Howard Greenfield
Encyclopedia
Howard Greenfield was an American
lyricist
and songwriter
, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building
. He is best known for his series of successful songwriting collaborations, including one with Neil Sedaka
from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, and a near-simultaneous (and equally successful) songwriting partnership with Jack Keller
throughout most of the 1960s.
Greenfield co-wrote four songs that reached #1 on the US Billboard charts: "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", as recorded by Neil Sedaka; "Everybody's Somebody's Fool
" and "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart
", both as recorded by Connie Francis
, and "Love Will Keep Us Together
", as recorded by The Captain & Tennille. He also co-wrote numerous other top 10 hits for Neil Sedaka (including "Oh! Carol
", "Stairway to Heaven", "Calendar Girl
", "Little Devil", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
", and "Next Door to an Angel"); Connie Francis (including the "Theme to Where The Boys Are
" and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
"); The Everly Brothers
("Crying In The Rain"); Jimmy Clanton
("Venus In Blue Jeans
") and The Shirelles
("Foolish Little Girl"). As well, Greenfield co-wrote the theme songs to numerous 1960s TV series, including Bewitched
, The Flying Nun
and Hazel
.
In 2005, "Is This The Way To Amarillo
", a song Greenfield had written with Sedaka in the early 1970s, reached #1 on the UK charts in the original 1971 version by Tony Christie
. (Note that the video featured an all-star celebrity line-up lip-synching the track, and the proceeds went to charity.) The record stayed at #1 for 7 weeks, and became the UK's best-selling record of the millennium to that time.
, New York
, by his late teens Greenfield formed a songwriting partnership with Neil Sedaka
, a friend he had met as a teenager
when they both lived in the same apartment building, in the Brighton Beach
section of Brooklyn. Greenfield was educated at Abraham Lincoln High School.
Their first recorded compositions took up both sides of the 1956 non-charting debut single by The Tokens
, of which Sedaka (but not Greenfield) was briefly a member. They then went on to supply the song "Passing Time" to The Cookies
, as well as other non-hit singles to doo-wop and groups The Clovers
and The Cardinals
. At this point, though their songs were being recorded, the income derived from these songs was minimal, and Greenfield worked as a messenger for National Cash Register.
In the spring of 1958, Greenfield and Sedaka signed to Don Kirshner
's Aldon Music
as songwriters, which had offices at 1650 Broadway in New York. (The company later moved to the Brill Building.) In their first year there, Greenfield and Sedaka wrote material for Jimmy Clanton
and Bobby Darin
, and scored their first major pop
hit single
with Connie Francis
' "Stupid Cupid
", which hit #14 on the US pop charts in September 1958. They would also write Francis' later hits "Fallin'", "Frankie" and the "Theme to Where the Boys Are," the film in which she starred.
When, in 1958, Sedaka signed to RCA Records
as a solo
artist
, he and Greenfield composed a string of hits for Sedaka to record - among them "The Diary
", "Oh! Carol
", "Stairway to Heaven", "Calendar Girl
", "Little Devil", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
", "Next Door to an Angel" and the chart-topping "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". Sedaka's recordings eventually sold a combined 25 million records.
As Sedaka's promotional and touring commitments began taking up more and more of his time, Kirshner encouraged Greenfield to collaborate with other Aldon writers. Beginning in 1960, Greenfield began a regular collaboration with Jack Keller
; they would write songs together every Monday and Wednesday for six straight years. Successful Greenfield/Keller collaborations included two consecutive US #1 hits for Connie Francis: "Everybody's Somebody's Fool
" and "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart
". They also wrote another Francis top 10 hit, "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
", Jimmy Clanton's top 10 hit "Venus In Blue Jeans
", as well as songs recorded by Frank Sinatra
, Ernest Tubb
, Patti Page
and Brenda Lee
. In addition, Greenfield and Keller supplied the theme music
for U.S. television program
s such as Bewitched
and The Flying Nun
.
Greenfield also collaborated with other Aldon songwriters, including Helen Miller, with whom he co-wrote "Foolish Little Girl" (The Shirelles
' final Top Ten hit), "It Hurts To Be in Love", originally intended for Neil Sedaka but ultimately recorded by Gene Pitney
, as well the theme for the TV series "Hazel". He also collaborated with Bill Buchanan recording a novelty record called "The Invasion" as Buchanan and Greenfield in 1964.
As well, Greenfield's one and only collaboration with Aldon songwriter Carole King
resulted in "Crying in the Rain
", a top ten hit for the Everly Brothers in 1962. The collaboration came about when, on a whim, two Aldon songwriting partnerships decided to switch partners for a day -- Gerry Goffin
(who normally worked with King) partnered with Jack Keller, leaving King and Greenfield to work as a pair for the day. Despite the commercial success of their collaboration, King and Greenfield never wrote another song together.
Sedaka and Greenfield also continued to work together as Sedaka's schedule allowed. After Sedaka's singing career cooled in 1963, the duo continued writing hits for other artists, including he 5th Dimension's) and Tom Jones
' "Puppet Man".
Greenfield moved to Los Angeles in 1966
, but still continued to collaborate with Sedaka and Keller, both of whom moved to California within a year or two of Greenfield.
Sedaka began working with other lyricists in 1970, though he and Greenfield still occasionally worked together after this time; Sedaka and Greenfield ended their songwriting partnership in 1973. Two years later their song "Love Will Keep Us Together
" (originally recorded by Sedaka in 1973) topped the Billboard Hot 100
chart in a cover version by Captain & Tennille
, as well as earning a Grammy Award for Record of the Year
. This version of "Love..." was the best-selling single of the year 1975.
Though no new compositions of Greenfield's charted after this time, Sedaka had a substantial hit in 1975 with a drastically re-arranged version of the Greenfield/Sedaka composition "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". As well, a re-release of the Greenfield/Sedaka song "Is This The Way To Amarillo" (originally a UK hit for Tony Christie in 1971) became the UK's best-selling record of 2005.
Greenfield died, aged 49, in Los Angeles
, California
in 1986 from complications due to AIDS
. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
. Damon died from AIDS complications just a few days later.
In 1991, Howard Greenfield was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
.
"You Gotta Make Your Own Sunshine"
, and he said, My mother heard you play and thought we could write a song together". - Neil Sedaka, in Goldmine
magazine
, recalling this event.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and 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...
, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous 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...
. He is best known for his series of successful songwriting collaborations, including one with Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, and a near-simultaneous (and equally successful) songwriting partnership with Jack Keller
Jack Keller (songwriter)
Jack Keller A legend in his own right, Jack Keller wrote hit songs in every genre of music over a period of nearly 40 years with success in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville....
throughout most of the 1960s.
Greenfield co-wrote four songs that reached #1 on the US Billboard charts: "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", as recorded by Neil Sedaka; "Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Everybody's Somebody's Fool
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is a song written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in mid 1960....
" and "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart
Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart
"Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" is a popular song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller recorded by Connie Francis in a 18 October 1960 New York City session conducted and arranged by Stan Applebaum; the same session produced "Where the Boys Are" to which "Breakin' in a Brand New...
", both as recorded by Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
, and "Love Will Keep Us Together
Love Will Keep Us Together
"Love Will Keep Us Together" is a popular song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in 1973. It was first released in the United Kingdom on Sedaka's 1973 LP The Tra-La Days Are Over, which was never released in the U.S. The song arrived in the U.S...
", as recorded by The Captain & Tennille. He also co-wrote numerous other top 10 hits for Neil Sedaka (including "Oh! Carol
Oh! Carol
"Oh! Carol", sometimes just "Oh Carol" is an international hit written by Neil Sedaka in 1958 about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. The song was co-written with Howard Greenfield. The song reached #9 in the American charts in 1959. It also earned Sedaka his first #1...
", "Stairway to Heaven", "Calendar Girl
Calendar Girl (song)
"Calendar Girl" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and was a hit single for Neil Sedaka. It was released in 1961 reaching #4 on the US Billboard chart, making it one of the better-known Sedaka songs alongside "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" "Oh! Carol", and "Breaking Up Is Hard...
", "Little Devil", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" is a pop song released in 1961 by Neil Sedaka. Sedaka wrote the music and performed the song, while the lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield...
", and "Next Door to an Angel"); Connie Francis (including the "Theme to Where The Boys Are
Where the Boys Are
The kind of cool modern jazz popularized by such acts as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Chico Hamilton, then in the vanguard of the college music market, features in a number of scenes with Basil...
" and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
"My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960.-1960 hit:...
"); The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
("Crying In The Rain"); Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just A Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies...
("Venus In Blue Jeans
Venus In Blue Jeans
"Venus In Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded in 1962 by Jimmy Clanton, peaking at #7 on the Billboard charts. It appeared on the Chum Charts in Toronto on September 3, 1962 at position #46. It stayed on the Chum Chart for 11 weeks peaking at #5...
") and The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
("Foolish Little Girl"). As well, Greenfield co-wrote the theme songs to numerous 1960s TV series, including Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
, The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
and Hazel
Hazel (TV series)
Hazel is a Screen Gems television series about a fictional live-in maid named Hazel Burke and her employers, the Baxters. The five-season, 154-episode series aired in primetime from September 1961 until April 1966...
.
In 2005, "Is This The Way To Amarillo
Is This the Way to Amarillo
In the United States, a version by the writer of the song Neil Sedaka made to number 44 in the Billboard charts in 1977, and the title was shortened to "Amarillo".-Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay version:...
", a song Greenfield had written with Sedaka in the early 1970s, reached #1 on the UK charts in the original 1971 version by Tony Christie
Tony Christie
Tony Christie is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his track, "Is This The Way To Amarillo", a double UK chart success.-Career:Tony Christie has sold over 10 million albums Worldwide...
. (Note that the video featured an all-star celebrity line-up lip-synching the track, and the proceeds went to charity.) The record stayed at #1 for 7 weeks, and became the UK's best-selling record of the millennium to that time.
Career
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, 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...
, by his late teens Greenfield formed a songwriting partnership with Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
, a friend he had met as a teenager
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
when they both lived in the same apartment building, in the Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
section of Brooklyn. Greenfield was educated at Abraham Lincoln High School.
Their first recorded compositions took up both sides of the 1956 non-charting debut single by The Tokens
The Tokens
The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...
, of which Sedaka (but not Greenfield) was briefly a member. They then went on to supply the song "Passing Time" to The Cookies
The Cookies
The Cookies were an American R&B girl group in the 1950s to 1960s. Members of the original lineup would later become The Raelettes, the backing vocalists for Ray Charles.-History:...
, as well as other non-hit singles to doo-wop and groups The Clovers
The Clovers
-History:The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead...
and The Cardinals
The Cardinals
The Cardinals are an American rock band that were formed in 2004 by alternative country singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and fronted by him until 2009. The band was featured on Ryan Adams and the Cardinals albums, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights, Follow the Lights, Cardinology and III/IV...
. At this point, though their songs were being recorded, the income derived from these songs was minimal, and Greenfield worked as a messenger for National Cash Register.
In the spring of 1958, Greenfield and Sedaka signed to Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner , known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees, Kansas and The Archies.-Early life:Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor,...
's Aldon Music
Aldon Music
Aldon Music was a New York-based music publishing company, founded by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in 1958. Aldon is regarded as having played a significant role in shaping the so-called "Brill Building Sound" in the late 1950s and 1960s....
as songwriters, which had offices at 1650 Broadway in New York. (The company later moved to the Brill Building.) In their first year there, Greenfield and Sedaka wrote material for Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just A Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies...
and Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
, and scored their first major pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
with Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
' "Stupid Cupid
Stupid Cupid
"Stupid Cupid" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka which became a hit for Connie Francis in 1958.In the spring of 1958 Francis had hit #4 with her breakout hit, a rock ballad version of the standard "Who's Sorry Now?"...
", which hit #14 on the US pop charts in September 1958. They would also write Francis' later hits "Fallin'", "Frankie" and the "Theme to Where the Boys Are," the film in which she starred.
When, in 1958, Sedaka signed to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
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....
, he and Greenfield composed a string of hits for Sedaka to record - among them "The Diary
The Diary (song)
"The Diary" is a song by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and is Neil Sedaka's debut single in 1958. It was issued on his 1959 debut solo album Rock with Sedaka on RCA. It was reissued on his 1961 album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits and again in 1963 on the album Neil Sedaka...
", "Oh! Carol
Oh! Carol
"Oh! Carol", sometimes just "Oh Carol" is an international hit written by Neil Sedaka in 1958 about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. The song was co-written with Howard Greenfield. The song reached #9 in the American charts in 1959. It also earned Sedaka his first #1...
", "Stairway to Heaven", "Calendar Girl
Calendar Girl (song)
"Calendar Girl" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and was a hit single for Neil Sedaka. It was released in 1961 reaching #4 on the US Billboard chart, making it one of the better-known Sedaka songs alongside "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" "Oh! Carol", and "Breaking Up Is Hard...
", "Little Devil", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" is a pop song released in 1961 by Neil Sedaka. Sedaka wrote the music and performed the song, while the lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield...
", "Next Door to an Angel" and the chart-topping "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". Sedaka's recordings eventually sold a combined 25 million records.
As Sedaka's promotional and touring commitments began taking up more and more of his time, Kirshner encouraged Greenfield to collaborate with other Aldon writers. Beginning in 1960, Greenfield began a regular collaboration with Jack Keller
Jack Keller (songwriter)
Jack Keller A legend in his own right, Jack Keller wrote hit songs in every genre of music over a period of nearly 40 years with success in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville....
; they would write songs together every Monday and Wednesday for six straight years. Successful Greenfield/Keller collaborations included two consecutive US #1 hits for Connie Francis: "Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Everybody's Somebody's Fool
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is a song written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in mid 1960....
" and "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart
Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart
"Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" is a popular song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller recorded by Connie Francis in a 18 October 1960 New York City session conducted and arranged by Stan Applebaum; the same session produced "Where the Boys Are" to which "Breakin' in a Brand New...
". They also wrote another Francis top 10 hit, "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
"My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960.-1960 hit:...
", Jimmy Clanton's top 10 hit "Venus In Blue Jeans
Venus In Blue Jeans
"Venus In Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded in 1962 by Jimmy Clanton, peaking at #7 on the Billboard charts. It appeared on the Chum Charts in Toronto on September 3, 1962 at position #46. It stayed on the Chum Chart for 11 weeks peaking at #5...
", as well as songs recorded 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...
, Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
, Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
and Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
. In addition, Greenfield and Keller supplied the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for U.S. television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s such as Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
and The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
.
Greenfield also collaborated with other Aldon songwriters, including Helen Miller, with whom he co-wrote "Foolish Little Girl" (The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
' final Top Ten hit), "It Hurts To Be in Love", originally intended for Neil Sedaka but ultimately recorded by Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
, as well the theme for the TV series "Hazel". He also collaborated with Bill Buchanan recording a novelty record called "The Invasion" as Buchanan and Greenfield in 1964.
As well, Greenfield's one and only collaboration with Aldon songwriter Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
resulted in "Crying in the Rain
Crying in the Rain
"Crying in the Rain" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Carole King and was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers. The single peaked at #6 on the U.S. pop charts.-Track listing:-Chart performance:-A-ha version:...
", a top ten hit for the Everly Brothers in 1962. The collaboration came about when, on a whim, two Aldon songwriting partnerships decided to switch partners for a day -- Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
(who normally worked with King) partnered with Jack Keller, leaving King and Greenfield to work as a pair for the day. Despite the commercial success of their collaboration, King and Greenfield never wrote another song together.
Sedaka and Greenfield also continued to work together as Sedaka's schedule allowed. After Sedaka's singing career cooled in 1963, the duo continued writing hits for other artists, including he 5th Dimension's) and Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
' "Puppet Man".
Greenfield moved to Los Angeles in 1966
, but still continued to collaborate with Sedaka and Keller, both of whom moved to California within a year or two of Greenfield.
Sedaka began working with other lyricists in 1970, though he and Greenfield still occasionally worked together after this time; Sedaka and Greenfield ended their songwriting partnership in 1973. Two years later their song "Love Will Keep Us Together
Love Will Keep Us Together
"Love Will Keep Us Together" is a popular song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in 1973. It was first released in the United Kingdom on Sedaka's 1973 LP The Tra-La Days Are Over, which was never released in the U.S. The song arrived in the U.S...
" (originally recorded by Sedaka in 1973) topped the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in a cover version by Captain & Tennille
Captain & Tennille
Captain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of husband and wife duo "Captain" Daryl Dragon , and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille . They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me...
, as well as earning a Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
. This version of "Love..." was the best-selling single of the year 1975.
Though no new compositions of Greenfield's charted after this time, Sedaka had a substantial hit in 1975 with a drastically re-arranged version of the Greenfield/Sedaka composition "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". As well, a re-release of the Greenfield/Sedaka song "Is This The Way To Amarillo" (originally a UK hit for Tony Christie in 1971) became the UK's best-selling record of 2005.
Personal life
Greenfield was openly gay, even though during the era in which he lived it was unusual to be open about this. (Being openly gay was, however, not entirely uncommon amongst people in the entertainment industry who worked outside the public eye.) His companion from the early 1960s to his death was cabaret singer Tory Damon; the two lived together in an apartment on East 63rd Street in Manhattan before moving to California in 1966.Greenfield died, aged 49, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, 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 1986 from complications due to AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
. Damon died from AIDS complications just a few days later.
In 1991, Howard Greenfield 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...
.
Songs
- "Amarillo"
- "A Woman is a Sentimental Thing"
- "Baby Roo"
- "Bewitched"
- "Birds Do It"
- "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken HeartBreakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart"Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" is a popular song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller recorded by Connie Francis in a 18 October 1960 New York City session conducted and arranged by Stan Applebaum; the same session produced "Where the Boys Are" to which "Breakin' in a Brand New...
" - "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"
- "Calendar Girl"
- "Call Me Crazy"
- "Candy Heart"
- "Counting Teardrops"
- "Cry a Little Sometimes"
- "Crying in the RainCrying in the Rain"Crying in the Rain" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Carole King and was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers. The single peaked at #6 on the U.S. pop charts.-Track listing:-Chart performance:-A-ha version:...
" - "Does Goodnight Mean Goodbye?"
- "Don't Hide Your Love"
- "Don't Read the Letter I Wrote You"
- "Eternity"
- "Everybody's Somebody's FoolEverybody's Somebody's Fool"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is a song written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in mid 1960....
" - "Falling"
- "Find Yourself a Rainbow"
- "Foolish Little Girl"
- "Funny Thing About Time"
- "Get Rid of Him"
- "Happy Birthday Sweet SixteenHappy Birthday Sweet Sixteen"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" is a pop song released in 1961 by Neil Sedaka. Sedaka wrote the music and performed the song, while the lyrics were written by Howard Greenfield...
" - "Heartache Named Johnny"
- "High School Girl"
- "I Gotta Find Her"
- "I Think It’s Gonna Rain"
- "I Wish I'd Never Been Born"
- "Is This the Way to AmarilloIs This the Way to AmarilloIn the United States, a version by the writer of the song Neil Sedaka made to number 44 in the Billboard charts in 1977, and the title was shortened to "Amarillo".-Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay version:...
" - "It Hurts to Be in Love"
- "King of the Mountain"
- "Let's Go to the Movies"
- "Little Devil"
- "Love Will Keep Us TogetherLove Will Keep Us Together"Love Will Keep Us Together" is a popular song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in 1973. It was first released in the United Kingdom on Sedaka's 1973 LP The Tra-La Days Are Over, which was never released in the U.S. The song arrived in the U.S...
" - "Lovey Kravezit"
- "Lucky in Love with You"
- "My Heart Has a Mind of Its OwnMy Heart Has a Mind of Its Own"My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960.-1960 hit:...
" - "Next Door to an Angel"
- "Nobody's Asking Questions (But Everyone Wants To Know)"
- "Oh! CarolOh! Carol"Oh! Carol", sometimes just "Oh Carol" is an international hit written by Neil Sedaka in 1958 about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. The song was co-written with Howard Greenfield. The song reached #9 in the American charts in 1959. It also earned Sedaka his first #1...
" - "Our Last Song Together"
- "Passing Time"
- "Poor Little Puppet"
- "Puppet Man"
- "Put Yourself in My Place"
- "Rainy Day Bells"
- "She'll Never Be You"
- "Sing Me"
- "Stairway to Heaven"
- "Standing in The Ruins (Of Our Old Love Affair)"
- "Stranger in The World"
- "Stupid Cupid"
- "The Diary"
- "The Doll House Is Empty"
- "The Hungry Years"
- "The Other Side of Me"
- "Two Less Lonely People in The World"
- "Venus in Blue JeansVenus In Blue Jeans"Venus In Blue Jeans" is a 1962 song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded in 1962 by Jimmy Clanton, peaking at #7 on the Billboard charts. It appeared on the Chum Charts in Toronto on September 3, 1962 at position #46. It stayed on the Chum Chart for 11 weeks peaking at #5...
" - "(Wait Till You See) My Gidget"
- "Walking in the Footsteps of a Fool"
- "When the Boys Meet the Girls"
- "When Somebody Loves You"
- "Where the Boys Are"
"You Gotta Make Your Own Sunshine"
- "You Mean Everything to Me"
- "You Never Done It Like That"
- "Your Used to Be"
See also
- Inductees of the Songwriters Hall of FameInductees of the Songwriters Hall of FameThis a list of inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dates of induction are given alongside the names.-A:*Adams, Lee *Adair, Tom *Adamson, Harold *Adler, Richard *Ager, Milton *Ahlert, Fred *Akst, Harry...
- Aldon MusicAldon MusicAldon Music was a New York-based music publishing company, founded by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in 1958. Aldon is regarded as having played a significant role in shaping the so-called "Brill Building Sound" in the late 1950s and 1960s....
- List of HIV-positive people
Quotation
"After Howie's mother Ella had seen me, he came ringing my doorbell. I was playing ChopinFrédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, and he said, My mother heard you play and thought we could write a song together". - Neil Sedaka, in Goldmine
Goldmine (magazine)
Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, recalling this event.