 The song is credited to Sadie Vimmerstedt and Johnny Mercer.Vimmerstedt was a grandmother and housewife (or a beautician) in Youngstown, Ohio, who sent Mercer an idea for the song in 1957, as well as giving Mercer the opening line ("I want to be around to pick up the pieces, when somebody breaks your heart").She was inspired by Frank Sinatra divorcing his first wife in order to marry Ava Gardner, only to then see Gardner leave Sinatra.