by Anne Edwards
‘You just push, push, push and never let up,’ Barbara Walters once said to her.
‘If I push, it’s because I want things to be better,’ she replied.
Pushy, hungry, grasping, brilliant, possessor of one of the greatest popular voices in her lifetime, dazzling in her accomplishments, infuriating in her absolute refusal to alter her personality or beliefs to please anyone other than herself, Streisand is, none the less, a living kaleidoscope of the last half of the twentieth century. She represents so many touchstones in our lives. Recall the young Streisand as the homely Fanny Brice as she looked into the mirror and with spunky confidence sang, ‘I’m the Greatest Star’. Recall, too, how she stood next to the exquisite Ingrid Bergman at the Academy Awards, dressed in a shocking, see-through dress, holding Oscar tightly in her grasp, as she shouted, ‘Hullo, Gorgeous!’ Think back to that marvellous cinematic moment when in a radiant close-up in The Way We Were, the handsomest man in Hollywood, Robert Redford, had taken her in his arms and how the tears ran down her cheeks. She was the homely girl who could become beautiful, and she remains the dreamer, the wonderer, the believer in most of us that anything can be won, against the worst odds, if you have the guts and the vision to see it through.
Chutzpah, guts, strength – call it what you will, Streisand defines it. She has also dared – off and on screen – to hazard beyond ordinariness into the adventurous extreme. She made ethnicity a great advantage, turned style around so that it mimicked her own, and she has a voice that has never grown reedy or dropped into tobacco or alcoholic huskiness. It is a voice that takes us with it as it soars. It comes from somewhere deep inside her, given to her by her special god, perhaps to make up for the things she did not have – a father, beauty, inner peace; a voice that can only happen once.
Footnote
1 The Normal Heart was optioned by director John Schlesinger within a week of this statement.
Discography
The Recording Industry Association of America sets the standard for gold and platinum discs. From 1958 to 1974 the basis for a gold record or album was $1 million in wholesale revenues. In 1975 this was changed to designate 500,000 units sold and $1 million wholesale revenues. The platinum standard was created in 1976 and certifies one million units sold and $2 million in revenues. UK and foreign album sales are not included in these computations.
All albums with the exception of those* are available on compact disc.
I Can Get It For You Wholesale
Cast Album, Columbia, April 1962
Produced by Goddard Leiberson
Music and lyrics by Harold Rome
Musical direction and vocal arrangements, Lehman Engel
Orchestrations, Sid Ramin
Streisand sings one solo: ‘Miss Marmelstein’
She is also heard on ‘I’m Not a Well Man’, ‘Ballad of the Garment Trade’, and ‘What Are They Doing to Us Now?’
Pins and Needles
25th Anniversary Edition
Columbia May 1962
Produced by Elizabeth Lauer and Charles Burr
Under the supervision of Harold Rome
Music and lyrics by Harold Rome
Musical direction, Stan Freeman
Vocal arrangements, Elise Bretton
Singers: Barbra Streisand, Jack Carroll, Rose Marie Jun, Alan Sokoloff and Harold Rome with Stan Freeman at the piano
Streisand sings five solos: ‘Doing the Reactionary’, ‘Nobody Makes a Pass at Me’, ‘Not Cricket to Picket’, ‘What Good is Love?’, ‘Sitting on Your Status Quo.’
She can also be heard with Harold Rome, Jack Carroll and Alan Sokoloff on ‘Four Little Angels of Peace’
Streisand Live 1963
Bel Cano 5001
An in-performance album recorded at the Hungary i that was sold and circulated heavily until Streisand placed a restraining order on it
Songs: ‘Anyplace I Hang My Hat is Home’, ‘Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now’, ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘Lover, Come Back to Me’, ‘Have I Stayed too Long at the Fair’, ‘My Honey’s Loving Arms’, ‘Soon It’s Going to Rain’, ‘When the Sun Comes Out’, ‘Much More’, ‘Like a Straw in the Wind’, ‘Right as the Rain’, ‘Down with Love’, ‘Bewitched’, ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’
The Barbra Streisand Album
Columbia, February 1963
Produced by Mike Berniker Music arranged and conducted by Peter Matz
Songs: ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘My Honey’s Loving Arms’, ‘I’ll Tell the Man on The Street’, ‘A Taste of Honey’, ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?’, ‘Soon it’s Gonna Rain’, ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’, ‘Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now’, ‘Much More’, ‘Come to the Supermarket (in old Peking)’, ‘A Sleepin’ Bee’
Streisand’s first album in the top ten of the charts. Made Gold.
Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance
The Second Barbra Streisand Album
Columbia, August 1963
Produced by Mike Berniker Arranged and conducted by Peter Matz Additional material by Peter Daniels
Songs: ‘Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home’, ‘Right as the Rain’, ‘Down with Love’, ‘Who Will Buy?’, ‘When the Sun Comes Out’, ‘Gotta Move’, ‘My Coloring Book’, ‘I Don’t Care Much’, ‘Lover, Come Back to Me’, ‘Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair’, ‘Like a Straw in the Wind’
In the top ten of the charts. Made Gold. Grammy Awards: none
Barbra Streisand/The Third Album
Columbia, February 1964
Produced by Mike Berniker
Songs: ‘My Melancholy Baby’, ‘Taking a Chance on Love’, ‘As Time Goes By’, ‘It Had to Be You’ (arranged and conducted by Ray Ellis), ‘Just In Time’, ‘Draw Me a Circle’, ‘I Had Myself a True Love’ (orchestrated and conducted by Sid Ramin) ‘Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)’ (arranged by Peter Daniels), ‘Never Will I Marry’/‘Make Believe’ (arranged and conducted by Peter Matz)
In the top ten in the charts. Made Gold.
Funny Girl (Cast Recording)
Capitol, April 1964
Produced by Dick Jones
Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Robert Merrill
Musical Director, Milton Rosenstock
Orchestrations, Ralph Burns
Vocal arrangements, Buster Davis
Featuring Barbra Streisand, Sydney
Chaplin, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan and Jean Stapleton
Songs sung by Streisand: ‘I’m the Greatest Star’, ‘His Love Makes Me Beautiful’, duet with Chaplin: ‘I Want To Be Seen With You’; ‘People’, duet with Chaplin: ‘You Are Woman, I Am Man’; ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’, ‘Sadie, Sadie’, ‘Rat Tat-Tat-Tat’, ‘Coronet Man’, ‘Who Are You Now?’, ‘The Music that Makes Me Dance’. Other Songs: ‘If a Girl Isn’t Pretty’, ‘Who Taught Her Everything’, ‘Henry Street’, ‘Find Yourself a Man’
In the top ten in the charts. Made Gold.
People
Columbia, May 1965
Produced by Robert Mersey Piano accompaniment, Peter Daniels Arranged and conducted by Peter Matz and Ray Ellis*
Songs: ‘Absent Minded Me’, ‘When in Rome (I Do as the Romans Do)’, ‘How Does the Wine Taste?’, ‘My Lord and Master’, ‘Love Is a Bore’, ‘Don’t Like Goodbyes’, ‘People’, ‘Fine and Dandy’,* ‘Supper Time’,* ‘Will He Like Me’,* ‘I’m All Smiles’,* ‘Autumn’*
Number One in the charts. Made Gold.
Grammy Award: Best Female Vocal Performance
My Name is Barbra
Columbia, 1965
Produced by Robert Mersey Orchestrations and arrangements by Peter Matz
Songs: ‘My Name Is Barbra’, ‘A Kid Again/I’m Five’, ‘Jenny Rebecca’, ‘My Pa’, ‘Sweet Zoo’, ‘Where Is the Wonder?’, ‘I Can See It’, ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, ‘I’ve Got No Strings’, ‘If You Were the Only Boy in the World’, ‘Why Did I Choose You?’, ‘My Man’
In the top ten of the charts. M
ade gold.
Grammy Award: Best Female Vocal Performance
My Name is Barbra Two
Columbia, October 1965
Produced by Robert Mersey Conducted and arranged by Peter Matz
Songs: ‘He Touched Me’, ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’, ‘Quiet Night’, ‘I Got Plenty of Nothin”, ‘How Much of the Dream Comes True?’, ‘Second Hand Rose’, ‘The Kind of Man a Woman Needs’, ‘All that I Want’, ‘Where’s the Rainbow?’, ‘No More Songs for Me’, ‘Give Me the Simple Life’, ‘Brother Can You Spare a Dime?’, ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out’, ‘The Best Things in Life Are Free’
In the top ten of the charts. Made Platinum.
Color Me Barbra
Columbia, March 1966
Produced by Robert Mersey Conducted and arranged by Peter Matz
Songs: ‘Yesterday’, ‘One Kiss’, ‘The Minute Waltz’, ‘Gotta Move’, ‘Non C’est Rien’, ‘Where or When’, medley: ‘Animal Crackers in My Soup’, ‘Funny Face’, ‘That Face’, ‘They Didn’t Believe Me’, ‘Where Thine that Special Face’; ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face’, ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’; ‘Sam You Made the Pants Too Long’, ‘What’s New Pussycat?’, ‘Small World’, ‘I Love You’, ‘I Have Stayed too Long at the Fair’, ‘Look at That Face’, ‘C’est Si Bon’, ‘Where Am I Going?’, ‘Starting Here, Starting Now’
In the top ten of the charts. Made Gold.
Harold Sings Arlen (with friend)
Columbia, March 1966
Produced by Thomas Z. Shepard Arranged and conducted by Peter Matz Music by Harold Arlen
Streisand sings: duet with Arlen: ‘Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead’; solo: ‘House of Flowers’
Je M’appelle Barbra
Columbia, October 1966
Produced by Ettore Stratta
Songs: ‘Free Again’, ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘What’s Now My Love’, ‘Ma Premiére Chanson (the first song of Streisand’s own composition to be recorded)’, ‘Clopin-Clopant’, ‘LeMur’, ‘I Wish You Love’, ‘Speak to Me of Love’, ‘Love and Learn’, ‘Once Upon a Summertime’, ‘Martina’, ‘I’ve Been Here’
In the top ten of the charts. Made Gold.
Simply Streisand
Columbia, October 1967
Produced by Jack Gold and Howard A. Roberts
Arranged by Ray Ellis
Conducted by David Shire
Songs: ‘My Funny Valentine’, ‘The Nearness of You’, ‘When Sunny Gets Blue’, ‘Make the Man Love Me’, ‘Lover Man’, ‘I’ll Know’, ‘More than You Know’, ‘All the Things You Are’, ‘The Boy Next Door’, ‘Stout-Hearted Men’
Hit Number Twelve in the charts. Made Gold. (Richard Rodgers wrote on the back of the album one of Streisand’s most treasured accolades: ‘Nobody is talented enough to get laughs, to bring tears, to sing with the depth of a fine cello or the lift of a climbing bird. Nobody, that is, except Barbra. She makes our musical world a much happier place than it was before. Sincerely, Richard Rodgers.’)
A Christmas Album
Columbia, October 1967
Produced by Jack Gold
Numerous arrangers
Songs: ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Song’, ‘White Christmas’, ‘My Favorite Things’, ‘The Best Gift’, ‘Sleep in Heavenly Peace (Silent Night)’, Gounod’s ‘Ave Maria’, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, ‘I Wonder as I Wander’, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’
One of Streisand’s largest selling albums, it hit Number One in the charts. Made Triple Platinum.
Funny Girl
Columbia, July 1968
Motion-picture sound track
Produced by Jack Gold
Arranged and conducted by Milton Rosenstock
With Omar Sharif, Kay Medford
Songs sung by Streisand: ‘I’m the Greatest Star’, ‘I’d Rather Be Blue’, ‘His Love Makes Me Beautiful’, ‘People’, ‘You Are Woman, I Am Man’, ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’, ‘Sadie, Sadie’, ‘The Swan’, ‘Funny Girl’, ‘My Man’
Sung by others: ‘If a Girl Isn’t Pretty’, ‘Roller Skate Rag’.
Hit Number Twelve in the charts. Made Platinum.
A Happening in Central Park
Columbia, September 1968
Produced by Jack Gold
Arranged by Peter Matz
Conducted by Mort Lindsey
Songs: ‘I Can See It’, ‘Love Is Like a New Born Child’, ‘Value’, ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘People’, ‘He Touched Me’, ‘Marty the Martian’, ‘Natural Sounds’, ‘Second Hand Rose’, ‘Sleep in Heavenly Peace, (Silent Night)’, ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’
A number of songs from the live concert were not included on the record. Although it only rose to Number Thirty in the charts, it made Gold.
What About Today?
Columbia, 1969
Produced by Wally Gold
Songs: arranged and conducted by Peter Matz: ‘Ask Yourself Why’, ‘Honey Pie’, ‘Punky’s Dilemma’, ‘That’s a Fine Kind o’ Freedom’, ‘Little Tin Soldier’, and ‘Goodnight’; arranged and conducted by Don Costa: ‘What about Today’, ‘The Morning After’; arranged and conducted by Michel Legrand: ‘Until It’s Time for You to Go’, ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’, ‘Alfie’
This album only went up to Number Thirty-One in the charts.
Hello, Dolly!
Twentieth Century-Fox Records,
December 1969
Motion-picture sound track
Produced by Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman
Arranged and conducted by Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman
Music by Jerry Herman
Others on record: Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Marianne McAndrew, Walter Matthau and Louis Armstrong
Songs sung by Streisand: ‘Just Leave Everything to Me’, ‘Put on Your Sunday Clothes’, ‘Before the Parade Passes By’, ‘Love Is Only Love’, ‘Hello, Dolly!’ (sung with Louis Armstrong), ‘So Long, Dearie’, (entire cast).
Other songs: ‘Ribbons Down My Back’, sung by Marianne McAndrew; ‘Elegance’, ‘It Takes a Woman’, ‘It Only Takes a Moment’
Rose only to Number Thirty-Two in the charts. Remained in the charts for forty-six weeks. Made Double Platinum.
Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits
Columbia, December 1969
Composed of song tracks extracted from previous records, both albums and singles and includes: ‘People’, ‘Second Hand Rose’, ‘Why Did I Choose You?’, ‘He Touched Me’, ‘Free Again’, ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’, ‘My Coloring Book’, ‘Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long’, ‘My Man’, ‘Gotta Move’, ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’
Hit Number Thirty-Two in the charts. Remained in charts forty-three weeks. Made Double Platinum.
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Columbia, July 1970
Motion-picture sound track
Produced by Wally Gold
Arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle
Music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Other artist: Yves Montand
Songs sung by Streisand: ‘Hurry, It’s Lovely Up Here’, ‘On a Clear Day You Can See Forever’, ‘Love With All the Trimmings’, ‘She Isn’t You’, ‘What Did I Have that I Don’t Have?’, ‘Go to Sleep’
Songs sung by Montand: ‘Melinda’, ‘Come Back to Me’, ‘On a Clear Day You Can See Forever’
The album did not make it into the charts.
The Owl and the Pussycat*
Columbia, December 1970
Produced by Thomas Z. Shepard
Performed by Blood, Sweat and Tears
Streisand does not sing on the record, which does include dialogue (both Streisand and her co-star George Segal are heard) and incidental music from the picture.
Stoney End
Columbia, February 1971
Produced by Richard Perry
Songs: ‘I Don’t Know Where I Stand’, ‘H
ands Off the Man’, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’, ‘Just a Little Lovin”, ‘Let Me Go’, ‘Stoney End’, ‘No Easy Way Down’, ‘Time and Love’, ‘Maybe’, ‘Free the People’, ‘I’ll Be Home’
Hit Number Ten in the charts. Made Platinum.
Barbra Joan Streisand
Columbia, August 1971
Produced by Richard Perry
Songs: ‘Beautiful’, ‘Love’ (arranged by Nick de Caro); ‘Where You Lead’, ‘Space Captain’ (arranged by Fanny); ‘I Never Meant to Hurt You’, ‘The Summer Knows’ (arranged and conducted by Dick Hazard); medley: ‘One Less Bell to Answer’, ‘A House Is Not a Home’ (arranged by Ken Welch, orchestrated by Peter Matz); ‘Mother’, ‘Since I Fell for You’ (arranged and conducted by Gene Page); ‘I Mean to Shine’, ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ (arranged by Head).
Hit Number Eleven in the charts. Made Gold.
Live Concert at the Forum
Columbia, October 1972
Produced by Richard Perry
Songs: ‘Sing/Make Your Own Kind of Music’, ‘Sweet Inspiration’, ‘Where You Lead’, ‘Sing/Happy Days Are Here Again’ (arranged by Don Hannah); ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’, ‘On a Clear Day’, ‘My Man’, ‘People’ (arranged by Peter Matz); ‘Starting Here, Starting Now’ (arranged by Don Costa); ‘Didn’t We’ (arranged by Claus Ogerman); ‘Stoney End’ (arranged by Gene Page).