As I listened to an evening with Mercer tonight, it had a profound affect on me. It clarified the different types of listening styles and audiences that music falls upon. My husband has a wide and varied music collection. But he couldn't tell you one word of one song. All he hears is the music. He never goes deep enough into a song to hear what it is really communicating. My son, on the other hand, whose music taste is what I consider to be all-encompassing, listens to both the lyrics and the music, finding joy and appreciation in all genres.
The music I heard today brought me back to the reason I fell in love with Manilow in the beginning. It takes an amazing talent to take lyrics and bring them to life with the music. Barry has always known a great lyric and what to do with it. Words are poetry, but add music to them and they take on a life of their own. And then add the musical interpretation to the song and you get the full affect of the marriage between the lyrics and the music. Barry is the best at marrying the two together and providing those heart-pulling, emotion-moving, and gut-wrenching performances.
When the smoke clears and the accolades have come and gone, you can turn on your Ipod or crank up your stereo and be transported to any number of places and emotions through the genius of Manilow. And when that song is "When October Goes" it's the best and most perfect marriage between lyrics, music and performance you'll ever hear. That, my friends, will always be his legacy. And there is nothing or no one that can ever take that away.
His musical genius will live forever,
Texas Fan
P.S. It was a GREAT program with some true insight into the life of Johnny Mercer. You can catch the replay at Manilow and Mercer
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3 comments:
Thank you, and thank you for posting the actual link to it, I was having a hard time finding it. It was very interesting, I thought, to see what thought goes into writing lyrics. It only makes me appreciate that kind of artistry even more!
You put things so much better than I can! That is exactly what I was thinking while listening to this programme. I learnt a lot about how songs are put together and it was a true testament to the magic that Barry Manilow makes every time he touches a melody or a lyric! He is a true genius and he will leave an everlasting legacy...
Very well put. You have a way with words. Thank You
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