Sedaka wrote his 1959 hit "Oh! Carol" about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. In 1963, King released a humorous answer entitled "Oh Neil".
The Laughter In the Rain Songfacts says Sedaka's hits dried up when The Beatles arrived, but then he teamed up with the lyricist Philip Cody and had a a number 1 hit with "Laughter In The Rain." It re-ignited Sedaka's career and he had 6 more Top-40 hits in America by 1977.
Sedaka's voice is in the tenor range.
The Hungry Years
Neil Sedaka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We went so high we couldn't stop
We climbed the ladder leading us nowhere
Two of us together
Building castles in the air
We spun so fast we couldn't tell
The gold ring from the carousel
Everything we wanted
Was everything we had
I miss the hungry years
The once upon a time
The lovely long ago
We didn't have a dime
Those days of me and you
We lost along the way
How could I be so blind
Not to see the door
Closing on the world
I now hunger for
Looking through my tears
I miss the hungry years
We shared our daydreams one by one
Making plans was so much fun
We set our goals and reached the highest star
The things that we were after
Were much better from afar
Here we stand just me and you
With everything and nothing, too
It wasn't worth the price we had to pay
Honey take me home
Let's go back to yesterday
I miss the hungry years
The once upon a time
The lovely long ago
We didn't have a dime
Those days of me and you
We lost along the way
How could I be so blind
Not to see the door
Closing on the world
I know hunger for
Looking through my tears
I miss the hungry years
I miss the hungry years
“The Hungry Years” by Neil Sedaka is a song about nostalgia, regret, and lost opportunities. The song is written from the perspective of a man who, despite achieving financial success and reaching the pinnacle of fame and fortune, is haunted by memories of the past when he and his lover were struggling artists.
The song describes how the two lovers climbed the ladder of success together, despite the odds being against them. However, as they achieved success and fame, their relationship became more and more strained, until they lost sight of the things that were important to them. The line “We set our goals and reached the highest star, the things that we were after were much better from afar” highlights this theme of how achieving one’s goals is not always fulfilling.
Sedaka’s use of the phrase ‘Hungry Years’ refers to the time when he and his wife were fighting for their place in the music industry. This phrase is often used to refer to the time period in Sedaka's life and in general terms, to the time when artists were talent-hungry and willing to toil hard to make their art a reality.
Overall, the song is a poignant recognition that the things we think we want and need in life may not always bring us happiness, and that it's important to appreciate and cherish the moments that truly matter.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl we made it to the top
We achieved success in our journey towards something.
We went so high we couldn't stop
We gained so much success that we couldn't help but continue striving.
We climbed the ladder leading us nowhere
Our journey towards success was not productive in the end.
Two of us together
We worked together to achieve our goals.
Building castles in the air
We had ambitious dreams that seemed difficult to achieve.
We spun so fast we couldn't tell
We were dazzled by our success and couldn't see the reality of the situation.
The gold ring from the carousel
We couldn't distinguish between true value and temporary satisfaction.
How could we know the ride would turn out bad
We didn't expect that our journey towards success would be unfulfilling.
Everything we wanted
All the things we had desired.
Was everything we had
In the end, everything we had was all we had ever wished for.
I miss the hungry years
I miss the time when we were striving to achieve our dreams.
The once upon a time
The time in the past when we were working for our goals.
The lovely long ago
The time in the past that we remember fondly.
We didn't have a dime
We didn't have any money, but we were happy striving towards our goals.
Those days of me and you
The time when we were working together towards our dreams.
We lost along the way
We were not able to hold onto the happiness and contentment of that time.
How could I be so blind
I was unaware of the realities of our situation.
Not to see the door
I was not able to see the opportunities that were available to us.
Closing on the world
Our situation was becoming more difficult to manage with time.
I now hunger for
I now desire what we had before and are unable to achieve it again.
Looking through my tears
Looking back at the time that we had lost and feeling emotional about it.
I miss the hungry years
I miss the time when we were striving to achieve our dreams.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Murphy-Steele
I have always loved this song initially as a musician because of its structure and chord sequence, but as a middle aged man I now appreciate the message of the lyrics....a man who has achieved everything he aspired to in his youth, but realising it wasn't all it was cracked up to be and hungers for the simpler years of his youth....it's a lesson for us all
rship19
Am at a loss to understand how it is possible for Neil to not be already in the R&R Hall of fame. The poetry and depth of this song alone gives proof of his talent. Make it happen.
Patrick Hicks
I can't believe it either
Ron N
The r&r hof was formed in 1983. They should have inducted all those prior r&r stars immediately over the course of a few months. They’ve really embarrassed themselves with all the stars they’ve omitted.
Bernie Briffa
The Hungry Years "is a beautiful poignant ballad that stands as one of the most wonderful songs ever written by Neil Sedaka.
Denise Celi
Yes I also can relate to this wonderful song written by one of the masters who grasps your heart and soul for I have lived the ballad many years ago. I too miss the hungry years for many years later after being divorced, and remarried I still miss him. Now a widow and alone being older now I still have memories of the loves in my life.
Gaetano Green
Neil Sedaka is a musical genius! The Hungry Years is a perfect example of his genius.
Peggyu Short
ANYONE who could put a thumbs down to this incredibly beautiful performance simply does not understand true beauty‼️‼️‼️‼️
Robbie Peck
100% agree
Neil Beard
Totally agree ,makes me look back at our own lives.