Melissa Manchester is one of the most underrated talents of the last 50 years

I was at a benefit concert last year and talked to her after. She was just lovely. I agree-she should have had a bigger career. Gorgeous voice.

Agreed

Great voice but i always thought her material was horrible.

Oh, it's the OP of False Grievance About Old Talents.

Again.

Melissa Manchester was a former Staggering Harlette (backup singer) for Bette Midler.

She studied songwriting at New York University with Paul Simon when she was 19. Manchester played the Manhattan club scene, where Barry Manilow, a friend and fellow singer of jingles, introduced her to Bette Midler. In 1971, she became a member of the Harlettes, the back-up singers for Midler, which she co-created with Manilow.

Yes, Ms. Manchester is a great singer/songwriter. She's has a great career. In 2023, she played Mrs. Brice in the US national tour of the Broadway musical Funny Girl, the same role Kay Medford played in the movie.

Her songs were everywhere in the early 80s. Don't Cry Out Loud, Almost Over You...

'Midnight Blue'...love it.

Don’t cry out loud is a wretched song.

She was much better than I expected her to be in the tour of Funny Girl. She really did a great job as Mrs. Brice

Terrible singer, she knows nothing about breathing or technique.

At one time, she was considered the queen of movie theme songs, with two movie themes she sang being nominated for Oscars in the same year, "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles and "The Promise" from the movie of the same name.

Mason Reese too!

R10 - Montserrat Fucking Caballé

MCA really screwed her over when they released "Nice Girls" as the single from her 'Greatest Hits' album in the 1980s instead of 'My Boyfriend's Back / Runaway' as originally planned.

Two years before Streisand released "Higher Ground", Manchester recorded the song - and sang it much, much better.

Streisand probably would have killed to introduce this one. It would have been perfect for her.

It's has a big fat melodramatic melody that a voice can really dig in to.

Melissa Manchester co-wrote and does a fine job with it.

Toni Tennille does a knock out version of it.

What a shame we no longer have voices like any of these ladies.

As Melissa Mynchester she would have been huge.

One of my favorites

I have this weird recollection of Bette Davis on The Tonight Show telling Johnny Carson that she spent New Year’s Eve at Melissa Manchester’s house. Not sure why that’s stuck with me all these years.

My apologies - Arista was her label in 1983 and released her "Greatest Hits' Album. She signed with MCA in 1985, when her Arista contract expired (still angry with Clive Davis for not spinning of MBB/R as a single in 1983).

Another masterpiece from 1995 which went ignored:

Here's the 1983 single which Manchester wanted released to radio, but Arista dropped right before release. It was released as a 12" to clubs and was a huge hit - especially the gay dance clubs that summer.

Mathematics was a really good pop album. The problem was the label chose the title track for lead single with no music video for it. All Tied Up, Victims of a Modern Hear or Energy would have been much better choices to promote it.

And the cover art really overdid it trying to sell her as a pop diva.

Rotate your tires.

Love this minor hit of hers but the performance here is like she had a bad bump of coke before coming out to entertain. Like the younger sister of Lainie Kazan doing Copacabana on the Jerry Lewis Telethon …

[quote]Terrible singer, she knows nothing about breathing or technique.

You have to laugh at the posters who always show up in a discussion about pop singers and start going on about breathing and technique or whatever. That's not what pop singing is about.

We even had one criticizing Frank Sinatra's "upper register". Frank Fucking SINATRA.

OP, you should hear how she talks about YOU.

"Wouldn't you give your heart to a friend? Think of me as your friend."

Midnight Blue

She’s the ‘sweet Melissa’ in Barry Manilow’s ‘Could it be Magic’. He had to come up with a female name and she was with the same label at the time.

R24 Was she performing at a frat party in that one?

"Don't Cry Out Loud" is a song Clive Davis forced on her, she didnt write it. The rest of that album was mostly written by Manchester and produced by Leon Ware and is outstanding. Before her debut LP she wrote "Easy" for Bette Midler. Midler recorded it but never released it. It became an early concert staple for Manchester.

Another great song is her cover of the song 'Johnny and Mary' from her 1983 album, 'Emergency'. Why it wasn't released as a single is beyond me.

Robert Palmer originally wrote the song, recorded it and released it in 1980. It didn't chart on the Hot 100 in the US.

Tina Turner covered the song in 1982, for the motion picture soundtrack 'Summer Lovers'. It was never released as a single.

Manchester's is the best.

I think “Thief of Hearts” is a fantastic bop from a stupid movie that sums up the 1984 sound. Plus, it has Steven Bauer from the movie doing the video.

My fave MM song is "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" - total early #80s bop - dig Melissa's "New Romantic" ensemble in this clip

R22...Totally agree, "Energy" was the obvious lead single. Why it wasn't actually chosen as the lead single made no sense. The title track not hitting as hard as was expected lost interest & momentum in a really terrific album that deserved better. Mathematics is as competent as any other album released by a female in '85. Manchester's voice is at its finest, each song stand on its own with its own hook & it still sounds good today. She definitely showed up to make a top level hit record. So weird that MCA just wasn't there for the hand-off & failed to realize the album's potential. Again, what a missed opportunity without "Energy" kicking the whole thing off.

Don't Cry Out Loud was used to great effect in Drop Dead Gorgeous, when the anorexic girl lip synched to it on stage.

She’s wonderful.

Melissa Manchester? Was she on British Drag Race? I prefer Sally Sheffield.

I still remember hearing Don't Cry Out Loud as a long distance dedication on Casey Kasem from a woman to her recently deceased cat.

It was the MARY!est moment of MARY! that ever MARY!ed.

Carol King was a much better songwriter.

The movie "Dirty Girl" with Juno Temple is about a gay boy in the 1980s obsessed with Melissa Manchester. The final scene features Juno singing "Don't Cry Out Loud," and Manchester herself has a blink or you'll miss it cameo at the end as her piano accompanist.

It's a cute movie that should've gotten more attention.

I think what happened to Manchester starting in 1983 is the same thing which happened to her other hit-making peers (Streisand, ONJ, Donna Summer, Carly Simon, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, etc.) : Top 40 pushed them all aside to make way for Madonna, Laura Brannigan, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston). Even though Manchester was delivering some of the best pop / dance music in her career, radio had their eyes on the new gals.

In 1989, Manchester delivered 'Tribute' - and album dedicated to the singers which influenced her singing career. One of the most beautiful albums in her career - her rendition of Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" will bring tears to your eyes.

She recently did an album remaking her old hits. Apparently she's trying to get her masters, so she had to rerecord her old songs.

But it has a lovely duet with Dolly Parton on Midnight Blue.

for those who might not be familiar with her appearances on Stars in the House during covid

I've never been a fan, but saw her perform several years ago and she was excellent.

To studied and mannered. The Katy Perry of her generation. Everything about her pop years just seems so fake. Boring. Predictable. Not for nothing but who the hell cries when a circus came to town?

Tidbits:

Smoked dope with her in my dorm room years ago when she was doing the college coffee house circuit.

Saw her perform two years ago in a small venue and she put on a hell of a show.

She co-wrote 'Whenever I Call You Friend' with Kenny Loggins, and she was hella disappointed that Loggins went ahead and recorded it with Stevie Nicks. Loggins talks about it in his book and I can't remember his reasoning at the time for using Nicks rather than Manchester, but he says in the book that it was a mistake and. that he should have sung it with Manchester. Their version together - after all these years - is below.

As for Clive Davis forcing her to sing 'Don't Cry...', she says:

[quote]In a 2015 interview Manchester stated: "Clive Davis remembers history his way and I remember history my way. He remembers bringing me 'Don’t Cry Out Loud'. I remember being friends with Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager and hearing 'Don’t Cry Out Loud' as a very quiet song, bringing it to him and saying yes, it's gorgeous, let's do it the way Peter did it—as beautiful and quiet. Then I showed up in the studio and the cannons blew on this huge version—which turned out beautifully, it turned out as a gift.

She tells the same story in her show.

She's also recorded two interesting cover albums called 'Tribute', female artists, and 'The Fellas', male artists.

Her self-produced album 'You Gotta Love the Life' is terrific. I think she still doesn't have a recording contract, and crowd funds her music. That may have changed more recently.

Nobody who was my backup singer outshines me

- Bette

Manchester is a MUCH better vocalist than Midler. Midler is a musical stylist that picks interesting music that (mostly) suits her voice.

My cat is a much better vocalist than Midler.

music video of 2024 Midnight Blue redo with Dolly Parton

I love this thread! Thank you to all of you who have posted and provided links to so many different songs, as well as all of the context behind them and other insightful comments!

Forgotten for 43 of those 50 years, and for good reason if I can recall.

Thank you, r50. That was lovely.

I saw her when I was an undergrad in the early 70's. What a dynamic performer. If there was an instrument on that stage she didn't play, I would be surprised.

[quote]R8 Don’t cry out loud is a wretched song.—Baby

But catchy.

There’s a Pat Benatar song with the same twisted message:

She didn´t have the range!

Carole Bayer Sager..... what was the falling out about?

and why has it lasted so long? it's still on?

Melissa said to Carole "bitch you've been wearing that same ratty-ass K Mart wig for forty years. Time to get a new one." Carole has never spoken to her again.

The wig was the Elizabeth Taylor Special.

.........well Melissa wasn't at Carole's 80th birthday luncheon.......

I think Melissa Manchester is brilliant. She made great recordings for a good 10 years. Everything from "Home to Myself" through "Mathematics" has one or more fantastic moments.

I don't think it was a falling out. They still shout each other out from time to time on social media. I just think their careers moved in different directions. Melissa left the business for a while in the 90's. Carole went and got married to a studio bigwig and seems very entrenched in the Hollywood scene. Melissa has a lot of theater and cabaret gays as besties. Think Michael Feinstein, Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch.

thanks R61....

Do DLers like Melissa's early stuff better than the later adult contemporary hits?

Her recording output is a bit schizo.... does anyone else think that created a problem for her?

My favorites, r62, are Midnight Blue, Come in from the Rain, Don't Cry Out Loud, and Better Days.

I think there are a ton of artists like Manchester that had the vocals and talent to become a star, but their timing and material were off. Julia Fordham comes to mind.

Melissa could have had a long, successful, niche career as an earthy, easy listening pop vocalist, a la Carole King.

But somewhere in the early 1980s, somebody decided to try and turn her into a modern, trendy pop tart. She lost a ton of weight, got a short, punkish hairstyle, and somehow struck gold with "You Should Hear How She Talks About You." After that, there was no turning back. Either she and/or her management were bound and determined to keep her on that dance music goddess train, which eventually pulled into Obscurity Station, instead of focusing on what she did best - writing and singing sentimental, torchy love songs.

I mean, who the hell talked her into this shit? Yikes.

Carole Bayer Sager in her memoir said their writing partnership fell apart because one night around 76-77 she attended one of Melissa's concerts where she proceeded to thank virtually everyone associated with her career incuding the venue janitor except Carole. When confronted about it, Manchester swore it didn;t even dawn on her to do so. Carole then decided to not get so associated with one singer so they stopped collaborating although Melissa would record some of Sager's tunes written with others after that.

Melissa's career turn to pop & dance was inforced by Clive Davis since although she felt she should've been more of a Laura Nyro/Bonnie Raitt singer she wasn't coming up with commercial hits in that style. Davis wrote in his memoir if she could've consistently kept writing things like Come In From The Rain that wouldn't have been an issue but since she couldn't he forced her into all those bombastic pop tunes and dance cuts for her singles.

Linking to a YouTube copy of a live performance in the early 80s of You Should Hear How She Talks About You. I came back to this during Covid times and watched it occasionally because it was such nostalgia-bait in 2020 and the pandemic shitshow.

One of my earliest memories is of being seated in the back of my mom’s car and this song being on the radio. It would kind of prompt her to rock out to it in traffic.

R60...You linked one of my most fave tracks from MM, as well as one of my faves from the 80s. Love the sound of this song.

[quote]Davis wrote in his memoir if she could've consistently kept writing things like Come In From The Rain that wouldn't have been an issue

Which is interesting because he never released that song as a single.

Melissa had actually tried getting out of her Arista contract in 1981, but they had settled and a few months later "Race to the End" was released as a single (in an attempt to ride the wave of the success of its movie "Chariots of Fire") but went nowhere.

"You Should Hear" got a lot of buzz through radio airplay, taking off somewhere in the summer of 82. It went on to become one of the top selling songs of that year.

For some inexplicable reason another single wasn't released off of that album. Instead the public got "Nice Girls", which is pretty much a carbon, note for note copy of "You Should Hear".

Manchester sounded best when she sang Soul music. She could do so credibly and those are my favorite songs of hers.

Easy

Holdin' Onto The Lovin'

You Can Make It All Come True

Lovers After All

Knowing My Love's Alive

I Wanna Be Where You Are

You Make It Easy

Shine Like You Should

Singing' From My Soul

Your Place or Mine

Melissa Manchester and Bette Davis

circa 1996 she toured in an Andrew Lloyd Webber In Concert tour for a couple of months.