Alan Gordon (American songwriter who co‐wrote The Turtles’ hit “Happy Together”)

Alan Lee Gordon (April 22, 1944 – November 22, 2008) was an American songwriter best known for songs recorded by the Turtles, Petula Clark, and Barbra Streisand. Many of his songs were co-written with Gary Bonner, including the Turtles' "Happy Together" and Three Dog Night's "Celebrate". He worked with various popular musicians, including Blues Magoos, Alice Cooper, the Archies, the O'Jays, Lynn Anderson, Flo & Eddie, Frank Zappa, Helen Reddy, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Tammy Wynette, the Lovin' Spoonful, Bobby Darin, and Freddy Fender. Gordon was born in Natick, Massachusetts. In 1965, he and Garry Bonner formed the Magicians, a group which would also include Allan "Jake" Jacobs and John Townley. They released a single in November 1965, "An Invitation to Cry". It met with some success, but their popularity was confined primarily to the New York and New England area. Gordon co-wrote, with Bonner, "Happy Together", originally recorded by the Turtles. In 1967, the Turtles version followed The Beatles' "Penny Lane" into the #1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending three weeks there. It was named one of the Top 50 songs of the 20th century by BMI, having generated over 5 million performances on American radio by 1999, placing it in the same league as the Beatles' "Yesterday", and "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel. Songs from Alan Gordon's catalogue have been featured in film, television, commercials and video games. Some of the films that featured Gordon-penned songs include The Naked Gun, Muriel's Wedding, Shrek, The Simpsons Movie, 27 Dresses, and Freaky Friday. Television programs include The Simpsons, That '70s Show, ER, Scrubs, The Wonder Years, and American Idol. Gordon died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 22, 2008, after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 64 years old. 1965: "An Invitation To Cry" by The Magicians 1967: "Girls in Love" performed by Gary Lewis & the Playboys 1967: "Jill" performed by Gary Lewis & the Playboys 1967: "Happy Together" performed by The Turtles 1967: "She'd Rather Be with Me" performed by The Turtles 1967: "She's My Girl" performed by The Turtles 1967: "You Know What I Mean" performed by The Turtles 1967: "Put the Clock Back on the Wall" by the E-Types 1967: "As Long As You're Here" by Zalman Yanovsky (of The Lovin' Spoonful) 1967: "The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky)" performed by Petula Clark 1968: "Small Talk" performed by Lesley Gore 1968: "Small Talk" performed by Harpers Bizarre 1968: "('Til I) Run With You" performed by Lovin' Spoonful 1969: "Celebrate" performed by Three Dog Night 1970: "Me About You" performed by The Turtles 1976: "Gladiola" performed by Helen Reddy 1976: "Music Is My Life" performed by Helen Reddy 1977: "My Heart Belongs to Me" performed by Barbra Streisand 1978: "Love Breakdown" performed by Barbra Streisand 1979: "I Ain't Gonna Cry Tonight" performed by Barbra Streisand "Songwriter Alan Gordon dies". Variety. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-12-22. "The Alan Gordon Music Library - The MusicAlley part 2". Wearehappytogether.com. Retrieved 2016-06-27. Alan Gordon discography at Discogs