I think my music is like anchovies–some people like it, some people get nauseous.

By comparing his music to anchovies, Manilow uses a deliberately homely, comic metaphor to acknowledge the polarizing nature of popular taste. Anchovies are a strong flavor: devotees find them distinctive and satisfying, while others find them overpowering. The line frames criticism not as a verdict on quality but as a matter of temperament and preference—an artist’s work can be intensely loved and intensely disliked for the same reasons. It also signals a pragmatic, self-protective humility: rather than insisting on universal appeal, he accepts that mass popularity and aesthetic consensus rarely coincide, especially for highly recognizable, sentimental pop.