Legendary lyricist Norman Gimbel recently passed away (on Dec. 19) at age 91. He wrote two Broadway musicals with Moose Charlap - ''Whoop-Up'' (1959) and ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' (1961); though they're largely forgotten, Gimbel also left a lyrical legacy of so many memorable songs:
* ''Killing Me Softly With His Song'': He and Charles Fox won the 1973 Song of the Year Grammy for the Roberta Flack hit.
* The TV themes to ''Happy Days,'' ''Laverne and Shirley,'' ''Wonder Woman'' (also with longtime collaborator Fox).
* ''It Goes Like It Goes'' from ''Norma Rae'': Gimbel and David Shire won the 1980 Oscar for Best Original Song.
* The English lyrics to ''Sway'' and ''The Girl From Ipanema'' (which Sondheim parodied in his ''The Boy From ...'').
* The English lyrics to ''I Will Wait for You'' from Michel Legrand's ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.''
In 1984, Gimbel was deservedly inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. |
