His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Can't Smile Without You", "Weekend in New England", and "Copacabana (At the Copa)".

"[4] As well as producing and arranging albums for himself and other artists, Manilow has written and performed songs for musicals, films, and commercials for corporations such as McDonald's, Pepsi Cola, and Band-Aid.

The title was changed to "Mandy" during the actual recording session on August 20, 1974, due to the fact that there had already been a song called "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" performed by Looking Glass and released in 1972 on Davis' Epic label.

In addition to "Mandy", other hits that he did not write or compose include "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" (by David Pomeranz), "Weekend in New England" (by Randy Edelman), "Ships" (by Ian Hunter), "Looks Like We Made It" (by Richard Kerr and Will Jennings), "Can't Smile Without You" and "Ready to Take a Chance Again" (by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel).

According to album liner notes, Manilow did, however, perform co-production as well as arrangement duties on all the above tracks along with Ron Dante, most famous for his vocals on records by The Archies.

"Ready to Take a Chance Again" and its songwriters Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel were nominated that year for the "Best Original Song" Oscar at the 51st Academy Awards.

[47] On February 11, 1979, a concert from Manilow's sold-out dates from his Even Now Tour at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles aired on the HBO series Standing Room Only, which was the first pay-television show to pose a serious threat to network primetime specials for ratings.

He scored a top ten hit of his own, in the fall of 1979, with the song "Ships" (written and composed by Ian Hunter, former lead singer of Mott the Hoople) from the album One Voice.

In the United States, at Radio City Music Hall, his 1984 ten-night run set a box-office sales record of nearly $2 million, making him the top draw in the 52-year history of the venue.

[citation needed] On August 27, 1983, Manilow performed a landmark open-air concert at Blenheim Palace in Britain, an event that he told the audience was "one of the most exciting nights" in his life.

That same year, Showtime aired a documentary of Manilow recording the album with a number of jazz legends including Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé.

[citation needed] In October 1986, Manilow, along with Bruce Sussman, Tom Scott, and Charlie Fox, went to Washington, D.C. for two days of meetings with legislators, including lunch with then Senator Al Gore (D-TN).

The album, a mixture of traditional after-dark and techno jazz, contained "Brooklyn Blues", an autobiographical song for Manilow, and "Hey Mambo", an uptempo Latin style duet with Kid Creole, produced with the help of Emilio Estefan, Jr., founder of Miami Sound Machine.

In the 1988 Walt Disney Pictures animated feature Oliver & Company, Bette Midler's character sang a new Manilow composition called "Perfect Isn't Easy".

In the early 1990s, Manilow signed on with Don Bluth to compose the songs with lyricists Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman for three animated films.

Manilow branched out in another direction and, with long-time lyricist Bruce Sussman, launched Copacabana, a musical play based on previous Manilow-related adaptations.

In another collaboration, Manilow and Sussman co-wrote Harmony: A New Musical, based on the story of the Comedian Harmonists, a male singing group popular in Germany from 1928 to 1934.

[citation needed] Las Vegas Hilton executives in a press conference with Manilow on December 14, 2004, announced his signing to a long-term engagement as the house show.

[citation needed] In March 2006, PBS aired Barry Manilow: Music and Passion, a Hilton concert recorded exclusively for the network's fundraising drive.

Manilow launched another short tour in early 2008, visiting several large venues including the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In addition to narrating, he also contributed two original songs that he composed with his long time collaborator, lyricist Bruce Sussman: "Christmas Is Just Around the Corner" and "Watch Out for Mr. Grape".

[citation needed] In November 2011, Manilow recorded his shows at the Paris Las Vegas for an upcoming TV special and DVD release.

[83] In 2019, it was announced that Manilow's original musical Harmony would make its New York debut at National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in the Museum of Jewish Heritage, running from February 11 until March 29, 2020.

[citation needed] In April 2020, Manilow scored his 36th top-20 Billboard Adult Contemporary chart hit with "When the Good Times Come Again" which peaked at number 12 on the week of July 2.

Manilow found the video and posted it on his Facebook page, leading his management company to send the song to radio stations for airplay.

Manilow credits the response he received from Playboy in December 1965 for the courage to leave everything behind and begin a career in music: I asked a lot of people what I should do, and they all said different things.

[93][94] Manilow officially came out as gay in April 2017, telling People that he was pleasantly surprised to find that his mostly female fan base was supportive of the marriage; he had feared the news would disappoint them.

[99] On January 15, 1994, three hours before showtime, Manilow canceled a performance at an Ethnic Pride and Heritage Festival hosted at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

[105] Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Philip Espinosa sued Manilow over the audio volume of a December 23, 1993, concert he attended with his wife.

[110] Manilow made headlines in June 2006 when Australian officials blasted his music from 9:00 p.m. until midnight every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to deter gangs of youths from congregating in a residential area late at night.