Barry Manilow began his career writing commercial jingles. He’s responsible for some of the most memorable tunes that you may not even realize he wrote. If you can finish the lyric, “Like a good neighbor…..” thank Barry. And you can thank us at your next trivia night. Barry’s a gifted piano player and songwriter, and one of his biggest hits almost didn’t happen. In 1975, Barry released I Write the Songs, a song for all the men and women working behind the scenes to create the soundtracks of our lives. He told CBS Sunday Morning, he didn’t click with the tune right off the bat. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Barry Manilow (@barrymanilowofficial) Barry Manilow Didn’t Write “I Write the Songs” It’s kind of funny to think Barry Manilow didn’t write I Write the Songs, but they did make it into a smash hit. “It took me a while to make friends with that song. It felt clumsy. But when I realized it was an anthem to the spirit of music, oh, I can arrange an anthem!” Barry admitted. He also said he never really set out to be a solo artist. His life was spent at his piano and creating songs for other artists. “I was the piano player! I was the arranger! I was getting the record deal as a singer-songwriter?!” he joked. “It was just ridiculous.” Even his dear friends were shocked. He told People that when he shared the news with Bette Midler, she gave him a blunt response. “I said, ‘I just got a record contract.’ And she said, ‘Doing what?’ I said, ‘Singing.’ She said, ‘Well, you don’t sing.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I know, but they think I do!'” Barry told Sunday Morning his level of success was never what he intended, but life’s been very good to Barry. “Most people pray for success like that. I did not,” he said. “It was big, and it was very confusing to me.” This story’s featured image is by Mat Hayward/Getty Images.