The 80's Album-ALL about the LYRICS

I spent my Thanksgiving holiday listening and re-listening to the 80's CD. Musically, for me, it's a home run. The orchestrations in each of the songs are stupendous. The way Barry takes each one of the songs and makes it his own always amazes me. I feel in love with "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and I absolutely detested the original version of that song. There isn't a song on the CD I skip over. They each have their own flavor and appeal and I would have to agree with YBA that this is more than a remake of 80's songs--it's an original work for all intents and purposes. I have my favorites for different reasons, most involving memories that they evoke. Many because of the uniquely genius arrangements.

But for me, this work is all about the lyrics. When he was being interviewed on QVC, Barry mentioned how important the lyrics were in these songs. He commented on how he looked for the lyric to define the arrangement and the orchestration of each of the songs. So, in that vein, I'm going to do something unusual with my review--choose the lyric that spoke to me. It might be possible the same lyric spoke to Barry (emphasis on the "might be").

Islands in the Stream
"Everything is nothing if you've got no one, and you're just walking the night, slowly losing sight of the real thing ."
One of my favorite lines of all time is "To love is to live." Having someone to love is the real thing.

Open Arms
"Living without you, living alone; this empty house seems so cold."
Loneliness plagues all of us at one time or another. We can even feel lonely when we have someone. We can feel lonely surrounded by people. My father used to say that even though I lived within a few feet of him, he was so lonely without my mother.

Never Gonna Give You Up
"We know the game and we're gonna play it."
I have a friend who is playing games with a guy. They are both adults, and yet they can't seem to tell each other how they feel. It's sad to me, but I guess we all play those games with the people we care about.

Have I Told You Lately
"You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness; ease my troubles, that's what you do."
Kindness is something we all need and something we should all be willing to give to others. When we receive kindness, it eases our pain and trouble and brings happiness to our hearts.

I Just Called to Say I Love You
"But what it is, is something true--made up of these three words that I must say to you..."
Some of us find it hard to say those three words: I love you. We all need to hear them, however; and those three words can make all the difference in someone's life. I say them as often as I can to the ones I love.

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
"You're the only one who really knew me at all."
We all wear masks. Usually, there aren't many people who know us. If we find that person we can trust with the good and the bad of who we are, we should never let them go.

Careless Whisper
"Tonight the music seems so loud, I wish that we could lose this crowd."
Sometimes it's hard to get lost in a crowd, and then sometimes you are never truly seen.

Right Here Waiting
"I wonder how we can survive this romance...but in the end if I'm with you I'll take the chance."
Any relationship involving love requires work. It requires commitment and perseverance. It's so much more than just romance.

Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
"When you get caught between the moon and New York City..."
New York is one of those places that evokes the best of emotions and the most pleasurable memories for me. I'm a city girl at heart and New York brings out the best in me. While this song is about finding love in the most unusual place; to me it is about the love affair I have with New York.

Hard to Say I'm Sorry
"It's hard for me to say I'm sorry..."
It really is hard to say I'm sorry. And honestly, those two words are the most healing words anyone can hear. It means you recognize that you've hurt someone and you want them to know that you are repentant. Hopefully, with that comes forgiveness.

Time After Time
"You're calling to me, I can't hear what you've said..."
I find myself finding it hard at times to express what I'm feeling. The person I am speaking to is not hearing me because they have either closed themselves off to me or they aren't listening. It's frustrating and leaves me feeling like my words (and my feelings) don't matter.

(I've Had) The Time of My Life
"I've had the time of my life...and I owe it all to you."
There are people in my life that have touched me in ways I can't begin to explain. Some are no longer living; some have come and gone; and some still continue to do so every day. This song reminds me of all the wonderful times I've had with the music. I owe that all to Barry--in the good and the bad, I've had the time of my life!

Listening to the lyrics,
Texas Fan

QVC-My Review

Last year during the QVC special, a friend and I spent the entire hour yelling at the television for "Chatty Kathy" to stop talking. I'm unhappy to say, this year I was yelling alone. I understand that it's her JOB to sell the product. But seriously...does she have to inform us about every little detail of the song. "Don't you just love Jeff Bridges???" Are you kidding me? We all saw Barry's look on that question.

For some reason, however, he always seems to love these QVC sales events. He loves previewing his new album and singing those songs for the first time live. This time, he got an audience full of fans. And you could tell he was enjoying himself and keying off their excitement.

Now for the important stuff....the songs.

My favorite of the evening was Arthur's Theme. That song was made for him. I won't ever think of the original version again. It was pure heaven listening to him weave those lyrics and that melody. Not only was the performance exemplary, but the arrangement shined. The sax solo blew me away (kudos to Brandon).

I thoroughly enjoy hearing these cover albums when they are first debuted. Barry takes someone else's song and makes it his own. He listens to the lyrics to understand their meaning or the story they tell and he uses that to arrange the song musically to do what he does best, tell a story in the song. Many times, you don't realize what the original song was about until you hear his rendition. It's truly remarkable each time he does it and so many times the songs take on new meaning for me.

For those of us that haven't heard the entire CD, it will be a few more days of waiting. Then, I'll pop it in and begin another journey of "listening" to the music and discovering the absolute genuis that is Manilow.

Right Here Waiting,
Texas Fan

Hello Gorgeous!

Wowser! What a way to kick off my upcoming trip with a Hotline release of the new album cover and a track listing. Since I'm not an 80's music officianado most of these songs will be new to me, but if "Open Arms" is any indication of the quality of the song choices, I know this could very well be his best decade album yet.

And..oh yes...ONE MORE DAY UNTIL IT'S VEGAS BABY!
Texas Fan