About the song

There are songs that confess love, and then there are songs like “The Best of Me” by Barry Manilow — the kind that feel like a lifetime of emotions distilled into a single melody. It’s not about the rush of new love or the pain of goodbye, but that deep, enduring gratitude for having loved — truly, completely — even if it didn’t last forever.

Barry Manilow has always had a rare gift: he writes and sings as if he’s talking directly to your heart. His voice, warm and slightly weathered, carries the weight of someone who has lived through both the magic and the mess of love. In “The Best of Me,” that voice becomes a reflection — gentle, honest, and full of quiet dignity. The song unfolds like a letter never sent, the kind you write when you’ve stopped being angry and only remember the good parts.

Released during a time when Manilow was already a master of emotional storytelling, “The Best of Me” fits perfectly into his world of sincerity and heart. The melody moves like a slow dance between memory and acceptance — elegant, intimate, and timeless. There’s no drama here, no need for grand gestures. Just a man, his piano, and the realization that even love that’s gone can leave behind something beautiful.

Listening to it now feels like flipping through old photographs — that bittersweet smile when you see the faces of people who once meant everything. It reminds us that love doesn’t always need to last forever to be real. Sometimes, giving someone “the best of you” is enough. And that’s the quiet truth Barry Manilow understood better than most.

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