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Carole Bayer Sager | |
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 Bayer Sager in 2013 | |
| Born | Carol Bayer (1944-03-08)March 8, 1944 (age 81)[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Education | New York University |
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| Spouses | |
Carole Bayer Sager (bornCarol Bayer on March 8, 1944) is an American lyricist, singer, songwriter,[2] and painter.
Carole Bayer was born in New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer.[3] Her family was Jewish.[4] She graduated fromNew York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts, and speech. She had already written her first pop hit, "A Groovy Kind of Love", withToni Wine, while still a student at New York City'sHigh School of Music and Art.[5] It was recorded by theBritish invasion bandThe Mindbenders, whose version was a worldwide hit, reaching number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100. This song was later recorded bySonny & Cher,Petula Clark, andPhil Collins, whose rendition for the filmBuster reached number one on both theUK Singles Chart andBillboard Hot 100 in 1988.[2]
Bayer Sager's first recording as a singer was the 1977 albumCarole Bayer Sager, produced by Brooks Arthur. It included the hit single "You're Moving Out Today", a song which she co-wrote withBette Midler andBruce Roberts.[6] The single became a 1977 Australian number one single and also reached number 6 in theUK Singles Chart in June 1977.Paul Buckmaster provided horn and string arrangements for the album. The album also included Bayer Sager's versions of two songs previously recorded byMelissa Manchester – "Home to Myself" and the oft-covered "Come in from the Rain". It went platinum in Japan and Australia.
It was followed by...Too in 1978, also produced by Brooks Arthur, which included all-star cameos by the likes ofMichael McDonald,Alice Cooper and Manchester. It also included the first recording of "It's the Falling in Love" which subsequently would be covered byMichael Jackson on his 1979 multi-platinum albumOff the Wall.
In 1981, she recordedSometimes Late at Night, which was co-produced by future husbandBurt Bacharach with Brooks Arthur, and included the single "Stronger Than Before", later recorded byChaka Khan andDionne Warwick. The song became Bayer Sager's only song to hitBillboard'sAmerican Top 40 as a performer, peaking at number 30. The track "Just Friends" featured a vocal cameo from Michael Jackson, who also co-produced the track with Bacharach, whileNeil Diamond also co-produced and played guitar on the track "On The Way To The Sky" which he also recorded as the title track of his concurrent albumOn the Way to the Sky.
Bayer Sager had many hits during the 1970s. She co-wrote many songs withMelissa Manchester that appeared on Manchester's solo albums of the period, including "Come in from the Rain" and "Midnight Blue", which would go on to be covered by many other artists. She also worked with Australian songwriterPeter Allen, crafting hits such as "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" "You and Me (We Wanted It All)" and "Don't Cry Out Loud". She also scored major hits collaborating withAlbert Hammond ("When I Need You") andBruce Roberts ("You're the Only One").
WithMarvin Hamlisch andNeil Simon, she wrote the lyrics for the 1978 stage musicalThey're Playing Our Song, which was loosely based on her relationship with Hamlisch. The musical ran for over three years onBroadway. She also wrote the lyrics, whilst Hamlisch composed the music, for "Nobody Does It Better", theBond theme sung byCarly Simon in the filmThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977).[7]
Many of Bayer Sager's 1980s songs were co-written with her husband at the time, composerBurt Bacharach.[8] She executive-produced the eponymous solo album forJune Pointer, ofThe Pointer Sisters, in 1989.
Bayer Sager has won anAcademy Award (out of six nominations), aGrammy Award (out of nine nominations) and twoGolden Globe Awards (out of seven nominations). She was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 1987. Bayer Sager won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1982 for "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", theme song to the romantic comedyArthur.[2][9][10]
Bayer Sager received theGrammy Award for Song of the Year in 1987 for the song "That's What Friends Are For", which she co-wrote with Bacharach.[2] This song was originally written for the 1982 filmNight Shift, for which it was recorded byRod Stewart. The song was popularized in a 1986cover version byDionne Warwick,Stevie Wonder,Gladys Knight andElton John.
Her song with David Foster, "The Prayer", originally recorded byCeline Dion andAndrea Bocelli, won the Golden Globe, and is often performed at weddings and funerals.
She was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame. Bayer Sager received the New York University Steinhardt Distinguished Alumni award in 2006. She received the 2019 "Johnny Mercer Award" from theSongwriters Hall of Fame during their 50th-anniversary induction ceremony. She was the sixth female songwriter to ever be awarded this honor.[11]
She occasionally collaborated withNeil Sedaka,[12] with 11 songs co-written between the two.
Alongside Bruce Roberts andKenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Bayer Sager co-wrote "Stronger Together", sung byJessica Sanchez.[13] The song was played afterHillary Clinton's speech at the2016 Democratic National Convention. The song is named after the slogan that theClinton campaign used as a show of uniting behind the Democratic nominee.[14]
In 2018, she co-wrote the song "Living in the Moment" for the filmBook Club,[15] recorded byKatharine McPhee, as well as two songs onBarbra Streisand's albumWalls: "Better Angels" and "What's on My Mind". She contributed lyrics to "Ghost Town" onKanye West's albumYe.
In April 2020,Lady Gaga closed out herOne World: Together at Home concert with a new rendition of "The Prayer", co-performed with Dion, Bocelli,John Legend and classical pianistLang Lang. The performance helped raise $127 million for the World Health Organization battlingCOVID-19 cases in America.
In May 2022, she was honored with a BMI Icon award at the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards[16]
Sager is an accomplished visual artist whose work includes large-scale photorealistic paintings.[citation needed]
She married record-producer Andrew Sager in 1970, and they divorced in 1978.[17] Bayer Sager was involved in a romantic relationship with composerMarvin Hamlisch in the late 1970s.[17] On April 3, 1982, she married composer and pianistBurt Bacharach after over a year's cohabitation. In December 1985 the couple adopted an infant son, whom they named Cristopher Elton Bacharach.[18] Bacharach and Sager divorced in 1991.[19]
Since June 1996, Bayer Sager has been married toRobert Daly,[20] former chairman ofWarner Brothers and former chairman / CEO of theLos Angeles Dodgers baseball team, and currently chairman of theAmerican Film Institute (AFI). They live in Los Angeles.[18]
In October 2016, Bayer Sager published her memoir,They're Playing Our Song: A Memoir (Simon & Schuster).[21] She also narrated theaudiobook version.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [22] | |||
| Carole Bayer Sager |
| 4 |
|
| ...Too |
| 68 | |
| Sometimes Late at Night |
| - |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [22] | ||
| 1977 | "You're Moving Out Today" | 1 |
| "Don't Wish Too Hard" | 82 | |
| 1978 | "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" | 98 |
TheAcademy Awards are awarded annually by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bayer Sager has earned 1 award from 6 nominations.
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Nobody Does It Better" | Best Music, Original Song | Nominated |
| 1980 | "Theme from Ice Castles (Through the Eyes of Love)" | Nominated | |
| 1982 | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" | Won | |
| 1994 | "The Day I Fall in Love" | Nominated | |
| 1995 | "Look What Love Has Done" | Nominated | |
| 1999 | "The Prayer" | Nominated |
TheGolden Globe Awards are awarded annually by theGolden Globe Foundation. Bayer Sager has earned 2 awards from 11 nominations.
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "The Spy Who Loved Me" | Best Original Song - Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 1980 | "Theme from Ice Castles (Through the Eyes of Love)" | Nominated | |
| Better Than Ever" | Nominated | ||
| 1982 | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" | Won | |
| 1983 | "Making Love" | Nominated | |
| 1987 | "They Don't Make Them Like They Used to" | Nominated | |
| 1994 | "The Day I Fall in Love" | Nominated | |
| 1995 | "Look What Love Has Done" | Nominated | |
| 1999 | "The Prayer" | Won | |
| 2008 | "Grace Is Gone" | Nominated |
TheGrammy Awards are awarded annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bayer Sager has earned 1 award from 9 nominations.[24]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Nobody Does It Better" | Song Of The Year | Nominated |
| 1980 | They're Playing Our Song | Best Cast Show Album | Nominated |
| Ice Castles | Best Album of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special | Nominated | |
| 1982 | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do" | Song Of The Year | Nominated |
| 1987 | "That's What Friends Are For" | Song Of The Year | Won |
| Record Of The Year | Nominated | ||
| 1995 | "The Day I Fall In Love" | Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or For Television | Nominated |
ThePrimetime Emmy Awards are awarded annually by theAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences. Bayer Sager has earned 1 nomination.
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Without You" | Outstanding Music and Lyrics | Nominated |
