It would appear that I was on a Barry Manilow kick this time last year too. So here is a post from Sept 1, 2023 talking about a Manilow project that isn’t really known outside the fanbase. Enjoy your song of the day!
Yes, I’m a Barry Manilow fan, although not as much as I was in the late 70s/80s. I got to see him a couple of time live during that era and he’s a fantastic showman. Anyway, I lost touch with what he was doing when he started doing cover albums (oh the irony, as that is what I do now with my singing) until a couple of years ago, when I discovered his concept album/musical 15 Minutes. It was his first album of originals in a long time and he had to leave his longtime label Arista to make it. He ended up releasing it independently.
Inspired by the Andy Warhol quote that "In the future, everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes," this exciting guitar-driven pop album explores the perils and pinnacles of fame's double-edged sword.
"Fame and success are something we all strive for, and yet when we get it how do we behave? That question jumps out at us daily from magazine covers, TV news and online gossip sites. In my world of entertainment, I've watched perfectly decent and talented people achieve the success they've been striving for only to crash and burn as their star rises. It happens in every walk of life, not only in the entertainment field; in sports, in politics and in daily life when the assistant manager gets promoted at the grocery store. It's something that continues to fascinate us, and for me it represented an interesting musical journey to explore," explained Manilow.
My favourite song on the album is the opener/title track. It speaks to the longing to be heard. As the chorus says:
Don’t let me be an untold story
A nothing name that no one ever knew
Light the fuse I’ll fly my way to glory
Coming Through
My favourite part is the reprise at the end, after everything comes crashing down. I just find it so inspiring.
No this is not the final story
This time I’m gonna touch the sky
Been there once I know the road to glory
Watch me fly!
In researching this I’ve discovered he’s working on a musical that is premiering on Broadway in October, a project he’s been working on for 25 years. Guess he’s been thinking about it for a while. Enjoy your song of the day!
He's got such a great catalogue of hits! I've been at more than one gathering where we played and sang along to some of our favorites. Endlessly memorable!