MovieChat Forums > A Star Is Born (1976) Discussion > PAUL WILLIAMS

PAUL WILLIAMS

posted 14 years ago by samuri5
7 replies | jump to latest

I was very surprised his name hasn't been brought up on the discussion boards to this point. This guy made so many contributions to film music, credited on this soundtrack alone with 7 songs, including Evergreen. He truly is one of the greatest lyricists in American cinema and dominated film contributions in the 70's - 80's, from ASIB to Phantom of the Paradise (one of my favorites) to Rainbow Connection. Talk about range!

He definitely was a "go-to" guy.

Open the pod bay doors, Hal.

[–] dolenz5 14 years ago

I wholeheartedly agree! Paul Williams is the best!

[–] kapnkirk 14 years ago

If you were around in the 70s this guy was everywhere. He sure has a low profile nowadays but I think he had a drinking problem back then. Didn't him and Barbra have some sort of legal dispute over Evergreen? I think he may have said she didn't co-write it or something.

"No! That’s not true at all. Elvis takes fifty percent of everything I earn." Col. Parker

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rbbrittain 10 years ago

Though Babs did flip those lines, the Academy's official credits for "Evergreen" prove your claim about her songwriting credit incorrect: "Music by Barbra Streisand; Lyrics by Paul Williams". Argue about it all you want, but Streisand officially wrote the MUSIC of "Evergreen", NOT its lyrics; AMPAS has always made a sharp distinction between the two. (The story goes that she came up with the tune while learning to play guitar for her role.)

Though two other women wrote the *lyrics* of a Best Original Song winner before "Evergreen" (including Marilyn Bergman just three years earlier as co-lyricist of Babs' own "The Way We Were"), Streisand was officially the first woman to write the *music* of an Oscar-winning song. Though seven other women have co-written the music (or music & lyrics combined) of a BOS winner since (including Kristen Anderson-Lopez this year and Adele the year before), the only two since Barbra to receive *sole* music credit for a BOS winner were the two who wrote BOTH music AND lyrics by themselves: Carly Simon ("Let the River Run" from "Working Girl") and Melissa Etheridge ("I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth").

[–] puirt-a-beul 12 years ago

Yeah, I love Paul Williams' songs, and how much he contributed to the films he wrote for. And his performances, for that matter — he was sardonically great as Swann in Paradise.

I was lucky enough to see him perform live, way back when, in a supper club environment. It was perfect for his music, and he really built a relationship with his audience — none of this pre-rehearsed patter, it felt like he was really just chatting with us, and with a small backing ensemble and a baby grand his songs were really able to shine. Top night. ;-)

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

[–] IcySpoon 11 years ago

I remember him from all the great talk shows of the '70's-Mike Douglas, Merv, Carson etc. Recently I caught a documentary solely about him called "Still Alive". It's not Oscar caliber but definitely enjoyable if you are a Paul Williams fan-it takes a while for him to open up in the film but it really explains his reaction to stardom, drug addiction and subsequent sobriety. Check your cable channels on demand, Amazon or netflix.

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here!" "This is the war room!" Dr. Strangelove

[–] Whom (528) 2 years ago

Toby Jones should play him in a bio pic