History Music / PaulWilliams

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 would be Little Enos Burdette in the ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series.

'''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.

* InkSuitActor: A short, rather stout man with long hair and poor eyesight as the voice of [[BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the villainous Penguin]] fairly smacks of typecasting.

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

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Though Paul shared lead vocal duties for the Mackerel with his brother Mentor almost equally, former JeffersonAirplane bassist Bob Harvey narrates "Prinderella".

* SettingOffSong: Aside from the uber-classic "Movin' Right Along" from ''The Muppet Movie'', there's "Easy Street", with a lyrical reference to Hope and Crosby's ''RoadTo'' movies for bonus points!

'''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 won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn'', also a #1 hit for Streisand.

'''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}} ("We've Only Just Begun"), Music/TheMonkees ("Someday Man") and Three Dog Night ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''TheLoveBoat'' (whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed) and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn''.

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 piano player. His most recognizable film role would be Little Enos Burdette in the ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series.

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 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. Despite this, 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).

* AwardBaitSong: The credits reprise of "Flying Dreams" in animated classic ''TheSecretOfNimh''.

** Most Famously, of course is "Rainbow Connection" of ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' fame, and even becomes the BootstrappedTheme for them.

* TheCameo: Portrayed [[CelebrityToons Professor Williams]] in an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory Dexter's Laboratory]]'', peppered with adorably cheesy references to his musical legacy. Oh, and in the process, providing one of said series' moments of musical awesome with "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vst6DXDnzKw Breathe in the Good Sunshine]]".

* FollowYourHeart: "Rainbow Connection". That is all.

* LongTitle: "Phantom's Theme (Beauty and the Beast)" and "Somebody Super Like You (Beef Construction Song)".

* RearrangeTheSong: "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Sad Song", both with Franchise/TheMuppets on background vocals!

* [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "The Reason You Suck" Song]]: "The Hell of It" from ''Phantom of the Paradise'' was written as one for the character of Beef; however, the scene for which it was composed was scrapped, and so it became the end credits song, leaving audiences confused as to whether it's sung by Swan, the Phantom (it's a long story), or an out-of-character Williams.

* ThrowItIn: For "Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye", featured vocalist Archie Hahn delivered the spoken word parts in a hammy Puerto Rican accent.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Although happily averted, this misconception was the impetus for the making of the documentary ''Paul Williams Still Alive''. Director Stephen Kessler believed him to be long dead as a result of his drug addiction, before finding out otherwise, thanks to the internet.

* OneHitWonder: "Waking Up Alone" made it to #60 on the Billboard Hot 100.

** "Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye", in a gratuitous Puerto Rican accent, no less! (See ThrowItIn below.)
* {{Spoonerism}}: Though not performed by Williams (as noted in StepUpToTheMicrophone), The Holy Mackerel's album contains a spoonerized reading of the story of Prinderella and her two sisty uglers who couldn't shit in that fooe.

** He also shows up in a OneSceneWonder cameo in a 2014 episode of ''Series/{{Community}}''.

* BreakthroughHit: Composed a few... for others, that is.

* CreatorBreakdown: At his absolute lowest, Paul's songwriting output was basically nonexistent, and he spent his days alone in a hotel room convinced that he was under surveillance by the "tree police." He also made an infamous talk show appearance while coked up to the max, making mean-spirited jokes that nobody laughed at. Thankfully, he got better.

* HeAlsoDid: Contributed voice acting for ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' (that's right; he's the goddamn Penguin!) and ''MyLittlePony''.
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: You say you want the ''Ishtar'' soundtrack, eh? All that exists are extracts from the movie made by some dedicated fans.

* PlayingAgainstType: ''Phantom of the Paradise''. [[DarkerAndEdgier All of it]].

* WastedSong: "Never Thought I'd Get to Meet the Devil" from ''Phantom'', though arguably presented in its entirety in the film, was left off the soundtrack album.

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

'''Paul Williams''' (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}} ("We've Only Just Begun"), Music/TheMonkees ("Someday Man") and Three Dog Night ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''TheLoveBoat'' (whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed) and ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn''.

** ''Back to Love Again'' consists almost entirely of archetypal Award Bait Song instrumentation, even including a duet re-recording of "I Won't Last a Day Without You".

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

* WastedSong: "Never Thought I'd Get to Meet the Devil" from ''Phantom'', though arguably presented in its entirety during the film, was left off the soundtrack album.

''I know I'm no ColePorter''\\

'''Paul Williams''' (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}} ("We've Only Just Begun"), Music/TheMonkees ("Someday Man") and Three Dog Night ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''TheLoveBoat'' (whose theme, an infamous LoungeLizard stand-by, he composed) and ''TheMuppetShow''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn''.

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 ''TheMuppetMovie'' (most notably perennial classic "Rainbow Connection"), even making a cameo appearance as a piano player. His most recognizable film role would be Little Enos Burdette in the ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series.

* ChristmasSongs: The soundtrack for ''TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', as well as the earlier Henson special ''Literature/EmmetOttersJugBandChristmas''.

* RearrangeTheSong: "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Sad Song", both with TheMuppets on background vocals!

'''Paul Williams''' (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}} ("We've Only Just Begun"), Music/TheMonkees ("Someday Man") and Three Dog Night ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''TheLoveBoat'' (whose infamous LoungeLizard stand-by theme he composed) and ''TheMuppetShow''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn''.

Williams composed the soundtracks for the 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 for the soundtrack of ''TheMuppetMovie'' (most notably perennial classic "Rainbow Connection"), even making a cameo appearance as a piano player. His most recognizable film role would be Little Enos Burdette in the ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series.

After a decade of heavy drug use, 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. Despite this, 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).

* ChristmasSongs: The soundtrack for ''TheMuppetChristmasCarol''.

* CultSoundtrack: ''Bugsy Malone'' and ''Phantom''.
* DeadArtistsAreBetter: "Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye".

* GreatestHitsAlbum: Though it took all of twenty years for the follow-up to 1977's ''Classics'' to be released.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: You say you want the ''Ishtar'' soundtrack, eh? Was never released; all that exists are extracts from the movie made by some dedicated fans.

** As The Holy Mackerel, there was "The Somewhere in Arizona at 4:30 A.M. Restaurant Song (And Now I Am Alone)".

* NewSoundAlbum: The soundtrack for ''Phantom of the Paradise'', comprised of [[GenreRoulette doo-wop, sunshine pop, glam rock, and dissonant "ballads" of depravity]]. Aside from his own rendition of "Faust", (and even that is limited to being strictly musically) nothing else resembles his standard fare.

* OdeToSobriety: Some of his post-sobriety work bear under- (or overtones) of this.

* PopStarComposer: Probably his biggest claim to fame was composing songs for major (and minor) motion pictures and series.

* SongStyleShift: "Lonely Hearts" has an insanely loud and discordant (for Paul) bridge that comes out of nowhere. Fitting, considering [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Locust_%28film%29 the film]] for which it was composed.
* SpokenWordInMusic: The Holy Mackerel B-side "Listen to the Voice".

* TheDrifter: Recorded a song by that name, though the song itself is not an example.

* VerbalTic: Always had a habit of rolling his "L"'s, which worsened as time went on.

* [[GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave Grandpa, What Massive Hotness You Have]]: [[http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/40th+Annual+Songwriters+Hall+Fame+Ceremony+IRPYHeeHgpjl.jpg The man's a septuagenarian]].

* HeAlsoDid: Contributed voice acting for ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' (that's right; he's the goddamn Penguin!) and ''MyLittlePony''.

* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: "You and Me Against the World", a hit for [[Film/PetesDragon Helen Reddy]], became an anthem for single mothers everywhere. And any changes made to the lyrics were very slight.
* TheDrifter: Wrote a song by that name, about exactly that.
* [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "The Reason You Suck" Song]]: "To Put Up with You" is probably as harsh an example as can be derived from Williams' work as a performer.
** "The Hell of It" from ''Phantom of the Paradise'' was written as one for the character of Beef; however, the scene for which it was composed was scrapped, and it became the end credits song.

* WordSaladLyrics: The Holy Mackerel, full stop.

* ArtisticStimulation: Though critics, fans, and even Williams himself are pretty much in unanimous agreement that the quality of his work declined as his addiction worsened.

* LetsDuet: The album/video release ''I'm Going Back There Someday'' features duets with Music/WillieNelson, The Great Gonzo, and Melissa Manchester.

* SongStyleShift: "Lonely Hearts" has an insanely loud, discordant (for Paul) bridge that comes out of nowhere. Fitting, considering [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Locust_%28film%29 the film]] for which it was composed.

'''Paul Williams''' (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}} ("We've Only Just Begun"), Music/TheMonkees ("Someday Man") and Three Dog Night ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), and appearing in popular television shows of the era, such as ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'', ''TheLoveBoat'' and ''TheMuppetShow''. He won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen", performed by Music/BarbraStreisand in ''Film/AStarIsBorn''.

Williams composed the soundtracks for the 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 for the soundtrack of ''TheMuppetMovie'' (most notably perennial classic "Rainbow Connection"), even making a cameo appearance as a piano player. His most recognizable film role would be Little Enos Burdette in the ''SmokeyAndTheBandit'' series.

After a decade of heavy drug use, Williams released his last album for more than fifteen years in 1981; his career as a songwriter would never quite recover. Despite this, he remains hugely respected by his peers, and he was 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).

* DrivenToSuicide: Averted, but uncomfortably touched upon in "One More Angel".

* LetsDuet: The video release ''I'm Going Back There Someday'' features duets with Music/WillieNelson, The Great Gonzo, and Melissa Manchester.

** The video release ''I'm Going Back There Someday'' features rearranged versions of several of his classic songs; notably, its version of "Rainbow Connection" is a duet with Willie Nelson who often performs the song in concert, and even named an album after the song.
* SelfDeprecation: Invariably, public appearances would involve a joke from Williams about his height.

* SurprisinglyGentleSong: Though the entire opposite was true of his regular studio (which would usually include one rocking or strikingly upbeat number among his usual fare), ''Phantom'' has "Old Souls".
* [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "The Reason You Suck" Song]]: "To Put Up with You" is probably as harsh an example as can be derived from Williams' work.
** ''PhantomOfTheParadise'''s "The Hell of It" surely qualifies as well.