Carole Bayer Sager: Top 40 Songs

First posted 12/15/2019.

Songwriter Carole Bayer was born 70 years ago on this day in 3/8/1947 in Brooklyn, NY. She was married to record-producer Andrew Sager from 1970 to 1978 and has also been romantically linked to songwriters Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach (married 1985 to 1991). She won an Academy Award (“Arthur’s Theme” by Christopher Cross) and Grammy Award (“That’s What Friends Are For,” Dionne & Friends). For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

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Top 40 Songs

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Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. In the event of songs which have been recorded more than once, only the top-ranked song is included in the list. Songs which hit #1 on the following charts have been noted: Billboard Hot 100 pop charts (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard R&B chart (RB), Billboard country chart (CW), United Kingdom pop chart (UK), Canadian pop chart (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight, & Stevie Wonder, 1985) #1 US, AC, RB, CN, AU

DMDB Top 5%:

2. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Christopher Cross, 1981) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, AC
3. A Groovy Kind of Love (Phil Collins, 1988) #1 US, CB, RR, AC, UK, CN
4. On My Own (Patti LaBelle with Michael McDonald, 1986) #1 US, CB, RR, RB, CN
5. Nobody Does It Better (Carly Simon, 1977) #1 RR, AC
6. When I Need You (Leo Sayer, 1977) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, AC, UK, CN
7. A Groovy Kind of Love (The Mindbenders, 1966) #1 CB, HR

DMDB Top 10%:

8. Heartlight (Neil Diamond, 1982) #1 AC
9. Don’t Cry Out Loud (Melissa Manchester, 1978)

DMDB Top 20%:

10. It’s My Turn (Diana Ross, 1980)
11. Love Power (Dionne Warwick with Jeffrey Osborne, 1987) #1 AC

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

12. Midnight Blue (Melissa Manchester, 1975) #1 AC
13. You’re Moving Out Today (Carole Bayer Sager, 1977) #1 AU
14. You’re the Only One (Dolly Parton, 1979) #1 CW
15. Making Love (Roberta Flack, 1982)
16. Heartbeaker (Dolly Parton, 1978) #1 CW
17. Try It on My Own (Whitney Houston, 2002)
18. You’re Moving Out Today (Bette Midler, 1977)
19. Fly Away (Peter Allen, 1981)
20. Ever Changing Times (Aretha Franklin with Michael McDonald, 1991)

21. Looking Through Your Eyes (LeAnn Rimes, 1998)
22. I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love (Rita Coolidge, 1979)
23. On the Way to the Sky (Neil Diamond, 1981)
24. Front Page Story (Neil Diamond, 1982)
25. Turn Around (Neil Diamond, 1984)
26. Through the Eyes of Love (Melissa Manchester, 1979)
27. The Prayer (Andrea Bocelli with Celine Dion, 1998)
28. Break It to Me Gently (Aretha Franklin, 1977)
29. Some Changes Are for Good (Dionne Warwick, 1981)
30. Over You (Natalie Cole with Ray Parker, Jr.; 1988)

31. Love Always (El DeBarge, 1986)
32. A Chance for Heaven (Christopher Cross, 1984)
33. Stronger Than Before (Carole Bayer Sager, 1981)
34. Finder of Lost Loves (Dionne Warwick with Glenn Jones, 1985)
35. Take Good Care of You and Me (Dionne Warwick with Jeffrey Osborne, 1989)
36. That’s What Friends Are For (Rod Stewart, 1982)
37. I Never Loved You Anyway (The Corrs, 1997)
38. Night Shift (Quarterflash, 1991)
39. Someone Else’s Eyes (Aretha Franklin, 1991)
40. It’s the Falling in Love (Michael Jackson with Patti Austin, 1979)

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Awards:

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“That’s What Friends Are For” hit #1

That’s What Friends Are For Dionne & Friends (Elton John, Gladys Knight, & Stevie Wonder)

Writer(s): Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 9, 1985 Peak: 14 US, 13 CB, 12 RR, 12 AC, 13 RB, 16 UK, 11 CN, 11 AU, 4 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.1 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 80.74 video, 92.71 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, two of history’s most celebrated songwriters, combined their talents for the music for 1982’s Night Shift. The five songs they wrote for the movie were recorded by Bacharch, Al Jarreau, the Pointer Sisters, Quaterflash, and Rod Stewart. Despite the impressive talent roster, the soundtrack failed to produce a top 40 hit. Sager had hopes for “That’s What Friends Are For,” the song recorded by Stewart. As she said, “It felt like Rod could put a little edge on the song that might make it very attractive.” FB However, she adds, “the record company didn’t want to consider it as a single for Rod because they thought it was too soft. The song quietly disappeared into oblivion.” FB In 1983, television producer Aaron Spelling tapped Sager and Bacharach to write the theme song for Finder of Lost Loves. At Spelling’s suggestion, Bacharach reached out to Dionne Warwick to record the song. They hadn’t spoken in ten years, but Warwick had been the go-to artist to record compositions for Bacharach and then-songwriting-partner Hal David, recording 33 chart hits from 1962 to 1971 which were penned by the duo. FB The reunion led to Bacharach and Sager producing material for Warwick in 1985. She and Stevie Wonder had just worked together on The Woman in Red soundtrack and Sager suggested the pair record “That’s What Friends Are For.” On the day of recording, Neil Simon and Elizabeth Taylor visited the studio. Sager knew what an AIDS activist Taylor was and proposed the proceeds from the song be donated to AIDS research. Warwick suggested they add Gladys Knight as a singer and Clive Davis, President of Arista Records (the company which released the single), suggested adding Elton John as well. FB In addition to singing, John and Wonder lent their respective piano and harmonica-playing skills to the song. WK The result was a massive hit, topping the Billboard pop, adult contemporary, and R&B charts and being named the magazine’s Song of the Year. It also won the Grammy for Song of the Year. It raised $3 million for American Foundation for AIDS Research WK at a time when the disease carried a stigma for anyone even willing to discuss it. SF Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Burt Bacharach DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Elton John DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Carole Bayer Sager DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Stevie Wonder FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 627. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/15/2019; last updated 10/28/2022.