Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1944) is an American lyricist, singer, songwriter, and painter.
Early life and career
Carole Bayer was born in New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts, and speech. She had already written her first pop hit, "A Groovy Kind of Love", with Toni Wine, while still a student at New York City's High School of Music and Art. It was recorded by the British invasion band The Mindbenders, whose version was a worldwide hit, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was later recorded by Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, and Phil Collins, whose rendition for the film Buster reached number one on both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. The single became a 1977 Australian number one single and also reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1977. Paul Buckmaster provided horn and string arrangements for the album. The album also included Bayer Sager's versions of two songs previously recorded by Melissa Manchester – "Home to Myself" and the oft-covered "Come in from the Rain". It went platinum in Japan and Australia.
It was followed by ...Too in 1978, also produced by Brooks Arthur, which included all-star cameos by the likes of Michael McDonald, Alice Cooper and Manchester. It also included the first recording of "It's the Falling in Love" which subsequently would be covered by Michael Jackson on his 1979 multi-platinum album Off the Wall.
In 1981, she recorded Sometimes Late at Night, which was co-produced by future husband Burt Bacharach with Brooks Arthur, and included the single "Stronger Than Before", later recorded by Chaka Khan and Dionne Warwick. The song became Bayer Sager's only song to hit Billboard's American Top 40 as a performer, peaking at number 30. The track "Just Friends" featured a vocal cameo from Michael Jackson, who also co-produced the track with Bacharach, while Neil Diamond also co-produced and played guitar on the track "On The Way To The Sky" which he also recorded as the title track of his concurrent album On the Way to the Sky.
Songwriting
Bayer Sager had many hits during the 1970s. She co-wrote many songs with Melissa Manchester that appeared on Manchester's solo albums of the period, including "Come in from the Rain" and "Midnight Blue", which would go on to be covered by many other artists. She also worked with Australian songwriter Peter Allen, crafting hits such as "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" "You and Me (We Wanted It All)" and "Don't Cry Out Loud". She also scored major hits collaborating with Albert Hammond ("When I Need You") and Bruce Roberts ("You're the Only One").
With Marvin Hamlisch and Neil Simon, she wrote the lyrics for the 1978 stage musical They're Playing Our Song, which was loosely based on her relationship with Hamlisch. The musical ran for over three years on Broadway. She also wrote the lyrics, whilst Hamlisch composed the music, for "Nobody Does It Better", the Bond theme sung by Carly Simon in the film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
Many of Bayer Sager's 1980s songs were co-written with her husband at the time, composer Burt Bacharach. She served as executive producer for the eponymous solo album of June Pointer, of The Pointer Sisters, in 1989.
thumb|right|Bayer Sager with [[Carole King, Cynthia Weil, and Barry Mann in December 2012]]
Bayer Sager has won an Academy Award (out of six nominations), a Grammy Award (out of nine nominations) and two Golden Globe Awards (out of seven nominations). She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987. Bayer Sager won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1982 for "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", theme song to the romantic comedy Arthur.
Bayer Sager received the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1987 for the song "That's What Friends Are For", which she co-wrote with Bacharach.
She occasionally collaborated with Neil Sedaka, with 11 songs co-written between the two.
Alongside Bruce Roberts and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Bayer Sager co-wrote "Stronger Together", sung by Jessica Sanchez. The song was played after Hillary Clinton's speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The song is named after the slogan that the Clinton campaign used as a show of uniting behind the Democratic nominee.
In 2018, she co-wrote the song "Living in the Moment" for the film Book Club, recorded by Katharine McPhee, as well as two songs on Barbra Streisand's album Walls: "Better Angels" and "What's on My Mind". She contributed lyrics to "Ghost Town" on Kanye West's album Ye.
In April 2020, Lady Gaga closed out her One World: Together at Home concert with a new rendition of "The Prayer", co-performed with Dion, Bocelli, John Legend and classical pianist Lang Lang. The performance helped raise $127 million for the World Health Organization battling COVID-19 cases in America.
In May 2022, she was honored with a BMI Icon award at the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards
Personal life
She married record-producer Andrew Sager in 1970, and they divorced in 1978. Bayer Sager was involved in a romantic relationship with composer Marvin Hamlisch in the late 1970s.
Since June 1996, Bayer Sager has been married to Robert Daly, former chairman of Warner Bros. and former chairman / CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, and currently chairman of the American Film Institute (AFI). They live in Los Angeles.
In October 2016, Bayer Sager published her memoir, They're Playing Our Song: A Memoir (Simon & Schuster). She also narrated the audiobook version.
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with Australian chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album details
! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart<br />positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Certification
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | <small>AUS<br /></small>
|-
! scope="row" | Carole Bayer Sager
|
- Released: 1977
- Format: LP
- Label: Elektra
| align="center" | 4
|
- AUS: Gold
|-
! scope="row" | ...Too
|
- Released: 1978
- Format: LP
- Label: Elektra
| align="center" | 68
|
|-
! scope="row" | Sometimes Late at Night
|
- Released: 1981
- Format: LP
- Label: Boardwalk
| align="center" | —
|
|}
Charting singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of singles, with Australian chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title
! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart<br />positions
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | <small>AUS<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|-
! style="width:3%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:23%;"| Award
! style="width:5%;"|Result
|-
| 1978
| "Nobody Does It Better"
| Song of The Year
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1980
| They're Playing Our Song
| Best Cast Show Album
|
|-
| Ice Castles
| Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture Or A Television Special
|
|-
| 1982
| "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do"
| Song of The Year
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1987
|rowspan="2"| "That's What Friends Are For"
| Song of The Year
|
|-
| Record of The Year
|
|-
| 1995
| "The Day I Fall In Love"
| Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or For Television
|
|-
|}
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awarded annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Bayer Sager has earned 1 nomination.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|-
! style="width:3%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:23%;"| Award
! style="width:5%;"|Result
|-
| 2000
| "Without You"
| Outstanding Music and Lyrics
|
|-
|}
References
External links
- Official website
- Radio interview on The Diane Rehm Show (50 mins, 2016)