The Mel Brooks songbook : 23 songs from movies and shows

(P/V/G Composer Collection). The great comedy filmmaker Mel Brooks wrote a song for his first movie, The Producers (1967). "It was the first real song I had ever written and I did it in a day." He would continue to write songs for The Twelve Chairs , Blazing Saddles , High Anxiety , To Be or Not to Be , The History of the World Part 1 , Spaceballs , and Robin Hood: Men in Tights . More songs were written for the Broadway musical versions of The Producers and Young Frankenstein . The composer/lyricist personally chose the songs for The Mel Brooks Songbook , which includes several photo stills from movies. It marks the first time several songs have ever been published, including "The French Mistake" ( Blazing Saddles ), "I'm Tired" ( Blazing Saddles ), "The Inquisition" ( The History of the World Part 1 ), and "Men in Tights" ( Robin Hood: Men in Tights ). When making The Twelve Chairs Mel Brooks realized, "it needed a title song for the opening credits sequence. I confessed to my wife, Anne Bancroft, that it was big stuff a grand emotional song that would capture the insanity, furor, and heartbreak of the film! I thought it was probably beyond me. 'Nonsense!' she yelled, 'Go up to the attic and write the title song and don't come back till you have it.' I dutifully went to the attic, sat down, and was blessed with 'Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst.' In my not-so-humble opinion, maybe the best lyrics I've ever written." The 23 songs in this collection have been arranged for piano and voice with guitar chord frames.