It’s very sad that Neil Sedaka passed away today. He was really an important part of pop music, a songwriting genius, and gifted pianist. His comeback in 1975 was miraculous thanks to Elton John, who put Neil o his Rocket Records and recorded a rare duet with him on “Bad Blood.”
The hits in ’75 were the talk of pop radio. But the bigger deal was that the Captain and Tenille had a massive number 1 hit with “Love Will Keep Us Together.” Then the Carpenters recorded “Solitaire.” One my favorites was “The Hungry Years.” Neil also slowed down his 1962 hit, “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” turned it into a ballad and had a hit with it again!
Neil’s talent was melody and hooks. Whether the song was a ballad or uptempo, you couldn’t get it out of your head. He was as good as any writer from Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, or even Beatlemania.
PS You can hear Neil playing piano on one of Bobby Darin’s great songs, “Dream Lover.” He also wrote a lot of hits for other acts including “It Hurts to Be in Love” for Gene Pitney, “When Love Comes Knocking at Your Door” with Carole Bayer Sager for The Monkees, and “Working on a Groovy Thing,” by the Fifth Dimension.
Thank you, Neil!
