Lee Bernstein

Lee Bernstein
Name	Lee Anne Bernstein
Born	Lee Anne Rogers August 4, 1953
Occupation	Writer • podcaster
Years Active	Barney 1992-1994
Spouse(s)	Howard Bernstein
Education	Purdue University Calumet
Children	2
Social media	@leebernstein @leebernstein0038 @Lee_A_Bernstein
See also	Images

Lee Anne Bernstein (née Rogers; born August 4, 1953) is a published author and a tech editor. Bernstein is best known to have penned the lyrics to the song, "I Love You" which has been used in most media for the television show Barney & Friends and the preceding Barney & The Backyard Gang videos.

Career

Songwriting

"I Love You"

Jean Warren, an editor of Warren Publishing, was seeking submissions of original songs that could be sung to the tune of traditional and familiar children's songs. Warren put a call out for submissions in the November/December issue of the "Totline" newsletter in 1981. Warren informed readers that the songs would eventually be assembled into a book with the author of each songs receiving a free copy of the songbook and acknowledgement for their contribution.

In 1982, Lee Bernstein penned a song for the book titled "I Love You" to the public-domain tune of "This Old Man", which was one of Bernstein's favorite songs as a child. Bernstein's lyrics were published in the book Piggyback Songs: New Songs Sung to the Tune of Childhood Favorites by Warren Publishing House in 1983.

The song became very popular when becoming associated with the children's television series Barney & Friends and the preceding Barney & The Backyard Gang videos. After originally not receiving credit for the song in the videos, Bernstein was credited for writing the song and received compensation for past and future Barney materials after settling an agreement with The Lyons Group in 1992. The Lyons Group, who owned both series bought the rights to the song from Bernstein in 1992.

Personal Life

Barney

In January 1991. Bernstein was home one day, recovering from foot surgery. Elizabeth, one of Bernstein's daughters who was nine at the time, alerted Bernstein that their song "I Love You" was on television. Unable to figure out where the song came from, Bernstein eventually figured out the song came from Barney & Friends, and was eventually compensated by The Lyons Group for writing the song.

Lee Bernstein next to a TV with the Rock with Barney title card on it.

Compensation

Bernstein received $5,000 for Lyons’ unauthorized past use of the lyrics, plus $2,500 “in connection with all uses” of the song through August 31, 1996. For future Barney materials, Bernstein was compensated $2,500 on September 1, 1996 and every two years thereafter, with future payments to be adjusted for inflation. Compensation was put away into a college fund for her daughters Elizabeth and Michelle. It was also used to buy a computer for her writing and the family's two dry cleaning stores.

Trivia

• The lyrics to "I Love You" as Bernstein had originally written for Piggyback Songs differ slightly from that used in any Barney media, having only one verse that is most similar to the first verse of the Backyard Gang version, except the third and fourth lines are, "Here's a great big kiss and a hug from me to you."