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Jack Lee (March 25, 1952 – May 26, 2023)[2] was an American songwriter and musician best known for composing the songs "Hanging on the Telephone", covered by the new wave band Blondie, "Come Back and Stay", covered by the singer Paul Young, and "You Are My Lover", recorded by Suzi Quatro.[3]
Jack Lee | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jack Nathan Lee[1] |
| Born | March 25, 1952 |
| Origin | Alaska, United States |
| Died | May 26, 2023 (aged 71) |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1970s–2020s |
| Labels |
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Early life
editBorn in Alaska in 1952, Lee left home at age 15 for Santa Monica, California, before relocating to San Francisco at age 19. There, he busked in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, where he met fellow street musician Peter Case.[4]
Career
editAlongside Case and Paul Collins, Lee formed the seminal, yet short-lived power pop trio the Nerves in 1974.[5] The band self-released one self-titled EP in 1976, which included "Hanging on the Telephone". After relocating to Los Angeles in 1977, the Nerves broke up in 1978.[4]
Lee only recorded two solo albums after the Nerves: 1981's Jack Lee's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, through his own Maiden America label, and a self-titled album in 1985 on the French label Lolita Records.[3] His songs have been recorded by artists such as Blondie, Paul Young, and Suzi Quatro.[4]
Subsequently, Lee more or less disappeared from the music scene, although he kept performing from time to time with his band Jack Lee Inferno.[3][6] A proposed album never materialized, but in 2016, Lee's two out-of-print albums from the 1980s were reissued by Alive Naturalsound Records on the compilation Bigger Than Life.[3]
Lee continued to write songs and work on his music in private[3] until his death from colon cancer in Santa Monica, California on May 26, 2023, at the age of 71.[4]
Discography
editThe Nerves
edit- The Nerves (EP) (1976, Maiden America)
Solo
edit- Jack Lee's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (1981, Maiden America)
- Jack Lee (1985, Lolita)
- Bigger Than Life (2016, Alive Naturalsound) – compilation containing Lee's first two albums
Songs recorded by other artists (partial list)
edit| Artist | Song | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blondie | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Parallel Lines | 1978 |
| Blondie | "Will Anything Happen?" | Parallel Lines | 1978 |
| Suzi Quatro | "You Are My Lover" | Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words | 1979 |
| Rubber City Rebels | "Paper Dolls" | Rubber City Rebels | 1980 |
| Christie Allen | "City Lights" | Detour | 1980 |
| Paul Young | "Come Back and Stay" | No Parlez | 1983 |
| Paul Young | "Oh Women" | No Parlez | 1983 |
| Paul Young | "Sex" | No Parlez | 1983 |
| The Droogs | "Paper Dolls" | Mad Dog Dreams | 1989 |
| L7 | "Hanging on the Telephone" | The Jerky Boys (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | 1995 |
| The Kickovers | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Osaka | 2002 |
| Def Leppard | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Yeah! | 2006 |
| Jimmy Somerville | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Suddenly Last Summer | 2009 |
| Chicane | "Come Back" | Giants | 2010 |
| Georg Wadenius | "Come Back and Stay" | Reconnection | 2010 |
| Kurt Baker | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Got It Covered | 2010 |
| Phil Seymour | "Stand Back and Take a Good Look" | Prince of Power Pop – His Very Best + 11 Unissued Tracks | 2017 |
References
edit- ^ "Jack Lee – ASCAP database". ASCAP. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (7 June 2023). "Jack Lee, "Hanging on the Telephone" Songwriter, Dies at 71". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Deming, Mark. "Jack Lee Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Bloom, Madison (7 June 2023). "The Nerves' Jack Lee, Who Penned "Hanging on the Telephone," Dies at 71". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ Dougan, John. "Biography: The Nerves". AMG. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- ^ Gunnarsson, Tommy (22 December 2016). "Jack Lee - Bigger Than Life". Pennyblackmusic. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Jack Lee Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Jack Lee: Credits – Writing & Arrangement – Written-By". Discogs. Retrieved 27 April 2024.