Marilyn Bergman "wasn't a singer, but she was one heck of a lyricist." That's how Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan describes Marilyn, who was half of the successful and dynamic duo who collaborated on the lyrics to such popular songs as "The Way We Were" and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"

The other half was Alan Bergman, who died in 2025, just short of his 100th birthday. You can listen to Sheldon's story about Alan in the previous episode, which is #154.

Marilyn Bergman died in 2022. She was the first woman president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. You can learn more about this talented woman in this short yet info-packed episode researched, written and recorded by Sheldon, and edited and published under the auspices of Everyday Creation. Sheldon and I have done a series of these stories to significant figures in the music industry who passed away in recent years.

You can go here to hear Barbra Streisand sing "The Way We Were."

The thumbnail photo for this episode is from 2002. It's credited to John Mathew Smith and is available on Wikipedia under the license CC BY-SA 2.0.

The art that frames two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

This episode is one of 35 stories that Sheldon wrote about music stars who passed away in 2025. His daily feature Song of the Day used to be delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026, and one of these days we'll do an episode about Song of the Day too. The good thing is that he plans to continue his tributes to music makers. Each one is a snapshot of the life of someone whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.