The 80's Album

Well...it's happening. The Clive machine strikes again and we are going to have the pleasure of another decade album. I have to admit, the 80's were a decade that was devoid of pop music for me. My mother was battling cancer, my kids were babies, and my life was in constant turmoil. I turned to Christian music: Amy Grant, Sandi Patti, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman and others to survive.

I had a conversation today with my best friend. She is a fan of 80's music. You really feel old, or completely lacking in "coolness" when you can't recognize any of the groups or songs being mentioned: Journey, Phil Collins, Richard Marx (never heard of them). I was able to recognize Cyndi Lauper, and a Bette Midler song. However, the rest was Greek to me.

When the album comes out, I won't be judging it based on previous versions of the songs. I have nothing to compare it to. I'm sure Barry will work his magic and fill it with tremendous ballads and love songs that will take my breath away. I've read the lyrics to "Open Arms" and I have to admit, there is potential there. And...since I missed the 80's (for all intents and purposes), I'm looking forward to reliving them through Barry's new album.

An up and coming 80's music fan,
Texas Fanilow

Can we hold on through what lies ahead?

At times it appears that our happiness hangs by a thread...

Can we hold on through what lies ahead?

Charles Dickens starts his book Hard Times--it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The characters in Harmony were experiencing those times when they sang the words to this song. Looking ahead facing separation and death all they had to hold on to was each other.

Life really is like that. At times it seems that our happiness hangs by a thread and that we can't find our way. We feel lost and alone and we reach out to the constants in our lives: God, our family, our friends, and the one constant that always seems to be there for me: music.

I don't know if Barry reads this blog. But if some day you're surfing the net and come across this, I would just like to say "thanks man". Thanks for giving us a lifetime of music that is connected to our memories, our struggles, our hopes and our dreams. Thanks for inspiring us to "pay it forward" and to give back. And thanks, for being you.

Holding on,
Texas Fanilow

TOP TEN favorite lines from Barry's songs...

Someone on the Bnet (amazingly) brought up this topic today and it really got me thinking. What are my favorite lines and why. Since they limited it to 5 I chose five of them, however I prefer to pick a TOP TEN here and elaborate as I so often tend to do.

1-All The Time: "wanting to be me, but needing to belong.."
We've all been there. Pretending to be someone else so that people would accept us. Thinking that all we have to do is conform to what they want and they will love us. But finally realizing that if you lose who you are do they love you, or just the person they want you to be?

2-I Am Your Child: "all that I am you taught me to be"
This song has great significance for me because it was one day that I realized after someone using the words to that song that I didn't have to live with guilt any longer. That I had done everything I could possibly do for some loved ones who had literally died in my arms. And that realization set me free once and for all and made me realize that I did exactly what they would have wanted me to do.

3-Stars in the Night: “are we fools to see the hope that's gleaming in the skies…”
There's a verse in the Bible that says..hope deferred, makes the heart sick. Without hope we can't live in this world. Without hope we can't dream. And without our dreams we can't reach beyond the stars and grab hold of all there is for us..more than just a piece of sky!

4-Where You Go: "where you go I will go, maybe scared, but together.."
Friendship means everything to me. We need each other. We need to hold each other's hands through hell or the promised land and walk it together. We might be scared and we might be hesitant to take that leap, but there is strength when we hold on and don't let go.

5-Mandy: "you came and you gave without taking"
This is the truest picture of unconditional love. Giving and not expecting anything in return. These simple words speak volumes of what love is meant to be.

6-Where I Want to Be: "truly is the finest love I have to give, I ask the same of you.."
These words remind me of God's love for us. And how he only asks that we love Him and each other in the same way.

7-Weekend in New England: “I feel a change coming, I feel the wind blow..I feel brave and daring”
The last year has been a brave and daring adventure of faith. And most recently, these words were the call words for some great miracles and for some marvelous moments that I will never soon forget.

8-Every Single Day: "was that the bridge we should have crossed, the one we burned?"
Regret. We all have it. This song reminds us that you have to risk it all for love. Because when you love from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, it's worth the risk.

9-Show Me: “I don’t know how to begin to let myself let you in, but you, maybe you could show me"
We all put those walls up. Those walls keep us from loving and being loved. But for some of us, God sends someone to us that helps us see that its ok to let the wall down and open up our hearts to that love. Sometimes all we need is someone that is willing to love us unconditionally.

10-One Voice: "hands are joined and fears unlocked..."
Our voices joining hands can move mountains, conquer evil, promote peace and give back hope to the hopeless.There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out all fear.

I love taking a trip down Manilow lane and reminiscing about all the songs that have moved me in 2007. And I'm sure as 2008 unfolds I'll be finding even more gems to inspire me.

Thanks Barry for singing and writing the songs,
Texas Fanilow

For Those That Doubt...

Sometimes it seems that the future is a long time in coming. We can hope and dream and focus on the positive. But when it comes right down to it, it's easy to lose heart. It's easy to think tomorrow may never come and our dreams may never become reality.

For those who doubt, I have some words of encouragement for you:

So do not throw away your confidence now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion. (Hebrews 10:35-36)

Sticktuitiveness comes when you keep your eye on the promise and don't focus on "what seems to be". Just a thought to begin 2008.

Looking forward to a year of fulfilled promises,
Texas Fanilow

Las Vegas in restrospect

On Christmas day after the presents were opened, the dinner prepared, and the dishes washed and put away, I hopped on a plane to Barryland. The anticipation of a week of concerts was dampened the week before by the unexpected cancellations. But, as usual the week would not disappoint. It offered some unexpected moments of "Manilow magic" and some moments that had me scratching my head in disbelief.

Friday night was one of those rare moments in time that you relive over and over again, pinching yourself and asking if it all really happened. The show began on Manilow time around 8:30pm. From the first song to the last bedlam reigned. Security did an amazing job controlling things the best they could. During Daybreak a small child under five was dancing in the aisle to the right of me attempting to rush the stage. On the left of me a crazed fan ran toward the stage with a rose in one hand and a determined look to reach Barry at all costs. Throughout the course of the evening there continued distractions. Fans were yelling during the silences. Champagne glasses fell onto the stage from the side stage seats. Signs were hurled and waved at Barry as he approached the side stage. A British flag was thrown onto the stage, along with other items. A bouquet of flowers was hurled across the stage between Barry and his backup singers. During the finale a father with a child on his shoulders rushed the stage yelling "Barry, Barry...say hello to my son". There was a sign on the left stage held by a child claiming his first ever plane ride to see Barry and he actually made an attempt to converse with the child while his mother and grandmother grabbed and pulled at him the entire time.

Its been said that Barry hardly showed up for the show on Friday. Is it any wonder? How could anyone possibly concentrate during such bedlam? I could barely concentrate myself. After the show was over I stood there stunned. I have been to numerous shows in Vegas and I have never witnessed such a display of utter chaos. In spite of it all, Barry managed to give some very moving performances of I Am Your Child, Weekend in New England and Could It Be Magic. He reached inside of himself and you could feel the passion in the words of those songs and how much he was determined to reach that "one" in the audience who was actually listening.

After the show, the evening continued in the same vein it began and the events I witnessed along with the unusual conversations I later had bordered on the unbelievable. Suffice it to say that if anyone had witnessed the entire evening from above they might have wondered if a strange script had been written and those who were participating in the drama were reading it for the first time. The messages were received, however unbelievable they might have seemed.

Saturday night's show was the polar opposite of Friday's. The show was perfection and every moment worked like magic. The only slight flaw came at the end during I Write the Songs when Barry was distracted by his conversations with his backup singers and seemed to forget the words. He offered a slight smirk and continued along with the song unscathed. After the previous evening it was a welcome relief to experience a show that was relatively normal and lacking constant disruption.

The remainder of my trip was an unexpected nightmare that lasted for three more days: illness, missed flights, lost luggage and airfare change fees. Needless to say when the wheels touched down on my flight home I was reeling from a week of unexpected moments and unanticipated twists and turns. But all in all, it was a week that would rival none other. In more ways than one Barry was responsible for some rare moments that will never be forgotten, along with some extraordinary insight and some eye-opening conversations.

Starting 2008 off with a bang, not a whimper...

Texas Fanilow

Merry Christmas to All!

Peacemakers

I was driving home from the grocery store today after a harrowing experience of shopping and I saw a sign outside a small church. That sign has caught my eye many times before but today, I read its message and realized how much the world needs it. It said simply:

PRAY THAT THE PRINCE OF PEACE RAISE UP PEACEMAKERS

What is a peacemaker? It is someone who promotes peace. Ok..that was way too simple. But the sign could just have easily said:

PRAY THAT THE PRINCE OF PEACE RAISE UP MORE PEOPLE LIKE BARRY MANILOW

Barry personifies the definition of a peacemaker. He brings people together from just about every age, race, religion, ethnic background and gives them common ground. He talks about peace. He promotes peace. He works at supporting peace. He wrote a musical about peace: Harmony. It's hard in his world to maintain that character, with all the backstabbing and bitterness in the entertainment business. It's hard to maintain that attitude when he is constantly attacked by the media, his fans, and his critics.

It's my prayer this Christmas season that God raise up more people like Barry. What this world needs is for all of us to "stop hollering" at each other and be peacemakers.

"Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!"--Matthew 5:9

Praying for more Peacemakers,
Texas Fanilow

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas
And all through Barryland
Menopausal women were preparing
For the appearance of “their man”.

Their tickets were purchased
From the Hilton in advance
To secure the most popular seat
And a chance for a dance.

As he steps out on stage
In the midst of a cloud
The screams of pure joy
Could be heard in the crowd.

From the first note of Daybreak
He begins the romance
Of his fans as they listen
And catch his smile and his glance.

What is it about Mr. Manilow
That brings us back time and again?
Is it the occasional looks our way,
Or the infamous “bamms”?

Is it the magic of the music
Or the excitement on stage
Is it the way he weaves the lyrics
Or the passion in his gaze?

It is all of the above and more…
As the night comes to an end
For there is always JOY in Las Vegas
For a theatre full of grateful fans!

The PBS Special

Words come to mind: speechless, inspired, groundbreaking, phenomenal, passionate, real, intimate, awesome, exciting, moving, and more than expected. I have to say this special is Emmy material and one of the most finely produced and edited I have ever seen. The camera angles, the sound, the distance shots, the crowd glimpses, and the piece de resitance "One Voice" at the end catapult this special to number one in my book.

Highlights: Mandy, He Aint Heavy, Looks Like We Made It, and his monologues about his life in Brooklyn and his early career. This is the Barry we want to see over and over again. Not the showman, but the man. The guy that endears himself to us every show with his little quirky ways: his laugh, his expressions, his missteps, and his humaness.

Conclusions: Barry is so much more than "the showman of our generation". He is genuine. He wraps us up in his love and sends us to another world every time he steps out on that stage. If he could somehow find "this guy" from the PBS Special for every single performance, the world, and not just his fans, would realize that there's something about this guy from Brooklyn that sets him apart. When he was singing He Aint Heavy and One Voice, I had to say a prayer: that God would make him an instrument of peace for everyone who hears his "beautiful music".

Thanks Barry...and please...show us "this guy" in Vegas. We love you and will be forever in your debt for giving us your life-changing catalog of music.

Wishing and hoping for more of "this guy",
Texas Fanilow

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's that time of year again..December 1st has arrived with a whimper, except for Mr. Manilow and his amazing Christmas CD. I have to say, I absolutely love everything about it. From the jazz piano solos, to the arrangements, to the vocals, to the choice of songs. I love how the intros to the songs include other Christmas songs. Ingenious. But what else would we expect from the genius arranger and composer. Barry nailed it again and it has made its way to the top of my favorite Christmas albums.

My favorite song? I can't pick one. They are all unique. I love Silver Bells for the many vocals. I love Winter Wonderland for the piano solo. I love Jingle Bells for the peppy arrangement. I love It Came Upon a Midnight Clear for the way Barry interprets the lyrics. Violets for Your Furs was a complete surprise and Count Your Blessings brings back memories of watching White Christmas with my daughter.

This cd reminds me of the genius that is Manilow and I can't stop discovering all the little hidden gems in every single song. He always surprises us and surpasses our expectations. With this Christmas cd, it truly is the most wonderful time of year.

Thanks Barry for your never ending gift of music. And hopefully while we are hustling and bustling around this year we remember that Jesus is the greatest gift of all.

Merry Christmas to all,
Texas Fanilow