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Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
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
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
He Wrote The Songs: Beloved Crooner's Magical 'Last Detroit Concert'
He Wrote The Songs: Beloved Crooner's Magical 'Last Detroit Concert' originally appeared on Parade. It was a special evening in the Motor City on Tuesday, June 3 as graced the stage at Little Caesars Arena for his "Last Detroit Concert." For his devoted "Fanilows," this was their opportunity to share one more night with the music icon whose career has provided the soundtrack to their lives for five incredible decades. As part of his current "The Last Concerts" tour, the 81-year-old entertainer, still exuding his signature charm and boundless energy, delivered a performance that was everything fans had hoped for. Backed by his 13-member band – a powerhouse of ten instrumentalists and three dynamic backup singers – Manilow rolled out a string of his most beloved, chart-topping hits. The arena was soon filled with the familiar notes of classics like the upbeat "It's a Miracle," the ballad "Mandy," the ever-popular story of "Copacabana (At the Copa)," as well as the favorite "Can't Smile Without You." The night offered more than just a trip down memory lane with his classic songs. In a segment of the show, after a rendition of 'Could It Be Magic,' Manilow was honored with a special on-stage presentation. Six faculty members from Chicago's VanderCook College of Music, dressed in traditional academic caps and gowns, stepped forward. (VanderCook is the only college in the entire US that dedicates itself solely to training music educators.) 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 The academics were there to bestow an honor upon the superstar: an honorary Doctor of Music Education Honoris Causa. The president of VanderCook College of Music, explained the college's decision, citing Manilow's 'enduring dedication to music education.' She added warmly that this passionate commitment 'resonates deeply with our mission.' With a career boasting Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Awards, and an astounding 85 million records sold worldwide, Manilow had made it known that this Detroit show was indeed a final tour stop for the city. While he continues his ongoing hit residency in Las Vegas, this performance on June 3rd was the last scheduled chance for his Detroit fanbase to experience his electrifying arena show in their hometown as part of this tour. He Wrote The Songs: Beloved Crooner's Magical 'Last Detroit Concert' first appeared on Parade on Jun 4, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
