A Living Legend (read below) At 94, Philip Springer shows us all - forever young.

Philip Springer is an American composer and songwriter, born on May 12, 1926, in New York City, renowned for his prolific career spanning over seven decades, during which he has composed or co-written more than 540 musical pieces, including pop hits, film scores, and classical works.

He continues to write around 35 songs annually, even in his late 90s.

Early Life and Education
Springer grew up in a musical household; his mother was a concert pianist, and his father, a lawyer, was deeply musical, fostering his early talent.

By age six, he could play Bach pieces by ear.

He attended school in Cedarhurst, Long Island, graduating from Lawrence High School in 1944, where he was voted the most musical student and best singer.

After high school, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a truck driver and became Mickey Rooney's musical director in 1945 for a GI entertainment show in Germany called "Don't Touch That Dial," later taking over as composer after Rooney's discharge.

Post-war, Springer earned a BA from Columbia College in 1950, studying composition under Otto Luening and co-composing music for two Varsity Shows.

He later obtained an MA from New York University, focusing on baroque counterpoint, and a PhD in composition from UCLA in 1973, where his dissertation incorporated the ARP 2600 synthesizer in an orchestral piece under Leon Kirchner.

Career Milestones and Notable Compositions
Springer's professional songwriting began in the late 1940s at New York City's Brill Building, a hub for hitmakers.

His first Top 10 hit was "Teasin'" (lyrics by Richard Adler) in 1950, recorded by Connie Haines in the U.S. and The Beverley Sisters in the UK.

He is best known for co-writing the enduring Christmas classic "Santa Baby" with Joan Javits in 1953, originally recorded by Eartha Kitt; it has since been covered by artists like Madonna, Ariana Grande, Michael Bublé, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, and Laufey.

Springer owns full U.S. publishing rights to the song via his company, Tamir Music.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he collaborated with prominent lyricists like Carolyn Leigh, Fred Ebb, and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg (producing 15 songs, including "Time You Old Gypsy Man").

Notable hits include:"Moonlight Gambler" (1956) for Frankie Laine.

"How Little It Matters, How Little We Know" (1956) for Frank Sinatra.

"All Cried Out" (1964) for Dusty Springfield.

"Never Ending" (1964) for Elvis Presley.

"Her Little Heart Went to Loveland" (1966) for Aretha Franklin.

"The Next Time" (1962) for Cliff Richard.

He also wrote "Headed Home" with Senator Orrin Hatch, dedicated to Ted Kennedy.

Springer is among the last surviving composers from the Brill Building era.

In film and television, Springer scored and conducted six Hollywood films from 1967 to 1973, including Kill a Dragon (1967), I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew (1968), More Dead Than Alive (1969), Impasse (1969), Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970), and Wicked, Wicked (1973).

He composed for TV series like Gunsmoke, Mannix, Then Came Bronson, and Medical Center, and created the theme for the 1970s game show Crosswits.

His songs have appeared in movies such as The Holiday (2006), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), and Elf (2003).

Springer has composed music for over 20 musical shows, with three produced off-Broadway, including The Chosen (1988) based on Chaim Potok's novel.

Broadway contributions include songs for Ziegfeld Follies of '57 and Tovarich (1963), the latter featuring Vivien Leigh's final Broadway performance.

A planned musical Solomon & She with George London was announced in 1963 but unproduced due to London's death.

In classical realms, he wrote the hour-long "Requiem for an Artist: An American Requiem" (1995), dedicated to his brother.

Later Career and Recognition
In 1999, his daughter Tamar produced a concert version of his musical The Bells of Notre Dame, based on Victor Hugo's novel, with efforts to stage it continuing into the 2020s.

Springer remains active; in 2020, at age 94, a video of him playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata for his daughter's birthday went viral, showcasing his enduring piano skills (as seen in the shared X post, which appears to feature this or a similar performance).

He won the 2024 Webby Award for Best Individual Performance for that viral video.

His work has been preserved through oral histories, such as his 2021 NAMM interview, where he discussed his classical influences and career.

Facebook doesn’t want you reading most sites we link to or any vids we post. Their algorithm hides our pages and humor too as best it can. The way to stick it to Zuckerberg? Sign up for our once-a-day newsletter. Takes 6 seconds. We send out the best – most popular links daily, no spam, plus a splash of honesty even beyond Whatfinger’s homepage…. – CLICK HERE 🛑 - https://www.whatfinger.com/newsletter/
For HOURS of fun – Steve Inman as well as other humor, quick smile clips , more – Whatfinger’s collection – https://choiceclips.whatfinger.com/category/just-interesting/
Is Ivermectin the Key to Fighting Cancer? …. – Wellness (Dr. McCullough’s company) Sponsored Post 🛑 You can get MEBENDAZOLE and Ivermectin from Wellness 👍https://choiceclips.whatfinger.com/2025/03/28/is-ivermectin-the-key-to-fighting-cancer-people-are-being-cured-all-over-the-world/
The News Variable Show of Whatfinger News, with Mal Antoni hosting... All controversial statements by Mr. Antoni are his own opinions. If you don't like them, don't watch. If you are one of those nut cases who watch just to complain, get a life or stick to fake news. We have no time for your BS. America needs patriots that just say it like it is. If you don't like it, too damn bad. Mr. Antoni is now the main editor over at Whatfinger News, the greatest aggregate news site out there - with more news and commentary daily than the next 7 competitors combined. Experience it once and you're hooked https://www.whatfinger.com/
------DISCLAIMER: This show contains opinions of the host and guests and is meant for education and/or entertainment purposes only. News Variable provides information and the sources where it was obtained. Viewer discretion is advised.
Facebook doesn’t want you reading most sites we link to or any vids we post. Their algorithm hides our pages and humor too as best it can. The way to stick it to Zuckerberg? Sign up for our once-a-day newsletter. Takes 6 seconds. We send out the best – most popular links daily, no spam, plus a splash of honesty even beyond Whatfinger’s homepage…. – CLICK HERE 🛑 - https://www.whatfinger.com/newsletter/
For HOURS of fun – Steve Inman as well as other humor, quick smile clips , more – Whatfinger’s collection – https://choiceclips.whatfinger.com/category/just-interesting/
The News Variable Show of Whatfinger News, with Mal Antoni hosting... All controversial statements by Mr. Antoni are his own opinions. If you don't like them, don't watch. If you are one of those nut cases who watch just to complain, get a life or stick to fake news. We have no time for your BS. America needs patriots that just say it like it is. If you don't like it, too damn bad. Mr. Antoni is now the main editor over at Whatfinger News, the greatest aggregate news site out there - with more news and commentary daily than the next 7 competitors combined. Experience it once and you're hooked https://www.whatfinger.com/
------DISCLAIMER: This show contains opinions of the host and guests and is meant for education and/or entertainment purposes only. News Variable provides information and the sources where it was obtained. Viewer discretion is advised.