songwriter

I never heard of Vic Mizzy, but he was a professional songwriter who specialized in TV themes. Vic Mizzy passed away on Saturday at the age of 93. I may not have recognized his name, but I know Vic Mizzy's music... and I've had his tunes in my head for decades. Mizzy was the man who wrote two classic TV themes, Green Acres and The Addams Family. And they really were classic. To this day, I remember every word and can sing them at the drop of a hat (if you were wearing one and decided to drop it).

Mizzy had written songs that the likes of Dean Martin and Doris Day recorded, even the great Billie Holiday. But those TV themes are his legacy. That's not a bad thing. Mizzy made music that people remember because they were catchy themes attached to quirky series. And his songs were perfect because in 90 seconds or so, he captured the gist of the sitcom. Think about it:

USA Today has an article this morning about how American Idol producers choose the winning singles for the end of the season. It turns out the two songs that Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks sang last night were what the producers considered the best of 150 potential singles for the winner of American Idol. Producers want a song that is fittingly climactic but also would do well on Top 40 radio.

This year, Katharine's song, My Destiny, was written by Harry Sommerdal, Hanne Sorvag and Tim Baxter. Taylor's song, Do I Make You Proud, was written by Tracy Ackerman and Absolute. You know those songwriters all tuned in to American Idol last night with their friends and family to see their songs debut, only to have them bashed by the judges in front of 30 million people. And, I'm sorry songwriters, but I agree with the judges. Those songs were corny.