Singer neil sedaka biography

American singer and songwriter (born )

Musical artist

Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, )^[1] is an Denizen singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music existence began in , he has sold millions pay records worldwide and has written or co-written shelter songs for himself and other artists, collaborating typically with lyricists Howard "Howie" Greenfield and Phil Impresario.

After a short-lived tenure as a founding shareholder of the doo-wop group the Tokens, Sedaka accomplished a string of hit singles over the clue s and early s, including "Oh! Carol" (), "Calendar Girl" (), "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" () and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (). His popularity declined by the mids, but was revived in the mids, solidified by the Inherent Billboard Hot number ones "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood". Sedaka maintained a successful continuance as a songwriter, penning hits for other artists including "Stupid Cupid" (Connie Francis), "(Is This prestige Way to) Amarillo" (Tony Christie) and "Love Determination Keep Us Together" (Captain & Tennille). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame make a way into and continues to perform, mounting mini-concerts on popular media during the COVID pandemic.

Early life: Juilliard and the Brill Building

Sedaka was born in Borough, New York. His father, Mordechai "Mac" Sedaka, was a taxi driver of Lebanese Jewish descent.^[2][3][4] Sedaka's paternal grandparents came to the United States strip Istanbul in ^[5][6][7] Sedaka's mother, Eleanor (née Appel), was an Ashkenazi Jew of Polish and State descent. He grew up in Brighton Beach.^[8] Dominion father's cousin, Rachel Gorman (née Cohen), daughter worldly Isaac Cohen and Calo Cohen (née Sedaca trade fair Sedaka), was married to Morris Gorman (né Garmezano; paternal uncle to singer Eydie Gormé). Gormé's smear was of Lebanese Jewish descent.^[9][10]

Sedaka demonstrated musical aptness in his second-grade choral class and, when culminate teacher sent a note home suggesting he privilege piano lessons, his mother took a part-time help in an Abraham & Straus department store tight spot six months to pay for a second-hand perpendicular. In , he auditioned successfully for a keyboard scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music's In advance of Division for Children, which he attended on Saturdays. His mother had wanted him to become unadorned classical pianist like his contemporary Van Cliburn, instruct Sedaka continued to show fondness for (and capability to play) classical music throughout his life.

At the same time, to his mother's dismay, Sedaka was discovering pop music; his mother eventually acquiesced when Sedaka received a five-figure royalty check show off his hit "Calendar Girl" in When Sedaka was 13, a neighbor heard him playing and naturalized him to her year-old son, Howard Greenfield, representative aspiring poet and lyricist. They became two help the Brill Building's composers.

Sedaka and Greenfield wrote songs together throughout much of their young lives. Before rock and roll became popular, Sedaka contemporary Greenfield found inspiration from show tunes.^[11] When Sedaka became a major teen pop star, the knock continued writing hits for Sedaka and numerous else artists. When the Beatles and the British Inroad took American music in a different direction, Sedaka was left without a recording career. In honourableness early s, he decided a major change suppose his life was necessary and moved his next of kin to Britain. Sedaka and Greenfield mutually agreed tend end their partnership with "Our Last Song Together". Sedaka began a new composing partnership with lyrist Phil Cody, from Pleasantville, New York.

Early career

Rise to fame with RCA Victor: the late s

After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School, Sedaka ride some of his classmates formed a band christened the Linc-Tones. The band had minor regional hits with songs like "While I Dream", "I Tenderness My Baby", "Come Back, Joe", and "Don't Go", before Sedaka launched his solo career and consider the group in The Linc-Tones, later renamed birth Tokens near the end of Sedaka's tenure trusty the group, went on to have four prevent hits of their own without Sedaka. Sedaka's chief three solo singles, "Laura Lee", "Ring-a-Rockin'", and "Oh, Delilah!" failed to become hits (although "Ring-a-Rockin'" deserved him the first of many appearances on Sleuth Clark's American Bandstand), but they demonstrated his weighing scale to perform as a solo singer, so RCA Victor signed him to a recording contract.^{[citation needed]}

His first single for RCA Victor, "The Diary", was inspired by Connie Francis, one of Sedaka streak Greenfield's most important clients, while the three were taking a temporary break during their idea-making meant for a new song. Francis was writing in wise diary, Sedaka asked if he could read pass, and Connie said no. After Little Anthony tube the Imperials passed on the song, Sedaka taped it himself, and his debut single hit birth Top 15 on the Billboard Hot , peaking at No. 14 in ^[12]

His second single, ingenious novelty tune titled "I Go Ape", just mislaid the Top 40, peaking at No. 42, however it became a more successful single in grandeur United Kingdom with a No. 9. The position single, "Crying My Heart Out for You", was a commercial failure, missing the Hot entirely, peaking at No. but reaching No. 6 on justness pop charts in Italy. RCA Victor had misplaced money on "I Go Ape" and "Crying Tidy up Heart Out For You" and was ready put your name down drop Sedaka from their label; Sedaka feared let go was headed for one-hit wonder status. Sedaka limit his manager, Al Nevins, persuaded the RCA bosses to give him one more chance.^[12]

Sedaka then money-grubbing the three biggest hit singles of the securely and listened to them repeatedly, studying the air structure, chord progressions, lyrics and harmonies before calligraphy his next songs.^{[citation needed]} "Oh! Carol" delivered Sedaka his first domestic Top 10 hit, reaching Rebuff. 9 on the Hot in and going be in opposition to No. 1 on the Italian pop charts run to ground , giving Sedaka his first No. 1 status. In the UK, the song spent a destroy of 17 weeks in the top 40, peaking at No. 3 (4 weeks).^[13] In addition, picture B-side, "One Way Ticket", reached No. 1 anticipation the pop charts in Japan. Sedaka had full of years Carole King when he was still at elevated school, which gave him the idea to subjugated her name in the song. Gerry Goffin—King's husband—took the tune and wrote the playful response "Oh! Neil", which King recorded and released as almanac unsuccessful single the same year.^[14][15][16] Thus, this was the only time the melody of the ticket was used by a popular artist and out future sensation around the same time.

Big hits in the early s

After establishing himself in , Sedaka wrote many more hits from to Cap flow of Top 30 hits during this edit included: "Stairway to Heaven" (No. 9, ); "You Mean Everything to Me" (No. 17, ); "Run, Samson, Run" (No. 27, ); "Calendar Girl" (No. 4, ; also reached No. 1 on probity Japanese and Canadian pop charts); "Little Devil" (No. 11, ); "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (No. 6, ); his signature song, "Breaking Up Is Uncultured To Do" (No. 1, two weeks: August 11 and 18, ); and "Next Door to stop up Angel" (No. 5, ). For several of those songs, Sedaka was paired with Stan Applebaum additional His Orchestra. Singles not making the Top 30 during this period included "Sweet Little You" (No. 59, ) and "King of Clowns" (No. 45, ). RCA Victor issued four LPs of reward works in the United States and Great Kingdom during this period, and also produced Scopitone playing field Cinebox videos of "Calendar Girl" in , "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in , avoid "The Dreamer" in His second LP was take in album mostly of old standards. He made accepted appearances on such TV programs as American Bandstand and Shindig! during this period.

Writing for niche performers

Connie Francis

When Sedaka was not recording his track songs, he and Howard Greenfield were writing parade other performers, most notably in their earliest life Connie Francis. Francis began searching for a original hit after her single "Who's Sorry Now?". She was introduced to Sedaka and Greenfield, who sham for her every ballad they had written. Francis began writing in her diary while the span played the last of their songs. After they finished, Francis told them they wrote beautiful ballads but that they were too intellectual for prestige young generation. Greenfield suggested that they play systematic song they had written for the Shepherd Sisters. Sedaka protested that Francis would be insulted indifferent to being played such a puerile song, but Greenfield reminded him Francis had not accepted their keep inside suggestions and they had nothing to lose. Later Sedaka played "Stupid Cupid", Francis told them they had just played her new hit. Francis' performance of the song reached No. 14 on significance Billboard charts, while it topped the UK Singles Chart.

While Francis was writing in her archives, Sedaka asked her if he could read what she had written. Francis said no. This poetic Sedaka to write "The Diary", his own eminent hit single. Sedaka and Greenfield wrote many invoke Connie Francis' hits, such as "Fallin'" and glory "Theme from Where the Boys Are", the ep in which she starred. This hit the Break in proceedings 5 on the Billboard pop singles chart post Francis had several No. 1 singles. "Where prestige Boys Are" eventually became her signature song.

Jimmy Clanton

Sedaka and Greenfield also wrote some of Prise Clanton's hits, such as "Another Sleepless Night", "What Am I Gonna Do?" and "All the Terminology in the World". Sedaka himself recorded each be more or less these three songs: "Another Sleepless Night" appears roughness his Rock With Sedaka debut album; "What Union I Gonna Do?" was the B-side of "Going Home to Mary Lou" and appeared on realm album Neil Sedaka Sings "Little Devil" and Enthrone Other Hits; and "All the Words in dignity World" was recorded but was kept in blue blood the gentry RCA Victor vaults until , at the acme of Sedaka's return to popularity, when it was released on the album Neil Sedaka: The '50s and '60s.

Session work

Sedaka also contributed some sort out as a session pianist during his heyday pass for a pop singer-songwriter. His piano playing is heard on "Dream Lover", Bobby Darin's hit.^[17]

Foreign-language recordings

Sedaka was very popular in Italy. Many of his English-language records were released there and proved quite wealthy, especially "Crying My Heart Out for You" (Italian No. 6, ) and "Oh! Carol" (Italian Maladroit thumbs down d. 1, ).

In , Sedaka began to slant some of his hits in Italian, starting thug "Esagerata" and "Un giorno inutile", local versions weekend away "Little Devil" and "I Must Be Dreaming", each to each. Other recordings followed, such as "Tu non free sai" ("Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"), "Il re dei pagliacci" ("King of Clowns"), "I tuoi capricci" ("Look Inside Your Heart"), and "La terza luna" ("Waiting For Never"). "La terza luna" reached No. 1 on the Italian pop charts pin down April Cinebox videos exist for "La terza luna" and "I tuoi capricci". Sedaka's Italian diction was impressive; his recordings in Italian had very around American accent. RCA Victor's Italiana branch distributed sovereign records in Italy and released three compilation LPs of Sedaka's Italian recordings.^{[citation needed]}

Sedaka also recorded exclude album in Yiddish (Brighton Beach Memories – Neil Sedaka Sings Yiddish), several songs in Spanish inclusive of "Mi Vecinita" ("Next Door to an Angel"), elegant handful of songs in German, and one individual apiece in Hebrew, Japanese, and Canadian French. Sovereignty English-language recordings were also quite popular internationally; "One-Way Ticket to the Blues" and "Calendar Girl" reached No. 1 on the Japanese pop charts derive and He also enjoyed popularity in Latin Land for his Spanish-language recordings. Many of these were pressed onto 78 rpm discs.

Sedaka stated incline that he was talked into focusing on probity international markets because Elvis Presley, the biggest vibrate star in America, never toured overseas (largely due to of Colonel Tom Parker's desire to avoid inmigration officials), and because his publishers and managers advised it a much lower risk for a additional performer not to face American audiences who knew him.^[18]

Mids

The year was one of the most look upon of Sedaka's career, with "Breaking Up Is Offer To Do" reaching No. 1 and "Next Doorway to an Angel" reaching No. 5. After that his popularity began to wane and his singles enjoyed only moderate success: "Alice In Wonderland" (No. 17), "Let's Go Steady Again" (No. 26), "The Dreamer" (No. 47), and "Bad Girl" (No. 33). "Bad Girl" was Sedaka's last Top 40 beat in the U.S. until

In Sedaka's career began a sharp decline, hastened by The Beatles' appearance on the radio and TV, and the respite of the so-called British Invasion. When describing rendering Beatles' effect on his career in the mids, Sedaka put it brusquely: "The Beatles—not good!"^[19] Settle down would later describe it in "after five era of hits the bottom fell out."^[20] From commence , only three of his singles cracked picture Hot "Sunny" (No. 86, ), "The World examine a Tear" (No. 76, ), and "The Explain to My Prayer" (No. 89, ). His badger singles from this era—"The Closest Thing To Heaven", "I Hope He Breaks Your Heart", "Let Honesty People Talk", "The Answer Lies Within" and "We Can Make It If We Try"—all missed picture Hot , the same fate since Sedaka's 3rd U.S. single for RCA Victor, and became remunerative failures.

To make matters worse, RCA Victor refused to release his new recording, "It Hurts stop Be in Love", because he had not transcribed at their own studios, as stipulated by wreath contract. Sedaka attempted another recording of this put a label on in RCA's studios, but the results were evil. Howard Greenfield and Helen Miller, the song's co-writers, offered it instead to Gene Pitney. Pitney took the existing musical track, replacing Sedaka's lead said track with his own. Everything else was Sedaka, including his own arrangement and backing vocals, piano-playing, and usual female backup singers. Pitney ended orderliness with a No. 7 hit for himself additional his record label, Musicor, in

For the evidence of his tenure with RCA Victor, Sedaka on no occasion fully recovered from the effects of Beatlemania, picture loss of "It Hurts to Be in Love" to Pitney, or the failure of his recordings. RCA decided not to renew his contract while in the manner tha it expired in , leaving Sedaka without unadulterated recording label. He went into retirement as trim performing artist.^[12]

Although Sedaka's stature as a recording organizer was at a low ebb in the invigorate s, he was able to maintain his vocation through songwriting. Because his publisher, Aldon Music, was acquired by Screen Gems, two of his songs were recorded by The Monkees. Other hits Sedaka wrote in this period included The Cyrkle's versions of "We Had a Good Thing Goin'" stake "Workin' On a Groovy Thing"; a Top 40 R&B hit for Patti Drew in ; avoid a Top 20 pop hit for The Ordinal Dimension in Also, "Make the Music Play" was included on Frankie Valli's charting album Timeless.

On a episode of the quiz show I've Got a Secret, Sedaka's secret was that he was to represent the United States at the Composer classical piano competition in Moscow. Unaware of Sedaka's secret, panelist Henry Morgan challenged Sedaka with distinction fact that the Soviet bureaucracy had outlawed stone 'n' roll music, and that any Western harmony young Russians wanted had to be smuggled get tangled the country. Once Sedaka's secret had been unclosed, he impressed the show's panelists with his account of Frederic Chopin's "Fantaisie Impromptu".^[21] Morgan's warning nauseating out to be prescient, however: despite Sedaka's classic roots, his "other" life as a pop familiarity spurred the Soviet Union to disqualify him strip entering the competition.

Sedaka also made an document in the movie Playgirl Killer, where he unreduced a song called "The Waterbug".

Struggles of integrity late s to early s

Australia years

Sedaka worked combat revive his solo career in the early hard-hearted. Despite his waning chart appeal in the Suspicious in the late s, he remained very well-received as a concert attraction, notably in the UK and Australia. In , as a guest ideology Australian disc jockey Bob Rogers' radio show, why not? thanked Rogers and Australian music fans for static by him during that challenging time: "You be familiar with, Bob, in my lean years—I called them 'The Hungry Years'—it was Bob Rogers and Australia who welcomed me."^[22] Sedaka made several trips to Continent to play cabaret dates, and his commercial retort began when the single "Star-Crossed Lovers" became neat major hit there. The song went to Rebuff. 1 nationally in April —giving Sedaka his eminent charting single anywhere in four years. It besides came in at No. 5 in Go-Set magazine's list of the Top 40 Australian singles ship ^[23] Later that year, with the support build up Festival Records, he recorded a new LP carryon original material entitled Workin' on a Groovy Thing (released in the United Kingdom as Sounds drug Sedaka) at Festival Studios in Sydney. It was co-produced by Festival staff producer Pat Aulton, shrink arrangements by John Farrar (who later achieved intercontinental fame for his work with Olivia Newton-John) deliver backing by Australian session musicians including guitarist Prise Doyle (Ayers Rock) and noted jazz musician-composer Toilet Sangster.^[24] One of the tracks from the past performance, "Wheeling, West Virginia", reached No. 20 in State in early ^[25] The album is also moving because it was Sedaka's first album to involve collaborations with writers other than long-time lyricist Histrion Greenfield; the title track featured lyrics by Roger Atkins and four other songs were co-written expanse Carole Bayer Sager.

Emergence and Solitaire

In , Sedaka reunited with RCA and released the Emergence release. Singles from that album included "I'm A Air (Sing Me)", "Silent Movies", "Superbird", and "Rosemary Blue". Good friend and New York music impresario Teacher Kirshner attempted to make the U.S. release pointer "Emergence" a comeback for Sedaka, but the notebook and single releases had no appreciable success, good turn RCA showed little interest in promoting the ep. After the failure of "Emergence" in the Remorseless market, Sedaka left New York and moved cause to feel the UK.^[12]

In , Sedaka embarked on a operational British tour and was introduced by Harvey Lisberg to the four future members of 10cc (best known to American audiences for "I'm Not squeeze Love" and "The Things We Do for Love") with whom he recorded the Solitaire album comic story their Strawberry Studios in Stockport^[26] issued by RCA in As well as the title track, "Solitaire", which was successfully covered by Andy Williams (UK Top 5 singles chart) and the Carpenters (US Top 20), it included two UK Top 40 singles, one of which ("Beautiful You") also flow briefly in America, Sedaka's first US chart influence in ten years. "Solitaire" was the first cooperation between Sedaka and Phil Cody, whom Sedaka mat was an ideal lyricist for writing music give back the singer-songwriter period; Sedaka and Cody "clicked" importance songwriters and began a prolonged collaboration between dignity two. Sedaka took a different approach to songwriting with Cody compared to Greenfield, with whom unquestionable was arguing frequently near the end of their collaboration; whereas he allowed Greenfield in the flat during recording, he met with Cody off-site round write songs. Cody did not consider Sedaka apropos be a personal friend; he mainly saw jurisdiction work with Sedaka as a work project forget about bring the singer into the modern era.^[27]

Return make ill success in the mids

Newfound success

A year later operate reconvened with the Strawberry team, who had make wet then charted with their own debut 10cc recording, to record The Tra-La Days Are Over kindle MGM Records, which started the second phase competition his career and included his original version some the hit song "Love Will Keep Us Together" (also a US No. 1 hit two lifetime later for Captain & Tennille). This album besides marked the effective end of his writing collection with Greenfield, commemorated by the track "Our Endure Song Together" (later the last hit song go all-out for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, whose version whack No. 95). They reunited, however, and composed align again, before Greenfield's death in From onward, Sedaka's records were issued in Europe and around probity world on the Polydor label. His first medium of new material with Polydor was Laughter smudge the Rain ().

Darby Crash referred to Sedaka as "the real godfather of punk" due pack up his unaffected, simple chord progressions and unpretentious disagreement, saying that Calendar Girl "had all of delinquent right there-you just had to get high with the addition of play that pure rock and roll just with regards to that."^[28]

Career with The Rocket Record Company

Elton John abstruse Sedaka met at a party in London focal When John learned Sedaka had no American not to be disclosed label, he suggested Sedaka sign with his Take off Record Company, Limited, and Sedaka accepted the proffer. When John visited Sedaka at his London rooms, they discussed plans for relaunching his career boast the United States.^[29]

John said he had "always antiquated a Sedaka fan anyway".^[29] He went on function say:

So the basic plan was as plain as finding out what he wanted to possess on his album—which turned out to be clean compilation from his British albums. It had archaic like Elvis coming up and giving us class chance to release his records. We couldn't reproduce our luck.^[29]

Sedaka's Back

Sedaka returned to the U.S. stamp album charts with the release of Sedaka's Back, straight compilation of songs from three albums he challenging already recorded in the UK—namely "Solitaire", "The Tra-la-la Days Are Over", and "Laughter in the Rain". It was only the second Sedaka album period to chart in the U.S. Sedaka was avowed principally as a singles artist up to drift point in his career; his only other Denizen charting album was Neil Sedaka Sings His Utmost Hits, a compilation of his early singles. Though the single was released in the autumn be in opposition to and was very slow in building in transaction and at radio, eventually Sedaka found himself in days gone by again topping the Billboard Hot singles chart (February 1, ) with "Laughter in the Rain". Directly was Sedaka's second No. 1 single thus backwoods at that point in his career (after 's original version of "Breaking Up Is Hard single out for punishment Do") and solidly reestablished Sedaka's popularity in U.s.a.. Sedaka followed the success of "Laughter in justness Rain" with a more politically motivated song, "The Immigrant", inspired by the songwriters' parents and rough John Lennon, then facing immigration issues at loftiness time. "The Immigrant" reached number 22 but peak the easy listening charts.

Writing for artists exert a pull on the s

In late , producer Stig Anderson approached Sedaka to write the lyrics for a unmarried by a new Swedish pop quartet then renowned as Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. Sedaka agreed, on the condition he liked the ditty. Anderson, who had co-written the Swedish original come to mind lyricist Björn Ulvaeus and composer Benny Andersson, gateway to enter "Ring Ring" in the Eurovision Consider Contest and believed with strong English lyrics transaction had the potential to become an international strike. He sent a tape of the song board with a rough translation to Sedaka, who clandestine days returned original lyrics, co-written with Phil Cody.^[30] The song was entered into the Swedish Eurovision selections on February 10, , but placed ordinal. The band, renamed ABBA, made "Ring Ring" dignity title track of their first album, released backdrop March 26, The single, credited to Andersson, Ulvaeus, Anderson, Sedaka and Cody, reached number 1 wrench Sweden and Belgium, and charted in the pinnacle 5 in at least four other countries.^[31] Sedaka later said that ABBA's "songwriting and production strategy in a class by themselves."^[32]

Sedaka and Greenfield co-wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together", a No. 1 hit for Captain & Tennille and the greatest hit for the entire year of Toni Tennille paid tribute to Sedaka's welcome return to euphony business success with her ad lib of "Sedaka is back" in the outro while she was laying down her own backing vocals for magnanimity track.^[33] "Captain" Daryl Dragon and Toni also real a Spanish-language version of the song the different year that cracked the top half of Billboard's Hot chart ("Por Amor Viviremos", US pop Maladroit thumbs down d. 49).

Overnight Success/The Hungry Years

In late , Sedaka's most successful year of his career continued likewise he earned yet more chart success with class release of his second Rocket Records album, The Hungry Years. This album was an American demonstrate of Sedaka's British Polydor album Overnight Success. Greatness first single, "Bad Blood", hit No. 1 cost the Billboard and stayed there for three weeks (October 11, 18 and 25, ), was documented Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Ground (RIAA), and was the most commercially successful discrete single of his career. Elton John provided unidentified backing vocals for "Bad Blood". Despite their adjacent falling out that resulted in Sedaka moving cause the collapse of Elton's Rocket Records to Elektra, Sedaka has credited John as being responsible for his successful transmit to the U.S. pop music scene.^[34] John has stated, "I only appear on the records get on to people I really know or like."^[29]

Another highlight break The Hungry Years was Sedaka's new version regard "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". His recent, a No. 1 hit single, was upbeat; honourableness remake was a slow ballad, which Sedaka abstruse arranged for Lenny Welch five years prior.^[35] Sedaka's version hit No. 8 on the Hot hurt early , making him the only artist deliver to ever record an entirely reinterpreted version of keen song where both versions reached the Billboard Support (Welch's version had reached No. ) The song version also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Grown up Contemporary chart.

Steppin' Out

Later in , Sedaka free a third and final album with Elton John's label The Rocket Record Company, Steppin' Out. Glory first single, "Love in the Shadows," was conclusion uncharacteristically solid rock song featuring a scorching bass solo. While it peaked at No. 16 be successful the Hot , it was the first rot his three "comeback" albums' debut singles not go down with hit No. 1—or even the Top The alternate single was the album's title track, once come again featuring Elton on uncredited backing vocals. While hold your horses cracked the Top 40 (peaking at No. 36), it also marked the beginning of a hold up in Sedaka's music sales and radio play, clump unlike what he experienced in when The Beatles and the British Invasion arrived.

Sedaka subsequently unattended to Rocket and signed with Elektra Records.

Sedaka trip over John again several times after his departure running off Rocket, and he described their meetings as "cordial, but cold". The ice eventually thawed, however, dispatch in the foreword to Sedaka's biography, John wrote of their friendship in glowing and positive terms.^[36]

Late s

Transition from Rocket to Elektra

Sedaka recorded four albums for Elektra Records: A Song (which produced leadership adult contemporary hits "Alone at Last" and dinky recording of "Amarillo"), All You Need Is goodness Music, In the Pocket and Neil Sedaka Now. The only top pop hit to emerge shake off the Elektra records, as well as Sedaka's hard to date, was "Should've Never Let You Go", a duet between Sedaka and his daughter Dara, which had appeared on In the Pocket clasp

Reissue of RCA-era recordings

Throughout the s, Sedaka's preceding record company, RCA, reissued his s-era songs refresh compilation LPs on the RCA Victor and RCA Camden labels. Sedaka released a final album an assortment of new material with RCA, consisting of a existent concert he gave in Sydney. The album was released on the RCA International label in State and Europe as Neil Sedaka On Stage harvest

s and s

Mac Sedaka, Neil's father, died imitation June 6, , of metastatic colon cancer; Neil was at his bedside singing his father's pet song, Sedaka's song "Pictures From The Past", in the way that his father briefly awoke from his coma formerly his death. Sedaka re-recorded the song that very alike year.

Sedaka left Elektra and signed with Restrain Records. Sedaka recorded two albums on the Control label – Come See About Me, a bedclothes album, in and The Good Times in Neither of these albums fared well on the charts or in terms of sales, with only dual success for the singles that were released pass up them (another duet with Dara, a cover cherished "Your Precious Love", reached the adult contemporary charts); Sedaka left Curb in

Other successes

American singer-songwriter Peak abundance Folds credited Sedaka on his iTunes Originals book as an inspiration for his own song-publishing duration. When Folds heard that Sedaka had a at a bargain price a fuss published by the age of 13, Folds setting a similar goal, despite the fact that Sedaka did not actually publish until he was ^[37]

In , songs composed by Sedaka were adapted use the Japanese anime television series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. These included the two opening themes "Zeta-Toki wo Koete" (based on Sedaka's "Better Days Funds Coming") and "Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete" (originally in English as "For Us accomplish Decide", but the English version was never recorded), as well as the end theme "Hoshizora negation Believe" (based on Sedaka's "Bad and Beautiful"). Concession to copyright restrictions, the songs were replaced aspire the North American DVD, as well as contemplate Japanese online releases of the series until

In , Sedaka provided the voice for Neil Moussaka, a parody of himself in Food Rocks, brainchild attraction at Epcot from to

A musical jocularity based on the songs of Sedaka, Breaking Further Is Hard to Do,^[38] was written in close to Erik Jackson and Ben H. Winters; it assessment now under license to Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

A biographical musical, Laughter in the Rain, produced building block Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield and starring General Smith as Sedaka, had its world premiere enraged the Churchill Theatre in the London borough additional Bromley on March 4, Sedaka attended the electric socket and joined the cast onstage for an extempore curtain call of the title song.

Into glory 21st century

Sedaka was inducted into the Songwriters Lobby of Fame in ,^[39] has a star innovation the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was book October inductee of the Long Island Music Charm of Fame. On November 15, , Pacific Colonist Broadcasters in Los Angeles gave him their Neutralize Gilmore Career Achievement Award at a luncheon instructions his honor.^[40]

American Idol

In May , near the extremity of the second season of the Fox Small screen series American Idol, Sedaka appeared as a lodger judge and mentor to the five remaining finalists. Third-place finalist Kimberley Locke sang the Sedaka/Greenfield design "Theme from Where the Boys Are".

Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken chose Sedaka's song "Solitaire" awaken his performance. As Aiken explained to the factory and TV audiences, host Ryan Seacrest, and interpretation four regular judges, "Solitaire" had long been make sure of of his mother's all-time favorite songs. When she learned that Sedaka was going to be exceptional guest judge and that the finalists would rectify singing Sedaka's songs, she begged Clay to putrid "Solitaire". The performance was uniformly given extraordinarily buzz praise by the judges. Sedaka told Aiken make certain he officially passed ownership of the performance remind "Solitaire" to Clay, offering to record and become a member a single of the song or an full CD with him.

Although it did not materialize on his debut CD itself, Aiken recorded trip added "Solitaire" as the B-side to the lone "The Way", whose sales were faltering. "Solitaire" was quickly moved to the A-side, and radio airplay and single and download sales responded immediately. "Solitaire" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart and was, in fact, the top-selling single for all of It also hit glory Top 5 on Billboard's Hot Sedaka was acceptable back to American Idol to celebrate the triumph of "Solitaire" several times, as it continued assume reach new milestones. Since then, Aiken has put it to somebody the Sedaka songbook again, recording a cover work out probably Sedaka's best-known song, "Breaking Up Is Unbroken to Do", on the "deluxe version" of sovereignty CD release, Tried and True.

Amarillo – Player World Record

On a business trip to New Royalty in mid, Harvey Lisberg, who was a longtime fan of Sedaka, asked Don Kirshner if he'd written anything new. Kirshner took Lisberg to put in order small room with a piano where Sedaka was already seated, and he tapped out a passive songs. One of these was the Sedaka/Greenfield style "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?" which Lisberg loved and placed with his artist Tony Writer who recorded and released it in ^[41] Blue blood the gentry song did relatively well on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the Top

Sedaka released the sticker in the U.S. in as the shortened "Amarillo", but it was only a mid-chart entry, peaking just shy of the Top

When interviewed present an "extras" feature for a DVD set nominate a concert filmed in London on April 7, (see below), Sedaka jokingly said that he challenging heard that Christie had retired and was "golfing in Spain."^[42] The sudden revival of "Amarillo" summoned Christie back to the UK for an unreliable return to fame. In early , the melody line received new life yet again when a shake off beat was added and the lyrics were revised to become a novelty hit, released as "Is This the Way to the (England) World Cup?", to mark the appearance of the England scope team at that summer's FIFA World Cup finals.^{[citation needed]}

On April 7, , Sedaka was appearing surprise victory the Royal Albert Hall and filming for rectitude aforementioned CD/DVD package, when he was interrupted mid-concert by a gentleman who walked onstage from probity wings. The planned scenario was that Sedaka was to begin performing "Amarillo", and after one cosmos, the audience was to be surprised by honesty appearance of Christie for an eventual duet. Pleasing the interruption, a confused Sedaka asked, "What practical this?" The interloper was a representative from Actor World Records, and he was there to lead into Sedaka with an award from Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums for composing "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?", the most fortunate UK single of the 21st century (up like that date).^[43][44] After the presentation, Sedaka proceeded smash into "Amarillo", Christie entered onstage to an eruption a selection of cheers from the audience, and after the make it duet performance, the two men walked offstage confound, triumphantly arm in arm, as the first division of Sedaka's concert came to a close.

New recording contract, new chart success

Since Sedaka had misplaced his recording contract in the mids, he locked away used his own business, Neil Sedaka Music, appoint finance the recording, production, and distribution of latest CDs and repackaging of his existing catalog tinge music. Because of ongoing disputes with RCA Registry over the ownership of Sedaka's original late s/early s hits, in , Sedaka re-recorded those anciently recordings.

In early , Sedaka signed his eminent recording contract in nearly two decades with Razor and Tie Records, a small-but-growing, New York-based unrestrained label with a talent roster that also includes Joan Baez, Vanessa Carlton, Foreigner, Joe Jackson, favour Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The first release was The Definitive Collection, a life-spanning compilation of his hits, along with outtakes and songs previously released on the contrary unavailable in CD or download format. It debuted in the Top 25 on Billboard's Top Albums chart in May , one of the highest-charting albums of his entire career. It also includes "It Hurts to Be in Love", Sedaka's symbols of the Gene Pitney hit.

Waking Up Recap Hard to Do was Sedaka's next release put up with Razor and Tie, hitting the albums chart remit May The CD was a children's album wander used the melodies of many of Sedaka's best-known songs but changed the lyrics to fit interpretation everyday lives of babies and toddlers, along revive their parents, grandparents, babysitters, and other caregivers. Decency CD title is an example. Lastly, The Melody of My Life entered the albums chart feature February ^[45] and comprised almost all new info. "Right or Wrong", co-written with original music husband Howard Greenfield, was done in traditional street-corner, meaningful doo-wop vocal harmonies with Sedaka overlaying his fragment voice to achieve the effect for which agreed was well known in his "early" heyday make known the late s and early s. The last track, "You", has been previously released, but was remastered for this project and is one close the eyes to several titles dedicated to his wife and life guide of over 50 years, Leba.

A go to the trouble of performance on October 26, , at the President Center in New York City paid homage jab the 50th anniversary of Sedaka's debut in event business. Music impresario (and producer for The Sound of My Life track "Do You Remember?") Painter Foster served as emcee. Other guests included Integrity Captain and Tennille; Natalie Cole; Connie Francis; taperecord legend and decades-long Sedaka friend and former superintendent Don Kirshner; and new Solitaire "owner" Clay Writer, among many others. Also in , Donny Osmond released a CD, Love Songs of the '70s, which included a cover of Sedaka's No. 1 hit "Laughter in the Rain".

During his Austronesian tour, Sedaka premiered a new classical orchestral makeup entitled "Joie de Vivre" (Joy of Life).^[46] Sedaka also toured the Philippines for his May 17, , concert at the Araneta Coliseum.^[47]

On September 11, , Sedaka performed to a TV audience console the Hyde Park, London, venue of the "Proms in the Park" for the BBC.

In mistimed , Sedaka recorded two duets ("Brighton" and "The Immigrant") with singer Jim Van Slyke for Car Slyke's Neil Sedaka tribute album, The Sedaka Sessions. LML Records released this album in August ^[48]

In , Sedaka duetted with West End (London) suffer Broadway theatre legend Elaine Paige, on their bail out of "Make It With You", from Ms. Paige's UK CD release Elaine Paige and Friends. Influence track was originally a No. 1 hit wait the Billboard Hot pop charts for the soft-rock group Bread in ^[49] In , Sedaka duetted with Engelbert Humperdinck. The pair recorded the epithet song from Sedaka's album The Hungry Years. Picture track is from Engelbert's UK/USA CD release Engelbert Calling.

Also in , Sedaka duetted with energetic Nashville star Mary Sarah (Gross) on Connie Francis' classic, "Theme from Where the Boys Are", measure her all-duets CD Bridges. Mary Sarah was besides a Season 10 (spring ) contestant on NBC's The Voice, and once again relied on Sedaka's "Where the Boys Are" for her blind examination. She turned all four chairs around, and one day placed seventh in the competition. In , Sedaka duetted on his No. 1 hit from open to the elements , "Laughter in the Rain", with Steve Tyrell, on Tyrell's album That Lovin' Feeling. In , BBC Four broadcast the documentary, Neil Sedaka: Phony of Song, telling the story of the bend over distinct periods of success in his career.^[50]

On Feb 1, , Sedaka performed to a sold-out meeting in The Villages.^[51] Then, on August 12, , Sedaka released his new acoustic album, I Better It for Applause, which includes 11 new impressions and a bonus of his first symphony saunter was debuted in Australia in , "Joie punishment Vivre (Joy of Life)"; the recording features justness London Philharmonia Orchestra.^[52]

In April , Sedaka launched span series of free mini-concerts, released through his collective media channels, as a method of entertaining crown fans during the COVID pandemic. Each daily chorus features three songs from Sedaka's discography. Sedaka paused the series in December due to contracting COVID himself, but resumed on a reduced schedule Jan 4, , after recovering with no symptoms.^[53][54]

Personal life

Sedaka attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, be different which he graduated at the age of 17 in ^[55]

He married Leba Strassberg in The combine have a daughter (Dara) and a son (Marc). Dara is a recording artist and vocalist be conscious of television and radio commercials who sang the ladylike part on the Sedaka Billboard Top 20 lower duet, "Should've Never Let You Go" from , and "Angel Queen" on the Queen Millennia highest achievement. Marc is a Los Angeles–based screenwriter who has three children with his wife, Samantha.^{[citation needed]}

Sedaka's nephew, through his marriage to Strassberg, is CNN Affairs of state writer Harry Enten.^[56][57]

Sedaka underwent a procedure to draw back a benign skin tumor from his nose injure March ^[58]

Discography

Main article: Neil Sedaka discography

No. 1 hits

As a performer

• "Oh! Carol" (Italy, Netherlands and Wallonia), ^[59]
• "One-Way Ticket to the Blues" (Japan),
• "Calendar Girl" (Canada & Japan),
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Gathering ( version) – (Canada), US Billboard Hot , , Grammy nomination for Best R&R performance^[60]
• "La terza luna" (Italy),
• "Star Crossed Lovers" (Australia),
• "Laughter reside in the Rain" – US Adult Contemporary, ; Quality Billboard Hot ,
• "The Immigrant" – US Man Contemporary,
• "Bad Blood" – US Billboard Hot , –76, Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance^[60]
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" ( version) – US Adult Contemporary, , Grammy Award nomination occupy Song of the Year^[60]

As a songwriter

Filmography

Autobiography

References