Book excerpt: To most Americans, Steve Allen is a comedian whose ground-breaking work on The Tonight Show and The Steve Allen Show still inspires comics and writers. But Steve Allen is also a tremendously prolific and passionate composer and lyricist who has written some 8,000 songs. Here are collected the lyrics to 100 of his favorites, including "This Could Be the Start of Something Big, " "Gravy Waltz, " "The South Rampart Street Parade, " and the themes to Picnic, On the Beach, and Bell, Book, and Candle. From Dixieland to jazz to blues, Allens lyrics resonate with romance and insight, often punctuated by humor. Allen provides a commentary for each song. The foreword is contributed by noted author, critic, and jazz historian Gene Lees.