Hooray for Hollywood: Piano/Vocal/Chords

This collection brings together nearly five decades of Mercer's most celebrated work in one accessible volume, making it an invaluable resource for singers and pianists who want to understand how he built emotional depth and storytelling clarity into every lyric. The pairing of piano arrangements with full chord charts means players of different technical levels can engage with the same songs, whether they're learning the melodies at the keyboard or exploring these standards through jazz or contemporary interpretations.

Stepping through these 46 songs is like walking through different rooms of American cultural life: some swing with jazz energy and wordplay, others settle into intimate, late-night elegance, and still others spark with theatrical charm and humor. Mercer's voice remains consistent throughout—conversational, clever, sometimes wistful, always deeply human.

This songbook serves singers preparing for vocal auditions, recitals, or jazz standards repertoire, as well as pianists and guitarists accompanying vocalists or performing solo arrangements. Voice students building a foundation in American popular song and music theater performers exploring pre-1970s musical theater and film material will find an essential collection here.

• Pay close attention to the lyrical phrasing in relation to the melody. Mercer's words are crafted to sit naturally on the notes, so slight rhythmic flexibility often feels right when it honors the text.
• Use the chord frames to explore reharmonization and substitutions, particularly in up-tempo standards like "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" where jazz players often depart from the original voicings.
• For ballads such as "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses," allow space between phrases; Mercer's lyrics often benefit from unhurried delivery and the silence that follows a meaningful line.
• Reference recordings of the original artists or standard interpretations to hear how different singers approach the dramatic arc of each song, especially in material like "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)."

This works beautifully as a curriculum spanning an entire semester of vocal study, with enough variety to suit different moods and skill levels in a recital program. Programming a thematic concert around specific Mercer collaborators (an Arlen evening, a Mancini set) or specific song types (love songs, novelty numbers, film standards) allows singers and accompanists to explore his range without overwhelming an audience.

• Interpreting lyrics with musical intention and emotional specificity
• Reading and executing guitar chord symbols and voicings
• Navigating the relationship between text rhythm and melodic phrasing in standards
• Transposing and adapting arrangements for different vocal ranges
• Understanding the harmonic language of 1930s–1970s popular song
• Building interpretive flexibility through familiarity with multiple song styles and dramatic contexts