"I Need Your Help Barry Manilow" is a 1979 song by Dale Gonyea, sung by

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country music, country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian. He is best known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "M ...

.Satirist Ray Stevens Turns Barry Manilow on His Musical Ear, People Magazine, May 28, 1979
/ref> It was the first track on Stevens' album, '' The Feeling's Not Right Again''. The single's release in March preceded the release of the album in June. The single reached number 49 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It spent a total of eight weeks on the chart. On the ''Cash Box'' Top 100, it peaked at number 34. It also charted in Canada and Australia.

Background

As with most of Stevens' songs, "I Need Your Help

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

" features a comedic story line. It also uses riffs reminiscent of many of Manilow's best known hits, led off with a musical phrase resembling the opening of "

I Write the Songs "I Write the Songs" is a popular song written by Bruce Johnston. Barry Manilow's version reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in January 1976 Bronson, Fred (2003). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Hits'', 5th Edition (Billboard Pub ...

". The fictional singer recounts a litany of unfortunate events in his life, some of which are comically trivial or nonsensical. He reaches the conclusion that he needs Manilow to sing one of his more melancholy and wistful songs to comfort him, as several of Manilow's biggest hits have story lines about suffering and misfortune, particularly in love gone awry. The second half of the second verse switches to a recitation that incorporates the titles of several Manilow songs in the monologue: " Mandy", " Copacabana", "

Can't Smile Without You "Can't Smile Without You" is a song written by Christian Arnold, David Martin and Geoff Morrow, and recorded by various artists including Barry Manilow and the Carpenters. It was first recorded and released by David Martin as a solo single in 19 ...

", " Weekend in New England", "

Could It Be Magic "Could It Be Magic" is a song written by Adrienne Anderson and composed by American singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, inspired by Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20. The song was initially released in 1971 by Featherbe ...

" and "

Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" is a song written by David Pomeranz that became a top 10 hit for Barry Manilow in 1976. It was first recorded by the Carpenters in 1975, but their version was not released until 1994 on their 25th anniversary CD ...

". The song also makes reference to MasterCharge, the

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...

, gossip columnist

Rona Barrett Rona Barrett (born Rona Burstein, October 8, 1936) is an American gossip columnist and businesswoman. She runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizen ...

, and a slogan for Dristan nasal spray. Just as the album's cover art is a spoof of Manilow's album ''

Tryin' to Get the Feeling ''Tryin' to Get the Feeling'' is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, released in 1975. It features the title track, " Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again", together with other hits including "New York City Rhythm", "Bandstan ...

'', so the single's cover art is a spoof of Manilow's album ''

Barry Manilow II ''Barry Manilow II'' is the second studio album by Barry Manilow released in 1974. Propelled by the major success of its lead single " Mandy" and featuring a further international hit in " It's a Miracle", the album was a commercial breakthrough ...

''.

Chart history

Weekly charts

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
{{authority control 1979 singles 1979 songs Songs about musicians Songs about pop music Barry Manilow Ray Stevens songs Warner Records singles Cultural depictions of pop musicians Novelty songs