User:Jpgordon/sandbox/Fred Jay

Fred Jay, born Friedrich Alex Jacobson (27 Juli 1914 - 27 March 1988), was an Austrian-born songwriter, who wrote (among others) the lyrics for the Boney M hits Ma Baker and ''Rasputin.

Biography
Jay's Jewish parents came from Berlin, but were in Linz when he was born. He studied law at the University of Vienna. During his studies, in 1935, he wrote the schlager Danke schön, es war bezaubernd ("Thank you, it was lovely") in pencil in his notebook. The song was recorded in 1937 by Heinz Sandauer (Electrola Österreich; #EG 6754). Two years later it was being sung all over Vienna. He completed his law studies and received his juris doctor degree in 1937.

In 1938 he fled to France after the annexation of Austria. In a small boarding house in the Latin Quarter of Paris, he wrote rhymes, using the French newspaper Le Monde as a language aid. He made his living playing ukulele in the cabarets of Montmartre. When the Nazis occupied France in 1940, he was held in a camp for months, where he wrote a diary.

He fled a second time, to New York City, where he got a job at the Voice of America. American entertainment shows were particularly useful for writing English lyrics; during his free time, he introduced himself to music publishers. During this time he met his wife-to-be, Mary, who had emigrated from Poland in 1939.