Neil Sedaka March 13, 1939 – February 27, 2026) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist.

Beginning his music career in 1957, he sold millions of records worldwide and wrote or co-wrote over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard "Howie" Greenfield and Phil Cody.

After a short-lived tenure as a founding member of the doo-wop group the Tokens, Sedaka achieved a string of hit singles over the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Oh! Carol" (1959), "Calendar Girl" (1960), "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1961), and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1962).

His popularity declined by the mid-1960s, but was revived in the mid-1970s, solidified by the 1975 US Billboard Hot 100 number ones "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood". Sedaka maintained a successful career as a songwriter, penning hits for other artists including "Stupid Cupid" (Connie Francis), "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" (Tony Christie), and "Love Will Keep Us Together" (Captain & Tennille).

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and continued to perform, mounting mini-concerts on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

No. 1 hits
As a performer

• "Oh! Carol" (Italy, Netherlands and Wallonia), 1960[65]
• "One-Way Ticket to the Blues" (Japan), 1960
• "Calendar Girl" (Canada & Japan), 1961
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1962 version) – (Canada), US Billboard Hot 100, 1962, Grammy nomination for Best R&R performance[66]
• "La terza luna" (Italy), 1963
• "Star Crossed Lovers" (Australia), 1969
• "Laughter in the Rain" – US Adult Contemporary, 1974; US Billboard Hot 100, 1975
• "The Immigrant" – US Adult Contemporary, 1975
• "Bad Blood" – US Billboard Hot 100, 1975–76, Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1975 version) – US Adult Contemporary, 1976, Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year

As a songwriter

• "Ring Ring" by ABBA (debut single) (English translation co-lyricist) – Belgium, 1973
• "Solitaire" by The Carpenters (composer) – US Billboard Adult Contemporary, 1975
• "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" by Captain & Tennille (1975) (composer and lyricist) – (Canada), US Billboard Easy Listening
• "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille (1975) (composer) – US Billboard Hot 100, Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year

Filmography

• 1967: Playgirl Killer (also known as Decoy for Terror)
• 1973: The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (one episode, as himself) (musical performance)
• 1976: Saturday Night Live (one episode, as himself) (musical performance)
• 1977: The Carol Burnett Show (one episode, as himself)
• 1980: The Toni Tennille Show (one episode, as himself)
• 2005: The King of Queens (one episode, as himself)
• 2020–2026: Today's Mini-Concert (self-produced musical performance series)

Neil Sedaka - Oh Carol

Neil Sedaka - Laughter in the Rain (1974)

 

Last edited: Feb 28, 2026 at 8:48 AM

Now I have Calendar Girl bouncing around in my skull... a possibly fatal amount of incessant bouncing.

 

Neil Sedaka - "Bad Blood" (1975)

From the Polydor album "Overnight Success" and the Rocket album "The Hungry Years". Features Elton John as the uncredited backing vocal. Reached #1 on the US pop charts.