http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/arts/music/24weiss.html?_r=1
George David Weiss, Writer of Hit Pop Songs, Dies at 89
By MARGALIT FOX
Published: August 23, 2010
George David Weiss, a songwriter who had a hand in some of the biggest
hits of midcentury pop music, recorded by some of the biggest stars,
died on Monday at his home in Oldwick, N.J. He was 89.
The death was of natural causes, his wife, Claire, said.
Among his most famous numbers were "Can't Help Falling in Love,"
recorded by Elvis Presley; "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," recorded by the
Tokens; and "What a Wonderful World," recorded by Louis Armstrong.
"Can't Help Falling in Love," introduced in Presley's 1961 film "Blue
Hawaii," was a million-seller. It has words and music by Mr. Weiss, Hugo
Peretti and Luigi Creatore.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961), based on a South African Zulu song
first recorded in the 1930s, was given a reworked melody and new lyrics
("In the jungle, the mighty jungle/The lion sleeps tonight") by Mr.
Weiss, Mr. Peretti and Mr. Creatore.
Their adaptation, which kept the refrain - "Wimoweh, wimoweh" -
popularized in a 1950s version by the Weavers, became a million-selling
hit for the Tokens. Widely recorded since, the song has been used in
many motion pictures, including "The Lion King" (1994).
"What a Wonderful World" (1967), with words and music by Mr. Weiss and
Bob Thiele, came to renewed attention after Armstrong's recording of it
was featured on the soundtrack of the 1987 film "Good Morning, Vietnam."
The Armstrong version has since become a contemporary standard.
Mr. Weiss's other standards include "Lullaby of Birdland" (1952), the
vocal version of George Shearing's jazz standard, and many songs with
his frequent collaborator Bennie Benjamin, among them "Surrender"
(1946), recorded by Perry Como; "Confess" (1948), recorded by Patti
Page; and "Wheel of Fortune" (1952), recorded by Kay Starr.
He collaborated on several Broadway musicals, the best known of which is
"Mr. Wonderful" (1956), starring Sammy Davis Jr., for which Mr. Weiss
contributed original music and lyrics with Jerry Bock and Larry
Holofcener.
His other Broadway credits include "First Impressions" (1959), an
adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" starring Polly Bergen,
Hermione Gingold and Farley Granger, for which Mr. Weiss wrote music and
lyrics with Robert Goldman and Glenn Paxton; and "Maggie Flynn" (1968),
starring Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, with book, music and lyrics by
Mr. Weiss, Mr. Peretti and Mr. Creatore.
Mr. Weiss was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. As
president of the Songwriters Guild of America from 1982 to 2000, he
spoke widely about copyright issues and testified before government
bodies.
George David Weiss was born in Manhattan on April 9, 1921. He wanted to
be a musician. His mother wanted him to be a lawyer. The ensuing
emotional battle, he later said, drove him to consult a doctor.
As Mr. Weiss recounted in a 1995 interview with The Miami Herald, the
prescription was simple. The doctor asked: "Mrs. Weiss, what would you
rather have? A live bum of a musician or a dead lawyer?"
Mr. Weiss, who played the violin, piano, saxophone and clarinet, earned
a bachelor's degree in music theory from the Juilliard School and
afterward served as a military bandleader in World War II before
beginning his songwriting career.
Mr. Weiss's first marriage, to Bea Foster, ended in divorce, as did his
second, to Rosalyn Marks. In addition to his wife, the former Claire
Nicholson, whom he married in 1976, he is survived by a sister, Harriet
Harbus; two sons, Barry and Jeffrey, and a daughter, Peggy Self, from
his first marriage; a son, Robert, from his second marriage; and eight
grandchildren.
In an interview with The Santa Fe New Mexican in 1995, Mr. Weiss
described the making of one of his early hits, "Oh! What It Seemed to
Be" (1946), written with Mr. Benjamin and Frankie Carle.
After finding a publisher for the song, the writers went in search of a
singer. They called on Frank Sinatra, and a nervous young Mr. Weiss
played it through for him.
"Before I had finished it Sinatra was on the phone calling the record
company and telling them he just heard a great song and wanted to record
it," Mr. Weiss recalled. "You can imagine what happened to me - I froze
at the piano. I just kept playing. See, the publisher had told me that
no matter what happens, I should keep playing to make sure the tune got
into their heads."
He continued: "So everyone sat down and discussed horses and women and
gossip for a half hour or so, and I'm still playing that song at the
piano. Finally, the publisher comes over to me, lifts me up under the
armpits and says, 'Say goodbye to Frank.' I said goodbye and they led me
out like a zombie."
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