Barry Manilow on His Farewell Concerts (‘It Is Goodbye') & Why Today's Lyrics Sound Like a ‘Run-On Sentence'
'My mother always wanted me to be a doctor,' Barry Manilow quipped on stage Tuesday (June 3) night at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena. 'She would be so proud!'
Manilow indeed became a doctor during his Detroit tour stop, when six cap-and-gowned faculty members from Chicago's VanderCook College of Music (the only U.S. school that specializes in teaching music educators) presented him with an honorary Doctor of Music Education honoris causa. The honorary degree, according to VanderCook President Kimberly Farris, recognized 'your enduring dedication to music education,' which, she added, 'resonates deeply with our mission.' The degree specifically saluted the Manilow Music Project, which he says has spent $10 million during the past 15 years providing musical instruments to schools and honoring music educators. On Tuesday, Manilow presented a $10,000 grant to a teacher from Detroit's Cass Technical High School.
More from Billboard
Barry Manilow's 25 Top 40 Hits, Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic's Picks
Watch SEVENTEEN Bring the 'Thunder' to 'Kelly Clarkson Show' Performance
'This Is What You Asked For': Watch Linkin Park Star in Ice-Shattering Stanley Cup Final Promo
Donning his own cap and gown and accepting the degree, Manilow explained that 'the VanderCook College stands for everything I believe in. Their commitment to music teachers and my passion for getting playable instruments for young people go hand in hand. That's why it really speaks to me.' He gave special thanks to his drummer, Yolandus 'YL' Douglas, for spearheading the honor.
'This is such a meaningful honor,' Manilow continued. 'I've gotten awards before — Emmys, Grammys, People's Choice Awards. Most of them were always honoring me as a singer, songwriter and performer, and they were always great. I'm always so grateful for them. But this is the first time that anybody has acknowledged me as being a musician, so thank you all…I'll never forget this.' Manilow then tossed his mortarboard into the crowd as his band played 'Pomp and Circumstance.'
The show was part of the 81-year-old Manilow's continuing The Last Concerts series he's playing in 'these cities that have been so supportive' during his 52-year recording career. Prior to the Detroit stop he told Billboard that the endeavor has put him in a reflective space. 'It's like, 'What? Am I the only one left?'' he says. 'It's Billy Joel, and Elton (John) is not well and Rod (Stewart) and Neil (Diamond). Diana Ross is still in great shape I think. There must be only a handful of people in my world that are still there. I'm still healthy. I'm strong and I've still got my voice and my energy. The night I can't hit the F natural on 'Even Now,' that's the night I throw in the towel. But I can still do it.'
Though he 'never got to know' Joel, Manilow adds that he wishes that Piano Man well in his struggle with the brain disorder Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) that has taken him off the road. 'Oh, it's so horrible, so horrible,' Manilow says. 'It just broke my heart when I heard about Billy Joel. I'm such a fan of his work. I really hope he's able to get back to it.'
Manilow's work, meanwhile, isn't just onstage these days. By the end of the summer Manilow hopes to release a new album, his first since Night Songs II in 2020. 'This'll probably be my last album,' he notes, adding that, 'I've been working on it for a long time…for so long that the style of music has changed. [laughs] I had to go back and redo (the songs) so they sounded a little more contemporary. I had to take all the strings out, all the background vocals out 'cause they don't do that anymore. They don't use strings and background vocals and all that. Even I heard that it sounded dated, so we had to go back and redo it.'
The result, he says, is 'a Barry pop album. I think people who like what I do will like this album; I don't know about everybody else who likes today's music, but it's a solid album.' Manilow adds that he's not trying to compete with the current crop of chart toppers and Grammy winners.
'The songwriting has changed,' he notes. 'Young people don't write the way I was trained to write. There's no verse which goes into the chorus which goes back to the verse which goes to ending, and you change keys. They don't do that. They start the song and then they just…it feels like a run-on sentence to me. I can't find the hook. I can't find the chorus. It just keeps on going, and then it ends. That's not what this album is, and that's not the way I know how to write, and I think my contemporary songwriters and people I work with would say the same.'
This year, in fact, marks 50 years since Manilow scored his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, 'Mandy,' while January will mark 50 years since his second No. 1, 'I Write the Songs,' which was penned by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys. Both were recommended to him by Arista Records then-chief Clive Davis, and Manilow laughs as he recalls their professional relationship. 'Every time Clive gave me an idea I would turn it down — every single time I would turn it down.' His objection to that one, in particular, was pointed: 'I can't sing a song where it says, 'I write the songs'; people will think I'm this egomaniac. I won't do it! Same thing with any of the other ones. I turned them all down. But Davis was relentless; 'You've got to try it. You've got to try it!' So I would put my arranger hat on and crawl into these songs and figure out how I can do these songs so I can be proud of it.'
'I Write the Songs,' of course, remains cemented into Manilow's setlists, including his 'lifetime' residency at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which resumes on June 12. There's no end date in sight, he insists, but having already done a One Last Time! tour back in 2015 Manilow insists that he's not kidding about each stop being the final performance in each city.
'It's a bittersweet experience for me because I know that I'm not coming back here and (the fans) know I'm not coming back here. And when I finish and I say 'goodbye' it is goodbye,' he says. 'I've never felt that before. Usually I know that (on) the next tour, I'll probably come back here. But this time I know I'm not coming back to these cities. I've been doing this for so many years, and I've done these cities over and over and over, but this is it.'
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
40 minutes ago
- Forbes
Mariah Carey Earns Her First Solo Hit Song In A Decade
Mariah Carey returns to the Hot 100 solo for the first time in 10 years with her new single 'Type of ... More Dangerous,' which also launches at No. 1 on other Billboard lists. Mariah Carey performs onstage at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images) Throughout the 1990s, Mariah Carey was the queen of the Hot 100, scoring one No. 1 smash after another. Several of her hits from that decade ruled for historically-long periods of time. Lately, Carey has spaced her releases further apart, and she doesn't land big wins like she used to. But the beloved singer is back on Billboard's ranking of the biggest songs in America this week with 'Type Dangerous,' which helps her return to the tally unaccompanied for the first time in years. 'Type Dangerous' opens at No. 95 on the Hot 100 this week. According to Billboard, the track earns Carey her first completely solo hit on the chart roster in a decade. The last time she debuted a tune on the tally without any other featured artists credited was in May 2015, when 'Infinity' arrived and peaked at No. 82. In the years since 'Infinity' debuted, Carey has pushed a handful of tracks onto the Hot 100, but all of them benefited from another artist being included. Her list of recent hits includes 'I Don't' with YG and 'Oh Santa!' alongside Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. Those two tunes peaked at Nos. 89 and 76, respectively. Of course, Carey returns to the Hot 100 every holiday season with 'All I Want for Christmas Is You.' The track finds its way back to the tally sometimes in November, sometimes not until December, but for the past half-decade, it has risen all the way to No. 1 every year. The blockbuster has now accrued a total of 18 weeks ruling the list — a number that will surely climb again at the end of 2025. 'Type Dangerous' powers its way onto the Hot 100 thanks largely to a healthy sales sum. The single opens at No. 4 on the Digital Song Sales chart, with a little under 5,100 pure purchases, according to Luminate. That also sends it straight to No. 1 on both the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales and R&B Digital Song Sales tallies. It similarly opens inside the top 10 on a handful of other genre-focused rankings.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Lil Wayne's New Album Reminds Fans How Much They Love His Older Work
As Lil Wayne's Tha Carter VI debuts, Tha Carter III and Tha Carter IV both return to various ... More Billboard charts, years after their release. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 18: Lil Wayne performs onstage during the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert at State Farm Arena on January 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by) Lil Wayne's Tha Carter VI misses the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 this week, as no one was going to beat Morgan Wallen's massive I'm the Problem. The country behemoth has held atop the ranking of the most consumed full-length in the United States for a month now, and will likely keep in first place for a while. The hip-hop superstar does manage to conquer several genre-specific rankings with the sixth installment in his semi-self-titled series. As Tha Carter VI debuts, several of its predecessors return to various Billboard rankings. Tha Carter III — perhaps the most successful and best-known of Wayne's six-part collection — reenters the Top Rap Albums chart at No. 17. At the same time, it grows considerably on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and all-genre Billboard 200 lists, rising to Nos. 26 and 103, respectively. Tha Carter IV also manages to break back onto one tally. While it doesn't reach the Top Rap Albums list, which features just 25 spots, it does crack the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally, returning at No. 41. Simultaneously, it bolts more than 20 spaces on the Billboard 200, ascending from No. 179 to No. 152. Tha Carter VI launches atop both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums rankings. Wayne earns his eleventh leader on the all-encompassing list of the biggest titles in both genres and secures his milestone tenth champion on the rap-only roster. The project is a top five winner on every Billboard tally on which it appears. It only misses the summit on a few other rankings by a narrow margin. Tha Carter VI debuts in the runner-up space on both the Billboard 200 and Top Streaming Albums charts, and comes in third on both the Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums rankings. In its first seven days of availability, Tha Carter VI moved 108,000 equivalent units. That would normally be enough for it to compete for the top spot on the Billboard 200, but it wasn't this time around. This frame, Wallen's One Thing at a Time wins with 208,000 units.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Beyoncé's First Country Smash Returns As Her Tour Travels The Globe
Beyoncé's 'Texas Hold 'Em' returns to the U.K. charts after her Cowboy Carter Tour wraps in that ... More country, and the album it supports continues to climb. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Beyoncé accepts the Best Country Album award for "COWBOY CARTER" onstage during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo byfor The Recording Academy) Beyoncé recently wrapped the U.K. leg of her Cowboy Carter Tour, which included six nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Fans of the global superstar in England showed their continued enthusiasm for her latest musical chapter by not just showing up in person, but returning to the music she's currently on the road promoting. Following the anticipation for her concerts, her first country smash 'Texas Hold 'Em' resurfaces on the charts. This week, the track returns to a pair of rankings in the United Kingdom — though just barely. 'Texas Hold 'Em' reappears on the Official Singles Downloads chart at No. 97 this week, and lands at No. 100 on the Official Singles Sales list. Beyoncé previewed her first country album Cowboy Carter with 'Texas Hold 'Em,' which became the breakout hit from the set. The tune reached No. 1 on rankings all around the world, despite a drastic sonic departure from her previous work. It even earned her another chart-topper on several U.K. lists. 'Texas Hold 'Em' spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Official Singles Sales chart and seven total on the Official Singles Downloads tally. The track needs only a few more appearances on both lists to mark its first full year as a bestselling single in the country. As 'Texas Hold 'Em' returns, the album it's featured on continues to soar. Cowboy Carter is present on five U.K.-based rankings this week, and it climbs on four of them. The only list it doesn't rise on is the Official Americana Albums chart — and that's only because it remains steady at No. 1. While holding firm on that tally, Cowboy Carter also jumps to No. 4 on the Official Country Artists Albums list. It returns to the top 40 on both the Official Album Streaming chart and the ranking of the most consumed projects in the nation. Cowboy Carter isn't the only Beyoncé project gaining ground this frame. Lemonade, one of her most celebrated collections, reappears on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Albums chart for the first time in years, landing at No. 38. 'Crazy in Love,' her breakout solo smash, nearly reenters the top 10 on the Official Hip-Hop and R&B Singles roster, pushing to No. 11 – it's new all-time peak.
