R.I.P. Leslie Bricusse, songwriter behind “Goldfinger” and “Pure Imagination”
The Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist, who also wrote "Talk To The Animals," was 90.
Aux News Leslie Bricusse
Award-winning songwriter Leslie Bricusse, a man with a long show business career that includes working on the unforgettable soundtracks of Goldfinger and Willy & The Chocolate Factory, has died. That’s according to Variety, which says the news was confirmed by social media posts this morning from Joan Collins (a longtime friend of Bricusse’s) and his son, Adam. A cause of death has not been released. Bricusse was 90.
Bricusse was born in 1931 and studied at Cambridge, eventually becoming the president of the school’s famous Footlights acting club and founding its Musical Comedy Club. He also wrote his first two musical while in school, Out Of The Blue and Lady At The Wheel, with Variety noting that they were both performed in London’s West End in the ‘50s.
His highly acclaimed career of film work includes some of the most famous songs in movie history, with him having written or co-written the lyrics to “Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka as well as the theme songs for the James Bond movies Goldfinger (as performed by Shirley Bassey) and You Only Live Twice (performed by Nancy Sinatra)—two of the most iconic themes in a series of iconic themes. He also won an Academy award for composing and writing the lyrics to “Talk To The Animals” from 1967's Doctor Dolittle.
Bricusse was a frequent collaborator with Anthony Newley (with whom he wrote the musical Stop The World—I Want To Get Off as well as its Grammy-winning breakout song “What Kind Of Fool Am I?”), John Williams (he wrote the lyrics to Superman’s “Can You Read My Mind” as well as some of the songs from Hook), and Henry Mancini (they worked on Victor/Victoria, most notably “Le Jazz Hot,” which also won an Academy Award).
Bricusse is survived by his wife and son.
9 Comments
Now that’s some legendary music. R.I.P.
It’s amazing to realize “The Candy Man” was written for Willy Wonka and only later got picked up by Sammy Davis Jr. Anthony Newley was afraid no one would ever hear any version but the movie’s, which was fine for the scene but not radio quality.While Candy Man and Pure Imagination were all time classics, massive props for the Oompa Loompa song and I Want It Now. So good you could go-nuts.
“I want a bean feast!”“Oh, one of THOSE …”
I love this song.
All right, all right, I’m gonna get dragged for mentioning advertising, but dammit, I love Stephanie Tarling’s cover of “Pure Imagination” MS used in the Surface Studio ad.But my days as a nascent ad-man have me thinkin’ of this.MS out-Appled Apple on this one. It manages to be both evocative and full of pathos, selling an inspirational – and aspirational – image, something Apples been doin’ for two decades. But it was also grounded in practicality, and reality – by letting the viewer in on the fact that this isn’t magic (which Apple likes to flog), but screws, hinges, CPUs, heatsinks – real bits of tech. It also showed context – the product being used. Apple sells the idea that you’re meant to buy their products for the privilege of owning their products; MS says their gear is there to serve you, in a variety of situations. I know, I know, it’s advertising, for MS, but then again, if anything, it shows the pop-cultural hold “Pure Imagination” has one people, some fifty-odd years after it debuted.
Shirley bad set singing goldfinger? She rocked it.
Fortunately he stepped in when Ringo didn’t deliver his theme song in time.
Mr Bricusse also wrote “Somewhere in My Memory” with John Williams for the Home Alone movies.
Rumor has it that he also wrote the “wa wa wa wa waaaaaaaaaaa” for Goldfinger.This might well be the best career that I knew nothing about yet was right under my nose, until the person died. Fine work, dude.