# RIP Neil Sedaka **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 27, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064 "2026-02-27T23:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/1 "2026-02-27T23:21:06Z")
[Neil Sedaka, songwriter to the stars for decades, dies at 86](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/neil-sedaka-songwriter-dies-86-rcna261065) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/2 "2026-02-27T23:32:15Z")
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: > [@](#): > > Francis told them they wrote beautiful ballads but that they were too intellectual for the young generation. Ye gods. The song of theirs that Francis eventually recorded was "Stupid Cupid’. Much later they teamed up on “Love Will Keep Us Together”. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/3 "2026-02-27T23:32:18Z")
I just heard this on NBC News. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/4 "2026-02-27T23:49:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > He did have a knack for writing and recording tuneful pop, sugary/sappy though it was. Myself, I preferred his song _[Bad Blood](https://youtu.be/zXpLlpJ5Qnc?si=c7Qi-j4y8PkoR6GM)_, definitely not sugary/sappy. I think it was the second time we heard bitch on the radio that year. RIP dude. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/5 "2026-02-27T23:53:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/6 "2026-02-27T23:57:27Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/7 "2026-02-27T23:57:50Z")
I have always been a sucker for “Laughter in the Rain”. RIP Neil ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/8 "2026-02-27T23:58:39Z")
After a while they sat under a tree. And I turned off the radio. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/9 "2026-02-28T00:01:39Z")
Growing up, I always liked his songs, and even today, I like his personality. He will be missed. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/10 "2026-02-28T00:17:58Z")
Break up hard voodoo. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1oYizA4nI40/hqdefault.jpg "February 27, 2026") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oYizA4nI40) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/11 "2026-02-28T01:18:35Z")
Neil was a gifted songwriter. RIP I like _Laughter in the Rain_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/H9Pm4vMJSjU/maxresdefault.jpg "Laughter In The Rain") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Pm4vMJSjU) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/12 "2026-02-28T03:18:59Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > especially the slower re-working of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”. I have a piano arrangement of this, with somewhat jazzy, bluesy chords and it is musically a terrific song. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/13 "2026-02-28T03:37:30Z")
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. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qNfY62BbInw/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/qNfY62BbInw?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDqNfY62BbInw ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/14 "2026-02-28T03:55:17Z")
In the 1970s during my teen years he was all over AM radio. RIP Neil. Thank you for the music. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/15 "2026-02-28T04:19:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/16 "2026-02-28T05:43:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/17 "2026-02-28T05:47:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/18 "2026-02-28T10:40:00Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > In the 1970s during my teen years he was all over AM radio. RIP Neil. Thank you for the music. 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). ➜ [Dara Sedaka - IMDb](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0781224) 🔲 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](https://youtu.be/dv-7PZK4Le0) 🔲 [![](https://i.imgur.com/O8TP7fP.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/O8TP7fP.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/19 "2026-02-28T10:44:46Z")
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 …”_ ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064/20 "2026-02-28T10:59:31Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I almost titled this “Sedaka is Dead, bah bah bah dah”, but it felt too irreverent. 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. > [@Bullitt](#): > > 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. The song is available on iTunes. Downloaded. It was only 99¢. Thank you, Neil and Dara Sedaka. [![](https://i.imgur.com/GvmT02w.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/GvmT02w.jpeg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-neil-sedaka/1028064.md?page=2)