Sondheim’s List: “Songs I Wish I’d Written”

In 2000, Stephen Sondheim gave an interview and listed his “Songs I Wish I’d Written (At Least in Part).” It’s a cool (and somewhat obscure) list, check it out:

Ager, Milton

• “Hard Hearted Hannah, the Vamp of Savannah” (1924), lyrics by Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, Charles Bates

Arlen, Harold

• “Blues in the Night,” from “Blues in the Night” (film, 1941), lyrics by Johnny Mercer
• “Buds Won’t Bud,” from “Hooray for What!” (1937), lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
• “The Eagle and Me,” from “Bloomer Girl” (1944), lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
• “I Had Myself a True Love,” from “St. Louis Woman” (1946), lyrics by Johnny Mercer
• “I Wonder What Became of Me,” from “St. Louis Woman” (1946), lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Berlin, Irving

• “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” from “Follow the Fleet” (film, 1936)
• “I Got Lost in His Arms,” from “Annie Get Your Gun” (1946)
• “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun,” from “Annie Get Your Gun” (1946)

Bernstein, Leonard

• “Glitter and Be Gay,” from “Candide” (1956), lyrics by Richard Wilbur

Bock, Jerry

• “Ice Cream,” from “She Loves Me” (1963), lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
• “Tell Me I Look Nice,” cut from “She Loves Me” (1963), lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
• “When Did I Fall in Love,” from “Fiorello!” (1959), lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

Burke, Johnny

• “Sad Was the Day,” from “Donnybrook!” (1961)

Charlap, Moose

• “I’ll Never Go There Anymore,” from “Kelly” (1965), lyrics by Eddie Lawrence

Coleman, Cy

• “The Best Is Yet to Come” (1959), lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
• “The Other Side of the Tracks,” from “Little Me” (1962) lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
• “Real Live Girl,” from “Little Me” (1962), lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
• “The Rules of the Road” (1961), lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
• “When in Rome (I Do as the Romans Do)” (1964), lyrics by Carolyn Leigh

Copland, Aaron (adapted by)

• “Golden Willow Tree,” from “Old American Songs, Second Set” (1954)

Gallet, Luciano (arranged by)

• “Bambalala (Song of the Northern Interior) (Pernambuco)”

Gershwin, George

• “My Man’s Gone Now,” from “Porgy and Bess” (1935), lyrics by DuBose Heyward

Guettel, Adam

• “The Riddle Song,” from “Floyd Collins” (1994)

Henderson, Ray

• “Birth of the Blues,” from “George White’s Scandals 1926,” lyrics by B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown

Jones, Peter

• “Bluellow,” from “Peyton Place” (1994)

Jurmann, Walter and Kaper, Bronislau

• “San Francisco,” from “San Francisco” (film, 1936), lyrics by Gus Kahn

Kander, John

• “Home,” from “70, Girls, 70” (1971), lyrics by Fred Ebb

Karr, Harold

• “Silverware,” from “We Take the Town” (1962), lyrics by Matt Dubey

Kern, Jerome

• “I Am So Eager,” from “Music in the Air” (1932), lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
• “The Song Is You,” from “Music in the Air” (1932), lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Kleban, Edward

• “Better” (1973)

Leonard, Michael

• “I’m All Smiles,” from “The Yearling” (1965), lyrics by Herbert Martin

Loesser, Frank

• “Make a Miracle,” from “Where’s Charley?” (1948)

Martin, Hugh

• “Ev’ry Time,” from “Best Foot Forward” (1941), with Ralph Blane
• “Gotta Dance,” from “Look, Ma, I’m Dancin’!” (1948)
• “I Wanna Be Good ‘n’ Bad,” from “Make a Wish!” (1951)
• “The Trolley Song,” from “Meet Me in St. Louis” (film, 1944), with Ralph Blane

Merrill, Bob

• “On the Farm,” from “New Girl in Town” (1957)

Montsalvatge, Xavier

• “Cancion de Cuna Para Dormir a un Negrito (Cradle Song for a Little Black Boy),” from “Cinco Canciones Negras” (1958), lyrics by Ildefonso Pereda Valdes

Muir, Lewis F.

• “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” (1912), lyrics by L. Wolfe Gilbert

Porter, Cole

• “Every Time We Say Goodbye,” from “Seven Lively Arts” (1944)
• “Let’s Be Buddies,” from “Panama Hattie” (1940)
• “Let’s Not Talk About Love,” from “Let’s Face It” (1941)

Rodgers, Richard

• “What’s the Use of Wond’rin’,” from “Carousel” (1945), lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
• “Why Can’t I,” from “Spring Is Here” (1929), lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Roy, William

• “Charm,” from “Maggie” (1953)
• “What Every Woman Knows,” from “Maggie” (1953)

Schwartz, Arthur

• “By Myself,” from “Between the Devil” (1937), lyrics by Howard Dietz
• “He Had Refinement,” from “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1951), lyrics by Dorothy Fields
• “There’s No Holding Me,” from “Park Avenue” (1946), lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Shire, David

• “Travel,” originally written for “Cyrano,” known from “Starting Here, Starting Now” (1977), lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr

Strouse, Charles

• “You’ve Got Possibilities,” from “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman” (1966), lyrics by Lee Adams

Styne, Jule

• “When the Weather’s Better,” from “Hallelujah, Baby!” (1967), lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

Yeston, Maury

• “New Words,” from “History Loves Company” (1989)