And obviously there is a melody to the Chopin. Nobody but your good self ever raised the possibility there was not--though the version of the Chopin linked to in this thread seems to favor the thudding chord interpretation.   Chopin was a master of melody, though this piece is obviously not his best. Manilow, on the other hand, is not a master of anything--except bathos and sales.   And even in sales, Chopin probably has him beat--though at this point he probably is not benefiting personally from this.

Now it really should be time to return to the topic.