Neil Sedaka's best ever song

'The Immigrant' isn't Neil Sedaka's best work IMO The most prescient, yes of course!! But I like his early schmaltz much better

 

I really like “Laughter in the Rain”

 

I like most of his hits, particularly some of the '60s ones like Calendar Girl and Next Door to an Angel, but as far as his best song is concerned I'll suggest Star-Crossed Lovers:

 

Calendar Girl.

 

"Laughter In the Rain" for me, as well.

Dig this impressive live version from 1974 on the Midnight Special. The band is great. Whoever the bass and sax players are, they are smokin' good.

 

Some of the songs already posted are great. A few make me cringe. I didn't like most of his early 60s songs, but "Oh Carol" was OK.

For me however this decision is easy - best song I have ever heard him do, by a long chalk, recorded in Australia which may be why it seems to be relatively unknown elsewhere:

 

I liked this on the radio when I was about 10

 

So many great songs, but among my favourites:
Crossroads
Our Last Song Together
Amarillo
Alone At Last
Cardboard California
Stephen
The Other Side Of Me

 

Laughter in the Rain

Although I thought it was a female vocalist at first...

 

Stephen is so beautiful, I think. And Sedaka was still performing Alone at Last last year when I saw him.

 

Have developed a love for Neil Sedaka over the years. One song that hits home with me is Rosemary Blue... he sang it recently at the Sage in Gateshead and I just had to search it out. Found it on the album Emergence (same album as Superbird). Laughter in the Rain is close to a perfect pop song, with a recognisable piano intro, a rounded melody, catchy chorus and instrumental middle all under three minutes. The slow version of Breaking Up is Hard to Do also rang true for me and led me to search out his earlier phase. A true musical genius in my book, why he isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is beyond me...

 

More Bad Blood

 

Love his work, many of the tracks named I’m not familiar with but will give them a listen.
I’ve always loved Betty Grable - fantastic melody

 

The first time I heard "Oh Carol" at the age of about 12 I thought it was a girl singing, and was puzzled about why she would be singing that way about another girl. This was, of course, long before the days of LGBTIQ liberation.

 

Yeah, the album from which it comes was an Australian one-off. It eventually got a UK release under a different name, but it was never released in the US...

Workin' on a Groovy Thing (Neil Sedaka album) - Wikipedia

The album has never been legitimately reissued.

The album is part of this sketchy issue:

https://www.amazon.com/Let-Good-Times-NEIL-SEDAKA/dp/B000083E80

 

Arranged by the great John Farrar.

 

As a kid i would play certain 45 rpms at 33 1/3 speed. My favorite neil sedaka song was forty winks away, great at both speeds. I loved his work with his comback at rocket records. In maryland at the meriwether post pavilion, at the start of his comeback with a slower breaking up is hard to do, he opened solo for the carpenters and then this group started songs from their yesterday once more album just released then, neil joined them onstage during their set. to great applause. Remember neil was supposed to release it hurts to be in love but RCA nixed it though the song master was made with neil singing. Gene pitney’s voice was substituted and it was his hit, but you can still neil’s voice in the backup vocals.

 

Ahhhh, I'm sure I was watching when this was aired. I would have been 13 and we never missed the Midnight Special. Take me back...

 

Classic pop songwriter and a distinctive and strong vocalist. Laughter In The Rain is probably my favorite. What a great melody and Neil’s vocals really soar.

 

I wish this was played on the radio.

 

This was another cool take on psychedelia:

 

Hungry Years.

I did most enjoy Rita Coolidge covering the well written melodic track.

 

It might be worth highlighting this new release here:

Make the Music Play (Neil Sedaka's Songwriting Gems, 1963-1971)

1. Sunny - Buddy England
2. Love Is Spreading Over the World - Michael Allen
3. My Best Friend, Barbara - Darlene Terri
4. Sugar - Pierre Lalonde
5. When Love Comes Knockin' - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
6. It Hurts to Be Sixteen - Lana Jean
7. Summer Symphony - Jack Gold Sound
8. She'll Never Be You - A Band Of Angels
9. Turn On the Sunshine - Sally Field
10. Wheeling, West Virginia - James Darren
11. We Had a Good Thing Goin' - Ronnie Burns
12. Cellophane Disguise - Michael Dees
13. Good Morning Means Goodbye - The Peppermint Rainbow
14. Cold Girl - Bobby Sherman
15. All the Words in the World - Jimmy Clanton
16. Teach Me How - The Chiffons
17. What Am I Gonna Do - Tony Orlando
18. Let the Good Times In - The Hung Jury
19. The Girl I Left Behind - Barry Gordon
20. I Must Be Dreaming - Barry Sisters
21. One Day of Your Life - Alex Keenan
22. I Hope He Breaks Your Heart - The Roulettes
23. Time Will Tell - Georgia Gibbs
24. Somewhere There's a Girl - The Tokens
25. Your Heart's Not in Your Love - Cliff Richard
26. Don't Look Over Your Shoulder - Kelly St. Clair
27. We Can Make It - The Mike Perjanik Group
28. Plastic Dreams and Toy Balloons - Peter Doyle
29. Make the Music Play - Frankie Valli
30. Jeannine - Neil Sedaka
31. Stayin' Power - Billy J. Kramer

http://amzn.eu/d/idxQ1ok

 

I love a lot of Neil’s early pop hits, but I’m with the OP — “The Immigrant” is his finest song. Have loved it ever since I first played it on the radio. Musically, lyrically a masterpiece.