I don’t see how Live Nation wins this, how Ticketmaster is not separated from the concert promotion division.
Now there was no jury involved in the government’s approval of the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It was only a matter of law. But if you’re sitting in the box and you’re hearing what the Barclays and Wild guys have to say…
The Live Nation attorneys look like nitpickers. It comes down to math, Barclays lost shows and the Wild was afraid of doing so. How exactly is Live Nation going to explain this away? Especially in light of the Rapino phone call.
And unlike twice before, don’t expect a consent decree. Been there, tried that, didn’t work. Human nature tells us that Live Nation is going to dangle the prospect of concerts or the lack thereof to whether a building has a Ticketmaster contract or not. This is classic leverage. As for the consent decree…yeah, right. Negotiation is always about leverage and the Live Nation employee couldn’t help herself in the e-mal to the Barclays guy, with the wink.
Now I’ve got to say that if this could have been settled on any reasonable terms, Live Nation would have done it. But obviously, the government wasn’t really going to negotiate, for it thought it would win, furthermore, it knew it had the benefit of public opinion on its side.
Of course there are going to be more witnesses, the trial is going to go on for weeks. But what exactly are they going to say? They’re going to go on about market share and competitors and there will be testimony as to what a great company Live Nation is and how Ticketmaster is a superior product, but this trial is about tying…tickets for concerts. And from the get-go, we see evidence of that.
Of course Live Nation doesn’t believe that. But all their arguments are dispassionate. Who cares if the Barclays guy did not have completely clean hands in his relationship with SeatGeek. The bottom line is he made a deal with SeatGeek and Barclays got fewer concerts. Forget the hogwash about their being a new UBS building on Long Island. Do you really think the jury is going to believe that argument?
And SeatGeek said it would make up for any loss of concert revenue for what is now called the Grand Casino building in Minnesota, offering retaliation insurance, but buildings are more than revenue, they are vibrant operations that glean benefits by hosting events, especially concerts.
So Live Nation couldn’t settle on reasonable terms. So its lawyers said to take it to trial. I hope those lawyers didn’t blow smoke, talking about the law as opposed to emotions and the jury. Live Nation rolled the dice.
And when they lose… Like I said, the government ain’t gonna offer no consent decree, it’s going to insist upon breakup.
Of course the trial will last weeks, and there will be additional testimony…but how are you going to undercut these examples, and more that come down the pike?
You never know until the jury makes a decision. But right now, after today’s testimony, I’d say Live Nation is f*cked.
Today’s testimony:
“New York Times”: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/arts/music/live-nation-trial-barclays-center.html
“The Verge”: https://apple.news/A8uOddvKqSzeq9G3H0gUoTQ
You are absolutely right. Neil should have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame decades ago.
Thank-you for writing such lovely things about him.
Much love,
Elton
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Hi Bob,
I’m sorry to be late getting this to you.
I first met Neil in 1972 prior to us (we weren’t yet 10cc) recording the Solitaire album with him at our Strawberry Studios.
Neil was working at the Batley Variety Club (The Las Vegas Of The North) at the time and I met him at his hotel in Leeds to listen to and make a recording of the songs that he proposed recording with us.
He was an absolute pleasure to work with, always well prepared and professional.
He would often sing the lead vocal live at the piano as we were recording the backing track with him and very rarely made a mistake.
He enjoyed working with us so much that he recorded another album, The Tra-La Days Are Over, after we had become 10cc in 1973.
If you’re not laughing hysterically, you’re not in the music business, or you’re so invested in your anti-Live Nation viewpoint that you have no perspective.
Ticketmaster is the most hated company in America. Used to be the cable companies, but competition made them clean up their act. From Fios and T-Mobile, even Starlink… You don’t have to get your internet, never mind your television programs, from your cable company anymore. Will competition make Ticketmaster provide a better product?
Now let’s be clear, the cable companies’ product didn’t improve, its customer service did. So it begs the question, can Ticketmaster’s product be improved?
Newer platforms are designed from scratch, whereas Ticketmaster’s platform is built on spaghetti code, just like Microsoft Windows. Steve Jobs famously returned to Apple and built a whole new operating system based on Unix. As a result, it’s less creaky. But the truth is, despite all the artists and your friends using Macs, Windows machines dominate in the world, by far. Yes, what is seen as an inferior product, what is an inferior product, is established in the marketplace, never mind all the software written for Windows.
Now could one of Ticketmaster’s newer competitors deliver a superior product to venues?
Well, first and foremost they’d have to pay for the privilege. That’s how ticketing works. Kind of like slotting fees at the supermarket…yes, even the biggest companies pay to have their products on the shelves. So far, none of these fledgling outfits has ponied up monies in the big leagues of arenas and stadiums. For two reasons…they don’t have said money and they don’t have the capacity.
It’s not like AXS can do a significantly better job. The demand is just that great. Between rabid fans and secondary market bots, good luck getting a ticket.
Then again, fans believe they’re entitled to a ticket, even though we know this is impossible. For some of these acts demand outstrips supply by a multiple of double digits.
But could Ticketmaster’s product be improved? Everything can be improved. The question is whether it’s worth laying out all that money for a minor increment in quality.
And the dirty little secret is it comes down to business, and business is money. Nvidia just reported margins in excess of 70%! Whereas concert promotion has a margin of less than 5%.
To be specific, Live Nation’s concert promotion division has a margin of 3.3%. However, Ticketmaster has a margin of 37%. But the question is, if the playing field were leveled, would a new player enter the ticketing field? Is the margin high enough, is the upside high enough?
Like Live Nation, AEG promotes concerts and has its own ticketing outfit, the above-referenced AXS. However, not all AEG shows employ AXS, because buildings have contracts with Ticketmaster and…
Now I’m getting too far into the weeds.
The bottom line is everyone is blaming Ticketmaster for its fees, saying they raise concert prices. I could walk you through the economics, without the fees there is no show, but the government just let the cat out of the bag. No matter what happens, no matter what the result of this trial, even if Live Nation’s concert division and Ticketmaster are separated, TICKET PRICES WILL NOT GO DOWN!
Unless you consider less than two bucks to be a meaningful amount. You can’t even buy a soda, never mind merch for that amount. You can’t even take the subway to the gig.
So what this trial boils down to is what happens behind the scenes. Can Live Nation’s competitors gain a leg up. That’s all that’s being debated here. Bringing big bad Live Nation to its knees and making concert tickets cheaper is a fantasy, as is the concept that any result will make it easier for a citizen to get a ticket.
Now there are legal issues involved in this case. If there was a bench trial, I’d have more faith in the outcome. But when you have a jury…you never know what the result will be. And Live Nation looks bad to the jury, everybody knows the company and has an opinion. Now the judge gives instructions, making it more difficult to come up with a result that does not reflect the facts, but really…the jury could say anything, and if it rules against Live Nation…
This is what Live Nation is trying to avoid, they know a jury trial is a toss-up. That’s why they’ve been trying to settle.
And even if the jury rules against Live Nation, that does not necessarily mean the end of the case. There can be appeals. Possibly all the way to the Supreme Court if the judges decide to hear the case. Time can go by…but it costs a ton to appeal, which is why even if a judgment comes down against them Live Nation may settle with the government on better terms, promising not to appeal.
Live Nation pays venues to be its exclusive ticketing partner. The dirty little secret is other than possibly AXS, no other company truly has the capacity to do the job. As for the Taylor Swift “fiasco,” it’s her fault. Then again, Ticketmaster said yes to this fakokta decision to put all the tickets up at once for all the shows on the tour. Swift wanted the buzz, the momentum, and she got it. But in truth, NO COMPANY could have done a better job. The most desirable ticket in the world? This is a secondary market field day!
If we could start all over and not pay venues fees… But under what law do we make this happen? This may make it more fair for concert promoters, but removing money from the building? That’s a taking for no good reason.
As for Live Nation elbowing venues to use Ticketmaster so they get shows… This is a reason why this merger shouldn’t have been allowed in the first place. I don’t care what anybody says, it’s an unspoken element, especially when Live Nation has an alternative Ticketmaster building to play in.
So, there are issues of law and fact. But the ultimate decision will be made by a jury composed of people unfamiliar with both the law and the business, they are not experts.
Expect some heinous testimony to come out.
Expect Live Nation to argue the law.
Expect the jury to be swayed by emotion.
But don’t expect concert prices to come down in any meaningful way, not gonna happen. It’s supply and demand, the basic rule of business. The hotter the act, the more demand and the higher the price. And if the tickets don’t reflect value in the primary market, the secondary market will swoop in and gain the uplift, by charging what the tickets are really worth…which the public will pay, because people want to go to the show that much.
But people hate Ticketmaster anyway.
But if it is separated from Live Nation and a new competitor comes along…
Pete Townshend made the definitive statement back in 1971:
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
As long as people want to go to the show, prices will be expensive.
Then again, there are many shows few want to see… Buy a ticket for that one, won’t you? No, you want to see the superstars. And get a good ticket for under a hundred bucks. But the bottom line is YOU’RE DREAMIN’!
No R&R HOF for him as well as Connie Francis, Tommy James, and many deserving other artists. All wrong!
Ron Alexenburg
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Hi Bob. We all have our pet artist (and pet peeve) who hasn’t made it into the RRHOF and number one on my list is Neil Sedaka. How is Percy Sledge in the Hall and Sedaka isn’t? Not that it really matters who’s in and who’s left out. My very first album, before The Beatles onslaught, was a Neil Sedaka album. Recently I’ve been enjoying his Tik Tok videos. What a great writer. RIP Neil.
Regards,
Steven Ehrlick
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Neil Sedaka is gone, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be ashamed of themselves for deliberately excluding him all these years. But they won’t feel anything, because they are a sham of an organization.
Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield were famously snubbed in 2010 when the RRHOF inducted all the great songwriters of their era. Burt Bacharach and Hal David were also snubbed that year, yet Dionne Warwick gets inducted years later – make that make sense! Just like how they induct Randy Rhoads before Ozzy’s solo career (I could go on…)
Neil should have been inducted both as a songwriter AND performer. Carole King is in twice this same way, and as a performer she’s basically a one-album-wonder. But that album turned 50 in 2021 and somebody paid somebody to time that induction for marketing purposes…
Neil was one of the first true singer-songwriters, but he wasn’t cool. He didn’t wear a cool hat like Dion. He didn’t play guitar. He wrote his own hits AND those for Connie Francis, who also should be in. Lots of acts from his era are in the hall and never wrote one song, and had less hits!
I hope he gets his induction someday, but it will be too little too late. Just like Jimmy Buffett and so many other missteps the RRHOF has made over the years.
God bless you Neil Sedaka, thank you for the music.
Vincent Innocente
Musician – Staten Island, NY
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Hi Bob,
Like you, I’m terribly saddened by Neil’s passing. I thought I’d share my experience with Neil Sedaka….
“Laughter in the rain” was starting to climb the charts in the US; continuing a comeback that had started in the UK.
Neil was about to do “The Midnight Special” and the guitar player who played on the record wasn’t available. I got a call from Robert Appere (Neil’s Producer) to fill in. I was a year and a half out of Brooklyn and that call changed my life!
I spent the next 2 years, up until Neil’s departure from Rocket Records, as a member of Neil’s band. Sedaka was Back!
RIP Neil
Richie Zito
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I obviously always respected the songs, but as you say – they were before my time.
But when he started posting his playing and singing on TikTok (up until this week!) – I became a fan. Timeless songs never go out of style.
Adam Lewis
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His greatest little-known composition was the haunting, heart-rending “Solitaire.” His rendition was terrific, as was Karen Carpenter’s.
Jim Rowbotham
Manhattan
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As I’m sure many have said, writing two UK no 1’s in Stupid Cupid and Amarillo can’t be too bad!
All the best
JC Reid
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40 years ago, one of my first gigs was a short tour with Neil Sedaka. He was past his 70’s resurgence and playing small performing arts centres. He had the best Nashville sideman in tow and treated us really well – we flew to all gigs, everyone had their own rooms in nice hotels. I doubt he made any money. But I don’t think that was the purpose – he just wanted to get out there and hear the applause. Tons of hits and standing ovations. And some hilarious stories behind the scenes. RIP to one of the great pop songwriters.
Iain Taylor
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Thanks for the remembrance of Neil.
Twenty years back, I was incredibly lucky and got to work with him. When I was at Razor & TIe, I helped compile a new greatest hits compilation. I met with Neil at his Upper East side apartment and got to listen to a pile of acetates of unreleased recordings. We dug out an incredible demo versions of “Where The Boys Are”, as well as “It Hurts to Be in Love”. Neil wrote the latter but was blocked from releasing by his label at the time, RCA Records, because it wasn’t recorded at their studio. Gene Pitney took the same song(with the original backing track from Neil’s version) and it went number one.
Later that same year I asked Neil to do a run of shows at Joe’s Pub, his first in a NYC club in decades. I invited Chris and Adam from Fountains of Wayne to sing Neil’s “Calendar Girl” with him on stage since I knew the FOW guys had covered it previously. We filmed the performance and Stereogum even posted about it. My parents came to the show, the first and only time they knew who an artist I worked was. My folks were NY Jews of a similar age; Neil couldn’t have been nicer, and my parents talked about meeting him for years.
RIP Neil Sedaka. A true mensch.
“Neil Sedaka w/Fountains of Wayne – Calendar Girl – Joe’s Pub – May 2007”
Michael Krumper
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Thank you so very much for your beautiful remembrance of Neil Sedaka. One of his earliest tunes to get on the radio was, “I Go Ape”, and it rocked my little seventh grade world. I was so moved by your statement that his death “was kind of personal”. My wife and I felt exactly that way on a New Year’s Eve years ago when we heard of the death of Rick Nelson.
In one his songs, singer-songwriter Al Stewart states, “ Don’t some people just affect you that way?”. Yes, they do, and Neil Sedaka was one of them.
Dennis Brent
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A beautiful sentiment. Sedaka was a wonderful writer; however. His production quality was almost on par with Brian Wilson. Layered harmonies, chord and temp changes. A great writer. I will miss the FB concerts from his living room that started during the pandemic and continued almost until his final breath.
Steve Mednick
New Haven, CT
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He was a bit before my time, so initially I dismissed him. But I ended up discovering and really liking the ballads. Laughter in the Rain, the ballad version of Breaking up is hard to do, and especially the Hungry Years. Which grows in meaning as I look back and reflect. Yes, a nice man. RIP.
Bob Morelli
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For me (born in ‘75) I was familiar with Neil Sedaka due to my time in major market Radio at an Oldies format station in Portland, OR to growing up in the music industry by way of my Father’s success. However, it was in August 2021 while visiting LA, my wife & I made a usual lunch stop at Mel’s Diner on Sunset. Mimosas and their Club Sandwich.
I glanced over and saw a familiar face, and then I realized it was Neil Sedaka. Of course, he’s a regular at Mel’s. I said to my wife I’ve got to say “Hello” and let him know I’ve enjoyed his contributions to music. Well, he invited me to sit across in his booth. We had a pleasant interchange. Upon leaving I said to the hostess, “I want to pick up Mr. Sedaka’s lunch today.” Tuna salad and a glass of Chardonnay. I thought, “Wow, I just treated Neil Sedaka to lunch.” As we departed the parking lot I looked to my right to see him sitting in the booth where I left him, with a glass of Chardonnay, and taking a bite of tuna salad. It’s a good memory.
Alex Hart
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I just entered high school when ‘Laughter in the Rain’ came out, with ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’ the following summer.
The Music was, and still is, Everything.
Even me, with zippo music education, but with parents who taught me the fundamentals of music appreciation, saw this guy was a tremendous talent. This admiration had to be concealed from my peers, as only the long-hair and R&B stuff was to be applauded among the general population. Man, they took such pleasure in making fun of that Fedora. However, all the musicians I knew, across all genres, admired and respected him. Yes, the Brill Building crew was passe’, but he managed to endure.
In later years, I listened to interviews with him, and his talent and decency shone through.
Regards,
Edward Bryan
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Neil Sedaka popped up on my fyp on TikTok one day and I was like, wow he’s still singing at his piano and it’s still pure joy to listen. So of course I clicked “follow.” He’d have his grandson sing along sometimes and the two of them were so fun to watch/hear. Neil was always sweet and engaging and kind to his audience, and like you said, seemed so real. I was a huge fan as a kid, belting it out when his songs came on the radio. I was so sad to hear he’d passed.
Ellie Shapiro
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Very good Bob. I felt queasy too. I think because he was SO alive, losing him so quickly without fanfare, was jarring and seemed wrong. I got a recent picture with him at Dan Tanas and will remember him with love and in his element… he loved us. I felt it.
Steven McClintock
37 Records
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Fortunately I had a long career with many artists as a Lighting Director then Production Manager. I never had the opportunity to work with Neil but I did see him perform at the Grand Palace in Branson Missouri around 1995. At the time I was employed by Glen Campbell at his venue not far from where Neil played. I had a night off so I went to see Neil. I had no idea of how engaging he would be. I knew he was an outstanding singer, musician and song writer. To this day I remember his show. I have worked on over 3,000 live performances worldwide with a number of legendary Grammy winning artist. In early retirement I reflect on 15 or 20 performances that I remember like it was yesterday. Neil Sedaka’s performance was one of them. He had that magic that made you feel like you were sitting on his piano bench while he played a song for you while explaining how he felt while writing it.
Only a few artist can do that. I’m glad I went to see him. I witnessed Neil Sedaka take the audience with him. Many artists can duplicate that. But there is a fine line in a performance where the sincerity cuts through and you become a part of the artist in front of you. Like you have been friends for years.
Rest in Peace Neil, thank you for sharing your soul with me that night at the Grand Palace.
Thanks Bob,
Tony TL Leverett
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Loved your recent interview with him. He reminded me a bit of Glen Campbell in that he was kind of in awe of his talent and (huge) success, but in a way that just made you smile.
Very few pop songs of that era top “Where The Boys Are;” the chord progressions are epic. And the way he refashioned “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” as a late-night croon in the 70s just underlined what a great tune it is. He was definitely one of a kind.
David Vawter
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Thak you Bob. Staring at 80, with memories of the Catskills and of Neil, that was beautiful.
arnold brower
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Great testimony Bob. I’m sure you know this but he was something of a classical prodigy at an early age and attended Juilliard. Saw him in Vegas in the 90’s at the Orleans and he still sounded great! Really knew how to relate to a crowd. He will be missed. Thanks for remembering him.
Keith Bishop
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My father was an eclectic music fan, from Tomita, to Elvis, to Johnny Cash, to Perry Como, to the Carpenters, to Glenn Campbell, to Dire Straights and Pink Floyd. He had a couple of Neil Sedaka albums and so as result I heard many of Neil’s song as I was growing up. ‘Laughter in the Rain’ was a personal favourite, listening to that on a turn table, lyrics painted the entire picture of a rainy day date getting caught on a country road as the heavens open, all in under 3 minutes. You could hear his smile in his voice. Rest In Peace Dad and Neil.
Dan Waite
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Also, regarding Neil, I want to say his retake on, “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” is GREAT. I was a young radio DJ when he made his comeback. I made the transition to FM by the early 70s. But, there was so much music to be had and heard, as you’ve documented so many times. But RADIO. It was staffed mainly by men. Many of the guys in radio had no clue or reference to what radio had brought or could bring to the masses, it was just a job to them. They looked at the charts and what other stations added that week as they chose their new single playlist adds, week to week as just a function of their P.D./M.D.position. I was a frustrated musician who gave up the garage band I was a part of as their drummer to instead work full time as a disc jockey doing the overnight show (12am-6am) to instead bring recorded music to the local audience I was passionate about what it was that I heard across the FM dial in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I was into so many artists of all genres. And I was a lunatic fan of 10cc by 1975. I heard “Rubber Bullets” on WFSO-AM out of Pinellas Park FL along with Iron Butterfly’s “Scorching Beauty” and Scorpions, “Fly To The Rainbow” (when the group was in their teens) and so much more until they’d sign-off at sunset. Bottom line, a lot of radio guys didn’t know sh*t about music because they never picked up an instrument. And what we have today are pretenders running the radio business without the, “art meets commerce” ingredient. They don’t hire guys and gals that truly know music or are inspired by music to know what the hell they are doing. They just want “content providers” to ring the cash register and stack some dollars, because they lack the knowledge. Good luck with that. American radio was once the standard barrer that led to many countries across the globe to design their radio operations after us. Can you say, “93 KHJ!” or “WNEW, Where Rock Lives”.
Regards,
Guy “G. Michael” Keating
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Sad to see Neil Sedaka pass. I remember seeing him around town in Monticello on a few occasions as his mother lived near me and even attempted to teach his daughter Dara to ski at Holiday Mountain and if I recall arriving in a Rolls Royce. My mother was from the same area in Brooklyn and Barbra Streisand lived in the same building, Neil Diamond down the street and Neil Sedaka nearby. Carole King was a bit farther away. What an era.
These are the Gold record frames my father made from today’s NY Times.
Listening to Neil on your podcast was the first thing I thought of when I heard that he died. It was such a great interview. My second thought was that you would likely take it kinda hard. Again, because it was such a great interview and because you seemed to really connect with him. But also because it is yet another reminder that our time is limited and that no one here gets out alive. Not that we need to be reminded, mind you. The older you get the more you feel it in your bones and in every ache and creak. It’s sad, but in Neil’s case he did leave us with his music which we can listen to and enjoy as we think of a bygone time when we were young.
David Kuswanto
Toronto CANADA
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I loved Neil Sedaka from the first song. And never stopped. Saw him live twice, years apart and both shows were 110%. He loved to sing.
He made an album in 1975 that never got big but had a loyal fan following. Worth a listen. “The Hungry Years”. The title song says it all – about him and his career and what he really loves.
John Parikhal
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Well said, Bob. The podcast you did with him was wonderful. What sticks with me is that during the Pandemic, Neil did these impromptu shows on Facebook. So casual, just him and his piano for maybe 20 minutes. He was so upbeat and sunny and talked as if it was a private little show in his living room. He made you feel confident we would get through it. He had nothing to prove. He was just a really nice guy calming a lot of people with his gift of music.
Regards,
Karl Woitach
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Bob, I was a teenager during the early Neil Sedaka hits and bought quite a few of his 45’s. Growing up in Canada, we were gyped out of the 45 picture sleeves that U.S. teens bought. We simply had generic RCA Victor sleeves.
Decades later in the late 1980s, I spent several hours interviewing him at his New York pad while his wife Leba and daughter were shopping. Neil had a sore throat that day, but every time I asked him if he wanted to stop, he said he wanted to go on, so I have well over an hour of his memories.
One important thing, although Neil wrote exceptionally catchy melodies, his lyrics (as least his main hits) were written by first, his teen neighbor Howie Greenfield and later on Phil Cody.
Doug Thompson
Toronto
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My dad, Sammy, had two cousins, one was Eydie Gormezano who lived nearby, the other were the Sedaka’s from Brooklyn. All were Sephardic (Spanish) Jews from Turkey, as was Louie Nigro (who’s daughter I had a crush on when we were teens) Sam’s pal.
Unlike the rest of them, who were short, dark and swarthy, I was the big blonde lifeguard who fronted a band, and was a lifeguard at the Bronx’s version of Malibu – Orchard Beach on the LI sound.
I didn’t know any of Sammy’s relatives as I went to school in Boston for 5 years – but I did learn Spanish, just in case.
As I recall, Neil was always a big draw at Palisades Park during the summer, and I even saw him once there. My childhood friend was Ilene Goldner, who’s dad Sam and Uncle George started Roulette, Gee and others until they ran out of money and gave it up to Morris, who I’d meet years later when I was VP Finance at Boardwalk.
Six degrees.
Rick Pardo
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Mid-80’s I end up at a party in his NYC apartment with a friend who knew him well. He greeted me as if he knew me forever.
Neil played the piano and sung a few of his amazing hits -and never stopped smiling.
I was awestruck.
He was Mensch Personified.
May his memory be a blessing.
PS My parents and their “group” spent a weekend each year for many years at The Concord. Somewhere in my stuff are the group and couples photos in white folders with The Concord logo on the front sleeve.
Us kids were left home with a sitter.
Janie Hoffman
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Before Elton John “rescued” him, Neil Sedaka was working with the guys who would become 10cc (they were his band while recording at their Strawberry Studios), and completed three albums that were not released in the US. Elton chose 12 songs from those three albums, and called it “Sedaka’s Back”, and released it in the US.
Thanks,
Stuart Taubel
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It was sometime in the early 1960s. I was either 10 or 12 years old when I visited my grandmother in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. My uncle Irwin arrives to visit his mother (my grandmother) with another person. Warmly, he introduced his friend, saying, “Say hi to Neil Sedaka.” I immediately exclaimed, “Calendar Girl!” Neil’s face lit up with a big smile. Ever since that day, whenever I hear “Calendar Girl,” I can’t help but think of that time at my grandmother’s house when I met Neil Sedaka—a regular guy!
Roy Liemer
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I’m “young” enough (born 1960) that Neil Sedaka first came to my attention with “Laughter in the Rain” off his “Sedaka’s Back” album. Though, when I first heard the song, I was thinking it was a female singer — maybe someone like the Carpenters or Anne Murray. I’d probably heard at least “Calendar Girl”, and maybe one or two of his other earlier hits (but decidedly not “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” yet), on my parents’ AM clock radio before that. But, if so, I never registered who the singer was.
When “Sedaka’s Back” came out, though, that initial hit, then “The Immigrant”, really grabbed my attention. I bought the album, then the songbook, and I learned to play all the songs. By that time, I had my own band, and we ended up playing not only those two songs, but also some of the album tracks like “Little Brother” and “Our Last Song Together”. (Maybe also “Love Will Keep Us Together” and/or “That’s When the Music Takes Me”.) Even songs we didn’t play in the band, though, especially “Solitaire” (which I remember the Carpenters covering) and “The Other Side of Me”, were ones I’d play quite a bit on my own.
Then came “The Hungry Years”, and we added “Bad Blood” — I sang the Elton part and another guy in the band sang Sedaka’s part — and “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”, on which we mashed up the 70s slow version with the earlier “before our time” version at the suggestion of my parents, who’d heard another local (adult) band do the same. Oh yeah, our band wasn’t exactly cool with the kids, playing Sedaka, Bread, Bee Gees, Elton, and other mellower stuff, so we mostly got booked for adult dances at firehalls, VFW halls, and the like. But Sedaka’s songs of that era were great, and those drove me to getting an earlier greatest hits album, which made me an even bigger fan of his songwriting, even if I didn’t end up playing any of those songs.
I did see him live once, probably mid-to-late 70s at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. I have to say, though, I was somewhat disappointed, because the set was pretty short (45 minutes?), and I’d wanted more.
By the time his “Steppin’ Out” album came out, though I think we at least tried the title song, I was much less enthusiastic about the songs on that album. It felt like he was repeating himself musically, and the lyrics largely didn’t have the bite of the best cuts from the two previous albums. I still play through the songbooks of those two albums at least a couple of times a year. Some truly great songs that hold up even with just a piano/vocal interpretation (which is most of what I do these days).
It was sad to hear of his sudden passing. I get that he’s at that age, where we can’t expect our favorite songwriters and musicians to last much longer — he was born a year before my father and two before my mother, who passed away suddenly a little over a month at the age of 84. But, as you say, the music will live on.
Rick Paul
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My dad made me listen to his hits in the 1990s, as a teen consuming the Beatles and the Doors and Nirvaba and Metallic..
My dad said, “You need to know this, too.” He was right; for the standard of great songs was set.
Do young song writers working in their bedrooms even know of the Brill Buildkng anymore?
Mike Vial
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In 1980, I was working in a Pharmacy on Madison Ave, NYC.
We had a lot of celebs with fancy apartments on the upper east side as customers.
Most of them sent their housekeeper to run their errands and they remained anonymous that way.
Neil Sedaka and his wife often came to the store in person. They were very friendly and kind to us and never had any condescending attitudes. I remember him fondly.
Mitchell Horowitz
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Thank you Bob.
This gave me goosebumps and yes I feel as sad as you do!
Like someone I knew well has passed.
I met him when I was a kid in Australia and he was doing the club runs! Mum was a huge fan!
The Aussies loved him too!
He was so kind and the songs live were as good as the records!
Years later, a few of my friends were his band when he came out to Oz and they all spoke so highly of him, as a singer, a musician and an extremely kind human!
Those songs will live on forever in our hearts!
What a legend and a beautiful soul.
I miss the hungry years and
if it was raining where I am, I don’t think I’d be able to laugh, cause breaking up is hard to do, especially when it’s a ballad
Much love and respect
Dannielle De Andrea
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Loved him, still do but I’m 87. My generation. Thanks for the memory.
Joanne Miller
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Thank you for this, and for recognizing Neil’s humanity in addition to his talent. He’s been my favorite singer-songwriter for 52+ years now. He even stated publicly that I was his biggest fan in the world, and that I have the largest collection of Sedaka recordings and memorabilia in the world. A hugely influential and important part of my life died yesterday. This is what I posted on Facebook:
“In Neil Sedaka’s music, I find songs to match every possible mood, save one. Whether expressing the highest highs or the deepest lows; the thrill of a new-found love, the sadness when losing a long-time love; whether in like, in love, or in lust; songs about society’s failings; songs about the sheer joy of being alive. There are songs to commiserate with you when you’re down; songs that embrace you and say ‘I’ve been there before you, and I can assure you it does get better.’ Songs that share your most ecstatic, earth-shaking joys. Songs when you need a laugh, songs when your tears won’t stop. There’s a Sedaka song for every mood except one: when needing someone to wrap their arms around you and hold you when nothing else will do — unfortunately, the mood I’m in now that Neil has died.
“My life would be much worse if I had never found his music; with his music in my life, everything is improved. It’s not the time for one-upmanship, for saying ‘He loved me more than you.’ Now is the time to say how thankful we each are for having this man and his love in our lives at all. The world will never see his like again — it is such a better world for him having been a part of it and gracing us with his talent and his love.”
I would only slightly quibble with your statement that after leaving Rocket Records, he had no more hits. His 1980 duet with his daughter Dara, “Should’ve Never Let You Go,” reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. And, as a songwriter, his “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo” by Tony Christie (featuring Peter Kay on video, but not on the recording) reached #1 in the UK in 2005, and stayed there for seven weeks, making it the best-selling UK single for 2005. This 2005 version was issue to raise funds for Comic Relief. It was a re-release of Christie’s 1971 recording, which reached #18 in the UK, but #1 in Germany, Spain, Austria and Belgium.
While Neil was with Rocket Records, I believe he could’ve had some bigger hits if some other songs had been released instead of the singles that were, especially from his last original album of new material, 1976’s “Steppin’ Out.” They tried to recreate the magic of “Bad Blood” (#1 in 1975, with Elton on backing vocals). But, even with Elton again on backing vocals, the title track only reached #36. I thought, released at the right time of year, “Summer Nights” was far superior to “You Gotta Make Your Own Sunshine,” at least in terms of what I believe would’ve gotten more radio play. We’ll never know, of course.
I’m left completely bereft since his passing.
Best regards,
Betty Latvala-Soininen
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I hate is when your newsletters are titled simply with a name cos it means that another one has bitten the dust. Your podcast with Sedaka was a peach and I liked him all the more. I wish I’d seen him in concert. So many great songs.
Mike Howard
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Loved the Concord story re Sedaka.
It was a bit of a challenge to explain “the knockers” to my gentile clients!
