Neil Sedaka (born March 13, 1939) is an American pop singer, pianist, and songwriter. His career has spanned over 50 years, during which time he has written many songs for himself and others, often working with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody.
After graduating from Lincoln High School, Sedaka and some of his classmates formed a band called The Tokens. The band had minor regional hits with songs like "While I Dream", "I Love My Baby", "Come Back Joe", and "Don't Go", before Sedaka launched out on his own in 1957. However, after a few personnel changes, in 1961, The Tokens would hit #1 on the Billboard pop charts with the international smash "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
Meanwhile, the very young Sedaka's first three solo singles, "Laura Lee", "Ring-a-Rockin'", and "Oh, Delilah!" failed to become hits. But they demonstrated his ability to perform as a solo singer, so RCA Victor signed him to a recording contract.
His first single for RCA, "The Diary" (a song he offered to Little Anthony and the Imperials), reached #14 on the Billboard charts in 1958-59. His second single, "I Go Ape", was a modest success at #42, and his third single, "Crying My Heart Out for You", was a flop at #111 (although it went to #6 on the pop charts in Italy).
Desperate for a hit, he bought several hit singles and listened to them over and over, studying the chord progressions and lyrics to figure out what made them so popular. Based on that, he crafted a new song, "Oh! Carol", dedicated to his then-girlfriend and fellow pop star, Carole King. The song reached #9 on the American charts and #1 on the Italian charts, giving Sedaka his first #1 ranking.
The song is noted for Neil's spoken recitation of the verse, the second time around. (Carole King would respond with the answer song, "Oh, Neil!" later that year.)
"The Diary" is a song by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and is Neil Sedaka's debut single in 1958. It was issued on his 1959 debut solo album Rock with Sedaka on RCA. It was reissued on his 1961 album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits and again in 1963 on the album Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits. The single reached #14 on the US Billboard chart.
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