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Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was born Israel Isadore Baline, in Russia in 1888. His father, a Jewish
cantor, fled persecution and brought his family to New York in 1893. When his father
died four years later, Berlin helped support his seven siblings and his mother by
serving as a guide to a blind singing beggar. Berlin soon began singing himself,
collecting tips in bars and later becoming a singing waiter in Chinatown. Before he
turned 20, he was writing lyrics. He sold his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy," in
1907, with music by Nick Nicholson. The printer misspelled his name, listing him as
Irving Berlin. He kept the name.
Berlin had little formal education and no instruction in music. A self-taught piano
player, he played by ear. Able to play in only one key, F sharp, he had a special piano
made for him that could be set to different keys using a gear shift. He never learned
to read or write music and used a musical secretary to transcribe the songs he
wrote. In 1911, he published his first hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," writing both
words and music, as he would for the rest of his career.
In 1912, he married Dorothy Goetz, sister of songwriter Ray Goetz. While
honeymooning in Cuba, Dorothy contracted typhoid and died five months later.
Berlin wrote his first hit ballad, "When I Lost You," in memory of Dorothy.
Berlin was an outspoken advocate for artists' rights. In 1914, he helped found the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, a group that continues to
protect the royalties of composers and writers today. He began contributing to
Broadway shows and reviews before World War I. In 1917, he was drafted. As part of
an army musical review, he wrote "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." He also
wrote "God Bless America" but didn't introduce the song widely until 1938, when
Kate Smith sang it on the radio.
After his army stint, Berlin founded the Irving Berlin Music Company and began
publishing his own songs. He continued to write for musicals and opened a
Broadway theater called The Music Box in 1921 with Sam H. Harris. Berlin not only
composed music for the theater's offerings but also ran the theater and produced
the shows, maintaining careful control over every aspect of the productions.
In 1925, Berlin fell in love with wealthy society heiress Ellin McKay. Opposed to the
match, her father swept her off to Europe, but Berlin wrote two songs for her that
became hits, "Always" and "Remember." When McKay returned to the United States,
the couple married and remained together until her death at age 85, in 1988.
Berlin continued to turn out hit songs and musicals. He also began writing songs for
films as soon as sound technology was available. The first sound feature, The Jazz
Singer (1927), included Berlin's "Blue Skies," which later became a jazz classic.
Among the 18 films he scored were Puttin' on the Ritz (1930), Holiday Inn (1942), in
which Bing Crosby sang Berlin's classic "White Christmas," and, of course, the
movie White Christmas (1957). Although Berlin failed to produce hits after the 1950s,
he did write one more musical, Mr. President, which ran for eight months in 1962,
despite lukewarm reviews. Although Berlin stopped publishing music after the
1960s, he received many awards, including the Medal of Liberty in 1986. Berlin died
in his sleep in 1989 in New York City at age 101.
From HISTORY.COM This Day In History 1988. Article ID 3259
Irving Berlin was born Israel Isadore Baline, in Russia in 1888. His father, a Jewish
cantor, fled persecution and brought his family to New York in 1893. When his father
died four years later, Berlin helped support his seven siblings and his mother by
serving as a guide to a blind singing beggar. Berlin soon began singing himself,
collecting tips in bars and later becoming a singing waiter in Chinatown. Before he
turned 20, he was writing lyrics. He sold his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy," in
1907, with music by Nick Nicholson. The printer misspelled his name, listing him as
Irving Berlin. He kept the name.
Berlin had little formal education and no instruction in music. A self-taught piano
player, he played by ear. Able to play in only one key, F sharp, he had a special piano
made for him that could be set to different keys using a gear shift. He never learned
to read or write music and used a musical secretary to transcribe the songs he
wrote. In 1911, he published his first hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," writing both
words and music, as he would for the rest of his career.
In 1912, he married Dorothy Goetz, sister of songwriter Ray Goetz. While
honeymooning in Cuba, Dorothy contracted typhoid and died five months later.
Berlin wrote his first hit ballad, "When I Lost You," in memory of Dorothy.
Berlin was an outspoken advocate for artists' rights. In 1914, he helped found the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, a group that continues to
protect the royalties of composers and writers today. He began contributing to
Broadway shows and reviews before World War I. In 1917, he was drafted. As part of
an army musical review, he wrote "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." He also
wrote "God Bless America" but didn't introduce the song widely until 1938, when
Kate Smith sang it on the radio.
After his army stint, Berlin founded the Irving Berlin Music Company and began
publishing his own songs. He continued to write for musicals and opened a
Broadway theater called The Music Box in 1921 with Sam H. Harris. Berlin not only
composed music for the theater's offerings but also ran the theater and produced
the shows, maintaining careful control over every aspect of the productions.
In 1925, Berlin fell in love with wealthy society heiress Ellin McKay. Opposed to the
match, her father swept her off to Europe, but Berlin wrote two songs for her that
became hits, "Always" and "Remember." When McKay returned to the United States,
the couple married and remained together until her death at age 85, in 1988.
Berlin continued to turn out hit songs and musicals. He also began writing songs for
films as soon as sound technology was available. The first sound feature, The Jazz
Singer (1927), included Berlin's "Blue Skies," which later became a jazz classic.
Among the 18 films he scored were Puttin' on the Ritz (1930), Holiday Inn (1942), in
which Bing Crosby sang Berlin's classic "White Christmas," and, of course, the
movie White Christmas (1957). Although Berlin failed to produce hits after the 1950s,
he did write one more musical, Mr. President, which ran for eight months in 1962,
despite lukewarm reviews. Although Berlin stopped publishing music after the
1960s, he received many awards, including the Medal of Liberty in 1986. Berlin died
in his sleep in 1989 in New York City at age 101.
From HISTORY.COM This Day In History 1988. Article ID 3259
Blue Skies Lyrics
Artist:Irving Berlin
I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray
anymore
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see
Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long
Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly
Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on
[2]
I should care if the wind blows east or west
I should fret if the worst looks like the best
I should mind if they say it can't be true
I should smile, that's exactly what I do
"Blue Skies" was first published in 1926 and
was one of the songs that appeared in the
first full length "talkie," "The Jazz Singer"
with Al Jolson in 1927.
It later appeared in other films in 1935, '39
and of course in '46, as the title song for the
movie "Blue Skies" starring Bing Crosby.
It definitely is one of our all time classic
songs, still as fresh today as 80 years ago.
Artist:Irving Berlin
I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but they're not gray
anymore
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see
Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long
Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you're in love, my how they fly
Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on
[2]
I should care if the wind blows east or west
I should fret if the worst looks like the best
I should mind if they say it can't be true
I should smile, that's exactly what I do
"Blue Skies" was first published in 1926 and
was one of the songs that appeared in the
first full length "talkie," "The Jazz Singer"
with Al Jolson in 1927.
It later appeared in other films in 1935, '39
and of course in '46, as the title song for the
movie "Blue Skies" starring Bing Crosby.
It definitely is one of our all time classic
songs, still as fresh today as 80 years ago.
| "Blue Skies" has been the official RDG Designs theme song since the beginning. There's no denial of gray skies-- literally or figuratively! But the more we focus on brilliant blue skies, the easier they are to find. Enjoy this video clip from archive.org Sing along with the lyrics below The composer, Irving Berlin, definitely did not have a "blue skies" start in life. He overcame adversity and loss to achieve success. Read his story below. |
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