Barry DeVorzon/Perry Botkin Jr.--Nadia's Theme (1976)

     Barry DeVorzon had a varied and successful career as a songwriter, performer, and label owner (founding Valiant Records) throughout the late 50's and 1960's. By the 70's he was composing soundtracks to movies.
     One of those movies was 1971's, "Bless the Beasts and the Children", who's title track was recorded by the Carpenters that year and both DeVorzon and Botkin won an Oscar nomination for best song.  One of the album cuts was a short piece called, "Cotton's Dream" and in 1973, CBS approached both men about it's use in a brand new soap opera called, "The Young and the Restless" that was going to debut in the spring. They did some re-arranging, and almost 40 years later it's still the theme song of the soap.
     It came to the general public's attention in 1976 as ABC began using the song in musical montages with gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Response to the song to the network inspired A&M records to re-release the album cut. It was identical to the album cut except the bridge had been repeated and an ending put to it.
     Released as, "Nadia's Theme (The Young and Restless)", it went to number 8 in the fall of 1976. Interestingly enough, DeVorzon's name was not on the original pressings for which he sued A&M and won a judgement of over 200,000 dollars.

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The Carpenters--We've Only Just Begun (1970)

      The suits at Crocker National Bank of California wanted something different. The desire was to plan an advertising campaign that was appealing to young couples, but at the same time, desired to steer clear of traditional jingles.  The bank enlisted the songwriting team of Roger Nichols and Paul Williams to write a song that conveyed the feelings of a newly married couple. The plan was to play the song over the film footage, a concept that was fairly new to advertising.

     Late one night, Richard Carpenter was watching TV when the ad came on the air, he immediately recognized Williams voice and the next day called to inquire about it's availability. There were only two verses and no bridge at the time, but the songwriters, who had never had more than a couple of minor hits, didn't want to pass up the chance to work with one of the hottest duos in music at that time, so Williams admits that he flat out lied to Carpenter and told him it was finished. This began a series of feverish, late night sessions to complete the song as they stalled for time until it was complete.

     The song was an immediate hit with it going to #2 on the charts, and helped The Carpenters to win two Grammy's in 1971. It also propelled the career of Paul Williams as he wrote two more top 10 songs for the Carpenters (Rainy Days and Mondays, Won't Last A Day Without You), Three Dog Night (Just an Old Fashioned Love Song), Barbara Streisand (Evergreen) and others.

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Gordon Lightfoot--Sundown (1974)

     Love and/or sex are two subjects that have been the main source of songwriters from the beginnings of time. Longing for it, looking for it, what to do if you get it,...any variation of the subject has been explored. Our song for the day deals with love, but perhaps a more seamier side....

     Cathy Smith had spent much of the 60's in a relationship with Levon Helm (from the Band), and most of the 60's were spent traveling with The Hawks then later The Band. In the early 70's she began a relationship with Gordon Lightfoot, who was married at the time. The marriage crumbled, and he was racked with jealousy throughout their time together. The song 'Sundown' was written with Smith in mind. After a few years she went back to Helm, but is most infamously known as the woman who injected John Belushi with his lethal injection of cocaine and heroin.....

     Lightfoot had been on the top 10 before with, "If You Could Read My Mind" in 1970. But starting with, "Sundown" and ending with "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" he had a four song, two year run on the top 40. At the age of 72, he continues to write and to perform albeit at a slower rate. He had not recorded since 2004.

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Barry Manilow--Could It Be Magic (1975)

     Barry Manilow is 68 today!!

    It's amazing how time changes perspective. In the rock community, Barry Manilow was ridiculed and mocked. I personally liked him, but made sure that my friends didn't know that he took up space in my collection. My personal favorites were the first two albums, but at one time owned the first five (right next to John Denver and The Carpenters...but that's another blog...or two!). Thirty-five years later, I realize that he was not attempting to compete with rock artists, but was carrying on a tradition blazed by artist like Paul Anka, Liberace, and Tony Bennett.

    Before the 80's and the splitting up of sub genres, anything from Manilow to Melissa Manchester (who supposedly was the 'Melissa' in our  song subject today) to Aerosmith to Earth, Wind, and Fire, was all lumped together on the charts. As prone in Classical, Jazz and Folk, this led to a rock music "snobbery" and a constant ridicule of Barry's music. Even today a residual still remains from those who grew up in the era of total “let’s worship at the altar of FM rock.” However a look (and listen) to the Adult Contemporary charts today would suggest that artists like Michael Buble and Clay Aiken carry on the tradition that was kept a flame during the 70's by Manilow.

     

     As I mentioned before, my favorite albums were the first two before his propensity to modulate keys into swelling choruses got a bit out of hand. "Could It Be Magic" began and ended with an excerpt from  Fredric Chopin's Prelude in C Minor. In fact, the entire song revolved around the piece. Listen to the two albums and then listen to any of the Adult Contemporary artist today and you will see that stylistically it holds up well.

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