>>> AND THAT'S YOUR LATEST WEATHER.
SAVANNAH? >> ALL RIGHT, AL, THANK YOU SO
MUCH. WE'RE JUST CHATTING WITH BARRY
MANILOW, BECAUSE WE ARE SO EXCITED, HE'S AN ICON, HE'S HERE
AND AMASSED A TOP 50 TOP HITS IN HIS CAREER.
>> HE'S BEEN NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY IN EVERY SINGLE DECADE,
GOING BACK TO THE '70s. >> HIS 30th STUDIO ALBUM,ALBUM,
IS MY TOWN: SONGS OF NEW YORK" COMES OUT TOMORROW.
WE ARE NOT WORTHY. >> NO, NO, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME. >> THIS ALBUM IS A LOVE-LETTER
TO NEW YORK. YOU ARE A NEW YORK KID.
>> I AM. WILLIAMSBORO, BROOKLYN.
>> WILLIAMSBORO IS THE PLACE TO GO GET KALE JUICE.
BUT NOT THEN. >> TAXI DRIVERS WOULDN'T TAKE ME
BACK TO WILLIAMSBURG. IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS.
YEAH, THAT'S WHERE I COME FROM. POVERTY AND IMMIGRANTS AND
DANGEROUS, THAT'S WHERE I COME FROM.
NOT ANYMORE, THOUGH. >> THE NEW YORK YOU SING ABOUT,
WHICH SONGS DID YOU CHOOSE? >> WELL, HALF A BIT IS ORIGINAL
SONGS AND HALF A BIT IS GREAT STANDARDS.
AND CHOOSING THESE GREAT -- I HAD NO IDEA THERE WERE THAT MANY
GREAT STANDARDS WRITTEN ABOUT NEW YORK, BUT SOME GREAT
SONGWRITERS, THAT TOOK THE LONGEST.
AND THEN TO ARRANGE THEM SO IT MADE SENSE FOR ME TO SING THEM.
BUT IT WAS GREAT. IT WAS GREAT.
I LOVE THAT IT TOOK OVER A YEAR TO DO THIS ONE, BECAUSE I WANTED
IT TO BE RIGHT. YEAH.
>> THOSE MADE HEADLINES RECENTLY BECAUSE YOU PUBLICLY CAME OUT
FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE REACTION HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE.
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU? >> IT'S BEEN GREAT.
IT'S OLD NEWS TO ME. AND OLD NEWS TO EVERYBODY AROUND
ME, FAMILY, FRIENDS, BAND. I THINK EVEN FANS, I DON'T THINK
IT WAS NEWS AT ALL, BUT THE "INQUIRER" KIND OF CAUGHT US
GETTING MARRIED. SO WE WERE STUCK.
SO WE LET "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE COME ON IN.
BUT I'M A PRIVATE GUY. I'M A MUSICIAN.
YOU KNOW, YES, FAME HIT ME, BUT I NEVER REALLY WANTED TO GO ON
THAT RIDE. SO I KEPT MY DOGS TO MYSELF.
I KEPT MY HOME TO MYSELF. AND SO THIS PART IS IS
UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT NOT, YOU KNOW, THE TOPIC, NO, I'M NOT
UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THAT. GARY AND I HAVE BEEN TOGETHER 40
YEARS. >> THAT'S AMAZING.
>> FOR ANYBODY. >> YOU ALWAYS LET THE MUSIC
SPEAK FOR YOU. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S WHERE YOUR
HEART IS. >> THAT'S IT.
>> SO WE OBVIOUSLY PRESSURED YOU INTO SINGING "COPACABANA" THIS
MORNING. IS THAT THE NUMBER ONE SONG
PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR? >> I THINK SO.
>> IT IS. WHY?
IT'S KIND OF MY GO-TO KARAOKE SONG.
>> DO YOU SING IT? >> I DON'T KNOW WE CALL IT
SINGING, BARRY. THEY ARE TRYING TO CUE UP THE
MUSIC. NO.
>> THAT'S A LOT OF LYRIC. >> IT IS.
BUT THAT IS WHY IT IS SUCH A SHOW-STOPPER IN KARAOKE, THE
YELLOW FEATHERS, THE DRESS DOWN TO THERE, THE MERENGUE, THE
CHA-CHA. DO YOU STILL ENJOY SINGING IT?
>> I DO. WE EXPECT EXPECT IT TO BE A HUGE
RECORD AT ALL. THOSE WERE THE DAYS OF BALANCE
AND STUFF. AND IT IS SUCH A NOVELTY SONG,
WE THOUGHT, IT'S A WONDERFUL PIECE, BUT IT WILL JUST BE ON
THE ALBUM. AND IT JUST EXPLODED BY ITSELF.
YOU KNOW, ON THE DANCE CHARTS AND STUFF.
IT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE. AND NOW IT'S WOUND UP TO BE, YOU
MENTIONED MY NAME, PEOPLE SAY "COPACABANA" AFTER ALL THE
RECORDS, IT'S "COPACABANA". >> 47 SONGS IN THE TOP 40, 12
NUMBER ONE HITS, WHAT A CAREER. >> WHAT A RIDE IT'S BEEN.
IT'S BEEN A CRAZY RIDE. >> YOU'RE GOING TO SING FOR US
THIS MORNING. DO YOU STILL LOVE CONNECTING
WITH THE FANS LIKE THAT? >> I DO.
YEAH. I DO.
THEY ARE JUST GREAT PEOPLE. YOU SHOULD WALK DOWN THE STREET
WITH ME SOME DAY. THESE STRANGERS SAY THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO ME. >> WHAT DO THEY SAY?
>> THEY THANK ME FOR HELPING THEM THROUGH THEIR LIVES.
YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT I'VE HAD ON PEOPLE, IT IS JUST -- SORRY.
>> I READ BOB DYLAN GRABBED YOU AT ONE POINT AND WAS LIKE, BAH
BARRY, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
>> HE MAY HAVE BEEN STONED. I DON'T KNOW.
I BELIEVED IT, THAT'S ALL. >> BARRY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU
SAW THE SHOW, BUT YOUR FANS ARE OUT THERE WAITING IN THE RAIN.
THEY CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR