{"id":2015,"date":"2025-09-16T06:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/countrymusictune.com\/?p=2015"},"modified":"2025-09-16T06:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:05:10","slug":"when-paul-simon-questioned-barry-manilows-motives-are-they-emotionally-moved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/countrymusictune.com\/?p=2015","title":{"rendered":"When Paul Simon questioned Barry Manilow\u2019s motives: \u201cAre they emotionally moved?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Paul Simon\u00a0never got the business to write mindless pop songs.<\/p>\n

There was certainly a market for that when he began, but the greatest writers of his time were the ones who left listeners with something to think about that demanded repeated listens to figure out.<\/p>\n

So when someone came out of the woodwork making bubble-gum pop, Simon wasn\u2019t going to pretend that he was suddenly a massive fan or anything.<\/p>\n

Because looking through Simon\u2019s own solo discography, every one of his records felt like a new creative endeavour. There was no need for him to be the same folksy singer for the rest of his life, and when he wasn\u2019t making musical detours into jazz and world music, he wanted the chance to make mature rock songs that people could relate to the same way that they would if a friend had dropped by to tell them a story.<\/p>\n

While that freedom of expression did create a bit of a rub between him and Art Garfunkel back in the day, it\u2019s not like his singing partner wasn\u2019t justified. Neither of them was going to sing lyrics that they didn\u2019t believe in, and even if it was at the cost of losing songs like \u2018Cuba Si Nixon No\u2019, it did end up making for a much better final product when listening to\u00a0Bridge Over Troubled Water.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Simon started flexing his muscles, though, pop music had started to go through a bit of a change. There had always been bubble gum artists from the days of listening to The Monkees, and while there\u2019s nothing wrong with someone making a catchy tune that makes people tap their feet, no one had the same kind of staying power that Barry Manilow had at his prime in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether you were an avid top 40 listener or casually walking down the street, it was impossible to escape songs like \u2018I Write the Songs\u2019 or \u2018Copacabana\u2019 whenever they came on the radio. Each of them was an absolutely brilliant piece of music, but Simon was definitely looking for something with a bit more substance.<\/p>\n

As far as he could see, all of Manilow\u2019s work was nothing but shallow half the time,\u00a0saying, \u201cI question what emotion Manilow touches. People are entertained by him. But are they emotionally moved? I don\u2019t believe anything that Barry Manilow sings.\u201d While that\u2019s certainly fair, listening to some of his more toothless productions, but that\u2019s simply not how everyone chooses to listen to music, either.<\/p>\n

There are always going to be people who flock to everyone from Simon to Dylan to Joni Mitchell to hear someone\u2019s take on life, but there\u2019s nothing wrong with the spectacle of it, either. After all, art is entertainment, and when someone has the right idea, they don\u2019t always need the intimate songs in their arsenal. It\u2019s nice when some of them can branch out, but it\u2019s not like everyone is asking people like Alice Cooper or Kiss to suddenly get sentimental whenever they sing their classics.<\/p>\n

That kind of music speaks to people in a much different way, and even if it isn\u2019t the ideal model for songwriters like Simon thought, Manilow certainly deserves his place in the world. Not everything that he played was heartfelt in the same way \u2018The Sound of Silence\u2019 was, but there\u2019s a reason why people are listening to his best material, much like everyone listened to songs by ABBA. They\u2019re not always the most thoughtful thing in the world, but it\u2019s easy to admire the sheer craftsmanship of those melodies.<\/p>\n

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