That makes sense. Barry Manilow was never one to lead the charge on these sorts of things. Someone started the rumor because it was a funny idea. Say what you want about the man (and he has his issues), he knew how to effortlessly write a catchy tune.
He could also pull off horrifically over-the-top lyrics:
“I made it through the rain,
and found myself respected by
the others who . . .
got rained on too . . .
and made it through!”
Manilow is a helluvan entertainer and a decent guy. I’m really glad it was another lie. He never struck me as the type to get into that stuff.
Most of his hits were actually composed by others.