Unsung Jewish Composers and Lyricists of the Great American Songbook - George David Weiss and "What a Wonderful World"

It's well known that many of the songs that comprise the collection known as The Great American Song Book were written by Jewish composers and lyricists, mostly in the decades between 1930 and 1965, but also going back to the turn of the 20th century.

The most prolific of these writers are responsible for the great majority of songs. Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin lead the long list of songwriters and their songs number in the hundreds.

But there are many others that were written by composers and lyricists that you very likely never heard of. These songwriters wrote lots of pop songs to stand alone and as parts of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and Hollywood movies. Most of the songs are long forgotten, but a few of them have become popular standards, and are sung as much today as in the years they were written.

In this series, which will run in Jewish Humor Central on a weekly basis, we will focus on one songwriter at a time, and feature a video performance of their most popular song.

Today we're featuring George David Weiss, who was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx. He originally planned to be a lawyer or accountant, but out of a love for music he attended the Juilliard School of Music, developing a talent for writing and arranging. He wrote the English lyrics for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

Weiss is best known for writing Louis Armstrong's big hit, What a Wonderful World, a song that is simply about appreciating the beauty of your surroundings.

 

In the song, Louis sings of seeing various events and natural wonders that make him smile, while also perhaps lamenting the passage of time, noting: "I hear babies crying, I watch them grow, they'll learn much more than I'll never know".

 

Weiss was also said to be inspired by Armstrong's ability to bring people of different races together.

 

The song was not initially a hit in America, where it sold less than 1,000 copies because ABC Records head Larry Newton did not like the song and chose not to promote it.

 

However, it was a huge success in the UK, reaching number one and becoming the biggest-selling single of 1968. The song made Louis Armstrong the oldest male to top the UK Singles Chart. Tom Jones later broke this record in 2009.

 

In 1988, Armstrong's recording appeared in the film Good Morning, Vietnam (despite the film being set in 1965 — two years before it was recorded) and was re-released as a single. This time, it reached a new peak of number 32.

 

With music by Bob Thiele, here is the hit recording by Louis Armstrong.

Enjoy!

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