Neil Sedaka (born March 13, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American pop singer, pianist, and songwriter often associated with the Brill Building. He teamed up with Howard Greenfield to write hits for himself and others. His father, Mac Sedaka, a taxi driver, was the son of Turkish-Jewish immigrants; his mother, Eleanor (Appel) Sedaka, was of Polish-Russian Jewish descent.
He demonstrated musical aptitude in his second-grade choral class, and when his teacher sent a note home suggesting he take piano lessons, his mother took a part-time job in an Abraham & Straus department store for six months to pay for a second-hand upright. He took to the instrument immediately. In 1947, he auditioned successfully for a piano scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music's Preparatory Division for Children, which he attended on Saturdays.
Oh Carol, I am but a fool
Darling, I love you though you treat me cruel
You hurt me and you make me cry
But if you leave me I will surely die
Darling there will never be another
Cause I love you so,
Don't ever leave me,
Say you'll never go
I will always want you for my sweetheart
No matter what you do
Oh! Carol, I'm so in love with you.
(¯`*•.¸¸PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION ¸¸.•*´¯)
Neil Sedaka fans believe it's high time for Neil to get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
PLEASE, CLICK HERE to sign the petition, started by Neil Sedaka fans!
The best-known Billboard Hot 100 hits of his early career are "The Diary" (#14, 1958), a song that he offered to Little Anthony and the Imperials; "Oh! Carol" (#9, 1959); "You Mean Everything to Me" (#17, 1960); "Calendar Girl" (#4, 1960); "Stairway to Heaven" (#9, 1960); "Run Samson Run" (top 30, 1960); "Little Devil" (#11, 1961); "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (#6, 1961); "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (#1, 1962); and "Next Door To An Angel" (#5, 1962). "Oh! Carol" refers to Sedaka's Brill Building compatriot and former girlfriend Carole King. King responded with her answer song, "Oh, Neil", which used Sedaka's full name. A Scopitone exists for "Calendar Girl". Sedaka wrote another hit, "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen".
On April 7, 2006, during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Sedaka was presented with an award from the Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums as writer of the best-selling single of the 21st century so far, "Amarillo".
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in October 2006.
In 1975, Sedaka recorded a new version of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do." The 1962 original was fast-tempo and bouncy teen pop, but the remake was slower and in the style of a jazz/torch piano arrangement. Lenny Welch had recorded the song in this style in 1970. It reached #8 on the pop charts in early 1976, making him the second artist to hit the US Top Ten twice with separate versions of the song, and the only artist to return to the Top Ten with a remake of their own #1 hit. Sedaka's second version of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
He worked with Elton John, who signed him to his Rocket Records label. Sedaka returned with a flourish, topping the charts twice with "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood" (both 1975). John provided backing vocals for the latter song. The flipside of "Laughter in the Rain" was "The Immigrant" (US pop #22, US AC #1), a wistful, nostalgic piece dedicated to John Lennon, which recalled the by-gone era when America was welcoming of immigrants, in contrast to the U.S. government's then-refusal to grant Lennon permanent resident status.
Sedaka attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, graduating in 1956. He has been married to his wife, Leba (Strassberg), since 1962. They have two children: a daughter, Dara, a recording artist and vocalist for television and radio commercials, and a son, Marc, a screenwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Samantha and three children. True to label to his song "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do". [wikipedia]
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4 comments:
I used to sing Neil Sedaka's songs. Who can forget 'Oh Carol!'?
Sunshine Girl ~ we used to twist the lyric those days like 'Oh Carol I'm bloody fool ..larling I lup u' lol.
Next round karaoke don't forget to key in Oh Carol....the one with the sexy bikini video....ha ha ha!
Yah hor one more round karaoke!
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