Lyricist Jerry Leiber Dies At 78

As part of the legendary powerhouse duo Leiber & Stoller, Jerry Leiber was arguably the greatest lyricist in the history of rock and roll. My personal favorite: Is That All There Is?

80's Flashback

Boy Meets Girl, Waiting On A Star To Fall, 1988. While writing chart toppers for the likes of Whitney Houston and Bette Midler, real life couple George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam released several singles of their own before this slice of pop perfection broke through, hitting #5 in the U.S. and #9 in the UK. The duo had first offered the track to Whitney, who refused it, and to Belinda Carlisle, who recorded it but never put it on her album. Merrill and Rubicam divorced in 2000 and continue to record, but never again reached the Top 40. The track got new life in 2005 when dueling dance remixes were released by Cabin Crew and Sunset Strippers, both of which garnered considerable club play. The remixes are pretty good, but I have a very fond memory of blasting the original in a rented convertible full of boys while tooling around the streets of Atlanta one summer weekend.

Ellie Greenwich, 68

Classic girl group songwriter Ellie Greenwich died of a heart attack in Manhattan today at the age of 68. Greenwich and her husband Jeff Barry worked in Time Square's Brill Building, home to an astounding number of hit songwriters of the era. You'll know every one of Greenwich's songs below.