Sidney Clare
Encyclopedia
Sidney Clare was an American comedian, dancer and composer. His best known songs include "On the Good Ship Lollipop
" (recorded by Shirley Temple
), "You’re My Thrill
" (recorded by Billie Holiday
), and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
" (featured in the cartoon One Froggy Evening
).
In 1929, Clare wrote his first full film score
for Street Girl
. He did the film scores for Tanned Legs, Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round, Sing and Be Happy, Hit the Deck
, Jimmy and Sally, Bright Eyes, The Littlest Rebel
and Rascals.
The Oxford English Dictionary
credits Clare with the earliest usage of the term "rock and roll
" in 1934 on the soundtrack for the movie Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round.
In the early 1940s Clare and several of his fellow hitmakers formed a sensational review called Songwriters on Parade
, performing all across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and Keith circuits.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1970.
On the Good Ship Lollipop
"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the trademark song of child actress Shirley Temple. Temple first sang it in the 1934 movie Bright Eyes. The "ship" in the song is an aircraft; the scene in Bright Eyes where the song appears takes place on an American Airlines Douglas DC-2 which is taxiing. In the...
" (recorded by Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
), "You’re My Thrill
You're My Thrill (song)
"You're My Thrill" is a 1933 popular song, composed by Jay Gorney, with lyrics by Sidney Clare.-Recorded versions:*Ward Silloway *Lew Stone and His Band *Lena Horne with Charlie Barnett and his Orchestra *Billie Holiday...
" (recorded by Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
), and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
"Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" was written by Sam H. Stept with lyrics by Sidney Clare. Original publication also credited singer Bee Palmer as co-composer. The song was published in 1930...
" (featured in the cartoon One Froggy Evening
One Froggy Evening
One Froggy Evening is an approximately seven-minute long Technicolor animated short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones, with musical direction by Milt Franklyn.The short makes the debut of Michigan J...
).
In 1929, Clare wrote his first full film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for Street Girl
Street Girl
Street Girl is a musical comedy/drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and released by RKO Radio Pictures, it's the first official production of RKO but was released soon after Syncopation the second production of RKO.-Plot summary:...
. He did the film scores for Tanned Legs, Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round, Sing and Be Happy, Hit the Deck
Hit the Deck (1930 film)
Hit the Deck is a 1930 musical film directed by Luther Reed, starred Jack Oakie, and featured Technicolor sequences. It was based on the musical Hit the Deck. It was one of the most expensive productions of RKO Radio Pictures up to that time, and one of the most expensive productions of 1930. This...
, Jimmy and Sally, Bright Eyes, The Littlest Rebel
The Littlest Rebel
The Littlest Rebel is a 1935 American dramatic film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Edwin J. Burke was adapted from a play of the same name by Edward Peple and focuses on the tribulations of a plantation-owning family during the American Civil War...
and Rascals.
The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
credits Clare with the earliest usage of the term "rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
" in 1934 on the soundtrack for the movie Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round.
In the early 1940s Clare and several of his fellow hitmakers formed a sensational review called Songwriters on Parade
Songwriters On Parade
Songwriters on Parade was a musical Vaudeville revue which featured hit songwriters of the day. It was considered one of the last Vaudevillian forays of this type...
, performing all across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and Keith circuits.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
in 1970.
Co-writers
Clare worked with numerous other composers to produce hits including:- Con ConradCon ConradCon Conrad was an American songwriter and producer.-Biography:Con Conrad was born Conrad K. Dober in New York City. He published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show The Honeymoon Express, starring Al Jolson, in 1913...
- Cliff FriendCliff FriendCliff Friend was an accomplished songwriter and pianist. A member of Tin Pan Alley, Friend co-wrote several hits including "Lovesick Blues," "My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now" and "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down," also known as the theme song to the Looney Tunes cartoon series.-Early life:Friend was...
- Lew PollackLew PollackLew Pollack was a song composer active during the 1920s and the 1930s.Pollack was born in New York. Among his best known songs are "Charmaine" and "Diane" with Ernö Rapée, "Miss Annabelle Lee", "Two Cigarettes in the Dark", "At the Codfish Ball" , and Go In and Out The Window, now a...
- Sam Stept
- Lew BrownLew BrownLew Brown was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States.Brown was born as Louis Brownstein in Odessa, Russian Empire...
- Richard A. WhitingRichard A. WhitingRichard Armstrong Whiting was a composer of popular songs including the standards, "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" & "On the Good Ship Lollipop"....
- Jay GorneyJay GorneyJay Gorney was an American theater and film song writer. He was born Abraham Jacob Gornetzsky in Białystok, Russia on December 12, 1894. In 1906, he witnessed the Bialystock pogrom which forced his family into hiding for nearly two weeks, after which they fled to the United States...
- Harry WarrenHarry WarrenHarry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
- Vincent YoumansVincent YoumansVincent Youmans was an American popular composer and Broadway producer.- Life :Vincent Millie Youmans was born in New York City on September 27, 1898 and grew-up on Central Park West on the site where the Mayflower Hotel once stood. His father, a prosperous hat manufacturer, moved the family to...
- Oscar LevantOscar LevantOscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was more famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.-Life and career:...
- James V. Monaco
- Buddy De SylvaBuddy De SylvaGeorge Gard "Buddy" DeSylva was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs and along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs he founded Capitol Records.-Biography:...
- Joe Young
Selective list of songs
- "On the Good Ship LollipopOn the Good Ship Lollipop"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the trademark song of child actress Shirley Temple. Temple first sang it in the 1934 movie Bright Eyes. The "ship" in the song is an aircraft; the scene in Bright Eyes where the song appears takes place on an American Airlines Douglas DC-2 which is taxiing. In the...
" - "What Do You Mean by Loving Somebody Else?"
- "I’m Missin’ Mammy’s Kissin’"
- "Weep No More My Mammy"
- "Oo-Oo Ernest"
- "A New Kind of Man"
- "Ma, he's making eyes at me" (with Con ConradCon ConradCon Conrad was an American songwriter and producer.-Biography:Con Conrad was born Conrad K. Dober in New York City. He published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show The Honeymoon Express, starring Al Jolson, in 1913...
) - "Big Butter and Egg Man"
- "Me and the Boyfriend"
- "We’re Back Together Again"
- "Then I’ll Be Happy"
- "Miss Annabelle Lee"
- "One Sweet Letter From You"
- "Lovable and Sweet"
- "My Dream Memory"
- "Keeping Myself for You"
- "You’re My ThrillYou're My Thrill (song)"You're My Thrill" is a 1933 popular song, composed by Jay Gorney, with lyrics by Sidney Clare.-Recorded versions:*Ward Silloway *Lew Stone and His Band *Lena Horne with Charlie Barnett and his Orchestra *Billie Holiday...
" - "I’ve Got You on Top of My List"
- "It Was A Night in June"
- "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm GonePlease Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone"Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" was written by Sam H. Stept with lyrics by Sidney Clare. Original publication also credited singer Bee Palmer as co-composer. The song was published in 1930...
"