Fred Fisher

Fred Fisher stood out among Tin Pan Alley composers in the opening decades of the twentieth century, and contemporaries generally described him as a vibrant though somewhat volatile personality. Born to American parents in Cologne, Germany, on September 30, 1875, and originally named Fischer, he left home at thirteen to enlist in the German navy; after completing his service he traveled to France and joined the Foreign Legion. He arrived in the United States in 1900, took up residence in Chicago, and acquired piano skills from a neighborhood tavern player. Beginning to compose in 1904, he achieved his earliest success the next year with “If the Man in the Moon Were a Coon.” Partnering regularly with Alfred Bryan, he produced the 1910 hit “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine,” which later appeared in the film Titanic performed by its two central characters. Additional well-received pieces from the period encompassed “When I Get You Alone Tonight,” “Any Little Girl That’s a Nice Little Girl Is the Right Little Girl for Me,” and assorted ethnic novelty numbers modeled on his breakthrough. Their 1913 collaboration “Peg o’ My Heart” became a lasting pop standard, subsequently interpreted by numerous pop and jazz artists across ensuing decades. Fisher altered the spelling of his surname during World War I to avoid any lingering Germanic connotations. Throughout the 1910s and the first half of the 1920s he supplied material extensively for Broadway revues and vaudeville presentations, while a sequence of “place” songs—“I’m on My Way to Mandalay,” “There’s a Broken Heart for Every Light on Broadway,” “Ireland Must Be Heaven, for My Mother Came From There,” “Norway (The Land of the Midnight Sun),” and “When It’s Moonlight on the Alamo”—furnished another reliable commercial formula. Working with lyricist Joe McCarthy he scored a success with “They Go Wild, Simply Wild, Over Me,” and wartime numbers such as “Lorraine, My Sweet Alsace Lorraine,” again with Bryan, and “Oui, Oui, Marie,” credited to both Bryan and McCarthy, also fared well. In 1919 Fisher supplied words for Felix Bernard’s “Dardanella,” whose recording by Ben Selvin’s orchestra is widely regarded as America’s first million-selling disc. Independently he returned to the top in 1922 with “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town),” an affectionate salute to his adopted hometown that naturally resonated strongly with local audiences. Initially popularized by vaudeville singer Blossom Seeley, the song received repeated covers over time, exceeding even those of the comparable “Sweet Home Chicago” or “My Kind of Town.” Ironically, Fisher relocated to Los Angeles within a few years to compose for silent-film soundtracks. Once settled in Hollywood, his established reputation led to assignments for early movie musicals; most prominently, Fanny Brice performed “I’d Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy With Someone Else),” with lyrics by Billy Rose, in the 1928 picture My Man. That same year Paul Whiteman’s orchestra enjoyed a hit with Fisher’s “There Ain’t No Sweet Man Worth the Salt of My Tears.” Output diminished during the 1930s, yet he remained active; the 1936 collaboration with lyricist Ada Benson, “Your Feet’s Too Big,” registered a major success for jazz piano legend Fats Waller. As his health deteriorated toward the close of the decade, he produced several pieces with daughter Doris Fisher, among them the 1940 song “Whispering Grass,” which became a substantial success for the Ink Spots, particularly in the United Kingdom. Continuing decline prompted Fisher to take his own life on January 14, 1942, in New York City rather than endure further suffering. A largely fictionalized biographical musical film, Oh You Beautiful Doll, appeared in 1949, and he was later elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.