Juilliard-educated from the age of 9. A classically-trained musician with a multitude of talents. If you're not catching his daily mini-concerts on Facebook, you're missing the best part of the day!
Neil Sedaka is one of the great singers and composers of this genre of songs that achieved great success and quality between the mid-1970s and 1980s with very pleasant sound and magnificent accompaniments on strings, brass and choirs, also in this case. piano excellent analysis and explanation of this song again I congratulate you ... for a long time that I did not listen to it I went back far back in time I think I was entering high school...♩🎶🎵🎼🎹🎹🎹👏👏👏🎸🎸👍👍👍🎤🎤👌👌⚘⚘⚘✔✔
Love the whole breakdown of the Neil Sedaka story. Man could he could sing. What an entertainer.. I think he had a regular Neil Sedaka show maybe not ! Ha ! Knew all the words to laughter in the rain ! I was 15. Thank you fil for the memory !
what a perfectly crafted pop song. the lyric, the arrangement, the vocal, melody, the horn solo. It's genius and why the '70s were so great and diversified. I was lucky to grow up when soft rock, metal, pop, jazz, country, soul, disco were all in peak form at the same time.
Grreat song and his piano playing like his singing is very easy and relaxed. With those maj 7ths, sus notes and key changes with a strong melody it's almost light jazz and pop combined.
I remember in 1974 I was 14 and life was sweet! I loved this song. I can remember a certain time when I was riding my horse and it began to rain and I stopped under a tree to stay dry and I started to sing this song to my horse, JJ.
56 here. Just old enough to remember snuggling up to my small AM radio at night listening to this song 😊 My playlist features many notable rockers. But this is that one song that makes me stop what I’m doing just to smile and enjoy the moment.
You can always understand his words which takes more effort than it appears. Also, he is a classically-trained pianist. Somewhere on TH-cam there's a clip of him playing a complex piece on an early TV show. Of course I can't remember the piece or the show right now, but it made my jaw drop. This is a true musician.
Neil played an abbreviated version of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu on the game show "I've Got a Secret" before he went to represent the USA in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia in 1966. I think this is the clip to which you refer. th-cam.com/video/tS8UfwApS9Q/w-d-xo.html
Thank you. I've watched quite a few of your commentaries, and am full of admiration for the breadth of your tastes and appreciation, the depth of your knowledge, and the excellence of your musical analysis. It's a real pleasure to see the pleasure you take in such a diverse range of artists, transcending genres, fashions, and preconceptions as you do so. I feel informed, enthused and uplifted, and that should be the role of any 'critic' worth listening to. Great stuff, well done!
I was just shy of 16 years old when this mega classic was released. My best friend Heather and I LOVED this song and played it on repeat (apologies to my neighbours of that time!) Unfortunately, Heather was killed in a motorbike accident in 1977, so I always think of her when I hear this song. Thanks for reviewing this Fil 💕💕
Yes this is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head. So does Bad Blood. I will listen to that next to get this song out of my head. 😂 TY Fil ! 🤟
Hi Fil! Neil Sedaka one of the best musicians bar none! He took me from the late fifties to into the 70’s, and beyond! His melodies, the words...going from pop to Laughter in the Rain...he is a genius! I remember putting his 45s on the stereo! Wonderful happy memories! ✌️
I met him when I lived in Whalley Range Manchester UK. He was in Stockport at the record shop. What a very nice gentleman. We had a Good chat . That voice even when he talks is the same. Soothing.
Janice Ian "At Seventeen". Burt Bacharach songs with Dione Warwick "I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Alfie, Raindrops Falling on My Head, Walk on By, What the World Needs Now". Melissa Manchester "Midnight Blue". Judy Collins "Both Side Now, Send in the Clowns" Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" Frank Sinatra "That's Life, Luck Be a Lady, My Way, The Way You Look Tonight"
I remeember as a kid listenting to Neils many hit songs on the radio. He was all over the top 40 AM radio stations, and a well establishhed Brill Building song writing Alumnus. As a unique recording artist Neil wrote and played on his own songs. He was also an inovator in his many musical creations. Neil had the innate ability to accurately double track his vocals on his many hit records. -Fast forward to the mid sixties. My band is booked to open in a local park for a concert featuring Neil Sedaka in Worcester Massachusetts. We played our set, then Neil arrives and he is alone but accompanied by the local Sound Truck Pa service. Neil Sings live along with his many hit records. i watched him perform. -It was like Angels came out his mouth when he added one miore exactly synced vocal performance to his many hits. He probably wouldnt rememer me or my band but I remember him. He's one of the nicer musician / performers i've ever met. Thank you for this review of the great Neil Sedaka!
I LOVE this song and remember well Neil's resurgence in the mid-70's. I am a massive Sedaka fan, but I am super-impressed by your music-theoretical and historical insights on Neil's work. I learned a lot from this video!!!
Sedaka and my late father were childhood friends in Brighton Beach Brooklyn. I never met Sedaka. However, when I went off to conservatory years ago, my dad seemed to want to arrange for me to meet him. Thanks for the “some thing like, but not quite, (a) memory”!
this song reminds me of the 70s vibe which was relaxed and cool as compared to the turbulent and hot 60s and the end of the vietnam war. sedaka has a beautiful tenor.
Neil is just such a great artist, I have always liked this song. He has a great singing range. Mr Talent, I would say. Fabulous video and as ever a lot of great detail Fil.
Congratulations on 142k!! I adore this song. His piano playing is superb. It’s a happy song and I turn it up every time it comes on the radio! Great analysis Fil! Rock!
At that time being totally into Cream, Hendrix, The Doors, etc. I always made sure none of my buddies saw me listening to this. But I loved hearing that bass groove and piano playing off each other. Really slick.
My late mom's "here" grinning, tapping her feet to this😇 I also like this oldie. He has/had such a youthful voice. I haven't heard this song since I was probably about 10...close to 1/2 a century ago! 😱 He was also popular in Spain, in addition, now that you say Italian many Italian singers were quite popular here in the 60s-70s (I was born in late 62, but was raised in the U.S., though we'd always come to Spain on vacation. My American dad loved Spain, my mom's family, and obviously my mom). So I did have the chance as a little kid to hear him in Italian. If you speak Spanish, Italian is so easy to understand.
Your love and appreciation of all genres of music from all of the decades shows, and I know it's made you a better musician Fil. Your videos are a gift to music lovers.
True story: my older brother and his wife took my mom and dad to see The Carpenters at the old Oakdale in CT, and when I asked my dad the next day what he thought about the show (dad was a classically trained pianist), he said it was great but he was more impressed by Neil Sedaka who opened for them..
This is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. Whenever I hear it I kind of get teared up I thank you for looking into Neil sedaka's performance
Neil Sedaka used to call,that"drop dead chord"(that change in pitch)I really enjoy your knowledge of music!I'm learning so much more about some of my favorite music and musicians.Thank you!!
What a pretty melody (a song you could hear in your mind all day long). You seem like a very good guitar instructor. Thanks for sharing this with us and the history is always very interesting.
I love Neil Sedaka! One of the best songwriters, pianist, and all around entertainers. His music is a constant for me, always makes me happy. This particular song takes me back to my senior year in high school, driving around at night with our group of friends. Good memories.
I remember his "Stairway to Heaven". Yup . But everyone on the street sang "Calendar Girl" while it was still in airplay. 60 years ago. Timeless music.
I appreciate the Neil Sedaka history you presented here. You jam so much info into your videos without all the sh|tz and giggles…very professional. I’m a 74yo, not a metal fan, not a musician. But I love your videos.
Thank you for going through the complete explanation and video for this song. I've always loved the song!!! Being a bass guitarist, it was absolutely wonderful and amazing to hear the chord changes in the song and how the melody and harmony works in conjunction over these changes.
I have always love this tune. Songwriters knew how to write a decently rhythmic (catchy) flow, and build a hook you can't get outa your head back then.
Mr. Sedaka sang a "new" song yesterday built upon Tchaikovsy that he titled "A Moscow Evening" that brought tears to every one in my home. More beautiful than mere words can express. Being 81 years alive with his first "hit song" being recorded 63 years ago is proof of his Outstanding Musicianship. I have always listened to Neil Sedaka. He recorded in Italian, German and Japanese also. My favorite however is an album recorded in Hebrew. Every sound so very lovely. Thank You Mr. Sedaka for all you have given us. Thank you Fil for bringing his talent forward to your Students and fans. Sedaka was never gone
He's so talented to sing and play live. I never could tell if an artist was singing liive or not, but thanks to you I'm starting to. Good that his teacher saw his talent, and his mother worked so hard for him. It shows the value of schools, so I hope children get back in education at school soon.
Neil wrote and recorded Love Will Keep Us Together in 1973 and when Captain and Tennielle covered it in 1975 it became a massive worldwide smash hit. Bad Blood with Elton John chiming in was a great song too.
Neil Sedaka was an amazing vocalist and pianist. I could listen to that voice all day long. So soothing. Laughter In The Rain is one of my favs. Well done Fil once again for a great analysis. Good choice
I know it was live because when he said "the one I love"the second time his pitch went higher. Also after the sax solo instead of repeating "I feel the warmth of her hand in mine" he says "Sharing our love under stormy skies" again.
Love this song, really great comeback for a guy who hadn't had any big solo hits for a long time, and then he followed it up with another #1 Bad Blood with Elton John! Strangely, growing up in NZ the track that introduced me to Neil is Wheeling West Virginia. It got a lot of airplay here, but was only a hit in Australia/NZ as far as I can tell.
Neil Sedaka is one of the great singers and composers of this genre of songs that achieved great success and quality between the mid-1970s and 1980s with very pleasant sound and magnificent accompaniments on strings, brass and choirs, also in this case. piano excellent analysis and explanation of this song again I congratulate you ... for a long time that I did not listen to it I went back far back in time I think I was entering high school ♩🎶🎵🎼🎹🎹🎹👌👌👌👏👏👏👏🎸🎸🎤🎤👍👍👍⚘⚘⚘✔✔✔
For sure that was live. The original had stronger background vocals and the ending was very different in this performance. It’s amazing how well this live performance sounded. He’s so confident and professional. I loved the song he did with Elton John too - Bad Blood. I was in grade 7 when that song came out in 1975. Thanks for the review Phil. Enjoyed it very much.
The bass playing on that live version, so good… the “happy inside” new ending… wow! Neil sings so well, and the high note licks on the piano (you mentioned) are so great to hear live…. BTW, I see that trusty Squier tele, Fil!
Regardless of genre one is into? one got to give credit where credit is due. through your analysis You achieve that 👍 thanks for the follow up on Neil. 😃
Brilliant analysis Fil. In the 70s I always thought of Neil as being unfashionable but in my older years I realise what a talent he was following a BBC4 documentary. He has had about 3 careers! A lot of credit to the 10cc guys who were his backing musicians on his album but without question the chord lift in the chorus of "Laughter In The Rain" is worthy of a genius award for composition.
I saw Neil about 15 years ago at Niagara Falls casino. He was amazing. I remember this song and many other hits that he had. I saw an interview with him laughing about his videos Calendar Girl because he was considered a nerd at school and was surrounded by all these beautiful girls. Love him. Thanks for great analysis.
Wow, 140,000 subscribers. Congratulations, Fil. LOVE this song! So many memories. I can’t stop smiling. Thank you for this! The history was fascinating!
As a younger rocker I thought Neil Sedaka was pretty wimpy.. but in retrospect that the guy can write an unbelievable song incredibly well arranged and his voice is freaking on the money. And his piano playing is so tasty I mean that intro is like Carole King ish❤WHOAH the guy has chops for days
A BEAUTIFUL SIMPLEST MASTERPIECE! Another Great Analysis Fil, I had just Graduated High School when this Song came out, and I'm ashamed to admit it but, for a short time I thought a woman was singing this, I know.... SHAME ON ME! Neil's Timbre is Extremely high, now don't get me wrong, I vaguely knew who he was because he was Creating hits in the late 50s and 60s ( more my Parents time) but was to wrapped up in more of the ROCK WORLD at the time this arrived. I tell you what, from the first time I heard this I WAS IN LOVE, and I agree with you, his MASTERY OF Song Structure, Music Theory and Composition is unequaled! I would like to add a Grateful Thank you for showing us the chord progressions to this Song, you know Fil.....it's so Amazing that these Masters can take an intangible thing like Feelings and emotions and bring them into this physical World..........Much LOVE and RESPECT to you 🎸💚
Neil certainly doesn’t disappoint in live performance. Superb. And look at that jacket! I love this particular song. I also particularly like “You’re So Good for Me,” and his ballad version of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.”
Neil performed a duet with his daughter Daria that was absolutely beautiful years ago but i doubt it was released as I’ve not been able to find it anywhere. Such a shame. Hes always been a favorite of mine and i collected all his music as a teenager
Excellent song analysis video, as always. You always uncover such cool facts about the songs and explain what makes them so great. I totally remember when this song first came out, and I heard it on the radio. I have a fond memory of being at a friend's house in the summer and his father playing this song loudly on a very high end console stereo that took up half of a room in their house. It was such a great song to hear as I was enjoying swimming in the pool in their back yard. I love how this song with its brilliant lyrics really paints a vivid picture of a happy situation that most people have experienced at some point in their life. Neil's voice is so clear and spot on with an incredible tone and timbre. I was so thrilled when I looked up this song in Wikipedia and found that greats such as Leland Sklar, Dean Parks, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, Jim Horn, and William "Smitty" Smith played on the album recording of this beautiful masterpiece. :)
Juilliard-educated from the age of 9. A classically-trained musician with a multitude of talents. If you're not catching his daily mini-concerts on Facebook, you're missing the best part of the day!
Thanks for telling me, Nancy. I never knew!
Thanks. I didn't know that.
Neil Sedaka is one of the great singers and composers of this genre of songs that achieved great success and quality between the mid-1970s and 1980s with very pleasant sound and magnificent accompaniments on strings, brass and choirs, also in this case. piano excellent analysis and explanation of this song again I congratulate you ... for a long time that I did not listen to it I went back far back in time I think I was entering high school...♩🎶🎵🎼🎹🎹🎹👏👏👏🎸🎸👍👍👍🎤🎤👌👌⚘⚘⚘✔✔
thanks Nancy, I just added him on FB and it's great :)
Love the whole breakdown of the Neil Sedaka story. Man could he could sing. What an entertainer.. I think he had a regular Neil Sedaka show maybe not ! Ha ! Knew all the words to laughter in the rain ! I was 15.
Thank you fil for the memory !
what a perfectly crafted pop song. the lyric, the arrangement, the vocal, melody, the horn solo. It's genius and why the '70s were so great and diversified. I was lucky to grow up when soft rock, metal, pop, jazz, country, soul, disco were all in peak form at the same time.
Mr. Sedaka is just incredible, all the way around. This is one of my all-time favorite of his.
Indeed
I have forgotten how much I loved this guy. Thanks for this, Fil.
Grreat song and his piano playing like his singing is very easy and relaxed. With those maj 7ths, sus notes and key changes with a strong melody it's almost light jazz and pop combined.
This is one of the best feel good songs ever. ❤❤❤❤
I remember in 1974 I was 14 and life was sweet! I loved this song. I can remember a certain time when I was riding my horse and it began to rain and I stopped under a tree to stay dry and I started to sing this song to my horse, JJ.
So you were just horsing around 😜
Ha!!! Definitely.
How did the horse like the song?
: )
@@bluecollarlit ... I have to admit that my dogs and cats like my singing more than the horses do.
A true musician knows great music no matter what the genre - your analysis vids are spot on!
Thanks!
Well said!👍
"There with the beat of the rain on the leaves"
How exquisite ❤
56 here. Just old enough to remember snuggling up to my small AM radio at night listening to this song 😊 My playlist features many notable rockers. But this is that one song that makes me stop what I’m doing just to smile and enjoy the moment.
You can always understand his words which takes more effort than it appears. Also, he is a classically-trained pianist. Somewhere on TH-cam there's a clip of him playing a complex piece on an early TV show. Of course I can't remember the piece or the show right now, but it made my jaw drop. This is a true musician.
As you just said in the analysis.
Neil played an abbreviated version of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu on the game show "I've Got a Secret" before he went to represent the USA in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia in 1966. I think this is the clip to which you refer.
th-cam.com/video/tS8UfwApS9Q/w-d-xo.html
Thank you. I've watched quite a few of your commentaries, and am full of admiration for the breadth of your tastes and appreciation, the depth of your knowledge, and the excellence of your musical analysis. It's a real pleasure to see the pleasure you take in such a diverse range of artists, transcending genres, fashions, and preconceptions as you do so. I feel informed, enthused and uplifted, and that should be the role of any 'critic' worth listening to. Great stuff, well done!
Thanks!
I’m a BB fan, too
I was just shy of 16 years old when this mega classic was released. My best friend Heather and I LOVED this song and played it on repeat (apologies to my neighbours of that time!) Unfortunately, Heather was killed in a motorbike accident in 1977, so I always think of her when I hear this song. Thanks for reviewing this Fil 💕💕
So sorry for your loss. What a tremendous memory you share. ❤️💔❤️
I can't explain why, but the chorus of this song pops into my head from time to time! Thanks Fil!😎✌
Now it won't leave mine!
Yes this is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head. So does Bad Blood. I will listen to that next to get this song out of my head. 😂 TY Fil ! 🤟
Thats why they call it “the hook”!
Hi Fil! Neil Sedaka one of the best musicians bar none! He took me from the late fifties to into the 70’s, and beyond! His melodies, the words...going from pop to Laughter in the Rain...he is a genius! I remember putting his 45s on the stereo! Wonderful happy memories! ✌️
I met him when I lived in Whalley Range Manchester UK. He was in Stockport at the record shop. What a very nice gentleman. We had a Good chat . That voice even when he talks is the same. Soothing.
Janice Ian "At Seventeen". Burt Bacharach songs with Dione Warwick "I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Alfie, Raindrops Falling on My Head, Walk on By, What the World Needs Now". Melissa Manchester "Midnight Blue". Judy Collins "Both Side Now, Send in the Clowns" Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" Frank Sinatra "That's Life, Luck Be a Lady, My Way, The Way You Look Tonight"
Carole King- Too Late, Baby.
Lee Sklar on bass and cronies, Danny Kortchmar on guitar and Russ Kunkle drums on original studio version.
He used the best!
The Section!
one of my favorites im usually a rocker but love my bubblegum and pop from the 60s-70 and motown
I don’t know how I got hooked on this stuff but I catch every episode now. This is ear candy.
I remeember as a kid listenting to Neils many hit songs on the radio. He was all over the top 40 AM radio stations, and a well establishhed Brill Building song writing Alumnus. As a unique recording artist Neil wrote and played on his own songs. He was also an inovator in his many musical creations. Neil had the innate ability to accurately double track his vocals on his many hit records. -Fast forward to the mid sixties. My band is booked to open in a local park for a concert featuring Neil Sedaka in Worcester Massachusetts. We played our set, then Neil arrives and he is alone but accompanied by the local Sound Truck Pa service. Neil Sings live along with his many hit records. i watched him perform. -It was like Angels came out his mouth when he added one miore exactly synced vocal performance to his many hits. He probably wouldnt rememer me or my band but I remember him. He's one of the nicer musician / performers i've ever met. Thank you for this review of the great Neil Sedaka!
I LOVE this song and remember well Neil's resurgence in the mid-70's. I am a massive Sedaka fan, but I am super-impressed by your music-theoretical and historical insights on Neil's work. I learned a lot from this video!!!
So Glad Your appreciation of Neil Sedaka.He is one of my most favorite singers,composer,pianist,musician
Sedaka and my late father were childhood friends in Brighton Beach Brooklyn. I never met Sedaka. However, when I went off to conservatory years ago, my dad seemed to want to arrange for me to meet him. Thanks for the “some thing like, but not quite, (a) memory”!
Any musician would be honored by your meticulous analysis of their work. You are the best of many on You Tube.
Thanks!
this song reminds me of the 70s vibe which was relaxed and cool as compared to the turbulent and hot 60s and the end of the vietnam war. sedaka has a beautiful tenor.
Great singer songwriter who has a long list of memorable songs. Worthy of recognition.
Thanks Mr Fil.
🎶🔥♥️🔥🎶
I remember the first time I heard this song I swore it was a female. 😊 but wow his voice is just beautiful!!!!! Much love from AZ 🌵
Great song...Rockin that Lemon Yellow Blazer....thanks Fil
Stellar analysis from top to bottom. Your appreciation and admiration for this prolific artist really shines through!
Neil is just such a great artist, I have always liked this song. He has a great singing range. Mr Talent, I would say. Fabulous video and as ever a lot of great detail Fil.
Have a look at Leland Sklar...bass player for the Section and his memories of working with Neil:)
Thanks again! His isolation videos are wonderful. Please find them people. He is such a talent. 🤘
It's a perfectly beautiful pop song. One of my favs of all time.
I have always loved this. Travelling to school on the Kirklands bus in the 70's.
Loved this song from Neil thank you for your analysis
Congratulations on 142k!! I adore this song. His piano playing is superb. It’s a happy song and I turn it up every time it comes on the radio! Great analysis Fil! Rock!
Thanks Pam!
I loved your analysis of the great song writer and performer. His productive era had so very many songwriters becoming wonderful performers.
Beautiful song, beautiful singer!
Neil Sedaka is a multi talented artist of all times...the living legend in the music world. 👍❤️👍❤️👍
I was like 5 years old when this came out. Seems like I should still be laying in the back of the Olds station wagon listening to this.
'Amen!'
He has such a unique voice. You knew immediately who it was. All of his songs were so upbeat and made you feel good.
oboy! so many people named this one in the comments before! Can't wait!
At that time being totally into Cream, Hendrix, The Doors, etc. I always made sure none of my buddies saw me listening to this. But I loved hearing that bass groove and piano playing off each other. Really slick.
My late mom's "here" grinning, tapping her feet to this😇 I also like this oldie. He has/had such a youthful voice.
I haven't heard this song since I was probably about 10...close to 1/2 a century ago! 😱
He was also popular in Spain, in addition, now that you say Italian many Italian singers were quite popular here in the 60s-70s (I was born in late 62, but was raised in the U.S., though we'd always come to Spain on vacation. My American dad loved Spain, my mom's family, and obviously my mom). So I did have the chance as a little kid to hear him in Italian. If you speak Spanish, Italian is so easy to understand.
Just can't help but sing along when it comes up "ooooo I hear laughter in the rain walking hand in hand with the one I love". love it!
Thanks Fil. NS a truly gifted songwriter, musician and performer. Grossly underrated! 👍
Your love and appreciation of all genres of music from all of the decades shows, and I know it's made you a better musician Fil. Your videos are a gift to music lovers.
I love Neil’s daily concerts on TH-cam. I never miss them.
True story: my older brother and his wife took my mom and dad to see The Carpenters at the old Oakdale in CT, and when I asked my dad the next day what he thought about the show (dad was a classically trained pianist), he said it was great but he was more impressed by Neil Sedaka who opened for them..
This is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. Whenever I hear it I kind of get teared up I thank you for looking into Neil sedaka's performance
Neil Sedaka used to call,that"drop dead chord"(that change in pitch)I really enjoy your knowledge of music!I'm learning so much more about some of my favorite music and musicians.Thank you!!
Never heard this live performance before. The vocal is even better than on the record.
What a pretty melody (a song you could hear in your mind all day long). You seem like a very good guitar instructor. Thanks for sharing this with us and the history is always very interesting.
I love Neil Sedaka! One of the best songwriters, pianist, and all around entertainers. His music is a constant for me, always makes me happy. This particular song takes me back to my senior year in high school, driving around at night with our group of friends. Good memories.
I remember his "Stairway to Heaven". Yup . But everyone on the street sang "Calendar Girl" while it was still in airplay. 60 years ago. Timeless music.
I appreciate the Neil Sedaka history you presented here. You jam so much info into your videos without all the sh|tz and giggles…very professional.
I’m a 74yo, not a metal fan, not a musician. But I love your videos.
Thank you for going through the complete explanation and video for this song. I've always loved the song!!! Being a bass guitarist, it was absolutely wonderful and amazing to hear the chord changes in the song and how the melody and harmony works in conjunction over these changes.
I have always love this tune.
Songwriters knew how to write a decently rhythmic (catchy) flow, and build a hook you can't get outa your head back then.
Amazing, i like to check up on how these artists are doing today and found a recording from LV in 2020 and he still sounds great past 80 years old
Mr. Sedaka sang a "new" song yesterday built upon Tchaikovsy that he titled "A Moscow Evening" that brought tears to every one in my home. More beautiful than mere words can express. Being 81 years alive with his first "hit song" being recorded 63 years ago is proof of his Outstanding Musicianship. I have always listened to Neil Sedaka. He recorded in Italian, German and Japanese also. My favorite however is an album recorded in Hebrew. Every sound so very lovely. Thank You Mr. Sedaka for all you have given us. Thank you Fil for bringing his talent forward to your Students and fans. Sedaka was never gone
He's so talented to sing and play live. I never could tell if an artist was singing liive or not, but thanks to you I'm starting to.
Good that his teacher saw his talent, and his mother worked so hard for him.
It shows the value of schools, so I hope children get back in education at school soon.
Fil I love that you analyze songs of different genres, your analyses of them and your apparent enjoyment of it!!
This was my go-to song for pop singing auditions. I called it my Lucky Charm.The melodic changes made it so much fun to sing 🥰
Neil wrote and recorded Love Will Keep Us Together in 1973 and when Captain and Tennielle covered it in 1975 it became a massive worldwide smash hit. Bad Blood with Elton John chiming in was a great song too.
At the end she sings Sedaka’s Back!
Thanks for another thorough and interesting analysis Fil! Neil’s voice is out of this world beautiful! 🤍
Great song. Great writer
Neil Sedaka was an amazing vocalist and pianist. I could listen to that voice all day long. So soothing. Laughter In The Rain is one of my favs. Well done Fil once again for a great analysis. Good choice
Great analysis.👏 Ahhh Fil. Ooooh how I love the rainy days, Ooooh I hear laughter in the rain. Without an umbrella we're soaked to the skin.😍❤😚
THIS IS AMAZING TO ME! I was JUST listening to this song!
Such classic music and the women back-up singers, beautiful, talented and feminine. Music and style since those days sure has changed.
I know it was live because when he said "the one I love"the second time his pitch went higher. Also after the sax solo instead of repeating "I feel the warmth of her hand in mine" he says "Sharing our love under stormy skies" again.
How impressive, I do admire people who have the skill to hear the techniques and the sound of musical instruments. What a gift to us.
It's pouring down raining here in Florida and this song came to mind. I watched & listened again. Ahhhh I'm dreaming away.❤
Love this song, really great comeback for a guy who hadn't had any big solo hits for a long time, and then he followed it up with another #1 Bad Blood with Elton John! Strangely, growing up in NZ the track that introduced me to Neil is Wheeling West Virginia. It got a lot of airplay here, but was only a hit in Australia/NZ as far as I can tell.
Neil Sedaka is one of the great singers and composers of this genre of songs that achieved great success and quality between the mid-1970s and 1980s with very pleasant sound and magnificent accompaniments on strings, brass and choirs, also in this case. piano excellent analysis and explanation of this song again I congratulate you ... for a long time that I did not listen to it I went back far back in time I think I was entering high school ♩🎶🎵🎼🎹🎹🎹👌👌👌👏👏👏👏🎸🎸🎤🎤👍👍👍⚘⚘⚘✔✔✔
Always sweet and sometimes brilliant and often beyond popular 💕
Awesome, Thank you Phil.
Never appreciated his talent back in the day. But I've seen one of his Covid videos which was fun and I'm going to look for more. Thanks!
For sure that was live. The original had stronger background vocals and the ending was very different in this performance. It’s amazing how well this live performance sounded. He’s so confident and professional. I loved the song he did with Elton John too - Bad Blood. I was in grade 7 when that song came out in 1975. Thanks for the review Phil. Enjoyed it very much.
OMG my dad used to listen to this ! Awesome Fil !❤️❤️❤️
Afternoon Fil. I had to listen to this great analysis again, love the lyrics. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😙😙😙😙💕💕❤❤❤👏👏👏👏
Amazing musician, amazing voice and this is an amazing song. America can be proud... of this at least...
The bass playing on that live version, so good… the “happy inside” new ending… wow! Neil sings so well, and the high note licks on the piano (you mentioned) are so great to hear live…. BTW, I see that trusty Squier tele, Fil!
Regardless of genre one is into? one got to give credit where credit is due. through your analysis You achieve that 👍 thanks for the follow up on Neil. 😃
Thanks!
That melody is so beautiful sings the heck out of it too
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SONGS OF ALL TIME
Brilliant analysis Fil. In the 70s I always thought of Neil as being unfashionable but in my older years I realise what a talent he was following a BBC4 documentary. He has had about 3 careers! A lot of credit to the 10cc guys who were his backing musicians on his album but without question the chord lift in the chorus of "Laughter In The Rain" is worthy of a genius award for composition.
I saw Neil about 15 years ago at Niagara Falls casino. He was amazing. I remember this song and many other hits that he had. I saw an interview with him laughing about his videos Calendar Girl because he was considered a nerd at school and was surrounded by all these beautiful girls. Love him. Thanks for great analysis.
Sweet, needed a good feeling smile thanks, Fil.
Wow, 140,000 subscribers. Congratulations, Fil. LOVE this song! So many memories. I can’t stop smiling. Thank you for this! The history was fascinating!
Thanks!
As a younger rocker I thought Neil Sedaka was pretty wimpy.. but in retrospect that the guy can write an unbelievable song incredibly well arranged and his voice is freaking on the money. And his piano playing is so tasty I mean that intro is like Carole King ish❤WHOAH the guy has chops for days
A BEAUTIFUL SIMPLEST MASTERPIECE! Another Great Analysis Fil, I had just Graduated
High School when this Song came out, and I'm ashamed to admit it but, for a short time I thought a woman was singing this, I know....
SHAME ON ME! Neil's Timbre is
Extremely high, now don't get me wrong, I vaguely knew who he was
because he was Creating hits in the late 50s and 60s ( more my
Parents time) but was to wrapped up in more of the ROCK WORLD at the time this arrived. I tell you what, from the first time I heard this I WAS IN LOVE, and I agree with you, his MASTERY OF Song
Structure, Music Theory and Composition is unequaled! I
would like to add a Grateful Thank you for showing us the chord progressions to this Song, you know Fil.....it's so Amazing that these Masters can take an intangible thing like Feelings and emotions and bring them into this
physical World..........Much LOVE and RESPECT to you 🎸💚
Thanks!
Neil has such a beautiful tenor voice and pianist. I had a friend in college that had a very similar voice. It was amazing!
Great review of a true entertainer and fantastic singer songwriter.
Neil certainly doesn’t disappoint in live performance. Superb. And look at that jacket! I love this particular song. I also particularly like “You’re So Good for Me,” and his ballad version of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.”
Neil performed a duet with his daughter Daria that was absolutely beautiful years ago but i doubt it was released as I’ve not been able to find it anywhere. Such a shame. Hes always been a favorite of mine and i collected all his music as a teenager
Song that lifts you up.
Excellent song analysis video, as always. You always uncover such cool facts about the songs and explain what makes them so great. I totally remember when this song first came out, and I heard it on the radio. I have a fond memory of being at a friend's house in the summer and his father playing this song loudly on a very high end console stereo that took up half of a room in their house. It was such a great song to hear as I was enjoying swimming in the pool in their back yard. I love how this song with its brilliant lyrics really paints a vivid picture of a happy situation that most people have experienced at some point in their life. Neil's voice is so clear and spot on with an incredible tone and timbre. I was so thrilled when I looked up this song in Wikipedia and found that greats such as Leland Sklar, Dean Parks, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, Jim Horn, and William "Smitty" Smith played on the album recording of this beautiful masterpiece. :)