Jimmy Monaco

Composer James V. Monaco (Jimmy) was born in Fornia, Italy on January 13, 1885. His family immigrated to the United States in 1891 and settled in the New York City area.

At the age of 17, Jimmy began his music career as a pianist in cabaret clubs and eventually was hired as a nightclub entertainer on Coney Island. In 1914, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

He moved to Hollywood in 1936, under contract with Paramount studios. During his tenure with the studio, he wrote the scores for the films Dr. Rhythm, Sing, You Sinners, East Side of Heaven, The Star Maker, The Road to Singapore, If I Had My Way, Rhythm on the River, Stage Door Canteen, Iceland, Pin-Up Girl, Weekend in Havana and The Dolly Sisters.

Monaco collaborated with several lyricists, including Johnny Burke, Joe McCarthy, Mack Gordon, Edgar Leslie, Grant Clarke and Sidney Clare. Among his hit songs are “Row, Row, Row”, “You Made Me Love You”, “I Miss You Most of All”, “Beatrice Fairfax”, “If We Can’t Be the Same Old Sweethearts”, “What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?”, “You Know You Belong to Somebody Else”, “Through”, “I’m Crying Just For You”, “Dirty Hands, Dirty Face”, “Red Lips, Kiss Those Blues Away”, “We’re Back Together Again”, “Me and the Boy Friend”, “Me and the Man in the Moon”, “Crazy People”, “You’ve Got Me in the Palm of Your Hand”, “You’re Gonna Lose Your Gal”, “My Heart is Taking Lessons”, “This is My Night to Dream”, “On the Sentimental Side”, “I’ve Got a Pocketful of dreams”, “Laugh and Call it Love”, “Don’t Let the Moon Get Away”, “Go Fly a Kite”, “An Apple for the Teacher”, “A Man and His Dream”, “East Side of Heaven”, “That Sly Old Gentleman”, “Sing a Song of Sunbeams”, “Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb”, “Sweet Potato Piper”, “Too Romantic”, "April Played the Fiddle”, “Meet the Sun Half Way”, “Six Lessons from Madam LaZonga”, “Every Night About This Time”, “Only Forever”, “Ain’t it a Shame About Mame”, “I Don’t Want to Cry Anymore”, “I’m Making Believe”, “There Will Never be Another You”, “Once Too Often”, “Time Alone Will Tell” and “I Can’t Begin to Tell You.”

Jimmy Monaco died in Beverly Hills, California on October 16, 1945.