Draft:Philip Cody
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Philip Cody | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 June 1945[1] Pleasantville, New York |
| Genres | |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1965–present |
| Website | philipcody |
Philip Cody, also known as Phil Cody (born Philip Anthony Feliciotto)[2] is an American songwriter, lyricist and musician.
Cody is best known for his collaborations with Neil Sedaka, contributing lyrics for Laughter In The Rain, Solitaire and Bad Blood.
Early life
[edit]Cody's father Anthony Feliciotto was of Sicilian origin and migrated to the US in 1930, when he was 17 years old.[3][2] He sang in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera but gave up singing and became a tradesman to support his family.[2] Philip Cody wrote about his father's experience in the song The Immigrant which was recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1975.
Cody grew up in New York and his father encouraged him to sing Gregorian Chant in church, and Cody learned to play trumpet and piano. He studied at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut for a year and a half but dropped out in 1965.[2]
Songwriting career
[edit]During Cody's college days he played in a band. In 1965 they signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and were booked by the Night Owl Café in Greenwich Village.[4] The owner insisted they should have original material, and Cody was nominated to be the lyricist, because he was studying English and creative writing. Cody also learned bass and guitar from his bandmates. Eventually the band broke up, but Cody decided he wanted to persist with a career in music. He played in some blues cover bands and wrote advertising jingles.
In the early 1970s he was signed by Don Kirshner. In 1972 Kirshner asked Cody to help Neil Sedaka with lyrics. Sedaka had many hits in the 1960s, but he had gone somewhat out of style. Cody was hired to bring a younger 1970s hippie feel to the lyrics for Sedaka's music.
Cody's first session with Sedaka produced "Solitaire",[2] which was a hit for Sedaka, Andy Williams and the Carpenters and has been recorded by over 90 artists. Over the years Sedaka and Cody wrote many songs including "Laughter In The Rain", "Bad Blood" and "The Immigrant".
In 1974 Cody contributed English lyrics for ABBA's song Ring Ring, which was first written in Swedish.[1]
He collaborated with Mike Duke to write the Huey Lewis and The News song Doing It All for My Baby, released in 1986.[1]
In recent years Cody has been teaching songwriting at The Songwriting School of Los Angeles.[5]
Records
[edit]Cody released an album "Phil Cody" (Reprise Records MS 2232) in 1976.[6]
Credits
[edit]| Year | Title | Collaborators | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Morning Glory | R. Morris | Pendleton Brown |
| 1971 | Love Is Living In You | Robert Levine | The Archies |
| 1972 | Solitaire | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Tony Christie, Andy Williams, Carpenters, Petula Clark, Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey, Simon Gallaher, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Westlife, Barry Manilow and many others |
| 1972 | Beautiful You | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Salt & Pepper, Colin Blunstone |
| 1972 | Express Yourself | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1972 | Home | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1972 | The Adventures of a Boy Child Wonder | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody |
| 1972 | Trying To Say Goodbye | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Dana, Phil Cody, Helen Schneider |
| 1972 | Don't Let It Mess Your Mind | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Donny Gerrard, Nickey Barclay, Helen Reddy, Yvonne Elliman |
| 1973 | Ring Ring | Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson | Bjorn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida (ABBA) |
| 1973 | Little Brother | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1973 | Alone in New York in the Rain | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1973 | Caribbean Rainbow | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1973 | Suspicions | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1973 | Rock and Roll Wedding Day | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1973 | For Peace and Love | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1974 | A Little Lovin' | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Michael John and Fancy Colors |
| 1974 | Laughter In The Rain | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Ray Conniff, Phil Cordell, Patti Page |
| 1974 | Sad Eyes | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1974 | The Immigrant | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1974 | The Way I Am | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1975 | Bad Blood | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | Steppin' Out | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | Love In The Shadows | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | Here We Are Falling In Love Again | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | I Let You Walk Away | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Anne Haigis |
| 1976 | Good Times, Good Music, Good Friends | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka, Marcia Ball |
| 1976 | Perfect Strangers | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | Bad And Beautiful | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | Summer Nights | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1976 | The Rise and Fall of Practically Everybody | Phil Cody | |
| 1976 | New York City Blues | Neil Sedaka | Phil Cody |
| 1976 | Deliver | Ron Dante | Phil Cody |
| 1976 | Bogie | Phil Cody | |
| 1976 | Best Friends | Phil Cody | |
| 1976 | Tears Behind A Smile | Phil Cody | |
| 1976 | Your Favorite Entertainer | Neil Sedaka | Phil Cody |
| 1976 | Overnight Sensation | Jerry Weiner | Phil Cody |
| 1977 | Alone At Last | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1977 | Sleazy Love | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1978 | Going Nowhere | Neil Sedaka | The Kings Singers |
| 1978 | Candy Kisses | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1980 | Should've Never Let You Go | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka and Dara Sedaka, Bernadette Peters |
| 1980 | Letting Go | Neil Sedaka | Neil Sedaka |
| 1986 | Doing It All For My Baby | Mike Duke | Huey Lewis and The News |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Phil Cody". Discogs. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Wiser, Carl. "Philip Cody". Songfacts. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Today's Mini-Concert - 8/21/2020". YouTube. August 21, 2020.
- ^ Philip, Cody (July 8, 2017). "The Sixties". Philip Cody. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ^ Cody, Philip. "Teaching". Philip Cody. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Phil Cody". Discogs. 1976. Retrieved February 5, 2025.