# People famous for other things who are decent songwriters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529 "2008-04-08T23:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/1 "2008-04-08T23:58:11Z")
I recently started listening to the CD by **She and Him**. “She” in this case is Zooey Deschanel, best known as an actress ( **Elf, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Weeds,** and **Tin Man** (and also Emily Deschanel’s sister). Not only does she sing wonderfully, but she wrote most of the songs on the album. So I was wondering about others. For instance, **Mel Brooks** wasn’t known for a songwriter, but eventually wrote the music for two Broadway musicals. Eric Idle wrote some songs for **Monty Python** , including “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” What other celebrities best known for other talents also have had success as a songwriter? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/2 "2008-04-09T01:14:49Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] I recently started listening to the CD by **She and Him**. “She” in this case is Zooey Deschanel, best known as an actress ( **Elf, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Weeds,** and **Tin Man** (and also Emily Deschanel’s sister). [/quote] Her mother also acts, and her father is a cinematographer who’s been nominated for five Oscars. (They both worked on my favorite movie.) Terry Gross had Zooey Deschanel as a guest on _Fresh Air_ recently. Find their website and check the archives for the past couple weeks. > [@](#): > > What other celebrities best known for other talents also have had success as a songwriter? The music for _Smile_ (“Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though its breaking”) was written by Charlie Chaplin. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/3 "2008-04-09T01:25:56Z")
Shel Silverstein? I don’t know if he’s better known as a songwriter or for what other things he’s done. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/4 "2008-04-09T02:00:56Z")
King Henry VIII? > [@](#): > > Born in 1509, Henry is probably one of the best known, if not most infamous, of all monarchs. > > Physically commanding at six feet tall, strong and aggressive, Henry as a young man would have been prime quarterback material. But as well as being an enthusiastic wager of war, in particular with the French, he was also known as a dancer and songwriter. [http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/players/player269.html](http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/players/player269.html) Mention is made of this in the play and movie **A Man for All Seasons**. Besides, I’ve seen his stuff in print. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/5 "2008-04-09T02:01:34Z")
There’s also **Adam Busch** , probably best known as Warren on season 6 of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. He’s in a band called “Common Rotation”; and all their original songs are credited to the band as a whole. I’ve seen them a couple times; they’re good. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/6 "2008-04-09T02:15:13Z")
[Kaye Thompson](http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800068667/bio), who is probably best known as the author of the _Eloise_ books, about a little girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel, but also has been a dancer, actress, songwriter, arranger, and godmother to Liza Minnelli. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/7 "2008-04-09T02:28:04Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] Shel Silverstein? I don’t know if he’s better known as a songwriter or for what other things he’s done. [/QUOTE] Probably as a book author – though some of his songs are very well known, they were hits for other groups. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/8 "2008-04-09T02:29:22Z")
The playwright John Guare won a Drama Desk Award for his work as lyricist of _Two Gentlemen of Verona_. Ogden Nash was the lyricist of _One Touch of Venus_. Langston Hughes served as lyricist for four different Broadway musicals over a sixteen-year period. P. G. Wodehouse, however, probably wins the game of “Best Broadway lyricist you didn’t know was a Broadway lyricist”. In the period of around a decade, no fewer than sixteen Broadway musicals employed him as at least a partial lyricist. Some of these shows were among the most influential of their time, and he is often credited as being a major influence on the lyricists of the 1920s. In spite of all this, his Broadway work would still probably finish third in things associated with him. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/9 "2008-04-09T02:32:42Z")
Actor Hoyt Axton is mostly known for his movie roles (he was the salesman dad in “Gremlins”). He wrote “Joy to the World”, a big hit for Three Dog Night. His mother, Mae Boren Axton, co-wrote “Heartbreak Hotel.” I can’t remember which artist made that song a hit 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/10 "2008-04-09T02:52:56Z")
Mike Reid, former All-Pro defensive tackle with the Bengals. He’s made even more money from writing Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and Ronnie Milsap’s “Stranger in my House”, though. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/11 "2008-04-09T03:03:25Z")
I thought of another one: William Saroyan. He’s best known as a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, but he also cowrote\* a top-40 hit for Rosemary Clooney: “Come on-a my House.” \*With Ross “David Seville” Bagdasarian ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/12 "2008-04-09T03:15:55Z")
Alan Thicke co-wrote the themes to _Diff’rent Strokes_ and _The Facts of Life_. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/13 "2008-04-09T03:22:26Z")
Actor Louis Gossett, Jr. (Best Supporting Oscar for _An Officer and a Gentleman_) co-wrote the anti-war song [Handsome Johnny](http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/h/handsomejohnny.shtml) with Richie Havens. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/14 "2008-04-09T03:41:14Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] I recently started listening to the CD by **She and Him**. “She” in this case is Zooey Deschanel, best known as an actress ( **Elf, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Weeds,** and **Tin Man** (and also Emily Deschanel’s sister). Not only does she sing wonderfully, but she wrote most of the songs on the album. [/QUOTE] Just wanted to second how awesome that CD is. The songs are light and fun, and Zooey has a gorgeous voice (and is pretty gorgeous herself). I’m sure she’s busy acting and recording, but I’d love to see She and Him head out on tour at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/15 "2008-04-09T04:42:25Z")
Michael O’Donoghue, edgy comedy writer for **National Lampoon** and **Saturday Night Live** , wrote “Single Bars and Single Women,” a surprise hit for Dolly Parton. Chuck Barris wrote “Palisades Park,” a big hit for Jay and the Americans, as well as the theme music for some of his game shows. Not a milestone, but it was one of his less shlocky ventures, all things considered. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/16 "2008-04-09T04:54:56Z")
Charles Dawes, who was Calvin Coolidge’s Vice President and formed the Dawes Plan to economically revive Weimar Germany, wrote a song called “Melody in A Major” in 1912. Lyrics were added to the song in 1951 and retitled “It’s All in the Game”. Tommy Edwards had a big hit with it as a pop tune, then had an even bigger hit when he cut it as a rock ballad in 1958. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/17 "2008-04-09T06:26:29Z")
Steve Allen, onetime host of The Tonight Show, is supposed to have copyrighted hundreds of songs. At least a couple of them became well-known: _South Rampart Street Parade_ and _This Could Be the Start of Something Big_. Morey Amsterdam, the comedic actor best known for his role on _The Dick Van Dyke Show_, co-wrote the hit song _Rum and Coca Cola_. The song was the subject of a plagiarism lawsuit in which the court found that the melody was taken from a copyrighted calypso song by Lionel Belasco called _L’Année Passée_. Chuck Barris, the game show mogul (and self-proclaimed CIA hit man), wrote _Palisades Park_. Charlie Chaplin wrote the music for _Smile_ (“Smile, though your heart is breaking. . .”). Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, wrote _Aloha Oe_ and many other songs. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/18 "2008-04-09T06:57:30Z")
Peter “Doctor Who” Davison co-wrote the [theme song](http://tinyurl.com/yuqss2) for [Button Moon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_Moon) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/19 "2008-04-09T07:47:34Z")
[QUOTE=stockton] Actor Hoyt Axton is mostly known for his movie roles (he was the salesman dad in “Gremlins”). He wrote “Joy to the World”, a big hit for Three Dog Night. His mother, Mae Boren Axton, co-wrote “Heartbreak Hotel.” I can’t remember which artist made that song a hit 😉 [/QUOTE] He also wrote “Never Been to Spain,” another hit for Three Dog Night. Barbra Streisand, well-known as a singer and actress, co-wrote the hit single “Evergreen” from _A Star Is Born_, along with Paul Williams, who has also done some acting. Keith carradine wrote his Oscar-winning song, “I’m Easy,” from _Nashville_. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529/20 "2008-04-09T08:20:49Z")
Actors **Jeff Daniels** and **Ronny Cox** are both accomplished (and touring) singer/songwriters. Mr. S and I have seen Jeff Daniels (and were even invited up on stage to do the “Big Bay Shuffle”) and can vouch for his talent. Excellent musical performer. Never saw Ronny Cox yet, but we have tickets for an August show. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-famous-for-other-things-who-are-decent-songwriters/444529.md?page=2)