Harry Link, songwriter: Reference Sources

Harry Link is best-known for co-writing the music for the standard "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" with Fats Waller (lyrics by Billy Rose) and co-writing the music for "These Foolish Things," even though his part in the composition of this latter song was minor. He was born Harry Linkey in Philadelphia on January 25, 1896, studied at the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate where he later pursued a business degree at The Wharton School.

In 1916, he appeared in the film The Masked Rider, but acting never became a major occupation; rather, he continued with his songwriting and began managing the business side of several music publishing houses, an involvement that emerged as his main endeavor in life.

He has received considerable attention for being one of Irving Berlin's rare collaborators on a song, the 1914 "Along Came Ruth" which is often cited as one of his early songwriting efforts. Though published in many sources, this information is in error. In fact Berlin wrote the original lyric, and Link, in 1926 (with permission from Berlin), co-wrote a new lyric with Christy Walsh, Babe Ruth's agent, and Addy Britt for a number to be used in the ball player's vaudeville act (Kimball and Emmet, p. 88).

His first major songwriting success came with "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" in 1929, which he co-wrote with Billy Rose and the legendary performer Fats Waller. The song was a hit and has become a standard with recordings by Waller, Louis Armstrong, and many others. Link wrote several other songs with Waller, among them "Gone" with a lyric by Andy Razaf and "I Hate to Leave You Now" co-written with his future wife, Dorothy Dick, who continued to be his writing partner for many years.

In 1932, Link created material for the film Blondie of the Follies, and in 1936 was credited with what became the biggest hit of his songwriting life, "These Foolish Things (remind me of you)," which, despite the credit, was written almost entirely by Jack Strachey (music) and Eric Maschwitz (lyrics). For an account of Link's role in the song's composition, see the Cafe Songbook page for "These Foolish Things."

• I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling
• These Foolish Things (remind me of you)

Research Resources: Harry Link

• AllMusic.com (overview, compositions, credits)
• Amazon (publications by and about, recordings, videos, sheet music, etc.)
• The Cafe Songbook page for "These Foolish Things" (includes some information about Link.)
• DBOPM (Database Of Popular Music: song list; awards; hit songs; co-writers)
• Discogs.com (songwriting and arranging credits)
• Indiana University Sheet Music Collection: Harry Link
• Internet Broadway Database (Broadway productions and song credits)
• New York Public Library (catalog entries for books, personal papers, recordings, scores, etc.)
• The New York Times (articles about or related to the songwriter)
• Wikipedia (Harry LInk article)
• ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, New York: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Cattell/Bowker, Fourth edition, 1980 (dates, collaborators, shows/movies, songs, etc., entry p. 304)
• Eric Maschwitz, No Chip on My Shoulder, London: Herbert Jenkins, 1957 (Maschwitz autobiography that includes account of the wriitng of "These Foolish Things").

Notes

• After 1937, Link continued his career in the music publishing business. He died in New York City, July 5, 1956.

Cite this page: Harry Link, songwriter: Reference Sources, Cafe Songbook, https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songwriters/l_sws/link_harry.html