Sensational '70's Tune for Wednesday, June 3rd, '09

The follow-up to Barry Manilow's breakout number one hit "Mandy," "It's a Miracle" was one of the theatrical, slightly (if unintentionally) campy up-tempo numbers that Manilow sometimes recorded to indulge his taste for Broadway. It just missed the Top Ten in 1975, which seemed to be taken as an indicator that Manilow's hit potential lay with ballads; most of his future single releases and best-known songs were in that vein. "It's a Miracle" establishes the sonic blueprint Manilow would use on much of his future show tune-style numbers: a relatively driving beat with lots of '70s high-hat (though one still might wish it was faster), a female backing chorus echoing most of his lyrics, and an over-the-top flair that came across more playfully than on his ballad fare. The song is about coming home (clearly, from a national tour) to a lover, and the lyrics lay it on pretty thick, as Manilow sings repeatedly that "there'll be dancing in the streets," celebrating the miracle of their love (and he's talking about the city of New York dancing, not himself). The sentiment is overdone, yes, but the break where that line is repeated over and over is tailor-made for a glamorous stage production with a gaggle of elaborately costumed and choreographed dancers. (Pity there's no way to know from the exciting version on Live just how much the song was done up visually.) The studio version from Barry Manilow II features a groovy electric piano, an instrument rarely heard on Manilow singles; it instantly dates the song, but that's not a bad thing at all. Manilow was often accused of a complete lack of subtlety, but songs like "It's a Miracle" demonstrated where at least part of that sensibility came from.