The Belongings
Recovering the Lost Songs, Drawings, & Legacy of a Brilliant-But-Unknown Artist
Sam Rosen lived a storied life.
A small town boy during the Great Depression who grew up in the same town as the MGM lion.
A World War II soldier.
A struggling songwriter whose work briefly appeared on Broadway.
A Hollywood screenwriter for cartoons, notably 1970’s Phantom Tollbooth.
An out gay man during an era when people (Sam included) were arrested for the “crime” of homosexuality.
A homeless senior citizen who lived a life of paranoia, convinced that government agents were after him.
Over the decades, Rosen quietly created a vast collection of impressive work—from songs to optical illusions—that never found an audience beyond his ever-shrinking social circle. He died in 2005 at the age 80, leaving behind a rich legacy as a brilliant but unknown outsider artist.
Songs by Sam
As a lyricist, Sam wrote folk songs, children’s songs and musical theater numbers. Roughly 120 song demo recordings have been recovered. In the 1960s or 70s (dates unknown), Sam frequently performed at the Hootenanny Night at The Troubador in West Hollywood, a legendary variety show that launched the careers of Tom Waits, Hoyt Axton, and more. What follows are are some highlights.
Songs for Kids
The Ladybug Song
A tale of loneliness. It tells the story of an unnamed doodlebug who falls hopelessly in love with an inanimate object, a tin pin shaped like a ladybug.
La Cucaracha
A wry political song that uses a cockroach as a mean to discuss the virutes of protecting the defenseless.
The No No People
A kid-friendly song about the importance of ignoring the doubters and naysayers in life.
Songs for Grownups
Very Nice To Have Had You
A song about longing for someone who is no longer there. The vocals are likely Carleton Carpenter, who once had a top 10 song in 1951, Abba Dabba Honeymoon. Carpenter mostly wrote the music for the song, Sam wrote the lyrics.
Over Your Shoulder
A song about missing someone and being missed.
I Know What Is So Is So
A haunting, bluesy and deeply autiobiographical ballad about the need for kindness.
Catcher In The Rye
A song about the fear of growing up.
Optical Illusions by Sam
Here are some of Sam’s optical illusions. He drew hundreds, if not thousands, of "upside down faces" over the years. He was obsessed with them ever since he was a boy, when he saw a page of optical illusions in the comics section of a newspaper.
Holllywood Life
Sam & Ladybugs
Sam was obsessed with ladybugs. He not only wore a ladybug pin everywhere he went, but he drew numerous cartoons about the lives of ladybugs.
Short Film by Sam
An impressive, 18 minute sci-fi movie that Sam made, potentially in the early 1970s, as a gift to a family who allowed him to stay as a guest. The production is elaborate, given its budget and era, featuring imaginative props, special effects, and even animation in an era when editing a film required a lot of time and equipment.