Neil Sedaka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Sedaka
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Sedaka performing in 2017
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 13, 1939 New York City, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels |
|
Neil Sedaka (born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He started his music career in 1957. Since then, he has sold millions of records around the world.
Neil Sedaka has written or co-written over 500 songs. Many of these were for himself and other famous artists. He often worked with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Sedaka had many hit songs. These included "Oh! Carol" (1959), "Calendar Girl" (1960), "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1961), and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1962). His popularity slowed down in the mid-1960s. However, it came back strong in the mid-1970s. This was thanks to his 1975 US number-one hits "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood".
Sedaka also wrote hits for other artists. Some of these are "Stupid Cupid" for Connie Francis and "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Captain & Tennille. He was honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983. He still performs today, even holding mini-concerts online.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Neil Sedaka was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a taxi driver from a Jewish family with roots in Lebanon and Turkey. His mother was from a Jewish family with roots in Poland and Russia. He grew up in Brighton Beach, near the ocean.
Neil showed a talent for music early on. In second grade, his teacher suggested he take piano lessons. His mother worked extra hours to buy him a used piano. In 1947, he won a piano scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. He attended classes there on Saturdays. His mother hoped he would become a classical pianist.
At the same time, Neil discovered pop music. When he was 13, he met Howard Greenfield, an older neighbor who wrote poems. They became a songwriting team. They wrote many songs together, even before rock and roll became popular. They found ideas from show tunes.
When Neil became a teen pop star, they kept writing hits for him and other artists. Later, when the Beatles became popular, Neil's recording career changed. In the early 1970s, he moved his family to Britain. He and Howard Greenfield decided to end their songwriting partnership. Neil then started working with a new lyricist, Phil Cody.
Starting His Career
Becoming Famous with RCA Victor
After high school, Neil Sedaka formed a band called the Linc-Tones. They had some small local hits. But Neil left the group in 1957 to start his solo career. The Linc-Tones later became the Tokens.
Neil's first few solo songs didn't become big hits. However, they showed he could sing alone. So, RCA Victor signed him to a recording contract. His first song for RCA Victor was "The Diary". He got the idea for this song from Connie Francis, a singer he worked with. "The Diary" became a Top 15 hit in 1958.
His next song, "I Go Ape", almost made the Top 40 in the US. But it was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 9. RCA Victor was thinking of dropping him because some songs didn't do well. But Neil and his manager convinced them to give him one more chance.
Neil then studied the biggest hit songs of the time. He learned how they were put together. His next song, "Oh! Carol", became his first Top 10 hit in the US in 1959. It also went to No. 1 in Italy. The song was inspired by Carole King, whom Neil had dated in high school.
Big Hits in the Early 1960s
After 1958, Neil Sedaka wrote many more hits from 1960 to 1962. He had a steady flow of Top 30 songs. These included "Stairway to Heaven" (1960) and "Calendar Girl" (1961). "Calendar Girl" also reached No. 1 in Japan and Canada.
Other hits were "Little Devil" (1961) and "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1961). His most famous song, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", was No. 1 for two weeks in 1962. He also had "Next Door to an Angel" (1962). Neil often appeared on TV shows like American Bandstand.
Writing for Other Singers
When Neil Sedaka wasn't recording his own songs, he and Howard Greenfield wrote for other artists.
Connie Francis
One of their most important clients was Connie Francis. She was looking for a new hit song. Neil and Howard played many songs for her. Connie was writing in her diary and said their songs were too serious for young people. Howard suggested they play "Stupid Cupid". Neil thought it was too simple, but they played it anyway. Connie loved it and said it would be her new hit. Her version of "Stupid Cupid" reached No. 14 in the US and topped the charts in the UK.
Connie's diary also inspired Neil to write "The Diary," his own first hit. Neil and Howard wrote many hits for Connie Francis. These included "Fallin'" and "Theme from Where the Boys Are". "Where the Boys Are" became one of her most famous songs.
Jimmy Clanton
Sedaka and Greenfield also wrote songs for Jimmy Clanton. Some of these were "Another Sleepless Night" and "What Am I Gonna Do?". Neil recorded these songs himself later on.
Playing Piano for Other Artists
Neil Sedaka also played piano for other artists. You can hear his piano playing on "Dream Lover", a hit song by Bobby Darin from 1959.
Songs in Other Languages
Neil Sedaka was very popular in Italy. Many of his English songs did well there. In 1961, he started recording his hits in Italian. Songs like "Esagerata" (from "Little Devil") and "Tu non lo sai" (from "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do") were released. "La terza luna" (from "Waiting For Never") reached No. 1 in Italy in 1963. Neil's Italian was very good, with almost no American accent.
He also recorded an album in Yiddish and some songs in Spanish. He sang a few songs in German, and one song each in Hebrew, Japanese, and Canadian French. His English songs were also popular internationally. "One-Way Ticket to the Blues" and "Calendar Girl" reached No. 1 in Japan.
Neil said in 2020 that he focused on international markets. This was partly because Elvis Presley, the biggest rock star in America, never toured overseas. Neil's managers thought it was less risky for a new artist to perform where he wasn't as well known.
Mid-1960s Challenges
After 1962, Neil Sedaka's popularity began to fade. His songs in 1963 had only moderate success. Then, in 1964, his career declined sharply. This was mainly because The Beatles and the "British Invasion" changed American music. Neil joked about it, saying, "The Beatles—not good!" From 1964 to 1966, only a few of his songs made it onto the Top 100 chart.
To make things worse, RCA Victor refused to release his new song, "It Hurts to Be in Love". This was because he didn't record it in their studios, as his contract required. The song was then given to Gene Pitney. Pitney used Neil's music, background vocals, and piano playing, but sang the main part himself. Pitney had a No. 7 hit with it in 1964.
RCA Victor did not renew Neil's contract in 1966. This left him without a record label. He stopped performing for a while. However, he kept writing songs for other artists. He wrote hits for The Monkees, The Cyrkle, and The 5th Dimension.
In 1965, Neil appeared on a TV show called I've Got a Secret. His secret was that he was going to represent the US at a classical piano competition in Moscow. He played a classical piece, showing his talent. But the Soviet Union disqualified him because he was a pop star.
Comeback in the 1970s
Australia and New Albums
Neil Sedaka worked hard to restart his solo career in the early 1970s. Even though his songs weren't charting much in the US, he was still very popular in the UK and Australia. He thanked Australian fans for supporting him during what he called "The Hungry Years."
He made several trips to Australia to perform. His comeback began when "Star-Crossed Lovers" became a big hit there in 1969. It was his first charting song anywhere in four years. He then recorded a new album called Workin' on a Groovy Thing in Sydney. This album was important because it was the first time he worked with other writers besides Howard Greenfield.
In 1971, Neil released the album Emergence with RCA again. But it didn't do well in the US. After this, Neil left New York and moved to the UK.
In 1972, Neil had a successful tour in Britain. He recorded the album Solitaire with the band 10cc. The song "Solitaire" was later a hit for Andy Williams and the Carpenters. "Solitaire" was Neil's first song written with Phil Cody. They worked well together, and this started a long partnership.
New Success
A year later, he recorded The Tra-La Days Are Over for MGM Records. This album included his original version of "Love Will Keep Us Together". This song became a US No. 1 hit two years later for Captain & Tennille. This album also marked the end of his songwriting partnership with Howard Greenfield for a while. They later reunited before Greenfield's death in 1986. From 1974, Neil's records were released by Polydor. His first new album with Polydor was Laughter in the Rain (1974).
Working with Elton John
Elton John and Neil Sedaka met in London in 1973. Elton learned that Neil didn't have a record label in America. He suggested Neil sign with his own company, Rocket Record Company. Neil agreed. Elton helped Neil relaunch his career in the United States. Elton said he had "always been a Sedaka fan."
Sedaka's Back
Neil Sedaka returned to the US album charts with Sedaka's Back. This album was a collection of songs from his British albums. It was only Neil's second album ever to chart in the US. Before this, he was mostly known for his single songs.
The song "Laughter in the Rain" was released in late 1974. It slowly gained popularity and became a No. 1 hit on February 1, 1975. This was Neil's second No. 1 song, and it brought him back into the American spotlight. He followed this with "The Immigrant". This song was inspired by his parents and John Lennon, who was having immigration issues. "The Immigrant" reached No. 22 on the pop charts.
Writing for 1970s Artists
In 1972, a producer asked Neil Sedaka to write lyrics for a new Swedish pop group. This group later became ABBA. Neil agreed if he liked the song. He wrote the English lyrics for "Ring Ring" with Phil Cody. The song became a No. 1 hit in Sweden and Belgium. Neil later said ABBA's music was "in a class by themselves."
Neil and Howard Greenfield also wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together". This song became a No. 1 hit for Captain & Tennille in 1975. It was the biggest hit of that year. The singer, Toni Tennille, even sang "Sedaka is back" at the end of the song.
Overnight Success/The Hungry Years
In late 1975, Neil Sedaka had even more success with his second Rocket Records album, The Hungry Years. The first song from this album, "Bad Blood", hit No. 1 on the Billboard 100 chart and stayed there for three weeks. It was his most successful single ever. Elton John sang background vocals on "Bad Blood." Neil has said that Elton John was key to his return to the US music scene.
Another important song from The Hungry Years was a new version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". His 1962 original was fast and upbeat. The new version was a slow, emotional song. This new version reached No. 8 in early 1976. This made him the only artist to have two different versions of the same song reach the Top 10.
Steppin' Out
Later in 1976, Neil Sedaka released his third and last album with Elton John's Rocket Record Company, Steppin' Out. The first song, "Love in the Shadows," was a rock song. It reached No. 16. The second song, "Steppin' Out," also featured Elton John on background vocals. It reached No. 36. This marked a slowdown in Neil's music sales.
Neil then left Rocket and signed with Elektra Records. Neil and Elton John met a few times after this. Neil said their meetings were "cordial, but cold." However, they later became good friends again.
Late 1970s and Beyond
Elektra Records and Reissues
Neil Sedaka recorded four albums for Elektra Records. These included A Song and Neil Sedaka Now. The only Top 40 pop hit from this time was "Should've Never Let You Go." This was a duet with his daughter, Dara, in 1980.
Throughout the 1970s, RCA, Neil's old record company, re-released his 1960s songs. Neil also released a live concert album from Sydney, Australia, in 1974.
1980s and 1990s
Neil's father, Mac Sedaka, passed away in 1981. Neil sang his father's favorite song, "Pictures From The Past," at his bedside. Neil re-recorded the song that year.
Neil later signed with Curb Records. He released two albums there, but they didn't sell very well. He left Curb in 1986.
In 1985, songs by Neil Sedaka were used in the Japanese anime TV series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. These included the opening and ending themes.
In 1994, Neil voiced a character named Neil Moussaka in Food Rocks, an attraction at Epcot. A musical comedy based on his songs, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, was written in 2005. A biographical musical about his life, Laughter in the Rain, premiered in London in 2010.
Into the 21st Century
Neil Sedaka was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, he received the Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award.
American Idol
In May 2003, Neil Sedaka appeared as a guest judge and mentor on the TV show American Idol. The finalists sang his songs. Third-place finalist Kimberley Locke sang "Theme from Where the Boys Are."
Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken sang Neil's 1972 song "Solitaire". Clay explained that it was his mother's favorite song. The judges praised his performance. Neil told Clay that he officially passed ownership of the song to him. He even offered to record a song or an album with Clay.
Clay Aiken later recorded "Solitaire" as the B-side to his single "The Way". "Solitaire" quickly became the main song and was the top-selling single of 2004. It also reached the Top 5 on Billboard's Hot 100. Neil was invited back to American Idol to celebrate this success. Clay Aiken has also recorded Neil's song "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".
Amarillo – Guinness World Record
In 1971, Neil Sedaka played some new songs for a music manager. One of these was "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?" The manager loved it and gave it to his artist Tony Christie. Christie recorded it, and it became a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1971.
Neil released his own shorter version, "Amarillo," in the US in 1977. But it only reached the middle of the charts.
In 2006, the song "Amarillo" became popular again. A dance beat was added, and the lyrics were changed for the FIFA World Cup. On April 7, 2006, Neil was performing at the Royal Albert Hall. A representative from Guinness World Records surprised him on stage. He presented Neil with an award for composing "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?" It was the most successful UK single of the 21st century at that time. After the award, Neil performed "Amarillo" with Tony Christie, who joined him on stage.
New Music and Awards
Since the mid-1980s, Neil Sedaka has used his own company, Neil Sedaka Music, to release new CDs. In 1991, he re-recorded his early hits from the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In 2007, Neil signed a new recording contract with Razor and Tie Records. His first release with them was The Definitive Collection. This album included his hits and other songs. It debuted in the Top 25 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. This was one of his highest-charting albums ever.
His next album, Waking Up Is Hard to Do, was a children's album. It used the tunes of his famous songs but changed the words for babies and toddlers. In 2010, he released The Music of My Life, which had mostly new songs.
In 2007, a concert at the Lincoln Center in New York City celebrated Neil's 50 years in music. Many famous guests attended, including The Captain and Tennille and Clay Aiken. In 2008, Neil performed a new classical orchestral piece called "Joie de Vivre" (Joy of Life) in Australia. He also toured the Philippines.
In 2011, Neil recorded two duets with singer Jim Van Slyke for a tribute album. In 2014, he sang with Elaine Paige and Engelbert Humperdinck. He also sang with country star Mary Sarah on her album Bridges. In 2015, he duetted with Steve Tyrell on "Laughter in the Rain".
.jpg)
In 2014, BBC Four aired a documentary called Neil Sedaka: King of Song. In 2016, Neil released a new acoustic album, I Do It for Applause. It included 11 new songs and his symphony, "Joie de Vivre."
In April 2020, Neil started a series of free mini-concerts online. He did this to entertain fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. He paused the series when he got COVID-19 himself, but he later continued it.
Personal Life
Neil Sedaka graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn in 1956. He married Leba Strassberg in 1962. They have a daughter, Dara, and a son, Marc. Dara is also a singer and sang with her father on the hit song "Should've Never Let You Go." Marc is a screenwriter.
In March 2021, Neil had a procedure to remove a non-cancerous skin growth from his nose.
No. 1 Hits
As a Performer
- "Oh! Carol" (Italy, Netherlands and Wallonia), 1960
- "One-Way Ticket to the Blues" (Japan), 1960
- "Calendar Girl" (Canada & Japan), 1961
- "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1962 version) – (Canada), US Billboard Hot 100, 1962
- "La terza luna" (Italy), 1963
- "Star Crossed Lovers" (Australia), 1969
- "Laughter in the Rain" – US Adult Contemporary, 1974; US Billboard Hot 100, 1975
- "The Immigrant" – US Adult Contemporary, 1975
- "Bad Blood" – US Billboard Hot 100, 1975–76
- "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1975 version) – US Adult Contemporary, 1976
As a Songwriter
- "Ring Ring" (English version) by ABBA (debut single) – (Belgium), 1973
- "Solitaire" by The Carpenters – US Billboard Adult Contemporary, 1975
- "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" by Captain & Tennille (1975) – (Canada), US Billboard Easy Listening
- "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille (1975) – US Billboard Hot 100
Selected Appearances
- 1973: The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (as himself)
- 1976: Saturday Night Live (as himself)
- 1977: The Carol Burnett Show (as himself)
- 2005: The King of Queens (as himself)
- 2020–present: Today's Mini-Concert (online music series)
Autobiography
- Laughter in the Rain: My Own Story. New York: Putnam, 1982. ISBN: 0-399-12744-5
Images for kids
-
Sedaka in 1965
-
Sedaka on TopPop in 1974
-
Amarillo National Bank Plaza One building
-
Sedaka performing in 2005
-
Sedaka performing in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Neil Sedaka para niños
