Biography
Lyricist Edward Heyman earned lasting recognition through the popular tunes he crafted during the 1930s and 1940s. Chicago, where he entered the world on March 14, 1907, also served as the setting for his childhood. After enrolling at the University of Michigan, he contributed material to campus musical productions. His initial major success arrived in 1930 when he joined two fellow lyricists and composer Johnny Green on “Body and Soul.” Throughout his career Heyman supplied material for both stage and screen, created pieces for New York’s Radio City Music Hall, and, while serving in the military during World War II, authored the revue At Your Service. Between the middle of the 1950s and 1961 he oversaw productions for the English-speaking troupe known as the Players at a Mexico City theater. Across the decades he worked alongside numerous composers, among them Johnny Green, Vincent Youmans, Victor Young, Nacio Herb Brown, and Morton Gould. Among the songs that remain most fondly recalled are “Out of Nowhere” (1931), “Rain, Rain, Go Away” (1932), “I Cover the Waterfront,” “I Wanna Be Loved” (1933), “Blame It on My Youth,” “Easy Come, Easy Go” (1934), “They Say” (1938), “Strange Love” (1946), and “When I Fall in Love” (1952).