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Harold Rome |
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Basic InformationBorn: Harold Jacob Rome, May 27, 1908, Hartford, Connecticut (US) Died: October 26, 1993 (age 85), New York City Primary songwriting roles: composer and lyricist Co-writers: Rome wrote, almost exclusively, both words and music. For songs written with others, view the DBOPM database. |
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Overview and Commentary: |
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Overview from
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"Harold Jacob Rome . . . was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Rome played piano in local dance bands and was already writing music while studying architecture and law at Yale University. After graduation he worked as an architect in New York City, but continued to pursue his musical interests, arranging music for local bands and writing material for revues at Green Mansions, a Jewish summer resort in the Adirondacks. Much of the music Rome was writing at this time was socially conscious and of little interest toTin Pan Alley. In 1937, he made his Broadway debut as co-writer, composer, and lyricist of the topical revue Pins and Needles. Pins and Needles was originally written for a small theatrical production directed by Samuel Roland. After a 2 week professional run, it was adapted for performances by members of the then-striking International Garment Workers' Union as an entertainment for its members. Because Roland was associated with left-wing causes, he was asked by ILGWU president David Dubinsky to withdraw. The show was a huge success, running for 1108 performances, and prompted George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart to invite Rome to collaborate on another topical revue, Sing Out the News, in 1938. In the early 1940s, Rome wrote songs for several revues and shows, but it was not until after the end of World War II that he had his next real success with Call Me Mister. His first full-fledged musical was Wish You Were Here in 1952. Additional Broadway credits include Fanny (1954), Destry Rides Again (1959), I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), in which Barbra Streisand made her Broadway debut, and The Zulu and the Zayda (1965), which dealt with racial and religious intolerance. He also wrote the lyrics for La Grosse Valise (composer Gerard Calvi), which enjoyed a short run at the 54th Street Theater in 1965. In 1970, he wrote a musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind entitled Scarlett for a Tokyo production with a Japanese cast. It later was staged in English with little success in London and Los Angeles. In 1991, Rome was presented with a special Drama Desk Award for his "distinctive contribution to musical theater." Rome was also a painter and art collector. He died of a stroke in New York City at the age of 85." |
  Reading Lyrics, Edited and with an Introduction by Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball, New York: Pantheon Books, 2000. |
Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball on Harold Rome: "The output of [the composer / lyricist Harold Rome] is highly impressive as well as various; he's one of the most underrated figures of his time" (p. 407). |
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Cafe Songbook |
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"F. D. R. Jones" Words and Music by Harold Rome performed by Chick Webb and His Orchestra with vocal by Ella Fitzgerald (1938) -- over artworks and photos associated with the Harlem Renaissance, Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb |
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  Vintage Sheet Music for "F. D. R. Jones" from the Revue Sing Out The News
(1938) |
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| Barbara Streisand, Harold Rome and Rose Marie Jun perform his songs from the 1937 revue, Pins and Needles -- in its 1962 studio recording ("Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition"). | |||
"Nobody Makes a Pass at Me" Words and Music by Harold Rome from the 1937 Revue Pins and Needles sung by Barbra Streisand in the studio revival cast recording, 1962 "Mene Mene Tekel"* Words and Music by Harold Rome from the 1937 Revue Pins and Needles performed by Harold Rome in the studio revival cast recording, 1962 (*Mene Mene Tekel: "Words written by a mysterious hand on the wall of Belshazzar's palace, and interpreted by Daniel as predicting the doom of the king and his dynasty" -- from The Jewish Encyclopedia) "Doin' The Reactionary" Words and Music by Harold Rome from the 1937 Revue Pins and Needles sung by Barbara Streisand in the studio revival cast recording, 1962 "Sing Me a Song of Social Significance" Words and Music by Harold Rome from the 1937 Revue Pins and Needles sung by Rose Marie Jun in the studio revival cast recording (1962) |
iTunes review
"Despite the long run, Pins and Needles went virtually unheard by most of the nation. The play's 'big number' was Harold Rome's 'Sing Me a Song with Social Significance' . . . . Possessor of what surely must be the most socially significant song title of the Depression, and featuring some timely references to breadlines and wars, [the song] may have been mass culture for dedicated Broadway fans, but for everyone else, it languished in obscurity" (Young, pp. 87-88).
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"Are You Ready Gyp Watson?" Words and Music by Harold Rome from Destry Rides Again, 1959 Broadway production with dancers and chorus featuring Dolores Gray (story but not music based on the earlier films (1932 and 1939) with the same title. |
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"Miss Marmelstein" Words and Music by Harold Rome from I Can Get It for You Wholesale, 1962 performed by Barbra Streisand in her first Broadway show |
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, An H. W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary. New York: The H. W. Wilson Co., 1987 (includes 146 bios of composers and lyricists). -- a wide selection of used copies is available at
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