Source: Johnny Mercer - Wikipedia
Multiple choice, honor system. Public Poll.
(poll on the way)
I sincerely regret that the list I used from Wikipedia did not include one of my own Top 5 Mercer songs:
Wow. Great poll.
My picks, in order, with favorite performer where I have one:
-
Goody Goody (Frankie Lyman)
-
I’m An Old Cowhand (Maryanne Price with Dan Hicks)
-
Fools Rush In (Ricky Nelson)
-
Lazy Bones (Leon Redbone)
-
I Wanna Be Around
.
Thanks!
Who even comes close to competing with JM?
Ira Gershwin?
Cole Porter?
The Beatles?
Could we even come up with ten to have a poll to select from and vote for?
I only knew 15 or 16 of the songs, but went ahead and voted for my favorite five.
It’s a damn impressive list, but it should be noted that Mercer was just the lyricist of 90% of them, so comparisons to Porter or Lennon-McCartney are a little deceiving.
In voting, I didn’t discriminate between songs where he wrote the words (Moon River) and songs where he wrote words and music (Old Cowhand.)
Not included was one of my favorites- On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe.
Yes to all three, assuming that by “The Beatles” one means the songwriting team of Lennon & McCartney. But so what. We don’t care. It certainly doesn’t make Johnny Mercer any less incredible.
BTW, I missed having “Everything Happens To Me” on the list.
BTW some more, which fave of yours was missing from the list?
.
“Jubilation T Cornpone,” but it has to be by Stubby Kaye. When the option presents itself the correct answer is always “but it has to be by Stubby Kaye.”
Man, this poll was like choosing my favorite child! As a native of Mercer’s home stomping grounds, and as someone who grew up listening to Miss Emma Kelly, I’m obligated to love Johnny! (Hell, I used to own a house onMoon River, a tidal creek renamed for the song!)
I wanted to pick this one badly – it was my first choice, until I scrolled down and saw the rest. Great tune – I’ll take Sonny Rollins’s version, though, but just my own taste. 5 is too few a number.
+1 to “Everything Happens To Me” – one of the first standards I really learned and dug the lyrics to. That would have maybe subbed in for “Laura,” but it’s a tough call for me.
We’ve visited Savannah several times and on one trip we tried to locate Moon River by way of directions given by the concierge at our hotel. It’s well hidden, isn’t it?
The early leaders:
What are your Top 5 songs by Johnny Mercer?
That Old Black Magic (1942) 7 43.75%
Moon River (1961) 7 43.75%
I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande (1936) 5 31.25%
Goody Goody (1936) 4 25.00%
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) (1943) 4 25.00%
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (1944) 4 25.00%
Laura (1945) 4 25.00%
Come Rain Or Come Shine (1946) 4 25.00%
I Thought About You (1939) 3 18.75%
Blues In The Night (1941) 3 18.75%
I Remember You (1941) 3 18.75%
Satin Doll (1953) 3 18.75%
Summer Wind (1965) 3 18.75%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 16
Yep. Literally a backwater!
I hear Sinatra when I think of most of them.
That’s not a bad reaction, of course.
But what many people don’t realize is how good a singer Johnny Mercer was himself. He was a recording star as well as a songwriter (as well as a music industry executive). He sings what I (and many others) consider the definative recording of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” In later years he seems to have focused more on the writing and business side of things, leaving the recording to more polished talents.
I have several of his records because I love his voice and singing style, not just his songs. The one I reccommend most is a later album called “Two of a Kind” featuring duets of Mercer and Bobby Darin, another favorite singer of mine.
My wife just added several cd’s to her already sizable Nat King Cole collection, and was pleasantly surprised to find three or four Mercer/Cole duets. Heaven.
.
Honorable mention to “Bless Her Beautiful Hide”, which was the song used for the barn dance in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, one of my favorite moments in movie history (JM & Gene De Paul were responsible for the entire song score for that film)
Comparison of first 16 and second 16 Voters (see Post #12)
What are your Top 5 songs by Johnny Mercer?
Moon River (1961) 14 43.75% Moon River (1961) 7 43.75% (1)
That Old Black Magic (1942) 13 40.63% That Old Black Magic (1942) 7 43.75% (1)
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) (1943) 12 37.50% One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) (1943) 4 25.00% (4)
Summer Wind (1965) 10 31.25% Summer Wind (1965) 3 18.75% (9)
Come Rain Or Come Shine (1946) 9 28.13% Come Rain Or Come Shine (1946) 4 25.00% (4)
Blues In The Night (1941) 8 25.00% Blues In The Night (1941) 3 18.75% (9)
Satin Doll (1953) 7 21.88% Satin Doll (1953) 3 18.75% (9)
I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande (1936) 6 18.75% I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande (1936) 5 31.25% (3)
Goody Goody (1936) 5 15.63% Goody Goody (1936) 4 25.00% (4)
Laura (1945) 5 15.63% Laura (1945) 4 25.00% (4)
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) 5 15.63%
I Remember You (1941) 4 12.50% I Remember You (1941) 3 18.75% (9)
Tangerine (1941) 4 12.50%
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (1944) 4 12.50% Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (1944) 4 25.00% (4)
Autumn Leaves (1947) 4 12.50%
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby (1938) 3 9.38%
Jeepers, Creepers! (1938) 3 9.38%
I Thought About You (1939) 3 9.38% I Thought About You (1939) 3 18.75% (9)
Fools Rush In (1940) 3 9.38%
Glow Worm (1952) 3 9.38%
Something's Gotta Give (1954) 3 9.38%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 32 Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 16
+2.
If you were asking me, I mentioned…
…but others have helped me see that we are missing quite a few from that Wikipedia list. I just grabbed it instead of doing a pre-poll survey. Maybe if we get enough other songs mentioned in posts here, a follow-up poll of the top x-number here and the “others” mentioned in posts would be more comprehensive. JM surely did enough lyrics to bring in quite a few more mentions.
I just thought of another competitor team for Johnny: The Bergmans.