I write the songs that make the whole world sing / I write the songs of love and special things / I write the songs that make the young girls cry / I write the songs, I write the songs, Barry Manilow croons in his 1975 hit “I Write the Songs.”
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The adult contemporary vocalist, however, did not write this song, so who did?
Who Wrote It?
“I Write the Songs” was written by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston in 1975 while on a brief hiatus from the surf rock group.
When the song first met the public ear, it was often rumored that Johnston wrote the tune about his Beach Boys bandmate and musical genius Brian Wilson. He has since stated that is not the case. “I never wrote ‘I Write The Songs’ about Brian Wilson,” he told Songfacts. “I wrote it about ‘where music comes from’ (for me, music comes only from God). My song has nothing to do with Brian! I admire Brian Wilson’s great melodies and, as a member of the Beach Boys, I’m singing these fantastic songs in concert year after year.”
Johnston would eventually record his own version of the song, releasing it on his 1977 album Going Public long after Manilow and several others made the song a hit.
The Versions
Three notable versions of “I Write the Songs” were all recorded in 1975 and released within months of each other. Yacht rock power couple Captain & Tennille were the first to release the Johnston tune on their acclaimed album Love Will Keep Us Together. David Cassidy’s version would follow shortly after. But it was Manilow’s rendition that would arrive later that year and trump them both.
“I Write the Songs” has since joined some of the soft rock star’s most enduring hits, like “Mandy,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa).”
(Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
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