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George Scott

Nick de Grunwald

Neil Sedaka: King of Song

Documentaries

Music: Classic Pop & Rock

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

14/02/2014

BBC Four - Neil Sedaka: King of Song

Documentary portrait telling the story of singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka's life and career.

Documentary portrait of US singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, who recorded and sang a number of instantly recognisable tunes as well as writing a string of hits for other artists.

Neil Sedaka is one of the most successful American singer-songwriters of the last century. A classically trained musician, he won a scholarship to the Juilliard School at the age of nine and four years later he embarked on a writing career that would see him create some of the most perfect pop songs of all time. Throughout his career he wrote, recorded and sang a number of instantly recognisable and memorable tunes, as well as delivering a string of hits as a songwriter for other artists.

This documentary portrait film tells the story of Neil Sedaka's life and career, in which he had two distinct periods of success. Between 1958 and 1963 he sold over 25 million records, but then his career nose-dived after the Beatles and the British Invasion hit the USA. Leaving his homeland, he found success in the UK in the early 1970s and relaunched his career before returning to the US and achieving new stardom with songs like Solitaire and Laughter in the Rain.

Neil gives great insight into how he created catchy classics like Calendar Girl, (Is This the Way to) Amarillo, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and Stupid Cupid, amongst many others.

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