Barry Manilow is such an icon that he doesn’t just make a video: He releases a “music film.”
In this case, it’s for his current single, “Once Before I Go.” Filmed at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, where Manilow does his regular residency, it opens in 1976, as a crowd cheers for Barry and a woman sits in a backstage corridor, dejectedly reading a letter.
The video then cuts back and forth between the woman and Barry in the present day, who keeps imagining her — along with a young girl and a little boy. According to a press release, Barry is portraying “a character who sacrifices a traditional family life to pursue his dream as a performer.”
“Once Before I Go,” whose lyrics reflect the fact that Manilow, 82, has been giving farewell concerts in select U.S. cities, was produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Manilow’s next run of farewell shows begins Jan. 6 in Sunrise, Florida.
Also in 2026, Manilow is set to receive the President’s Award from the American Advertising Federation, in recognition of the fact that, prior to finding stardom, he produced, composed and sang iconic commercial jingles for brands including State Farm, Band-Aids, Dr. Pepper, KFC and McDonald’s. He later famously performed those songs on his 1977 #1 album Barry Manilow Live, under the title “A Very Strange Medley.”
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