Cliff Friend

Cliff Friend (October 1, 1893 – June 27, 1974) was an American songwriter, pianist, and Broadway composer born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father served as first violinist with the Woods Theater Orchestra. Friend studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with the goal of becoming a concert pianist, a path interrupted by a three-year illness with tuberculosis. He later worked in vaudeville, where he met Harry Richman, and the two relocated to Los Angeles, forming connections with Buddy De Sylva and Al Jolson.

At Jolson's encouragement, Friend and Richman moved to New York City and became part of Tin Pan Alley. Jolson supported Friend's early career by placing his songs in productions he was performing in, among them The Passing Show and Bombo. Friend's first notable hit came in 1923 with "You Tell Her - I Stutter," co-written with Billy Rose and recorded by The Happiness Boys. Over the following decade and a half, Friend collaborated with songwriters including Dave Franklin, Abel Baer, Lew Brown, Irving Caesar, Sidney Clare, Billy Rose, and Charles Tobias, producing a substantial catalog of songs.

Among Friend's most recognized compositions are "Lovesick Blues," "My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now," and "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down," the last of which became the theme song for the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon series. Additional co-written songs from this period include "June Night," "Then I'll Be Happy," "My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now," "It Goes Like This," "You're a Real Sweetheart," "When My Dream Boat Comes Home," and "The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven," among others.

Friend's Broadway work encompassed both composition and book writing. His credits include the revue George White's Scandals in 1922, the musical Piggy, and the musical Banjo Eyes. Friend died on June 27, 1974, in Las Vegas at the age of 80.