Barry Manilow: ‘I want people to feel better when they come to my shows’

With a career spanning more than five decades and over 85 million albums sold worldwide, Barry Manilow, 82, had to face his toughest battle yet after overcoming lung cancer. Having survived his health scare, the legendary singer-songwriter is preparing to release his 33rd studio album What a Time while embarking on a major arena tour that would exhaust performers half his age.

In this conversation with Rolling Stone UK, Manilow reflects on friendships with Gary Barlow, Lulu and Elton John, the enduring influence of Frank Sinatra, and the surreal experience of hearing one of his compositions transformed into a Tottenham Hotspur terrace anthem. For a man who’s written the songs that make the whole world sing, Manilow’s instinct for entertaining shows no signs of fading. 

It’s a pleasure to talk to you, Mr Manilow. 

OK, let’s do this – be brilliant; don’t be boring! 

How are you feeling today?  

I’m OK. I feel stronger every day. I have rehearsals starting next week. I’ll be in fine shape by the time June comes around.  

Yeah, you’re looking great. How do you sum up the value you place on the good grace of being alive?  

I paid no attention to it until they wheeled me into the operating room. It got very real right then. I was totally out, but I do remember hearing one doctor say, “We don’t want to lose him.” Of course, that is not a good thing to hear. It’s been a very, very deep experience for me. It made me take stock of my whole life. I’m always the leader whenever I’m doing anything, always the guy that they go to for questions or answers. But boy, I was not the leader on this experience, man. I just had to give it up and let everybody take care of me. I was supposed to be there for a couple of days, and that’s when they found this cancerous tumour, but I was there for a whole month because things went wrong.  

How did that change your perspective on how you look at music and your career?  

Have I done everything I wanted to do? It’s all the same cornball questions that you ask yourself forever, but now I was soaking in it. Have I been good to my friends and my family? Have I made people happy? I’ve always wanted to make people feel better when they come into my shows. I want them to feel better when they leave than when they came in. 

Are there any songs when you’re going through such challenging times – yours or those of other artists – that helped get you through the days?  

The last thing I was ever thinking of were songs. But, if you put me to the wall, there is a song that I used to do by a friend of mine named David Friedman. He wrote a beautiful song called ‘We Live on Borrowed Time’. I used to do it in my concerts, and I could barely get through it because it’s so deep.  

You’ve been releasing and performing songs for over 50 years. Do you have a career highlight or moment?  

Yeah, I did the concert at Blenheim Palace [in 1983]. Nothing has ever topped that! We put a stage up on this big field. We all thought that there’d be some people there. But by the time the show started, there were thousands and thousands that showed up. That’s the one.  

And your new album, What a Time, is out in June. It’s your 33rd album!  

How about that title? What a Time. We never ever thought that the title would be so appropriate.  

When did the writing process for this album begin?  

Five years ago. I was always on the road or doing something. I wanted to make a contemporary album, which is impossible for me, but I studied Billie Eilish and a lot of the young artists. I actually tried to write in that style, but I just couldn’t do it. They are writing in a totally different way than I learned how to write pop songs. You know, verse – chorus – verse? That’s not what we hear on the radio anymore. To my ears, it feels like a run-on sentence. So, I had to go back to what I know. I’m just hoping that there’s people out there that are starving for my kind of songwriting. 

You collaborated with Gary Barlow on one of the songs, ‘Sunshine’. When did you first meet Gary?  

We worked in the same room when we wrote it, and I, being an arranger, started to play around with it and made it into more of a pop song than what he had. I met him when Take That did ‘Could It Be Magic?’ [1992], backstage in Manchester, and we got along great. 

What did you think of Take That’s ‘Could It Be Magic?’ version?  

I loved it. They were one of the very first groups, maybe the first group, that did ‘Could It Be Magic?’ as an uptempo song. I wrote it as a big ballad. I think Donna Summer did it first. 

There’s another song I wanted to mention on the album, ‘Another Life’. Was that the last song to be written for the album?  

No. It’s my first attempt at a real rock ’n’ roll song. I was very nervous about putting my voice on that kind of track. It’s a really strong rock ’n’ roll ballad. I like it. 

The last line of it is “let me slip away”, I think.  

Yeah – oh, brother. Well, also, how’s about this single that’s going crazy on the charts: ‘Once Before I Go’. Really? [Laughs] That could have been written just for what I’m going through. 

There’s a lot of the titles on the album that seem very appropriate to what’s just happened. Were they all finished by that point?  

Yes, they were all done. I think the most interesting one on the album is the last cut: ‘Coming of Age’. It’s thanks to my wonderful friend, Adrienne Anderson, who’s one of my lyricists that I always go back to. She’s always going for strength and surprise. And that is a surprising lyric – a beautiful story.  

You and Elton John have always had a healthy mutual respect for each other. It was his 79th birthday recently. Have you spoken?  

No, but you’re reminding me, I really should have called him. After I finished reading his book, I was really very moved. So, I picked up the phone and called him. But I think I’ll call him soon and wish him a happy birthday. He’s a kid compared to me. [Laughs]

You have a crazy mix of cultures in your family. You’ve got Irish, Jewish, American, Russian. Do any of these cultures come through in your songs? 

As a songwriter, no – I don’t think like that. But every time I hit a minor chord, it takes me right back to Brooklyn.  

You have hosted shows with the likes of Ray Charles and John Denver over the years. Is there any one or two that stand out that you were totally blown away by?  

Yeah, Lulu. She called me and she had just gotten off the phone with Elton [John]. She had her song ‘To Sir with Love’ and had been asked to perform it on American Idol. Elton said, “You need a Barry.” She said, “What’s a Barry?” He said, “He’s the greatest arranger.” So, I played around with the arrangement, and she was very happy with it. I thought she was great.   

Frank Sinatra famously said, “He’s next!”, when he referred to you about your rising star status. How would you describe Sinatra? If you ever had the chance of performing together when he was still around, which Sinatra song would you have chosen?  

You know, I don’t think I could do it. I would be so crazed, so nervous. He was the epitome of a singer that respected great songwriting. He really did take a long time to choose his songs. He did one of my songs, ‘(Why Don’t You) See the Show Again’. I was so proud. I think it was The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was a perfect song for him. He did a beautiful job on it. You know, when I did meet him, I just went off on how thrilled I was that he did that song. What an honour. 

You waited until around 2017 to come out as gay because you feared a backlash from your fans. Did you have any regrets about waiting that long? 

It was a non-event. I was so nervous that it would be judged negatively, but I was so disappointed that it wasn’t a big deal. I think everybody knew that Garry [Kief] and I were a couple. In the 70s and 80s, if you came out as gay, your career would take a nosedive, so yes, I stayed in the closet. My career was just taking off, and I just didn’t want to hurt it.  

Before you made it, you were doing jingles for commercials in the US. What was the most ridiculous product you were ever asked to write a jingle for?  

It’s called the ‘Toilet Bowl Blues’. I was desperate. I was one guy looking for money, and I really loved doing jingles. I’m real good at it because I write really catchy melodies. So, after I did the first few, they kept calling me to write more, and I said yes to all of them. There’s been a few that they’ve been using for 40 years, and I only got $500 for them at the time!  

I didn’t know the accordion was your first instrument. Does it ever make a cameo appearance on any albums or on stage? 

I kid around with my accordion on stage. You’ve got to hear me play ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy?’ on the accordion! [Laughs]

You grew up in Brooklyn. Was there a team that you got the most upset by when they lost?  

Well, when I was young, it was the Brooklyn Dodgers. But, as far as the British go, Tottenham [Hotspur FC] have adopted my song, ‘Can’t Smile Without You’. They play it before their home games, and the entire crowd sings. It’s really wonderful. I’ve seen videos of it.  

Lastly, any messages for fans in the UK?  

Yes. I’m so looking forward to playing in Britain again. I’ve gone around the world and there’s nothing like a British audience. They love you forever. Once they love you, they stay with you, and they’ve stayed with me all these years. Cross your fingers for me. I know the last show at The O2 [London] is on my birthday. I’m 100 years old, and it’ll be a great night! [Laughs]  

What a Time, the new album by Barry Manilow is released on 5 June. His UK tour finishes at The O2, London, on 17 June