I Write The Songs....

I Write the Songs ... to make the whole world sing.

Indeed he does...

I had a day off today, and was spending a quite moment, wondering who were the people or things responsible for the music that we heard...

While we listened to the radio and Dad thought us most of the songs that we sang, we'd usually hear many many songs at the family parties and get-togethers. We had a few cassettes at home that found their way there as gifts from travelling relatives mostly in the Gulf...

As we grew up and joined college, I was lucky to also get associated with the Radio as a presenter. I'd spend hours in their music library and find some vinyl records (LPs and EPs) that I'd never heard before but just enjoyed. 

During our college years, a big source of our versatile selection of music happened to be music exchanged by my brother with a friend in Engg. College, Wilbur by name. He would regularly bring home a cassette or two and if we liked it we'd make a copy of it. Among that lot of music, was a compilation called 4 Big Stars that featured singers with 4 to 5 of their songs. That's where I first came across the legendary Barry Manilow and his brand of songs so pleasant to listen to...

I Can't Smile Without You is among his best of songs along with Mandy and a long list of others.  But his best selling song of all time has been a story song picturised in a nightclub located on possibly one of the famous beaches in Rio. The song also got converted into a short film with Barry Manilow in the star cast. You would have got the name by now....
Copacabana (At The Copa).

Barry Manilow is 73 today and is currently on tour in the UK. He'll be performing tonight in Liverpool, the home of Fab Four... Be there...