Book party for release in New York given by Deborah and Allan GRUBMAN
So what if Burt Bacharach was a narcissist? What was that failing next to his bright blue eyes, salt-and-pepper hair and sexy voice? Joanne Kaufman reviews “They’re Playing Our Song” by Carole Bayer Sager.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/at-home-with-the-hitmakers-1477260703
Stay Thirsty Magazine said they were “truly honored to visit with Carole Bayer Sager at her home in Los Angeles for this Conversation about her life, her career and her new book.”
In October’s Vanity Fair, Carole’s new book is featured in the “Spotlight” section
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“Many women struggling in a man’s world will enjoy the author’s stories about her early family life and the challenges she faced growing up. It’s fascinating to read about her path….What makes this account appealing and different from typical celebrity biographies is Sager’s honesty and forthright way of approaching her work….An enjoyable read for those who seek to understand the creative process of songwriting and the American songbook, as told by a woman.”
—Library Journal
“While sensitively chronicling her numerous ups and downs, the author is generous in her sharing of the anecdotes behind the music. The narrative is breezy and accessible, with writing that plays to the strengths of her crisp sense of humor, deep attachment to music, and resonant lust for life.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“Sager tenderly illustrates an insider’s account of life behind the music….Sager’s writing is comfortably conversational, and her stories are lovingly told.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Before Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, there was They’re Playing Our Song, Sager’s musical based on her real-life relationship with composer Marvin Hamlisch. She recounts that story and much more in this honest, heartfelt, and often humorous memoir…..Music lovers will enjoy getting to know the talent behind all those memorable songs.”
—Booklist
Advance Praise for They’re Playing Our Song
“I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is genuinely funny, and Carole’s voice – bright, self-deprecating, but fearful and searching – comes through wonderfully well.”
– Bette Midler
“This is a funny fast paced heartfelt book by an accomplished glamorous woman who openly shares her journey with us.”
– Candice Bergen
“From the hit-prone Carole Bayer Sager comes this delightful and funny tell-all crammed with famous names and famous songs. Every few pages you’ll say to yourself, ‘I didn’t realize she wrote that.’”
– Steve Martin
“Carole Bayer Sager braids together lyrics the way Venus and Serena spin aces – repeatedly, miraculously – and this book is one of the best, most lasting songs she has ever written.”
– Carly Simon
Another great advance review, this one from the trade publication Kirkus Reviews: THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG A Memoir
Author: Carole Bayer Sager
The driven life of an award-winning, hit-producing singer/songwriter.Sager’s star-studded memoir begins with her personal recollections of growing up an indulgent “sneak eater” in the shadow of an anxious, pragmatic mother and a beloved father who died of heart failure just as her first hit song, “A Groovy Kind of Love,” ascended the pop charts in 1965. Music grounded the author from a young age as she found herself writing songs as a teenager in the early 1960s, then abandoning a teaching career to write lyrics full time. Sager’s treasury of chart-topping music includes “That’s What Friends Are For,” the Academy Award-winning “Arthur’s Theme,” and the book’s title, from a Neil Simon-created 1978 Broadway musical based on the author’s enchanted relationship with Marvin Hamlisch. Sager writes forthrightly about the irrationality of fears haunting her throughout her adolescence and into adulthood. Afraid of contracting polio in childhood, she grew into a successful woman battling a crippling fear of flying. These anxieties, she admits, “led me to my long-standing relationship with sleeping pills.” However, these hurdles take a back seat to Sager’s true passion for music, which comes through in enlightening chapters spotlighting her songwriting efforts for artists like Bette Midler and Carly Simon and, in later years, with Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach, whom she married in the 1980s and adored enough to endure a series of body enhancement surgeries “to look like I belonged with [him].” Socially, Sager nurtured a friendship with Elizabeth Taylor and, for better or worse, wrote career-reviving music for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. While sensitively chronicling her numerous ups and downs, the author is generous in her sharing of the anecdotes behind the music. The narrative is breezy and accessible, with writing that plays to the strengths of her crisp sense of humor, deep attachment to music, and resonant lust for life. An undemanding yet deeply felt memoir of a life lived through melody, lyrics, and the limelight of hard-won fame.
‘They’re Playing Our Song’ publishes Oct. 16.
Carole Bayer Sager, the songwriter of such hits as “Nobody Does It Better,” “A Groovy Kind of Love,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and the theme from the movie Arthur, “Best That You Can Do,” is writing her memoirs, publisher Simon & Schuster announced Monday. They’re Playing Our Song will publish Oct. 18.The title comes from the long-running musical of the same name, which was inspired by Sager’s relationship with Marvin Hamlisch. She was also married to Burt Bacharach and close friends with Elizabeth Taylor. Over her five-decade career, she has collaborated with Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Melissa Manchester, Bette Midler, Carly Simon and Frank Sinatra.Simon & Schuster promises a “surprisingly frank and darkly humorous story of a woman whose sometimes crippling fears and devastating relationships inspired many of the songs she would ultimately write.”Amanda Urban at International Creative Management repped Sager on the book deal.
