"I Made It Through the Rain" by Barry Manilow

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  0414
Date:  11/22/1980
Debut:  61
Peak:  10
Weeks:  16
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  The Manilow sound was going out of favor around this time as new wave and 80s pop starting taking over the radio. His tunes were now more associated with AC stations and getting shoved into the "easy listening" category. But before the hits really stopped for good, Manilow got out one last major hit. This single from his 1980 album "Barry" would just barely make it at #10, but it was his eleventh and final Top 10 hit. Although he would continue to put songs in the Top 40 for a few more years, this one closed a chapter in the superstar's career.

ReduxReview:  By this time, Manilow was really the king of big ballads. Besides "Copacabana," all his other Top 10 hits were ballads - most of them of the massive variety like this one. Out of all these, I'd have to say that this one would rank a bit lower than others. It's still prime quality Manilow, but when stacked up against biggies like "Looks Like We Made It" or "Weekend in New England," it kind of pales in comparison.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) This is a remake of a song originally co-written and recorded by Gerard Kenny. The song, which had the title of "Made It Thru the Rain" appeared on his 1979 album of the same name. The original lyrics were about a struggling musician. However, when Manilow heard the tune and decided to record it, he along with Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman changed the lyrics to be more general. So the opening line of "A true musician plays, through all the rainy days" became "We dreamers have our ways, of facing rainy days."  2) On the album "Barry" is a song called "The Last Duet." This upbeat disco-ish tune is a duet between Manilow and Lily Tomlin. The comedic song is about a break-up of a singing duo and features lines that are takes on other duet songs of the day like "don't go breakin' my back," "with you I'm bored again," and "you're not the one that I want."

_________________________________________________________________________________