By admin 
Introduction
Why Barry Manilow Struggled to Record One of His Biggest Hits — and Nearly Walked Away From It
Half a century ago, Barry Manilow was dominating the music charts. In early December 1975, his single “I Write the Songs,” released from the album Tryin’ to Get the Feeling, was steadily climbing the Billboard Hot 100. By January 1976, it had reached No. 1 and eventually earned a Grammy for Song of the Year. Yet the Grammy didn’t go to Manilow himself — because the song wasn’t his creation.
Surprisingly, the now 82-year-old singer almost turned down “I Write the Songs,” written by fellow Grammy winner Bruce Johnston. Manilow initially disliked the lyrics, especially the line “I am music,” which he felt made him sound self-important.
Speaking with The Television Academy, Manilow admitted that deciding whether to record the song took emotional wrestling. “I struggled with that one,” he said. “I was afraid people would think I was bragging. It took me a while to understand that it was really an anthem celebrating the spirit of music itself.”
He also noted that he could never simply accept a song as delivered. “I have to find myself in the song,” he explained. “That’s what I’ve always done as an arranger.”
Although labels frequently sent him potential tracks, “I Write the Songs” struck him as particularly challenging because of its vague, puzzling message. He told CBS Sunday Morning, “It took time before I could warm up to it. It felt awkward. But once I realized it was a tribute to music, everything clicked — I knew how to shape an anthem.”
Manilow credited Clive Davis, then president of Arista Records, for teaching him how to craft a hit arrangement. He revealed to NPR that when he joined Arista, he “knew nothing about pop music,” and “I Write the Songs” was one of the tracks Davis urged him to record. Manilow feared backlash: “I thought everyone would assume I was claiming to write every song ever written. What did they think I was — Burt Bacharach?”
But once he began working with the material, Manilow realized what Johnston intended. “He was saying that the spirit of music is the true creator behind every composer’s work,” he explained. “And I believe that.”
Johnston himself clarified the song’s meaning in a 2023 interview with Valerie Simadis, describing it in surprising terms. “‘I Write the Songs’ is basically an interview with God,” he said. “The first verse is like, ‘Hey God, could you tell me a bit about yourself?’ And God replies, ‘I’ve existed forever, and I wrote the very first song…’ It’s actually pretty cool.”