Sonny Burke (born Joseph Francis Burke; March 22, 1914, Scranton, Pennsylvania – May 31, 1980) was an accomplished musical arranger, composer, big band leader and producer. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University, where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors.
During the 1930s and 1940s he was a big band arranger in New York, worked with Sam Donahue's band, and during the 1940s and 1950s worked as an arranger for the Charlie Spivak and Jimmy Dorsey bands, among others. In 1955 he wrote, along with Peggy Lee, the songs to Disney's Lady and the Tramp. He also wrote songs with John Elliot for Disney's Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, which won the 1953 Oscar for Best Short Animated Feature.
He wrote the music for number of popular songs that continue to be regarded as standards. These include, "Black Coffee", with lyric by Paul Francis Webster, and "Midnight Sun", co-written with jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. The song's famous lyrics were added later by Johnny Mercer. Burke was an active arranger, conductor and A&R man at major Hollywood recording studios, especially Decca Records where he worked with Charles "Bud" Dant. He also wrote and arranged the theme for the early 1960s television show Hennesey, a jazzy update of the Sailor's Hornpipe.
14 good-byes keeps the
night alive exit standing the
music's ending from on and
on a storyboard sending
sings in key asleep I'm
watching from that window
Come up from the ground I
need to notice that your not
still around 14 sad tries
every other night it leaves
demanding takes me off my
feet throwing away the best
day in our heads and if I
could just think I remember
you and me at 3rd street
drinking over coffee bout
the people we met the lives
that we met and somehow
that they changed and