Rate-O-Rama: Could It Be Magic

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Rate-O-Rama : Songmania is a reader participation game.

Every Thursday evening I will publish a Rate-O-Rama article which will feature three versions of a popular song.

• The object is to listen to each of the music videos provided within the post.
• After listening to each video you can rate each song in the comments section below.

(You must be a member to comment. If you are not a member you can join Vocal Media for FREE. You don’t ever have to pay for membership unless you choose to upgrade your membership)

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The rating method is easy. Simply give each song a rating of 1 to 100.

(The more you like the song the higher the rating).

If possible, please provide a brief comment to let us now what you think of each song.

After a week (Thursday evening) I will tally the ratings and in the next Rate-O-Rama post, I will announce the average rating each song received.

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Last time we featured the Classic Rock classic: “Bohemian Rhapsody" as recorded by Queen (1975), The Braids (1996), and Panic! At the Disco (2016).

The following are the average ratings for each song as result of the votes:

🥇 Queen: 82.5

🥈 The Braids: 65.8

🥉 Panic! At the Disco: 61.6

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The Twentieth Edition of Rate-O-Rama features three renditions of the 70s Pop classic: “Could It Be Magic."

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Barry Manilow (1975)

Written by Barry Manilow and Adrienne Anderson and based on Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20. Manilow did two earlier recordings in 1971 with his band Featherbed and a solo recording in 1973.

The song opens dramatically with Manilow on the piano playing eight bars of Chopin's Prelude No. 20 at the start and ends the same way by returning to the Prelude. The song continues to build and build until it reaches a powerful crescendo.

“Could It Be Magic” was Manilow's third consecutive hit following “Mandy” and “It's A Miracle.” The song made it to #6 in the US, #4 in Canada, #28 in Ireland, and #25 in the UK.

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Donna Summer (1976)

Donna released her rendition only six months after Barry Manilow released his. Her version infuses the eight bars of Chopin's Prelude No. 20 with Giorgio Moroder's deep disco arrangement.

The song was a hit for Donna and actually charted in more countries than Manilow's rendition. She made it to #2 in the Netherlands, #4 in Belgium, #6 in Italy, #10 in South Africa, #14 in Austria, #23 in Germany, #40 in the UK, and #52 in the US.

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Take That (1992)

British boy band Take That based their cover of this Manilow song on Giorgio Moroder's arrangement he composed for Donna Summer.

Like the other versions, it was a hit for Take That. The single reached the top 10 in Belgium, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. The song won Take That their first major award: Best British Single at the 1993 Brit Awards.

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My Ratings:

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Barry Manilow: I'm not much of a Barry Manilow fan. But the reality is he produced some of the best pop music of the 1970s. “Could It Be Magic” was one of his masterpieces. The song gets right from the beginning with its airy ethereal mood and works into a beautiful crescendo of melody. I must give Mr. Manilow a 98 for this genius work.

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Donna Summer: I always want to think that this song should not work for Donna Summer, but it not only worked she and her team of Giorgio Moroder, Pete Belotte, and Thor Baldurson hit the disco jackpot with this. The mood is dark and deep and takes disco to a level of class and funk packed into five minutes of dance floor bliss. To top it off Donna powerhouse vocal performance, rich and deep, gives the song more texture and depth. Donna gets 100 for her rendition.

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Take That: The boys did a fine job with the song. Yes, the music video can be a bit much. But the song itself is done very well. I love the parts where they harmonize together - what a sweet, sweet sound. An 18-year-old Robbie Williams took the lead on this one and did a fine job. Take That gets a 90.

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I will be back next week with the results of this Rate-O-Rama Edition.

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The Previous Rate-O-Rama:

With Love, RHC ❤️