ALAN BERGMAN
(11 September 1925 – 17 July 2025)
Photo by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com, courtesy of WikiCommons
The American lyricist Alan Bergman, who has died aged 99, and his wife Marilyn were the most successful songwriters of recent times. In addition to writing many songs for films, they contributed to the careers of individual artists such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Fred Astaire, Noel Harrison, Barbra Streisand and many others. They were nominated for Academy Awards eleven times, winning three for ‘The Windmills of Your Mind' from The Thomas Crown Affair, 'The Way We Were', written with Marvin Hamlisch for the film of the same name, and 'Papa, Can You Hear Me?' from Streisand's directorial debut Yentl, which they wrote with Michel Legrand. Marilyn Bergman died in 2022 after being married to Alan for sixty-four years, ending a brilliant partnership.
Alan Bergman was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Samuel Bergman, who sold children's clothes, and his wife, Ruth, a community volunteer. Coincidentally, Marilyn was born in the same New York hospital as Alan in 1928. Alan studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and secured a music degree. Although they lived in the same city, they never met until they moved permanently to LA, where they married in 1958. Marilyn became a songwriter by default, as she had trained as a concert pianist, but, following a fall, she could no longer play, so she began writing lyrics. Songwriter Johnny Mercer suggested that Alan move to LA and so did Marilyn. Fate took a hand in their getting together. They started writing with US songsmith Lew Spence and produced material for Dean Martin and Sinatra. Their first film song was the title track to The Right Approach which Fox bought for Elvis Presley, but the film and the song went to Frankie Vaughan. Then they wrote lyrics for Sammy Fain's stage musical Something More!, with a cast including Barbara Cook, Paula Kelly, Arthur Hill and Hal Linden.
One of their great successes on film was the title number to Norman Jewison's In the Heat of the Night with Sidney Poitier, Lee Grant and Rod Steiger. With music by Quincy Jones, it was a hit for Ray Charles. Noel Harrison had a chart hit with 'The Windmills of Your Mind', music by Michel Legrand, with whom they also wrote 'What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?' for Richard Brooks's The Happy Ending, with Jean Simmons. They also collaborated with Legrand on the films Ice Station Zebra, The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart, Best Friends and Tootsie. 'The Way We Were' was arguably their greatest hit, which was showered with Oscars, Golden Globes and even a Grammy. They wrote One Voice, a concert for Streisand in 1987, and the singer paid tribute to them by recording ten of their songs on her album What Matters Most. Their lyrics for Billy Goldenberg's TV musical Queen of the Stardust Ballroom became the Broadway show Ballroom. Other work included 100 Years 100 Movies written with Marvin Hamlisch for the American Film Institute, and all three received Primetime Emmy Awards. The Bergmans worked with John Williams on Sabrina, with Mark Isham on At First Sight, and both were Oscar-nominated. They wrote 'An American Reunion' for the 1993 opening of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
The work of Alan Bergman and his wife Marilyn will never be forgotten as long as people still listen to the lyrics they penned for such songs as 'Nice 'n' Easy', 'Yellow Bird', 'Summer Wishes’, ‘Winter Dreams’ and 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers'. They had the knack of being able to find just the right words for the right song in the right mood and the right style. There will never be another team like the Bergmans.
MICHAEL DARVELL