- One day in the late 1930s, he was sitting on a park bench in New York, and overheard a nearby couple arguing. The girl said, "You don't care about me", and the boy responded, "If I didn't care...", then gave her a list of reasons to trust him. Lawrence was inspired to write the words and music for "If I Didn't Care", which became the first hit song for the The Ink Spots.
- After the war, he went to Hollywood and became a successful songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for "All or Nothing at All", "Tenderly", and "Hold My Hand".
- Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.
- Lawrence's wrote the song "Linda," for his lawyer's young daughter, Linda Eastman, who would later marry Paul McCartney.
Wrote the lyrics for "Beyond the Sea". - Michael Feinstein, a friend, wrote the foreword to Lawrence's 2004 memoir "They All Sang My Songs".
- He went to podiatry school to please his parents. He graduated the same year that his first published song became a hit -- "Play, Fiddle, Play".
- During WWII, he served in the Coast Guard and the merchant marine.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content