Alan Gordon
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.
Also recorded as Alan L. Gordon · Alan Lee Gordon · Billy Hills
Alan Gordon
- Full name
- Alan Lee Gordon.
- Born
- 1944. · Natick.
- Died
- 2008. · Scottsdale.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- songwriter and composer.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q304686
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Career
Career
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.
Documentary record
Alan Gordon appears in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a composer (22 April 1944 – 22 November 2008). Alan Gordon was born in Natick, Massachusetts. (22 April 1944) and died in Scottsdale, Arizona. (22 November 2008).
Singles
Singles
• 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
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Named by the record
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Natick.
Birth place
Scottsdale.
Death place
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Alan Gordon (songwriter), revision 1353631971 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
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authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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