This One's For You

This was completely unplanned, but it came up and must be addressed. Apparently, I've shocked some people who never would have pegged me for a Barry Manilow fan. It's true. I think Barry is great.

If you need to blame someone, I guess it would have to be my parents. I grew up listening to music and I learned to like what they liked (that idea didn't work with everything, but the music "took", I suppose). Anyhow, there are photos of my four-year-old self wearing mis-matched Garanimals and Buster Brown shoes with my dad's giant stereo headphones on. I was probably listening to "Sesame Street ABC" at that moment, but I also remember listening to the Boston Pops, the Carpenters, John Denver, Neil Diamond... one of my first musical memories was singing along in the car to "Song Sung Blue" and "Delta Dawn" (which I thought was "Delta Dong"... more fun to sing that way).

I was a musical geek as early as first grade, when I thought the Carpenter's hit "Top of the World" was the most fabulous song I'd ever heard. I sang it all the time... on the playground, in the car, in the tub. I was 11 years old before I realized that people outside of the bathroom could hear me sing in the shower. It was a mortifying moment. It took me years to do it again, but it still happens occasionally. No telling what my kids think- I never ask them and don't want to know.

But back to Barry. The King of Mush. In high school I cried through "Weekend in New England" and "Even Now". I danced to "Jump, Shout, Boogie " and "I Made it Through the Rain" was my theme song during the years of teen angst. Barry got me through it all. I know, he's older than my mother (sorry mom!) but I'll always be a fan.

Barry, This One's For You!