Listening to Barry Manilow is Like the Chicken Soup for your Soul

I didn't buy a lot of music when I was a kid or a teenager, or any time in my life really. I am satisfied by turning on the radio or letting the television babble on or I like silence. The absence of all but the hum of the refrigerator and other essentials.

However, Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits was the first album I ever bought. Mine was a cassette tape because my Mother had given me a cassette tape player for Christmas. Also, my Mom was the person who started me listening to Barry Manilow. She had several albums which we would put on while we worked together sewing, making bread or pies or folding laundry and so on.

Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits was the First Full Album I Ever Bought for Myself

I bought Barry Manilow because I wanted to hear him. Not just occasionally on the radio, randomly. I wanted to play his songs over and over and hear him sing all those words to an audience of just me. I was lonely and Barry Manilow always made me feel like someone else was out there and heard me, would care and understand what I was feeling.

Of course, I never met him and doubt I ever will. I don't need to meet him. Too often the illusion is spoiled by the reality anyway.

I don't still have that original cassette. I don't have the cassette player any more either. Most of the time if I think of a song I want to hear these days I just find it on YouTube and let it play. Sometimes I play the same one a couple of times. Sometimes I share the YouTube link on Facebook.

Sometimes I will send the song to my nephew, Zack for his younger perspective on my older music. Zack sings with the choir and has performed at school, in front of a paid audience in high school too. So Zack knows music more than I do. He doesn't think much of most of the music I love. Not because it's old or seems dated. He says most of them can't really sing very well. I never hear the difference myself. I just like the song.

I haven't tested Zack with a Barry Manilow song yet. Today could be the day. Hard to choose which one to send. No doubt I will find lots of them on YouTube.