Ira Newborn

Ira Newborn (born December 26, 1949) is an American musician, actor, orchestrator and composer, best known for his work composing motion picture soundtracks.

Ira Newborn
Birth nameIra Newborn
Born (1949-12-26) December 26, 1949
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Composer, orchestrator, conductor, actor
Musical career
GenresFilm score
Years active1975-present

Life and career

Newborn was born in New York City. He has scored or written songs for films such as Sixteen Candles,[1] Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off,[2][3]Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mallrats, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective[4] and Into the Night, for which he wrote music for B.B. King. He frequently worked with director John Hughes. He also stepped in as musical director and producer for The Blues Brothers. Newborn's many film credits also include a small acting role in Xanadu, in which he appears as a 1940s bandleader.

Newborn may be best known for composing the soundtrack for the Naked Gun series of police satires starring Leslie Nielsen. Newborn's brassy big band/blues theme song for the franchise first appeared on the TV series that inspired the films, 1982's Police Squad!.

Newborn has also worked in concerts and commercials, on Broadway and in the recording industry as a performer, arranger, composer and conductor.

He is also an adjunct faculty member at New York University, from which he received his bachelor's degree in 1972.[5] Influenced by an eclectic variety of composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, James Brown and the Beatles, as a guitarist Newborn led and played in several musical groups before signing on as the musical director for the vocal group the Manhattan Transfer.

Newborn has contributed to albums by many artists such as Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Billy Joel and the Pointer Sisters.

As a songwriter

Newborn wrote two songs performed by B.B. King for the Into the Night soundtrack: "My Lucille" and "Into the Night." Two songs co-written by Newborn appeared on the Into the Night soundtrack album, but not in the film: "Don't Make Me Sorry," co-written by Joe Esposito and performed by Patti La Belle, and "Keep It Light," co-written by Reginald "Sonny" Burke and performed by Thelma Houston.

Newborn co-wrote "Clap Your Hands" for the Manhattan Transfer and "Get It On and Have a Party" for Patti Brooks on the Dr. Detroit soundtrack. Both "Geek Boogie" from Sixteen Candles and "Geek Romance" from Weird Science were credited to Ira and the Geeks.

He co-wrote "I Guess I'm Just Screwed" for The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear with David Zucker and Robert LoCash. With Peter Segal, he co-wrote "The Food Song" for the Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult soundtrack.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director(s) Studio(s) Notes
1981 All Night Long Jean-Claude Tramont Universal Pictures with Richard Hazard and José Padilla
1984 Sixteen Candles John Hughes Universal Pictures with Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall
1985 Into the Night John Landis Universal Pictures N/A
Weird Science John Hughes Universal Pictures N/A
1986 Wise Guys Brian De Palma Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer N/A
Ferris Bueller's Day Off John Hughes Paramount Pictures N/A
1987 Dragnet Tom Mankiewicz Universal Pictures N/A
Amazon Women on the Moon Joe Dante
Carl Gottlieb
Peter Horton
John Landis
Robert K. Weiss		 Universal Pictures N/A
Planes, Trains and Automobiles John Hughes Paramount Pictures with Steve Martin and John Candy
1988 Caddyshack II Allan Arkush Warner Bros. with Jackie Mason and Robert Stack
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! David Zucker Paramount Pictures N/A
1989 Collision Course Lewis Teague De Laurentiis Entertainment Group with Jay Leno and Pat Morita
Uncle Buck John Hughes Universal Pictures with John Candy and Macaulay Culkin
1990 Short Time Gregg Champion 20th Century Fox
Gladden Entertainment		 with Dabney Coleman and Matt Frewer
My Blue Heaven Herbert Ross Warner Bros. N/A
1991 The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear David Zucker Paramount Pictures N/A
1992 Brain Donors Dennis Dugan Paramount Pictures N/A
Innocent Blood John Landis Warner Bros. N/A
1993 The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them Matthew Meshekoff Miramax N/A
1994 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Tom Shadyac Warner Bros.
Morgan Creek Productions		 N/A
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult Peter Segal Paramount Pictures N/A
1995 The Jerky Boys: The Movie James Melkonian Touchstone Pictures N/A
Mallrats Kevin Smith Gramercy Pictures N/A
1996 High School High Hart Bochner TriStar Pictures N/A
1997 Bad Manners Jonathan Kaufer Phaedra Cinema N/A
1998 BASEketball David Zucker Universal Pictures Credited as James Ira Newborn

Television

References
  1. Trunick, Austin. "Sixteen Candles". Under The Radar. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. Kamen, Matt. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off soundtrack is finally being released". Wired. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  3. Zaleski, Annie. ""Sixteen Candles" is begging for the "Ferris Bueller" treatment:". Salon. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  4. Holden, Stephen. "Reviews/Film; On the Trail Of a Lost Fish". New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  5. "Ira Newborn: Music Adjunct Faculty, Music and Performing Arts Professions". NYU Steinhardt. New York University. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
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