"I Write the Songs"

David Cassidy, as his devoted fans will be the first to tell you, recorded this Bruce Johnston-penned song before Barry Manilow did. From what I've read, DC's version got limited promotion and airplay in North America and Manilow's version, released shortly after and backed by Clive Davis, head of the Arista record label, won the public's heart.

I've never been a Barry Manilow fan (I do like "Copacabana") so this song was just another one among his sappy repertoire, but I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover David's recording a few months ago. I like it now. To my ears, David Cassidy's rendition overflows with bluesy emotion while Barry Manilow's perfect vocals are duller than a butter knife. While I agree with one YouTuber's assessment that Manilow's version is "more organized and symphonic", I have to say that's what makes the song so trite for me.

What say you?

Here's Mr. Manilow's version which Mr. Johnston apparently considers "the definitive version". High praise from a Beach Boy.




And here's David Cassidy's recording. I prefer DC's live performance that was posted by Soxman2004 on YouTube but thought the visual a bit distracting and the sound too "scratchy" for comparison. Search for it though if you haven't come across it yet: it's worth a listen!