David Mann (songwriter)
Encyclopedia
David Mann was an American
songwriter
of popular
song
s. His best known songs are "There! I've Said It Again
" (1945), popularized first by Vaughn Monroe
and later by Bobby Vinton
, and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
" (1950), recorded
most notably by Frank Sinatra
, but covered
by many other artists
over the decades.
by ear, at the age of 4, and by age 13, he was playing around Philadelphia. He attended the Curtis Institute of Music
, where, when Mann was graduating
, Leonard Bernstein
, was entering, and the two men became friends. In 1939, he changed his name from Freedman to Mann for the WCAU
radio station
's Mann-Irwin Show.
In late 1939, Mann moved to New York
and became a Decca Records
session musician
. He was in Charley Spivak's orchestra
until 1941. He also worked with the Jimmy Dorsey
band, singer Gordon Macrae
, and Artie Shaw
's orchestra. All the while, Mann was composing
, and had an office in the Brill Building
.
During World War II
, Mann joined the United States Army
. Upon his discharge from the Army in 1945, they had the honor of placing Mann as personal pianist
to President Truman
.
Mann appeared in the film
s: Twenty Grand, I Dood It
, Four Jills and A Jeep, Pin-Up Girl, and (during his Artie Shaw days) Second Chorus
. He went to Hollywood, California
in the 1950s where he composed the scores
for three Disney
Nature Series films, - The Living Desert
, Water Birds and Seal Island
.
One of Mann's hits "There I've Said it Again" - the Bobby Vinton
version of 1963 - was the last #1 in the United States
before the British Invasion
. It was knocked off the top spot by The Beatles
' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand
".
Thereafter his songwriting career fizzled away and he left the music industry.
David Mann died in March 2002 from complications due to pneumonia
and kidney failure
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
of popular
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s. His best known songs are "There! I've Said It Again
There! I've Said It Again
"There! I've Said It Again" is a popular song written by Redd Evans and David Mann popularized originally by Vaughn Monroe in 1945, and then again in late 1963 by Bobby Vinton....
" (1945), popularized first by Vaughn Monroe
Vaughn Monroe
Vaughn Wilton Monroe was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader and actor, most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording and radio.-Biography:...
and later by Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
, and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is a 1955 popular song composed by David Mann, with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was introduced as the title track of Frank Sinatra's 1955 album In the Wee Small Hours....
" (1950), recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
most notably by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, but covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by many other artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
over the decades.
Career
Mann was able to play the pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
by ear, at the age of 4, and by age 13, he was playing around Philadelphia. He attended the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
, where, when Mann was graduating
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, was entering, and the two men became friends. In 1939, he changed his name from Freedman to Mann for the WCAU
WPHT
WPHT is a CBS Radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting on 1210 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it broadcasts in an omnidirectional pattern that allows it to cover most of the eastern half of North America at night. It uses the nickname "Talk Radio 1210 WPHT." The...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
's Mann-Irwin Show.
In late 1939, Mann moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and became a Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. He was in Charley Spivak's orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
until 1941. He also worked with the Jimmy Dorsey
Jimmy Dorsey
James "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
band, singer Gordon Macrae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
, and Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
's orchestra. All the while, Mann was composing
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and had an office in the Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mann joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Upon his discharge from the Army in 1945, they had the honor of placing Mann as personal pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
to President Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
.
Mann appeared in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s: Twenty Grand, I Dood It
I Dood It
I Dood It is a 1943 MGM musical-comedy film starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell, and directed by Vincente Minnelli. The screenplay is by Fred Saidy and Sig Herzig and the film features Richard Ainley, Patricia Dane, Lena Horne and Hazel Scott...
, Four Jills and A Jeep, Pin-Up Girl, and (during his Artie Shaw days) Second Chorus
Second Chorus
Second Chorus is a Hollywood musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire, Burgess Meredith, Paulette Goddard, Artie Shaw, and Charles Butterworth, with music by Artie Shaw, Bernie Hanighen, Hal Borne and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The film was directed by H. C...
. He went to Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the 1950s where he composed the scores
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 three Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
Nature Series films, - The Living Desert
The Living Desert
The Living Desert is a 1953 American nature documentary film which shows the everyday lives of the animals of the desert of the southwestern United States. The movie was written by James Algar, Winston Hibler, Jack Moffitt and Ted Sears. It was directed by Algar, with Hibler as the narrator...
, Water Birds and Seal Island
Seal Island
Seal Island is a small land mass located 5.7 km off the northern beaches of False Bay, near Cape Town, in South Africa. The island is so named because of the great number of Cape Fur Seals that occupy it. There are a few sea birds as well. It is an outcrop of the Cape granite and rises no more...
.
One of Mann's hits "There I've Said it Again" - the Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
version of 1963 - was the last #1 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
. It was knocked off the top spot by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment....
".
Thereafter his songwriting career fizzled away and he left the music industry.
David Mann died in March 2002 from complications due to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and kidney failure
Renal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
.
Songs written
- "Abbreviation Song, The", with Bob HilliardBob HilliardBob Hilliard was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs; "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Our Day Will Come", "My Little Corner of the World", and "Seven Little Girls ".-Career:Born in New York City, New York, and after...
- "Aggravatin' Situation", with Gene Irwin and Bickley S. Reichner
- "All I Want is Everything", with Redd EvansRedd EvansRedd Evans was a music lyricist whose songs have been recorded by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Doris Day amongst many others....
- "Apple", with Bob Hilliard
- "Baby Come Home", with Jack MurrayJack MurrayJack Murray is a former Australian rules footballer who was highly successful in the West Australian National Football League .Murray played 172 games from 1935 to 1940 and from 1945 to 1949, as either a ruckman or a defender, for the Swan Districts Football Club...
- "Boutonniere", with Bob Hilliard
- "Castanets and Lace", with Bob Hilliard and Milton Leeds
- "Castles in the Sand", with Bob Hilliard
- "Champagne", with Al StillmanAl StillmanAl Stillman was an American lyricist.-Biography:Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman, but changed it to that of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P...
- "Cocker Spaniel Polka", with Bob Hilliard
- "Come Down to Earth Mr Smith", with Jack Murray
- "DearieDearie"Dearie" is a popular song.The music was written by David Mann; the lyrics, by Bob Hilliard. The song was published in 1950.The song is about reminiscences, and often sung as a duet...
", with Bob Hilliard - "Don't Go To Strangers", with Redd Evans and Arthur Kent
- "Down in Nashville Tennessee", with Bob Hilliard
- "Downhearted", with Bob Hilliard
- "Downhill", with Bob Hilliard
- "Elegy", originally by Louis Marie A. Gallet and Jules Emile F. Massenet, with both Mann and Charlie SpivakCharlie SpivakCharlie Spivak was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s.-Biography:...
credited with the modern version. - "Genius at Work", with Jimmy DorseyJimmy DorseyJames "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
also credited - "Gentle Lover",
- "Golden Roses and Silver", with Bob Hilliard
- "Hot Meat Blue Plate Special", with J. Francis Burke and Mack DavidMack DavidMack David was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. Mack was credited with writing lyrics and/or music for over one thousand songs...
- "How Come the Mortgage Ain't Paid", with Bob Hilliard and Steve Nelson
- "I'de Wanna Walk Right", with Buddy Kaye
- "I Hate You", with Jack Murray
- "I Like Stinky Cheese", with Mart Fryberg
- "I'll Sing to You", with Tolchard Evans and Harold Simpson
- "I'm Gonna Go Back Home", with Redd Evans
- "I'm in Favor of Friendship", with Bob Hilliard
- "I've Only Myself to Blame", with Redd Evans
- "I Went Down to Virginia", with Redd Evans
- "In the Wee Small Hours of the MorningIn the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is a 1955 popular song composed by David Mann, with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was introduced as the title track of Frank Sinatra's 1955 album In the Wee Small Hours....
", with Bob Hilliard - "In Your Loving Care", with Bob Hilliard
- "It Might As Well Rain", with Mack Discant
- "Jealous Eyes", with Bob Hilliard
- "Just for the Bridegroom", with Bob Hilliard
- "Just Got to Have Him Around", with Redd Evans
- "King's Alley", with Gerhard Winkler
- "Let's Have a Party", with Bob Hilliard
- "Lolly Lolly Loo", with Maurice SiglerMaurice SiglerMaurice Sigler was an American banjoist and songwriter.Sigler was born in New York City but moved to Birmingham, Alabama at an early age and received his musical tuition there...
- "Long Distance Love", with Bob Hilliard
- "Look Out the Window", with Bob Hilliard
- "Love Mystery Adventure", with Bob Hilliard
- "Made Up My Mind", with Redd Evans
- "Mile Down the Highway", with Bob Hilliard
- "My Baby is Blue", with Jeanne Burns and Redd Evans
- "No Moon at All", with Redd Evans
- "No Well on Earth", with Bob Hilliard
- "Old Familiar Love Song, An", with Bob Hilliard
- "Only Man on the Island", with Bob Hilliard
- "Passing Fancy, A", with Bob Hilliard
- "Peter Platypus", with Leo G. Diamond
- "Rhyme Your Name", with Redd Evans
- "Roses Roses Roses", with Bob Hilliard
- "Smorgasbord at a Party", with Bob Hilliard
- "Solid as a Rock", with Bob Hilliard
- "Somebody Bad Stole de Wedding Bell", with Bob Hilliard
- "Something Made Me Wait", with Jack Murray
- "Song and Dance Man", with Bob Hilliard
- "Southern Cross, The", with Bob Hilliard
- "Sweet Forgiveness", with Bob Hilliard
- "Take Me With You",
- "There! I've Said It AgainThere! I've Said It Again"There! I've Said It Again" is a popular song written by Redd Evans and David Mann popularized originally by Vaughn Monroe in 1945, and then again in late 1963 by Bobby Vinton....
", with Redd Evans - "These Will be The Best of Times", with Bob Hilliard
- "Tiptoe", with Buck RamBuck RamBuck Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger.-Biography:...
- "Trust My Foolish Heart", with Claudia Carson and Virginia Johnson
- "You Dance With Me", with Jack Murray