In The Melody Lingers On, Roy Hemming devotes a chapter each to ten great songwriters: Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh, Cole Porter, Ralph Rainger, Richard Rodgers, Harry Warren, and Richard A. Whiting. An additional chapter is shared by Nacio Herb Brown, Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, Arthur Schwartz, Jule Styne, and James Van Heusen.

Each chapter has a biography, several pages devoted to the writer’s major movies and songs, and a listing of the movies and songs on tape and disc. All in all, Hemming covers more than 800 movies and 2,000 songs and includes over 100 photographs.

The Melody Lingers On is enjoyable to read and takes the unique approach of presenting the Hollywood musicals through their composers. Hemming’s discussions reveal the relationship between the writers and the films as well as films and the songs, many of which went on to become jazz standards. The book contains a comprehensive index including films and song titles.

Roy Hemming has written about movies and music for more than thirty years. He is also the author of several listeners’ guides to classical and pop music.