This post originally appeared on MotD on April 8, 2019. We’re bringing it back in expanded form today in honor of Christopher Larkosh, who contributed the tune to us. Chris passed away from a sudden illness at the age of only 56 on December 24th, 2020. He was a MotD fan who contributed multiple tunes to our collection; others are still in the queue, waiting their turn.
May the memory of Chris’ enduring humanitarian spirit, deep understanding of music’s ability to motivate and heal, and pervasive musicality be a comfort to all who knew him.
Elise
MotD fan Christopher Larkosh contributes today’s tune: “Musical geniuses Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager put ‘Don’t Cry Out Loud’ in good hands with Melissa Manchester. This is probably why it’s one of my all-time karaoke and piano bar favorites to this day.” A 1978 top ten hit in the US and Canada for Manchester, the tune was later covered by Rita Coolidge and Liza Minelli, among others. The modulation kicks in at 2:35.
In an interview with Scott Holleran, Manchester, a songwriter in her own right, said of the tune: “I remember being friends with Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager and hearing (it) as a very quiet song, bringing it to him and saying yes, it’s gorgeous, let’s do it the way Peter did it — as beautiful and quiet. [Then] I showed up in the studio and the cannons blew on this huge version — which turned out beautifully, it turned out as a gift.”
In a 2004 Billboard interview, Manchester expressed uneasiness about the song’s take on grief: “I finally understand what it meant … I [originally] thought it was a brilliant song, but it seemed like the antithesis of everything Carole [Bayer Sager] and I were writing, which was always about self-affirmation and crying out and sharpening your communication skills. But it’s a beautifully crafted song that was all about how in the end you just have to learn to cope — and that’s no easy thing.”
Those of us who knew Chris will remember that he was never one to hide his feelings, either — and we’re all the richer for it.
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