Leslie Bricusse

English composer, lyricist and playwright (1931–2021)

Leslie Bricusse

Birth name| Leslie Charles Bricusse
Born| (1931-01-29)29 January 1931
Southfields, London, England
Died| 19 October 2021(2021-10-19) (aged 90)
Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
Occupations|

* Composer
* lyricist
* playwright

Years active| 1952–2021
Spouse|

Yvonne Romain

(m. 1958)​

Musical artist

Leslie Bricusse OBE (/ˈbrɪkəs/;[1] 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films Doctor Dolittle; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Scrooge; Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; Tom and Jerry: The Movie; the titular James Bond film songs "Goldfinger" and "You Only Live Twice"; "Can You Read My Mind? (Love Theme from Superman)" (with John Williams) from Superman; and "Le Jazz Hot!" (with Henry Mancini) from Victor/Victoria.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Bricusse was born in Southfields, London on 29 January 1931, the son of Ann Mary (née Mills) and Cedric Bricusse, who already had a daughter. His paternal grandfather was Belgian, whilst his mother's father came from Belfast in Northern Ireland. When Bricusse was two years old, his parents relocated to Pinner, Middlesex,[a] and he was educated at University College School, Hampstead.[2] After completing a two-year period of National Service with the Royal Army Service Corps,[3] he studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.[4][5] He was secretary of Footlights in 1952–53, and president the following year.[6][7] He also formed the Cambridge University Musical Comedy Club, and wrote the lyrics for its first production, Lady at the Wheel, in 1953.[8][9] It was during his college drama career that Bricusse began working for Beatrice Lillie.[10] After later starring in her stage show An Evening with Beatrice Lillie for a year, he decided to concentrate on writing rather than performing.[11]

## Career

[edit]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Bricusse enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Anthony Newley. They wrote the musical Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (1961), which was the basis of a 1966 film version and featured the Grammy-winning Song of the Year “What Kind of Fool Am I?” Also in collaboration with Newley, Bricusse wrote the show The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (1965) and music for the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), based on the children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. For the latter, they received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song Score. When he collaborated with Newley, the two men referred to themselves as "Brickman and Newburg" – nicknames which arose after an unsuccessful attempt to create a musical based on Ingmar Bergman's film comedy Smiles of a Summer Night.[12] "Newburg" concentrated mainly on the music and "Brickman" on the lyrics, whilst Ian Fraser often did their arrangements.[citation needed]

Working solely as a lyricist, he collaborated with composer Cyril Ornadel on Pickwick (1963), based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers, a successful vehicle for Harry Secombe. His later collaborators included Henry Mancini (Victor/Victoria in 1982 and Tom and Jerry: The Movie in 1992) and John Williams (Home Alone in 1990 and Hook in 1991).

Bricusse composed the music and lyrics for the songs in the 1967 film Doctor Dolittle, which co-starred Newley, and also wrote its screenplay. Although the movie flopped at the box-office,[13] "Talk to the Animals" earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He also scored the film Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969).[citation needed]

Sammy Davis Jr. had hits with two songs by Bricusse, "What Kind of Fool Am I?" (1962), from Stop the World - I Want to Get Off, and "The Candy Man" (1972), from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In the United States, the latter release topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for three weeks, and was the singer's biggest hit.[14][15]

Other recording artists who recorded successful versions of his songs include Nina Simone ("Feeling Good"), Matt Monro and Frank Sinatra ("My Kind of Girl"), Shirley Bassey ("Goldfinger"), Harry Secombe ("If I Ruled the World"), Nancy Sinatra ("You Only Live Twice"), The Turtles ("A Guide for the Married Man"), Maureen McGovern ("Can You Read My Mind"), and Diana Krall ("When I Look in Your Eyes").[16]

Bricusse partnered with George Tipton to write the opening theme of the American television sitcom It's a Living.[17]

Pure Imagination: The World of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, devised and directed by Bruce Kimmel, opened at the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California, on 7 December 2013. In 2015, it went to the St James Theatre, London.[18]

Bricusse was inducuted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989.[19] On 29 October 2001, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for "services to the film industry and the theatre"[20] from Queen Elizabeth II at a Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony.[21]

In 2015, he released a memoir entitled Pure Imagination: A Sorta-Biography, with a foreword by Elton John.[22]

## Personal life

[edit]

Bricusse lived in California and in London, in an apartment overlooking the River Thames.[citation needed] He married actress Yvonne "Evie" Romain on 18 October 1958 at  St James's Church, Marylebone.[23] The couple's son, Adam Cedric (born 4 April 1964),[24] pursued a career as an artist after studying fine art at Merton College, Oxford.[25][26]

## Death

[edit]

Bricusse died in his sleep in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, on 19 October 2021, aged 90.[27][28] In 2024, his wife donated his papers, including 225 notebooks, to the Library of Congress.[29][30]

## Works

[edit]

### Musicals

[edit]

* Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (with Anthony Newley) (1961) – includes "Once in a Lifetime" and "What Kind of Fool Am I?"[31][32]
* Pickwick – with Cyril Ornadel (1963)[33]
* The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (with Newley) (1965) – includes "Who Can I Turn to (When Nobody Needs Me)?" and "Feeling Good"
* Doctor Dolittle (1967) – includes "Talk to the Animals"
* Sweet November (with Newley) (1968)
* Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)[34]
* Scrooge (with Ian Fraser; Herbert W. Spencer, 1970) – includes "Thank You Very Much"
* Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (with Newley, 1971) - includes “Pure Imagination” and “The Candy Man”
* Beyond the Rainbow (lyrics only, 1978)[35]
* The Good Old Bad Old Days (with Newley, 1974)
* Peter Pan (television, with Newley, 1976)
* Victor Victoria (film with Henry Mancini, 1982)
* Babes in Toyland (1986 film) (with Newley, 1986)
* Sherlock Holmes: The Musical – book, music, and lyrics by Bricusse (1989)[36]
* Hook (with John Williams) (1991) – includes "When You're Alone"
* Jekyll & Hyde (lyrics only, 1990/1994/1997)
* Scrooge (1992 stage musical)
* Victor/Victoria (1995 Broadway musical)
* Doctor Dolittle (1998 stage musical)
* Cyrano (2009, Tokyo, with Frank Wildhorn)[citation needed]
* Sammy (2009) – Old Globe Theatre[37]

### Songs

[edit]

Source:[38]

* "Out of Town" with Robin Beaumont (1956)
* "My Kind of Girl" (1961)
* "What Kind of Fool Am I?" with Anthony Newley (1963)
* "Who Can I Turn To" with Anthony Newley (1964)
* "Feeling Good" with Anthony Newley (1964)
* "Goldfinger" (with John Barry and Anthony Newley) from Goldfinger (1964)
* "A Guide for the Married Man" (with John Williams) from the film A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
* "You Only Live Twice" (with Barry) from You Only Live Twice (1967)
* "Two for the Road" (with Henry Mancini) from Two for the Road (1967)
* "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle (1967)
* "Your Zowie Face" for film In Like Flint, music by Jerry Goldsmith (1967)
* "Fill The World With Love" from Goodbye Mr. Chips (1968) originally sung by Petula Clark and also popularised by Richard Harris
* "You and I" from Goodbye Mr. Chips (1968) sung by Petula Clark, Barbara Cook, and Michael Feinstein
* "Thank You Very Much" from Scrooge (1970)
* "Candy Man" and "Pure Imagination" (with Newley) from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
* "Can You Read My Mind (Love Theme)" (with John Williams) from Superman (1978)
* "Move Em Out" (with Henry Mancini) from Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
* "Le Jazz Hot!" with Henry Mancini from Victor/Victoria (1982)
* "Making Toys", "Every Christmas Eve/Santa's Theme (Giving)", "It's Christmas Again", "Patch! Natch!" and "Thank You, Santa!" (with Henry Mancini) from Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
* "Life in a Looking Glass" (with Henry Mancini) from That's Life! (1986)
* "Somewhere in My Memory", "Star of Bethlehem" from Home Alone (with John Williams) (1990)
* "When You're Alone", "Pick 'Em Up", "We Don't Wanna Grow Up" from Hook (with John Williams) (1991)
* "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas", "Christmas Star" (with John Williams) in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
* "The Perfect Song" (with Andrew Lloyd Webber) for Michael Ball
* "Grandma's Lullaby", "Who Needs You?" and "It Takes All Sorts" in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996)

### Awards

[edit]

Source:[39]

* Academy Awards
* Best Original Song, 1968 – "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle
* Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score, 1982 - Victor/Victoria
* Grammy Awards
* Song of the Year, 1963 – "What Kind of Fool Am I"
* Songwriters Hall of Fame[39]

#### Nominations

[edit]

Source:[39]

* Tony Awards
* Best Musical, 1963 – Stop the World – I Want to Get Off
* Best Score, 1963 – "Stop the World – I Want to Get Off"
* Best Score of a Musical, 1963 – "Stop the World – I Want to Get Off"
* Best Score of a Musical, 1965 – "The Roar of Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd"
* Best Book of a Musical, 1997 – "Jekyll & Hyde"
* Academy Awards
* Best Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment, 1967 – Doctor Dolittle
* Best Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation), 1969 – Goodbye, Mr. Chips
* Best Original Song Score, 1970 – Scrooge
* Best Original Song, 1970 – "Thank You Very Much" from Scrooge
* Best Adaptation and Original Song Score, 1971 – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'
* Best Original Song, 1986 – "Life in a Looking Glass" from That's Life!
* Best Original Song, 1990 – "Somewhere in My Memory" from Home Alone
* Best Original Song, 1991 – "When You're Alone" from Hook
* Golden Raspberry Award
* Worst 'Original' Song, 1986 – "Life in a Looking Glass" (lyrics) from That's Life![40]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Pinner is now in the London borough of Harrow

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Say How: B". National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
2. ^ Bricusse (2015), pp. 10–12.
3. ^ "Leslie Bricusse obituary". The Times. London. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
4. ^ "Oscar-winning Caian Leslie Bricusse (1931-2021) | Gonville & Caius". www.cai.cam.ac.uk.
5. ^ Le Moignan, Nick (2015). "Pure Magic". Once a Caian. No. 15\. Cambridge: Gonville & Caius College. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 10 December 2024 - via Issuu.
6. ^ "Official site". LeslieBricusse.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
7. ^ Hewison (1983), p. 206.
8. ^ G. R. (10 November 1953). "A Musical by Undergraduates". The Daily Telegraph. No. 30685\. London. p. 8 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Hewison (1983), p. 107.
10. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (20 October 2021). "Leslie Bricusse, Prolific Songwriter for Stage and Screen, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
11. ^ Bardsley, Garth (2003). Stop the World: The Biography of Anthony Newley. London: Oberon Books. pp. 75–76. ISBN 1840022744.
12. ^ Harris, Mark (2009). Scenes from a Revolution: The Birth of the New Hollywood. Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 89\. ISBN 978-1847671219.
13. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (1988). The Fox That Got Away: The Last Days of the Zanuck Dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox. Syracuse, NJ: Lyle Stuart Inc. p. 326\. ISBN 978-0818404856.
14. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). "Sammy Davis, Jr.". The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 313\. ISBN 0823076776.
15. ^ Fishgall, Gary (2003). Gonna Do Great Things: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. New York: Scribner. p. 277\. ISBN 0743227417.
16. ^ "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka". Kennedy-center.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
17. ^ "DEF: George Tipton and Leslie Bricusse "Theme from It's a Living"". Tunesmate.com. 17 February 2012.
18. ^ Shenton, Mark (24 September 2015). "Mark Shenton's theatre picks: September 24". Thestage.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
19. ^ "Songwriters Hall Of Fame To Induct 5 New Members". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 3\. New York. 21 January 1989. p. 84.
20. ^ "Order of the British Empire". Supplement No. 1. The London Gazette. No. 56237\. London. 16 June 2001. pp. B24–B25.
21. ^ "Leslie Bricusse, songwriter who wrote lyrics for the Bond films and was best known for Doctor Dolittle and Willy Wonka – obituary". Msn.com.
22. ^ "Goldfinger and Pure Imagination songwriter Leslie Bricusse dead at 90". Torontosun.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
23. ^ "Television Romance". Harrow Observer and Gazette. No. 5430\. 23 October 1958. p. 15 - via Newspapers.com.
24. ^ Bricusse (2015), pp. 145–146.
25. ^ Bricusse (2015), p. 417.
26. ^ Mills, Simon (13 April 1999). "Why the A-list hang Adam". Evening Standard. London. p. 34 - via Newspapers.com.
27. ^ "Leslie Bricusse: 'Lyrical genius' of film dies aged 90". BBC News. BBC. 20 October 2021.
28. ^ Burlingame, Jon (19 October 2021). "Leslie Bricusse, 'Willy Wonka,' 'Goldfinger' Songwriter, Dies at 90". Variety Magazine.
29. ^ "Library of Congress Acquires Papers of Academy Award-Winning Songwriter Leslie Bricusse". Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
30. ^ Mondello, Bob (5 July 2024). "Take a sneak peek into a legendary songwriter's creative process". North Country Public Radio. Canton, NJ. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024. (Includes transcript of segment from NPR news program All Things Considered).
31. ^ "Stage productions". Songwritershalloffame.org. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
32. ^ "Film Scores". Songwritershalloffame.org. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
33. ^ Snelson, John (2017). "'We Said We Wouldn't Look Back': British Musical Theatre, 1935–1969". In Everett, William A. & Laird, Paul R. (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to the Musical (Third ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 159–184. ISBN 978-1107114746.
34. ^ Wright (2017), p. 268.
35. ^ "Stage listing". LeslieBricusse.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
36. ^ Wright (2017), p. 293.
37. ^ Jones, Kenneth (29 July 2009). "A New 'Candy Man': Tony Nominee Babatundé Will Be Sammy in New Musical". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012.
38. ^ "Song catalog". Songwritershalloffame.org. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
39. ^ a b c "Awards and nominations list". Songwritershalloffame.org. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
40. ^ "Golden Raspberry Awards: 1986". Lebeauleblog.com. 12 November 2015.

### Sources

[edit]

* Bricusse, Leslie (2015). Pure Imagination: The Life and Good Times of a Songwriter – A Sorta-biography. London: Faber Music. ISBN 978-0571539307.
* Hewison, Robert (1983). Footlights! A Hundred Years of Cambridge Comedy. London: Methuen. ISBN 0413560503.
* Wright, Adrian (2017). Must Close Saturday: The Decline and Fall of the British Musical Flop. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1783272358.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leslie Bricusse.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Leslie Bricusse.

* Official website
* Leslie Bricusse at AllMusic
* Leslie Bricusse discography at Discogs
* Leslie Bricusse at IMDb
* Leslie Bricusse at the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Awards for Leslie Bricusse

* v
* t
* e

Academy Award for Best Original Score

1930s|

* Louis Silvers (1934)
* Max Steiner (1935)
* Leo F. Forbstein (1936)
* Charles Previn (1937)
* Erich Wolfgang Korngold / Alfred Newman (1938)
* Herbert Stothart / Richard Hageman, W. Franke Harling, John Leipold and Leo Shuken (1939)

1940s|

* Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith and Ned Washington / Alfred Newman (1940)
* Bernard Herrmann / Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace (1941)
* Max Steiner / Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld (1942)
* Alfred Newman / Ray Heindorf (1943)
* Max Steiner / Morris Stoloff and Carmen Dragon (1944)
* Miklos Rozsa / Georgie Stoll (1945)
* Hugo Friedhofer / Morris Stoloff (1946)
* Miklos Rozsa / Alfred Newman (1947)
* Brian Easdale / Johnny Green and Roger Edens (1948)
* Aaron Copland / Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton (1949)

1950s|

* Franz Waxman / Adolph Deutsch and Roger Edens (1950)
* Franz Waxman / Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin (1951)
* Dimitri Tiomkin / Alfred Newman (1952)
* Bronislau Kaper / Alfred Newman (1953)
* Dimitri Tiomkin / Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin (1954)
* Alfred Newman / Robert Russell Bennett, Jay Blackton and Adolph Deutsch (1955)
* Victor Young / Alfred Newman and Ken Darby (1956)
* Malcolm Arnold (1957)
* Dimitri Tiomkin / Andre Previn (1958)
* Miklos Rozsa / Andre Previn and Ken Darby (1959)

1960s|

* Ernest Gold / Morris Stoloff and Harry Sukman (1960)
* Henry Mancini / Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal (1961)
* Maurice Jarre / Ray Heindorf (1962)
* John Addison / Andre Previn (1963)
* Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman / Andre Previn (1964)
* Maurice Jarre / Irwin Kostal (1965)
* John Barry / Ken Thorne (1966)
* Elmer Bernstein / Alfred Newman and Ken Darby (1967)
* John Barry / Johnny Green (1968)
* Burt Bacharach / Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman (1969)

1970s|

* Francis Lai / The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) (1970)
* Michel Legrand / John Williams (1971)
* Charlie Chaplin, Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell / Ralph Burns (1972)
* Marvin Hamlisch / Marvin Hamlisch (1973)
* Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola / Nelson Riddle (1974)
* John Williams / Leonard Rosenman (1975)
* Jerry Goldsmith / Leonard Rosenman (1976)
* John Williams / Jonathan Tunick (1977)
* Giorgio Moroder / Joe Renzetti (1978)
* Georges Delerue / Ralph Burns (1979)

1980s|

* Michael Gore (1980)
* Vangelis (1981)
* John Williams / Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse (1982)
* Bill Conti / Michel Legrand, Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1983)
* Maurice Jarre / Prince (1984)
* John Barry (1985)
* Herbie Hancock (1986)
* Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne and Cong Su (1987)
* Dave Grusin (1988)
* Alan Menken (1989)

1990s|

* John Barry (1990)
* Alan Menken (1991)
* Alan Menken (1992)
* John Williams (1993)
* Hans Zimmer (1994)
* Luis Bacalov / Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz (1995)
* Gabriel Yared / Rachel Portman (1996)
* James Horner / Anne Dudley (1997)
* Nicola Piovani / Stephen Warbeck (1998)
* John Corigliano (1999)

2000s|

* Tan Dun (2000)
* Howard Shore (2001)
* Elliot Goldenthal (2002)
* Howard Shore (2003)
* Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (2004)
* Gustavo Santaolalla (2005)
* Gustavo Santaolalla (2006)
* Dario Marianelli (2007)
* A. R. Rahman (2008)
* Michael Giacchino (2009)

2010s|

* Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (2010)
* Ludovic Bource (2011)
* Mychael Danna (2012)
* Steven Price (2013)
* Alexandre Desplat (2014)
* Ennio Morricone (2015)
* Justin Hurwitz (2016)
* Alexandre Desplat (2017)
* Ludwig Göransson (2018)
* Hildur Guðnadóttir (2019)

2020s|

* Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste (2020)
* Hans Zimmer (2021)
* Volker Bertelmann (2022)
* Ludwig Göransson (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Academy Award for Best Original Song

1934–1940|

* "The Continental"
* Music: Con Conrad
* Lyrics: Herb Magidson (1934)
* "Lullaby of Broadway"
* Music: Harry Warren
* Lyrics: Al Dubin (1935)
* "The Way You Look Tonight"
* Music: Jerome Kern
* Lyrics: Dorothy Fields (1936)
* "Sweet Leilani"
* Music and lyrics: Harry Owens (1937)
* "Thanks for the Memory"
* Music: Ralph Rainger
* Lyrics: Leo Robin (1938)
* "Over the Rainbow"
* Music: Harold Arlen
* Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg (1939)
* "When You Wish Upon a Star"
* Music: Leigh Harline
* Lyrics: Ned Washington (1940)

1941–1950|

* "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
* Music: Jerome Kern
* Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1941)
* "White Christmas"
* Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin (1942)
* "You'll Never Know"
* Music: Harry Warren
* Lyrics: Mack Gordon (1943)
* "Swinging on a Star"
* Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
* Lyrics: Johnny Burke (1944)
* "It Might as Well Be Spring"
* Music: Richard Rodgers
* Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1945)
* "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"
* Music: Harry Warren
* Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1946)
* "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"
* Music: Allie Wrubel
* Lyrics: Ray Gilbert (1947)
* "Buttons and Bows"
* Music: Jay Livingston
* Lyrics: Ray Evans (1948)
* "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
* Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser (1949)
* "Mona Lisa"
* Music and lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (1950)

1951–1960|

* "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"
* Music: Hoagy Carmichael
* Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1951)
* "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')"
* Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
* Lyrics: Ned Washington (1952)
* "Secret Love"
* Music: Sammy Fain
* Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1953)
* "Three Coins in the Fountain"
* Music: Jule Styne
* Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1954)
* "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing"
* Music: Sammy Fain
* Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1955)
* "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)"
* Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (1956)
* "All the Way"
* Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
* Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1957)
* "Gigi"
* Music: Frederick Loewe
* Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner (1958)
* "High Hopes"
* Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
* Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1959)
* "Never on Sunday"
* Music and lyrics: Manos Hatzidakis (1960)

1961–1970|

* "Moon River"
* Music: Henry Mancini
* Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1961)
* "Days of Wine and Roses"
* Music: Henry Mancini
* Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1962)
* "Call Me Irresponsible"
* Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
* Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1963)
* "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
* Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (1964)
* "The Shadow of Your Smile"
* Music: Johnny Mandel
* Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1965)
* "Born Free"
* Music: John Barry
* Lyrics: Don Black (1966)
* "Talk to the Animals"
* Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse (1967)
* "The Windmills of Your Mind"
* Music: Michel Legrand
* Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1968)
* "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"
* Music: Burt Bacharach
* Lyrics: Hal David (1969)
* "For All We Know"
* Music: Fred Karlin
* Lyrics: Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin (1970)

1971–1980|

* "Theme from Shaft"
* Music and lyrics: Isaac Hayes (1971)
* "The Morning After"
* Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1972)
* "The Way We Were"
* Music: Marvin Hamlisch
* Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1973)
* "We May Never Love Like This Again"
* Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1974)
* "I'm Easy"
* Music and lyrics: Keith Carradine (1975)
* "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)"
* Music: Barbra Streisand
* Lyrics: Paul Williams (1976)
* "You Light Up My Life"
* Music and lyrics: Joseph Brooks (1977)
* "Last Dance"
* Music and lyrics: Paul Jabara (1978)
* "It Goes Like It Goes"
* Music: David Shire
* Lyrics: Norman Gimbel (1979)
* "Fame"
* Music: Michael Gore
* Lyrics: Dean Pitchford (1980)

1981–1990|

* "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
* Music and lyrics: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen (1981)
* "Up Where We Belong"
* Music: Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie
* Lyrics: Will Jennings (1982)
* "Flashdance... What a Feeling"
* Music: Giorgio Moroder
* Lyrics: Keith Forsey and Irene Cara (1983)
* "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
* Music and lyrics: Stevie Wonder (1984)
* "Say You, Say Me"
* Music and lyrics: Lionel Richie (1985)
* "Take My Breath Away"
* Music: Giorgio Moroder
* Lyrics: Tom Whitlock (1986)
* "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
* Music: Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz
* Lyrics: Franke Previte (1987)
* "Let the River Run"
* Music and lyrics: Carly Simon (1988)
* "Under the Sea"
* Music: Alan Menken
* Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1989)
* "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)"
* Music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim (1990)

1991–2000|

* "Beauty and the Beast"
* Music: Alan Menken
* Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1991)
* "A Whole New World"
* Music: Alan Menken
* Lyrics: Tim Rice (1992)
* "Streets of Philadelphia"
* Music and lyrics: Bruce Springsteen (1993)
* "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
* Music: Elton John
* Lyrics: Tim Rice (1994)
* "Colors of the Wind"
* Music: Alan Menken
* Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1995)
* "You Must Love Me"
* Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
* Lyrics: Tim Rice (1996)
* "My Heart Will Go On"
* Music: James Horner
* Lyrics: Will Jennings (1997)
* "When You Believe"
* Music and lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1998)
* "You'll Be in My Heart"
* Music and lyrics: Phil Collins (1999)
* "Things Have Changed"
* Music and lyrics: Bob Dylan (2000)

2001–2010|

* "If I Didn't Have You"
* Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2001)
* "Lose Yourself"
* Music: Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto
* Lyrics: Eminem (2002)
* "Into the West"
* Music and lyrics: Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox (2003)
* "Al otro lado del río"
* Music and lyrics: Jorge Drexler (2004)
* "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp"
* Music and lyrics: Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul (2005)
* "I Need to Wake Up"
* Music and lyrics: Melissa Etheridge (2006)
* "Falling Slowly"
* Music and lyrics: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (2007)
* "Jai Ho"
* Music: A. R. Rahman
* Lyrics: Gulzar (2008)
* "The Weary Kind"
* Music and lyrics: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (2009)
* "We Belong Together"
* Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2010)

2011–2020|

* "Man or Muppet"
* Music and lyrics: Bret McKenzie (2011)
* "Skyfall"
* Music and lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (2012)
* "Let It Go"
* Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2013)
* "Glory"
* Music and lyrics: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn (2014)
* "Writing's on the Wall"
* Music and lyrics: James Napier and Sam Smith (2015)
* "City of Stars"
* Music: Justin Hurwitz
* Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2016)
* "Remember Me"
* Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2017)
* "Shallow"
* Music and lyrics: Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt (2018)
* "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again"
* Music: Elton John
* Lyrics: Bernie Taupin (2019)
* "Fight for You"
* Music: D'Mile and H.E.R.
* Lyrics: H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas (2020)

2021–present|

* "No Time to Die"
* Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2021)
* "Naatu Naatu"
* Music: M. M. Keeravani
* Lyrics: Chandrabose (2022)
* "What Was I Made For?"
* Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Grammy Award for Song of the Year

1950s|

* "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (songwriter) (1958)
* "The Battle of New Orleans" – Jimmy Driftwood (songwriter) (1959)

1960s|

* "Theme of Exodus" – Ernest Gold (songwriter) (1960)
* "Moon River" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1961)
* "What Kind of Fool Am I?" – Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (songwriters) (1962)
* "Days of Wine and Roses" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1963)
* "Hello, Dolly!" – Jerry Herman (songwriter) (1964)
* "The Shadow of Your Smile" – Paul Francis Webster & Johnny Mandel (songwriters) (1965)
* "Michelle" – John Lennon & Paul McCartney (songwriters) (1966)
* "Up, Up, and Away" – Jimmy Webb (songwriter) (1967)
* "Little Green Apples" – Bobby Russell (songwriter) (1968)
* "Games People Play" – Joe South (songwriter) (1969)

1970s|

* "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Paul Simon (songwriter) (1970)
* "You've Got a Friend" – Carole King (songwriter) (1971)
* "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Ewan MacColl (songwriter) (1972)
* "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox (songwriters) (1973)
* "The Way We Were" – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (songwriters) (1974)
* "Send In the Clowns" – Stephen Sondheim (songwriter) (1975)
* "I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1976)
* "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1977)
* "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1978)
* "What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1979)

1980s|

* "Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1980)
* "Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1981)
* "Always on My Mind" – Johnny Christopher, Mark James & Wayne Carson (songwriters) (1982)
* "Every Breath You Take" – Sting (songwriter) (1983)
* "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Graham Lyle & Terry Britten (songwriters) (1984)
* "We Are the World" – Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) (1985)
* "That's What Friends Are For" – Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) (1986)
* "Somewhere Out There" – James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) (1987)
* "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (songwriter) (1988)
* "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar (songwriters) (1989)

1990s|

* "From a Distance" – Julie Gold (songwriter) (1990)
* "Unforgettable" – Irving Gordon (songwriter) (1991)
* "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1992)
* "A Whole New World" – Alan Menken & Tim Rice (songwriters) (1993)
* "Streets of Philadelphia" – Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) (1994)
* "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (songwriter) (1995)
* "Change the World" – Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) (1996)
* "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin & John Leventhal (songwriters) (1997)
* "My Heart Will Go On" – James Horner & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1998)
* "Smooth" – Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas (songwriters) (1999)

2000s|

* "Beautiful Day" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2000)
* "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001)
* "Don't Know Why" – Jesse Harris (songwriter) (2002)
* "Dance with My Father" – Richard Marx & Luther Vandross (songwriters) (2003)
* "Daughters" – John Mayer (songwriter) (2004)
* "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2005)
* "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Emily Burns Erwin, Martha Maguire, Natalie Maines Pasdar & Dan Wilson (songwriters) (2006)
* "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (songwriter) (2007)
* "Viva la Vida" – Guy Berryman, Jonathan Buckland, William Champion & Christopher Martin (songwriters) (2008)
* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)

2010s|

* "Need You Now" – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (songwriters) (2010)
* "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth (songwriters) (2011)
* "We Are Young" – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess (songwriters) (2012)
* "Royals" – Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor (songwriters) (2013)
* "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith (songwriters) (2014)
* "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge (songwriters) (2015)
* "Hello" – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (songwriters) (2016)
* "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017)
* "This Is America" – Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jeffery Lamar Williams (songwriters) (2018)
* "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2019)

2020s|

* "I Can't Breathe" – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas (songwriters) (2020)
* "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021)
* "Just Like That" – Bonnie Raitt (songwriter) (2022)
* "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2023)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Latvia
* Korea
* Poland
* Israel
* Finland
* Belgium

Academics|

* CiNii

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* 2
* Grammy Awards

People|

* Trove
* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC

*[m.]: married
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