Wordpress Banner 08 09

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

A World of Laughter, A World of Tears: The Second Disc Remembers Robert B. Sherman

March 7, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Sher ·man ·ism (sher'maniz'em)

NOUN:

  1. The creation of music abundant in optimism and heart, written for kids of all ages.

OTHER FORMS:
sher man·ist (Noun), sher man·esque (Adjective)

Okay, so that’s not really in the dictionary.  But then again, neither is “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “fortuosity,” “fantasmagorical” or “gratifaction.”  But perhaps they should be.  Have any other songwriters broadened the English language as much as Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman?  The older of the Sherman Brothers, Robert, died yesterday morning at his home in London, aged 86, survived by younger brother Richard, 83.  It’s both comforting and ironic that Sherman, writer of some of the most uniquely American songs ever, died in his beloved England, a land which he so frequently immortalized in song.

Though inextricably linked with Walt Disney, the Sherman Brothers carved out a niche of their own in virtually every medium possible.  There were the Academy Award-winning triumphs in film, the Grammy-winning contributions to record, the teevee tunes entertaining generations of children, the showstoppers on the Broadway stage.  But Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman’s greatest contribution to popular culture just might and be the song generally considered the most-performed song on earth: “It’s a Small World,” written for a World’s Fair attraction in 1964 and now permanently ensconced in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong.  And simple though the song may be, its sentiment certainly isn’t.  Bob and Dick, known to their employer Walt Disney as “The Boys,” first imagined the song as a mournful prayer for peace in a rapidly changing world.  A change of tempo and an ingenious performance concept (imagine, the tune will be sung by children of various ethnicities in various languages!) allowed it to register on a level thought truly unimaginable to its writers.  Those famous words were largely written by Bob Sherman, the wordsmith, while the infectious melody was primarily composed by Dick Sherman, the music man.

“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears/It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears/There’s so much that we share/That it’s time we’re aware/It’s a small world, after all.”  The Boys had the gift of communicating on a direct level with children and adults alike, but the lyric’s concision shouldn’t be confused for superficiality.  The language is easy to swallow but the message runs deeper.  Wherever we are, whoever we are, we have in common the gifts of hope and laughter.  And we all endure life’s more frightening realities.  So we should emphasize these similarities rather than dwell on our differences.  The “after all” is gently admonishing.  The theme of “It’s a Small World” extended to the brothers’ other work, as well.

Walt Disney’s favorite song is said to have been Mary Poppins’ “Feed the Birds.”  Richard Sherman remembers Disney simply instructing him to “play it,” and he and Robert knew exactly what “it” was.  Disney identified on a deep level with the song’s plea for decency and charity.  It didn’t matter that the song was written to be sung by a nanny with mystical powers in London, circa 1910.  Its message was evident, Richard imbuing Robert’s impassioned lyric with just the right hint of darkness in his ravishing melody.  In life, Richard is known for his bright, smiling demeanor while Robert was possessed of a quiet, intense and stoic manner.  “Feed the Birds” epitomizes their artful collaboration, brotherly rapport and chiaroscuro:  Robert was able to unguardedly open his heart while Richard, this time, supplied the shading.

Chances are if you’re reading this, you will have your own favorite Sherman Brothers song.  Maybe it’s from a Walt Disney movie or theme park.  It might be from Over Here! or Busker Alley, the team’s two original stage musicals.  It could even be from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose or Charlotte’s Web, some of the team’s non-Disney films.  Perhaps it’s “You’re Sixteen, You’re Beautiful, You’re Mine,” a hit for Johnny Burnette and Ringo Starr. All of these songs have endured, generation to generation, despite the brickbats of cynics.  No less an eminence than Irving Berlin once wrote, “There is an element of truth in any idea that lasts long enough to be called corny.”  And Richard and Robert Sherman often espoused the truth as they saw it, with an abiding sincerity and heart-on-their-sleeve sensibility that allowed them to set aside even their personal differences.  The acclaimed 2009 documentary film The Boys chronicled their painful periods of estrangement, but Richard recalled in typically-plain spoken fashion in 2005 that, even late in life, “something good happens when we sit together and work.”  When they couldn’t make their personal lives mesh, they could still find harmony in song, believing in optimistic, some might say childlike, tenets like “Teamwork can make a dream work.”

Robert B. Sherman gave voice to an alley cat, a swinging ape, an avaricious rat and a silly old bear, to name just a few.  But he ultimately gave voice to the inner child in all of us, assuring us that there is a great, big beautiful tomorrow out there, that our imaginations merely need one little spark to ignite, that magic journeys are possible in the most mundane of places.  He did this without drawing attention to himself, staying far from the harsh light of celebrity.  He’ll live on through his music and his philanthropic work, including a Robert B. Sherman scholarship awarded through a partnership with BMI to lyricists in the musical comedy tradition as well as through the still-active career of his brother Richard.  But though there’s no doubt our world is smaller today for his loss, the cultural legacy left behind is towering.

The next time you’re on Disneyland’s Main Street, USA, stop by the Sherman Brothers’ window.  It, directly and appropriately, reads “Two Brothers: Tunemakers.”  “Tunemaker” isn’t in the dictionary, either.  I’d like to think that, somewhere from on high, Robert B. Sherman is smiling.

For more on the life and legacy of Robert B. Sherman, don’t miss Mike’s own tribute over at Popdose.

Categories: News Tags: The Sherman Brothers

Avatar photo

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • Disney100Once Upon a Dream: "Disney100" Celebrates the Disney Music Legacy
  • Release Round-Up: Week of October 23
  • RSD19 BobDylan BOTTTestPressingRelease Round-Up: The Second Disc's 2019 Record Store Day Must-Haves
  • Disney Sing Your Heart OutHow Far I'll Go: England's 'Sing Your Heart Out' Series Releases Disney Volume with Rare Instrumentals

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Grateful Dead Wake of the Flood
    Wake of the Flood: 50th Anniversary Edition
    Grateful Dead
    September 29, 2023
  • HAIM Days Are Gone 10
    Days Are Gone: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
    HAIM
    September 29, 2023
  • Steely Dan Aja
    Aja
    Steely Dan
    September 29, 2023
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,621 other subscribers

Popular

  • Jimi Hendrix Experience Hollywood Bowl
    Wild Thing: The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Hollywood Bowl 1967" Chronicles Never-Before-Released Gig posted on September 19, 2023 | under News
  • Dire Straits Live 1978 1992 vinyl packshot
    Twisting by the Pool: Dire Straits Offer Expanded, Unreleased Material for Live Box Set posted on September 18, 2023 | under News
  • Replacements Tim Let It Bleed
    Release Round-Up: Week of September 22 posted on September 22, 2023 | under Release Round-Up

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2023 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy