I Write the Songs

"I Write the Songs" is a popular song written by Bruce Johnston in 1975 and made famous by Barry Manilow. Manilow's version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of #1 Hits, 5th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 425. after spending two weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart in December 1975.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 177. A Grammy Award for Song of the Year and nominated for Record of the Year in 1977, it became one of Manilow's signature songs.

The original version was recorded by The Captain & Tennille on their 1975 album, Love Will Keep Us Together, who worked with Bruce Johnston in the early 1970s with The Beach Boys. The first version I Write the Songs released as a single was by then teen-idol David Cassidy from his 1975 solo album The Higher They Climb, which was also produced by Bruce Johnston. Cassidy's version reached #11 on the UK Singles Chart in August of that year.

The title has been misunderstood to mean that the singer (or songwriter) "writes the songs", but the actual songwriter, The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston, has stated that the "I" in the song is "music".<ref...
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