Neil Sedaka, songwriter to the stars for decades, dies at 86
I almost titled this “Sedaka is Dead, bah bah bah dah”, but it felt too irreverent.
This guy was ubiquitous in the 70s, and had a genius for simple pop songs. RIP.
He did have a knack for writing and recording tuneful pop, sugary/sappy though it was.
I like this passage from his Wikipedia entry, which describes efforts he and co-writer Howard Greenfield made to get Connie Francis to record one of their songs:
Ye gods.
The song of theirs that Francis eventually recorded was "Stupid Cupid’.
Much later they teamed up on “Love Will Keep Us Together”.
I just heard this on NBC News.
Myself, I preferred his song Bad Blood, definitely not sugary/sappy. I think it was the second time we heard bitch on the radio that year.
RIP dude.
I wasn’t a fan of his 60s era stuff, but I did like some of the tunes he put out in the 70s, especially the slower re-working of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”. And I adored “Love Will Keep Us Together” as a nine-year-old. Less so as time passed. 
“Bad Blood” was a cool song, but I think it was more of Elton’s contributions than Sedaka’s that gave it its charm.
For those too young to remember the time, Neil Sedaka was major singer/songwriter of the early 60s who made a big comeback in the 70s with the help of Elton John. His forte was happy snappy pop songs with catchy hooks. I wasn’t a big fan during his 60s heyday but I did like the more mature music he turned out in the 70s. “Laughter in the Rain” is a perfect Pop song.
Yet another deserving hitmaker ignored by the R&R HOF.
I have always been a sucker for “Laughter in the Rain”.
RIP Neil
After a while they sat under a tree.
And I turned off the radio.
Growing up, I always liked his songs, and even today, I like his personality. He will be missed.
Break up hard voodoo.
Neil was a gifted songwriter.
RIP
I like Laughter in the Rain
I have a piano arrangement of this, with somewhat jazzy, bluesy chords and it is musically a terrific song.
I didn’t like the overwhelming majority of his popular songs, but he sang one song that makes up for all the others. He sang a song about the immigrant experience, coming to America and getting treated like shit, with the reminder that once up a time strangers had been welcome here, it had once been the land of opportunity.
It’s never been more apropos than right now, so thank you for singing that, Neil.
In the 1970s during my teen years he was all over AM radio. RIP Neil. Thank you for the music.
The radio station my parents listened to would play a lot of Neil Sedaka and such music. I still enjoy listening to it and find it both comforting and nostalgic. I believe my parents may have gone to a Sedaka concert at some point. RIP Neil.
My favorite was Love In The Shadows. I’d forgotten it for decades, and then I heard it on the radio and I’m like “Oh yea I love that song.” So I added it.
I was a fan of Sedaka pretty much from the time I started listening to popular music. Excellent songwriter, and a great singer, as well. “Bad Blood” is probably my favorite of his.
Godspeed, Neil.
Another thought on Neil Sedaka. I don’t think this song has been mentioned yet…
I’m reminded of this song I haven’t listened to in many MANY years. It’s from 1980, and per wiki it was Sedaka’s last top-40 pop hit. I just listened to it just now. I listen to XM radio’s 80s station often, and this song must not be all that popular because I don’t think I’ve ever heard it over there.
It was his duet with his daughter, Dara Sedaka, called “Should Have Never Let You Go”. Dara Sedaka was born in 1963 so when they released this song she was just about 17 and Neil was about 41.
Dara Sedaka doesn’t have a wiki page. Apparently she’s an actress and has an IMDb page. She was in “Where the Boys Are” (1984).
I can imagine that doing this duet together, father and daughter, must’ve been special for them, especially since it was a hit. Especially today for Dara, now that her dad has passed. I can imagine they did a lot of singing together as she was growing up. She has a nice voice.
While composing this post I just listened to this 4x straight. It’s a soft, quiet, and pretty song. I love harmony. I might add this to one of my play lists. I hope it’s available on iTunes.
Here is “Should Have Never Let You Go”, on YouTube.
➜ https://youtu.be/dv-7PZK4Le0 
Another vote for “Laughter in the Rain.”
I must say, though, that I really liked his “The Hungry Years.” Also his cocktail-piano version of “Breaking Up is Hard To Do.” I could sing both.
Rest well, Neil. You entertained us for years, and you’ve earned it.
“I miss the hungry years, the once upon a times, those lovely long agos, we didn’t have a dime, those days of me and you, we lost along the way …”
That was funny. I chuckled. Thank you for that. What song is that from? I can hear it in my head but I just can’t place it.
The song is available on iTunes. Downloaded. It was only 99¢.
Thank you, Neil and Dara Sedaka.
