History Music / PaulWilliams

Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was a prominent (albeit diminutive) figure in the pop culture zeitgeist of TheSeventies, having composed hits for acts such as Music/{{Carpenters}}[[note]]("We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You")[[/note]], Helen Reddy[[note]]("You and Me Against the World")[[/note]], Music/TheMonkees[[note]]("Someday Man")[[/note]] and Three Dog Night[[note]]("An Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man", "Out in the Country")[[/note]], and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''Series/TheLoveBoat''[[note]](whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed)[[/note]], and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He's even done some [[VoiceActor voice acting]], playing the Penguin on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and Cairo on ''WesternAnimation/{{Phantom 2040}}''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/{{A Star Is Born|1976}}'', also a #1 hit for Streisand.

* LongTitle:
** "Phantom's Theme (Beauty and the Beast)" and "Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song)".
** As The Holy Mackerel, there was "The Somewhere in Arizona at 4:30 A.M. Restaurant Song (And Now I Am Alone)". The non-parenthesized part is an example of NonAppearingTitle, too.

* FakeOutFadeOut: "California Roses".

* GriefSong: "One More Angel".

* LoveNostalgiaSong: "Waking Up Alone". Also, a few others.
* LyricalColdOpen: "Born to Fly".
* MoneySong: "Flash" to some extent.

* NotStayingForBreakfast: "Traveling Boy".

* OneWomanSong: "Margarita".

* ThePowerOfFriendship: "That's What Friends Are For".

* SadClown: "Faust", "Rainy Days and Mondays".

* SelfTitledAlbum: ''The Holy Mackerel''.

Williams also composed soundtracks for cult RockOpera ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'' (in which he also performed the role of villainous record producer Swan), children's gangster movie ''Film/BugsyMalone'', and notorious box office flop ''Film/{{Ishtar}}''. Continuing his good relationship with Franchise/TheMuppets, he contributed several songs to the soundtrack of ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'' (most notably perennial classic "Rainbow Connection"), even making a cameo appearance as a [[ThePianoPlayer piano player]]. His most recognizable film role might be Little Enos Burdette in the ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series, but he's reaching new audiences as a gun dealer known as "The Butcher" in ''Creator/EdgarWright'''s ''Film/BabyDriver''.

* AttentionWhore: Public adoration was as much of an addiction to him as drugs and alcohol. Since sobering up, his basic attitude is that CelebrityIsOverrated:
-->"There are few things as pathetic as a little old man saying, "Please sir, may I have another cup of fame—just another minute in the camera?". That's not who I am."

* BerserkButton: Generally a cool guy regarding the inevitable height jokes, but he almost lost it once on live talk show when a very drunk [[Series/TheATeam George Peppard]] was being blatantly disrespectful. Things calmed down, but for a while there it looked like it would come to blows.

* BigGuyLittleGuy: The little guy to co-composer Roger Nichols, as well as [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Big Enos Burdette]]. And, well.. lots of other people.

* CoolOldGuy: Yep.

* DeadpanSnarker: Just look up ''any'' interview or talk show appearance.

** "Rainbow Connection". That is all.

* FreakierThanFiction: On his collaboration with Music/DaftPunk:
--> "Back when I was drinking, I would imagine things that weren't there and I'd get frightened. Then I got sober and two robots called and asked me to make an album."

* GenreRoulette: The soundtrack for ''Ishtar'', full stop.

* LoveNostalgiaSong: Oh god, "Waking Up Alone". Also, a few others.

* ManChild: Considers his pre-sobriety self to be this.
-->"I didn't have the best childhood, but I did have the longest."
** He's also kind of short and pudgy

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: "Still Alive", my god. Also, several songs on ''Back to Love Again''.

* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: If ''Phantom'' is your introduction to Paul, then yeah.

* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: Unfortunately. He managed to beat it before it did him though, and today he is a huge activist for aiding those afflicted with drug addiction.

* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: "You and Me Against the World", a hit for [[Film/PetesDragon1977 Helen Reddy]], became an anthem for single mothers everywhere, after some changes/and or removal of lyrics here and there.

* TheShortGuyWithGlasses: Well, literally.

* VillainSong: ...Well, "[[Film/BugsyMalone Bad Guys]]" ''is'' this, even if it's one of the cheeriest examples.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Almost invariably levels 1-2, but ''Phantom'' ups it to 5-6 at its most intense.

As a performer in his own right, Williams recorded a number of albums, among them a well-regarded '70s album series on Creator/{{AAndM|Records}}, and overlooked gem ''Someday Man'' on Creator/{{Reprise|Records}}. After over a decade of heavy substance abuse, Williams released his last album for more than fifteen years in 1981; his career as a songwriter would never quite recover, certainly not his career as a performer. The man himself, however, did, and has been an advocate of recovery ever since. He remains hugely respected by his peers, having been inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2009, he was elected President and Chairman of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

* WhereItAllBegan: Williams has noted the full-circle irony of the A&M Records lot eventually becoming the property of the Jim Henson Corporation, considering their shared legacies.

* BigBrotherMentor: Paul's younger brother -- whose name ''is'' Mentor -- considers his brother an inspiration as a musician. Mentor is best-known for writing "Drift Away".

Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was a prominent (albeit diminutive) figure in the pop culture zeitgeist of TheSeventies, having composed hits for acts such as Music/{{Carpenters}}[[note]]("We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You")[[/note]], Helen Reddy[[note]]("You and Me Against the World)[[/note]], Music/TheMonkees[[note]]("Someday Man")[[/note]] and Three Dog Night[[note]]("An Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man", "Out in the Country")[[/note]], and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''Series/TheLoveBoat''[[note]](whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed)[[/note]], and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He's even done some [[VoiceActor voice acting]], playing the Penguin on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and Cairo on ''WesternAnimation/{{Phantom 2040}}''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/{{A Star Is Born|1976}}'', also a #1 hit for Streisand.

As a performer in his own right, Williams recorded a number of albums, among them a well-regarded '70s album series on A&M, and overlooked gem ''Someday Man'' on Creator/RepriseRecords. After over a decade of heavy substance abuse, Williams released his last album for more than fifteen years in 1981; his career as a songwriter would never quite recover, certainly not his career as a performer. The man himself, however, did, and has been an advocate of recovery ever since. He remains hugely respected by his peers, having been inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2009, he was elected President and Chairman of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

[[caption-width-right:350:Why are there so many songs about rainbows? Because this guy wrote most of them.]]

Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a prominent (albeit diminutive) figure in the pop culture zeitgeist of TheSeventies, having composed hits for acts such as Music/{{Carpenters}}[[note]]("We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You")[[/note]], Helen Reddy[[note]]("You and Me Against the World)[[/note]], Music/TheMonkees[[note]]("Someday Man")[[/note]] and Three Dog Night[[note]]("An Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man", "Out in the Country")[[/note]], and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''Series/TheLoveBoat''[[note]](whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed)[[/note]], and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He's even done some [[VoiceActor voice acting]], playing the Penguin on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and Cairo on ''WesternAnimation/{{Phantom 2040}}''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/{{A Star Is Born|1976}}'', also a #1 hit for Streisand.

* BigBrotherMentor: Paul's younger brother -- whose name ''is'' Mentor -- considers his brother an inspiration as a musician.

** He also made live-action appearances on ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'', ''Series/TheLoveBoat'' and ''Series/YoGabbaGabba''.

* YourCheatingHeart: "[[StoicWoobie She's Too Good to Me]]".

Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a prominent (albeit diminutive) figure in the pop culture zeitgeist of TheSeventies, having composed hits for acts such as Music/{{Carpenters}}[[note]]("We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You")[[/note]], Helen Reddy[[note]]("You and Me Against the World)[[/note]], Music/TheMonkees[[note]]("Someday Man")[[/note]] and Three Dog Night[[note]]("An Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man", "Out in the Country")[[/note]], and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''Series/TheLoveBoat''[[note]](whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed)[[/note]], and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He's even done some [[VoiceActor voice acting]], playing the Penguin on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and Cairo on ''WesternAnimation/{{Phantom 2040}}''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/{{A Star Is Born|1976}}'', also a #1 hit for Streisand.

Not to be confused with the boxer (though he did write [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9KtuRHXRc a song on the subject]]), the gospel musician, the saxophonist, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Williams_(music_journalist) music journalist]] and author of ''Das Energi'', seven-plus footballers, or a ''Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless'' character of the same name.

Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a prominent (albeit diminutive) figure in the pop culture zeitgeist of TheSeventies, having composed hits for acts such as Music/{{Carpenters}}[[note]]("We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You")[[/note]], Helen Reddy[[note]]("You and Me Against the World)[[/note]], Music/TheMonkees[[note]]("Someday Man")[[/note]] and Three Dog Night[[note]]("An Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man", "Out in the Country")[[/note]], and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''Series/TheLoveBoat''[[note]](whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed)[[/note]], and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He's even done some [[VoiceActor voice acting]], playing the Penguin on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and Cairo on ''WesternAnimation/{{Phantom 2040}}''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn'', also a #1 hit for Streisand.

Not to be confused with the boxer (though he did write [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9KtuRHXRc a song on the subject]]), the gospel musician, the saxophonist, the music journalist, seven-plus footballers, or a ''Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless'' character of the same name.

** He also made live-action appearances on ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'', ''TheLoveBoat'' and ''Series/YoGabbaGabba''.

* VillainSong: ...Well, "[[BugsyMalone Bad Guys]]" ''is'' this, even if it's one of the cheeriest examples.

Williams also composed soundtracks for cult RockOpera ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'' (in which he also performed the role of villainous record producer Swan), children's gangster movie ''BugsyMalone'', and notorious box office flop ''Film/{{Ishtar}}''. Continuing his good relationship with Franchise/TheMuppets, he contributed several songs to the soundtrack of ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'' (most notably perennial classic "Rainbow Connection"), even making a cameo appearance as a [[ThePianoPlayer piano player]]. His most recognizable film role might be Little Enos Burdette in the ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series, but he's reaching new audiences as a gun dealer known as "The Butcher" in ''Creator/EdgarWright'''s ''Film/BabyDriver''.