Exclusive: Conversations and Music with Michael Feinstein- Music By Michael!

Welcome to Conversations and Music with Michael Feinstein. I'm glad to be with you

A number of people have asked me about my own songs. I do write songs, even though some people

might not be aware of that. And it's something that I enjoy most of the time when the muse is kind

Songwriting is a very mysterious thing, and like a lot of writers, I find that I'm best inspired when I have a project or something

something specifically to focus on. And I've had the great opportunity to write songs with some

amazing lyricists, some very talented ones, including Marilyn and Alan Bergman, and Marshall Bearer

who was also one of my favorite people. Bob Merrill, who you may know is having written the

lyrics to Funny Girl with Tully Stein. Lindy Robbins, who is an award-winning songwriter

who's written a number of pop hits. And this first one that I want to sing for you

has lyrics by Mark Cherry, whom many of you will know as the writer

and creator of Desperate Housewives, or you might know his new current show

on CBS All Access called Why Women Kill, which is very much worth checking out

And it's a show for which I got to sing the title song, so I'm also happy about that

This song I want to sing for you now is one that I'd like to dedicate to the memory of Terrence McNally

because Mark Sherry and I wrote it for the Broadway revival of Terrence's show. It's only a play. It's a show that I saw

a number of decades previously and absolutely fell in love with and I

felt bad that the Broadway revival didn't last because it is, in my

opinion, amongst his finest comedic work. Terence was a remarkable man, as we all know. He had a

brilliant sense of music and loved all kinds of music and Mark and I were thrilled when he asked us

to write this song for the show and were even happier when he approved it and it went into the show played in the background of one scene and then used for for curtain calls It a little forking to do this song of Sons microphone but I shall do my best to project

And it's called Let's Try It Again. Lyrics by Mark Cherry. So Bad from the Sky

You slipped on my heart, but I've had ears to drive my tears

Let's try it again. Our great clothes pair taught me how to swear, but now I'm wise to these lies

Let's try it again. Did we fight? Oh yeah. Every one. You were me, and I was green, and it was true

But now I'm the true. This kid has been cured. Don't be alarmed. This time I are

Let's try to get you. Did we fight

Oh, yeah. Every night. Oh, yeah. You were the evening, and I was free, and it was told you to know, but now I'm a true

This kid has been cured and I've been burned but now I've learned that no longer scared I never care

and every part I break our heart Let try it again Let's try it again

Okay, this other one that I would like to share with you is one that I wrote with Marshall Bearer

If you know the name Marshall Bearer, you will know him as being the lyricist of Once Upon a Mattress

which he wrote with Mary Rogers. It was the show that brought Carol Burnett to stardom

And Marshall wrote a lot of other work, much of which was not produced or performed

which is very sad, but as brilliant as he was. And I venture to say that he was, in my opinion

one of the finest lyricists of the 20th century. I think he is as good as anybody who ever wrote

Marshall just couldn't get out of his own way, but did have another show on Broadway called The Mad Show

He wrote the lyrics for Pus Cafe, which was the last musical written, Broadway musical written with music by Dick Allington

And this song that we created was for a TV movie, the title song of a TV movie, and Marshall was basically known or primarily known for his comedy songs

but I find this one lyrically deeply moving. For love alone, I did what otherwise I never could die

I lost a race to I should have won An aimless huge

You made error was in the sun It hasn't fun When I was sure

How very safe the price Can be when love goes wrong I help my hasty heart in check but not for long somehow I never

could resist that siren song If some dark day I wait to find

the love I thought was here today I left slept away I'll simply say

These are the braced One may some space I want the lives

But know I want Because From the ashes Like the phoenix I will rise

And still skies For nothing dies That flies Thank you