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Singer/songwriter Randy Edelman wrote and recorded what he thought was a "Great Song of 1976," and although it was beautiful in its own way, it had some...let's say...interesting...chord progressions.
Clive Davis, the legendary record mogul, who was the head of Arista Records at the time, felt that those progressions could be modified to make the song more melodic. He called Randy, told him he liked the song, and very carefully pitched the changes. Clive assured Randy that if the changes were made, he'd have Barry Manilow record a cover, and it would be a hit.
Randy knew one thing was certain: if Clive Davis thought some changes would make the song better...he'd better make the changes!
So "Weekend in New England was rewritten, Barry recorded it, and the song went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in both the US and Canada! It also reached #9 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #10 on Canada's Top 40.
Trivia: The title does not appear in the song. The words "New England" are mentioned, but "weekend" is not.
So, as usual, Clive Davis was right: Randy Edelman had indeed written a "Great Song of the '70s," and Barry Manilow added another "Great Song" to his collection!
"Weekend in New England" Barry:
Randy:
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