Max Cryer is a writer, entertainer and broadcaster. Initially a soloist at Sadlers Wells Opera in London, his music horizons broadened to encompass cabaret and music theatre. He has performed on the opera stages of Vienna and London and in cabaret in Las Vegas and Hollywood. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of popular song, with a special interest in music theatre, and is an avid collector of musical manuscripts. His career has included stints as a teacher, compere, television presenter and quizmaster, but he now devotes most of his time to writing. He currently resides in New Zealand.

Some of the world’s best-loved songs have had remarkable origins. Had Robert Burns not heard an old man sing a quavering version of an ancient Scottish country song, we would never have had ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Miss Jane Ross wrote down the tune she heard played by a piper at an Irish village fair in 1855. Had she not done so, the rest of the world would not have heard ‘Danny Boy’. Marie Antoinette heard a peasant nurse sing an obscure lullaby to her princely son. The empress’s unexpected promotion of the song resulted in its now being listed by The Guinness Book of Records as one of the three most familiar songs in the world.

Love Me Tender tells the remarkable stories behind 40 popular and traditional songs. Some evolved from folksongs, some are from musical theatre, while others hit the mark because a particular recording appeared at just the right time. In some cases, one word made all the difference: Paul McCartney composed a tune but could only think of the words ‘scrambled eggs’ to fit it, but fortunately he later came up with the perfect solution – ‘Yesterday’. In a book full of surprises and curiosities, Max Cryer reveals stories from all around the world, and from artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and Cole Porter. This truly fascinating book makes enthralling reading.

The Songs:

Memory (Cats); Love Me Tender; Edelweiss; For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow; The Star-Spangled Banner; Danny Boy; Auld Lang Syne; Hello Dolly!; Lili Marlene; Somewhere Over the Rainbow; Yesterday; White Christmas; Amazing Grace; Home Sweet Home; Moon River; Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; Begin the Beguine; God Save the King/Queen; I Don’t Know How to Love Him; Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Galway Bay; I Could Have Danced All Night; Blue Moon; You Made Me Love You; Silent Night; Beyond the Blue Horizon; Ave Maria; Now is the Hour; Mad Dogs and Englishmen; Falling in Love Again; Happy Birthday; Candle in the Wind; Waltzing Matilda; Send in the Clowns; Greensleeves; The Loveliest Night of the Year; Bali Ha’i; You Don’t Have to say You Love Me; It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.