Posted on 02/16/2007 3:10:03 PM PST by Borges
Ray Evans, whose long collaboration with songwriting partner Jay Livingston produced a string of hits that included the Oscar-winning "Buttons and Bows," "Mona Lisa" and "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," has died. He was 92.
Evans, who teamed up with Livingston in the late 1930s, died of an apparent heart attack at UCLA Medical Center on Thursday evening, Frederick Nicholas, Evans' lawyer and the trustee of his estate, said today.
Considered among Hollywood's greatest songwriters, Livingston and Evans wrote songs for dozens of movies, most of them at Paramount, where they were under contract from 1945 to 1955.
With Livingston providing the melodies and Evans writing the lyrics, the team wrote 26 songs that reportedly sold more than 1 million copies each.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
He also cowrote the Bonanaza and Mr Ed themes.
I read it "Stuff Like That, There!", 'Stuff' being a verb, yes?
That there is a good point!
Did he do any rap?
"Que Sera, Sera"
from THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956)
words by Ray Evans and music by Jay Livingston
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother
What will I be?
Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me:
Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.
When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart
What lies ahead?
Will we have rainbows
Day after day?
Here's what my sweetheart said:
Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.
Now I have children of my own.
They ask their mother,
What will I be?
Will I be handsome?
Will I be rich?
I tell them tenderly:
Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.
Que sera, sera.
1948 - "Buttons and Bows" from The Paleface
Music and lyric by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston
East is east and west is west
And the wrong one I have chose
Let's go where I'll keep on wearin'
Those frills and flowers and buttons and bows
Rings and things and buttons and bows
Don't bury me in this prairie
Take me where the cement grows
Let's move down to some big town
Where they love a gal by the cut o' her clothes
And I'll stand out
In buttons and bows
I'll love you in buckskin
Or skirts that I've homespun
But I'll love ya' longer, stronger where
Yer friends don't tote a gun
My bones denounce the buckboard bounce
And the cactus hurts my toes
Let's vamoose where gals keep usin'
Those silks and satins and linen that shows
And I'm all yours in buttons and bows
Gimme eastern trimmin' where women are women
In high silk hose and peek-a-boo clothes
And French perfume that rocks the room
And I'm all yours in buttons and bows.
I think a lot of us wish we could live believing that "whatever will be will be", to let go of thinking it was up to us to control everything. The guy was 92. Maybe that means he figured out how to do that.
Thanks for posting this Borges. Someone doesn't need to be an old fogey to appreciate great music. Ray Evans wrote good music. God Bless him and may he rest in peace.
Nope, it's a noun in that song. Great Betty Hutton performance.
LOL, love it!
Ray Evans had a broad range of creativity and a sense of humor. Ya can't beat that with a stick.
Too bad. I was hoping it was short for "Stuff it Like That, in There"
Que Sera, Sera.....now *those* were innocent times.Today it's domestic violence,drug abuse,footsie with the secretary,"coming out" and "Bill,I'm just not happy".
Doris Day pretty much typified that time. There was a feature film in 1988 called 'Heathers' the makers of which wanted to use Day's recording of 'Que Sera, Que Sera' and found out that she refuses to give permission to use her work in any movie with profanity.
RIP, Mr. Evans.
Two movie title songs:
To Each His Own (Livingston and Evans)
A rose must remain with the sun and the rain
Or its' lovely promise won't come true
To each his own, to each his own
And my own is you
What good is a song if the words just don't belong?
And a dream must be a dream for two
No good alone, to each his own
For me there's you
If a flame is to grow there must be a glow
To open each door there's a key
I need you, I know, I can't let you go
Your touch means too much to me
Two lips must insist on two more to be kissed
Or they'll never know what love can do
To each his own, I've found my own
One and only you
Dear Heart (Music by Henry Mancini, words by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans)
Dear heart, wish you were here to warm this night
My dear heart, seems like a year since you've been out of my sight
A single room, a table for one
It's a lonesome town all right
But soon I'll kiss you hello at our front door
And dear heart I want you to know
I'll leave your arms nevermore
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