection of religion and public life around the world, starting with a 19-country survey of sub-Saharan Africa scheduled to be released later this year. These forthcoming studies are part of a larger effort – the Global Religious Futures Project, jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation – that aims to increase people’s understanding of religion around the world. Map: Distribution of Muslim Population by Country and Territory Only countries with more than 1 million Muslims are shown 2009 Muslim population, the percentage of its population that is Muslim and the percentage of the world Muslim population it represents. * Indicates the use of a source with a small enough sample size to make these estimates somewhat less reliable. Due to this greater margin of error, percentages are rounded to the nearest integer rather than to the first decimal place and are therefore more approximate (~). The only exception to this rule is the display of Turkey’s percentage of world population as 4.7% rather than ~ 5%. “–” indicates that the number of Muslims is too small to be reliably estimated.   Map: World Distribution of Muslim Population This “weighted” map of the world shows each country’s relative size based on its Muslim population. Figures are rounded to the nearest million. Click to enlarge.

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City Populations, Largest Cities of the World - Worldatlas.com 2979000 What is the largest city in the world? Tokyo, with 37.8 million residents, continues to be the largest city in the world in terms of population. It has remained the largest city for over half a century when it displaced New York in 1955. In recent years Jakarta is experiencing a faster population growth than it and may eventually take the number one spot. Tokyo-Yokohama is not only the world's most populous metropolitan area but it is the world's largest urban agglomeration economy. The numbers shown include population within the recognized metro area of the city, and they also include people living in the immediate surrounding area outside of the established border of the city, (the immediate suburbs). Some population numbers shown are accumulated at-best estimates, as consistent to latest census. Information was last updated on November 14th, 2016.

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World Population Clock: 7.5 Billion People (2017) - Worldometers back to top ↑ The chart above illustrates how world population has changed throughout history. View the full tabulated data. At the dawn of agriculture, about 8000 B.C., the population of the world was approximately 5 million. Over the 8,000-year period up to 1 A.D. it grew to 200 million (some estimate 300 million or even 600, suggesting how imprecise population estimates of early historical periods can be), with a growth rate of under 0.05% per year. A tremendous change occurred with the industrial revolution: whereas it had taken all of human history until around 1800 for world population to reach one billion, the second billion was achieved in only 130 years (1930), the third billion in less than 30 years (1959), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), and the fifth billion in only 13 years (1987). During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion. In 1970, there were roughly half as many people in the world as there are now. Because of declining growth rates , it will now take over 200 years to double again. Wonder how big was the world's population when you were born? Check out this simple wizard or this more elaborated one to find out. Sources: back to top ↑ Yearly Population Growth Rate (%) Population in the world is currently (2017) growing at a rate of around 1.11% per year (down from 1.13% in 2016). The current average population change is estimated at around 80 million per year. Annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at 2% and above. The rate of increase has therefore almost halved since its peak of 2.19 percent, which was reached in 1963. The annual growth rate is currently declining and is projected to continue to decline in the coming years. Currently, it is estimated that it will become less than 1% by 2020 and less than 0.5% by 2050. This means that world population will continue to grow in the 21st century, but at a slower rate compared to the recent past. World population has doubled (100% increase) in 40 years from 1959 (3 billion) to 1999 (6 billion). It is now estimated that it will take a further 39 years to increase by another 50%, to become 9 billion by 2038. The latest United Nations projections indicate that world population will reach 10 billion persons in the year 2056 ( six years earlier than previously estimated ). World Population (2017 and historical) back to top ↑ According to a recent study (based on the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion) by The Pew Forum , there are: 2,173,180,000 Christians (31% of world population), of which 50% are Catholic, 37% Protestant, 12% Orthodox, and 1% other. 1,598,510,000 Muslims (23%), of which 87-90% are Sunnis, 10-13% Shia. 1,126,500,000 No Religion affiliation (16%): atheists, agnostics and people who do not identify with any particular religion. One-in-five people (20%) in the United States are religiously unaffiliated. 1,033,080,000 Hindus (15%), the overwhelming majority (94%) of which live in India.    487,540,000 Buddhists (7%), of which half live in China.    405,120,000 Folk Religionists (6%): faiths that are closely associated with a particular group of people, ethnicity or tribe.       58,110,000 Other Religions (1%): Baha’i faith, Taoism, Jainism, Shintoism, Sikhism, Tenrikyo, Wicca, Zoroastrianism and many others.       13,850,000 Jews (0.2%), four-fifths of which live in two countries: United States (41%) and Israel (41%). World Population by Country back to top ↑ The world population counter displayed on Worldometers takes into consideration data from two major sources: the United Nations and the U.S. Census Bureau. The United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs every two years calculates, updates, and publishes estimates of total population in its World Population Prospects series. These population estimates and projections provide the standard and consistent set of population figures that are used throughout the United Nations system. The World Population Prospect: the 2015 Revision provides the most recent data available (released on July 29, 2015). Estimates and projected world population and country specific populations are given from 1950 through 2100 and are released every two years. The latest revision has revised upwards the world population projections . Worldometers, as it is common practice, utilizes the medium fertility estimates. Data underlying the population estimates are national and sub national census data and data on births, deaths, and migrants available from national sources and publications, as well as from questionnaires. For all countries, census and registration data are evaluated and, if necessary, adjusted for incompleteness by the Population Division as part of its preparations of the official United Nations population estimates and projections. The International Programs Center at the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division also develops estimates and projections based on analysis of available data (based on census, survey, and administrative information) on population, fertility, mortality, and migration for each country or area of the world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, world population reached 7 billion on March 12, 2012. For most countries adjustment of the data is necessary to correct for errors, omissions, and inconsistencies in the data. Finally, since most recent data for a single country is often at least two years old, the current world population figure is necessarily a projection of past data based on assumed trends. As new data become available, assumptions and data are reevaluated and past conclusions and current figures may be modified. For information about how these estimates and projections are made by the U.S. Census Bureau, see the Population Estimates and Projections Methodology . Why Worldometers clocks are the most accurate

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Our people | australia.gov.au Australia.gov.au Helping you find government information and services Search form Australian people Australia is one of the most ethnically diverse societies in the world today. Almost one in four Australian residents were born outside of Australia and many more are first or second generation Australians, the children and grandchildren of recently arrived migrants and refugees. This wide variety of backgrounds, together with the culture of Indigenous Australians who have lived on the Australian continent for more than 50,000 years, have helped create a uniquely Australian identity and spirit. Indigenous peoples and cultures Before the arrival of British colonisers in 1788, Australia was inhabited by the Indigenous peoples - Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, sometimes referred to as the First Australians. Aboriginal people inhabited the whole of Australia and Torres Strait Islanders lived on the islands between Australia and Papua New Guinea, in what is now called the Torres Strait. There were over 500 different clan groups or 'nations' around the continent, many with distinctive cultures, beliefs and languages. Today, Indigenous people make up 2.4 per cent of the total Australian population (about 460,000 out of 22 million people). The first colony New South Wales was settled as a penal colony – a place where Britain could send convicted criminals because her prisons were overcrowded. Many convicts had grown up in poverty and committed only minor offences, such as the theft of a loaf of bread. Conditions in the new colony were little better than at home – it took many years for British settlers to understand the different environment of the new colony, and disease and malnutrition were widespread during the first decades of settlement. Convicts formed the majority of the colony's population for the first few decades of settlement. Convicts continued being sent to New South Wales until 1823, although as time went by, convicts were increasingly seen as a source of labour to build the colony, rather than just being sent away from Britain as punishment for their crimes. Free settlers The first wave of migrants to Australia included men of capital who were attracted by the colony's agricultural prospects and the availability of convict labour. Their enthusiasm, together with the Gold Rushes era of the mid-nineteenth century, pushed out the boundaries of the new settlement and by the end of the 1850s there were six separate Australian colonies: New South Wales

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NYC Population Complete Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Estimates for July 1, 2015 Introduction The U.S. Census Bureau prepares estimates of total population for all counties in the United States on an annual basis, using a demographic procedure known as the “administrative records method” (described below). This method assumes that post-census population change can be closely approximated with vital statistics data on births and deaths, along with other administrative and survey data that provide a picture of migration patterns. Total Population According to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, New York City’s population increased from 8,175,1331 in April of 2010 to 8,550,405 in July of 2015. This is an increase of 375,300 residents or about 4.6 percent over the 2010 mark. Among the boroughs, Brooklyn saw the largest change in population in this 63-month period, growing by 5.3 percent or 132,000 persons, followed by the Bronx (5.1 percent or 70,300 persons), Queens (4.9 percent or 108,400 persons), and Manhattan (3.7 percent or 58,600 persons). The lowest growth occurred in Staten Island (1.2 percent or 5,800 persons). New York City’s population increase since April of 2010 represented 89.8 percent of the total increase in New York State, which raised the city’s share of the State’s population, from 42.2 percent to 43.2 percent. Components of Population Change Demographers divide population change into components.  Natural increase represents the difference between births and deaths. Net migration represents the balance between persons entering and leaving an area. Together, these components describe how populations change over time. The U.S. Census Bureau constructs population estimates for all counties in the United States by separately estimating the components of change. Births and deaths are compiled using data from the national vital statistics system. Net migration is calculated by estimating the rate of net migration for persons coming in from and leaving for other counties in the 50 states (net domestic migration) and the balance of people who immigrate from and emigrate to other nations and Puerto Rico (net international migration). The net domestic migration rate is derived using income tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service and Medicare enrollment data from the Social Security Administration (see methods discussion below). It is important to keep in mind that New York City has a very dynamic population, with several hundred thousand people coming and going each year. This “churn” has long characterized the City, and represents a fluidity that is difficult to characterize using the net migration measures presented herein. This dynamism is a testament to the City being a magnet for those seeking opportunities, then moving on, only to be replaced by the next set of individuals aspiring for a better life.  This very vibrant picture is what makes New York City’s population extraordinary and different from most other places in the nation and, perhaps, the world. The most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate the following for the 2010-2015 period: a) Positive natural increase – the surplus of births over deaths added 341,300 persons to New York City’s population between April of 2010 and July of 2015. b) Net migration was positive for the city overall, with a net migration gain of 49,600 persons for the period.  While small by the standards of the City’s overall population, the picture of positive net migration represents a reversal of longstanding pattern of population losses through migration. The recent gain through migration was the result of a net inflow of 452,500 persons through international migration, which offset a net domestic migration loss of 402,900 persons. For the first time in over a half-century, migration fueled population growth. c)   Every borough, except Staten Island, displayed positive net migration between April 2010 and July of 2015.  New Patterns of Recent Growth: 2014-2015 vs. 2010-2014 The robust pace of growth in the post-2010 period has not been seen since the 1920s. However, the most recent 2014-2015 estimates point to a relatively lower growth rate as compared to 2010-2014. The increase over the past year, 2014-2015 was 55,200 or 0.6 percent, compared to 75,300 or about 0.9 percent annual average growth for the 2010-2014 period.  In the 2014-2015 period, Brooklyn experienced net outflows, a reversal of the pattern in prior years. Growth in Brooklyn was at the City average (0.6 percent) in the past year, while the Bronx (0.9 percent) and Queens (0.7 percent) had higher than average growth. Indeed, the Bronx had the highest growth of any county in New York State, while Queens added the most people in numerical terms. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Methodology Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau produces estimates of the population for states, counties, cities and other places, as well as for the nation as a whole. They utilize data from a number of sources to estimate the change in the population for each year since the most recent decennial census. These population estimates use the 2010 Census counts as a base. The U.S. Census Bureau subtracts the number of resident deaths from the number of resident births annually for each county in the U.S., to derive growth due to natural increase. Births are tabulated by residence of the mother, regardless of where the birth occurred. Similarly, deaths are tabulated by the most recent residence of the decedent, not where the death occurred. Birth and death certificates from the National Center for Health Statistics are used as the data source. The data on births and deaths are generally considered to be the most reliable part of the components of change analysis. Net domestic migration represents the net exchange between a county and other counties in the 50 states. This component is estimated for three age groups (0-17, 18-64 and 65 years and older). For ages 0 to 64, the U.S. Census Bureau uses data on filers and dependents from federal income tax returns supplied by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In-migrants and out-migrants between counties as well as non-movers are identified by comparing the addresses of income tax filers from year-to-year to determine residence at two points in time. For example, to produce the July 1, 2015 estimates, the addresses of tax filers in 2013 and 2014 are compared. In-migrants to a county were defined as those with an address in the county in 2014, but outside the county in 2013; out-migrants are those with an address in the county in 2013, but outside the county in 2014; and individuals who filed tax returns at the same address at both points in time are non-migrants. Since every U.S. resident may not file or be claimed as an exemption on a tax return, these data cannot be used to directly estimate the number of county-to- county migrants.  Instead a net domestic migration rate needs to be calculated by taking the difference between the numbers of in- and out-migrants (net-migrants) and dividing it by the sum of the non-movers and out-migrants.2 Because many retired persons do not file tax returns, the U.S. Census Bureau uses addresses from Medicare enrollment data in much the same way as they use IRS data to determine domestic migration for the population 65 years and over. Net International Migration is the result of net flows to and from foreign countries and Puerto Rico and is estimated in the following parts: immigration of the foreign-born, emigration of the foreign- as well as native-born, and net migration between the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Immigration of the foreign-born is estimated using the ACS question on residence in the prior year. Foreign-born persons who indicated that they lived abroad in the prior year are considered immigrants. Emigration of the foreign-born is estimated using the residual method. For example, the foreign-born population is aged forward to obtain the expected population in the year 2015. The expected population is then compared to the population estimated in the 2015 ACS. Subtracting the estimated from the expected populations provides the residual, which then serves as the basis of emigration rates for the foreign-born. Emigration rates of the native-born are based on research by Schachter (2008) using data from over 80 countries.3This work compares estimates of U.S. citizens living overseas measured for two consecutive time periods and uses the difference to develop estimates of net native migration. 1While there is little doubt that New York City has experienced a substantial population increase post-2010, it is probably overstated. Brooklyn and Queens likely experienced an undercount in the 2010 Census, the result of misclassifying housing units as vacant. A conservative estimate is that this problem understated the population of the two boroughs by 65,000 persons. This means that the population of the city in 2010 was easily in excess of 8,240,000 – and not the 8,175,100 base from the 2010 enumeration that is used in the calculations of change. See Salvo, J.J. and A.P. Lobo (2013). “Misclassifying New York’s Hidden Units as Vacant in 2010: Lessons Gleaned for the 2020 Census.” Population Research and Policy Review, 32(5), 729-751. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11113-013-9298-1 2 One reason why small changes in estimates need to be interpreted with caution relates to the effects that tumultuous events can have on the administrative data used to create population estimates.  Such is the case with super storm Sandy and its impact on the utility of tax return data to estimate migration levels for the boroughs. 3 Schachter, Jason. 2008. “Estimating Native emigration from the United States,” Memorandum dated December 24, delivered to the US. Census Bureau. This work compares estimates of U.S. citizens living overseas measured for two consecutive time periods and uses the difference to develop estimates of net native migration. View Original PlaNYC Projections, 2000-2030 New York City Population Projections by Age/Sex and Borough, 2000-2030 Full Report (680 k) – A detailed analysis of the total population projected to 2030, as well as the projected school-age and elderly populations. Includes an in-depth description of the projection methodology. Briefing Booklet (720 k) – an illustrated guide to the projection methodology and to the major findings. Related Links: Visit PLANYC 2030 - Learn about the challenges New York City will face over the next 25 years -- and how you can help solve them. Mayor Bloomberg's Sustainability Address - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg cited DCP's population projections in his December 12, 2006 address regarding planning for a sustainable future. City Planning Press Release: City Planning Demographers Paint Picture of City's Future Population At 9.1 Million, Detailing How City Will Grow By 2030.

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Prohibition - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Google Origins of Prohibition In the 1820s and ’30s, a wave of religious revivalism swept the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other “perfectionist” movements such as the abolition of slavery. In 1838, the state of Massachusetts passed a temperance law banning the sale of spirits in less than 15-gallon quantities; though the law was repealed two years later, it set a precedent for such legislation. Maine passed the first state prohibition law in 1846, and a number of other states had followed suit by the time the Civil War began in 1861. Did You Know? In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated the incumbent President Herbert Hoover, who once called Prohibition "the great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far reaching in purpose." Some say FDR celebrated the repeal of Prohibition by enjoying a dirty martini, his preferred drink. By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common fixture in communities across the United States. Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages. In 1906, a new wave of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League (established in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon culture as corrupt and ungodly. In addition, many factory owners supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours. Passage of the Prohibition Amendment In 1917, after the United States entered World War I , President Woodrow Wilson instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food. That same year, Congress submitted the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors, for state ratification. Though Congress had stipulated a seven-year time limit for the process, the amendment received the support of the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states in just 11 months. Ratified on January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment went into effect a year later, by which time no fewer than 33 states had already enacted their own prohibition legislation. In October 1919, Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, which provided guidelines for the federal enforcement of Prohibition. Championed by Representative Andrew Volstead of Mississippi , the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the legislation was more commonly known as the Volstead Act. Enforcement of Prohibition Both federal and local government struggled to enforce Prohibition over the course of the 1920s. Enforcement was initially assigned to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and was later transferred to the Justice Department. In general, Prohibition was enforced much more strongly in areas where the population was sympathetic to the legislation–mainly rural areas and small towns–and much more loosely in urban areas. Despite very early signs of success, including a decline in arrests for drunkenness and a reported 30 percent drop in alcohol consumption, those who wanted to keep drinking found ever-more inventive ways to do it. The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”) went on throughout the decade, along with the operation of “speakeasies” (stores or nightclubs selling alcohol), the smuggling of alcohol across state lines and the informal production of liquor (“moonshine” or “bathtub gin”) in private homes. In addition, the Prohibition era encouraged the rise of criminal activity associated with bootlegging. The most notorious example was the Chicago gangster Al Capone , who earned a staggering $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies. Such illegal operations fueled a corresponding rise in gang violence, including the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, in which several men dressed as policemen (and believed to be have associated with Capone) shot and killed a group of men in an enemy gang. Prohibition Comes to an End The high price of bootleg liquor meant that the nation’s working class and poor were far more restricted during Prohibition than middle or upper class Americans. Even as costs for law enforcement, jails and prisons spiraled upward, support for Prohibition was waning by the end of the 1920s. In addition, fundamentalist and nativist forces had gained more control over the temperance movement, alienating its more moderate members. With the country mired in the Great Depression by 1932, creating jobs and revenue by legalizing the liquor industry had an undeniable appeal. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for president that year on a platform calling for Prohibition’s appeal, and easily won victory over the incumbent President Herbert Hoover . FDR’s victory meant the end for Prohibition, and in February 1933 Congress adopted a resolution proposing a 21st Amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the 18th. The amendment was submitted to the states, and in December 1933 Utah provided the 36th and final necessary vote for ratification. Though a few states continued to prohibit alcohol after Prohibition’s end, all had abandoned the ban by 1966. Tags

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Why Prohibition? | Temperance & Prohibition Temperance & Prohibition Why Prohibition? Why Prohibition? Why did the United States have a prohibition movement, and enact prohibition? We offer some generalizations in answer to that question. Prohibition in the United States was a measure designed to reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages. The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took away license to do business from the brewers, distillers, vintners, and the wholesale and retail sellers of alcoholic beverages. The leaders of the prohibition movement were alarmed at the drinking behavior of Americans, and they were concerned that there was a culture of drink among some sectors of the population that, with continuing immigration from Europe, was spreading. The prohibition movement's strength grew, especially after the formation of the Anti-Saloon League in 1893. The League, and other organizations that supported prohibition such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, soon began to succeed in enacting local prohibition laws. Eventually the prohibition campaign was a national effort. During this time, the brewing industry was the most prosperous of the beverage alcohol industries. Because of the competitive nature of brewing, the brewers entered the retail business. Americans called retail businesses selling beer and whiskey by the glass saloons. To expand the sale of beer, brewers expanded the number of saloons. Saloons proliferated . It was not uncommon to find one saloon for every 150 or 200 Americans, including those who did not drink. Hard-pressed to earn profits, saloonkeepers sometimes introduced vices such as gambling and prostitution into their establishments in an attempt to earn profits. Many Americans considered saloons offensive, noxious institutions. The prohibition leaders believed that once license to do business was removed from the liquor traffic, the churches and reform organizations would enjoy an opportunity to persuade Americans to give up drink. This opportunity would occur unchallenged by the drink businesses ("the liquor traffic") in whose interests it was to urge more Americans to drink, and to drink more beverage alcohol. The blight of saloons would disappear from the landscape, and saloonkeepers no longer allowed to encourage people, including children, to drink beverage alcohol. Some prohibition leaders looked forward to an educational campaign that would greatly expand once the drink businesses became illegal, and would eventually, in about thirty years, lead to a sober nation. Other prohibition leaders looked forward to vigorous enforcement of prohibition in order to eliminate supplies of beverage alcohol. After 1920, neither group of leaders was especially successful. The educators never received the support for the campaign that they dreamed about; and the law enforcers were never able to persuade government officials to mount a wholehearted enforcement campaign against illegal suppliers of beverage alcohol. The best evidence available to historians shows that consumption of beverage alcohol declined dramatically under prohibition. In the early 1920s, consumption of beverage alcohol was about thirty per cent of the pre-prohibition level. Consumption grew somewhat in the last years of prohibition, as illegal supplies of liquor increased and as a new generation of Americans disregarded the law and rejected the attitude of self-sacrifice that was part of the bedrock of the prohibition movement. Nevertheless, it was a long time after repeal before consumption rates rose to their pre-prohibition levels. In that sense, prohibition "worked." We have included a table of data about alcohol consumption . We also present some data in graphic form, including the consumption of beer in gallons, the consumption of distilled spirits in gallons, and the consumption of absolute alcohol in gallons for beer and spirits, and, in total, for all beverage alcohol. We also have some separate data for malt beverage production (beer).

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Prohibition ends - Dec 05, 1933 - HISTORY.com Prohibition ends Publisher A+E Networks The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states’ approval. Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier in the day. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for national liquor abstinence. Several states outlawed the manufacture or sale of alcohol within their own borders. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. On January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment achieved the necessary three-fourths majority of state ratification. Prohibition essentially began in June of that year, but the amendment did not officially take effect until January 29, 1920. In the meantime, Congress passed the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. The Volstead Act provided for the enforcement of Prohibition, including the creation of a special Prohibition unit of the Treasury Department. In its first six months, the unit destroyed thousands of illicit stills run by bootleggers. However, federal agents and police did little more than slow the flow of booze, and organized crime flourished in America. Large-scale bootleggers like Al Capone of Chicago built criminal empires out of illegal distribution efforts, and federal and state governments lost billions in tax revenue. In most urban areas, the individual consumption of alcohol was largely tolerated and drinkers gathered at “speakeasies,” the Prohibition-era term for saloons. Prohibition, failing fully to enforce sobriety and costing billions, rapidly lost popular support in the early 1930s. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, ending national Prohibition. After the repeal of the 18th Amendment, some states continued Prohibition by maintaining statewide temperance laws. Mississippi, the last dry state in the Union, ended Prohibition in 1966. Related Videos

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American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition Multimedia Step back in time to an era of flappers and suffragists, bootleggers and temperance workers, and real-life legends like Al Capone and Carrie Nation. Created by the National Constitution Center, American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is the first comprehensive exhibition about America’s most colorful and complex constitutional hiccup. Spanning from the dawn of the temperance movement, through the Roaring ’20s, to the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment, this world-premiere exhibition brings the whole story of Prohibition vividly to life. American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is curated by Daniel Okrent, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Experience the Prohibition era through: Over 100 rare artifacts including flapper dresses, temperance propaganda, a 1929 Buick Marquette, and original ratification copies of the 18th and 21st Amendments A re-created speakeasy where you can learn to Charleston and explore the fashion, music, and culture of the Roaring ’20s Films, music, photos, and multimedia exhibits including the dazzling Wayne Wheeler’s Amazing Amendment Machine, a 20-foot-long, carnival-inspired contraption that traces how the temperance movement culminated in the 18th Amendment A custom-built video game where you serve as a federal agent tracking down rumrunners An engaging iPod audio-visual tour featuring curator Daniel Okrent along with filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, who created the PBS documentary Prohibition American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is curated by Daniel Okrent, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Read Daniel Okrent’s full biography.   Introduction On January 17, 1920, a new day dawned.  As the 18th Amendment went into effect, Americans could no longer manufacture, sell, or transport intoxicating beverages.  Prohibition was now part of the Constitution, holding the same status as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the abolition of slavery. What did those who wanted America “dry” hope to achieve?  And how did the “wets” fight back? American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, a world premiere exhibition created by the National Constitution Center, explores those tumultuous years of 1920 to 1933, and why the country went dry in the first place.  Prohibition’s advocates said that they wanted to improve the nation’s moral and physical health, and in some ways they succeeded.  But the nation also endured a radical rise in crime, corruption, and cynicism.  By the time it ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment in 1933, America had become a very different country.     SECTION 1: AMERICA HAD A DRINKING PROBLEM American colonists brought their thirst for alcohol with them to the New World.  The ship Arbella, which arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, had more than 10,000 gallons of wine in its hold for 700 settlers.  It also carried three times as much beer as water. By 1830, the nation reached rock bottom.  On average, Americans over the age of 15 were guzzling seven gallons of pure alcohol each year.  This was the equivalent of 90 bottles of 80-proof liquor – or about four shots every day.  Three times greater than current levels, it remains the highest measured volume of consumption in U.S. history.  The consequences of this national binge would be severe. Upon entering American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, visitors can view a video, set on January 16, 1920, just as Prohibition was about to go into effect.  Guests also will see a volume display of glass bottles that demonstrate the drastic difference in the amount an average American adult currently drinks each year versus consumption in 1830. Alcohol Was Everywhere to a Devastating Effect By the early 1800s, the country was swimming – and nearly drowning – in liquor.  A barrel of hard cider sat by the door of thousands of farmhouses, available to everyone in the family.  In many cities, the tolling of a bell at 11 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. marked “grog time,” when workers were granted an alcohol-soaked break.  And the wealthy might drink their evenings away in hotel dining rooms or at lavish dinner parties. In rural areas, whiskey and hard cider were the drinks of choice.  Farmers used the grain they grew to make rye or corn whiskey.  They also used apples from trees like those that John Chapman – “Johnny Appleseed” – had planted throughout the Ohio Valley.  Some of these apples were specifically meant to be fermented into hard cider; a ceramic jug from 1895, like those used to carry hard cider, is on display.  Frequently, distilled liquor was added to cider to keep it from spoiling, making it stronger than beer with an alcoholic content of at least 10 percent. The establishment that was seen as the most destructive force in American life by those advocating for reform was the saloon.  Between 1870 and 1900, as millions of immigrants flocked to the United States, it is estimated that the number of saloons nationwide increased from 100,000 to 300,000.  The saloon was a male-only institution, which served many different purposes. In cities, they were gathering places for working-class immigrants that often doubled as the headquarters for political organizations.  Out West, it was simultaneously a social hall, a place to pick up your mail or cash your check, and an entertainment venue. Many men gathered in saloons to escape their responsibilities on an ocean of beer and booze. A Growler-style pail from the 1890s, on display in this section of the exhibition, was used to carry beer home from the saloon.  By the early 1900s, saloons had become standardized due to the efforts of the large brewing companies, almost all of them owned by German immigrants.  Companies like Anheuser-Busch made exclusive agreements with saloon owners, who would sell nothing but Budweiser in exchange for the company providing glassware, furniture, and even the pictures adorning the walls. Anheuser-Busch artifacts in the exhibition depicting this type of branding include early 20th century drinking glasses and artwork commissioned by Anheuser-Busch to display in thousands of saloons across the country.  During this time period, the techniques for transporting beer greatly improved.  A quarter beer barrel like the one featured in the exhibition was used to ship beer from the Anheuser-Busch headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, all across the country.  By 1901, this number reached over one million barrels a year. For some members of the middle and upper classes, social drinking in the home was a sign of respectability and sophistication.  This section also features a decanter, wine glasses, and other glassware that might have been found in a middle or upper class home.  Many respectable women consumed “home remedies” with high alcoholic content, which sometimes led to abuse. Also featured is a box and bottle of Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, a successful patent medicine marketed to women as a remedy for “female complaints” that contained 20.6 percent alcohol in its 14-ounce bottle.                                  The Crusade for Temperance Begins Early anti-alcohol campaigners preached “temperance” – a term meaning everything from moderation to total abstinence.  Absolute prohibition was not yet on their minds.  But if closing the saloons would help men to stop drinking, then closing the saloons was a worthwhile goal. The shift in tactics began on Christmas Eve in 1873 when Eliza Thompson of Hillsboro, Ohio, led a group of women to each of the town’s saloons.  The group knelt outside in the snow and prayed.  Within days, nine of Hillsboro’s 13 drinking places had closed their doors.  Thompson’s crusade led directly to the founding of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).  Under the leadership of Francis Willard, the WCTU became a 250,000 women army. The WCTU achieved their greatest victory by installing anti-alcohol curriculum in thousands of American schools.  But the women realized that without voting rights, their political power was limited.  Soon the campaign for universal suffrage became an essential element in the campaign for temperance. At the first of two photo opportunities in the American Spirits exhibition, visitors can pose with life-size figures of a temperance worker and a suffragist.  The photo op features campaign sashes and banners with historical slogans from both movements. Featured in this section of the exhibition is a wooden gavel with white ribbon used by Frances Willard to run WCTU meetings.  The white ribbon was the emblem of the WCTU symbolizing purity.  Other temperance artifacts include a letter written by Susan B. Anthony to Frances Willard in 1876 and Do Everything: A Handbook for the World’s White Ribboners,published in 1875.  Suffragist artifacts include a “Woman Suffrage Party” sash from 1910. The Rise of the Anti-Saloon League Eliza Thompson began the Crusade inspired by religious piety, and it was religion that continued to be the dominant influence in the temperance movement.  Baptists and Methodists – denominations that forbade alcohol consumption – led the attack, carrying their campaign into the nation’s political life.  And in 1893, in Oberlin, Ohio, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) was born. Led entirely by Protestant ministers, the ASL would become the most effective political pressure group in American history. In this section of American Spirits, visitors enter a semi-recreated church with white pews and a pulpit.  The sounds of well-known temperance hymns including “Tell Your Mother I’ll Vote Dry” and “When the Girls Can Vote” play on a loop.  Adorning the walls are large frames featuring photos of famous temperance figures including Howard Hyde Russell, the founder of the Anti-Saloon League, and the original bar room smasher Carrie Nation.  Carrie Amelia Nation was six feet tall, with the biceps of a stevedore, the face of a prison warden, and the persistence of a toothache.  Using these assets to promote her cause, Nation became famous when she strode into a saloon in Topeka, Kansas, and pulled out a hatchet, smashing all the bottles and the mirror behind the bar.  Nation called her raids on saloons “hatchetations.”  Beneath Nation’s portrait, a glass case displays a hatchet made of oak and steel and a wall mirror smashed during one of her infamous bar raids.  William Jennings Bryan, also featured in this section of the exhibition, was among the most controversial figures of his time.  Bryan believed that Prohibition could improve the lives of ordinary Americans.  He also was a supporter of the amendments to establish the income tax, provide for the direct election of senators, and grant the vote to women.  Bryan ran for president three times on the Democratic ticket, but lost each time.  Buttons from his 1896, 1900, and 1908 presidential campaign bids are on display in this section of the exhibition.  Later, while serving as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson, he lived out his temperance beliefs by serving grape juice instead of wine at formal functions. His portrait placed above the recreated wooden pulpit, Billy Sunday was America’s most famous evangelist.  Sunday believed that liquor was “God’s worst enemy” and “Hell’s best friend.”  A copy of his “booze” sermon with handwritten notes prepared by Sunday from 1916 is displayed under his portrait. Temperance organizations used every method at their disposal to persuade the American public to support their cause, often using moral arguments to pull at the heart strings.  Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was among the first to recognize alcoholism as a disease and encourage drinking in moderation.  Rush’s “A Moral and Physical Thermometer,” from a copy of An Inquiry into the Effects of Spirituous Liquors published in 1790, is on display in this area of the exhibition.  It describes the effects of various alcoholic beverages on the mind and body, from cheerfulness-inducing wine to “murderous” rum. Recreations of temperance propaganda warning of the dangers of alcohol hang on the walls.  A hand-colored lithograph titled “The Drunkards Progress” from 1846 by Nathaniel Currier shows the presumed life-span of a drunkard, with his wife and child as the victims of his abuse. The WCTU succeeded in getting every state in the country to require temperance education in public schools.  Its Department of Scientific Instruction produced textbooks and instruction manuals and asked teachers to fill out report cards on how they encouraged temperance in their classrooms.  A WCTU textbook, report card, and temperance lesson manual are on display.     In this section of the exhibition, visitors will discover if they might have joined the “wets” or the “drys” by answering a series of questions about their gender, religion, political ideology, and geographic location.  The “Wet or Dry” interactive quiz is featured on iPad screens located in the wooden church pews.  At the wooden pulpit, another iPad interactive features famous temperance speeches.  After listening to samples, visitors can try their hand at delivering their own fiery speech.      SECTION 2: AMENDMENT 18 After decades of promoting temperance, the anti-liquor forces determined that only a constitutional amendment could make the country dry.  The man who made it happen was Wayne B. Wheeler.  As the chief lobbyist for the Anti-Saloon League, Wheeler became the ASL’s most effective weapon.  Taking advantage of an income tax amendment, the campaign for women’s suffrage, and a world war, Wheeler shepherded the 18th Amendment to its ratification on January 16, 1919.  A new era was about to arrive in America. The dazzling Wayne Wheeler’s Amazing Amendment Machine gives visitors a visual demonstration of the amendment ratification process.  Measuring twenty-feet long and eight-feet tall, this carnival-inspired contraption follows the birth of Prohibition from 1913, when Wheeler began his campaign in earnest after the ratification of the income tax amendment, until 1919 when the 18th Amendment was ratified. An original copy of the 18th Amendment congressional resolution and notification letter – sent to the state of Pennsylvania by Secretary of State Robert Lansing to consider for ratification – is displayed in this section of the exhibition.  Pennsylvania became the 45th state to ratify on February 25, 1919, one month after the proposed amendment had been ratified by the required 36 out of 48 states.      SECTION 3: DRYS HAD THEIR AMENDMENT AND WETS HAD THEIR LIQUOR It was said that two groups above all benefited from Prohibition: Bootleggers and Baptists.  Baptists, and those who agreed with them, had succeeded in passing a constitutional amendment.  The nation’s fifth largest industry (in terms of invested capital) was effectively put out of business overnight.  Bootleggers benefited from the unintended consequences of Prohibition.  In well-stocked speakeasies, men and women began drinking together in public.  Vast governmental corruption eroded the nation’s respect for law.  And rampant criminality, as well as some well-placed loopholes in the enforcement of laws, put illegal behavior on the front pages of newspapers daily. In just 112 words, the 18th Amendment made the manufacture, sale, and transport of intoxicating liquors illegal.  But a law had to be enacted to determine how the amendment would be enforced.  Passed by Congress in 1919, the Volstead Act stipulated what precisely was illegal and what was not. The Volstead Act provided three key exceptions for the legal manufacture, sale, and transport of alcoholic beverages – sacramental wine, medicinal alcohol, and the preservation of fruit by households through fermentation.  At an iPad interactive, visitors can test their Volstead knowhow by deciding “Is It Legal?” when different combinations of alcohol, its use, and its location are combined in a slot machine-style fashion.  Why the Twenties Roared Men and women mingling in a smoke-filled bar, martini glasses held artfully in hand: the generation that had come of age during the grim carnage of World War I now broke free from the past.  When the laws changed, so did American habits. Jazz spread across the country from speakeasy to speakeasy, as did the era’s popular dance crazes, like the Charleston and the shimmy.  Prohibition had given birth to the modern American nightclub.  Inside American Spirits, the Center has recreated a 1920s speakeasy, complete with a wooden dance floor with the footsteps to four versions of the Charleston, and a bar where guests can learn about the evolution of the cocktail and “order a story” about the era.  A video projection plays black and white dance footage from the era.  Cocktail tables that surround the dance floor contain dinner plate graphics featuring 1920s slang.  Coaster graphics at the tables profile famous speakeasy patrons. The mixed-gender speakeasy replaced the saloon, which had always been a male-only institution, and it now became acceptable for men and women to drink together in public.  As women joined men at the speakeasy, owners needed to find bathroom facilities for their new customers.  Broom closets and other tucked-away places were converted into bathrooms, but the tiny spaces could not accommodate more than a sink, mirror, and a toilet; it was the birth of something called the “powder room.”  Inside the Center’s recreated powder room, visitors can view artifacts including a cigarette case, lipstick, blush compact, face powder, and comb from the era. The changing morals and habits of the speakeasy-era also sparked a revolution in modern fashion.  The trends reflected a youthful desire to break with the previous generation.  Independent women working in factories and offices wanted less formal and constricting clothing; bobbed hair, straight silhouettes, and shorter hemlines became the norm.  Two silk tunic-style dresses and an evening dress made of velvet represent women’s 1920s fashion in the exhibition.  Women’s accessories in this section include dress clips and a brooch, a tiara made of tortoiseshell and rhinestones, a fan made of ostrich feathers, and evening sandals.  Also featured, a silk cloche style hat, which became a trademark of the 1920s.  Men’s fashions featured in this section of the exhibition include a tailcoat and trousers with a top hat and oxford-style shoes, as well as the classic fedora that became synonymous with the gangsters of the era.   Product Ingenuity When Prohibition shut down the alcoholic beverage industry, many entrepreneurs – both legal and illegal – rose up to fill the void for a thirsty nation.  Some who had been in the industry, like the vintners and brewers, had to reinvent themselves to stay in business.  Others took advantage of the numerous loopholes in the Volstead Act – or simply turned to illegal liquor to meet the steady demand.  A wide array of beverage-related products from this time period can be seen in the exhibition. Soft drinks first gained popularity in the 1800s, but once Prohibition arrived, business boomed.  Law-abiding Americans quenched their thirst with these sweet, carbonated beverages, while those skirting the law used them as mixers to hide the taste of low-quality alcohol. Soda-pop artifacts from this time period include Coca-Cola bottles and six-pack carton, and a Hires root beer dispenser along with an extract bottle and box.  Coca-Cola saw its sales triple during Prohibition.  Charles Hires, a Philadelphia pharmacist, developed a recipe for root beer from popular colonial brews in the 1800s.  Marketed as a wholesome temperance drink, Hires would grow to become one of the most popular brands of soda-pop.  Vintners were left with an abundance of grapes at the start of Prohibition.  But the Volstead Act had a key loophole that permitted families to preserve fruit through fermentation.  It did not take long for grapes to be “preserved by turning them into wine.”   Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch developed “Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine” in the 1860s.  After winning the Methodist Church’s approval to use it as a nonalcoholic communion wine, Welch’s Grape Juice set new sales records during Prohibition.  The exhibition features a Welch’s Grape Juice Bottle from 1925. Unable to make beer legally, many breweries were forced to shut their doors at the start of Prohibition.  The biggest breweries found ways to stay in business by reconfiguring their facilities to manufacture other products.  Pabst Brewing Company, for example, made Pabst-ett cheese, a carton of which can be seen in the exhibition.  Other brewers made ice cream or refrigerated trucks.  Breweries also kept their doors open by producing perfectly legal malt syrup.  The addition of water, yeast, and time yielded a foamy, alcohol-rich beer for those who wished to brew their own suds at home.  An Anheuser-Busch malt syrup can and yeast container can be seen in the exhibition. Some breweries went through the process of removing alcohol from beer.  This “near beer” grew in popularity as states passed dry laws, but demand quickly dropped in the 1920s as many drinkers preferred alcoholic homebrews or beer produced illegally by bootleggers.  Anheuser-Busch introduced the nonalcoholic “Bevo” in 1916, which is featured in the exhibition. Certain distilleries were granted licenses to manufacture liquor for the pharmaceutical trade.  Physicians sold prescriptions for a wide variety of ailments; patients could redeem one at the local pharmacy for a pint of liquor every 10 days.  Early on, medicinal alcohol was dispensed in dark, unmarked bottles; within a few years, well-known brands were available.  Bottles, like the Sam Thompson Old Monongahela Pure Rye Whiskey bottle featured in the exhibition, looked just like their pre-Prohibition versions, except for the words “For Medicinal Purposes Only” printed on the label. Rumrunners and Bootleggers From hard cider to moonshine, making alcoholic beverages at home happened long before Prohibition.  While the Volstead Act permitted families to make a limited amount of “fruit beverages” like cider or wine, distilling spirits was not allowed.  This didn’t stop stills from popping up in basements, apartments, and backwoods across the country.  This section of the American Spirits exhibition features a still used in the early 1930s by a farmer in North Carolina who manufactured spirits from his excess corn during Prohibition. Networks to transport illegal alcohol quickly spread across the country.  The Coast Guard, in response to the illegal importation of alcohol along the coasts, greatly expanded during Prohibition.  The Coast Guard’s efforts to stop this smuggling became the most effective element of federal Prohibition enforcement. To demonstrate the efforts of the Coast Guard to stop illegal rum running, the Center created a custom two-player video game – complete with wooden boat wheels – where visitors play the role of the Coast Guard trolling the waters of Puget Sound off the coast of Washington state.  Puget Sound was the real-life stage of restless races between coast guards and rumrunners, who were smuggling alcohol from British Columbia to Washington State.  This area of the exhibition also showcases the many clever ways individuals disguised alcohol in the form of personal objects.  Flasks hidden in a fake book, camera flask, cigar case flask, and a cane with a hidden flask are on display. Prohibition Enforcement Before Prohibition, the Treasury Department had been responsible for collecting taxes on beer, wine, and liquor and chasing down those who failed to pay.  In 1919, the Volstead Act assigned Prohibition enforcement to a new unit tucked into the Treasury bureaucracy: the Bureau of Prohibition. Prosecution of those arrested fell to a division of the Justice Department headed by Assistant Attorney General Mabel Walker Willebrandt.  Together, these two departments faced a monumental challenge.  The White House never gave them much support, and Congress, after passing the Volstead Act, never allocated enough money.  The atmosphere was perfect for official corruption on an unprecedented scale. Featured in this section of American Spirits is a federal regulation book from the era given to Prohibition agents with guidelines and forms to implement the Volstead Act.  A search warrant from 1927 that was used to enter and search an alleged “saloon” operating in St. Louis, Missouri, is also on display.  At three filing cabinets, visitors can lean about various Prohibition agents and administrators like Eliot Ness, Isidore Einstein, and Daisy Simpson to gain insight into the challenges that these agents faced and the corruption that ran rampant.  Ness’ signed oath of office from 1926 also is featured in this section.  In addition, guests can view a former Prohibition Administrator Badge from 1931 belonging to former Navy Commander John Pennington, the Federal Prohibition Administrator for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware from 1930 until 1933. Two large-scale graphics also are featured in this section.  A map of the United States shows major bootlegging cities and networks crisscrossing the country, as well as the international imports and shipments that Prohibition agents were tasked with stopping.  On an enforcement organizational chart, visitors can learn more about the various federal agencies tasked with investigating and prosecuting Volstead violations and how well – or poorly – they did their jobs.  Reinterpreting the Fourth Amendment During Prohibition, the Supreme Court issued dozens of decisions relating to its enforcement.  Twenty cases involved the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, dramatically reshaping the way the amendment was interpreted. One of the most important Fourth Amendment cases arose after federal agents tapped Seattle bootlegger Roy Olmstead’s telephone without a warrant, which led to his conviction on a number of charges.  Olmstead was the youngest lieutenant on the Seattle police force and one of its most promising officers.  After leaving the force, he became the most successful bootlegger in the Pacific Northwest. The candlestick telephone used by Olmstead to operate his bootlegging empire is featured in this section of the exhibition.  Olmstead appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the evidence of his telephone conversations used during his trial was inadmissible because its collection violated the Fourth Amendment.  The Supreme Court disagreed.  In Olmstead v. United States, the Court ruled that private telephone communications were no different from casual conversations overheard in a public place.  The legality of warrantless wiretapping was not overturned until Katz v. United States in 1967. Organized Crime Organized crime wasn’t a new phenomenon in the 1920s.  In most cities, gangs had long controlled such illegal enterprises as gambling, prostitution, and narcotics.  But these were strictly local businesses, often consolidated in a part of town known for its illegal ways. Prohibition, though, required the shipment of large quantities of physical goods from one place to another.  Mobsters in one city suddenly needed partners in other places.  At the same time, competing gangs fought for control of those same markets.  Mob wars were rich material for the newspapers, which splashed pictures of slain mobsters across their front pages. This increase in violent crime contributed to the growing public opposition to Prohibition. Iron knuckles from gangster Owen “Owney” Madden are on display in this section of the exhibition.  Madden made millions bootlegging, gambling, and on nightclub operations, including the infamous Cotton Club.  An intake card from Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site shows a 24-years-inmate who was incarcerated for the manufacturing and sale of intoxicating liquor.  A reproduction M1921 Thompson “Tommy” Submachine gun on display was a popular weapon for bootleggers and law enforcement alike because of its compact design and ability to fire multiple rounds automatically.  Also featured, the guilty verdict for one of the most infamous gangsters of the era, Al Capone, who was convicted in Chicago in 1931and sentenced to 11 years in prison for not paying taxes on money earned from his illegal operations.  Capone also famously spent a year incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary Historical Site for a 1929 charge of gun possession. The Birth of a National Crime Syndicate The effort to coordinate bootlegging activities across regions produced one of Prohibition’s enduring legacies – the national crime syndicate.  Criminals from Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Newark, and New York City first met in Atlantic City in 1929 to divide up territories, fix prices, and make cross-territorial distribution deals.  Visitors can view a mug shot wall featuring some of the notorious gangsters and criminals of the era, along with their criminal history.  Guests also can enter a lineup and have their mug shot taken alongside life-size figures of Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky.  A great keepsake, the photos can then be emailed directly to visitors.     SECTION 4: REPEAL THE 18th! As late as 1930, getting rid of Prohibition was considered almost impossible.  No constitutional amendment had ever been repealed.  And few believed two-thirds of each house of Congress, as well as the legislatures of 36 of the 48 states, would be able to agree that Prohibition was a failure.  But the devastating effects of the Great Depression changed everything.  As unemployment rose, federal income tax revenues plummeted.  Taxes on capital gains evaporated altogether.  The Congress elected in 1930 became desperate for revenue. Congress saw hope in a tax – this time, the return of a federal tax on alcohol.  By the time Franklin Roosevelt came out for repeal during the 1932 campaign, it was clear that the 18th Amendment was doomed. Ratifying the 21st In this section of American Spirits, guests can view the official copy of the 21st Amendment congressional resolution and notification from the state of New Jersey.  While New Jersey was the last to ratify the 18th Amendment, it became the fifth state to ratify repeal on June 1, 1933.  Celebratory images of Americans enjoying the first legal glasses of beer in April 1933 and toasting repeal in December 1933 surround the resolution.  Also in this section, visitors can sit in a 1930s-style theater to view a newsreel created by the Center about repeal.  Set in April 1933, it celebrates the return of legal beer and features Michigan as the first state to vote for repeal, while looking forward to the eventual ratification of the 21st Amendment that would come later that year on December 5th. Happy Days Are Here Again! On March 16, 1933, the new Congress amended the Volstead Act’s definition of “intoxicating” to make beer legal, raising the minimum standard from 0.5 to 3.2 percent alcohol by volume; President Roosevelt signed the “Beer Bill” almost immediately. On April 7th, when the new law went into effect, the Budweiser Clydesdales made their debut.  They began a nationwide marketing tour, including the delivery of a commemorative case of beer to the White House. Visitors can view a Budweiser beer bottle and case from 1933, one of the first produced by Anheuser-Busch after Congress redefined “intoxicating liquors” to make beer legal. Other propaganda promoting repeal incudes a “Repeal the 18th Amendment, More Beer Less Taxes” handkerchief and a “No Beer, No Work” pin.  A “Happy Days Are Here Again” shot glass celebrates the popular theme song from Franklin Roosevelt’s 1932 campaign, which also was used to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition.     SECTION 5: THE LEGACY OF PROHIBITION In almost every respect imaginable, Prohibition was a failure.  It encouraged criminality and institutionalized hypocrisy.  It deprived the government of revenue, created a culture of official corruption, and imposed profound limitations on individual rights. But in one critical respect Prohibition was a success: Americans drank less.  Even after repeal, Americans’ per capita alcohol consumption did not return to pre-Prohibition levels until 1973. The repeal of Prohibition actually made it harder, not easier, to get alcohol.  Section 2 of the 21st Amendment returned the regulation of alcohol to the states, and states responded with new laws intended to prevent the lawlessness of Prohibition and the excesses of what came before.  Everywhere there were new restrictions on buying, selling, and consuming alcohol: closing times, age limits, Sunday blue laws, and the end of brewery-owned saloons.  Many states were guided by the 1933 reporter Toward Liquor Control, which described two methods of regulating alcohol sales – one in which the state issues licenses to private sellers of alcohol, the other in which the state itself controlled alcohol sales.  After the repeal of Prohibition, 19 states chose “control,” while the rest chose to license private alcohol sellers. Here, a large United States map highlights Prohibition’s lasting effects in states across the country and how the laws regarding alcohol vary drastically state by state. American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Admission to American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is free on Sundays throughout the run of the exhibition. American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

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Present Day Prohibition | Competitive Enterprise Institute The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. ~Albert Einstein If you’ve ever seen a Ken Burns documentary, you’re familiar with their use of faded photos, archival video and interviews with renowned historians. Films like “The Civil War,” “Thomas Jefferson” and “Lewis & Clark” bring the past to life despite the decades of distance between the subject matter and the viewers. No doubt, his newest documentary, “ Prohibition ,” which premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. PBS, promises to offer a thorough historical examination of American life during the period around the 18th Amendment’s rise and fall.  The three-part series focusing on Prohibition’s past, however, may lead the viewers to believe that every aspect of it ended a long time ago. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The documentary notes, “[P]rohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, and criminals into kings,” “It made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break the law…” Unfortunately that is still the case today. The regulatory scheme enacted to “safely reintroduce” alcohol into society following Prohibition’s repeal has grown into a labyrinth of state-based rules, resulting in a number of negative consequences — many similar to those of Prohibition. Many readers may balk at that, and ask “Sure, we’ve got some blue laws here and there, but how bad could it be?” Examining the regulations on the sale of just one type of alcoholic beverage, beer, makes it clear that significant remnants of Prohibition and even the temperance movement are still with us today —strangling small businesses, protecting cartels and making criminals out of honest citizens. The strongest remnant of Prohibition that has endured beyond the repeal of a federal ban on the manufacture and sale of alcohol is the symbiotic relationship between moralizing teetotalers and business cartels — a phenomenon economist Bruce Yandle dubbed “Bootleggers and Baptists,” whereby two dissimilar groups with conflicting ideologies share the same policy goals. Baptists and other religious groups wished to ban the sale of alcohol in order to help people live what they considered pious lives. Bootleggers, on the other hand, wanted a ban because they knew demand for alcohol would remain and they would be able to supply that alcohol at an increased price and with little competition. The cast of characters has changed in the ensuing years, but the symbiotic relationship between Bootleggers and Baptists persists, as there are still two major groups that, despite differing principles, have the same goal of restricting alcohol markets. There is a third party though, one that always loses out in this drama: consumers and entrepreneurs, who pay for all this in higher prices and loss of freedom. Utah and Modern day Baptists Prior to the 18th Amendment’s ratification, one of the most powerful temperance group was the Anti-Saloon League (ASL). Comprised primarily of Methodists and Baptists, the ASL was extremely adept at leveraging its congregation-based grassroots in national political campaigns. They threw their support behind “dry” candidates in elections and crushed the efforts of “wet” lawmakers. Eventually, the ASL even supported regulators in their efforts to enact a personal income tax. In return, those pro-tax politicians, such as Andrew J. Volstead, became powerful allies of the temperance movement. In modern Utah, it is the non-drinking Mormon population that lawmakers court. In 2008, Mormons made up around 60 percent of Utah’s population. Utah politicians try to appeal to them as the largest voting group in the state. Most lawmakers have learned a lesson or two from Prohibition and have found ways to support the temperance cause without immediately alienating their imbibing constituents. Rather than try to ban alcohol, modern “dry” lawmakers promote policies restricting the sale, consumption or manufacturing of alcohol under the guise of “public safety” or “public health.” Usually, they claim regulations such as the state-owned liquor store system, or the ban on sales of beer with an alcohol content greater than 3.2 percent alcohol by weight in non-liquor stores, reduce crime and the number of traffic fatalities. Rules like the “Zion curtain,” a requirement that all mixed drinks be prepared out of view of diners in restaurants (even for restaurants that exclusively serve 3.2 beer), are defended as a way to prevent minors from accessing alcohol, despite the lack of evidence such policies have any effect. Regardless of the rhetoric, most residents of Utah realize that such policies are meant to please the state’s Mormon majority. Utah State Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, recently acknowledged as much during a radio interview , in which he strayed from his usual protection-of-minors argument. “Sure, the law protects the minority, but it also protects the majority,” he said. “If religious people are in the majority, shouldn’t you reflect that religious value?” He has gone so far to claim that under the 21st Amendment, the majority has a right to enact a total ban on the sale of alcohol, but that it is willing to accommodate the non-Mormon minority. Utah’s anti-alcohol laws have had a negative economic impact on the state. Even though Utah draws in many tourists for its skiing and festivals, national chain restaurants have habitually avoided moving into the state. Additionally, while the rest of the country has seen a boom in the number of new small breweries , Utah lags behind, with only 16 breweries in the entire state as of 2010. This isn’t surprising, considering that beer with more than a 3.2-percent alcohol by weight content can only be purchased in select bars, restaurants, or one of the 144 state-owned liquor stores . Beer Distributors, the new “Bootleggers” Perhaps the worst effect of Prohibition was the crime and corruption resulting from mob warfare in the underground market for selling booze. Because demand was not squelched with the ban on alcohol, criminals were able to amass great wealth by successfully shipping and selling alcohol at high prices to the drinking masses. Successful bootleggers were those who could bribe or blackmail police and politicians into looking the other way as they conducted their business. While the days of the beer baron may be over, there is still plenty of deal making going on behind the scenes. The difference is that now the buying and selling of political favors is legal. Most of the wheeling and dealing revolves around who gets the government’s official allowance to sell alcohol. Unsurprisingly, the group with the most cash and political clout usually wins. For the last 70 years, that group has been the alcohol wholesalers — the “middlemen” — who owe their dominant market position to the mandatory three-tier system that was put in place after Prohibition. The “three-tier system” legally separates brewers from distributors and retailers. That means that a brewer is required to sell his or her product to a distributor or wholesaler who may then sell to bars, restaurants and stores. It was meant as a way to get the mob, which had controlled beer distribution during Prohibition, out of the industry. It was also intended to prevent brewers from encouraging irresponsible levels of drinking and “monopolistic behavior,” as some lawmakers feared, by not allowing them to operate their own pubs and retail outlets. Many believed that if brewers owned their own pubs or shops they would only sell their own beer and encourage patrons to drink irresponsible amounts to increase their profits. Unfortunately, it just created a different kind of gang, and did nothing to enhance public safety. The ban on alcohol manufacturers selling their product directly to consumers or retailers made producers fully reliant on wholesalers to get their product on the market — giving those wholesalers massive amounts of power over the industry. If a wholesaler chooses not to distribute a brewer’s products or does a bad job of it, the brewer could be put out of business. This mandate has transformed the distributors into one of the nation’s most powerful and wealthy lobbying groups. In the 80 years since the end of Prohibition, the makeup of the American brewing industry has changed dramatically, from a handful of large breweries during the 1940s to thousands of small brewers across the nation today. Yet, the power held by the distributors lobby has allowed them to maintain the requirement that brewers only sell to distributors, hamstringing brewers’ ability to expand their market despite their willingness to grow and an increase in consumer demand. Particularly in the last few years, as craft breweries have grown, some states have looked for ways to make it easier for brewers to get their products to market. Some states have begun to allow small brewers to self-distribute, skipping the middle tier and selling directly to bars and retailers. This has been a boon to many small brewers, cutting their costs and making the prospects of starting a brewery a little less risky. Yet, the distributors have used their political power to maintain control over how beer is bought and sold by blocking many of those efforts. For example, in Michigan distributors have thrown millions of dollars toward maintaining their monopoly, blocking brewers’ ability to sell directly to consumers. Unfortunately, their efforts have been successful. Michigan, like some other states, maintains “franchise laws” that virtually lock a brewer into a contract with a distributor, regardless of whether that distributor does a good job of selling the producer’s beer or not. Sometimes brewers can be locked into contracts for years or decades without any way out.  In Texas , beer lovers have tried for years to change the antiquated laws that ban brewpubs from bottling and selling beer to retail stores. Texas also bans breweries from selling their beer on site. The state’s distributor’s lobby has spent countless dollars and hours to maintain its hold on beer distribution. As a result of current mandated distribution laws, a remnant of Prohibition, most small brewers are forced to limit the sales of their beer to one or two states. Furthermore, consumers have fewer choices at higher prices and those beer hounds who want to purchase a beer that isn’t distributed in their state have to break the law by either crossing the border into another state and transporting it home, or by having the beer shipped to them. Mississippi & Alabama Brewers and Beer Aficionados, Hung out to Dry A popular myth about Prohibition is that it imposed a total federal ban on the production, sale and transportation of alcohol. The Volstead act actually included a number of exemptions. For example, individuals could still make homemade wine and hard cider in large quantities. Also, priests and rabbis were allowed to distribute sacramental wine to congregants and drugstores were allowed to sell liquor for medicinal purposes. In addition to these legal outlets, there was much creation of bathtub gin, basement beer and moonshine. This meant that Americans living under official Prohibition could still get their mitts on alcohol, but the cost and risk were considerably higher. Not much has changed in Mississippi and Alabama. In Mississippi, which technically only repealed prohibition in 1966, half of the counties remain dry, and all beer in the state must be under 6 percent alcohol by volume. Of Alabama’s 67 counties, 27 are still dry. Home brewing of beer is illegal in both states. For beer lovers in these states, many Prohibition-era ways of acquiring alcohol are a mainstay of life today. Mississippi beer enthusiasts compile maps that highlight the best shops just over the state line where they can purchase higher-alcohol and craft beers. Others have it shipped in from out of state. Home brewing continues to be practiced despite the law. In 2008, one Alabama home-brewer learned the hard way that his state was still enforcing the home brewing ban. After being interviewed about his brewing activities by The Los Angeles Times , Scott Oberman was visited by Alabama liquor control board agents, who warned him that his activities could earn him a $2,000 fine or up to a year in jail , and that he could even lose custody of his daughter and his job security clearance if the state decided to prosecute him for the simple act of brewing his award-winning homemade beer. With such laws, it should come as no surprise that Alabama and Mississippi are the two bottom states when it comes to breweries per-capita . However, there are forces for change, like Raise Your Pints Mississippi and Free the Hops in Alabama, two grassroots activist groups that are pushing hard to bring the laws of their states into the 21st century.  If you are like me and eagerly awaiting the premier of Ken Burns’s documentary you’re probably looking forward to an insightful examination of the philosophies that led to Prohibition and the terrible consequences of government restrictions on a product consumers want.  When the end credits role, however, I encourage you to examine the current regulations regarding alcohol in your area of the country to take the lessons of the Bootleggers and Baptists from the 1930’s and compare them to modern day anti-alcohol activists and distributors. (For an entertaining history of Prohibition’s aftermath, check out Garrett Peck’s The Prohibition Hangover .) You’ll notice that while their rhetoric may have changed, their motivation remains the same as it was 80 years ago. And, just as during Prohibition, it is consumers and entrepreneurs who lose out. Unless we reject the antiquated idea that alcohol is a “different kind of product,” or an evil from which we need the government to protect us, we will never truly put Prohibition behind us. It is time to end the mandatory three-tier system, to allow producers to have control over the distribution of their products and to give consumers the freedom to make their own decisions about where, when and for how much they purchase their alcoholic beverages. It is time to truly bring Prohibition to an end.

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Prohibition: Unintended Consequences | PBS Unintended Consequences details Anti-Saloon League paper, The American Issue, with headline, "U.S. Is Voted Dry", Anti-Saloon League Museum When the Mayor of Berlin, Gustav Boess, visited New York City in the fall of 1929, one of the questions he had for his host, Mayor James J. Walker, was when Prohibition was to go into effect. The problem was that Prohibition has already been the law of the United States for nearly a decade. That Boess had to ask tells you plenty about how well it was working. The Noble Experiment When the Prohibition era in the United States began on January 19, 1920, a few sage observers predicted it would not go well. Certainly, previous attempts to outlaw the use of alcohol in American history had fared poorly. When a Massachusetts town banned the sale of alcohol in 1844, an enterprising tavern owner took to charging patrons for the price of seeing a striped pig—the drinks came free with the price of admission. When Maine passed a strict prohibition law in 1851, the result was not temperance, but resentment among the city's working class and Irish immigrant population. A deadly riot in Portland in 1855 lead to the law's repeal. Now, Prohibition was being implemented on a national scale, and being enshrined in the Constitution no less. What followed was a litany of unintended consequences. This should have come as no surprise with a venture as experimental as Prohibition. It is no mistake that President Herbert Hoover's 1928 description of Prohibition as "a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose" entered the popular lexicon as "the noble experiment." It was unfortunate for the entire nation that the experiment failed as miserably as it did. The Atlanta Constitution Cover: "$100,000,000 For Government From Income Tax", Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Economics of Prohibition Prohibition's supporters were initially surprised by what did not come to pass during the dry era. When the law went into effect, they expected sales of clothing and household goods to skyrocket. Real estate developers and landlords expected rents to rise as saloons closed and neighborhoods improved. Chewing gum, grape juice, and soft drink companies all expected growth. Theater producers expected new crowds as Americans looked for new ways to entertain themselves without alcohol. None of it came to pass. Instead, the unintended consequences proved to be a decline in amusement and entertainment industries across the board. Restaurants failed, as they could no longer make a profit without legal liquor sales. Theater revenues declined rather than increase, and few of the other economic benefits that had been predicted came to pass. On the whole, the initial economic effects of Prohibition were largely negative. The closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, and in turn thousands more jobs were eliminated for barrel makers, truckers, waiters, and other related trades. The unintended economic consequences of Prohibition didn't stop there. One of the most profound effects of Prohibition was on government tax revenues. Before Prohibition, many states relied heavily on excise taxes in liquor sales to fund their budgets. In New York, almost 75% of the state's revenue was derived from liquor taxes. With Prohibition in effect, that revenue was immediately lost. At the national level, Prohibition cost the federal government a total of $11 billion in lost tax revenue, while costing over $300 million to enforce. The most lasting consequence was that many states and the federal government would come to rely on income tax revenue to fund their budgets going forward. IRS Treasury official with confiscated still, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division "Cat and Mouse" Prohibition led to many more unintended consequences because of the cat and mouse nature of Prohibition enforcement. While the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating beverages, it did not outlaw the possession or consumption of alcohol in the United States. The Volstead Act, the federal law that provided for the enforcement of Prohibition, also left enough loopholes and quirks that it opened the door to myriad schemes to evade the dry mandate. One of the legal exceptions to the Prohibition law was that pharmacists were allowed to dispense whiskey by prescription for any number of ailments, ranging from anxiety to influenza. Bootleggers quickly discovered that running a pharmacy was a perfect front for their trade. As a result, the number of registered pharmacists in New York State tripled during the Prohibition era. Because Americans were also allowed to obtain wine for religious purposes, enrollments rose at churches and synagogues, and cities saw a large increase in the number of self-professed rabbis who could obtain wine for their congregations. The law was unclear when it came to Americans making wine at home. With a wink and a nod, the American grape industry began selling kits of juice concentrate with warnings not to leave them sitting too long or else they could ferment and turn into wine. Home stills were technically illegal, but Americans found they could purchase them at many hardware stores, while instructions for distilling could be found in public libraries in pamphlets issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The law that was meant to stop Americans from drinking was instead turning many of them into experts on how to make it. The trade in unregulated alcohol had serious consequences for public health. As the trade in illegal alcohol became more lucrative, the quality of alcohol on the black market declined. On average, 1000 Americans died every year during the Prohibition from the effects of drinking tainted liquor. A line of shamefaced bootleggers in a Detroit, Michigan police station, Photofest The Greatest Consequence The effects of Prohibition on law enforcement were also negative. The sums of money being exchanged during the dry era proved a corrupting influence in both the federal Bureau of Prohibition and at the state and local level. Police officers and Prohibition agents alike were frequently tempted by bribes or the lucrative opportunity to go into bootlegging themselves. Many stayed honest, but enough succumbed to the temptation that the stereotype of the corrupt Prohibition agent or local cop undermined public trust in law enforcement for the duration of the era. The growth of the illegal liquor trade under Prohibition made criminals of millions of Americans. As the decade progressed, court rooms and jails overflowed, and the legal system failed to keep up. Many defendants in prohibition cases waited over a year to be brought to trial. As the backlog of cases increased, the judicial system turned to the "plea bargain" to clear hundreds of cases at a time, making a it common practice in American jurisprudence for the first time. The greatest unintended consequence of Prohibition however, was the plainest to see. For over a decade, the law that was meant to foster temperance instead fostered intemperance and excess. The solution the United States had devised to address the problem of alcohol abuse had instead made the problem even worse. The statistics of the period are notoriously unreliable, but it is very clear that in many parts of the United States more people were drinking, and people were drinking more. There is little doubt that Prohibition failed to achieve what it set out to do, and that its unintended consequences were far more far reaching than its few benefits. The ultimate lesson is two-fold. Watch out for solutions that end up worse than the problems they set out to solve, and remember that the Constitution is no place for experiments, noble or otherwise. By Michael Lerner, historian

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Prohibition: Roots of Prohibition | PBS Roots of Prohibition A Nation of Drunkards The Absolute Shall By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today – and alcohol abuse (primarily by men) was wreaking havoc on the lives of many, particularly in an age when women had few legal rights and were utterly dependent on their husbands for sustenance and support. The Temperance Movement The country's first serious anti-alcohol movement grew out of a fervor for reform that swept the nation in the 1830s and 1840s. Many abolitionists fighting to rid the country of slavery came to see drink as an equally great evil to be eradicated – if America were ever to be fully cleansed of sin. The temperance movement, rooted in America's Protestant churches, first urged moderation, then encouraged drinkers to help each other to resist temptation, and ultimately demanded that local, state, and national governments prohibit alcohol outright. Excerpt from "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" by Daniel Okrent: "THE STREETS OF San Francisco were jammed. A frenzy of cars, trucks, wagons, and every other imaginable form of conveyance crisscrossed the town and battled its steepest hills. Porches, staircase landings, and sidewalks were piled high with boxes and crates delivered on the last possible day before transporting their contents would become illegal. The next morning, the Chronicle reported that people whose beer, liquor, and wine had not arrived by midnight were left to stand in their doorways "with haggard faces and glittering eyes." Just two weeks earlier, on the last New Year's Eve before Prohibition, frantic celebrations had convulsed the city's hotels and private clubs, its neighborhood taverns and wharfside saloons. It was a spasm of desperate joy fueled, said the Chronicle, by great quantities of "bottled sunshine" liberated from "cellars, club lockers, bank vaults, safety deposit boxes and other hiding places." Now, on January 16, the sunshine was surrendering to darkness." View longer excerpt (pdf) | Last Call book available at ShopPBS Temperance illustration of drunkard hitting his wife, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Retribution Women's Christian Temperance Union After the Civil War, as millions of immigrants – mostly from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and other European countries – crowded into the nation's burgeoning cities, they worked hard to assimilate while simultaneously retaining cherished habits and customs from their homelands. The brewing business boomed as German-American entrepreneurs scaled up production to provide the new immigrants with millions of gallons of beer. In the 1870s, inspired by the rising indignation of Methodist and Baptist clergymen, and by distraught wives and mothers whose lives had been ruined by the excesses of the saloon, thousands of women began to protest and organize politically for the cause of temperance. Their organization, the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), became a force to be reckoned with, their cause enhanced by alliance with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other women battling for the vote. By the late 19th century the WCTU, led by the indomitable Frances Willard, could claim some significant successes – it had lobbied for local laws restricting alcohol and created an anti-alcohol educational campaign that reached into nearly every schoolroom in the nation. Its members viewed alcohol as the underlying source of a long list of social ills and found common cause with Progressives trying to ameliorate the living conditions of immigrants crowded into squalid slums, protect the rights of young children working in mills and factories, improve public education, and secure women's rights. But the WCTU's ultimate goal, a prohibition amendment to the constitution, still seemed impossibly out of reach. It would take the emergence of a new organization, the Anti-Saloon League, for the drys' dream to enter the realm of the possible. Bonded whiskey warehouse, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division The Anti-Saloon League The ASL, under the shrewd and ruthless leadership of Wayne Wheeler, became the most successful single issue lobbying organization in American history, willing to form alliances with any and all constituencies that shared its sole goal: a constitutional amendment that would ban the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol. They united with Democrats and Republicans, Progressives, Populists, and suffragists, the Ku Klux Klan and the NAACP, the International Workers of the World, and many of America's most powerful industrialists including Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Andrew Carnegie – all of whom lent support to the ASL's increasingly effective campaign. With the ratification of the income tax amendment in 1913, and the federal government no longer dependent on liquor taxes to fund its operations, the ASL moved into high gear. As anti-German fervor rose to a near frenzy with the American entry into the First World War, ASL propaganda effectively connected beer and brewers with Germans and treason in the public mind. Most politicians dared not defy the ASL and in 1917 the 18th amendment sailed through both houses of Congress; it was ratified by the states in just 13 months. At 12:01 A.M. on January 17, 1920, the amendment went into effect and Prohibitionists rejoiced that at long last, America had become officially, and (they hoped) irrevocably, dry. But just a few minutes later, six masked bandits with pistols emptied two freight cars full of whiskey from a rail yard in Chicago, another gang stole four casks of grain alcohol from a government bonded warehouse, and still another hijacked a truck carrying whiskey. Americans were about to discover that making Prohibition the law of the land had been one thing; enforcing it would be another.

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Alcohol prohibition and drug prohibition. Lessons from alcohol policy for drug policy. Alcohol Prohibition and Drug Prohibition Lessons from Alcohol Policy for Drug Policy Harry G. Levine and Craig Reinarman Since the mid 1980s, growing numbers of Americans have come to recognize the harshness, expense, and ineffectiveness of U.S. drug prohibition, and they have advocated alternative approaches including harm reduction, drug decriminalization and even outright drug legalization. They have also looked for lessons in America 's own experiences with alcohol prohibition, and with how the U.S. turned from nation-wide alcohol prohibition to various forms of local alcohol regulation. In the first part of this essay we review the rise, effects and fall of national alcohol prohibition in the U.S. , and we examine the rationale and organization of the system of alcohol regulation instituted after repeal. We focus on lessons from the American experience with alcohol prohibition and alcohol regulation that might be useful for understanding drug prohibition and drug regulation. In the second part, we discuss the current world-wide system of drug prohibition. We focus on three crises or dilemmas that global drug prohibition now faces: the international harm reduction movement; the growing opposition, especially in Europe , to harsh drug policies; and the unstoppable use of cannabis throughout the world. Historical studies cannot provide simple and straightforward answers to the complex drug policy questions now confronting Americans. However, closer attention to the history of alcohol prohibition and regulation, and to the character and scope of global drug prohibition, can help us better understand the situation we face in the early twenty-first century and help move us to less costly and more humane and effective drug policies. From temperance to prohibition to alcohol control The anti-alcohol (or temperance) movement was created in early nineteenth century America by physicians, ministers, and large employers concerned about the drunkenness of workers and servants. By the mid-1830s temperance had become a mass movement of the middle class. Temperance was not, as is sometimes thought, the campaign of rural backwaters; rather, temperance was on the cutting edge of social reform and was closely allied with the anti-slavery and women's rights movements. Always very popular, the anti-alcohol crusade remained largest enduring middle-class movement of the nineteenth century. (Levine, 1978, 1984; Tyrell, 1979; Gusfield, 1986; Rumbarger 1989; Blocker 1989). The anti-alcohol movement was devoted to convincing people that alcoholic drink in any form was dangerous and destructive. Throughout the nineteenth century, temperance supporters insisted that alcohol slowly but inevitably destroyed the moral character and the physical and mental health of all who drank it. Temperance supporters regarded alcohol the way people today view heroin: as an inherently addicting substance. Moderate consumption of alcohol, they maintained, naturally led to compulsive use--to addiction. From the beginning, temperance ideology contained a powerful strand of fantasy. It held that alcohol was the major cause of nearly all social problems: unemployment, poverty, business failure, slums, insanity, crime, and violence (especially against women and children). For the very real social and economic problems of industrializing America , the anti-alcohol movement offered universal abstinence as the panacea. From roughly the 1850s on, many temperance supporters endorsed the idea of prohibition. After the Civil War the Prohibition Party, modeled on the Republican Party, championed the cause. Nineteenth-century prohibitionists believed that only when sufficient numbers of their party members held office would prohibition be practical, because only then would it be fully enforced. In the twentieth century a new prohibitionist organization -- the Anti-Saloon League -- came to dominate the movement (Odegard, 1928; Timberlake, 1963; Sinclair, 1965; Gusfield, 1968; Kerr, 1985; Rumbarger, 1989). The League patterned itself on the modern corporation, hiring lawyers to write model laws and organizers to raise funds and collect political debts. The League put its considerable resources behind candidates of any party who would vote as it directed on the single issue of liquor. By expanding the numbers of elected officials beholden to it, and by writing laws for those legislators to enact, the League pushed through many local prohibition laws and some state measures. In 1913 the League finally declared itself in favor of constitutional prohibition. Increasing numbers of large corporations joined the many Protestant churches that had long supported the League. Prohibitionists mobilized the final support for prohibition during the hyper patriotic fervor of the first world war. By December 1917, both houses of Congress had voted the required two-thirds majority to send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture, sale, transportation, import, or export of intoxicating liquor. In November 1918 Congress passed the War Prohibition Act banning the manufacture and sale of all beverages with more than 2.75 percent alcohol. On January 16th, 1919 , Nebraska became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment, which was to go into effect in one year. In October 1919 Congress overrode President Wilson's veto to pass a strict prohibition enforcement act known by the name of its sponsor, Andrew Volstead of Minnesota , chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The Volstead Act defined as "intoxicating liquor" any beverage containing more 0.5% alcohol. At midnight on January 16, 1920 , the Eighteenth Amendment took effect. The famous minister Billy Sunday celebrated by preaching a sermon to 10,000 people in which he repeated the fantasy at the heart of the temperance and prohibition crusades: The reign of tears is over. The slums will soon be a memory. We will turn our prisons into factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs. Men will walk upright now, women will smile, and the children will laugh. Hell will be forever for rent. (quoted in Kohler, 1973, 12) Prohibitionism was not, as is sometimes implied, a public health campaign to reduce mortality from cirrhosis of the liver or alcoholic admissions to state hospitals. As Joseph Gusfield (1968) has pointed out, prohibitionists were utopian moralists; they believed that eliminating the legal manufacture and sale of alcoholic drink would solve the major social and economic problems of American society. National Alcohol Prohibition, 1920-1933 The many literary, photographic, and cinematic images of the prohibition era capture some of the essential features of the period. Prohibition was massively and openly violated, and alcohol was readily available in most of the United States . New institutions and cultural practices appeared: bootleggers and speakeasies, hip flasks and bathtub gin, rum runners smuggling in liquor, and prohibition agents like Elliott Ness smashing down doors. Adulterated and even poisonous alcohol was sold and many people were locked up for violating prohibition laws. (For rich descriptions of the prohibition era, see Allen 1931; Lyle 1960; Allsop 1961; Sinclair, 1964; Mertz, 1970; Kohler, 1973; Everest, 1978; and Cashman 1981. Burnham, 1968 offers perhaps the only serious scholarly case for the success of prohibition. For the most recent evidence and discussions of its failures, see Miron and Zwiebel, 1991; Morgan, 1991; and Thornton 1991.) Public opposition to prohibition began even before the Volstead Act passed, especially among labor unions, but organized opposition remained small and fragmented until 1926. Then one organization, the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment (AAPA), took over the campaign for repeal. Headed by Pierre DuPont and other powerful corporate leaders, the AAPA gathered increasing numbers of wealthy and prominent supporters, including many former prohibitionists. Although prohibition would have been repealed eventually, the AAPA unquestionably accelerated the process (Kyvig, 1979; Levine, 1985; Rumbarger, 1989). Just as World War I had provided the necessary context for rallying popular support to pass prohibition, the Great Depression provided the necessary context for repeal. Prohibition's supporters had long argued that banning alcohol would ensure prosperity and increase law and order. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, prohibition's opponents made exactly the same argument. Repeal, they promised, would provide jobs, stimulate the economy, increase tax revenue, and reduce the "lawlessness" stimulated by and characteristic of the illegal liquor industry. The Depression also played a crucial role in undermining elite support for prohibition. To some extent, alcohol prohibition had originally gained the support of large employers because they believed it would increase worker discipline and productivity and reduce other social problems. The mass violations of national prohibition in the 1920s, followed by the economic depression of the 1930s, raised a new specter: prohibition, many came to believe, undermined respect for all law, including property law. This "lawlessness," as people then termed it, frightened many of the rich and powerful, like Pierre DuPont and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. far more than problems with worker efficiency (Leuchtenburg, 1958; Kyvig, 1979; Levine, 1985). In addition, in the early 1930s the threat of revolt and revolution was in the air. There were food riots in many cities, unemployed people formed militant organizations, mobs stopped trains and took over warehouses of food. Socialists and communists held rallies of tens of thousands, angry armies of marchers camped in front of the White House, and some wealthy people had machine guns mounted on the roofs of their estates (Leuchtenburg, 1958; Piven and Cloward, 1971, 1977; Manchester, 1974). Those with wealth and power increasingly supported repeal, in part because they felt the need to do something to raise public morale and show that the government was in some way responsive to popular pressure in a terrible depression. In 1931, Matthew Woll, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor and the sole labor member of the AAPA board, told President Hoover's National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (the Wickersham Commission) that workers were losing faith in the government's willingness to help them, and that prohibition was causing them further to distrust and resent government. By 1932 a number of influential leaders and commentators also had concluded that legalizing beer would make workers feel better about government and take their minds off their troubles. Senators were told, "Beer would have a decidedly soothing tendency on the present mental attitude of the working men.... It would do a great deal to change their mental attitude on economic conditions." Walter Lippman argued, "Beer would be a great help in fighting off the mental depression which afflicts great multitudes" (quotes from Gordon, 1943, 104). The Wickersham Commission explicitly pointed to the class resentment and lawlessness engendered by prohibition in its report to Congress: Naturally ... laboring men resent the insistence of employers who drink that their employees be kept from temptation. Thus the law may be made to appear aimed at and enforced against the insignificant while the wealthy enjoy immunity. This feeling is reinforced when it is seen that the wealthy are generally able to procure pure liquors, while those with less means may run the risk of poisoning. Moreover, searches of homes ... have necessarily seemed to bear more upon people of moderate means than upon those of wealth or influence. (1931, 54-5) On November 16, 1932 , the Senate voted to submit the Twenty-first Amendment to the states for ratification. It would repeal the Eighteenth Amendment and return to the states the power to regulate alcohol. On March 13, 1933 , a few days after he was sworn in as president, Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to modify the Volstead Act to legalize 3.2 percent alcohol beer to provide needed tax revenue. By April 7, beer was legal in most of the country. On December 5, 1933 , Utah became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment. National alcohol prohibition was repealed, effective immediately. In late 1933 and in 1934, bills creating state alcohol control agencies sped through state legislatures. The model for most of the legislation had been written by a group of policy-oriented researchers and attorneys associated with John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and with policy institutes he had created or financially supported (Levine 1985). Within two years of repeal nearly every state had an agency to supervise the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages, and alcohol had ceased to be a controversial and politically charged issue. The production, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages today is still largely governed by the alcohol control structures designed and implemented at that time. Effects of Prohibition on Consumption and Public Health It has frequently been observed that drug prohibition tends to drive out the weaker and milder forms of drugs, and to increase the availability and use of stronger and more dangerous drugs (see, e.g., Brecher, 1972). This has been so often reported that many analysts speak of it as an "iron law" of drug prohibition. This "law" holds because milder drugs are usually bulkier, harder to hide and smuggle, and less remunerative. People involved in the illicit drug business therefore frequently find it in their interest to do business in the more compact and potent substances. For example, current interdiction efforts are most successful at capturing boats carrying many large bales of marijuana; therefore, many drug smugglers have turned to smuggling cocaine or heroin because it is easier and far more lucrative than smuggling marijuana. (see Murphy, Waldorf, and Reinarman, 1991). This "law" of drug prohibition captures what happened during alcohol prohibition. The major effect of the Eighteenth Amendment was to dramatically reduce beer drinking (and therefore total alcohol consumption). At the same time, prohibition increased consumption of hard liquor (especially among the middle class). The fashionableness of the martini and other mixed drinks among the middle class is in part a historical legacy of prohibition, when criminalization made hard liquor the most available form of beverage alcohol. From 1890 to 1915, beer accounted for more of the total alcohol consumed than did hard liquor. In 1915, for example, beer drinking accounted for nearly twice the total alcohol consumed as spirits did. Warburton compared alcohol consumption in the period of 1911 to 1914 with that during the prohibition years 1927-1930 and concluded that "the per capita consumption of beer has been reduced about 70 per cent....the per capita consumption of wine has increased about 65 per cent...[and] the per capita consumption of spirits has increased about 10 per cent" (Warburton, 1932, p. 260). This change was not permanent -- after repeal, spirits consumption fell while beer consumption rose. By 1935 the alcohol consumed from beer equaled that from spirits, and by 1945 Americans were getting 50 percent more of their total alcohol from beer than from hard liquor (Levine and Reinarman, 1993, 1998; Rorabaugh,1979; Miron and Zwiebel, 1991). The recent public debate about drug laws has increased interest in the effects of prohibition on public health, the economy, and social problems. These were very lively questions during the prohibition period but have been largely ignored since. However, in the last two decades alcohol researchers in a number of countries have investigated at length the relationship between total per capita alcohol consumption and specific illnesses, especially cirrhosis of the liver. The data available for the prohibition years in the United States will always be poor because it is impossible to get accurate consumption figures for an illegal substance. However, changes over many decades in countries that have kept accurate consumption and health statistics do allow some inferences about the relationship between overall alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis. Although not all liver cirrhosis is caused by heavy drinking, much is. Furthermore, cirrhosis rates generally follow overall per capita consumption rates. These effects are mediated by dietary patterns, by type of alcoholic beverages consumed, and by when they are consumed. The level of health care people receive also affects cirrhosis death rates. In general, however, the positive relationship between alcohol consumption and cirrhosis holds: when consumption increases, liver cirrhosis increases (Bruun et al., 1975; Mäkelaä et al., 1981; Moore and Gerstein, 1981; Single et al. 1981). One important way to evaluate the public health consequences of alcohol policies, then, is in terms of how they affect consumption. In 1932 Warburton pointed out that "except for the first three years, the per capita consumption of alcohol has been greater under prohibition than during the war period [1917-1919], with high taxation and restricted production and sale" (260). Both prohibition and post-prohibition alcohol regulation kept overall consumption down compared with the decades prior to prohibition Indeed, post-prohibition regulatory policies kept alcohol use sufficiently low that it was not until the end of the 1960s, 35 years after repeal, that per capita alcohol consumption rose to the levels of 1915 (Levine and Reinarman, 1993, 1998). Whatever public health benefits prohibition achieved in terms of reducing consumption, alcohol regulation in the 1930s and early 1940s accomplished them as well. Further, this occurred despite the fact that the post-prohibition regulatory system had little or no public health focus, and despite the fact that the liquor industry (like most other U.S. industries) gained increasing influence over the agencies that were supposed to regulate it. In short, alcohol control worked almost as well as prohibition in limiting alcohol consumption, and more effectively than pre-prohibition policies. It is also important to note that other nations achieved even greater reductions in per capita consumption than the United States -- without the negative consequences of prohibition. Robin Room (1988) says that in Australia a series of alcohol control measures instituted in the early twentieth century substantially reduced spirits consumption. More important, Australia 's regulatory policies significantly reduced total alcohol consumption as well as the incidence of alcohol-related health problems, notably cirrhosis mortality and alcoholic psychosis. All of this happened under regulated sale, not prohibition. Great Britain 's experience parallels that of Australia . England reduced overall consumption by instituting fairly stringent alcohol regulation at about the same time as the United States instituted prohibition. Moreover, as Nadelmann notes, it reduced "the negative consequences of alcohol consumption more effectively than did the United States , but it did so in a manner that raised substantial government revenues." By contrast, the U.S. government not only spent large sums attempting to enforce its prohibition laws, but it was also unable to prevent the flow of money into criminal enterprises (1989b, 1102-3). As Nadelmann's puts it, "British experience [and the Australian experience] strongly indicates that the national prohibition of alcohol in the United States was, on balance, not successful." Prohibition of course failed to fulfill the fantasies of prohibitionists about eliminating major social problems like poverty, unemployment, crime, and so on. Yet even in the less utopian terms of reducing total alcohol consumption, U.S. prohibition was no more effective than regulated sale in the 1930s and early 1940s. Prohibition, however, produced far more substantial negative side effects than did regulation. Few other nations had local alcohol prohibition laws, and only Finland instituted constitutional prohibition (repealing it before the United States and for many of the same reasons). Although there are today movements in some Nordic and English-speaking counties ( Canada , Australia , New Zealand , Great Britain ) focusing on the public health dangers of alcohol, these are not prohibitionist groups. In the United States , even many local prohibition laws have been replaced by regulation of some kind. Long after repeal, the consensus remains that national alcohol prohibition was bad public policy. Alcohol Production and Distribution During Prohibition During constitutional alcohol prohibition, consumption was shaped by the requirements of illicit production. It was much more profitable and cost effective to make and distribute distilled spirits (gin, vodka, whiskey, or rum) than beer. Beer is mostly water -- only 3 to 6 percent alcohol. Production and storage of beer require enormous tanks, many barrels, huge trucks, and a substantial investment in equipment. Hard liquor is 40 to 50 percent alcohol; it contains up to 15 times more pure alcohol than beer. Because alcohol content was the main determinant of price, spirits were much more valuable than beer and also could be hidden and transported more easily. Furthermore, spirits could be preserved indefinitely, whereas beer spoiled very quickly. Large-scale beer bottling and refrigeration only developed in the 1930s, after repeal (Baron 1962; Kyvig 1979). The rising supply of hard liquor came from many sources. Tens of thousands of people produced it in small, compact stills in sheds, basements, attics, and in the woods. It was also smuggled from Canada , Mexico and Europe . Some of the largest names in distilling today entered the business or grew wealthy during the prohibition era -- notably the Bronfmans of Canada, who owned Seagrams. A considerable amount of alcohol was also diverted from purported industrial or medical uses (Baum, 2004). Wine consumption also increased during prohibition, to about 65 per cent more than the pre-World War I period, according to Warburton (1932). Standard table wine contains 10 to 14 percent alcohol. Much of the wine was made for personal consumption and as a profitable side-business by immigrants from wine countries, especially Italy . After the first few years of prohibition, the California wine-grape industry experienced a boom and vineyard prices increased substantially. California grape growers planted hearty, thick-skinned grapes that could be shipped easily and used for small-scale and home wine making. Much of the California wine-grape crop was shipped to Chicago and New York in newly developed refrigerated boxcars. The grapes were bought right off the train by wholesalers, who resold them in immigrant neighborhoods. The home-made wine was then distributed to smaller cities and towns. (Muscatine, Amerine, and Thompson 1984). Although it is true that prohibition provided a major boost for organized crime, it is not true (although widely believed today) that gangsters and large criminal organizations supplied most prohibition-era alcohol. In Chicago and a few other large cities, large criminal gangs indeed dominated alcohol distribution, especially by the end of the 1920s. Most of the alcohol production and distribution, however, was on a smaller scale. In addition to home-made wines and family stills, people drive cars and trucks to Canada and returned with a load of liquor. Fishing boats and pleasure boats did the same. Spirits and wine were also prescribed by physicians and available at pharmacies. Many people certified themselves as ministers and rabbis and distributed large quantities of "sacramental wine." Alcoholic beverages were made and sold to supplement other income during hard times. Prohibition thus shaped the structure of the alcohol industry in a distinctive way: it decentralized and democratized production and distribution (Lyle, 1960; Allsop, 1961; Sinclair, 1965; Everest, 1978; Cashman, 1981). Today as well, most people in the illicit drug business are small-scale entrepreneurs. Supporters of the drug war frequently suggest that elimination of the currently large-scale producers and distributors would have a lasting effect on drug production and distribution. There is no more evidence supporting this now than there was during alcohol prohibition. Much illicit drug production today is also decentralized and democratized. There is no criminal syndicate that, when eliminated, would stop the distribution of any currently illicit drug, or even reduce the supply for very long. Today some groups, families, and business organizations (like the so-called Medellin cocaine cartel) have grown very rich in the illicit drug business. However, just as Al Capone was quickly replaced, so have new producers taken the place of those cocaine "king-pins" who have been arrested. Indeed, after billions of dollars on interdiction have been spent by Customs, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and even the Armed Forces, both heroin and cocaine are more plentiful, cheaper and purer than they were in the 1970s. Even when interdiction does affect the supply of a criminalized substance, the effects are often ironic. The partial success of the Nixon administration's "Operation Intercept," for example, gave rise to what is now a huge domestic marijuana industry (Brecher, 1972) that has become ever more decentralized and democratic as armed helicopter raids have increased. In short, whereas prohibition regimes tend to be a boon to organized crime, they also increase the number and types of people involved in illicit production and distribution (Williams 1989; Murphy, Waldorf, and Reinarman 1991). Whether production occurs in a mob syndicate or a family marijuana patch, the result tends to be a shift toward production and sale of more concentrated forms of intoxicating substances. Recognition of such tendencies in the prohibition era accelerated the process of repeal and informed the search for alternative regulatory systems. Establishing an Alcohol Control System In 1933, at the very end of constitutional prohibition, the difficulties of creating an alcohol control system seemed formidable. In the years before constitutional prohibition in the United States , there had been little systematic control of the alcohol industry. The Eighteenth Amendment had not eliminated the business, but rather had profoundly altered its shape. In 1933 a sprawling illegal industry for producing and distributing alcoholic beverages was in place, composed of uncountable numbers of small independent distributors and producers, and some larger ones. For 14 years this industry had kept the United States well supplied with alcohol. The mass patronage of this illicit industry -- and the political and economic implications of such a popular display of disrespect for law -- was a major factor in convincing Rockefeller and other prominent supporters of prohibition to reverse field and press for repeal. During prohibition the liquor business was wide open. In most cities and many towns, speakeasies closed when they wished or not at all; they sold whatever they wanted, to whomever they cared to, at whatever price they chose. They decorated as they wished and had a free hand in providing food and entertainment. Producers completely controlled alcohol production, used whatever ingredients they wished and manufactured alcohol of whatever strength they wished. Neither producers nor distributors paid any taxes (except for payoffs to police and politicians) and they were not regulated by any government agency. During prohibition, the liquor industry was probably the freest large industry in America . Alcohol control, on the other hand was premised on government intervention into every aspect of the liquor business. Controversial issues such as whether food must be served, women admitted, music and games banned, bars and bar stools allowed, all had to be settled. The number, types, and locations of on- and off-premises outlets and their hours of sale had to be determined. Producers had to be regulated to ensure that products were safe and of a uniform alcohol content. In order to eliminate untrustworthy or disreputable persons, both producers and distributors had to be screened, licensed, and made to pay taxes. Legal drinking had to be socially organized in a way that would not be an affront to the abstaining half of the population. Conversely, the control system could not make regulation so tight, or taxes so high, that drinkers would prefer to patronize illicit bootleggers or speakeasies. Americans, after all, were by then quite used to disobeying liquor laws. Prohibitionists had always argued that the liquor business was inherently unregulatable. The onus was now on reformers to show that this was not true and that they could create structures to make the industry obey laws and yield taxes. The task, as expressed in the catchall title for alternatives to prohibition, was "liquor control" or "alcohol control" in the fullest sense of the term. In short, repeal posed an enormous problem of social engineering. Constructing alcohol control involved problems of government regulation so large and complex as to make some of the classic Progressive-era reforms -- regulating meat packing, for example -- seem paltry. Except for national prohibition, post-repeal alcohol regulation is probably the most striking twentieth-century example of government power used to directly reshape both an entire industry and the conditions under which its product are consumed. The Rockefeller Report Prior to the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, alcohol was regulated by cities, towns, and sometimes counties. State governments were rarely involved in regulating production or distribution. Prohibition then shifted control to the federal government. Post-repeal policy, however, made state governments chiefly responsible for devising and implementing a regulatory system. States could, and often did, then allow for considerable local option and variation. By the end of the 1920s, the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment had outlined some rough plans for alternatives to prohibition, but they had not been well worked out. The central principles of post-prohibition alcohol control systems adopted by almost every state legislature were first fully laid out in a report sponsored by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and issued in October 1933, shortly before repeal was ratified. Rockefeller's long-time adviser, Raymond Fosdick, was the senior author. Fosdick supervised the group of attorneys and policy analysts, most of whom worked with or for the Institute of Public Administration -- a Progressive Era policy institute in New York that Rockefeller had funded for a number of years. The report was issued in press releases to newspapers and magazines over several weeks. Finally the Rockefeller Report (as it was called at the time) was released as a book, Toward Liquor Control by Raymond Fosdick and Albert Scott. Although few at the time recognized it, Toward Liquor Control had taken as its basic conclusions virtually all of the central recommendations made 30 years earlier by another elite-sponsored alcohol policy group called the Committee of Fifty. The Committee of Fifty, which was generally opposed to alcohol prohibition, had produced five books on various aspects of the "alcohol problem" around the turn of the century. Fosdick and the other study members had read the Committee of Fifty's reports and quoted them on the corruption and lawlessness resulting from earlier forms of local prohibition. The Rockefeller Report echoed the Committee of Fifty's conclusion that the legitimacy of the law must be of primary concern in liquor regulation. Both reports agreed that the specific content of the law mattered less than that the laws be obeyed. Both reports argued that alcohol regulation required a flexible system that could be continually monitored and adjusted. Further, both reports advised that, if possible, government should take over the selling of alcoholic beverages (Billings 1905; Levine 1983; Rumbarger, 1989). The specific plan for alcohol control suggested by Toward Liquor Control, and the Rockefeller Report's most controversial proposal, was that each state take over as a public monopoly the retail sale for off-premises consumption of spirits, wine, and beer above 3.2 percent alcohol. As Fosdick and Scott explained: "The primary task of the [State Alcohol] Authority would be the establishment of a chain of its own retail stores for the sale of the heavier alcoholic beverages by package only." This is the source of the term "package stores" still used today for liquor outlets in many states where people buy alcohol beverages in a bottle to be consumed off premises. The state-run outlets of Canadian provinces, and of Sweden , Norway , and Finland , were cited as working examples of such a plan. This quickly became known as the "monopoly plan" and at the time was usually called "the Rockefeller plan." For those states not willing to establish government liquor stores, Fosdick and Scott proposed an alternative system: "regulation by license." They cited England as the best example of a working license system. A nonpartisan board appointed by the governor would have statewide authority to issue liquor licenses and regulate the industry. "Tied houses" would not be permitted -- that is, no retail establishments could be owned directly by or under exclusive contract to a distiller or brewer. Although it offered guidelines for a licensing system, Toward Liquor Control favored the monopoly plan. The possibility of increasing profits, they said, would encourage private businesses to sell more alcohol, to buy political influence and lax enforcement, and to violate laws. Rockefeller explained the chief advantage of government-owned liquor stores in his foreword to the book: "Only as the profit motive is eliminated is there any hope of controlling the liquor traffic in the interests of a decent society. To approach the problem from any other angle is only to tinker with it and to ensure failure." The irony of a Rockefeller warning about the dangers of the profit motive was not lost on observers in 1933. Like others at the time, Rockefeller had concluded, probably correctly, that government ownership brought greater powers than licensed businesses to regulate and control behavior, and ensure obedience to the law. For both the licensing plan and the monoply plan, Toward Liquor Control outlined a detailed set of matters over which the state agency would have jurisdiction. These included the power to acquire real estate and other capital by purchase, lease, or condemnation; determine and change prices at will; establish a system of personal identification of purchasers; issue permits for and regulate the use of beer and wine for off-premises consumption and for on-premises consumption in hotels, restaurants, clubs, railway dining cars, and passenger boats; require alcohol manufacturers and importers to report on quantities produced and shipped; regulate or eliminate alcohol beverage advertising; determine the internal design, visibility from the street, hours and days of sale, number and locations of alcohol outlets. In January 1934, a model law based on the guidelines of Toward Liquor Control and written by the staff of the Institute for Public Administration was published as a supplement to the National Municipal Review. The Review was the official journal of the National Municipal League, another Progressive Era policy organization supported by the Rockefellers. The model law and other supporting documents were widely circulated to legislators throughout the country in the months following repeal. State legislators, faced with difficult political choices, and with little personal expertise in the complexities of liquor regulation, turned to the authoritative and virtually unchallenged plans of the Rockefeller commission and the National Municipal League. In a letter in the Rockefeller Archives, one of the model law's authors estimated that the monopoly law was taken almost verbatim by 15 states, and the licensing law served as the text or draft for many more (Gulick, 1977; Levine, 1985). Alcohol Control in Operation Post-repeal regulation transformed the alcohol beverage industry. Finland , the only other nation to have experimented with constitutional prohibition, had nationalized production of spirits. However, such proposals were not seriously discussed in the United States . Instead, production took the form of an oligopoly of relatively few corporations. By the end of the 1930s, about 80 percent of all distilled liquor made in the United States was manufactured by four corporations. The beer industry, although more diverse nationally because beer required quick and local distribution, was monopolized by region or area. Regulatory agencies preferred to deal with a few large corporations -- they were easier to police and to make agreements with, and more likely to be concerned with keeping the image of the industry clean and respectable. This pattern of monopolization was not unique of course; most major American industries -- steel, automobiles, soft drinks, chemicals, for example -- were increasingly dominated by a few large corporations. (From at least the time of the National Recovery Act at the start of the New Deal, federal government policy often encouraged such concentration. The alcohol industry was exceptional only in how quickly many small producers were overtaken by a few dominant ones.) Although production became oligopolistic, distribution was splintered and scattered. Perhaps the most important long-term innovation in post-prohibition alcohol regulation was that it permitted the legal sale of alcohol at a wide variety of sites. Before prohibition, the saloon had been a single, all-purpose institution -- there one drank beer, wine, or spirits, and there one purchased for off-premises consumption a bottle of spirits or a bucket of beer. After repeal, alcohol control created several different types of establishments to sell alcoholic beverages. In most states special stores were designated for selling distilled liquor and wine -- often they could not sell any food at all, or even cigarettes. Beer, on the other hand, was made relatively widely available in bottles and cans -- with grocery stores and small markets licensed to sell it. In other words, after prohibition, sale of bottled alcohol was increasingly separated from the public drinking place. This encouraged the privatization of drinking. Whether alone or with others, drinking became something more commonly done at home -- where, it should be noted, drinking patterns were often moderated by family norms (see Zinberg 1984). By 1941, off-premises consumption accounted for the majority of alcohol sales (Harrison and Laine 1936; Kyvig 1979, 189). The character of public drinking was significantly altered by these regulatory changes. A new class of licenses for on-premises consumption of beer only, or of beer and wine, was established and liberally issued to restaurants and cafeterias where eating moderated the character and effects of drinking. This separated the barroom selling distilled liquor and beer as a distinct institution. Many state alcohol control laws made provision for a local option whereby a county government could prohibit specific kinds of liquor selling within its borders. This option has been widely exercised. As late as 1973, of the 3,073 counties in the United States, 672 prohibited sales of distilled liquor by the drink for on-premises consumption, and 545 totally prohibited sales of distilled spirits (Alcohol Beverage Control Administration 1973). Under alcohol control, all establishments licensed for on-premises consumption of spirits were specifically restricted in ways that shaped the cultural practice of drinking. In some areas, control laws attempted to moderate the effects of drinking by encouraging food consumption. For example, spirit sales often were limited to bona fide restaurants with laws specifying how many feet of kitchen space and how many food preparation workers there must be. Most states established restrictions on the number of entrances and their locations (back entrances are usually prohibited); the times of day and days of the week when sales may occur; permissible decorations; degree of visibility of the interior from the street; numbers and uses of other rooms; distance of the establishment from churches, schools, and other alcohol outlets; whether customers may sit at a long bar -- a counter in close proximity to the source of alcohol -- or whether they must sit at tables and order drinks as one orders food; and the ratio of chair seating to bar seating. The public character of drinkers' comportment was also regulated. Many states, for example, prohibit dancing or live music except under special license. Most gambling or betting is prohibited, and other games are restricted as well. For many years, New York and other states did not allow barrooms to have pinball machines. Many states specifically ban the use of the word "saloon," others ban the use of the word "bar," and some forbid all words to indicate a drinking place. Until about 1980, most drinking establishments in California displayed only a name and a symbol: a tilted cocktail glass with a stirrer. From a pre-prohibition or prohibition-era perspective, there are two surprising characteristics of post-repeal alcohol controls. First, most laws and regulations are obeyed. Almost all drinking places, for example, stop serving and collect glasses at the required hours; and they observe the regulations about tables, dancing, decorations, signs, entrances, and so on. By and large, this obedience has been relatively easily achieved through careful policing, coupled with the power to revoke or suspend licenses. Operating a liquor-selling business is usually quite profitable compared to other kinds of retail establishments, so owners tend to guard their licenses carefully. Unlike prohibition, alcohol control uses the profit motive to encourage lawful business practices. Minimum-age drinking laws constitute the one obvious exception to this regulatory success as well as being one of the few remaining forms of prohibition. Second, post-repeal alcohol regulation is usually not perceived as especially restrictive by customers. The many layers of laws and regulations are rarely noticed; most drinkers take them completely for granted. A third, less surprising characteristic of post-repeal alcohol control is that policy has not been aimed specifically at maximizing what earlier reformers had called "temperance" -- meaning, above all, reducing habitual drunkenness or repeated heavy drinking. In his preface to Toward Liquor Control, Rockefeller maintained that such problems could not be effectively addressed by liquor regulation and that they would have to be taken up by other agencies as part of broader educational and health efforts. Since repeal, these tasks have been adopted by a number of independent and government groups, notably Alcoholics Anonymous and the National Council on Alcoholism, various state and local alcoholism agencies, and, since the early 1970s, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In recent years, some public health professionals have urged that the control system be used more self-consciously to reduce drinking and some health problems. Such concerns have by and large been imposed on the system, however, and do not flow from its natural workings. On the other hand, despite all its flaws, post-repeal alcohol control did succeed in turning consumption away from hard liquor (which is much easier to abuse) and back toward beer and wine. Further, alcohol control (coupled with the Depression and World War II) did keep alcohol consumption below pre-prohibition levels. In fact, it was not until 1970 that the total alcohol consumption of the drinking-age population reached the levels of 1915 (Levine and Reinarman, 1993, 1998; Rorabaugh,1979; Miron and Zwiebel, 1991). In 1936 a second volume of the Rockefeller-sponsored Liquor Study Commission Report was issued. After Repeal: A Study of Liquor Control Administration (Harrison and Lane 1936) analyzed the results of liquor control after "a two-year trial," and described the most important changes and innovations in liquor administration instituted since repeal. The overall thrust of the report was that, with some understandable exceptions, alcohol control worked extremely well. Other observers at the time drew similar conclusions (Sheppard 1938; Shipman 1940). Legalizing alcohol and then regulating it had accomplished what most temperance and prohibition supporters claimed was impossible: alcohol moved from being a scandal, crisis, and constant front-page news story to something routine and manageable, a little-noticed thread in the fabric of American life. Since 1934, alcohol regulation has quietly and effectively organized and managed the production, distribution and sale of alcohol, as well as public drinking. Despite frequent claims to the contrary, alcohol control has of course sought to legislate morality. It has not, however, sought to impose the morality of the nineteenth-century Protestant middle class who supported the anti-alcohol crusade. Rather the alcohol control system legislates the more modern morality of the new business and professional middle class, of the corporate elite, and to a large extent of the twentieth-century working class. Accordingly, unlike the use of marijuana, heroin, or cocaine -- drinking has not been criminalized and pushed beyond the pale of normative and regulatory influence. Moreover, once it ceased to be outlawed, the alcohol industry was no longer dominated by unregulated, illicit entrepreneurs who shot at each other, developed crime syndicates, and paid off police and government officials. The leaders of the major alcohol industries, just like other members of the economic establishment, have a strong investment in maintaining order and obedience to law. Now, many decades after national alcohol prohibition ended, it is easy to forget that all this was the outcome of self-conscious public policy and not the "natural" result of market forces or national zeitgeist. The alcohol control system has worked sufficiently well that it usually goes unnoticed, even by students of prohibition or American history. For purposes of devising new drug policy options, however, it is important to remember that this particular system was the self-conscious creation of a political and economic elite with the power to institute what it regarded as good and necessary. The alcohol control system they devised is not especially democratic; it does not really address public health or social welfare concerns; and it has produced enormous profits for a handful of large corporations. However, it has achieved what its designers sought to do: regulate and administer the orderly and lawful distribution of alcoholic beverages in a way that creates little controversy (Bruun et al. 1975; Beauchamp 1981; Levine 1984). Lessons from Alcohol Control There are many different lessons that may be drawn from the story of legalization of alcohol production and sales and the establishment of alcohol control in the United States. Two seem particularly relevant for drug policy. First, the legalization of drug production and sales and the establishment of drug control along the lines of alcohol control is a reasonable and practical policy option. Supporters of alcohol prohibition always claimed that alcohol was a special substance that could never be regulated and sold like other commodities because it was so addicting and dangerous. However, as the last seventy plus years of alcohol control and the experiences of many other societies have shown, the prohibitionists were wrong. The experiences of drug policy in other nations, and the experiences of U.S. pharmaceutical and drugstore regulation, suggest that most if not all psychoactive substances could be similarly produced, regulated, sold, and used in a generally lawful and orderly fashion. Therefore, it would mark a significant advance if the current U.S. debate on drug policy could be moved beyond the question of whether such a system of legalized drug control is possible. It is. Instead, we think debate should focus on whether a nonmoralistic assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of such a system make it desirable, and what different regulatory options might look like. Second, a workable system of at least partially legalized drug production and sales -- of drug control -- would have to be a flexible one, geared to local conditions. Edward Brecher recommended in his landmark study Licit and Illicit Drugs (1972), and the importance of local option was also stressed over a century ago by the Committee of Fifty (Levine, 1983). Because towns, cities, counties, states and countries vary enormously, alcohol and drug policies must be shaped according to local environments. As with alcohol control, drug control could be implemented so as to reduce substantially if not eliminate the illegal drug business and most of the crime, violence, and corruption associated with it. Drug control with a public health orientation would also seek to encourage milder and weaker drugs and to make them available in safer forms accompanied by comprehensive education about risks, proper use, and less dangerous modes of ingestion. In other words, a public-health-oriented drug control regime would seek to reverse the tendencies that appear inherent under criminalization, where production, distribution, and consumption are pushed into deviant subcultures, where purity is uncontrolled and dosage is imprecise. If a legalized, decentralized drug control system with local option is implemented, then the experience of alcohol regulation suggests that, in the long run, drug problems would probably not rise significantly above the levels now present under drug prohibition, and overall consumption might not rise either (see also Nadelmann, 1989a). Similarly, if such a public health model of drug control were coupled with increased social services and employment for impoverished inner-city populations, then the abuse of drugs like heroin and cocaine might well be expected to decrease (Reinarman and Levine, 1997; Brecher, 1972; Jonas, 1990). Having said this, it is incumbent upon us to point out that it will be no simple matter to implement such a drug control system in the United States , or in any other place in the world. As the second part of this chapter shows, drug prohibition is a much larger system than national alcohol prohibition in the United States ever was. Drug prohibition is a world-wide system Every country in the world now has drug prohibition enforced by its police and military. Every country in the world criminalizes the production and sale of cannabis, cocaine, and opiates (except for limited medical uses). In addition, most countries criminalize the production and sale of other psychoactive substances. Global drug prohibition is a world-wide system structured by a series of international treaties that are supervised by the United Nations. Every nation in the world is either a signatory to one or more of the treaties or has laws in accord with them (Levine, 2002, 2003; Bewley-Taylor, 1999; Nadelmann, 1990; International Narcotics Control Board Web site, http://www.incb.org ). Global drug prohibition is a worldwide system of state power. Drug prohibition is a social fact. For many decades, however, public officials, journalists, and academics rarely identified any form of U.S. drug law as "prohibition." Instead, they referred to a national and international "narcotics control." The international organization that still supervises global drug prohibition is called the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Outside of some drug policy, harm reduction, and academic circles, few people have known much about the world-wide drug prohibition system. In the last decades of the 20th century, some people in many countries became aware of national drug prohibition. They came to understand that the drug policies of the U.S. and some other countries are varieties of drug prohibition. Even as this understanding spread, however, the fact that every country in the world has adopted drug prohibition remained a kind of "hidden in plain view" secret. Until recently, the global drug prohibition system has been taken for granted and nearly invisible. Now that is changing. Global drug prohibition is becoming easier to see and is losing some of its other ideological and political powers. The rise of global drug prohibition In the 20th century, the cause of drug prohibition was first taken up by committed alcohol prohibitionists. In the U.S., national drug prohibition developed out of national alcohol prohibition. National drug prohibition is not "similar to" or "like" alcohol prohibition, it is a historical extension and continuation of it. National drug prohibition began in the 1920s in the U.S. as a subset of constitutional alcohol prohibition. The first generation of U.S. narcotics agents worked for the federal alcohol prohibition agency. In 1930, Congress separated drug prohibition from the increasingly disreputable alcohol prohibition and created a new federal drug prohibition agency, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, headed by the committed alcohol prohibitionist Harry J. Anslinger (Epstein, 1977; Musto, 1987). In 1933, a combination of majority votes in some state legislatures and unprecedented state-wide public referendums in other states ended national alcohol prohibition. The question of alcohol policy was turned back to state and local governments to do with as they wished. A few states retained alcohol prohibition for years and many rural American counties still have forms of alcohol prohibition ( Kyvig, 1979; Levine, 1984 and Levine, 1985). Drug prohibition took an entirely different course. Since the early 20th century, U.S. alcohol prohibitionists found European governments far more willing to consider anti-narcotics legislation than anti-alcohol laws. Alcohol prohibitionists urged adoption of drug prohibition and over the years they convinced the U.S. and other counties to establish various forms of drug prohibition. It was often called "narcotics control." In 1919, the founding Covenant of the League of Nations explicitly mentioned the control of "dangerous drugs" as one of the organization's concerns. In the 1930s, guided by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and its chief, Harry Anslinger, the U.S. government helped write and gain acceptance for two international anti-drug conventions or treaties aimed at "suppressing" narcotics and "dangerous drugs." In 1948, the new UN made drug prohibition one of its priorities. The UN Single Convention of 1961 (as amended in 1972, and supplemented by UN anti-drug treaties in 1971 and 1988) established the current system of global drug prohibition. In the last 80 years, nearly every political persuasion and type of government has endorsed drug prohibition. (For a discussion of this history see: Bewley-Taylor, 1999 and 2003; Bruun et al., 1972; McAllister, 2000; Walker, 1992; King, 1972; Epstein, 1977; Baum, 1996; Gray, 1998; Duke and Gross, 1993; King, 1972; Musto, 1987, Nadelmann, 1990, McWilliams, 1992; Levine 2002, 2003; Reinarman, 2003; http://www.incb.org for the text of the treaties. For a discussion of why drug prohibition was adopted throughout the world see, Levine 2002 and 2003, and a special issue of the International Journal of Drug Policy, 2003, devoted to a critical analysis of the UN treaties and global drug prohibition). Drug use and policy in the era of global drug prohibition The Single Convention of 1961 was put into place just as the world it was designed to govern was being transformed. Over the next two decades the use of prohibited drugs, especially of cannabis (marijuana), moved from the margins to the mainstream and the middle class. Except for cannabis, none of this was very large, and most of it was drug use and not abuse. By about 1979, most forms of illegal drug use in the U.S. were higher than anytime before or since. By 1993, 22% of Americans aged 18 to 25, and 6% over age 25 had used marijuana once or more in the last year. And by 1993, 5% of American aged 18 to 25 and 2% over age 25 had used cocaine once or more in the last year. With some fluctuations, these rates have remained at roughly the same levels since. Heroin, LSD, psychoactive mushrooms and other illegal drug use is lower than cocaine use, and the levels of MDMA (ecstasy) use is similar to the levels of cocaine use (Reinarman and Levine, 1997:28-33). The rise of illegal drug use in the 1960s and 1970s, and the persistence of use since 1980, have created enormous pressures on the drug prohibition systems in many Western countries. Different countries have responded to drug use and abuse in a variety of ways. Global drug prohibition is best understood as a long continuum -- with a harsher more punitive and criminalized end (as in the US), and a more tolerant, regulated and public health-oriented end (as in the Netherlands and growing numbers of European counties). U.S. drug prohibition gives long prison sentences for repeated possession, use, and small-scale distribution of forbidden drugs. Many U.S. drug laws explicitly remove sentencing discretion from judges and do not allow for probation or parole. In the U.S. in the 1980s, the Reagan and Bush administrations substantially increased criminal penalties for drug possession and launched an expensive "War on Drugs." The U.S. now has nearly half a million men and women in prison for violating its drug laws. Most are poor people of color and are imprisoned for possessing an illicit drug or "intending" to sell small amounts of it. The mandatory federal penalty for possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine, for a first offense, is 5 years in prison with no parole (Reinarman and Levine, 1997; Duke and Gross, 1993; Gray, 1998 and McWilliams, 1992). The cannabis policy of the Netherlands is the best known example of the other end of the drug prohibition continuum––of a decriminalized and regulated form of drug prohibition. Several UN drug treaties require the Netherlands, like other signatories, to have laws criminalizing the production and distribution of cannabis and other drugs. However, since the early 1980s, national policy in the Netherlands allows over 800 cafes and snack bars to sell small quantities of cannabis to adults for personal use, on premises and off. These "coffee shops" are permitted to operate as long as they are orderly and stay within well-defined limits that are monitored and enforced by the police. Unlike legal businesses, cannabis sales are not taxed and coffee shops cannot advertise cannabis. Even as cannabis sales in the Netherlands are open, routine, and appear to be completely legal, importing and commercially producing this cannabis remain illegal. As a result, the coffee shops have always been supplied, as the Dutch say, through the "back door." This is still formally drug prohibition and the Netherlands prosecutes importers, dealers and commercial growers who handle large quantities of cannabis––as required by the UN anti-drug treaties. In short, for over two decades, the Netherlands has sustained a unique system of regulated, open, quasi-legal cannabis sales supplied by illegal importers and growers. This is as far as any country has been able to go within the current structures of global drug prohibition (Leuw, 1997; Reinarman and Levine, 1997; Englesmann, 1990; Henk, 1989;). The prohibition policies of all other Western countries fall in between the heavily criminalized policies of the United States and the decriminalized and regulated form of cannabis prohibition of the Netherlands. No Western country and few Third World countries have ever had forms of drug prohibition as criminalized and punitive as the U.S. regime, and since the early 1990s drug policy in Europe, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere clearly has shifted even farther away from the criminalized end of the prohibition continuum. All these countries, however, are required by international treaties to have -- and still do have -- real, formal, legal, national drug prohibition (Levine 2002, 2003; Andreas, 1999; Bewley-Taylor, 1999; Reinarman and Levine, 1997). Since the early 1980s, global drug prohibition has had to face a series of dilemmas or crises. In the final sections of this chapter, we want to briefly discuss three of these crises: the emergence and development of the harm reduction movement within drug prohibition; the growth of a serious, reputable opposition to criminalized and punitive drug policies; and the inability of drug prohibition to stop the cultivation and use of cannabis throughout the world. The harm reduction movement within drug prohibition The harm reduction movement was born in the early 1980s as a pragmatic, remarkably effective response to the spreading hepatitis and AIDS epidemics. Since then, harm-reduction workers and activists in Europe and increasingly throughout the world have sought to provide drug users and addicts with a range of services aimed at reducing the harmful effects of drug use. In the United States, conservative pundits and even liberal journalists have accused harm-reduction advocates of being “drug legalizers” in disguise, but in most other countries many prominent politicians, public-health professionals, and police officials who are strong defenders of drug prohibition also have supported harm-reduction programs as practical public-health policies (Heather et al. 1993). Even the UN agencies that supervise worldwide drug prohibition have come to recognize the public-health benefits of harm-reduction services within current drug prohibition regimes (INCB 2000: 59–60). It is useful to understand that there are many varieties of drug prohibition, arranged along a continuum from the harsher and more punitive forms to the more tolerant and regulated forms. We want to suggest that harm reduction is a movement that in effect, though not always in intent, pushes drug polices away from the more criminalized and punitive forms of drug prohibition toward the more decriminalized, tolerant, and regulated forms of drug prohibition. Harm reduction encourages policy makers to shift drug policies away from punishment, coercion, and repression, and toward tolerance, regulation and public health. Harm reduction is not inherently an enemy of drug prohibition. However, in the course of pursuing public health goals, harm reduction necessarily seeks policies that also reduce the punitive effects of drug prohibition (Heather, Wodak, Nadelmann & O'Hare, 1993 and Reinarman and Levine, 1997). Consider some of the significant programs that the harm reduction movement has advocated: syringe distribution and exchange, methadone maintenance, hygienic injection rooms, prescription heroin, medical use of cannabis, drug education for users, and pill testing at raves. These programs have sought to increase public health by helping users reduce the harms of drug use. However, in order to carry out their objectives (like reducing the spread of AIDS), the harm reduction programs have often required changes in laws, policies or funding that quite clearly also reduce the harshness and intolerance of drug prohibition. We are suggesting that implicitly and sometimes explicitly the harm reductionist stance toward drug prohibition is exactly the same as its stance toward drug use. Harm reduction groups seek to reduce the harmful effects of drug use without requiring users to be drug-free. Harm reduction groups also seek to reduce the harmful effects of drug prohibition without requiring governments to be prohibition-free. Harm reduction's message to drug users is: "we are not asking you to give up drug use; we just ask you to do some things (like use clean syringes) to reduce the harmfulness of drug use (including the spread of AIDS) to you and the people close to you." In precisely the same way, harm reduction's message to governments is: "we are not asking you to give up drug prohibition; we just ask you to do some things (like make clean syringes and methadone available) to reduce the harmfulness of drug prohibition." Harm reduction offers a radically tolerant and pragmatic approach to both drug use and drug prohibition. It assumes that neither are going away anytime soon and suggests therefore that reasonable and responsible people try to persuade those who use drugs, and those who use drug prohibition, to minimize the harms that their activities produce. The growing opposition to punitive drug policies In many countries increasing numbers of people––physicians, lawyers, judges, police, journalists, scientists, public health officials, teachers, religious leaders, social workers, drug users and drug addicts––now openly criticize the more extreme, punitive, and criminalized forms of drug prohibition. These critics, from across the political spectrum, have pointed out that punitive drug policies are expensive, ineffective at reducing drug abuse, take scarce resources away from other public health and policing activities, and are often racially and ethnically discriminatory. Criminalized drug prohibition violates civil liberties, imprisons many nonviolent offenders, and worsens health problems like the AIDS and hepatitis epidemics. Harm reduction is a major part of the critical opposition to punitive drug policies. Indeed, harm reduction is the first popular, international movement to develop within drug prohibition to openly challenge drug demonization and the more criminalized forms of drug prohibition (Reinarman and Levine, 1997, Levine 2002, 2003). The harm reduction and drug policy reformers have changed the debate. For example, in 2001 the mainstream Toronto newspaper, the Globe and Mail(August 20 and 21), wrote a two part editorial strongly urging Canada to "decriminalize all––yes, all––personal drug use, henceforth to be regarded primarily as a health issue rather than as a crime." At the same time, the conservative British business magazine, The Economist (July 26), devoted an entire issue to drug topics, endorsing decriminalization, harm reduction and consideration of drug legalization. The Economist also reported that U.S. government anti-drug publications "are full of patently false claims" and that U.S. drug policy "has proved a dismal rerun of America's attempt, in 1920–1933, to prohibit the sale of alcohol." Since 2001, UK drug polices have moved to down-classify cannabis, and the Canadian government has been considering decriminalizing it. As drug policy reform movements have grown, supporters of drug prohibition have been discovering that they cannot make the critics of criminalized prohibition go away. In the reports of the International Narcotics Control Board (the U.N. agency supervising global drug prohibition) and in other publications, the most knowledgeable defenders of drug prohibition warn regularly about the increasing growth of cannabis cultivation and use on every continent, and about the increasing legitimacy given to the critics of drug prohibition. These defenders of global drug prohibition recognize that the advocates of decriminalized drug prohibition––and the political, economic and cultural forces driving that opposition––are gaining strength and legitimacy (see for example, INCB, 2000). All of this opposition is fairly recent. For much of its history, global drug prohibition has had very few critics. Even today, despite the impressive growth in many countries of the harm reduction movement and of drug policy reform activities, world-wide drug prohibition still has very few explicit, opponents. One reason for the lack of organized opposition to the drug treaties is that until recently the global drug prohibition system has been invisible. Furthermore, even now few people understand that by ending or even modifying the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the question of national drug policy could be returned to individual countries and local governments to handle as they wished. Defenders of global drug prohibition like to evoke an international conspiracy of what they call "drug legalizers." But almost nobody thus far has tried to launch even a half-baked international campaign with slogans like "Repeal the Single Convention" or "End Global Drug Prohibition." Yet it may well be that the Single Convention stands in much the same relationship to world-wide drug prohibition that the 18th Amendment to the Constitution and the Volstead Act stood in relation to U.S. alcohol prohibition. Once the 18th Amendment was gone, state and local governments were free to create alcohol policy at the local level. If the Single Convention was repealed, or even modified, national governments around the world would be freer to create drug laws and policies geared to their own conditions––including prohibition if they should so desire. At present, many nations, and many more regional and local governments, are reforming their drug policies, expanding harm reduction, and adopting less criminalized forms of drug prohibition. But no national government is even discussing withdrawing from the Single Convention and global drug prohibition. In addition to the domestic political obstacles to such a move, a potential "rogue" nation confronts international barriers in the form of economic and political sanctions from the U.S. and its allies. Therefore, no single country can now formally end its national prohibition regime and completely "defect" from the world-wide prohibitionist system. And it is likely that no single country will be willing or able to defect for a very long time, if ever (Bewley-Taylor, 1999; Bewley-Taylor, 2002; Bewley-Taylor, 2003; Transnational Institute, 2002; Andreas, 1999 and Nadelmann, 1990). The cannabis crisis Global drug prohibition's most glaring weakness and greatest vulnerability is cannabis. As UN experts point out, cannabis is by far the most widely used illegal drug in the world. Cannabis grows wild throughout the world, and is commercially cultivated in remote areas, in backyard gardens, and in technologically sophisticated indoor growing operations. Just as it was impossible for prohibitionists to prevent alcohol from being produced and used in the U.S. in the 1920s, so too it is now impossible to prevent cannabis from being produced and widely used, especially in democratic countries. As a result of this enormous and unstoppable production and use, global cannabis prohibition faces a growing crisis of legitimacy (Zimmer, 1997). Since the 1980s, the Netherlands has successfully administered its system of regulated, decriminalized cannabis sales. A generation of Europeans, Australians, North Americans, and others have learned from the Dutch experience. Politicians, policy makers, police officials, journalists, and ordinary tourists from many countries have seen that decriminalizing cannabis use and regulating cannabis sales have substantial advantages and benefits––especially when compared with the disadvantages and costs of punitive U.S. drug policies. The continued success of the Netherlands's strikingly different and less punitive cannabis policy alternative within drug prohibition has undermined the U.S. anti-drug crusade and contributed to the spread of de facto and formal cannabis decriminalization in Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy and other countries (Leuw, 1997; Webster, 1998, Reinarman, Cohen, Kall, 2004). Further, since the 1960s recreational cannabis use has been steadily normalized in many parts of the world, especially among young adults. Prominent middle-aged politicians––including, for example, the current Republican Mayor of New York City––admit they have used cannabis without deleterious effects. As a result, it has become much harder for drug war advocates to persuasively portray cannabis as one of the dangerous, evil "drugs." Punitive drug prohibition still requires drug demonization. But defenders of cannabis prohibition find it increasingly difficult to offer plausible justifications for harsh anti-cannabis laws, or even for the Single Convention's cannabis policies. Growing numbers of prominent, influential individuals and organizations are concluding that criminalized cannabis prohibition causes more problems than cannabis use. In recent years, some veteran drug policy reformers have confronted the problem of the currently invincible drug treaties. Like Professor Peter Cohen (2003) of the University of Amsterdam, and Dr Alex Wodak (2003) of St. Vincents Hospital in Sydney, they have suggested that the Single Convention and other narcotics treaties are an unenforceable "paper tiger" or even a "paper corpse." These critics recommend that policy makers disregard the anti-drug treaties when considering drug policy reforms within their own countries. With regard to cannabis, public officials in a number of countries seem increasingly open to such arguments. In Europe, political support for harm reduction approaches and drug policy reform has become so strong that some government officials have discussed systems for licensing cannabis production. Openly licensing, regulating and taxing cannabis production moves well beyond what the Netherlands has ever done. Licensing production as well as sales creates cannabis legalization within one country. Discussion of such measures appears most developed in Switzerland, but it has been going on as well in the Netherlands and even in Canada. Top U.S. anti-drug officials are openly worried about such possibilities. Switzerland and other countries could choose to license cannabis farms for domestic consumption. In so doing they would build upon the Dutch experience, but would completely bypass the Netherlands's complicated problems of illegal or "backdoor" cannabis supply. When officials have substantial domestic public support, they will be freer to ignore international pressure and define their own nation's situation as a permissible exception to the anti-drug treaties. And countries that may decide for various reasons to license sales, may also decide to license growers. In short, sooner or later some Western country, perhaps Switzerland, is likely to be the first to create a system of licensed, regulated and taxed cannabis sale and production, despite the narcotics treaties. In political democracies, when laws and policies are unenforceable and unpopular, over time de facto changes usually become de jure (in law). This is what happened with alcohol prohibition in the U.S., and this process occurs with international laws as well. For opiates, stimulants, and other drugs, the ongoing trend of increasing decriminalization, harm reduction, and medical use could continue for decades within global drug prohibition. But cannabis is a different story. In some countries, cannabis use and cultivation already threatens to burst the bounds of the international drug treaties. Even drug prohibitionists who study global trends openly worry about their capacity to make world-wide cannabis prohibition a workable system. Recently, some students of global drug policies have outlined strategies for modifying the drug treaties to bring them more in line with current practice. (Bewley-Taylor, 2002 and Transnational Institute, 2002). Calls for modifying the treaties are likely to increase in coming years. And whatever happens with efforts to reform the Single Convention and other drug treaties, some Western democracies are likely to continue moving toward creating their own new national policies for cannabis sales, distribution and production. One last point: An incisive paper by Martin Jelsma (2002) takes a line from a Monty Python sketch and likens defenders of punitive drug policies and the UN treaties to a pet shop clerk cheerfully trying to sell a dead parrot. "It's not dead," the salesman tells the incredulous customer, "it's just resting." Jelsma suggests rejecting such arguments and points out that policy makers in a number of countries have urged international discussions about modifying the drug treaties. Since 2001, the U.S. government has become increasingly absorbed in its new "War on Terrorism" and is itself withdrawing from or openly breaking with several different international treaties. At the same time, support for cannabis policy reform has been growing in the UK, Canada and other Western countries. In short, in the next five to ten years, modifying the drug treaties, especially for cannabis, may become a more lively political issue. The end of global drug prohibition? Global drug prohibition is in crisis. The fact that it is becoming visible is one symptom of that crisis. In the short run, that crisis seems almost certain to deepen, especially for cannabis prohibition and the more punitive and criminalized drug policies. Over the next century, for a variety of practical and ideological reasons––especially the spread of democracy, information and trade––democratic governments in Europe and elsewhere are likely to transform and eventually dismantle world-wide drug prohibition. If and when this happens, it would not mean the end of all local or national drug prohibition. Rather, ending global drug prohibition, like ending constitutional alcohol prohibition in the US, would clear the path for hundreds of local experiments in drug policy. Many communities and some nations would likely retain forms of drug prohibition and continue to support vigorous anti-drug crusades. But most democratic and open societies probably would not choose to retain full-scale criminalized drug prohibition. Over time democratic societies could gradually develop their own varied local forms of regulated personal cultivation, production, and use of the once prohibited plants and substances. Many places could also allow some forms of commercial growing, production, and sale––first of all of cannabis. All of this could take a very long time. Drug prohibitionists in every country can be expected to fight tenaciously to maintain their local regimes. And it is likely that enormous power will be employed to prevent the Single Convention of 1961 and its related treaties from being repealed or even modified. As a result, in coming years there will be even more public discussion and debate about the varieties of drug prohibition and about the alternatives to it. As part of that conversation, many more people will discover that they have lived for decades within a regime of world-wide drug prohibition. That growing understanding will help push global drug prohibition closer to its end. We are convinced that someday, as Edward Brecher predicted, most Americans will look back on drug prohibition and judge it to have been (like alcohol prohibition) repressive, unjust, expensive and ineffective -- a failure. In the twentieth century, a dozen major scientific commissions in Britain, Canada, and the United States have recommended alternatives to punitive drug policies. 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Law and Contemporary Problems 7:600-20. Sinclair, A. 1964. Era of Excess: A Social History of the Prohibition Movement. New York : Harper. Single, E., P. Morgan, and J. Delint. Eds. 1981. Alcohol, Society, and the State. 2: The Social History of Control Policy in Seven Countries. Toronto : Addiction Research Foundation. Thornton , M. 1991. The Economics of Prohibition. Salt Lake City : University of Utah Press. Timberlake, J. H. 1963. Prohibition and the Progressive Movement, 1900-1920. Cambridge , Mass. : Harvard University Press. Transnational Institute. (2002). Breaking the Impasse: Polarisation and Paralysis in UN Drug Control (Drugs and Conflict Debate Papers no 5). Amsterdam : Transnational Institute Trebach, A. S. 1989. Ignoring the Great Commission Reports. The Drug Policy Letter (Sept.-Oct.):5. Trebach, A. S., and K. B. Zeese. Eds. 1990. Drug Prohibition and the Conscience of Nations. Washington : Drug Policy Foundation. Tyrell, I. 1979. Sobering Up: From Temperance to Prohibition in Antebellum America , 1800-1860. Westport , Conn. : Greenwood Press. United Nations (1998). Secretary-General Calls On All Nations to Say 'Yes' To Challenge Of Working Towards Drug-Free World. June 8, Press release GA/9411. Waldorf, D., C. Reinarman, and S. Murphy. 1991. Cocaine Changes: The Experience of Using and Quitting. Philadelphia , Pa. : Temple University Press. Walker III, W. O., (ed), , 1992. Drug Control Policy: Essays In Historical And Comparative Perspective, Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park . Warburton, C. 1932. The Economic Results of Prohibition. New York : Columbia University Press. Webster, P., 1998. Rethinking Drug Prohibition: Don't Look For US Government Leadership. International Journal of Drug Policy 9 5, pp. 297–303. Wickersham Commission [National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement]. 193 1. Report on Enforcement of the Prohibition Laws of the United States . H.R. 722, 71st Congress, 1st Session. Washington . Williams, C.D., F. S. Stinson, S. L. Steward and M. C. Dufor. 1995. "Apparent Per Capita Alcohol Consumption: National, State, and Regional Trends, 1977-93. NIAAA Surveillance Report #35, December 1995. Washington , D.C. U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, Public Health Service, Institute of Health . Williams, T. 1989. Cocaine Kids: The Inside Story of a Teenage Drug Ring. Reading , Mass. : Addison-Wesley. Wodak, A. 2003. The international drug treaties: 'paper tigers' or dangerous behemoths? The International Journal of Drug Policy. April. 14(2): 221-223 Zimmer, L. (1997). The Ascendancy And Decline Of Worldwide Cannabis Prohibition. In L. Böllinger (Ed.), Cannabis Science: From Prohibition to Human Right. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang (at: http://www.bisdro.uni-bremen.de/boellinger/cannabis/inhalt.htm ) Zinberg, N. E. 1984. Drug, Set, and Setting: The Basis for Controlled Intoxicant Use. New Haven , Conn. : Yale University Press. Notes Earlier versions of portions of this chapter have appeared in several publications. Some of the materials on prohibition and alcohol control are drawn from Levine, 1985; Levine and Reinarman, 1993 and 1998. The materials on drug prohibition are drawn from Reinarman and Levine, 1997; Levine, 2002 and 2003; and Reinarman 2003. Last update: May 25, 2016

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What Was Prohibition? (1920 to 1933) By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated January 13, 2017. Prohibition was a period of nearly 14 years of U.S. history (1920 to 1933) in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquor was made illegal. It was a time characterized by speakeasies, glamour, and gangsters and a period of time in which even the average citizen broke the law. Interestingly, Prohibition, sometimes referred to as the "Noble Experiment," led to the first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed. Temperance Movements After the American Revolution , drinking was on the rise. To combat this, a number of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement, which attempted to dissuade people from becoming intoxicated. At first, these organizations pushed moderation, but after several decades, the movement's focus changed to complete prohibition of alcohol consumption. The Temperance movement blamed alcohol for many of society's ills, especially crime and murder. Saloons, a social haven for men who lived in the still untamed West, were viewed by many, especially women, as a place of debauchery and evil. continue reading below our video How Did Bootlegging Work During Prohibition? Prohibition, members of the Temperance movement urged, would stop husbands from spending all the family income on alcohol and prevent accidents in the workplace caused by workers who drank during lunch. The 18th Amendment Passes In the beginning of the 20th century, there were Temperance organizations in nearly every state. By 1916, over half of the U.S. states already had statutes that prohibited alcohol. In 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol, was ratified. It went into effect on January 16, 1920—beginning the era known as Prohibition. The Volstead Act While it was the 18th Amendment that established Prohibition, it was the Volstead Act (passed on October 28, 1919) that clarified the law. The Volstead Act stated that "beer, wine, or other intoxicating malt or vinous liquors" meant any beverage that was more than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The Act also stated that owning any item designed to manufacture alcohol was illegal and it set specific fines and jail sentences for violating Prohibition. Loopholes There were, however, several loopholes for people to legally drink during Prohibition. For instance, the 18th Amendment did not mention the actual drinking of liquor. Also, since Prohibition went into effect a full year after the 18th Amendment's ratification, many people bought cases of then-legal alcohol and stored them for personal use. The Volstead Act allowed alcohol consumption if it was prescribed by a doctor. Needless to say, large numbers of new prescriptions were written for alcohol. Gangsters and Speakeasies For people who didn't buy cases of alcohol in advance or know a "good" doctor, there were illegal ways to drink during Prohibition. A new breed of gangster arose during this period. These people took notice of the amazingly high level of demand for alcohol within society and the extremely limited avenues of supply to the average citizen. Within this imbalance of supply and demand, gangsters saw profit. Al Capone in Chicago is one of the most famous gangsters of this time period. These gangsters would hire men to smuggle in rum from the Caribbean (rumrunners) or hijack whiskey from Canada and bring it into the U.S. Others would buy large quantities of liquor made in homemade stills. The gangsters would then open up secret bars (speakeasies) for people to come in, drink, and socialize. During this period, newly hired Prohibition agents were responsible for raiding speakeasies, finding stills, and arresting gangsters, but many of these agents were under-qualified and underpaid, leading to a high rate of bribery. Attempts to Repeal the 18th Amendment Almost immediately after the ratification of the 18th Amendment, organizations formed to repeal it. As the perfect world promised by the Temperance movement failed to materialize, more people joined the fight to bring back liquor. The anti-Prohibition movement gained strength as the 1920s progressed, often stating that the question of alcohol consumption was a local issue and not something that should be in the Constitution. Additionally, the Stock Market Crash in 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression started changing people's opinion. People needed jobs. The government needed money. Making alcohol legal again would open up many new jobs for citizens and additional sales taxes for the government. The 21st Amendment Is Ratified On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment, making alcohol once again legal. This was the first and only time in U.S. history that an Amendment has been repealed.

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Prohibition summary In 1920, the 18th Amendment was passed making the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal. But many people in this time of 'Prohibition' continued to drink and gangsters made enormous amounts of money from supplying illegal liquor. Prohibition summary The noble experiment of Prohibition was introduced by the 18th Amendment, which became effective in January 1920. Here are four reasons why Prohibition was introduced: National mood - when America entered the war in 1917 the national mood also turned against drinking alcohol. The Anti-Saloon League argued that drinking alcohol was damaging American society. Practical - a ban on alcohol would boost supplies of important grains such as barley. Religious - the consumption of alcohol went against God's will. Moral - many agreed that it was wrong for some Americans to enjoy alcohol while the country's young men were at war. In 1929, however, the Wickersham Commission reported that Prohibition was not working. In February 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition. Prohibition had failed. Here are six reasons why: There weren't enough Prohibition agents to enforce the law - only 1,500 in 1920. The size of America's boundaries made it hard for these agents to control smuggling by bootleggers. The low salary paid to the agents made it easy to bribe them. Many Americans never gave their support to Prohibition and were willing to drink in speakeasies - bars that claimed to sell soft drinks, but served alcohol behind the scenes. Gangsters such as Al Capone made money from organised crime. Protection rackets, organised crime and gangland murders were more common during Prohibition than when alcohol could be bought legally. Page:

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Prohibition, and its Effects on Chicagoans, and Organized Crime The illegalization of alcohol (consumption and manufacture) was passed into law at a national level in 1919 and enacted in 1920. Often historians regard Prohibition as the culmination, perhaps the over-extension, of the efforts at social change which thrived during the era. Indeed, because of the many important social policies determined, the period of American history from 1865 until 1920 is often called the "Progressive Era." During the period, unions expanded greatly, a number of basic labor rights were secured, including a minimum working age, and women gained the right to vote with the Nineteenth Amendment (1920). Ironically, at the same time that America was pushing forward its own social policy with a number of progressive, forward-looking policies, the first Red Scare ended up in the jailing of tens of thousands of innocent people. The government played an official hand in the chaos, coordinating raids across the country. A Prohibition Party political cartoon (Kerr) . Before Prohibition became national law, there were previous attempts at imposing "dryness" upon Americans. A national political party, aptly named the Prohibition Party, was formed on the basis of its "dry" stance in the 1869. From 1873 to 1874, a large coalition of women led the "Woman's Crusade," a movement which sought the destruction of liquor and the closure of saloons through direct actions, primarily petition campaigns and demonstrations. Later, a number of civic groups formed to organize the prohibition effort. The most well-known of these is the Anti-Saloon League, which had offices throughout the States and worked closely with churches to push forward the movement. An Anti-Saloon League Banner (Kerr) . One of the most outspoken rivals of Prohibition was Percy Andreae, who organized a saloon-backed campaign against the illegalization of liquor. Andreae reveals the connection between religious interests and the political motivations of the Prohibitionists, demanding that the Prohibition movement was largely the result of religious forces attaching themselves to a policy fad to spread their ideals. He writes: "Prohibition is merely the title of the movement. Its real purpose is of a religious, sectarian character, and this applies not only to the movement in America, but to the same movement in England, a fact which, strangely enough, has rarely, if at all, been recognized by those who have dealt with the question in the public press. If there is any one who doubts the truth of this statement, let me put this to him: How many Roman Catholics are prohibitionists? How many Jews, the most temperate race on earth, are to be found in the ranks of prohibition? Or Lutherans? Or German Protestants generally? What is the proportion of Episcopalians to that of Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians, and the like, in the active prohibition army? The answer to these questions will, I venture to say, prove conclusively the assertion that the fight for prohibition is synonymous with the fight of a certain religious sect, or group of religious sects, for the supremacy of its ideas. In England it is the Nonconformists, which is in that country the generic name for the same sects, who are fighting the fight, and the suppression of liquor there is no more the ultimate end they have in view than it is here in America. It is the fads and restrictions that are part and parcel of their lugubrious notion of Godworship which they eventually hope to impose upon the rest of humanity; a Sunday without a smile, no games, no recreation, no pleasures, no music, card-playing tabooed, dancing anathematized, the beauties of art decried as impure-in short, this world reduced to a barren, forbidding wilderness in which we, its inhabitants, are to pass our time contemplating the joys of the next. Rather problematical joys, by the way, if we are to suppose we shall worship God in the next world in the same somber way as we are called upon by these worthies to do in this" (Andreae, 10) . It was with the American declaration of war in 1917 that the Prohibitionists got the push in support necessary to enact the Volstead Act at a national level. The seriousness of the war seemed to demand a nation with a singularly serious mind, and so the prohibitionists propagandized around the war, inventing slogans like, "Sober soldiers and factory hands are better soldiers and factory hands" (Allsop, 28) . A few years after the U.S. began its involvement in World War I, the Amendment passed. In the Senate the Amendment passed after only 13 hours of debate, and in the House it passed after only one day (Allsop, 28) . A cartoon criticizing Chicago politicians for their corruption (Kerr) . A stamp commemorating the Prohibition Era (Citation) . Prohibition did create a huge drop-off in consumption in its first few years (see this external website for a graph on alcohol consumption), despite claims that it was the "most alcoholic period in American history" (Allsop, 25) . However, very quickly after this drop, as we can see, the amount of consumption began to rise. The rise was likely caused by the proliferation of illegal ("bootlegged") alcohol. Bootlegging, interestingly, began before Prohibition, and actually continued after it, as a means of bypassing high taxes on alcohol. Without tax, bootleg liquor was sold much cheaper than legal alcohol. By 1930, bootlegging was much more efficiently organized, thanks to criminals who turned the operations into a full-fledged illicit industry. By that year, it was estimated that 10,000 speakeasies were operating (Allsop, 33) . In Chicago, hundreds of bars that were supposed to close simply stayed open after Prohibition became law. There were innumerable "blind pigs," bars and saloons with blank fronts (unmarked with any indication of their function), through which one entered a side door, often fitted with a peep hole (Allsop, 28) . A gentleman's magazine at the time featured an article on bootlegging, and had this to say, "The sale of dissipation is not only a great business; it is among the few greatest businesses of Chicago. The leading branch of it ... is the sale of alcoholic liquor.... The liquor interests are vastly more extended in Chicago that any other [city]. There are 7,300 licensed liquor sellers in Chicago, and in addition about a thousand places where liquor is sold illegally. The only business which approaches it in number of establishments ... is the grocery trade, which has about 5,200. The city spends at least half as much for what it drinks as for what it eats..." (Turner, 576) . Great Lakes Brewing Company's "Elliot Ness" amber lager (Citation) The reason bootlegged liquor stayed so prominent was simple: it turned an enormous profit; the cost of manufacture was nil compared to the amount that could be made from selling it. In one year during Prohibition, it was estimated that professional bootleggers made about $4,000,000,000 (Allsop, 33) . A few clever bootleggers convinced doctors to write them prescriptions for alcohol (medicinal use was not illegalized by the Volstead Act), finding that many druggists took a prescription as a ticket for unlimited purchase (Allsop, 34) .       Ultimately, it was largely the harsh enforcement of Prohibition which led many to ultimately reject it - the defenders of the movement seem to have become far too fervent in their dedication. For example, in 1928 Fred Palm of Lansing, Michigan was given life imprisonment for possessing a pint of gin; in 1929 an Aurora, Illinois housewife was killed and her husband clubbed by a deputy sheriff searching for liquor; in 1928, an innocent insurance agent was killed during a Chicago raid (Allsop, 36). Another example of the extremity of enforcement is provided (ironically) through the brother of Al Capone, "Three Gun" Hart . Nine days after his election, Roosevelt asked Congress to amend the Volstead Act to permit brewing and sale of beverages up to 3.2% alcohol. In February, 1933 resolutions to repeal the amendment were passed and Prohibition came to an end. An anti-Prohibition campaign poster (Citation) .

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How Breweries Kept Busy During Prohibition | Mental Floss How Breweries Kept Busy During Prohibition Wikimedia Commons Like us on Facebook Before Prohibition , there were over 1300 breweries in the United States , and the popularity of ales and lagers was at an all-time high. The party ended in 1920, however, when beer was deemed an "intoxicating liquor" by the Volstead Act—the legislation passed to enforce national prohibition and the 18th Amendment—and it became illegal to make, transport, or sell suds. Unlike underground distilleries that could whip up batches of illegal liquor with little threat of detection, breweries were often big, tax-paying businesses that couldn't just slip into the woods with their massive boil kettles and lauter tuns. How did the few breweries that survived the 13 years of Prohibition do it? The 18th Amendment didn't pop up overnight, and some brewers had time to prepare. Prohibition was a topic of national debate since before there was even a nation, and its enforcement was centuries in the making. In 1885, a group of German-American brewers called the Wisconsin State Anti-Prohibition Association  published a pamphlet  arguing against new taxes and a proposed ban on one of the state's most lucrative products: Many thousands of people are doing business with the brewers, many thousands of laboring men, mechanics, and artisans...And the prohibition fanatic who wants to destroy the business at once by legislation will please step forward and tell us what he would give to [Milwaukee] in return for the destruction of its most extensive and important business interest. Beer in America was popularized by German immigrants, and German-Americans owned and operated most of the breweries. During WWI, anti-German sentiment ran rife so arguments like the one above went ignored (or were used as an example of beer's inherent evil). The country was sliding towards a full alcohol ban and was already primed by temporary wartime prohibition, which was enacted in order to preserve the nation's grain supply. Breweries could only make "near beer," or beer that didn't exceed an alcohol content of 2.75%. Once the Volstead Act was put in place, that number had to drop to 0.5%. Many breweries stuck to near beer, but others that had the means were able to get creative: Ice Cream Facebook Both Anheuser-Busch and Yuengling refocused their manufacturing attentions on a more legal vice: ice cream. Anheuser-Busch owned a fleet of refrigerated trucks and used them to transport their new brand of dessert. Yuengling became the Yuengling Dairy Products Corporation and kept making ice cream until 1985. They reopened their dairy division this year and you can buy the stuff from their website . Pottery Coorstek ceramics via Wikimedia Commons Adolph Coors' glass works (which had originally produced bottles for Coors beer) was converted to a porcelain and pottery company long before Prohibition was an immediate threat. During the alcohol ban, Coors expanded its pottery d ivision and mass-produced ceramic tubes and rods for the military and dinnerware lines. Malt Extract Wikimedia Commons Many breweries, including the manufacturers of Schlitz, Miller, and Pabst, turned their attentions to malt extract . They advertised it as a cooking product and put the following instructions on the packaging: "For bread making use one half as many tablespoonsful of malt extract as formerly used of sugar. This will make the bread light and perfectly browned.” The real reason people bought it, however, was to use it in making their own beer, or "home brew." Brewing beer at home was illegal under the Volstead Act (unlike wine, which one was allowed to make), and many malt extract producers ended up being raided by Prohibition agents. A court eventually ruled that the extract was legal, and people were able to make as much, um, bread as they wanted. Dyes Wikimedia Commons WWI stalled the importing of dyes to the U.S., and this "dye famine" lasted long after the war's conclusion. This coincided with Prohibition and, rather serendipitously, many brewers noticed their existing equipment could easily be converted into making dyes . F. M. Schaefer Brewing Company, Nuyens Liquers, and the Lion Brewery (renamed The Noil Company) all restructured their operations to make dyes. Brewery owners weren't the only people who noticed the similarity between alcohol and dye production; in a tasty reversal, many dye chemical plants converted to make illegal hooch.

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Organized Crime - How it Was Changed by Prohibition Through the criminal experience gained and the political connections established in gambling and prostitution rackets in the early 1900s, gangsters had become well prepared for the exploitation of Prohibition, which was ratified as the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 1919. Illegalizing the production, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages - all of which were corollaries to the amendment - did not curb the desire of Chicagoans for liquor or beer. This great demand for and simultaneous illegalization of alcohol opened up a new illegal market for the gangster to develop and monopolize. As Al Capone put it, "All I do is to supply a public demand … somebody had to throw some liquor on that thirst. Why not me?" (Sullivan, 111) . This thirst repeatedly seen in the literature pertaining to Chicago's early 1900s (Prohibition - Literature Analysis ). "Chicago's change for the worse - or to the worst - was exactly coincidental with the beginning of prohibition" (Sullivan, 182) . This was mostly due to Al Capone 's arrival to Chicago in 1920, when he inherited the leadership of Torrio's gang. It is important to note that this is the same year that Prohibition became enforced, although ratified in 1919. Capone had a brilliant criminal mind, and he focused it on organizing an international bootlegging (on this page, meaning specifically the illegal production, distribution, and sale of alcohol) ring . He coordinated the importation of alcohol from different locations, including other states and even Canada, as well as the operation of hundreds of breweries and distilleries, many of which resided in Chicago. Capone also devised a system to distribute his alcohol, which involved delivery truck drivers, salespeople, speakeasies (equivalent to a bar), and of course heavily-armed bodyguards to protect these investments. An illustration of a Chicago speakeasy during the early 1900s during Prohibition (Citation) . "The experienced criminal or the boy brought up in gang culture approaches his 'trouble with the law' as a matter which can be met in a thousand ways - there are friends and 'fixers', perjury, bribery and intimidation" (Landesco, 211) . Since all of these activities were deemed illegal under Prohibition , Capone bought legal immunity by administering bribes to police and politicians. He practically paid off every law enforcement agent and politician in the districts in which he operated his illegal businesses. These bribes, although sometimes on the order of a quarter of a million dollars, were relatively easy for Capone to dish out considering that he was earning over 100 million dollars per year (Sullivan, 149) . This was most likely drawn before or after Prohibition, as hinted by the fact the government is included in the cash breakdown, but nonetheless, this cartoon illustrates how lucrative the manufacture of alcohol was (Bentley Historical Library) . Profits of this magnitude are not surprising for several reasons. Firstly, upon the initiation of Prohibition, Capone essentially took over the business of the nation's thousands of breweries and distilleries. Since Capone was more than willing to disobey the law and had control over hundreds of professional criminals, he was, in effect, handed a monopoly on alcohol production by the ratification of Prohibition. Also, "there was no let-up in the demand [for alcohol] at any time" (Sullivan, 94) . These massive profits, which enabled the payoff of even the highest state governmental officials, revolutionized organized crime with respect to the number of individuals involved, the level of complexity of political alliances, and intertwinement with normal, everyday life. The profits also allowed Capone to construct more speakeasies, gambling joints, whorehouses, breweries, and distilleries within the city, and even in the suburbs of Chicago. The idea that money can buy power was lucidly verified by gangsters such as Capone: bootlegging funds led to both political and violent physical power. This power enabled gangs to find new avenues to exploit, as well as new ways to run old types business, such as gambling. "Alphonse Capone … and a host of other gangsters and 'racketeers', who first came into prominence as the distrubuters of liquor concessions, found that with such weapons as bombs, sawed-off shotguns, machine-guns, and the threat of being 'taken for a ride', they need not confine themselves to the 'beer racket' and the distribution of beer privileges" (Landesco, 80) . Labor Racketeering A profitable and common business of the organized criminal appearing after the start of Prohibition was labor racketeering. This type of crime involved the infiltration of gangsters into legitimate business; commonly workers' unions. The power of gangs such as Capone's, which was achieved from their successes in bootlegging, enabled them to make and back up the violent threats necessary to push their way into legitimate business. Anybody who was confronted by a gangster wanting in on their business knew they must yield in fear of being executed. A typical example of labor racketeering would be where a gangster poses as a member of a specific union with the intent of taking it over and collecting money from the salaries of the legit members of the union, or by pilfering fractions of the members' monthly dues. The gangster would often hire substitute union members, pay them less than what they would normally be paid for their work, and pocket the difference. Because it was "nearly impossible to differentiate among the partners - the businessman [was] a politician, the politician [was] a gangster, and the gangster [was] a businessman" (Demaris, 3) , it was very difficult to detect and prosecute criminals involved in this type of activity. This activity was also difficult to stop because it provided the involved gangster with the front of being a legitimate worker, and served as a plausible explanation for a source of income. Additionally, any opposition - including witnesses planning to testify against gang activities, and enraged union members - was immediately killed by the gangsters. The involvement of gangsters with legitimate business was not always done against the will of the businesses they infiltrated, and in some situations, the labor racketeer was called forth to improve business. This was the case for businesses and companies trying to control their competition while still circumventing the Sherman Anti-trust Act and injunctions of courts that prohibited collective bargaining and price fixing. These businesses desired a stable market, and they wished to establish this through raising and fixing the prices of their products or services. Labor racketeers were 'hired' by legitimate businesses to do this, and to raise the wages earned by their workers and the prices of the products they produced through threats of violence. The power of the mob was evident by the numbers of people who yielded to its requests, and by the fact that the non-compliant were ruthlessly murdered. For his services in helping these businesses, the racketeer earned a portion of the profits. The number and types of different labor unions, insurance agencies, and businesses that labor racketeers extorted is quite amazing. Unions ranging from the Chicago Restaurant Association to the Landry, Cleaning and Dye House Workers International Union had been taken over by gangsters. Mobsters such as Joseph "Joey" Glimco were involved with and profited from companies such as Yellow Cab, Checker Taxi, and various Jaguar automobile dealerships in the Midwest. Through corrupt means, Glimco became a trustee of the funds of the Occidental Life Insurance Company, and was on the payroll of Paolo Salce Incorporated, a road paving company employed by the city of Chicago itself, which received $4 million contracts each year. Through these and other similar illegitimate sources of money, Glimco was estimated to earn $840,000 per year (Demaris, 38) . Although he had to hand most of this over to his superiors, he still had enough left "to keep him in silk underwear, Cadillacs and mistresses" (Demaris, 36) . According to Landesco, there were two main reasons why such labor racketeering prevailed: because of "a situation of cutthroat competition among small business enterprises", and secondly because of "a tradition of lawlessness and violence in Chicago" (Landesco, 167) . The Racketeering of other Gangs Racketeering did not stop with infiltrating only legitimate businesses. Often, powerful gangs would terrorize other inferior gangs in order to steal a certain percentage of their profits. The inferior gangs found themselves faced with the proposition of either being killed and having their businesses destroyed by means such as bombing, or 'donating' some of their proceeds to the superior gangs. Again, as in racketeering in legitimate businesses, these types of threats were validated through the power granted by financial success and a high degree of organization resulting from income gained from bootlegging alcohol. Capone's gang, the mob, was notorious for this type of coercion. "To [his] syndicate every gambling house keeper, handbook owner, vice resort keeper, and beer runner had to contribute a percentage of the income derived from their enterprises, or risk being blown up or 'taken for a ride'" (Landesco, 80) . These violent acts and threats usually could be carried out without any legal consequences, for the mob was practically immune to the law as a result of the bribery of police and politicians alike. See the page titled " The Law - History and Background " for further description of the corruption of the law that was invoked by Chicago gangsters. The mob also conducted complete takeovers of the business of rival gangs. Capone stripping the gambling business away from Mont Tennes serves as an example. With the profits Capone enjoyed from his bootlegging activities, he could afford to pay out over half a million dollars a month to politicians for the protection of his properties (gambling joints, breweries, etc) across the city of Chicago (Landesco, 81) . By bribing government officials, Capone could also order his competitors' breweries, gambling joints, and other illegal establishments to be raided and destroyed by his crooked law enforcement agents. One key politician who received part of this was Mayor William Hale Thompson . By manipulating the government in this fashion, Capone was rarely troubled by police raids of his gambling establishments, and succeeded in making Chicago "the center of race track gambling in the nation" (Sullivan, 183) . Capone's gambling business was so closely affiliated with the law, which also benefited financially from his business, that police 'overlooked' his slot machines which were found in places as blatant and public as drug stores. Prohibition was a period of time accompanied by "the greatest crime record ever attained by a nation" (Sullivan, xii) .

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Prohibition Era Timeline Prohibition Era Timeline By Martin Kelly Updated February 18, 2016. The Prohibition Era in the United States has a storied past beginning with various temperance movements in the 1830's and finally culminating with the passage of the 18th amendment. However, the success was short-lived and the 18th amendment was repealed thirteen years later with the passage of the 21st amendment. Learn more about this historic period in American social history with this timeline. 1830's - Temperance Movements begin advocating for abstinence from alcohol. 1847 - The first prohibition law is passed in Maine (although a prohibition law had previously passed in the Oregon territory). 1855 - 13 states have enacted prohibition legislation. 1869 - The National Prohibition Party is founded. 1881 - Kansas is the first state to have prohibition in its state constitution. 1890 - The National Prohibition Party elects its first member of the House of Representatives. 1893 - The Anti-Saloon League is formed. 1917 - The US Senate passes the Volstead Act on December 18th which is one of the significant steps to the passage of the 18th amendment. continue reading below our video How Did Bootlegging Work During Prohibition? 1918 - The War Time Prohibition Act is passed to save grain for the war effort during World War I . 1919 - On October 28th the Volstead Act passes the US Congress and establishes the enforcement of prohibition. 1919 - On January 29th, the 18th amendment is ratified by 36 states and goes into effect on the federal level. 1920's - The rise of bootleggers such as Al Capone in Chicago highlight the darker side of prohibition. 1929 - Elliot Ness begins in earnest to tackle violators of prohibition and Al Capone's gang in Chicago. 1932 - On August 11th, Herbert Hoover gave an acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination for president in which he discussed the ills of prohibition and the need for its end. 1933 - On March 23rd, Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Cullen-Harrison Act which legalizes the manufacture and sale of certain alcohol. 1933 - On December 5th, prohibition is repealed with the 21st amendment.

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Actress Lauren Bacall dead at 89 - NY Daily News Lauren Bacall dead at 89: Hollywood actress appeared in 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' and 'To Have and Have Not' Actress Lauren Bacall dead at 89 Oscar-nominated actress Lauren Bacall, seen here in 2010, has died at at the age of 89. (RICH SCHMITT/AFP/Getty Images) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Thursday, August 14, 2014, 5:03 PM Lauren Bacall, who filled the silver screen with sultry class while never yielding an inch to Humphrey Bogart, died Tuesday at her apartment in the Dakota, the Bogart estate said. She was 89. One of the last of the golden-age screen goddesses, Bacall cut a tall, slender figure with a mysterious smile and more than a hint of tough-broad attitude that perhaps harkened back to her childhood in the Bronx. “Dame-est of the dames,” actor John Cusack tweeted. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are seen in the 1947 film, 'Dark Passage.' It was just one of several films the Hollywood couple appeared in together. (Warner Bros.) Actress Lauren Bacall attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Inaugural Governors Awards on November 14, 2009 in Los Angeles. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are seen left in 'Dark Passage.' In 2009, right, she received an Honorary Academy Award at the age of 85 after appearing in more than 30 films. Over a career that stretched into eight decades, Bacall won two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, the Kennedy Center Honors and an honorary Oscar. In 1999, she was named one of the 25 most important women in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute. She was one of the few women allowed to hang out with Frank Sinatra’s crowd and it has often been reported that her offhand wisecrack about that rowdy posse’s appearance inspired them to call themselves the “Rat Pack.” She later became a grande dame of film, television and theater, though she insisted all her life she felt uncomfortable with any designation that seemed to mummify her. Bacall carved herself an eternal place in Hollywood lore halfway through her first film, “To Have and Have Not,” in which she co-starred with Bogart. Lauren Bacall (Betty Bacal) is seen in her 1940 yearbook photo from Julia Richman High School in New York. (Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library) Playing the aptly nicknamed Slim, Bacall had just taken the lead in a budding relationship with Bogart’s Steve by kissing him twice. If he was interested in continuing, she said, all he had to do was whistle. “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve?” she said in a soft, throaty voice that would become one of her screen signatures. “You just put your lips together and . . . blow.” Bacall, who was 19 when she made “To Have and Have Not” in 1944, married Bogart the following year, and they remained together until his death in 1957. Remembering the life and career of Lauren Bacall She reunited with Bogart for “The Big Sleep” (1946), “Dark Passage” (1947) and “Key Largo” (1948). She co-starred with Kirk Douglas in “Young Man With a Horn” (1950) and shared the bill with Marilyn Monroe in “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1953). She developed a reputation for being particular about roles and not always being easy to work with. So she took only a relative handful of lead film roles over the years, earning almost equal acclaim for her stage performances. She won her Tonys for “Applause” in 1970 and “Woman of the Year” in 1981. Her first Oscar nomination didn’t come until 1997, for Best Supporting Actress in “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” While she had already won a Golden Globe for the role, she did not win. It was while shooting 'To Have and Have Not' that Bacall met fellow actor Humphrey Bogart, leading to an 11-year marriage. (Rights Managed/Ronald Grant Archive / Mary Evan) Bacall is seen at home with her second husband, Jason Robards, and their then 2-year-old son, Sam. (Dan Farrell/New York Daily News) Her post-Bogart films, not all lead roles, included “Designing Woman” with Gregory Peck (1957), “Written on the Wind” with Rock Hudson, “Sex and the Single Girl” (1964), “Harper” (1966) and “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974). Later generations came to know her as a pitchwoman for coffee and cat food, though she did a memorable cameo as herself in a 2006 episode of “The Sopranos.” Born Betty Jane Perske and raised by a struggling divorced mother, Bacall helped support them both as a model while attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She got her first small Broadway role in the 1942 show “Johnny 2 x 4.” She was also voted Miss Greenwich Village that year and in March 1943 landed on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. Director Howard Hawks’ wife saw the picture and urged Hawks to screen-test her. After Bogart’s death, she became engaged to Sinatra, only to have him break it off because it was reported in a newspaper. He didn’t speak to her for two decades, a reaction she considered rude, though she often said the marriage would have been a disaster. She married actor Jason Robards Jr. in 1961 and it lasted until 1969, after which she remained single. She is survived by a son, Stephen, and daughter, Leslie, with Bogart and a son with Robards, actor Sam Robards. ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE Tags:

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Lauren Bacall (Actress) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Lauren Bacall Female Born Sep 16, 1924 Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks. She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in Bogart movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), as well as a comedienne in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck.…  Read More related links Celebrities Remember Zsa Zsa Gabor With Touching Notes On Social Media Huffington Post - Dec 19, 2016 ' \n On Sunday, actress and glamour icon Zsa Zsa Gabor died at age 99. \n Upon hearing the sad news, celebrities flocked to Twitter to share their condolences and words of remembrance. Stars including Miley Cyrus, Larry King and Paris Hilton, whose great-grandfather Conrad Hilton was once married to Gabor, all shared touching notes online. \n “Sad to hear the news of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s passing. My great grandfather and her made such a beautiful couple. May she rest in peace,” wrote Paris, whil... An "Essential" Filmography Of Humphrey Bogart Huffington Post - Sep 30, 2016 'I became aware of Dr. Constantine Santas\' writings through his book \"Aristotelis Valaoritis,\" a biography of the great Greek epic poet from the island of Lefkada. Throughout the years, however, Dr. Constantine Santas, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Literature at Flagler College in Florida, has authored many titles such as \"Responding to Film,\" \"The Epic in Film: From Mythos to Blockbuster,\" and \"The Epic Films of David Lean,\" as well as co-authoring \"The E... Peggy And Nancy, The Most Weird And Wonderfully Dynamic Duo Of All Time, Either Living Or Dead Huffington Post - Jul 07, 2016 ' \n Last week formerly deceased songbird, Peggy “Lazarus” Lee, joined the pantheon of resuscitated megastars, or reasonable facsimiles thereof, in the cabaret catacombs at the rear of Don’t Tell Mama, a mostly female haven, where (in alphabetical order) <mark>Lauren Bacall</mark>, Fanny Brice, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Madeline Kahn and Sophie Tucker now abide, while Liza with no need for a last name and Carole Channing wait in the wings. \n   \n Ms. Nancy Witter, a Nick at Nite’s Fu... 14 Intimate Shots Of Famous Italian Hotels Huffington Post - Jan 08, 2016 ' TREMEZZINA, LAKE COMO: A ROOM WITH A VIEW Having just celebrated 105 years, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo gotits start as a luxury stop on the Grand Tour. It has maintained a suite dedicated to Greta Garbo, who stayed there and who recalled the hotel as “that happy, sunny place” in the 1932 film, Grand Hotel. Carefully restored, the hotel features large luxurious halls and fabulous lakeside suites (grandhoteltremezzo.com). VENICE LIDO: ART NOUVEAU NIGHTS T... Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Lauren Bacall. CHILDHOOD 1924 Birth Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in The Bronx, New York, the only child of Natalie, née Weinstein-Bacal (1901 - 1977), a secretary who later legally changed her surname to Bacall, and William Perske, who worked in sales. … Read More Both her parents were Jewish. According to Bacall, her mother immigrated from the Kingdom of Romania through Ellis Island, and her father was born in New Jersey, to parents who were born in an area of present day Belarus near the significant center of Jewish life in Valozhyn, then in the Russian Empire.<br /><br /> Soon after her birth, Bacall's family moved to Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway. She was educated with the financial support of her wealthy uncles at a private boarding school founded by philanthropist Eugene Heitler Lehman, named The Highland Manor Boarding School for Girls, in Tarrytown, New York, and at Julia Richman High School in Manhattan.<br /><br /> Through her father, she was a relative of Shimon Peres (born Szymon Perski), the ninth President of Israel. Peres has stated, "In 1952 or 1953 I came to New York... Lauren Bacall called me, said that she wanted to meet, and we did. We sat and talked about where our families came from, and discovered that we were from the same family... but I'm not exactly sure what our relation is... It was she who later said that she was my cousin, I didn't say that". Her parents divorced when she was five; she later took the Romanian form of her mother's last name, Bacall. She no longer saw her father and formed a very close bond with her mother, who remarried to Lee Goldberg and came to live in California after Bacall became a movie star. Read Less TEENAGE 1941 16 Years Old In 1941 Bacall took lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she was classmates with Kirk Douglas, while working as a theatre usher at the St. James Theatre and fashion model. Show Less She made her acting debut on Broadway in 1942, at age 17, as a walk-on in Johnny 2 X 4. By then, she lived with her mother on Bank Street, Greenwich Village, and in 1942 she was crowned Miss Greenwich Village. … Read More As a teenage fashion model she appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar (the cover has since been described as 'iconic'), as well as in magazines such as Vogue. She was noted for her "cat-like grace, tawny blonde hair and blue-green eyes".<br /><br /> Though Diana Vreeland is often credited with discovering Bacall for Harper's Bazaar, it was in fact Nicolas de Gunzburg who introduced the 18-year-old to Vreeland. He had first met Bacall at Tony's, a club in the East 50s. De Gunzburg suggested that Bacall stop by his Bazaar office the next day. Read Less 1943 18 Years Old He then turned over his find to Vreeland, who arranged for Louise Dahl-Wolfe to shoot Bacall in Kodachrome for the March 1943 cover. … Read More The Harper's Bazaar cover caught the attention of Hollywood producer and director Howard Hawks' wife Slim, who urged Hawks to have Bacall take a screen test for To Have and Have Not. Hawks asked his secretary to find out more about her, but the secretary misunderstood and sent Bacall a ticket to come to Hollywood for the audition.<br /><br /> After meeting Bacall in Hollywood, Hawks immediately signed her to a seven-year contract with a weekly salary of US$100, and personally began to manage her career. He changed her first name to Lauren, and she chose "Bacall" (a variant of her mother's maiden name) as her screen surname. Slim Hawks also took Bacall under her wing, dressing Bacall stylishly and guiding her in matters of elegance, manners and taste. At Hawks' suggestion, Bacall was also trained to make her voice lower and deeper instead of her normal high-pitched, nasal voice. Hawks had her, under the tutelage of a voice coach, lower the pitch of her voice. As part of her training, she was required to shout verses of Shakespeare for hours every day. Her 5 feet, 8½ inches, height, unusual among young female actors in filmmaking in the 1940s and 1950s also helped her stand out. Her voice was characterized as a "smoky, sexual growl" by most critics, and a "throaty purr". Read Less 1944 19 Years Old Bacall began her career as a model, before making her debut as a leading lady with Humphrey Bogart in the film To Have and Have Not in 1944. … Read More She continued in the film noir genre with appearances with Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), and starred in the romantic comedies How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck. She co-starred with John Wayne in his final film, The Shootist (1976). Bacall also worked on Broadway in musicals, earning Tony Awards for Applause (1970) and Woman of the Year (1981). Her performance in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.<br /><br /> A month before her 90th birthday, Bacall died in New York City after a stroke. Read Less TWENTIES In 1952, she gave campaign speeches for Democratic Presidential contender Adlai Stevenson. … Read More Along with other Hollywood figures, Bacall was a staunch opponent of McCarthyism. Read Less Bacall campaigned for Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election, accompanying him on motorcades along with Bogart, and flying east to help in the final laps of Stevenson's campaign in New York and Chicago. … Read More She also campaigned for Robert Kennedy in his 1964 run for the U.S. Senate.<br /><br /> In a 2005 interview with Larry King, Bacall described herself as "anti-Republican... A liberal. The L-word." She added that "being a liberal is the best thing on earth you can be. You are welcoming to everyone when you're a liberal. You do not have a small mind." Read Less 1953 28 Years Old In 1953 she starred in the CinemaScope comedy How to Marry a Millionaire, a runaway hit among critics and at the box office. … Read More Directed by Jean Negulesco and co-starring Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, Bacall got positive notices for her turn as the witty gold-digger, Schatze Page. "First honors in spreading mirth go to Miss Bacall", wrote Alton Cook in The New York World-Telegram & Sun. "The most intelligent and predatory of the trio, she takes complete control of every scene with her acid delivery of viciously witty lines."<br /><br /> After the success of How to Marry a Millionaire, she was offered, but declined, with Bogart's support, the coveted invitation from Grauman's Chinese Theatre to press her hand- and footprints in the theatre's cemented forecourt. But she felt at the time that "anyone with a picture opening could be represented there, standards had been so lowered." She didn't feel she had yet achieved the status of a major star, and was thereby unworthy of the honor: "I want to feel I've earned my place with the best my business has produced." Read Less THIRTIES Show Less While struggling at home with Bogart's battle with esophageal cancer, Bacall starred with Gregory Peck in Designing Woman to solid reviews. The musical comedy was her second feature with director Vincente Minnelli and was released in New York on May 16, 1957, four months after Bogart's death on January 14. … Read More Bacall appeared in two more films in the 1950s: the Jean Negulesco-directed melodrama The Gift of Love (1958), which co-starred Robert Stack; and the adventure film North West Frontier (1959), which was a box office hit.<br /><br /> Bacall's movie career waned in the 1960s, and she was seen in only a handful of films. Read Less Shortly after Bogart's death in 1957, Bacall had a relationship with singer and actor Frank Sinatra. … Read More During an interview with Turner Classic Movies's Robert Osborne, Bacall stated that she had ended the romance but in her autobiography, she wrote that Sinatra abruptly ended the relationship after becoming angry that the story of his proposal to Bacall had reached the press. When Bacall was out with her friend Irving Paul Lazar, they ran into the gossip columnist Louella Parsons, to whom Lazar revealed the details of the proposal. Read Less 1959 - 1961 2 More Events 1959 34 Years Old She starred on Broadway in Goodbye, Charlie in 1959, and went on to have a successful on-stage career in Cactus Flower (1965), Applause (1970), and Woman of the Year (1981). … Read More She won Tony Awards for her performances in the latter two.<br /><br /> Applause was a musical version of the film All About Eve, in which Bette Davis had starred as stage diva Margo Channing. According to Bacall's autobiography, she and a girlfriend won an opportunity in 1940 to meet her idol Bette Davis at Davis' hotel. Years later, Davis visited Bacall backstage to congratulate her on her performance in Applause. Davis told Bacall, "You're the only one who could have played the part."<br /><br /> The few films Bacall made during this period were all-star vehicles such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964) with Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood; Harper (1966) with Paul Newman, Shelley Winters, Julie Harris, Robert Wagner, and Janet Leigh; and Murder on the Orient Express (1974), with Ingrid Bergman, Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Martin Balsam, and Sean Connery. Read Less 1961 36 Years Old Bacall later met actor Jason Robards. Their marriage was originally scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria on June 16, 1961; however, the plans were shelved after Austrian authorities refused to grant the pair a marriage license. They were also refused a marriage in Las Vegas, Nevada. On July 4, 1961, the couple drove all the way to Ensenada, Mexico, where they wed. The couple divorced in 1969. … Read More According to Bacall's autobiography, she divorced Robards mainly because of his alcoholism.<br /><br /> Bacall had two children with Bogart and one with Robards. Son Stephen Humphrey Bogart (born January 6, 1949) is a news producer, documentary film maker, and author named after Bogart’s character in “To Have and Have Not.” Her daughter Leslie Howard Bogart (born August 23, 1952) is named for actor Leslie Howard. A nurse and yoga instructor, she is married to Erich Schiffmann. In his 1995 memoir, Stephen Bogart wrote, “My mother was a lapsed Jew, and my father was a lapsed Episcopalian,” and that he and his sister were raised Episcopalian “because my mother felt that would make life easier for Leslie and me during those post-World War II years.” Sam Robards (born December 16, 1961), Bacall's son with Robards, is an actor. Read Less 1964 39 Years Old In 1964 she appeared in two episodes of Craig Stevens's Mr. Broadway: first in "Take a Walk Through a Cemetery", with then husband, Jason Robards, Jr., and later as Barbara Lake in the episode "Something to Sing About", co-starring future co-star Balsam. FORTIES 1972 47 Years Old For her work in the Chicago theatre, Bacall won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1972, and again in 1984. FIFTIES 1976 51 Years Old In 1976 she co-starred with John Wayne in his last picture, The Shootist. … Read More The two became friends, despite significant political differences between them. They had also worked together in Blood Alley (1955).<br /><br /> During the 1980s, Bacall appeared in the poorly received star vehicle The Fan (1981), as well as some star-studded features such as Robert Altman's Health (1980) and Michael Winner's Appointment with Death (1988). Read Less LATE ADULTHOOD 1990 - 1996 2 More Events 1990 65 Years Old In 1990, she had a small role in Misery, which starred Kathy Bates and James Caan. 1996 71 Years Old In a 1996 interview Bacall, reflecting on her life, told the interviewer that she had been lucky: “I had one great marriage, I have three great children and four grandchildren. … Read More I am still alive. I still can function. I still can work,” adding, “You just learn to cope with whatever you have to cope with. I spent my childhood in New York, riding on subways and buses. And you know what you learn if you’re a New Yorker? The world doesn’t owe you a damn thing.” <br /><br /> Nominations <br /><br /> In 1991, Bacall was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street. In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her. In 1998, Bacall was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Read Less

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Miss Burbank | Wkozy's Blog Trivia of the Day- September 10, 2009- Famous beauty pageant contestants September 11, 2009 This past Tuesday, September 8th was the anniversary of the first Miss America contest way back in 1921. According to Cindy Adams gossip column here are several famous women who were once…excuse me?..Yes, that’s right Cindy Adams gossip column…hm?…all right that’s enough of that, not all my sources are the Encyclopedia Britannica. Anyway there are a great many beauty pageant losers and winners that went on to fame afterward; for instance, actress  Dyan Cannon was once Miss West Seattle– “not even all of Seattle”– carps Ms. Adams. So okay, like what beauty pageant did Ms. Adams ever win even that she can make fun of Dyan Cannon winning Miss West Seattle? Oh I see, none. Wow. Big surprise. Bet the smartass wouldn’t even win a beauty pageant in her apartment building. Gena Lee Nolin of “Baywatch” (Pamela Lee Anderson Part Deux) was Miss Las Vegas. Or as Miss Adams might scoff, “Hmph..not even all of Nevada.” And Maria Conchita Alonso was 14-years-old when she won Miss Teenager of the World. Or as Ms. Adams might say, “Pfft…not even all of the solar system.” Speaking of Pamela Lee, her ex-husband Tommy Lee is from pageant-winning pedigree. His mother, Vassiliki Papadimitriou was Miss Greece in 1957. Susan Anton won Miss Muriel Cigars in 1970, which led of course to her sweet and excellent prestigious job as an actress in Muriel Cigar TV commercials. Halle Berry was a Miss USA runner-up, and Cloris Leachman was a 1946 Miss America runner-up. Faye Dunaway was a Tallahassee May Queen loser, in good company with Linda Evangelista, a loser in the Miss Teen Niagara Pageant. Jeez, what did the winner look like if Linda Evangelista lost? Ah, but you never know. Ever see a picture of Jennifer Garner as a kid? Puzzling. Some women were apparently beautiful immediately upon leaving the womb. Beginning when she was 13-years-old, Raquel Welch won Miss La Jolla, Miss Photogenic, Miss Contour, Miss Maid of California, and lots of men’s hearts with her Cave Woman “One Million Years B.C.” poster. Similarly, before pin-up hottie Loni Anderson entranced America on “WKRP in Cincinnati” the busty star represented Miss Roseville in the 1964 Miss Minnesota Pageant. She was runner-up. Get this though: She was a brunette. In fact she was born with jet-black hair, dying it blonde when she moved to Hollywood. Natural blonde actress Cybill Shepherd was Miss Teenage Memphis in 1966, at age 16, and a decade later, Deborah Norville was 1976’s Georgia Junior Miss winner, the same year that Michelle Pfeiffer was Miss Orange County. And two decades later again, Ali Landry, the Doritos Girl from that 1998 Super Bowl commercial (no relation to Super Bowl-winning Dallas Cowboy coach Tom Landry) was Miss USA in 1996. Even Alan Alda’s mother, nee Joan Brown, was in on the action, winning a beauty pageant in which she was called “Miss New York”. I worded that coyly because a list of Miss New York winners does not show her to be among them. So I guess there was some other Miss New York-like pageant? You would think that with all the idiosyncratic pageant titles out there–Miss Muriel Cigars, Miss Burbank (won in 1948 by a barefoot Debbie Reynolds), Miss Eleganza in Naples (won by a 13-year-old Sophia Loren in white shoes she painted black)–you would think that a pageant wouldn’t have to name its winner the same name as another pageant. There was a Miss Greenwich Village, which smoky-voiced Lauren Bacall won in 1942. At least it is believed smoky-voiced Lauren Bacall won. Being Greenwich Village it could have been…well…let’s just say a “smoky-voiced” impostor. Oh now here’s a fun one: Martha Stewart won Glamour magazine’s Best-Dressed College Girl in 1961. “Best Dressed College Girl”. It almost sounds like one of those consolation descriptions when someone’s getting set up on a blind date: “You’re asking me what does she look like? Oh. Well, She’s got a great personality.” Or, “You wanna know what his hair looks like? Oh. Well, it’s a lovely flesh-tone actually.” “Best Dressed College Girl”. Technically speaking, you can look like Ernest Borgnine and win “Best Dressed College Girl.” Vera Miles, the actress who played Janet Leigh’s sister in “Psycho” won the swimsuit competition at the 1948 Miss America contest. She lost the overall competition though, coming in 3rd place. The winner? A Minnesota farm girl named BeBe Shopp, who played the marimba in the talent portion. I think I was in a BeBe Shopp once–buying pellet gun ammunition. Speaking of “Psycho”, Kathie Lee Gifford was an America’s Junior Miss Pageant contestant representing Maryland. She was disqualified however when she accidentally broke the rules by talking with a man in public. Did they actually think Miss Gifford would be able to NOT talk in public for any extended period of time. But in her defense, “Talking with a man in public” was her crime? Is that a typo? Maybe they meant “talking with a man in pubic?” Tsk tsk. Before Regis Philbin teamed up with the perky Kathie Lee Gifford for their morning TV show, Regis co-hosted PM Magazine with perky Mary Hart who finished in the top ten in the 1970 Miss America Pageant. She was Miss South Dakota. The following year, Miss Texas won the 1971 Miss America title. Phyllis George was her name and she went on to fame as a TV host on many shows. She has the distinction of being the only winner to drop her crown on live television. So naturally she was steered into sports broadcasting by the TV network geniuses. Ms. George was maligned in the beginning of her career as being a pretty face placed unfairly into various hosting duties. Former pageant contestant Diane Sawyer faced the same sort of criticism at the start of her career, perhaps even moreso. Maybe because she was blonde. Or maybe because she was a press aide to Richard Nixon during his presidency and after his Watergate resignation. After his Watergate resignation. Regardless, Ms. Sawyer’s career isn’t exactly suffering, being one of the highest paid newswomen in history, so who’s to say blondes don’t make smart moves. Take fellow blonde Marla Maples  for instance, who placed 4th in Georgia’s Miss Teen Pageant, winning Miss Photogenic. A wily and smart young lady, she set her sights on Donald Trump, or vice versa, and look at her career now! She’s in a reality TV show! Yeah I swear! A real honest to goodness reality TV show! Top that Ms. Sawyer! Here’s another fun pageant title: In 1957 Ali McGraw was a contestant in the “Prettiest Waitress” pageant. I’m not kidding. The winner received a pinch on the ass by Bob Barker while being told: “Hey sweet cheeks, I’ll have another cup of coffee when you get around to it.” True Amazing Trivia Alert! Which of the following ladies is a pageant champion? Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Imelda Marcos or Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis? The answer? None other than the enchantingly gorgeous Imelda Romualdez who reigned as Miss Manilla in 1953 before becoming First Lady of the Philippines beside hubby Ferdinand Marcos. Who knew? In the final question phase of the competition I wonder if she mentioned her goal to own a bazillion pairs of shoes. I like that Delta Burke is an actual former beauty pageant contestant who played a former beauty pageant contestant on the show “Designing Women”. She was Miss Florida in 1974 but came up short in the Miss America Pageant after the talent portion of the contest in which Miss Burke performed a British dramatic theatrical recitation by the soon-to-be-beheaded Queen Anne Boleyn…in a Southern accent. Maybe she should have played the marimba. There’ve been many more beauty pageant contestants who became famous I could mention…Vanessa Williams, Jeri Ryan, Mary Frann, Sharon Lawrence, Kim Basinger, someone named Oprah Winfrey, Debra Messing…. But the last one I will mention is actress Sharon Stone who won the Saegertown Spring Festival Queen title and the 1976 Miss Crawford County Pageant. As it happens I used to date a woman who had competed in that very same pageant! Not the same year as Ms. Stone, but a few years afterward. I asked her if she would share any details she can remember about what it was like to be a contestant in that Pageant. Kindly answering back, she wrote: “… several years prior to my entering the pageant, this was the place that Sharon Stone launched her career by actually winning the Miss Crawford County Pageant.” And with regard to the activities involved she remembered: “Well, all the contestants had to meet in a place about 5 miles from the fairgrounds, and we all were assigned to a topless Corvette. We had to sit on the top of the seat so that our bodies were up in the air and had the crap blown out of our nicely styled hair as we were paraded through town to the fairgrounds.” I had to do a double take when I read “assigned to a topless…” before registering the sentence correctly in my mind. Well that’s the trivia for today. I’ve been remiss the past few days due to working long hours on “Law and Order” which I hope to provide fun details about later. Right after I solve world peace.

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Lauren Bacall Dead: Hollywood Icon Was 89 | Hollywood Reporter COMMENTS AP Images/Invision The sultry and sexy actress was electric in the 1940s films 'To Have and Have Not' and 'Key Largo' opposite her husband, Humphrey Bogart Lauren Bacall, the willowy actress whose husky voice, sultry beauty and all-too-short May-December romance with Humphrey Bogart made her an everlasting icon of Hollywood , has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. She was 89. Bacall died Tuesday morning of a stroke in her longtime home in the Dakota, the famous Upper West Side building that overlooks Central Park in Manhattan. Bogart and Bacall were one of the most popular Hollywood couples , onscreen and off, and their 11-year marriage was the stuff of romantic lore. In 1981, their love provided the lyrics for Bertie Higgins' 1981 pop hit “Key Largo" — “We had it all, just like Bogie and Bacall." They met just before they filmed her first movie, To Have and Have Not (1944), directed by Howard Hawks, her mentor. Although only 19, Bacall and her smoldering cool were the perfect match for the 44-year-old Bogart and his tough guy-persona. Her best-remembered films, many of them considered classics, were with Bogart: To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948). Bacall received her only Oscar nomination for her supporting role as Barbra Streisand's mother in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award in 2010 “in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures," but that moment did not lead to pleasant memories — she said she always regretted failing to mention her children Sam, Stephen and Leslie in her acceptance speech. Bacall also enjoyed a splendid stage career. She captured two Tony Awards for best actress in a musical: in 1970 for Applause, the adaptation of All About Eve, in which she played Margo Channing, the role created by her idol Bette Davis; and in 1981 for Woman of the Year in a part originated by Katharine Hepburn, a good friend whom she once called “the female counterpart to Bogie." Bacall also received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Career Achievement from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1992. Bacall penned two memoirs, By Myself (1978), which won a National Book Award in 1980, and Now (1994), in which she mused about getting older and living alone. She admitted that being a “legend" and “special lady of film" unnerved her because “in my slightly paranoiac head, legends and special ladies don't work, it's over for them; they just go around being legends and special ladies." She was born Betty Jean Perske in the Bronx on Sept. 16, 1924, the only child of Jewish immigrants. Her father left the family when she was 6, and her mother struggled to make ends meet. She attracted attention as a teenage model while studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Crowned Miss Greenwich Village in 1942, Bacall made her stage debut in George S. Kaufman's Franklin Street in Washington, then appeared in March 1943 on the cover of Harper's Bazaar. That cover photo was noticed by Hawks' wife, Nancy, who showed it to the celebrated director, and he called Bacall in for a screen test. Based on the test, Hawks told her she would star in something with either Bogart or Cary Grant. “I thought Cary Grant, great. Humphrey Bogart‚ yuck," she later said. Nonetheless, Hawks had her meet with Bogart and could not help but notice their immediate chemistry, casting her as the femme fatale Marie in To Have and Have Not, an adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel. (Bogart's character, Steve, nicknamed her “Slim," which Hawks also called his wife.) In By Myself, she described meeting Bogart for the first time, on the set of Passage to Marseille (1944). “Howard told me to stay put, he'd be right back — which he was, with Bogart," she wrote. “He introduced us. There was no clap of thunder, no lightning bolt, just a simple 'how do you do.' Bogart was slighter than I imagined‚ 5 foot 10 and a half, wearing his costume of no-shape trousers, cotton shirt and scarf around his neck. Nothing of import was said‚ we didn't stay long‚ but he seemed a friendly man." But soon, Bacall and Bogart — who at the time was married to his third wife, actress Mayo Methot — began an affair during the filming of To Have and Have Not. One particular scene in the film stands out: As Bacall stood fetchingly just inside Bogart's hotel room door, readying to leave, she noticed his tongue-tied interest in her: “You don't have to say anything, Steve, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? … You just put your lips together and blow." She closed the door, leaving Bogart's character awestruck. The two married in 1945 on a farm in Lucas, Ohio, owned by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Louis Bromfield, a friend of Bogart, and regularly hosted parties at their Holmby Hills mansion. “I fairly often have thought how lucky I was," she told Vanity Fair in a 2011 interview . “I knew everybody because I was married to Bogie, and that 25-year difference was the most fantastic thing for me to have in my life." Bacall later admitted her so-called cool was just a way of concealing her jangled, first-movie insecurity. “I used to tremble from nerves so badly that the only way I could hold my head steady was to lower my chin practically to my chest and look up at Bogie," she said. That was the beginning of what admirers called “The Look." Her legendary low, sexy voice, however, hampered a scene in To Have and Have Not where she was supposed to sing. It has always been a point of speculation whether it was Andy Williams, then a teenager, who dubbed in the singing voice for Bacall's rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's “How Little We Know." Her distinctive throaty voice did make her a natural for commercials, and later in her career, Bacall voiced numerous spots, including plugs for PBS. Following To Have and Have Not, her next film was opposite Charles Boyer in Graham Greene's Confidential Agent (1945) in which she played an English girl. Bacall considered the experience horrible. “It was the worst movie, a nightmare, and I was terrible in it," she said. “And as quickly as I had been placed on a pedestal, I fell off." But she was cast opposite Bogart again in Hawks' classic The Big Sleep, a steamy adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel in which Bogart plays the classic private eye Philip Marlowe while Bacall sizzled as the lithesome daughter of Bogart's rich, sinister employer. Bacall followed with two more starring roles opposite Bogart, Dark Passage and Key Largo, John Huston's classic noir film. She followed in 1950 in a film without Bogart titled Bright Leaf and did her first comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), starring with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable. Perhaps her most memorable film from the 1950s was Douglas Sirk's melodrama Written on the Wind (1956) with Rock Hudson. The following year, Bogart died of esophageal cancer, leaving her with their children, Stephen and Leslie. Bacall was 32 at the time. Following Bogart's death, Bacall dated Frank Sinatra and was set to marry him. But days after she accepted his proposal in 1958, The Los Angeles Herald reported on the impending nuptial on page 1 and Sinatra broke things off, refusing to speak to her for two decades. “Frank did me a great favor. He saved me from the complete disaster our marriage would have been," she told People magazine in 1979 . “But the truth is that he behaved like a complete shit." She starred in Designing Women (1957) opposite Gregory Peck , The Gift of Love (1958) with Robert Stack and British drama North West Frontier (1959) with Kenneth More before moving back to New York and appearing in a number of Broadway plays. In 1961 she married Oscar-winning actor Jason Robards, a relationship that lasted until 1969. Their son, actor Sam Robards, survives them. She summed up that relationship in the People interview: “When I invited a few friends over to celebrate [Robards'] 40th birthday, Jason showed up at 2 a.m., loaded. I grabbed a bottle of vodka, smashed it into the cake and yelled, ‘Here's your goddamn cake!' The marriage ended when I came across a letter written to him by his girlfriend." Bacall did not make another film until Shock Treatment (1964), a murder mystery set in a mental institution. She followed that up with a light comedy, Sex and the Single Girl (1964), which also starred Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. Bacall had a supporting role in the noir private eye thriller Harper (1966) with Paul Newman, played in the star-studded ensemble Murder on the Orient Express (1974), based on the Agatha Christie play, and co-starred with John Wayne in his final film, The Shootist (1976). In 1981, she starred in The Fan, a riveting story about an actress being stalked by an obsessed fan (Michael Biehn), but spent the major part of the decade back on Broadway, winning the Tony in 1981 for Woman of the Year. She also starred on Broadway in Cactus Flower and Goodbye Charlie while venturing to London and Australia for Sweet Bird of Youth. Film historians ascribe her relative lack of movie credits during this period as one of the unfortunate results of the demise of the studio system, an enterprise that for all its faults turned out strong female stars. Admitting that scripts were not “exactly piling up at my door," she nevertheless returned to the screen with Mr. North (1988) and then Rob Reiner's Misery (1990), the Stephen King adaptation starring Kathy Bates. Later, she performed in several made-for-TV movies, in Robert Altman's farce Pret-a-Porter (1994) and with Jack Lemmon and James Garner in the comedy romp My Fellow Americans (1996). Altman talked about her longevity in a 1997 interview. “She never got locked in any time warp," he said. “Think about how many social and attitudinal changes that have occurred, and yet Bacall has always remained unique." Most recently, Bacall appeared in the French film Le Jour et la Nuit (1997); in Diamonds with Kirk Douglas and in Presence of Mind with Harvey Keitel, both released in 1999; in the TV miniseries Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1998) as the billionaire tobacco heiress; in Dogville (2003) with Nicole Kidman; and in The Forger (2012). In a 2006 episode of The Sopranos, Bacall played herself getting accosted by a mugger who tried to swipe her swag bag as she left an awards show.

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1000+ images about Designing Woman- Lauren on Pinterest | Actresses, Plays and Gray Forward Lauren Bacall born Betty Joan Perske, on Sep 16, 1924 is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks. She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not (1944). Married to Humphrey Bogart in 1945-1957 (his death) Married to Jason Robards from 1961-1969( divorced) Children~Stephen Bogart, Leslie Bogart, & Sam Robards. See More

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Vintage Snapshots of Classic Actresses | Old-fashioned Image and Retro Artworks... Vintage Snapshots of Classic Actresses 20 Mar I have been searching a lot of old-fashioned photos of several classic movie maidens. This is what I truly love; gathering and browsing exceptional pictures of various superstars from the past that I would love to devote time to spellbind by their allure and sophistication. Elizabeth Taylor February 27, 1932 “You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.” The Academy Award-winning actress glams the movie stardom who was outshined by her love affair with magnificent jewelry, ecstatic looks and real life-dramas; Elizabeth Taylor was wedded eight times with Larry Fortensky, John Warner, Eddie Fisher, Michael Todd, Michael Wilding, Conrad Hilton, Jr. and Richard Burton. The Cleopatra star had three hip replacements and underwent in a successful operation to remove brain tumor. Audrey Hepburn May 4, 1929 “I never thought I’d land in pictures with a face like mine.” The daughter of Dutch baroness and a humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn was often played as a stylish high society woman in movies. The most beautiful woman of all time is also fluent in English, Dutch, Spanish, French and Italian. Breakfast at Tiffany’s lead actress was very ill at ease about her size 10 feet, apart from a pretty face, she’s also a heavy smoker, Audrey Hepburn can devour at least three packs of cig a day. Marilyn Monroe June 1, 1926 “No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they’re pretty, even if they aren’t.” Comic genius and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe starred in blockbuster movies such as The Seven Year Itch, How to e Very, Very Popular, How to Marry a Millionaire, and the Prince and the Showgirl. She was crowned as the Miss California Artichoke Queen in 1947 and entitled as the Number One Sex Star of the 20th Century by Playboy Magazine in 1999. The blonde bombshell was grieved in miscarriages in July 1957 and November 1958 in the course of her love affair with Arthur Miller. Lauren Bacall September 16, 1924 “I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.” The cat-like eyes Lauren Bacall doesn’t want her to be branded as a legend because she believes that a legend is tangled in the past. With husky voice and sultry looks, the Confidential Agent silver screen temptress was crowned Miss Greenwich Village in 1942 and hailed on the 6th place as one of the Sexiest Stars in film history by the 1995 Empire Magazine. Rita Hayworth October 17, 1918 “I never really thought of myself as a sex goddess; I felt I was more a comedian who could dance.” Hollywood Glamour started her career after doing 13 minor movie roles; she became a love goddess when she topbilled on a 1941 film The Strawberry Blonde and You’ll Never Get Rich. She’s one of the legendary celebrities mentioned in Madonna’s hit single “Vogue”. Vivien Leigh November 5, 1913 “Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvelous parts to play.” She got her second Oscar award as Best Actress for interpreting Blanche Dubois in 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire. According to film memoire in the Hollywood archive, she used one of her Academy Award trophies to doorstop her lavatory. Just like Audrey Hepburn, the beautiful one-eyebrow raising Vivien Leigh was a chain smoker, wheezing almost four cartons of cigar a day during the shooting of Gone with the Wind in 1939. Vivien Leigh was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder.

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Lauren Bacall - Biography - IMDb Lauren Bacall Biography Showing all 115 items Jump to: Overview  (5) | Mini Bio  (1) | Spouse  (2) | Trade Mark  (3) | Trivia  (73) | Personal Quotes  (28) | Salary  (3) Overview (5) 5' 8½" (1.74 m) Mini Bio (1) Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in New York City. She is the daughter of Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, a Romanian Jewish immigrant, and William Perske, who was born in New Jersey, to Polish Jewish parents. Her family was middle-class, with her father working as a salesman and her mother as a secretary. They divorced when she was five. When she was a school girl, Lauren originally wanted to be a dancer, but later, she became enthralled with acting, so she switched gears to head into that field. She had studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York after high school, which enabled her to get her feet wet in some off-Broadway productions. Once out of school, Lauren entered modeling and, because of her beauty, appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, one of the most popular magazines in the US. The wife of famed director Howard Hawks spotted the picture in the publication and arranged with her husband to have Lauren take a screen test. As a result, which was entirely positive, she was given the part of Marie Browning in To Have and Have Not (1944), a thriller opposite the great Humphrey Bogart , when she was just 19 years old. This not only set the tone for a fabulous career but also one of Hollywood's greatest love stories (she married Bogart in 1945). It was also the first of several Bogie-Bacall films. After 1945's Confidential Agent (1945), Lauren received second billing in The Big Sleep (1946) with Bogart. The mystery, in the role of Vivian Sternwood Rutledge, was a resounding success. Although she was making one film a year, each production would be eagerly awaited by the public. In 1947, again with her husband, Lauren starred in the thriller Dark Passage (1947). The film kept movie patrons on the edge of their seats. The following year, she starred with Bogart, Edward G. Robinson , and Lionel Barrymore in Key Largo (1948). The crime drama was even more of a nail biter than her previous film. In 1950, Lauren starred in Bright Leaf (1950), a drama set in 1894. It was a film of note because she appeared without her husband - her co-star was Gary Cooper . In 1953, Lauren appeared in her first comedy as Schatze Page in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). The film, with co-stars Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable , was a smash hit all across the theaters of America. After filming Designing Woman (1957), which was released in 1957, Humphrey Bogart died on January 14 from throat cancer. Devastated at being a widow, Lauren returned to the silver screen with The Gift of Love (1958) in 1958 opposite Robert Stack . The production turned out to be a big disappointment. Undaunted, Lauren moved back to New York City and appeared in several Broadway plays to huge critical acclaim. She was enjoying acting before live audiences and the audiences in turn enjoyed her fine performances. Lauren was away from the big screen for five years, but she returned in 1964 to appear in Shock Treatment (1964) and Sex and the Single Girl (1964). The latter film was a comedy starring Henry Fonda and Tony Curtis . In 1966, Lauren starred in Harper (1966) with Paul Newman and Julie Harris , which was one of former's signature films. Alternating her time between films and the stage, Lauren returned in 1974's Murder on the Orient Express (1974). The film, based on Agatha Christie 's best-selling book was a huge hit. It also garnered Ingrid Bergman her third Oscar. Actually, the huge star-studded cast helped to ensure its success. Two years later, in 1976, Lauren co-starred with John Wayne in The Shootist (1976). The film was Wayne's last - he died from cancer in 1979. In 1981, Lauren played an actress being stalked by a crazed admirer in The Fan (1981). The thriller was absolutely fascinating with Lauren in the lead role. After that production, Lauren was away from films again, this time for seven years. In the interim, she again appeared on the stages of Broadway. When she returned, it was for the filming of 1988's Mr. North (1988). After Misery (1990), in 1990, and several made for television films, Lauren appeared in 1996's My Fellow Americans (1996). It was a wonderful comedy romp with Jack Lemmon and James Garner as two ex-presidents and their escapades. Despite her advanced age and deteriorating health, she made a small-scale comeback in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki 's Howl's Moving Castle (2004) ("Howl's Moving Castle," based on the young-adult novel by Diana Wynne Jones ) as the Witch of the Waste, but future endeavors for the beloved actress became increasingly rare. Lauren Bacall died on 12 August 2014, five weeks short of her 90th birthday. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson Spouse (2) Her thick New York City accent Trivia (73) Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#6) (1995). Ranked #20 in the AFI's top 25 Actress Legends. Ranked #11 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Mother of actor Sam Robards , Stephen H. Bogart and Leslie Bogart . Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (1997). Bacall lived in the same New York apartment building (The Dakota) as Beatle John Lennon when he was shot and later died on December 8, 1980. When interviewed on the subject in a recent British television program hosted by former model Twiggy , Bacall said she had heard the gunshot but assumed that it was a car tire bursting or a vehicle backfiring. Was crowned "Miss Greenwich Village" in 1942. Used her mother's maiden name of Bacal, but added an extra "L" when she entered the cinema. Shortly after Humphrey Bogart 's death, she announced her engagement to Frank Sinatra to the press. Sinatra promptly backed out. Her screen persona was totally based and modeled after Howard Hawks 's wife, Slim. She even uses her name in To Have and Have Not (1944). She and former Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres were relatives. Both had the same original last name - Perske. However, the two were not first cousins as has been commonly reported, and in a 2014 interview shortly after Bacall's death, Peres stated that he was unsure of their exact connection. Those close to her called her by her real first name, "Betty". Still undiscovered, Bacall volunteered as a hostess at the New York chapter of the Stage Door Canteen, working Monday nights when theaters were closed. Having lost her job as a showroom model and quit acting school for lack of funds, the teenage Bacall found work as a Broadway theater usher. George Jean Nathan voted her the prettiest usher of the 1942 season in the pages of "Esquire". She was an only child of William Perske and Natalie Weinstein-Bacal. Is one of the initial "Rat Pack" with Humphrey Bogart , Frank Sinatra , Irving Paul Lazar (aka "Swifty" Lazar) and their close friends. Won a Tony Award for her role as Margo Channing in the Broadway production of "Applause", a musical based on the movie, All About Eve (1950). It was presented by Walter Matthau . With late husband Humphrey Bogart , had a kind of vocal disorder named after her. "Bogart-Bacall syndrome"' (or BBS) is a form of muscle tension dysphonia most common in professional voice users (actors, singers, television/radio presenters, etc.) who habitually use a very low speaking pitch. BBS is more common among women than men and has been blamed on "social pressure on professional women to compete with men in the business arena". Had starred, with her husband Humphrey Bogart , on the syndicated radio program "Bold Venture" (1951-52). Her character's name was Sailor Duval. Her autobiography, "By Myself", won a National Book Award in 1980. Actress Kathleen Turner had often been compared to Bacall. When Turner and Bacall met, Turner reportedly introduced herself to Bacall by saying "Hi, I'm the young you.". Her marriage to Humphrey Bogart occurred at the Pleasant Valley area of Richland County, Ohio home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Louis Bromfield , Malabar Farm (4 miles southeast of Lucas within Monroe Township). The home is now an Ohio State Park. Was good friends with: Angela Lansbury , Bea Arthur , Julie London , Eve Arden , Virginia Mayo , John Wayne , Humphrey Bogart , Charles Boyer , Dorothy Malone , Mickey Rooney , Gregory Peck , Dirk Bogarde , Marilyn Monroe , Maureen O'Hara , Joan Rivers , Kirk Douglas , Edward Platt , Robert Stack , Bob Hope , Frank Sinatra , Sammy Davis Jr. , Dean Martin , Katharine Hepburn , Maggie Smith , James Garner , Elizabeth Taylor , Anjelica Huston , Carol Channing , Carol Burnett , Dick Cavett , Doris Day , Jason Robards , June Allyson , Tammy Grimes , Dan Seymour , Ingrid Bergman and Spencer Tracy . Had won two Tony Awards as Best Actress (Musical): in 1970, for her role as Margo Channing in "Applause", a musical based on the movie, All About Eve (1950); and in 1981, for "Woman of the Year", also based on a movie of the same name, Woman of the Year (1942). Her Tony for "Applause" was presented by Walter Matthau . Was portrayed by Kathryn Harrold in Bogie (1980). Her appearance on a cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine at 18 years of age led to her first film role; she was spotted by the wife of director Howard Hawks , who gave her a screen test and cast her in To Have and Have Not (1944). The role was actually based on and named for Hawks' wife at that time, Nancy Gross "Slim" Hawks. She repeated this "tribute" in Ready to Wear (1994), produced just a short time after "Slim" Hawks (name at the time of death: Nancy "Slim" Keith, Lady Keith) died, playing a character named Slim Chrysler, and released to theaters fifty years after the premier of To Have and Have Not (1944). Was mentioned along with late husband Humphrey Bogart in the 1981 song "Key Largo" ("We had it all, just like Bogie and Bacall"). A well respected actress for the past sixty years, she had only been nominated once for an Academy Award. She was 73 when she was nominated for The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). Lauren's father, William Perske, was born in New Jersey, to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. Lauren's mother, Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, was a Romanian Jewish immigrant. Son Stephen H. Bogart was born on January 6, 1949. He was named after father Humphrey Bogart 's character from To Have and Have Not (1944). Daughter Leslie Bogart was born on August 23, 1952. She was named after actor Leslie Howard , who helped Humphrey Bogart get his breakthrough role in the play, The Petrified Forest (1936). Son Sam Robards was born December 16, 1961 with second husband Jason Robards . Bacall's longtime friend Katharine Hepburn , was his godmother. Daughter Leslie Bogart is childhood friends with Lorna Luft . She made two movies with John Wayne , Blood Alley (1955) and The Shootist (1976). In the earlier film, during production, Bacall's husband at the time, Humphrey Bogart , was dying of throat cancer. When she made the latter film with Wayne, he had lost a lung to cancer twelve years earlier, which mirrored the fate of his character in the story. In Italy, she was dubbed by Clelia Bernacchi at the beginning of her career, then in most cases by Lidia Simoneschi . Franca Dominici , Renata Marini and Anna Miserocchi also lent their voice to Bacall at some point. She was 17 when she met and became close friends with Gregory Peck . She was an usherette at the time. They remained close until his death. She was dismissed by Howard Hawks because she had a high nasal voice, but she spent two weeks developing her voice and, when she came back to visit Hawks two weeks later, she had a deep husky voice. According to her autobiography, "By Myself and Then Some", she was always very self-conscious about the size of her feet, which she describes as big even for a woman of her exceptional height. When Howard Hawks discovered her, he gave her the choice to work with either Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart . Bacall was very tempted to work with Grant, but Hawks ended up casting her with Bogart in To Have and Have Not (1944), and one of Hollywood's greatest romances was started. She was close friends with Dirk Bogarde . Bacall had visited him at his home in London the day before he died in May 1999. At the funeral for her husband, Humphrey Bogart , she put a whistle in his coffin. It was a reference to the famous line she says to him in their first film together To Have and Have Not (1944): "You know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow.". Campaigned for Harry S. Truman in the 1948 presidential election. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street on February 8, 1960. She was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on January 10, 1997. Humphrey Bogart campaigned for her to star alongside him as Laurel Gray in In a Lonely Place (1950), but the role was, instead, given to Gloria Grahame . One of the auditoriums in Tuckwood cineplex in Belgrade, Serbia bears her name. Although she and her husband, Humphrey Bogart , initially protested the House Un-American Activities Committee, they both eventually succumbed to pressure and distanced themselves from the Hollywood Ten in a March 1948 Photoplay Magazine article penned by Bogart titled "I'm no communist.". According to her son Stephen, she was good friends with actress Maureen O'Hara . Was referenced in the stage and movie versions of the musical "Evita" in the song, "Rainbow High": "I'm their Savior! That's what they call me, so Lauren Bacall me. Anything goes!". Was the second name entered on IMDB, just after Fred Astaire (nm0000001) and just before Brigitte Bardot (nm0000003). Returned to work 6 months after giving birth to her daughter Leslie Bogart in order to begin filming How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Delivered all three of her children ( Stephen H. Bogart , Leslie Bogart and Sam Robards ) naturally. According to her autobiography, "By Myself and Then Some", Bacall lost her virginity to future husband Humphrey Bogart at age 19 when they began an affair in February 1944. Along with Veronica Lake , Julie London and Rita Hayworth , she was one of four inspirations that helped compose the character Jessica Rabbit. She was the only Academy Award winner to have been married to two other winners ( Humphrey Bogart , Jason Robards ). Gave birth to her 1st child at age 24, a son Stephen H. Bogart on January 6, 1949. Child's father was her 1st husband, Humphrey Bogart . Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 27, a daughter Leslie Bogart on August 23, 1952. Child's father was her 1st husband, Humphrey Bogart . Gave birth to her 3rd child at age 37, a son Sam Robards on December 16, 1961. Child's father was her 2nd [now ex] husband, Jason Robards . She originally wanted and intended to be a dancer having attended ballet classes since infancy but in adolescence was drawn to acting. When she was 6, her parents divorced and her mother adopted the surname Bacal. Lauren added an L to it to avoid her name rhyming with crackle. Her father was a medical instrument salesman and her mother was a secretary. She was educated through the expense of wealthy uncles at Highland Manor, a private boarding school in Tarrytown, New York and Julia Richman High School in Manhattan. Lauren Bacall passed away on August 12, 2014, at age 89. A month before her death, her lifelong best friend, James Garner , passed away. Inspired by seeing Bette Davis in films, she enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where she went out with Kirk Douglas , who was there on a scholarship. As girls were not accepted for scholarships, she was forced to leave after a year and got a job modeling swim wear then gowns while in the evenings she worked as an usherette. Lauren Bacall passed away on August 12, 2014, a month away from what would have been her 90th birthday on September 16. Lauren Bacall passed away on August 12, 2014, at age 89, and within seven months of four other television legends, either born in 1924 or 1925, aged 89: Martha Hyer , Russell Johnson , Mary Grace Canfield and Elaine Stritch , and just twenty-four days after her close friend James Garner , born 1928. Lauren Bacall passed away on August 12, 2014, at age 89. This was just one month before her longtime friend, Joan Rivers , passed away. Following her death, she was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. She quit smoking cigarettes in the mid-1980s. Acting mentor and friend of: Alfre Woodard . Was close friends with actress Siobahan Fallon, right up to Lauren's passing. Was physically healthy and physically active until her death at age 89. Personal Quotes (28) I never believed marriage was a lasting institution. I thought that to be married for five years was to be married forever. I was this flat-chested, big-footed, lanky thing. I don't think being the only child of a single parent helped. I was always a little unsteady in my self-belief. Then there was the Jewish thing. I love being Jewish, I have no problem with it at all. But it did become like a scar, with all these people saying you don't look it. I remember my oldest son, Steve, saying to me once, "I don't ever remember seeing you with an apron on." And I thought, "That's right, honey, you did not." That was his concept of what a mother should be. I would hate now [2005] to be married. It does occur to me on occasion that, if I fall and hit my head, there will be no one to make the phone call. But who wants to think about that disaster? I'd prefer not to. I am still working, I've never stopped and, while my health holds out, I won't stop. I put my career in second place throughout both my marriages and it suffered. I don't regret it. You make choices. If you want a good marriage, you must pay attention to that. If you want to be independent, go ahead. You can't have it all. Actors today go into TV, which I don't consider has a lot to do with acting. They only think of stardom. If you photograph well, that's enough. I have a terrible time distinguishing one from another. Girls wear their hair the same, and are much too anorexic-looking. We live in an age of mediocrity. Stars today are not the same stature as Bogie [ Humphrey Bogart ], James Cagney , Spencer Tracy , Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart [ James Stewart ]. A legend involves the past. I don't like categories. This one is great and that one is great. The word "great" stands for something. When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise . His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness. I'm a total Democrat. I'm anti-Republican. And it's only fair that you know it... I'm liberal. The L word! [on Humphrey Bogart ] Was he tough? In a word, no. Bogey was truly a gentle soul. [on John Huston ] He was about something. I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that. On imagination: Imagination is the highest kite that can fly. [upon receiving her Honorary Oscar] A man at last! [on the Twilight films] Yes, I saw Twilight - my granddaughter made me watch it, she said it was the greatest vampire film ever. After the "film" was over I wanted to smack her across her head with my shoe, but I do not want a (tell-all) book called Grannie Dearest written on me when I die. So instead I gave her a DVD of Murnau's 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu (1922) and told her, "Now that's a vampire film!". And that goes for all of you! Watch Nosferatu instead! It's been misspelt a lot. He decided on it. It's not "Bogey". He signed it with an "ie". And that's good enough for me. A woman isn't complete without a man. But where do you find a man - a real man - these days? [on receiving an honorary Oscar] The thought when I get home that I'm going to have a two-legged man in my room is so exciting. You learn to cope with whatever you have to cope with. I spent my childhood in New York, riding on subways and buses. And you know what you learn if you're a New Yorker? The world doesn't owe you a damn thing, [on filming her most famous scene, in To Have and Have Not (1944)] My hand was shaking, my head was shaking, the cigarette was shaking, I was mortified. The harder I tried to stop, the more I shook. I realized that one way to hold my trembling head still was to keep it down, chin low, almost to my chest, and eyes up at Bogart. It worked and turned out to be the beginning of The Look. [on Bette Davis ] Well, I must say that I always loved her. And I think that she - for me - was the best actress and the most exciting female star on the screen. I think her work will live forever. I think it's timeless. And as she got older, her talent did not diminish. I mean, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" - she - it was a wonderful job of acting that she did. She looked like a fright, but that was the part. But she could convey almost anything. She was quite an extraordinary talent. And unfortunately, she didn't have an opportunity to do as much a she wanted to, but she was a woman who had to work. And I understand that better than most people do - that you have to work. [on "Shock Treatmenr"] A nightmare!" [on "Confidential Agent"] A very bad experience for Boyer and myself. He was wonderful. But Herman Schumin, who directed, knew nothing about movies. He gave me terrible direction, if any. It was just a nightmare. Schumlin did nothing to help. The press killed me - after building me into this combination of Gabo and Dietrich and Mae West and God-knows-who. Sddenly I became this nothing. I spent the next 20 years building myself back up to where I had any confidence at all in what I could do. [on "A Woman's Wold"] Not a giant hit, but I got terrific reviews. Clifton Webb was Bogie's old friend, and Fred MacMurray was terrific; he was someone else who was never appreciated. [on "The Cobweb"] We used to kid about that while making it; the movie was about the God-damned drapes. Vincente was a marvelous man, but totally visual. He was not so interested in actors. [on Michael Curtiz] His great talent was moving the camera around. "Bright Leaf" was a joke, but I was thrilled to work with Cooper. "Young Man," I thought was pretty good though Mike Curtiz was not the ideal director for the Bix Beiderbecke story. Salary (3)

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Betty Joan Robards (Perske) (1924 - 2014) - Genealogy stepmother About Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in The Bronx, New York City. She was an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks. Parents: only child of Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, who later legally changed her surname to Bacall, and William Perske. Her parents were Jewish immigrants, their families having come from Poland, Romania and Germany. Married: 1 to Humphrey DeForest Bogart (1899-1957) on 21 May 1945 in Malabar Farm, Lucas, Ohio. 2 children. 2 to Jason Nelson Robards, Jr. (1922-2000) in July 1961. They divorced on 10 September 1969. 1 child. Whistling At the funeral for her husband, Humphrey Bogart, she put a whistle in his coffin. It was a reference to the famous line she says to him in their first film together To Have and Have Not (1944): "You know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow." Honors and awards include .. In 1999, Bacall was ranked as one of the 25 actresses on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list by the American Film Institute. In 2009, she was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award at the inaugural Governors Awards. Bacall has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Images IMDb slideshow Biography Her parents were middle-class, with her father working as a salesman and her mother as a secretary. They divorced when she was five. When she was a school girl, Lauren originally wanted to be a dancer, but later, she became enthralled with acting, so she switched gears to head into that field. She had studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York after high school, which enabled her to get her feet wet in some off-Broadway productions. Once out of school, Lauren entered modeling and, because of her beauty, appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, one of the most popular magazines in the US. The wife of famed director Howard Hawks spotted the picture in the publication and arranged with her husband to have Lauren take a screen test. As a result, which was entirely positive, she was given the part of Marie Browning in To Have and Have Not (1944), a thriller opposite the great Humphrey Bogart, when she was just 19 years old. This not only set the tone for a fabulous career but also one of Hollywood's greatest love stories (she married Bogart in 1945). It was also the first of several Bogie-Bacall films. After 1945's Confidential Agent (1945), Lauren received second billing in The Big Sleep (1946) with Bogart. The mystery, in the role of Vivian Sternwood Rutledge, was a resounding success. Although she was making one film a year, each production would be eagerly awaited by the public. In 1947, again with her husband, Lauren starred in the thriller Dark Passage (1947). The film kept movie patrons on the edge of their seats. The following year, she starred with Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and Lionel Barrymore in Key Largo (1948). The crime drama was even more of a nail biter than her previous film. In 1950, Lauren starred in Bright Leaf (1950), a drama set in 1894. It was a film of note because she appeared without her husband - her co-star was Gary Cooper. In 1953, Lauren appeared in her first comedy as Schatze Page in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). The film, with co-stars Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, was a smash hit all across the theaters of America. After filming Designing Woman (1957), which was released in 1957, Humphrey Bogart died on January 14 from throat cancer. Devastated at being a widow, Lauren returned to the silver screen with The Gift of Love (1958) in 1958 opposite Robert Stack. The production turned out to be a big disappointment. Undaunted, Lauren moved back to New York City and appeared in several Broadway plays to huge critical acclaim. She was enjoying acting before live audiences and the audiences in turn enjoyed her fine performances. Lauren was away from the big screen for five years, but she returned in 1964 to appear in Shock Treatment (1964) and Sex and the Single Girl (1964). The latter film was a comedy starring Henry Fonda and Tony Curtis. In 1966, Lauren starred in Harper (1966) with Paul Newman and Julie Harris, which was one of former's signature films. Alternating her time between films and the stage, Lauren returned in 1974's Murder on the Orient Express (1974). The film, based on Agatha Christie's best-selling book was a huge hit. It also garnered Ingrid Bergman her third Oscar. Actually, the huge star-studded cast helped to ensure its success. Two years later, in 1976, Lauren co-starred with John Wayne in The Shootist (1976). The film was Wayne's last - he died from cancer in 1979. In 1981, Lauren played an actress being stalked by a crazed admirer in The Fan (1981). The thriller was absolutely fascinating with Lauren in the lead role. After that production, Lauren was away from films again, this time for seven years. In the interim, she again appeared on the stages of Broadway. When she returned, it was for the filming of 1988's Mr. North (1988). After Misery (1990), in 1990, and several made for television films, Lauren appeared in 1996's My Fellow Americans (1996). It was a wonderful comedy romp with Jack Lemmon and James Garner as two ex-presidents and their escapades. Despite her advanced age and deteriorating health, she made a small-scale comeback in the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004) ("Howl's Moving Castle," based on the young-adult novel by Diana Wynne Jones) as the Witch of the Waste. Filmography Filmography Personal Quotes I never believed marriage was a lasting institution . . . I thought that to be married for five years was to be married forever. I was this flat-chested, big-footed, lanky thing. I don't think being the only child of a single parent helped. I was always a little unsteady in my self-belief. Then there was the Jewish thing. I love being Jewish, I have no problem with it at all. But it did become like a scar, with all these people saying you don't look it. I remember my oldest son, Steve, saying to me once, "I don't ever remember seeing you with an apron on". And I thought, "That's right, honey, you did not". That was his concept of what a mother should be. I would hate now [2005] to be married. It does occur to me on occasion that, if I fall and hit my head, there will be no one to make the phone call. But who wants to think about that disaster? I'd prefer not to. I am still working, I've never stopped and, while my health holds out, I won't stop. I put my career in second place throughout both my marriages and it suffered. I don't regret it. You make choices. If you want a good marriage, you must pay attention to that. If you want to be independent, go ahead. You can't have it all. Actors today go into TV, which I don't consider has a lot to do with acting. They only think of stardom. If you photograph well, that's enough. I have a terrible time distinguishing one from another. Girls wear their hair the same, and are much too anorexic-looking. We live in an age of mediocrity. Stars today are not the same stature as Bogie [Humphrey Bogart], James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart [James Stewart]. A legend involves the past. I don't like categories. This one is great and that one is great. The word "great" stands for something. When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise. His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness. I'm a total Democrat. I'm anti-Republican. And it's only fair that you know it . . . I'm liberal. The L word! [on Humphrey Bogart] Was he tough? In a word, no. Bogey was truly a gentle soul. [on John Huston] He was about something. I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that. On imagination: Imagination is the highest kite that can fly. Books By Myself and Then Some (2005) Trivia Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#6). [1995] Ranked #20 in the AFI's top 25 Actress Legends. Ranked #11 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Mother of actor Sam Robards, Stephen Bogart and Leslie Bogart. Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997] Bacall was staying in the same New York apartment building (The Dakota) as Beatle John Lennon when he was shot and later died on 8th December 1980. When interviewed on the subject in a recent UK TV program hosted by former model Twiggy, Bacall said she had heard the gunshot but assumed that it was a car tire bursting or a vehicle backfiring. Was crowned "Miss Greenwich Village" in 1942. Used her mother's maiden name of Bacal, but added an extra "L" when she entered the cinema. Shortly after Humphrey Bogart's death, she announced her engagement to Frank Sinatra to the press. Sinatra promptly backed out. Her screen personna was totally based and modeled after Howard Hawks's wife, Slim. She even uses her name in To Have and Have Not (1944). She and former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres (as of 2007, the President of Israel) are second cousins . Both have the same original last name -- Perske. Those close to her call her by her real first name, "Betty". Still undiscovered, Bacall volunteered as a hostess at the New York chapter of the Stage Door Canteen, working Monday nights when theaters were closed. Having lost her job as a showroom model and quit acting school for lack of funds, the teenage Bacall found work as a Broadway theater usher. George Jean Nathan voted her the prettiest usher of the 1942 season in the pages of "Esquire". An only child. One of the initial "Rat Pack" with Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Irving Paul Lazar (aka "Swifty" Lazar) and their close friends. Won a Tony for her role as Margo Channing in the Broadway production of "Applause", a musical based on the movie, All About Eve (1950). It was presented by Walter Matthau. With late husband Humphrey Bogart, has a kind of vocal disorder named after her. "Bogart-Bacall syndrome"' (or BBS) is a form of muscle tension dysphonia most common in professional voice users (actors, singers, TV/radio presenters, etc) who habitually use a very low speaking pitch. BBS is more common among women than men and has been blamed on "social pressure on professional women to compete with men in the business arena". Starred, with her husband Humphrey Bogart, on the syndicated radio program "Bold Venture" (1951-1952). Her character's name was Sailor Duval. Measurements: 34-26-34 (her 1940 modeling card) (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Her autobiography, "By Myself", won a National Book Award in 1980 Actress Kathleen Turner has often been compared to Bacall. When Turner and Bacall met, Turner reportedly introduced herself to Bacall by saying "Hi, I'm the young you." Her marriage to Humphrey Bogart occurred at the Pleasant Valley area of Richland County, Ohio home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Louis Bromfield, Malabar Farm (4 miles southeast of Lucas within Monroe Township). The home is now an Ohio State Park. Katharine Hepburn, her long-time friend, is the godmother of her son, Sam Robards. Has won two Tony Awards as Best Actress (Musical): in 1970, for her role as Margo Channing in "Applause", a musical based on the movie, All About Eve (1950); and in 1981, for "Woman of the Year," also based on a movie of the same name, Woman of the Year (1942). Her Tony for "Applause" was presented by Walter Matthau. As of 2009 she is the only surviving legend mentioned in a popular phrase from Madonna's 1990 #1 hit song "Vogue". Other legends mentioned: Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Grace Kelly, Jean Harlow, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis, who all died before the release of the song. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Joe DiMaggio, Marlon Brando, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn and Lana Turner all died in following years. Is mentioned along with late husband Humphrey Bogart in the 1980s song "Key Largo" ("We had it all, just like Bogie and Bacall"). Is portrayed by Kathryn Harrold in Bogie (1980) (TV) Her appearance on a cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine at 18 years of age led to her first film role; she was spotted by the wife of director Howard Hawks, who gave her a screen test and cast her in To Have and Have Not (1944). Originally wanted to be a dancer. A well respected actress for the past sixty years, she has only been nominated once for an Academy Award. She was 73 when nominated for The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). Is half Romanian Son Stephen Bogart was born on January 6, 1949. He was named after father Humphrey Bogart's character from To Have and Have Not (1944). Daughter Leslie Bogart was born on August 23, 1952. She was named after actor Leslie Howard, who helped Humphrey Bogart get his breakthrough role in the play, The Petrified Forest (1936). Son Sam Robards was born December 16, 1961 with second husband Jason Robards. Bacall's long-time friend Katharine Hepburn, was his godmother. Daughter Leslie Bogart is childhood friends with Lorna Luft. She made two movies with John Wayne, Blood Alley (1955) and The Shootist (1976). In the earlier film, during production, Bacall's husband at the time, Humphrey Bogart, was dying of throat cancer. When she made the latter film with Wayne, he had lost a lung to cancer twelve years earlier, which mirrored the fate of his character in the story. In Italy, she was dubbed by Clelia Bernacchi at the beginning of her career, then in most cases by Lidia Simoneschi. Franca Dominici, Renata Marini and Anna Miserocchi also lent their voice to Bacall at some point. She was 17 when she met and became a close friend of Gregory Peck. She was an usherette at the time. They remained close until his death. She was dismissed by Howard Hawks because she had a high nasal voice, but she spent two weeks developing her voice and, when she came back to visit Hawks two weeks later, she had a deep husky voice. According to her autobiography, "By Myself and Then Some," she was always very self-conscious about the size of her feet, which she describes as big even for a woman of her exceptional height. When Howard Hawks discovered her, he gave her the choice to work with either Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart. Bacall was very tempted to work with Grant, but Hawks ended up casting her with Bogart in To Have and Have Not (1944), and one of Hollywood's greatest romances was started. She was a close friend of Dirk Bogarde. Bacall had visited him at his home in London the day before he died in May 1999. At the funeral for her husband, Humphrey Bogart, she put a whistle in his coffin. It was a reference to the famous line she says to him in their first film together To Have and Have Not (1944): "You know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow." Campaigned for Harry S. Truman in the 1948 presidential election. Quit smoking cigarettes in the mid-1980s. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 1724 Vine Street. Humphrey Bogart campaigned for her to star alongside him as "Laurel Gray" in In a Lonely Place (1950), but the part was, instead, given to Gloria Grahame. One of the auditoriums in Tuckwood cineplex in Belgrade, Serbia bears her name. Links Lauren Bacall, By Myself, Ballantine Books, 1985 ISBN 978-0345333216 Lauren Bacall, Now, Knopf, 1994 ISBN 978-0394574127 Brenda Scott Royce, Lauren Bacall: A Bio-Bibliography, Greenwood Press, 1992 ISBN 978-0313278310 ^ מאמר בג'רוזלם פוסט - Not such a bad record after all Lauren Bacall From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Bacall" redirects here. For the surname, see Bacall (surname). Lauren Bacall Lauren bacall promo photo.jpg Bacall in the 1940s Born Betty Joan Perske September 16, 1924 (age 89) The Bronx, New York, U.S.[1] Occupation Actress, model Years active 1942–present Spouse(s) Humphrey Bogart (m. 1945; w. 1957) Jason Robards (m. 1961; d. 1969) Children Stephen Bogart Leslie Bogart Sam Robards Relatives Shimon Peres (first cousin) Signature LaurenBacall.png Lauren Bacall (/ˌlɔrən bəˈkɔːl/, born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924)[2] is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks. She first emerged as a leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have and Have Not (1944) and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in Bogart movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), as well as a comedienne in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck. Bacall has worked on Broadway in musicals, gaining Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. In 1999, Bacall was ranked #20 of the 25 actresses on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list by the American Film Institute. In 2009, she was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award "in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures." Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Breakthrough 2.2 1950s 2.3 1960s and 1970s 2.4 Later career 3 Personal life 3.1 Relationships and family 3.2 Political views 3.3 Health 4 Dramatization 5 Awards and nominations 6 In popular culture 6.1 In music 6.2 In cartoons 7 Works 7.1 Filmography 7.1.1 Features 7.1.2 Short subjects 7.2 Stage appearances 7.3 Television work 7.4 Radio 7.5 Books 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links Early life[edit] Born Betty Joan Perske in New York City, she was the only child of Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, a secretary who later legally changed her surname to Bacall, and William Perske, who worked in sales.[3] Bacall's parents were Jewish; her mother immigrated from Romania through Ellis Island, and her father was born in New Jersey, to parents from Poland.[4][5] She is first cousin to Shimon Peres, current president and former prime minister of Israel.[6][7] Her parents divorced when she was five, and she took the Romanian form of her mother's last name, Bacall.[8] Bacall no longer saw her father and formed a close bond with her mother, whom she took with her to California when she became a movie star.[9][10] Career[edit] Howard Hawks and Bacall in 1943 Bacall took lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. During this time, she became a theatre usher and worked as a fashion model. As Betty Bacall, she made her acting debut, at age 17, on Broadway in 1942, as a walk-on in Johnny 2 X 4. According to her autobiography, she and a girlfriend won an opportunity in 1940 to meet her idol Bette Davis at Davis's hotel. Years later, Davis visited Bacall backstage to congratulate her on her performance in Applause, a musical based on Davis's turn in All About Eve. According to Bacall's autobiography, Davis told her "You know you're the only one who can play this role." Bacall became a part-time fashion model. Howard Hawks' wife Nancy spotted her "in a very small picture in Vogue" (source: interview with Howard Hawks in Peter Bogdanovich's book Who the Devil Made It, p. 327) and urged Hawks to have her take a screen test for To Have and Have Not. Hawks had asked his secretary to find out more about her, but the secretary misunderstood and sent her a ticket to Hollywood (source: interview with Howard Hawks in Peter Bogdanovich's book Who the Devil Made It, p. 327) for the audition. He signed her up to a seven-year personal contract, brought her to Hollywood, gave her $100 a week, and began to manage her career. Hawks changed her name to Lauren Bacall. Nancy Hawks took Bacall under her wing.[11] She dressed the newcomer stylishly, and guided her in matters of elegance, manners and taste. Bacall's voice was trained to be lower, more masculine and sexier, which resulted in one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood.[12] In the movie, Bacall takes on Nancy's nickname “Slim.” Breakthrough[edit] Bacall in her first movie, To Have and Have Not; Hoagy Carmichael is in the background playing the piano During screen tests for To Have and Have Not (1944), Bacall was nervous. To minimize her quivering, she pressed her chin against her chest and to face the camera, tilted her eyes upward. This effect became known as "The Look", Bacall's trademark.[13] On the set, Humphrey Bogart, who was married to Mayo Methot, initiated a relationship with Bacall several weeks into shooting and they began seeing each other. On a visit to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on February 10, 1945, Bacall's press agent, chief of publicity at Warner Bros. Charlie Enfield, asked the 20-year-old Bacall to sit on the piano which was being played by Vice-President of the United States Harry S. Truman. The photos caused controversy and made worldwide headlines. Bacall and Bogart in Dark Passage After To Have and Have Not, Bacall was seen opposite Charles Boyer in the critically panned Confidential Agent (1945).[14] Bacall would state in her autobiography that her career never fully recovered from this film, and that studio boss Jack Warner did not care about quality. She then appeared with Bogart in the films noir The Big Sleep (1946) and Dark Passage (1947) and John Huston's melodramatic suspense film Key Largo (1948) with Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. She was cast with Gary Cooper in the period drama Bright Leaf (1950). 1950s[edit] with Kirk Douglas in Young Man with a Horn (1950) Bacall turned down scripts she did not find interesting and thereby earned a reputation for being difficult. Yet, for her leads in a string of films, she received favorable reviews. In Young Man with a Horn (1950), co-starring Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, and Hoagy Carmichael, Bacall played a two-faced femme fatale. This movie is often considered the first big-budget jazz film.[15] During 1951-52, Bacall co-starred with Bogart in the syndicated action-adventure radio series Bold Venture. Bacall starred in the CinemaScope comedy How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), a runaway hit that saw her teaming up with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable.[16] Billed third under Monroe and Grable, Bacall got positive notices for her turn as the witty gold-digger, Schatze Page.[17] According to her autobiography, Bacall refused the coveted invitation from Grauman's Chinese Theatre to press her hand- and footprints in the theatre's cemented forecourt at the Los Angeles premiere of the film. She also said "Marilyn was frightened, insecure...but I couldn't dislike her. She was sweet, and she tried so hard." Bacall, Bogart and Henry Fonda in the television version of The Petrified Forest In 1955, a live television version of Bogart's own breakthrough, The Petrified Forest, was performed as a live installment of Producers' Showcase, a weekly dramatic anthology, featuring Bogart (now top-billed) as Duke Mantee, Henry Fonda as Alan, and Bacall as Gabrielle, the part originally played in the 1936 movie by Bette Davis. Jack Klugman, Richard Jaeckel, and Jack Warden played supporting roles. Bogart had no problem performing his role live since he had originally played the part on Broadway with the subsequent movie's star Leslie Howard, who had secured a film career for Bogart by insisting that Warner Bros. cast him in the movie instead of Edward G. Robinson; Bogart and Bacall named their daughter "Leslie Howard Bogart" in gratitude. In the late 1990s, Bacall donated the only known kinescope of the 1955 performance to The Museum Of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media), where it remains archived for viewing in New York City and Los Angeles. Written on the Wind, directed by Douglas Sirk in 1956, is now considered a classic tear-jerker.[18] Appearing with Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone and Robert Stack, Bacall played a determined woman. Bacall states in her autobiography that she did not think much of the role. While struggling at home with Bogart's severe illness (cancer of the esophagus), Bacall starred with Gregory Peck in the screwball comedy Designing Woman and gained rave reviews.[19] It was directed by Vincente Minnelli and released in New York City on May 16, 1957, four months after Bogart succumbed to cancer on January 14. 1960s and 1970s[edit] Bacall's movie career waned in the 1960s, and she was seen in only a handful of films. On Broadway she starred in Goodbye, Charlie (1959), Cactus Flower (1965), Applause (1970) and Woman of the Year (1981). She won Tony Awards for her performances in the latter two. The few movies Bacall shot during this period were all-star vehicles such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964) with Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood, Harper (1966) with Paul Newman, Shelley Winters, Julie Harris, Robert Wagner and Janet Leigh, and Murder on the Orient Express (1974), with Ingrid Bergman, Albert Finney and Sean Connery. In 1964, she appeared in two acclaimed episodes of Craig Stevens's CBS drama, Mr. Broadway: first in "Take a Walk Through a Cemetery", with then husband Jason Robards, Jr. and Jill St. John, and then as Barbara Lake in "Something to Sing About", with Martin Balsam as Nate Bannerman. For her work in the Chicago theatre, Bacall won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1972 and again in 1984. In 1976, she co-starred with John Wayne in his last picture, The Shootist. The two became friends, despite significant political differences between them. They had previously been cast together in 1955's Blood Alley. Later career[edit] During the 1980s and early 1990s, Bacall appeared in the poorly received star vehicle The Fan (1981), as well as some star-studded features such as Robert Altman's Health (1980), Michael Winner's Appointment with Death (1988), and Rob Reiner's Misery (1990). In 1997, Bacall was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), her first nomination after a career span of more than fifty years. She had already won a Golden Globe and was widely expected to win the Oscar, but it went instead to Juliette Binoche for The English Patient. Bacall received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1997. In 1999, she was voted one of the 25 most significant female movie stars in history by the American Film Institute. Since then, her movie career has seen a new renaissance and she has attracted respectful notices for her performances in high-profile projects such as Dogville (2003) and Birth (2004), both with Nicole Kidman. She is one of the leading actors in Paul Schrader's 2007 movie The Walker. In March 2006, Bacall was seen at the 78th Annual Academy Awards introducing a film montage dedicated to film noir. She also made a cameo appearance as herself on The Sopranos, in the April 2006 episode, "Luxury Lounge", during which she was punched and robbed by a masked hoodlum played by Michael Imperioli. In September 2006, Bacall was awarded the first Katharine Hepburn Medal, which recognizes "women whose lives, work and contributions embody the intelligence, drive and independence of the four-time-Oscar-winning actress", by Bryn Mawr College's Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center.[20] She gave an address at the memorial service of Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr at the Reform Club in London in June 2007. Bacall was a spokesperson for the Tuesday Morning discount chain. Commercials show her in a limousine waiting for the store to open at the beginning of one of their sales events. She is currently producing a jewelry line with the company, Weinman Brothers. She previously was a celebrity spokesperson for High Point (coffee) and Fancy Feast cat food. Bacall was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Academy Award. The award was presented at the inaugural Governors Awards on November 14, 2009.[21] In July 2013, Bacall expressed interest to star in the film, Trouble Is My Business.[22] Personal life[edit] This section includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2013) Relationships and family[edit] Lauren Bacall (1989) On May 21, 1945, Bacall married actor Humphrey Bogart. Their wedding and honeymoon took place at Malabar Farm, Lucas, Ohio. It was the country home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louis Bromfield, a close friend of Bogart. The wedding was held in the Big House. Bacall was 20 and Bogart was 45. They remained married until Bogart's death from esophageal cancer in 1957. Bogart usually called Bacall "Baby," even when referring to her in conversations with other people. During the filming of The African Queen (1951), Bacall and Bogart became friends of Bogart's co-star Katharine Hepburn and her partner Spencer Tracy. Bacall also began to mix in non-acting circles, becoming friends with the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and the journalist Alistair Cooke. In 1952, she gave campaign speeches for Democratic Presidential contender Adlai Stevenson. Along with other Hollywood figures, Bacall was a staunch opponent of McCarthyism. Shortly after Bogart's death in 1957, Bacall had a relationship with singer and actor Frank Sinatra. She told Robert Osborne, of Turner Classic Movies (TCM), in an interview, that she had ended the romance. However, in her autobiography, she wrote that Sinatra abruptly ended the relationship, having become angry that the story of his proposal to Bacall had reached the press. Bacall and her friend Swifty Lazar had run into the gossip columnist Louella Parsons, to whom Lazar had spilled the beans. Sinatra then cut Bacall off and went to Las Vegas. Bacall was married to actor Jason Robards, Jr. from 1961 to 1969. According to Bacall's autobiography, she divorced Robards mainly because of his alcoholism. In her autobiography Now, she recalls having a relationship with Len Cariou, her co-star in Applause. Bacall had a son and daughter with Bogart and a son with Robards. Her children with Bogart are her son Stephen Humphrey Bogart (born January 6, 1949), a news producer, documentary film maker and author; and her daughter Leslie Bogart (born August 23, 1952), a yoga instructor. Sam Robards (born December 16, 1961), her son with Robards, is an actor. Bacall is the only Academy Award winner to have been married to two other winners (Bogart, Robards). Bacall has written two autobiographies, Lauren Bacall By Myself (1978) and Now (1994). In 2005, the first volume was updated with an extra chapter: "By Myself and Then Some". Political views[edit] Bacall sits atop the piano while Vice President Harry S Truman plays the piano at the National Press Club Canteen. (February 10, 1945) Bacall is a staunch liberal Democrat. She has proclaimed her political views on numerous occasions. In October 1947, Bacall and Bogart traveled to Washington, D.C., along with other Hollywood stars, in a group that called itself the Committee for the First Amendment (CFA). She subsequently appeared alongside Humphrey Bogart in a photograph printed at the end of an article he wrote, titled "I'm No Communist", in the May 1948 edition of Photoplay magazine,[23] written to counteract negative publicity resulting from his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Bogart and Bacall specifically distanced themselves from the Hollywood Ten and were quoted as saying: "We're about as much in favor of Communism as J. Edgar Hoover." She campaigned for Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 Presidential election and for Robert Kennedy in his 1964 run for Senate. In a 2005 interview with Larry King, Bacall described herself as "anti-Republican... A liberal. The L-word." She went on to say that "being a liberal is the best thing on earth you can be. You are welcoming to everyone when you're a liberal. You do not have a small mind."[24] Health[edit] Sometime after her 86th birthday in late 2010/early 2011 Bacall suffered a fall in her bathroom and fractured her hip.[25] Dramatization[edit] In 1980, Kathryn Harrold played Bacall in the TV movie Bogie, which was directed by Vincent Sherman and based on the novel by Joe Hymans. Kevin O'Connor played Bogart. The movie focused primarily upon the disintegration of Bogart's third marriage to Mayo Methot, played by Ann Wedgeworth, when Bogart met Bacall and began an affair with her. Bacall is a character in the Charles Mee one-act play "Hotel Cassiopeia". Awards and nominations[edit] 1970 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical – Applause 1972 Sarah Siddons Award 1980 National Book Award in the one-year category Autobiography[26][a] 1981 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical – Woman of the Year 1984 Sarah Siddons Award 1990 George Eastman Award (given by George Eastman House)[27] 1992 Premio Donostia [Honorary Award] 1993 Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award 1997 Berlin International Film Festival - Berlinale Camera[28] 1997 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress - The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 Kennedy Center Honors 2000 Stockholm Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award 2007 Norwegian International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award 2008 Bette Davis Medal of Honor (from the Bette Davis Foundation)[29] 2009 Academy Honorary Award Nominations 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role – The Shootist 1997 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The Mirror Has Two Faces 1997 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The Mirror Has Two Faces In 1991, Bacall was honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street. In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[30] In popular culture[edit] In music[edit] Bacall is referenced in the song, "Rainbow High", from the 1978 musical Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.[citation needed] Bacall and Bogart are referenced in the 1981 song "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins.[citation needed] Bacall is referenced in the 1982 song "Car Jamming" by The Clash.[citation needed] She is referenced in Madonna's 1990 song "Vogue".[citation needed] She is referenced in the 2000 song "Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars" by Bon Jovi.[citation needed] She is the subject of he 2008 song "Just Like Lauren Bacall" by Kevin Roth In cartoons[edit] Bacall and Bogart are parodied in the 1946 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies short Bacall To Arms.[31] In the last scene of the 1947 Warner Bros. cartoon Slick Hare, a caricature of Bacall is shown sitting at a dinner table as Bugs Bunny wolf whistles at her[32] Works[edit] Filmography[edit] Features[edit] Year Title Role Notes 1944 To Have and Have Not Marie 'Slim' Browning Debut as not only an actress but also a singer; though Andy Williams, as a teenager, had recorded the songs she sang in the film, his recordings were never used. 1945 Confidential Agent Rose Cullen With Charles Boyer and Peter Lorre 1946 The Big Sleep Vivian Sternwood Rutledge With Humphrey Bogart 1946 Two Guys from Milwaukee Herself uncredited cameo 1947 Dark Passage Irene Jansen With Humphrey Bogart 1948 Key Largo Nora Temple With Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lionel Barrymore 1950 Young Man with a Horn Amy North With Kirk Douglas, Doris Day and Hoagy Carmichael 1950 Bright Leaf Sonia Kovac With Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal 1953 How to Marry a Millionaire Schatze Page With Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable 1954 Woman's World Elizabeth Burns With Clifton Webb, Van Heflin and Fred MacMurray 1955 The Cobweb Meg Faversen Rinehart With Richard Widmark, Charles Boyer and Gloria Grahame 1955 Blood Alley Cathy Grainger With John Wayne 1956 Patterns Lobby lady near elevators uncredited 1956 Written on the Wind Lucy Moore Hadley With Rock Hudson and Dorothy Malone 1957 Designing Woman Marilla Brown Hagen Golden Laurel Award for Top Female Comedy Performance (third place) 1958 The Gift of Love Julie Beck 1959 North West Frontier Catherine Wyatt 1964 Shock Treatment Dr. Edwina Beighley With Stuart Whitman 1964 Sex and the Single Girl Sylvia Broderick With Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Henry Fonda 1966 Harper Elaine Sampson With Paul Newman 1973 Applause Margo Channing Reprised the role in All About Eve that Bette Davis had originated in the original film. 1974 Murder on the Orient Express Mrs. Harriet Belinda Hubbard 1976 The Shootist Bond Rogers Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role 1978 Perfect Gentleman Mrs. Lizzie Martin 1980 Health Esther Brill With James Garner 1981 The Fan Sally Ross With James Garner 1988 Appointment with Death Lady Westholme 1988 Mr. North Mrs. Cranston 1989 John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick documentary 1989 The Tree of Hands Marsha Archdale 1989 Dinner at Eight Carlotta Vance 1990 Misery Marcia Sindell 1991 A Star for Two 1991 All I Want for Christmas Lillian Brooks 1993 The Portrait Fanny Church 1993 The Parallax Garden 1993 A Foreign Field Lisa 1994 Prêt-à-Porter: Ready to Wear Slim Chrysler National Board of Review Award for Best Cast 1995 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 1996 The Mirror Has Two Faces Hannah Morgan Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture 1996 My Fellow Americans Margaret Kramer With Jack Lemmon and James Garner 1997 Day and Night Sonia 1999 Get Bruce documentary 1999 Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke Doris Duke (elderly) 1999 Madeline: Lost in Paris Madame Lacroque voice 1999 The Venice Project Countess Camilla Volta 1999 Presence of Mind Mado Remei 1999 Diamonds Sin-Dee 1999 A Conversation with Gregory Peck documentary 2003 The Limit (aka. Gone Dark) May Markham 2003 Dogville Ma Ginger 2004 Howl's Moving Castle Witch of the Waste voice 2004 Birth Eleanor 2005 Manderlay Mam 2006 These Foolish Things Dame Lydia 2007 The Walker Natalie Van Miter 2008 Eve Grandma 2008 Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King The Grand Witch voice 2010 Wide Blue Yonder [33] May 2010 Firedog Posche voice 2012 The Forger Annemarie Sterling 2013 Trouble Is My Business Evelyn Montemar (rumored) 2013 Ernest & Celestine TBA voice Short subjects[edit] 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955) Amália Traída (Amália Betrayed) (2004) Stage appearances[edit] Johnny 2 x 4 (1942) Franklin Street (1942) Goodbye Charlie (1959) Cactus Flower (1965) Applause (1970) Wonderful Town (1977) V.I.P. Night on Broadway (1979) (benefit concert) Woman of the Year (1981) Sweet Bird of Youth (1985) The Players Club Centennial Salute (1989) (benefit concert) The Visit (1995) Angela Lansbury: A Celebration (1996) (benefit concert) Waiting in the Wings (1999) Television work[edit] What's My Line? (1953) Light's Diamond Jubilee (1954, TV special broadcast on all four TV networks) The Petrified Forest on Producers' Showcase (1956) Ford Star Jubilee (1956, 1 episode) Applause (1973) Perfect Gentlemen (1978) Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs (Rockford Files) (1979) Dinner at Eight (1989) A Little Piece of Sunshine (1990) The Portrait (1993) The Parallax Garden (1993) From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1995) 6th PBS ident (1996) as announcer 7th PBS ident (1998) as announcer; older woman in red shirt Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1999) The Sopranos (2006) Wonder Pets (2009) special guest voice[34] Family Guy (2014) special guest voice ("Mom's the Word")[35] Radio[edit] Bold Venture (1951–52); with Humphrey Bogart. Exact number of episodes recorded is unknown, but upwards of 50. Books[edit] By Myself (1978) Now (1994) By Myself and Then Some (2005) See also[edit] Bogart and Bacall Bogart-Bacall syndrome Notes[edit] Jump up ^ This was the 1980 award for hardcover Autobiography. From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Award history there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories, and multiple nonfiction subcategories. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including the 1980 Autobiography. References[edit] Jump up ^ Tyrnauer, Matt (2011-03-10). "To Have and Have Not". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2011-10-15. Jump up ^ "American Actress Lauren Bacall celebrated 88th Birthday today". MeetHollywoodStars. Retrieved 7 July 2013. Jump up ^ Lauren Bacall Biography. filmreference.com Jump up ^ Bacall, Lauren (March 1, 2005). By Myself and Then Some. It Books. ISBN 0060755350. Jump up ^ [1] Jump up ^ Lazaroff, Tovah (2005-11-10). "Peres: Not such a bad record after all". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-05-13. Jump up ^ Weiner, Eric (2007-06-13). "Shimon Peres Wears Hats of Peacemaker, Schemer". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2009-05-13. Jump up ^ Meyers, Jeffrey (1997), Bogart: A Life in Hollywood. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-77399-4. p. 164. Jump up ^ Cantrell, Susan (2009-07-19). "Lauren Bacall on Life, Acting, and Bogie". Carmel Magazine. Retrieved 2009-08-22. Jump up ^ Wickware, Francis Sill (May 7, 1945). Profile of Lauren Bacall 18. LIFE Magazine. pp. 100–106. ISSN 0024-3019. Jump up ^ A. . Sperber and Eric Lax (1997), Bogart. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-07539-8, ISBN 978-0-688-07539-2. Page 246. Jump up ^ Sperber and Lax 1997, p. 245. Jump up ^ The Official Website of Lauren Bacall – "The Look". Jump up ^ External reviews: Confidential Agent (1945). – IMDb. Jump up ^ Trivia: Young Man with a Horn (1950). – IMDB. Jump up ^ Box office – Business: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). – IMDb. Jump up ^ Movie Reviews: How to Marry a Millionaire. – Rotten Tomatoes. Jump up ^ Written on the Wind (1956) – Filmsite.org. Jump up ^ Designing Woman @ Rotten Tomatoes.com. Jump up ^ Bryn Mawr College – Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center. Jump up ^ "Bacall, Calley, Corman and Willis to Receive Academy’s Governors Awards". Press release – Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. September 10, 2009. Jump up ^ "Trouble Is My Business". July 2013. Jump up ^ Humphrey Bogart: "I'm no communist," Photoplay, March 1948. Jump up ^ Interview with Lauren Bacall. Jump up ^ "To Have and Have Not". VanityFair. March 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2013. Jump up ^ "National Book Awards – 1980". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-16. Jump up ^ "Lauren Bacall Receives George Eastman Award". The New York Times (The New York Times). 1990-11-10. Retrieved 2010-10-25. Jump up ^ "Berlinale: 1997 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-14. Jump up ^ Mark Shanahan & Paysha Rhone (2008-09-19). "Bringing together big-screen royalty". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-09-19. Jump up ^ Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated Jump up ^ Bacall To Arms (1946) Jump up ^ "Slick Hare 1947". TCM Classic Film Union. Retrieved 15 March 2013. Jump up ^ [2] Jump up ^ Mitovich, Matt (April 24, 2009). "Wonder Pets Returns with One of Kitt's Final Performances". tvguide.com. Retrieved November 5, 2009. Jump up ^ Lauren Bacall to guest star on Family Guy External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lauren Bacall. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall at the Internet Movie Database Lauren Bacall at the TCM Movie Database Lauren Bacall at the Internet Broadway Database Lauren Bacall at AllRovi Works by or about Lauren Bacall in libraries (WorldCat catalog) Interview with Larry King on CNN Article about the origin of the "Rat Pack" taken mainly from her book "Lauren Bacall, By Myself", (New York: Knopf, 1978) Literature on Lauren Bacall [hide] Awards for Lauren Bacall [hide] v t e Cecil B. DeMille Award (1976–2000) Walter Mirisch (1977) Red Skelton (1978) Lucille Ball (1979) Henry Fonda (1980) Gene Kelly (1981) Sidney Poitier (1982) Laurence Olivier (1983) Paul Newman (1984) Elizabeth Taylor (1985) Barbara Stanwyck (1986) Anthony Quinn (1987) Clint Eastwood (1988) Doris Day (1989) Audrey Hepburn (1990) Jack Lemmon (1991) Robert Mitchum (1992) Lauren Bacall (1993) Robert Redford (1994) Sophia Loren (1995) Sean Connery (1996) Dustin Hoffman (1997) Shirley MacLaine (1998) Jack Nicholson (1999) Barbra Streisand (2000) Complete list (1952–1975) (1976–2000) (2001–2020) [hide] v t e Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (1981–2000) Joan Hackett (1981) Jessica Lange (1982) Cher (1983) Peggy Ashcroft (1984) Meg Tilly (1985) Maggie Smith (1986) Olympia Dukakis (1987) Sigourney Weaver (1988) Julia Roberts (1989) Whoopi Goldberg (1990) Mercedes Ruehl (1991) Joan Plowright (1992) Winona Ryder (1993) Dianne Wiest (1994) Mira Sorvino (1995) Lauren Bacall (1996) Kim Basinger (1997) Lynn Redgrave (1998) Angelina Jolie (1999) Kate Hudson (2000) Complete list (1943–1960) (1961–1980) (1981–2000) (2001–present) [hide] v t e Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Dianne Wiest (1994) Kate Winslet (1995) Lauren Bacall (1996) Kim Basinger / Gloria Stuart (1997) Kathy Bates (1998) Angelina Jolie (1999) Judi Dench (2000) Helen Mirren (2001) Catherine Zeta-Jones (2002) Renée Zellweger (2003) Cate Blanchett (2004) Rachel Weisz (2005) Jennifer Hudson (2006) Ruby Dee (2007) Kate Winslet (2008) Mo'Nique (2009) Melissa Leo (2010) Octavia Spencer (2011) Anne Hathaway (2012) [hide] v t e Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Grace Hartman (1948) Nanette Fabray (1949) Mary Martin (1950) Ethel Merman (1951) Gertrude Lawrence (1952) Rosalind Russell (1953) Dolores Gray (1954) Mary Martin (1955) Gwen Verdon (1956) Judy Holliday (1957) Thelma Ritter / Gwen Verdon (1958) Gwen Verdon (1959) Mary Martin (1960) Elizabeth Seal (1961) Anna Maria Alberghetti / Diahann Carroll (1962) Vivien Leigh (1963) Carol Channing (1964) Liza Minnelli (1965) Angela Lansbury (1966) Barbara Harris (1967) Patricia Routledge / Leslie Uggams (1968) Angela Lansbury (1969) Lauren Bacall (1970) Helen Gallagher (1971) Alexis Smith (1972) Glynis Johns (1973) Virginia Capers (1974) Angela Lansbury (1975) Donna McKechnie (1976) Dorothy Loudon (1977) Liza Minnelli (1978) Angela Lansbury (1979) Patti LuPone (1980) Lauren Bacall (1981) Jennifer Holliday (1982) Natalia Makarova (1983) Chita Rivera (1984) No award (1985) Bernadette Peters (1986) Maryann Plunkett (1987) Joanna Gleason (1988) Ruth Brown (1989) Tyne Daly (1990) Lea Salonga (1991) Faith Prince (1992) Chita Rivera (1993) Donna Murphy (1994) Glenn Close (1995) Donna Murphy (1996) Bebe Neuwirth (1997) Natasha Richardson (1998) Bernadette Peters (1999) Heather Headley (2000) Christine Ebersole (2001) Sutton Foster (2002) Marissa Jaret Winokur (2003) Idina Menzel (2004) Victoria Clark (2005) LaChanze (2006) Christine Ebersole (2007) Patti LuPone (2008) Alice Ripley (2009) Catherine Zeta-Jones (2010) Sutton Foster (2011) Audra McDonald (2012) Patina Miller (2013) [hide] v t e Kennedy Center Honorees (1990s) 1990 Dizzy Gillespie Katharine Hepburn Risë Stevens Jule Styne Billy Wilder 1991 Roy Acuff Betty Comden and Adolph Green Fayard and Harold Nicholas Gregory Peck Robert Shaw 1992 Lionel Hampton Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Ginger Rogers Mstislav Rostropovich Paul Taylor 1993 Johnny Carson Arthur Mitchell Sir Georg Solti Stephen Sondheim Marion Williams 1994 Kirk Douglas Aretha Franklin Morton Gould Harold Prince Pete Seeger 1995 Jacques d'Amboise Marilyn Horne B.B. King Sidney Poitier Neil Simon 1996 Edward Albee Benny Carter Johnny Cash Jack Lemmon Maria Tallchief 1997 Lauren Bacall Bob Dylan Charlton Heston Jessye Norman Edward Villella 1998 Bill Cosby Fred Ebb and John Kander Willie Nelson André Previn Shirley Temple Black 1999 Victor Borge Sean Connery Judith Jamison Jason Robards Stevie Wonder Complete list 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s [hide] v t e Rat Pack Members Frank Sinatra Dean Martin Sammy Davis, Jr. Peter Lawford Joey Bishop Humphrey Bogart Associates Shirley MacLaine Lauren Bacall Angie Dickinson Marilyn Monroe Judy Garland Norman Fell Films Some Came Running Ocean's 11 Sergeants 3 4 for Texas Robin and the 7 Hoods Marriage on the Rocks Texas Across the River Wikipedia book Book:Rat Pack Authority control WorldCat VIAF: 6818 LCCN: n85136525 ISNI: 0000 0001 1034 4008 GND: 118505475 BNF: cb11889783z Categories: 1924 birthsLiving people20th-century American actresses21st-century American actressesAcademy Honorary Award recipientsActresses from the BronxAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts alumniAmerican female modelsAmerican film actressesAmerican people of Polish-Jewish descentAmerican people of Romanian-Jewish descentAmerican stage actressesBest Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winnersJewish American actressesJewish female modelsKennedy Center honoreesNational Book Award winnersNew York DemocratsOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winnersTony Award winnersWarner Bros. contract players About Lauren Bacall (עברית) עם המפרי בוגרט בסרט "להחזיק ולאבד" מרילין מונרו, בטי גרייבל ולורן באקול בסרט "איך להנשא למיליונר?" מ-1953 על כריכת גיליון של עיתון החיילים האמריקאי משנות ה-40 לורן באקול (נולדה כבטי ג'ואן פרסקה (Betty Joan Perske), באנגלית: Lauren Bacall, נולדה ב-16 בספטמבר 1924, לעתים נכתב שמה "Lauren Baccal", ובהתאמה:"לורן באקאל") היא שחקנית קולנוע יהודיה אמריקאית, המהווה את "הפנים של הקולנוע האפל". ב-2009 זכתה בפרס אוסקר למפעל חיים של האקדמיה האמריקאית לאמנויות ולמדעים. תוכן עניינים [הסתרה] 1 תולדות חייה 2 לקריאה נוספת 3 קישורים חיצוניים 4 הערות שוליים תולדות חייה[עריכת קוד מקור | עריכה] בטי ג'ואן פרסקה נולדה בניו יורק למשפחה יהודית שמוצאה בפולין וברומניה. היא בת דודו של שמעון פרס[1]. הוריה התגרשו כשהייתה בת חמש והיא גודלה על ידי אמה. היא למדה באופן בלתי סדיר בבית הספר לדרמה ועבדה כדוגמנית ובתפקידים קטנים בברודוויי. במרץ 1943 הופיעה על שער העיתון הארפר'ס בזאר (Harper's Bazaar), אשת הבמאי הווארד הוקס, שראתה את תמונתה זו, הציעה לו לבחון את באקול לתפקיד בסרטו "להחזיק ולאבד" (To Have and Have Not). באקול קיבלה את התפקיד הראשי בסרט, שהיה לתפקיד הבכורה שלה ובו שיחקה לצד המפרי בוגרט הוקס היה זה שהעניק לה את שם הבמה "לורן באקול". לקראת הצילומים קיבלה אימון אישי מאת אשתו של הוקס ובמסגרת אימון זה קיבלה גם שיעורי פיתוח קול, שהקנו לו את הגוון העמוק הייחודי. בסרט היא נועצת מבט מאפיין כאשר סנטרה צמוד לחזה ועיניה מביטות למעלה, מבט שהפך לסמל המקצועי שלה ולכינוי "המבט". על סט הצילומים התאהבו היא ובוגרט, שהיה נשוי באותה עת. הם התחתנו במאי 1945, כשנה לאחר תחילת הצילומים. יחסיהם של בוגרט ובאקול עומדים במרכז סרטם המשותף הבא, יצירת המופת של סגנון הפילם נואר משנת 1946, "השינה הגדולה". העלילה, פרי עטו של ריימונד צ'אנדלר הינה מפותלת ומסובכת. הבמאי הווארד הוקס (אשר ביים גם את "להחזיק ולאבד") הודה כי לא ידע כיצד לביים את הסרט, פרט לעובדה שראה כי יש בו פוטנציאל לסצינות יפות. באקול ובוגרט הופיעו יחדיו בשני סרטים נוספים: "מעבר אפל" (1947) ו"קי לארגו" (1948) של ג'ון יוסטון. השניים גרו בבית מגורים מרווח בלוס אנג'לס בשכונה שבין בוורלי הילס ובל אייר. כאשר מלאו לבוגרט 49 שנים, הפך לאב לבן, סטפן בוגרט. בשנת 1952 נולדה בתם לזלי. השניים לא נפרדו עד מותו של בוגרט ב-1957. באקול הופיעה גם בסרטים "איש צעיר עם חצוצרה" (1950) אודות חייו של ביקס ביידרבק לצד דוריס דיי וקירק דגלס, "איך להינשא למיליונר" (1953) בו שיחקה בהצלחה בתפקיד קומי לצד מרילין מונרו ובטי גרייבל. בנוסף לקריירה בהוליווד הופיעה באקול במספר מחזות בברודוויי בהם "שלום, צ'רלי" (1959), "פרח הקקטוס" (1965), "תשואות" (1970) ו"אשת השנה" (1981). על הופעותיה בשני האחרונים זכתה בפרסי טוני. ב-1974 שיחקה בסרטו של סידני לומט "רצח באוריינט אקספרס" לצידם של אינגריד ברגמן, אלברט פיני ושון קונרי. היא השתתפה בשני סרטים של רוברט אלטמן (H.E.A.L.T.H ב-1979 ו-Prêt-à-porter ("משהו ללבוש") ב-1994). ב-1997 זכתה בפרס גלובוס הזהב ובפרס גילדת שחקני המסך על תפקידה בסרט "שתי פנים למראה". ב-2002 שיחקה בסרטו של לארס פון טרייר, "דוגוויל". לקריאה נוספת[עריכת קוד מקור | עריכה] אונדה הרנר, לורן באקול והאמפרי בוגרט: בוגי ונערת הגנגסטר, ספריית פועלים 2000 קישורים חיצוניים[עריכת קוד מקור | עריכה] מיזמי קרן ויקימדיה ויקיציטוט ציטוטים בוויקיציטוט: לורן באקול ויקישיתוף תמונות ומדיה בוויקישיתוף: לורן באקול קים קלאוזנר, לורן באקול, באנציקלופדיה לנשים יהודיות (באנגלית) לורן באקול, במסד הנתונים הקולנועיים IMDb (באנגלית) ביוגרפיה באתר Allmovies (באנגלית) לורן באקול בת 80, מאתר ה-BBC (באנגלית) הערות שוליים[עריכת קוד מקור | עריכה] [הסתרה] פרס גלובוס הזהב לשחקנית המשנה הטובה ביותר - סרט קולנוע 1943‏-1960 קאטינה פאקסיניו (1943) • אגנס מורהד (1944) • אנג'לה לאנסברי (1945) • אן בקסטר (1946) • סלסט הולם (1947) • אלן קורבי (1948) • מרצדס מקמבריידג' (1949) • ג'וזפין האל (1950) • קים האנטר (1951) • קייטי טורה ז'ורדו (1952) • גרייס קלי (1953) • יאן סטרלינג (1954) • מריסה פאואן (1955) • איילין הקארט (1956) • אלזה לנקסטר (1957) • הרמיוני גינגולד (1958) • סוזן קוהנר (1959) • ג'נט לי (1960) 1961‏-1980 ריטה מורנו (1961) • אנג'לה לאנסברי (1962) • מרגרט רתרפורד (1963) • אגנס מורהד (1964) • רות גורדון (1965) • ג'אקלין לגארד (1966) • קרול צ'אנינג (1967) • רות גורדון (1968) • גולדי הון (1969) • מורין סטייפלטון/קארן בלק (1970) • אן מרגרט (1971) • שלי וינטרס (1972) • לינדה בלייר (1973) • קארן בלק (1974) • ברנדה ואקרו (1975) • קתרין רוס (1976) • ונסה רדגרייב (1977) • דאיין קנון (1978) • מריל סטריפ (1979) • מרי סטינבורגן (1980) 1981‏-2000 ג'ואן האקט (1981) • ג'סיקה לאנג (1982) • שר (1983) • פגי אשקרופט (1984) • מג טילי (1985) • מגי סמית' (1986) • אולימפיה דוקאקיס (1987) • סיגורני ויבר (1988) • ג'וליה רוברטס (1989) • וופי גולדברג (1990) • מרסדס רוהל (1991) • ג'ואן פלורייט (1992) • וינונה ריידר (1993) • דיאן ויסט (1994) • מירה סורבינו (1995) • לורן באקול (1996) • קים בייסינגר (1997) • לין רדגרייב (1998) • אנג'לינה ג'ולי (1999) • קייט הדסון (2000) 2001-היום ג'ניפר קונלי (2001) • מריל סטריפ (2002) • רנה זלווגר (2003) • נטלי פורטמן (2004) • רייצ'ל וייס (2005) ג'ניפר הדסון (2006) • קייט בלאנשט (2007) • קייט וינסלט (2008) • מוניק (2009) • מליסה לאו (2010) • אוקטביה ספנסר (2011) • אן האת'וויי (2012) [הסתרה] פרס גילדת שחקני המסך לשחקנית המשנה הטובה ביותר בסרט קולנוע 1995‏-2000 דיאן ויסט (1994) • קייט וינסלט (1995) • לורן באקול (1996) • קים בייסינגר/גלוריה סטיוארט (1997) • קתי בייטס (1998) • אנג'לינה ג'ולי (1999) • ג'ודי דנץ' (2000) 2001-היום הלן מירן (2001) • קתרין זיטה-ג'ונס (2002) • רנה זלווגר (2003) • קייט בלאנשט (2004) • רייצ'ל וייס (2005) ג'ניפר הדסון (2006) • רובי די (2007) • קייט וינסלט (2008) • מוניק (2009) • מליסה לאו (2010) • אוקטביה ספנסר (2011) • אן האת'וויי (2012) קטגוריות: שחקני קולנוע וטלוויזיה אמריקאיםשחקני קולנוע וטלוויזיה יהודים אמריקאיםזוכי אוסקר: פרסי כבודזוכי פרס גלובוס הזהב - שחקניםזוכי פרס גילדת שחקני המסך - שחקנים

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Lauren Bacall, Hollywood's Icon of Cool, Dies at 89 Lauren Bacall, Hollywood's Icon of Cool, Dies at 89 Yahoo Movies• Pin it Share The sultry and sexy actress was electric in the 1940s films “To Have and Have Not” and “Key Largo” opposite her husband, Humphrey Bogart By Mike Barnes and Duane Byrge Lauren Bacall, the willowy actress whose husky voice, sultry beauty and all-too-short May-December romance with Humphrey Bogart made her an everlasting icon of Hollywood, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. She was 89.  Bacall died Tuesday morning of a stroke in her longtime home in the Dakota, the famous Upper West Side building that overlooks Central Park in Manhattan. Bogart and Bacall were one of the most popular Hollywood couples , onscreen and off, and their 11-year marriage was the stuff of romantic lore. In 1981, their love provided the lyrics for Bertie Higgins’ 1981 pop hit “Key Largo” — “We had it all, just like Bogie and Bacall.” They met just before they filmed her first movie, To Have and Have Not (1944), directed by Howard Hawks, her mentor. Although only 19, Bacall and her smoldering cool was the perfect match for the 44-year-old Bogart and his tough guy-persona. Her best-remembered films, many of them considered classics, were with Bogart: To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948). After Bogart died at age 57 of esophageal cancer in January 1957, Bacall had a romance with Frank Sinatra. Days after she accepted his marriage proposal in 1958, The Los Angeles Herald reported on the impending nuptial on page 1 and Sinatra broke things off, refusing to speak to her for two decades. She then was married to Oscar-winning actor Jason Robards from 1961 until their divorce in 1969. Their son, actor Sam Robards, survives them. Lauren Bacall More Bacall received her only Oscar nomination for her supporting role as Barbra Streisand’s mother in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award in 2010 “in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures,” but that moment did not lead to pleasant memories — she said she always regretted failing to mention her children Sam, Stephen and Leslie in her acceptance speech. Bacall also enjoyed a splendid stage career. She captured two Tony Awards for best actress in a musical: in 1970 for Applause, the adaptation of All About Eve, in which she played Margo Channing, the role created by her idol Bette Davis; and in 1981 for Woman of the Year in a part originated by Katharine Hepburn, a good friend whom she once called “the female counterpart to Bogie.” Bacall also received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Career Achievement from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1992. Bacall penned two memoirs, By Myself (1978), which won a National Book Award in 1980, and Now (1994), in which she mused about getting older and living alone. She admitted that being a “legend” and “special lady of film” unnerved her because “in my slightly paranoiac head, legends and special ladies don’t work, it’s over for them; they just go around being legends and special ladies.” She was born Betty Jean Perske in the Bronx on Sept. 16, 1924, the only child of Jewish immigrants. Her father left the family when she was 6, and her mother struggled to make ends meet. She attracted attention as a teenage model while studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Read More Crowned Miss Greenwich Village in 1942, Bacall made her stage debut in George S. Kaufman’s Franklin Street in Washington, then appeared in March 1943 on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. That cover photo was noticed by Hawks’ wife Nancy, who showed it to the celebrated director, and he called Bacall for a screen test. Based on the test, Hawks told her she would star in something with either Bogart or Cary Grant. “I thought Cary Grant, great. Humphrey Bogart‚ yuck,” she later said. Nonetheless, Hawks had her meet with Bogart and could not help but notice their immediate chemistry, casting her as the femme fatale Marie in To Have and Have Not, an adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel. (Bogart’s character, Steve, nicknamed her “Slim,” which Hawks also called his wife.) In By Myself, she described meeting Bogart for the first time, on the set of Passage to Marseille (1944). “Howard told me to stay put, he’d be right back — which he was, with Bogart,” she wrote. “He introduced us. There was no clap of thunder, no lightning bolt, just a simple how do you do. Bogart was slighter than I imagined‚ 5-foot-10 and a half, wearing his costume of no-shape trousers, cotton shirt and scarf around his neck. Nothing of import was said‚ we didn’t stay long‚ but he seemed a friendly man.” But soon, Bacall and Bogart — who at the time was married to his third wife, actress Mayo Methot — began an affair during the filming of To Have and Have Not. One particular scene in the film stands out: As Bacall stood fetchingly just inside Bogart’s hotel room door, readying to leave, she noticed his tongue-tied interest in her: “You don’t have to say anything, Steve, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve?” … You just put your lips together and blow.” She closed the door, leaving Bogart’s character awestruck. The two married in 1945 on a farm in Lucas, Ohio, owned by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Louis Bromfield, a friend of Bogart’s, and regularly hosted parties at their Holmby Hills mansion. “I fairly often have thought how lucky I was,” she told Vanity Fair in a 2011 interview . “I knew everybody because I was married to Bogie, and that 25-year difference was the most fantastic thing for me to have in my life.” Bacall later admitted her so-called cool was just a way of concealing her jangled, first-movie insecurity. “I used to tremble from nerves so badly that the only way I could hold my head steady was to lower my chin practically to my chest and look up at Bogie,” she said. That was the beginning of what admirers called “The Look.” Her legendary low, sexy voice, however, hampered a scene in To Have and Have Not, where she was supposed to sing. It has always been a point of speculation whether it was Andy Williams, then a teenager, who dubbed in the signing voice for Bacall’s rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “How Little We Know.” Her distinctive throaty voice did make her a natural for commercials, and later in her career, Bacall voiced numerous spots, including plugs for PBS. Following To Have and Have Not, her next film was opposite Charles Boyer in Graham Greene’s Confidential Agent (1945) in which she played an English girl. Bacall considered the experience horrible. “It was the worst movie, a nightmare, and I was terrible in it,” she said. “And as quickly as I had been placed on a pedestal, I fell off.” But she was cast opposite Bogart again in Hawks’ classic The Big Sleep, a steamy adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel in which Bogart plays the classic private eye Philip Marlowe while Bacall sizzled as the lithesome daughter of Bogart’s rich, sinister employer. Bacall followed with two more starring roles opposite Bogart, Dark Passage and Key Largo, John Huston's classic noir film. She followed in 1950 in a film without Bogart titled Bright Leaf and did her first comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), starring with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable. Perhaps her most memorable film from the 1950s was Douglas Sirk’s melodrama Written on the Wind (1956) with Rock Hudson. The following year, Bogart died of cancer, leaving her with their children Stephen and Leslie. Bacall was 32 at the time. Following Bogart’s death, Bacall dated Sinatra and was set to marry him, but he broke things off. “Frank did me a great favor. He saved me from the complete disaster our marriage would have been,” she told People magazine in 1979 . “But the truth is that he behaved like a complete shit.” She starred in Designing Women (1957) opposite Peck and in The Gift of Love (1958) with Robert Stack. She moved back to New York and appeared in a number of Broadway plays, then married Robards in 1961. She summed up that relationship in the People interview: “When I invited a few friends over to celebrate [Robards’] 40th birthday, Jason showed up at 2 a.m., loaded. I grabbed a bottle of vodka, smashed it into the cake and yelled, ‘Here’s your goddamn cake!’ The marriage ended when I came across a letter written to him by his girlfriend.” Bacall did not make another film until Shock Treatment (1964), a murder mystery set in a mental institution. She followed up with a light comedy, Sex and the Single Girl (1964), which also starred Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. Bacall had a supporting role in the noir private eye thriller Harper (1966) with Paul Newman, played in the star-studded ensemble Murder on the Orient Express (1974), based on the Agatha Christie play, and co-starred with John Wayne in his final film, The Shootist (1976). In 1981, she starred in The Fan, a riveting story about an actress being stalked by an obsessed fan (Michael Biehn), but spent the major part of the decade back on Broadway, winning the Tony in 1981 for Woman of the Year. She also starred on Broadway in Cactus Flower and Goodbye Charlie while venturing to London and Australia for Sweet Bird of Youth. Film historians ascribe her relative lack of movie credits during this period as one of the unfortunate results of the demise of the studio system, an enterprise that for all its faults turned out strong female stars. Admitting that scripts were not “exactly piling up at my door,” she nevertheless returned to the screen with Mr. North (1988) and then Rob Reiner’s Misery (1990), the Stephen King adaptation starring Kathy Bates. Later, she performed in several made-for-TV movies, in Robert Altman’s farce Pret-a-Porter (1994) and with Jack Lemmon and James Garner in the comedy romp My Fellow Americans (1996). Altman talked about her longevity in a 1997 interview. “She never got locked in any time warp,” he said. “Think about how many social and attitudinal changes that have occurred, and yet Bacall as always remained unique.” Most recently, Bacall appeared in the French film Le Jour et la Nuit (1997); in Diamonds with Kirk Douglas and in Presence of Mind with Harvey Keitel, both released in 1999; in the TV miniseries Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1998) as the billionaire tobacco heiress; in Dogville (2003) with Nicole Kidman; and in The Forger (2012). In a 2006 episode of The Sopranos, Bacall played herself getting accosted by a mugger who tried to swipe her swag bag as she left an awards show. Photo credits: Everett

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Barbra Streisand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running!     Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand (born April 24 , 1942 as Barbara Joan Streisand), is a two-time Academy Award -winning American singer , theatre and film actress , composer , film producer and director . She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards , Grammy Awards , Golden Globe Awards and an honorary Tony Award . Contents [ edit ] Early years Streisand was born Barbara Joan Streisand to a Jewish family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn , New York . Her father, Emanuel Streisand, a grammar teacher, died when she was 15 months old; and she had a turbulent relationship with her stepfather , Louis Kind. Her mother, Diana Ida Rosen, did not encourage her daughter to pursue a show business career, opining that Barbara was not attractive enough. She was educated at Erasmus Hall High School , where she graduated fourth in her class in 1959, and she sang in the school choir with Neil Diamond . She was also friendly there with future World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer . She never attended college. Streisand has said, "I hated it ( Brooklyn ) when I grew up, but now I realize that I draw strength from my roots." (October 17, 2006; concert in Toronto ). [ edit ] Early singing, theater, and television career Following a music competition, Streisand became a nightclub singer while in her teens. She originally wanted to be an actress and appeared in a number of Off-Off-Broadway productions, including one with then-aspiring actress Joan Rivers , but when her boyfriend Barry Dennen helped her create a club act — first performed in a gay bar in Manhattan 's Greenwich Village in 1960 — she achieved success as a singer. It was at this time that she shortened her first name to Barbra to make it more distinctive. Streisand in 1962 In 1962 Streisand first appeared on Broadway , in a small but star-making role in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962). She also signed her first recording contract that year with Columbia Records . Her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, won two Grammy Awards in 1963. Her recording success continued, and at one time, Streisand's first three albums appeared simultaneously on Billboard's pop albums Top Ten - an unusual feat considering it was at a time when rock and roll and The Beatles dominated the charts. Jule Styne 's and Bob Merrill 's Funny Girl (1964), based upon the life of Fanny Brice , was fashioned for Streisand after Styne saw Streisand's I Can Get It For You Wholesale performance. Styne saw Streisand's work in the show at the invitation of producer Ray Stark's wife, who was Fannie Brice's daughter. Ironically, she was strongly opposed to the casting of Streisand, preferring Carol Burnett . After several notable television appearances, including a legendary guest appearance on The Judy Garland Show (CBS, 1963), Streisand appeared on a number of her own television specials for CBS . The first special, My Name Is Barbra (1965), was praised by critics and fans, as were most of the subsequent specials.[ citation needed ] Streisand is classified as one of the most "Amazing Female Vocalists" in the 2006 edition of Women in Song. [ edit ] Singing career Barbra Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with the Columbia Records label. Her early works in the 1960s (her debut, The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album, My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theatre and nightclub standards, including her version of "Happy Days Are Here Again". Beginning with My Name Is Barbra her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials. Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many talented singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock , but her vocal talents prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented, Richard Perry -produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro , was a big hit for Streisand. Streisand's 1980 album, Guilty featured the songwriting, production and vocal talents of Barry Gibb and was one of her biggest successes During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like "The Way We Were", "Evergreen", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (with Donna Summer ) and " Woman In Love "; some of these came from soundtrack records to her films. When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums. [1] In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra." Streisand returned to her musical-theater roots with 1985 's The Broadway Album. This was an unexpected success, holding the coveted #1 Billboard position for 3 straight weeks, and being certified 3x Platinum. The album featured songs reworked by Stephen Sondheim especially for this recording, was critically acclaimed, nominated as Album of the Year and landed Streisand her 8th Grammy as Best Female Vocalist. In 1991, a four-disc box set, entitled Just for the Record was released, spanning Streisand's entire career. It featured over 70 tracks, including live material, greatest hits, and rarities, from her early recordings up to 1991. Streisand's concert fundraising events helped propel former President Bill Clinton into the spotlight and into office. [2] Streisand later introduced Clinton at his inauguration in 1992. However, Streisand's music career was on hold. A tour was suggested, and she debated it for two years because of her stage fright. A year later, Streisand landed another #1 Back to Broadway. This album included the duet medley I Have A Love / One Hand, One Heart with the legendary Johnny Mathis whom Streisand has publicly acknowledged as one of her favorite singers. In September 1993, Streisand made global news, announcing her first public concert tour in 27 years. Tickets to the limited tour were sold out in under one hour. Streisand also hit the cover of major magazines, in anticipation of what Time magazine named, "The Music Event of the Century." The tour was one of the biggest all-media merchandise parlays in history. Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $1,500 - making Streisand the highest paid concert performer in history. Barbra Streisand: The Concert went on to be the top grossing concert of the year, earned 2 Emmy Awards , the Peabody Award , and the taped broadcast on HBO is to-date the highest rated concert special in HBO's 30 year history. On New Year's Eve 1999, she returned to the concert stage, giving the highest grossing single concert in Las Vegas history to date. At the end of the last millennium, she was the number-one female singer in the US, with at least 2 # 1 albums in each decade since she had started out. Around this time, Shock Jock Howard Stern did a skit on his radio program mocking fans who paid to see the singer for such large amounts of money, charging Streisand with fleecing the public. He ridiculed Streisand's singing style, stating at various times, "I could do this..." and mocked the film Yentl by mimicing the line, "Papa, can you hear me?" repeatedly. Stern's comedy writer (at the time) Jackie "the Joke Man" Martling weighed in with the insult "actress, producer, singer, director...thief." Her most recent albums have been Christmas Memories (2001), a collection of somber holiday songs, and The Movie Album (2003), featuring famous movie themes and backed by a large symphony orchestra . Guilty Pleasures (called Guilty Too in the UK), a collaboration with Barry Gibb and a sequel album to their previous Guilty , was released worldwide in 2005. In February 2006, Streisand recorded the song 'Smile' alongside Tony Bennett , at Streisand's Malibu home. The song is included on Tony Bennett's 80th Birthday Album, 'Duets'. In September 2006, the pair recorded a video segment of the song, to be included on a forthcoming TV Special. In 2006, Streisand announced her intent to tour again, in an effort to raise money and awareness for multiple issues. The tour, which started on October 4 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia , is simply being referred to as Streisand: The Tour . Special guests Il Divo were the scheduled opening act for Streisand. On October 09 2006, Streisand performed a concert at the Madison Square Garden , featuring a skit that made fun of President George W. Bush . When one heckler continued to yell repeated taunts during and after the skit, Streisand responded by shouting "Shut the fuck up!" She later apologized for the incident, but added that "The artist's role is to disturb." [3] Despite negative audience reactions to the sketch at several performances, Streisand refused to remove the material from her show, citing her right to express her political views. In Fort Lauderdale an audience member threw a liquid filled cup at the singer but missed her. Streisand's manager, Martin Erlichman said that Streisand brushed the incident off saying: "It's a free country and they're entitled to express their opinion." [4] Her first film was a reprise of her Broadway hit, Funny Girl (1968), an artistic and commercial success, for which she won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actress , sharing it with Katharine Hepburn ( The Lion in Winter ), the first time there was a tie in this Oscar category. Her next two movies were also based on musicals, Jerry Herman 's Hello, Dolly! (1969) and Alan Jay Lerner 's and Burton Lane 's On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), while her fourth film was based on the Broadway play The Owl and the Pussycat (1970). She also starred in the original screwball comedies , including What's Up, Doc? (1972), with Ryan O'Neal , and For Pete's Sake (1974), and the drama The Way We Were (1973) with Robert Redford . Her second Academy Award was for Best Original Song as composer of the song " Evergreen ", from A Star Is Born (1976) and was the first time a woman had received this award. Along with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier , Streisand formed First Artists Production Company in 1969 so the actors could secure properties and develop movie projects for themselves. Streisand's initial outing with First Artists was the personal Up the Sandbox (1972). In 1970 , she had a topless scene in The Owl and the Pussycat. She regretted the move and bought up all prints of the film, deleting the scene. When High Society magazine published the original photos of her bare breasts, Streisand sued them. Streisand produced a number of her own films, setting up Barwood Films in 1972. For Yentl (1983), she was producer, director, writer, and star, an experience she repeated for The Prince of Tides (1991). Steven Spielberg called Yentl a masterpiece, and both won critical acclaim. There was controversy when Yentl received five Academy Award nominations but none for the major categories of Best Picture, Actress, or Director [5] . Prince of Tides received even more nominations, including Best Picture, but, as commonly is the case, the director was not nominated. [ edit ] Awards Over the years, Streisand has been the recipient of an award in every medium she has worked in. Among her awards are two Oscars, six Emmys , eleven Golden Globes , ten Grammys , a Tony award, two Cable Ace awards, the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as a number of other awards. In 1995, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award . As of 2005, her US album sales rank her as the top-selling female recording artist in the US . Even though her Tony was a special "Star of the Decade" award, Streisand remains one of only a few individuals (including Helen Hayes , Rita Moreno , Liza Minnelli , and Whoopi Goldberg ) to have won an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy. However, Streisand's Tony was honorary rather than one of the regular awards, so she is sometimes not counted as one of the winners . [ edit ] Personal life Barbra Streisand has been married twice. Her first husband was actor Elliott Gould to whom she was married from 1963 to 1971. They have one child, Jason Gould . Her second husband is actor James Brolin , whom she married on July 1 , 1998. The wedding was reported regularly in the celebrity gossip media. While they have no children together, Brolin has two children from his first marriage and one child from his second marriage. Streisand has also allegedly dated Ryan O'Neal , Tom Smothers , Warren Beatty , Jon Voight , Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau , producer Jon Peters , Don Johnson , Steve McQueen , Andre Agassi , and news anchor Peter Jennings . [ edit ] References in popular culture Barbra Streisand's iconic status has been parodied on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in the recurring skit Coffee Talk where character Linda Richman , played by Mike Myers , hosts a talk show dedicated to, among other things, the adoration of Streisand. Barbra Streisand, in a guest appearance, surprised Richman (and Myers) as well as her guests (played by Madonna , and Roseanne Barr ). South Park episode Spookyfish shown in "Spooky Vision". Barbra Streisand has been repeatedly satirized on the South Park animated series such as in the episode called " Mecha-Streisand ", in which she tried to take over the world by transforming herself into a giant robot as well as the Halloween special Spookyfish which was was filmed in "Spooky Vision", where all 4 corners of the screen had images of Streisand's face. In other episodes, characters use her name as a curse word . She is listed as #91 in Bernard Goldberg's controversial 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America . [ edit ] Performances on Broadway

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Nikkei Definition | Investopedia Nikkei What is the 'Nikkei' Nikkei is short for Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average, the leading and most-respected index of Japanese stocks. It is a price-weighted index comprised of Japan's top 225 blue-chip companies traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange . The Nikkei is equivalent to the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index in the United States. BREAKING DOWN 'Nikkei' Originally called the Nikkei Dow Jones Stock Average (from 1975 to 1985), it is now named for the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" or Japan Economic Newspaper, commonly known as Nikkei, which sponsors the calculation of the index. The index has been calculated since September 1950, retroactive to May 1949. Among the best-known companies included in the Nikkei index are Canon Inc., Sony Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. It is the oldest stock index in Asia. The Nikkei was established as part of the rebuilding and industrialization of Japan in the aftermath of the Second World War. Constituent stocks are ranked by share price, rather than by market capitalization as is common in most indexes. Valuations are denominated in Japanese yen. The composition of the Nikkei is reviewed every September, and any needed changes take place in October. Background The Tokyo Stock Exchange was established in 1878. In 1943, during the Second World War, the Japanese government combined the TSE with five others to form a single Japanese Stock Exchange. That exchange was closed down in August 1945, near the end of the war. The Tokyo Stock Exchange re-opened on May 16, 1949 under the aegis of the new Securities Exchange Act . Japan experienced a major asset bubble in the late 1980's, as the government used fiscal and monetary stimuli to counteract a recession caused by the Japanese yen's 50% appreciation during the first part of the decade. Stock prices and land values tripled between 1985 and 1989; at the height of the bubble, the TSE accounted for 60% of global stock market capitalization. The bubble burst in 1990, and the value of the Nikkei Index fell by one-third that year. In October 2008, the Nikkei traded below 7,000; this was a decline of more than 80% from its December 1989 high. It subsequently rebounded strongly, rising 150% between June 2012 and June 2015 with the help of economic stimulus from the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan . This was still nearly 50% below the 1989 high. Investing in the Nikkei Index It is not possible to directly purchase an index, but there are several Exchange Traded Funds whose components correlate to the Nikkei. ETFs that track it and trade on the Tokyo Stock Exchange include Blackrock Japan's iShares Nikkei 225 and Nomura Asset Management 's Nikkei 225 Exchange Traded Fund. The MAXIS Nikkei 225 Index ETF is a dollar-denominated fund that trades on the New York Stock Exchange . Trading Center