8 Things to Know About Barry Manilow (At Least 1 Will Make You Cry)
“Everybody is here to love me,” Barry Manilow kidded as he took the stage in Milwaukee for what he thinks will be his very last time. But it was no joke to fans, who laughed, cried and loved every minute of the iconic songwriter and showman’s performance.
When Manilow announced the end of his touring days — “I’m tired of packing,” he said earlier this year — none of his fans (aka Fanilows) could have expected what awaited them. Milwaukee originally was going to be Manilow’s final tour stop, but he added eight more dates recently before he returns to his Vegas residency again, which starts in September.
On Saturday, Aug. 3, it was truly magic in Milwaukee at the packed Fiserv Forum where the 81-year old sang, danced, joked and poured his heart out to his adoring fans.
Credit: ReMIND Magazine
Here are just a few things you might enjoy knowing about Manilow, some of which he shared at the concert.
1He’s got a self-deprecating sense of humor.
“You know I’m 100 years old,” he teases his devoted audiences. He pokes fun at the names of the venues he performs at today, questioning where he’s at and what’s the name of it now. On this particular early August evening in 2024, he was at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. He talks about today how they name the stadiums after products, which don’t have much meaning anymore. “Any day now they are going to put in the Preparation H arena,” he jokes.
2He’s the jingle king, but he only got $500 for this one.
Most people know that the legendary singer and songwriter wrote plenty of commercial jingles like the popular “I Am Stuck on Band-Aids.” One we still hear today is State Farm Insurance’s “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” He only got $500 for writing that jingle but was grateful for the money. Writers of jingles, unfortunately at that time, didn’t get residuals.
3“You Deserve a Break Today” was his, too.
Yep, he did that McDonald’s jingle, too. “You deserve a break today, so get up and get away to McDonald’s.” In a 2012 interview with Windy City Live, he admitted he only really ate at McDonald’s once as “It gave him gas.”
4American Bandstand theme song was performed by Manilow.
“We’re goin’ hopping, We’re goin’ hopping today.” Yes, the “Bandstand Boogie” opened and closed American Bandstand and that was Manilow you heard.
5He stays away from politics, but he’s all about kindness.
“It’s better in here than it is out there,” Manilow shares when talking to his fans and celebrating our freedoms. “Let’s just lock the doors and order a pizza.” He often reflects about his childhood days where he felt like a misfit and didn’t really fit in. Those feelings are what inspired his hit “All the Time.”
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6His favorite four-letter word might surprise you.
Hope. Cue: “I Made It Through the Rain.”
7He grew up in an area of Brooklyn called Williamsburg and had very little money.
“These days Williamsburg has turned out to be a fancy shmancy area, but when I grew up there it was not a fancy schmancy area, it was a crappy schmappy area,” Manilow tells. “But you know nobody had any money, but great people raised me with a lot of love, and love will get a little kid through anything.” He was raised by his mother (his parents divorced when he was a baby) and grandparents.
8He sings “This One’s for You” for one person today.
Barry credits his grandfather for helping him understand and nurture his musical talents. During his current tour, he shares an endearing audio clip of his grandfather begging a very young Barry to sing “Happy Birthday,” and then Barry stubbornly yelling out a strong “No.” Manilow laughs after hearing the audio and shares, “That goes on for 10 minutes.” Eventually, a little later in life, a younger Barry did sing for his grandfather, and it was then that Barry realized he liked it. “It wasn’t so much the singing part that I liked, it was the music,” he shares.
After “Mandy” charted at No. 1 in 1975, he was booked to perform for the first time at Carnegie Hall. “I invited everybody I ever met in my life to that concert, and Grandpa was there,” he shares. “I walked out to that stage at Carnegie Hall, scared to death, and Grandpa stood up and gave me a standing ovation. And when he stood up the whole audience stood up. And when they all sat down, Grandpa wouldn’t sit down, he just stood there applauding. And I looked at him and my fear just vanished. … Grandpa [This One’s for You].” And Manilow plays his chart-topping hit “This One’s for You.”
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June 2022
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