Apparently, enough Barry Manilow music will turn even the most upstanding citizen in a sociopath. You may recall that officials down in Australia have taken to piping Manilow songs into areas frequented by shiftless adolescents (like malls) in order to drive them away. The campy tunes have succeeded in deterring the kids, but an unforeseen side effect has also occurred: even the lawn-tending, minivan-driving residents of this respectable community can’t take it anymore.
Meanwhile, Manilow seems pretty steamed about the whole affair. He seems to think that this inventive use of his music will backfire. “Have they thought that these hoodlums might like my music?” Manilow reportedly said. “What if some of them began to sing along to “Can’t Smile Without You?” Or lit candles when “I Write the Songs” was played? Or, heaven forbid, danced around to the infectious beat of “Copacabana”? What if it puts smiles on their faces?” What if peace spontaneously breaks out in the Middle East, and Osama Bin Laden does a happy dance?