The Hungry Years

For the 1991 album, see The Hungry Years (Willie Nelson album).
The Hungry Years
Studio album by
Neil Sedaka
Released1975
GenrePop
LabelThe Rocket Record Company
ProducerNeil Sedaka, Robert Appere
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Christgau's Record GuideC+[1]

The Hungry Years is an album by Neil Sedaka released by The Rocket Record Company in 1975.

The album is the American edition of Overnight Success, with two songs being replaced.

“The Queen of 1964” reached #35 in the UK in March 1975. The Captain and Tennille’s 1976 cover of “Lonely Night (Angel Face)” hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold.[2] "Bad Blood", with uncredited backing vocals by Elton John,[3] reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, and remained in that position for three weeks before being replaced by Elton John's single "Island Girl". It was the most successful individual commercial release in Sedaka's career.

“The Hungry Years”, one of Sedaka's most frequently requested non-single tracks, marked Sedaka's reunion with his long-time collaborator Howard Greenfield after having broken off their partnership in 1973. Sedaka and Greenfield would again work together more regularly in the late 1970s.

Personnel

Piano: Neil Sedaka
Guitar: Steve Cropper, Dean Parks
Bass: Leland Sklar
Drums: Nigel Olsson
Percussion: Milt Holland
Keyboards: David Foster
Horns: Chuck Findley, Jim Horn, Dick Hyde, Jackie Kelso Strings (arrangements): Artie Butler, Richard Carpenter
Backing Vocals: Donny Gerrard, Gail Haness, Ann Orson, Brian Russell, Brenda Russell[4]

Track listing

All music composed by Sedaka; lyricist in (parentheses).

Side One

  1. "Crossroads" (Phil Cody)
  2. "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" (Sedaka)
  3. "Stephen" (Howard Greenfield)
  4. "Bad Blood" (Cody) (duet with Elton John)
  5. "Your Favorite Entertainer" (Cody)
  6. "Baby Blue" (Greenfield)

Side Two

  1. "Tit for Tat" (Greenfield)
  2. "New York City Blues" (Cody)
  3. "When You Were Lovin' Me" (Cody)
  4. "The Hungry Years" (Greenfield)
  5. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Greenfield; torch version originally arranged by Lenny Welch)

Bonus tracks from the 1998 CD re-issue

  • (12) "Hey Mister Sunshine" (Dara Sedaka)
  • (13) "The Queen Of 1964"*
  • (14) "Betty Grable"
  • (15) "Goodman Goodbye"* (Sedaka, Cody)
  • "The Queen of 1964" was from Overnight Success; it was replaced by "Tit For Tat" in The Hungry Years.
  • "Goodman Goodbye" was from Overnight Success; it was replaced by "Your Favorite Entertainer" in The Hungry Years.

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[5] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[6] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  2. ^ "1975 Neil Sedaka – The Hungry Years". sessiondays.com. Sessiondays. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 214.
  4. ^ "Overnight Success". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Neil Sedaka – The Hungry Years". Music Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "American album certifications – Neil Sedaka – The Hungry Years". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 14, 2022.


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