Carolyn Leigh

CAROLYN LEIGH left a legacy to her family and to the world. Her lyrics, co-written with composers of note are well known. Carolyn’s standard songs include “Young At Heart,” “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “Hey, Look Me Over,” “Witchcraft,” “Doodlin’ Song,” “It Amazes Me,” “Pass Me By,” “When in Rome,” “How Little We Know,” “Westport,” “Spring In Maine,” “The Rules of the Road,” “Firefly,” “I Walk a Little Faster,” “You Fascinate Me So,” “Tall Hopes,” “El Sombrero,” “One Day We Dance,” “The Other Side of the Tracks,” “I’ve Got Your Number,” “Here’s To Us,” “Stay With Me,” “On Second Thought,” “Ouzo,” Peter Pan’s “I’m Flying,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” Little Me’s “Real Live Girl” and many more. Carolyn Leigh graduated from Hunter College High School, Queens College and New York University, and worked as a copy writer for radio stations and advertising agencies. Her lyrics for Broadway shows include Peter Pan, Wildcat, Little Me and How Now, Dow Jones. The last was derived from an original idea of Leigh’s, though Max Shulman wrote the script. At the time of her death, she was working with Marvin Hamlisch on the musical Smile. The last song she wrote was “Killing Time” with Jule Styne. She provided lyrics for the scores to the films The Cardinal in 1963 and Father Goose in 1964. She also contributed to the scores for TV specials such as Heidi and the bicentennial show for Something To Do. Leigh died on November 19, 1983 of a heart attack. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985, at the time one of only two women to receive that honor. Her most loved songs were written with Cy Coleman.