STAGE TUBE: On This Day 8/31 - Celebrating the Birthday of Alan Jay Lerner

On 31 August 1918, Alan Jay Lerner was born - and he went on to become one of the most popular lyricist and librettists in musical theatre's history.

A native New-Yorker, Lerner studied at the Juilliard School before being mentored by both Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart. His first big hit was Brigadoon, written with Frederick Lowe, and it is for his collaborations with Lowe that he is best-known - especially for My Fair Lady. Lerner was a master of fast-paced, witty lyrics, yet much of his work is immensely thoughtful and he can tug at your heart with a poignancy rivalled by few. Though he worked most often with Lowe, Lerner's musical partnerships were varied and included some of the top composers of his day: Kurt Weill, Burton Lane and Charles Strouse to name but a few. According to the Songwriters Hall of Fame website, award-winning composer Maury Yeston, said Lerner was "perhaps the best we've ever had."

To celebrate what would have been his 98th birthday, here is one of Alan Jay Lerner's less well-known songs. This is 'You Understand Me So' from one of his collaborations with Kurt Weill, the simply titled Love Life.

You can read more about Alan Jay Lerner right here.