Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer

[#1]

Johnny Mercer’s lyrics set the highest standards in the American songbook. Collaborating with Hoagy Carmichael, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen, and Jerome Kern, among many others, he set unforgettable words to some of the most memorable melodies in popular music, including “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” “Fools Rush In,” “I Remember You,” “That Old Black Magic,” “Laura,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Midnight Sun,” “Satin Doll,” and “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).” They’re all here in this oversize compendium.

[#2]

I think Mercer was a great vernacular American voice, but there's no way - in any reasonable lyric-off with Cole Porter - you could say he set the "highest standards."

[#3]

Oh, I don't know about that. Porter's greatest lyrics are unassailable, but below his very top rank, there is often no there there -- just a kind of antic wordplay. Plus, he didn't have the mastery of setting words to different musical styles that Mercer exhibited.