Music Appreciation
Related: About this forumOn this day, June 17, 1943, Barry Manilow was born.
Manilow performing live in 2008 at the Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Born: Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943 (age 77); Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation: "I write the songs"
Website: barrymanilow.com
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus, June 17, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, musician, producer and actor with a career that has spanned more than 50 years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Can't Smile Without You" and "Copacabana (At the Copa)".
He recorded and released 46 Top 40 singles on the Adult Contemporary Chart, including 13 that hit number one and 28 of which appeared within the top ten, and has released 13 platinum and six multi-platinum albums. Although not a favorite artist of music critics, Manilow has been praised by entertainers including Frank Sinatra, who was quoted in the 1970s as saying, "He's next." In 1988, Bob Dylan stopped Manilow at a party, hugged him and said, "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you."
As well as producing and arranging albums for himself and other artists, Manilow has written and performed songs for musicals, films, and commercials for corporations such as McDonald's, Pepsi-Cola, and Band-Aid, from the 1960s. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award (winning once) as a producer, arranger and performer a total of fifteen times (and in every decade) from 1973 to 2015. He has also produced Grammy-nominated albums for Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan. Manilow has sold more than 75 million records as a solo artist worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists.
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1970s
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Despite being a songwriter in his own right, several of Manilow's commercial successes were songs written by others. In addition to "Mandy", other hits that he did not write or compose include "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" (by David Pomeranz), "Weekend in New England" (by Randy Edelman), "Ships" (by Ian Hunter), "Looks Like We Made It" (by Richard Kerr and Will Jennings), "Can't Smile Without You" and "Ready to Take a Chance Again" (by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel). His #1 hit "I Write the Songs" was composed by Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys. According to album liner notes, Manilow did, however, perform co-production as well as arrangement duties on all the above tracks along with Ron Dante, most famous for his vocals on records by The Archies.
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Barry Manilow made "I Write the Songs" famous, but neither did he write it, nor was he the first person to perform it.
Thu Jun 27, 2019: Happy Birthday, Beach Boy Bruce Johnston
The original version was recorded by The Captain & Tennille, who worked with Johnston in the early 1970s with The Beach Boys. It appears on their 1975 album, Love Will Keep Us Together. The first release of I Write the Songs as a single was by then teen-idol David Cassidy from his 1975 solo album The Higher They Climb, which was also produced by Bruce Johnston. Cassidy's version reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart in August of that year.
Welcome to the '70s:
This one has a mention of the great Johnny Mercer at 2:20. The anniversary of his death is coming up next week.
Barry Manilow - Medley Of Songs That Made Him Famous
159,525 viewsJul 27, 2010
SukiSweetCheeks
207 subscribers
Barry Manilow entertains the audience with his songs.
Posthumous success
In his last year, Mercer became fond of pop singer Barry Manilow, in part because Manilow's first hit record was of a song titled "Mandy", which was also the name of Mercer's daughter Amanda. After Mercer's death in 1976 from a brain tumor, his widow, Ginger Mehan Mercer, arranged to give some unfinished lyrics he had written to Manilow to possibly develop into complete songs. Among these was a piece titled "When October Goes", a melancholy remembrance of lost love. Manilow applied his own melody to the lyric and issued it as a single in 1984, when it became a top 10 Adult Contemporary hit in the United States. The song has since become a jazz standard, with notable recordings by Rosemary Clooney, Nancy Wilson, and Megon McDonough, among other performers.
Alliepoo
(2,229 posts)I like Barrys version of this song better, though. I love Barry Manilow- always have and always will. Dont care who makes fun of me for it!! Lol!!
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,664 posts)Budi
(15,325 posts)Listened to Copa (loud) on the car radio driving down the Florida turnpike.
My 1st visit to Florida. I was 23 & drove from Canada to Palm Beach in my 72 Monte Carlo.
Fun as fk!!!!
Copacabana was the "Welcome to Florida! Enjoy your stay!" song. It all fit so perfectly that day & Yes, Florida, I DID enjoy my 10 month stay. ~ Thanks. 🐳
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,664 posts)Budi
(15,325 posts)The story the song tells is quite tragic, but that rythum & Manilow's style was made for dancing & driving.
If there were a year I could relive....yup.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,664 posts)Has he ever turned out an absolute clunker? I can't think of any.
Budi
(15,325 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,664 posts)June 17, 2020
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Reality.Bites Professor Barnhardt 2 hours ago
Still not gay enough...
Budi
(15,325 posts)Manilow was a talent all his own & a super star for the decades.
Happy Birthday & thanks for the music, Mr Manilow.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,664 posts)Now there's some songwriting talent. I'll be back on the 25th with more about him.