Neil Sedaka, songwriter and hitmaker over multiple generations, dies at 86

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Neil Sedaka, an irrepressible songsmith who parlayed his compositional skills into popular stardom during the tallness of the Brill Building epoch successful the 1960s and aboriginal staged an easy-listening comeback successful the 1970s, has died astatine property 86. No origin of decease was instantly available.

“Our household is devastated by the abrupt passing of our beloved husband, begetter and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” the songwriter’s household wrote successful a connection to the Times. “A existent stone and rotation legend, an inspiration to millions, but astir importantly, astatine slightest to those of america who were fortunate capable to cognize him, an unthinkable quality being who volition beryllium profoundly missed.”

A chipper melodicist who ne'er attempted to disguise his sentimental streak, Sedaka emerged astatine the infinitesimal stone ’n’ roll’s archetypal large bang started to fizzle. As a songwriter and performer, Sedaka treated stone ’n’ rotation arsenic different fad to beryllium exploited, crafting cheerful, vivacious tunes targeted astatine teens who’d bop on to “Stupid Cupid” and swoon to “Where the Boys Are,” to sanction 2 songs helium and lyricist Howard Greenfield wrote for early-’60s popular idol Connie Francis. Sedaka himself became a prima done specified agleam confections arsenic “Calendar Girl,” “Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” the 1962 chart-topper that became his signature song.

Already falling retired of manner by the clip the Beatles arrived successful the United States, Sedaka didn’t upwind the emergence of the British Invasion: By the extremity of the 1960s, his deficiency of a grounds statement caused him to permission the States for England. Unlike his Brill Building adjacent Carole King — helium wrote “Oh! Carol,” his archetypal large hit, astir her — Sedaka wasn’t capable to refashion himself arsenic a hep singer-songwriter. Instead, helium relied connected showbiz hustle and savvy commercialized instincts, teaming up with the musicians that became the iconoclastic hitmakers 10cc connected records that positioned Sedaka squarely successful the soft-rock mainstream. Elton John signed the seasoned vocalist to his fledgling statement Rocket and Sedaka instantly had 2 No. 1 hits with “Laughter successful the Rain” and “Bad Blood,” a occurrence compounded by Captain & Tennille taking “Love Will Keep Us Together,” a tune from 1 of Sedaka’s albums with 10cc, to No. 1 successful 1975.

Sedaka’s 2nd stint successful the spotlight didn’t past overmuch longer than his archetypal flush of stardom — by 1980, helium was nary longer a Top 40 creator — but his ’70s comeback cemented his presumption arsenic a showbiz fixture, allowing him to carve retired a vocation onstage and, astatine times, onscreen. Occasionally, the satellite would crook and spot Sedaka backmost successful the mainstream, arsenic erstwhile helium appeared connected “American Idol” successful the aboriginal 2000s oregon erstwhile his 1971 creation “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?” was rejiggered into the World Cup novelty anthem (“(Is This the Way to) The World Cup”) successful 2006.

A descendant of Turkish and Ashkenazi Jews, Neil Sedaka was calved successful Brooklyn, N.Y., connected March 13, 1939. Growing up successful Brighton Beach, Sedaka exhibited a philharmonic proclivity astatine an aboriginal age, earning a soft assistance to Juilliard’s children’s part erstwhile helium was 8 years old. He studied classical soft for the adjacent fewer years, his ears being drawn to popular euphony each the while. At the property of 13, helium happened to conscionable a neighbour erstwhile they were some vacationing astatine a Catskills resort. She brought him to conscionable her son, an aspiring lyricist named Howard Greenfield, and the brace rapidly became a songwriting team, with Greenfield penning the words and Sedaka handling the music.

As Sedaka and Greenfield developed their originative partnership, Sedaka sang successful the Linc-Tones, a vocal radical that evolved into the Tokens conscionable anterior to his departure; helium near them anterior to their deed azygous “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Although helium didn’t wantonness his dreams of performing, Sedaka concentrated connected songwriting with Greenfield. Attempting to summation a foothold successful the Brill Building, the brace archetypal caught the attraction of Jerry Wexler, who had Clyde McPhatter and LaVern Baker chopped a mates of their tunes. Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus suggested to Sedaka and Greenfield that they would person amended luck astatine 1650 Broadway, wherever Al Nevins and Don Kirshner had conscionable opened their publishing institution Aldon Music.

Aldon signed Sedaka and Greenfield to a publishing woody — inactive a minor, Sedaka needed his parent to motion successful his stead — and the brace had their archetypal large deed erstwhile Connie Francis took “Stupid Cupid” into the Top 20 successful 1958. Not agelong after, Sedaka signed with RCA Records arsenic a performer. “The Diary,” inspired by Francis refusing Sedaka and Greenfield entree to her diary, became Sedaka’s archetypal deed azygous successful 1958 aft the doo-wop radical Little Anthony and the Imperials passed connected the accidental to grounds it first. Sedaka had trouble delivering a palmy sequel to his archetypal deed for RCA, truthful helium constructed “Oh! Carol” to mimic the lovelorn yet saccharine sounds filling the charts successful 1959. Sedaka’s gambit paid off: “Oh! Carol” was a Top 10 hit, fashionable capable to make an reply grounds — King’s husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote “Oh! Neil,” which failed to beryllium a deed for King.

With galore of stone ’n’ roll’s archetypal stars waylaid — Elvis Presley was successful the Army, Chuck Berry was embroiled successful ineligible problems, Little Richard near the euphony down for church, Jerry Lee Lewis’s vocation imploded — Sedaka stepped into the breach, offering well-scrubbed, buoyant tunes designed to reflector teenage concerns. “Stairway to Heaven,” “Calendar Girl,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Next Door to an Angel” each bounced to a agleam bushed and boasted ornate arrangements that highlighted Sedaka’s youthful cheer.

While helium was ensconced successful the Top 10, Sedaka continued to constitute hits for different artists, remaining a regular composer for Francis but besides reaching the charts with Jimmy Clanton. He’d occasionally moonlight successful the workplace too: He plays soft connected “Dream Lover,” 1 of Bobby Darin‘s biggest hits.

By the clip the Beatles and the British Invasion took implicit teen bedrooms and the popular charts successful 1964, Sedaka’s hit-making streak had tally dry. Panicked, helium recorded “It Hurts to Be successful Love,” an operatic popular opus co-written by Greenfield and Helen Miller. Rushing into a adjacent demo studio, Sedaka chopped a mentation that was acceptable for radio, but RCA refused to merchandise it, connected the grounds that it lone released records made successful its studios. Gene Pitney took the track, subbed his vocals for Sedaka’s and coiled up with a Top 10 deed astatine a clip Sedaka couldn’t interruption the Top 40. Sedaka aboriginal claimed, “It was horrible. That would person been my No. 1 song, my comeback song.”

After his woody with RCA expired successful 1966, Sedaka started playing hotels successful the Catskills and clubs connected the East Coast, venues that grew progressively smaller with each passing year. He continued to get enactment arsenic a songwriter, penning songs for the Monkees (“The Girl I Left Behind Me,” “When Love Comes Knockin’ astatine Your Door”) with lyricist Carole Bayer, and the 5th Dimension (“Workin’ connected a Groovy Thing”) with Roger Atkins.

Faced with dwindling prospects successful the United States, Sedaka began to regularly circuit England and Australia successful the precocious 1960s. By the dawn of the ’70s, helium realized that the times had changed astir him: “The epoch of the singer-songwriter had begun and I was being near behind. I needed to beryllium portion of it. I wanted to beryllium a portion of it. I wanted it with a vengeance!” He returned to RCA with “Emergence,” a mellow grounds designed to travel King’s “Tapestry” onto the radio, but that airplay ne'er materialized: Sedaka was inactive seen arsenic a relic of the aboriginal ’60s.

Frustrated with the disinterest successful “Emergence,” Sedaka decamped to the U.K., moving its nine circuit until helium was introduced to Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley, a radical of British popular veterans who soon would signifier the art-pop outfit 10cc. The quartet brought Sedaka into their Strawberry Studios — a spot wherever they recorded a fig of bizarre bubble-gum hits nether specified pseudonyms arsenic Crazy Elephant and Hotlegs — and backed him connected 1972’s “Solitaire” album, whose rubric way was his archetypal collaboration with lyricist Phil Cody; it’d aboriginal beryllium covered by Elvis Presley.

“Solitaire” gave Sedaka his archetypal U.K. deed successful astir a decennary with “That’s When the Music Takes Me.” Encouraged, the singer-songwriter reunited with 10cc successful 1973 for “The Tra-La-La Days are Over,” an medium that featured the bubbly “Love Will Keep Us Together.” By the clip Sedaka released “Laughter successful the Rain” successful 1974, helium had severed ties with 10cc and recovered a caller benefactor successful Elton John.

Then astatine the tallness of his phenomenal 1970s popularity, John signed Sedaka to his precocious launched American imprint Rocket Records. Rocket repackaged highlights from the 10cc records arsenic “Sedaka’s Back,” adding “Laughter successful the Rain” for bully measure. The lush fig dilatory worked its mode up the charts, yet reaching No. 1 connected Billboard successful 1975. “Bad Blood,” a lively duet with an uncredited Elton John, followed “Laughter successful the Rain” to the apical of the popular charts aboriginal successful ’75, arriving conscionable aft Captain & Tennille had a No. 1 with “Love Will Keep Us Together.”

Elton John and Neil Sedaka successful 1975.

Sedaka’s comeback cooled arsenic rapidly arsenic it had ignited. He reached the little rungs of the Top 40 a mates of times successful 1976, parted ways with Rocket, past signed to Elektra successful 1977, releasing a bid of records that recovered him countering his satiny casual listening with a louche streak connected specified songs arsenic “Sleazy Love,” “One Night Stand” and “Junkie for Your Love.”

“Should’ve Never Let You Go,” a duet with his daughter, Dara, became his past charting deed successful 1980. He published a memoir, “Laughter successful the Rain: My Own Story,” successful 1982 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame successful 1983. By the mid-’80s, helium had drifted toward the oldies circuit, revisiting his hits successful the workplace and onstage, turning his songbook into signifier productions: The jukebox philharmonic “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” arrived successful 2005, and the philharmonic biography “Laughter successful the Rain” followed 5 years later. He returned to classical euphony for 1995’s “Classically Sedaka.” He recorded a postulation of Yiddish songs, “Brighton Beach Memories,” successful 2003, and a children’s album, “Waking Up Is Hard to Do,” successful 2009.

Occasionally, Sedaka would reemerge connected a bigger stage. In 2003, helium showed up arsenic a impermanent justice connected the 2nd play of “American Idol,” declaring its runner-up Clay Aiken was “ear delicious.” A fewer years later, “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?,” a bubble-gum opus Sedaka wrote and Tony Christie recorded successful 1971, was revived successful 2006, erstwhile it was utilized arsenic the ground for the novelty “Is This the Way to the World Cup?”

On Oct. 26, 2007, Lincoln Center honored Sedaka’s 50 years successful showbiz with a gala performance featuring Natalie Cole, David Foster and Clay Aiken. He continued to enactment steadily implicit the adjacent 2 decades, releasing a fistful of caller records but focusing connected concerts. When the COVID-19 pandemic deed successful 2020, helium took his amusement online, holding mini-concerts connected societal media.

Sedaka is survived by his wife, Leba, girl Dara and lad Marc, and 3 grandchildren.

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