songwriter

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25-Year Search for Mysterious X-Files Song Finally Pays Off

Internet thread leads to songwriters who penned tune that appeared in 1998 episode

(Newser) - There was always mystery upon mystery layered in The X-Files, the popular sci-fi series starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and now a big meta one regarding the show itself has been solved. The Washington Post reports on a melancholy country-western song heard in the background of a Season 6...

Barry Manilow Breaks a Big Elvis Record

'70s singer plays his 637th show at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino; the King had 636

(Newser) - No one played more shows at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino than Elvis Presley, who notched an impressive 636 sold-out performances in residency before his 1977 death. No one until last weekend, that is, when '70s legend Barry Manilow logged his 637th show at the same venue....

'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' Was Just One Hit

Cynthia Weil wrote pop masterpieces with her husband

(Newser) - Cynthia Weil, a Brill Building songwriter whose work included such enduring pop hits as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin,'" "Here You Come Again," "Walking in the Rain," and "Somewhere Out There," has died. She was 82 and died Thursday night,...

Gordon Lightfoot Dead at 84
Beloved Canadian
Singer-Songwriter
Dead at 84
obituary
May 2, 2023 3:00 AM CDT

Beloved Canadian Singer-Songwriter Dead at 84

Gordon Lightfoot had just last month canceled planned shows

(Newser) - Gordon Lightfoot, Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died on Monday. He was 84. Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital, the AP reports. His cause...

Burt Bacharach Dies at 94
Burt Bacharach
Dies at 94
OBITUARY
Feb 9, 2023 10:04 AM CST

Burt Bacharach Dies at 94

Oscar-winning composer penned songs for movies, Broadway, and Dionne Warwick, among other stars

(Newser) - Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk On By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," and dozens of other hits, has died at 94. Bacharach died Wednesday at...

His Songwriting Resume Is Astonishing
His Songwriting Resume
Is Astonishing
obituary
Aug 9, 2022 10:45 AM CDT

His Songwriting Resume Is Astonishing

Lamont Dozier, who helped write some of Motown's biggest hits, dies at 81

(Newser) - Lamont Dozier, the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced dozens of hits and helped make Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond, has died at age 81, per the AP . In Motown’s historic rise, Holland-Dozier-Holland stood out even compared to such...

You've Sung It Plenty in Bars. Now, This Song Gets Its Own Film

Paramount+ documentary on Don McLean's 'American Pie' is 'mandatory viewing' for fans

(Newser) - Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song "American Pie" at last call or at karaoke—and applauds you for the effort. "I've heard whole bars burst into this song when I've been across the room," McLean told the AP...

She's Had 19 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 Hits. Now, a Big Honor

Mariah Carey, behind only the Beatles using Billboard gauge, is inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

(Newser) - After a glittering career stuffed with No. 1 hits—not to mention a two-year pandemic delay—Mariah Carey was finally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday, but not before challenging her new fellow members to do better by women. "I read that out of the 439...

Mariah Carey Sued for $20M Over Holiday Hit

New Orleans bandleader says he wrote his own 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' first

(Newser) - A bandleader who co-wrote "All I Want for Christmas Is You"—not the famous, top-selling song, but another one—has decided that what he wants is $20 million. Andy Stone has filed a federal lawsuit against Mariah Carey; her co-writer, Walter Afanasieff; and Sony, saying they "intentionally...

Taylor Swift Takes on Blur Singer's 'Really 'F---ed Up' Claim

Damon Albarn said in a recent interview that Swift doesn't write her own songs

(Newser) - Say what you will about Taylor Swift's music, but don't ever accuse her of not writing her own tunes. Damon Albarn could've used that advice before he did a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times , in which he claimed just that. The 32-year-old "Trouble" singer...

Lyricist Teamed With Husband on 'The Way We Were'

Marilyn Bergman, a songwriting hall of famer, won 3 Oscars

(Newser) - Marilyn Bergman, the Oscar-winning lyricist who wrote, with her husband, Alan Bergman, the words for "The Way We Were," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" and hundreds of other songs, died Saturday at her Los Angeles home. She was 93. Bergman died of respiratory failure not...

7 Years On, a New 'Shake It Off' Headache for Swift

She filed a motion seeking to have the case dismissed

(Newser) - Update: Taylor Swift wants a judge to take another look at his decision that a copyright infringement lawsuit against her can proceed. In a motion filed by Swift's side on Dec. 23, they say District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald should have considered the "extrinsic test" in regards to...

Stephen Sondheim Dead at 91
Stephen
Sondheim
Dead at 91
OBITUARY
Nov 27, 2021 6:00 AM CST

Stephen Sondheim Dead at 91

Master behind 'Sweeney Todd,' 'West Side Story' had just celebrated Thanksgiving with friends

(Newser) - CNN calls him a creator "perhaps without par" in American musical theater. The New York Times praises him as "one of Broadway history's songwriting titans." Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the musical force behind Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With George, and Into the ...

You Have Him to Thank for So Many Epic Songs
You Have Him
to Thank for So
Many Epic Songs
obituary
Apr 21, 2021 4:43 AM CDT

You Have Him to Thank for So Many Epic Songs

Hitmaker Jim Steinman dead at 73

(Newser) - Jim Steinman, the Grammy-winning composer who wrote Meat Loaf's best-selling Bat Out Of Hell album as well as hits for Celine Dion, Air Supply, and Bonnie Tyler, has died, his brother said. He was 73. Bill Steinman told the AP that his brother died Monday from kidney failure and...

Elvis Songwriter Mac Davis Dies
Elvis Songwriter
Mac Davis Dies
OBITUARY
Sep 30, 2020 1:43 PM CDT

Elvis Songwriter Mac Davis Dies

Kenny Chesney mourns 'tremendous creative light'

(Newser) - Mac Davis, who wrote hits including "A Little Less Conversation" and "In the Ghetto" for Elvis Presley before forging a successful solo career, has died. Jim Morey, the 78-year-old's longtime manager, says Davis died Tuesday in Nashville after becoming critically ill following heart surgery. As a country...

'I Love Rock 'N' Roll' Writer Dies From Coronavirus

Alan Merrill was 69

(Newser) - Alan Merrill—who wrote the song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" that became a signature hit for fellow rocker Joan Jett—died Sunday in New York of complications from the coronavirus, his daughter said. He was 69. Laura Merrill said on her Facebook account that he died in...

The Allee Willis Song That Made Fans Light Up Was 'September'

Grammy winner also wrote 'Friends' theme

(Newser) - Allee Willis wrote hundreds of songs, including the Pointer Sisters hit "Neutron Dance" and the ubiquitous Friends theme, "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts. But it was "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, that might have brought the most joy. Willis once said "...

Writer of 'Day-O' and a National Anthem Dies

Irving Burgie's songs, many recorded by Harry Belafonte, sold more than 100 million copies

(Newser) - Irving Burgie, who wrote the words for Harry Belafonte's hit "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," as well as the Barbados national anthem, has died. He was 95 and died Friday in Brooklyn, where he was born, CNN reports. Recordings of his songs have sold more than 100...

Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' Hit With Plagiarism Claim

Songwriting brothers say they're responsible for key line

(Newser) - There's a battle raging over Lizzo's anthem "Truth Hurts"—the second longest-running No. 1 hit tied to a female rapper, with six weeks atop the Billboard's Hot 100 chart, per Forbes . As the New York Times reports, two songwriting brothers lay claim to a signature...

Grateful Dead's 'Visionary' Lyricist Dead at 78
Grateful Dead's
'Visionary' Lyricist
Dead at 78
OBITUARY
Sep 25, 2019 5:03 AM CDT

Grateful Dead's 'Visionary' Lyricist Dead at 78

'There was nobody like Bob Hunter and there never will be'

(Newser) - Robert Hunter, the man behind the poetic and mystical words for many of the Grateful Dead's finest songs, has died at age 78. Hunter died Monday at his northern California home with his wife, Maureen, at his side, former Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally tells the AP . The family...

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