Thank You, Robert Sherman

“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears; it’s a world of hopes and a world of fears…”

 

When I was a very young child, this was one of my best friends:

It used to have a white dust cover with beautiful images from Disney movies, but I’m fairly sure that is a casualty of my kids.  This book still sits on the piano in my living room today, but thirty years ago it kept me company while my dad made dinner, my mom worked, and my brother blew things up with his best friend.

I began playing the piano at the age of three and a half and reading at about the same time, so when this book arrived in my home, it gave me three of the things that I loved all in one place: words, music, and Disney.  While The Illustrated Disney Song Book contains dozens of songs from Disney movies and parks, it opens with fifty-one pages of stories and images telling the stories behind the most famous Disney songs.

This is where I first met the Sherman brothers.  Richard and Robert Sherman were the first staff songwriters ever hired by Walt Disney who previously either hired outside writers or had other studio writers compose lyrics to accompany the music written by staff composers.  The songs written by the Sherman brothers are some of the most well-known Disney songs and have surely been sung in all of our homes, danced to with our children, and stuck in our heads for hours…

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Winnie the Pooh

I Wan’na Be Like You

The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room

There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

It’s a Small World.

Yesterday Robert B. Sherman passed away in London at the age of 86.  The gift of music has always been one of the greatest joys of my life.  Thank you, Robert, for all that you did to add to that gift.

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5 Comments

  • I just got chills seeing the spine of that book. I also had it as a child, but it sadly was lost. I definitely have a heavy heart today. it’s a small world has always been, and will always be, my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World. We’ve definitely lost an amazing talent.

  • There is no greater gift to the soul than music to make it soar ~ that Mr. Sherman gave us the music for the most magical place on earth is a gift not to be matched ~ beautiful post Amy =)

  • Aw, some of the best songs ever. I feel like we are losing the art of songwriting for movies that stands the test of time.

  • Chezianne

    This reminds me of my childhood too…But since then, I never saw this book ever…This makes me want to get a copy now…

  • […] 2012, when Robert Sherman left this earth, I was filled with sadness at his passing, remembering him as a dear old friend. I continued to […]