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Hy Zaret | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Hy Zaret |
| Born | Hyman Harry Zaritsky (1907-08-21)August 21, 1907 New York City |
| Died | July 2, 2007(2007-07-02) (aged 99) Westport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
Hy Zaret (bornHyman Harry Zaritsky; August 21, 1907 – July 2, 2007) was an AmericanTin Pan Alley[1] lyricist and composer who wrote the lyrics of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most-recorded songs of the 20th century.[2]
Zaret was born on August 21, 1907, in New York City to Max Zaritsky and Dora Shiffman, who had emigrated from Russia in the 1890s. He attendedWest Virginia University andBrooklyn Law School, where he received anLLB. He shortened his name legally from Zaritsky to Zaret in 1934.[3] Zaret served in theArmy'sSpecial Services division duringWorld War II.[4]
Zaret had two sons, and was married to the former Shirley Goidel. He died at his home inWestport, Connecticut, on July 2, 2007, at the age of 99, a month before his 100th birthday.[3]
He scored his first major success in 1936, when he teamed up withSaul Chaplin andSammy Cahn to co-write the pop standard "Dedicated to You." The early 1940s brought some collaborations withAlex C. Kramer andJoan Whitney, including 1941's "It All Comes Back to Me Now" and thesocially conscious,WWII-themed "My Sister and I." In 1941Vaughn Monroe had a top 5 hit with the song "There I Go",[5] which Zaret co-wrote withIrving Weiser.[3]
Zaret wrote the lyrics for an English translation of theFrench Resistance song "La Complainte du Partisan" ("The Song of the French Partisan"). The song became popular after it was recorded byLeonard Cohen and others as "The Partisan". In 1944, he andLou Singer wrote the popular hitnovelty song "One Meatball", based on a song popular amongHarvardundergraduates.[1]
Zaret wrote the lyrics for "Soldiers of God", the hymn of the United States Army Chaplain Corps, as well as the song of the Nurse Corps.[6]
Zaret's co-wrote the song "Unchained Melody" with film composerAlex North for the 1955 prison filmUnchained (hence the title), which was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song. Three versions of the song – byLes Baxter,Al Hibbler, andRoy Hamilton – hit the U.S. Top Ten that year. The song was also recorded byEddie Fisher,Jimmy Young andLiberace, and many others.The Righteous Brothers' 1965 version reached the U.S. pop Top Five; their recording was revived in 1990 thanks to its inclusion in the film,Ghost, reaching number 1 in the U.K.Elvis Presley,Sam Cooke,Cliff Richard,Roy Orbison andDonny Osmond also recorded versions of the song.[citation needed]
This song is unique[citation needed] in that it has made No.1 on the U.K. singles charts in four different guises by four different artists over a period of nearly fifty years: Jimmy Young (1955), The Righteous Brothers (1990),Robson & Jerome (1995) andGareth Gates (2002). The latter three versions have all recorded certified sales in excess of one million copies in the U.K. alone.[citation needed]
Zaret turned his attention to educationalchildren's music in the late 1950s, collaborating with Lou Singer on a six-album series calledBallads for the Age of Science; different volumes coveredspace,energy andmotion,experiments,weather, andnature. The records were quite successful, and the songs "Why Does the Sun Shine?" and "What is a Shooting Star?" were covered byalternative rock bandThey Might Be Giants in 1993 and 2000, respectively.[7]
