|
The
Archies said it best in their song "I'm In Love" ... if there ain't no doubt about it, you've got
to get up and shout it!* Come on and shout it, then . . . Jeff Barry is one of the greatest pop songwriters
ever, and there ain't no doubt about that! (He wrote "I'm In Love," by the way.) As far as we're concerned,
you can have your Gershwins, your Cole Porters, and all those others. No disrespect intended, but when it comes down
to rock 'n' roll, Jeff Barry is the man. In his forty-five years (and counting) as a professional songwriter,
he's written over one-hundred charting songs. He's scored hits in all the major markets: Pop, Rhythm and Blues,
Adult Contemporary, Dance/Disco and Country. Seven of his tunes have topped the American Pop charts. Jeff has
also composed for numerous movie soundtracks and stage musicals, and he's written theme songs for no less than four popular
American television series: "Family Ties", "One Day At A Time", "Archie", and everybody's favorite, "The Jeffersons."
Not to put too fine a point on it ... but this dude packs more talent in his pinkie finger than most folks lug around in their
whole bodies!
When Jeff
sits down at his piano, there's no limit to what he can create. He can write wickedly catchy Bubblebum rock tunes like
"Sugar, Sugar." Then he'll turn around and write a tragic ballad like "Tell Laura I Love Her." Or he'll rock you
out with a sassy number like "Hanky Panky." He'll bring a tear to your eye with a tender love song like "I Honestly
Love You." He'll lay a soulful groove like "Heavy Makes You Happy" on you when you least expect it. Or he might
stir your spirit with a gospel-flavored anthem, say, "River-Deep, Mountain-High." If you only bought records written
or produced by Jeff Barry, you could easily fill your music collection with the cream of twentieth-century Pop music.
On the majority of songs he was involved with, Jeff was the primary lyricist. We think his lyrics are pure poetry, but
you don't have to take our word for it. Judge for yourself! Here are ten of his best.
|
