Irving Caesar

Irving Caesar (1895-1996) was an American Composer and Lyricist. Having written over 700 songs in his career, Irving Caesar’s most notable achievements are the songs “I Want to Be Happy” and “Tea for Two” as a co-lyricist for the musical No, No, Nanette (1925). He was a lyricist for the song “Animal Crackers in My Soup” popularized by Shirley Temple in Curly Top. He also was the lyricist for the songs “Swanee”, co-written by George Gershwin and “Just a Gigolo”. He was responsible for writing the official musical setting for the Pledge of Allegiance and was a founder of the Songwriters Guild of America. Caesar served on the Songwriters Performance-Rights Association and was inducted into the songwriters hall of fame in 1972.