Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand; April 24, 1942 Brooklyn, Ne… Read Full Bio ↴Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand; April 24, 1942 Brooklyn, New York), is an Academy Award-winning American singer, theater and film actress, composer, film producer, and director. She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and an honorary Tony Award. She received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor on December 7, 2008. She is the most successful female recording artist according to the Recording Industry Assoc. of America (RIAA).

Barbra Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with Columbia Records. Her early works in the 1960s (her debut The Barbra Streisand Album which won two Grammy Awards in 1963, followed by The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album, My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theater and nightclub standards, including her version of Happy Days Are Here Again. Beginning with My Name Is Barbra, her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials.

Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many talented singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock, but her vocal talents prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented Richard Perry-produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, was a big hit for Streisand.

Streisand's 1980 album, Guilty featured the songwriting, production and vocal talents of Barry Gibb and was the best-selling album of her recording career. During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like The Way We Were, Evergreen, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (her duet with Donna Summer), and Woman In Love; some of these came from soundtracks of her films. She recently took part in supporting Haiti in singing "We are the World 25th anniversary.

When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums. [1]

[1] In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra."

A Man I Loved
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I loved you
Time and again
I would try to say
All I'd want you to know
If I loved you
Words wouldn't come
In an easy way
Round in circles I'd go

Longing to tell you
But afraid and shy
I'd let my golden chances
Pass me by

Soon you'd leave me
Off you would go
In the mist of day
Never never to know

How I loved you
If I loved you

Overall Meaning

Barbra Streisand's song "If I Loved You" is about a story of a person who regrets not expressing their love towards someone they deeply care about. The lyrics suggest that the person had multiple opportunities to confess their feelings but was too afraid to do so. The opening lines, "Time and again, I would try to say, all I'd want you to know" indicate that the person had multiple chances to express their love towards the other person but failed to do so.

The lyrics go on to suggest that if the person had expressed their love, they would have been truthful and open about their feelings, but instead, "words wouldn't come in an easy way, round in circles, I'd go." The lines, "longing to tell you but afraid and shy, I'd let my golden chances pass me by" suggest that the person regrets their actions and the opportunities they missed to express their love.

The final lines, "Soon you'd leave me, off you would go, in the mist of day, never never to know how I loved you if I loved you" suggest that the person has lost their chance, and the other person has moved on without ever knowing how much they were loved. The song leaves the listener with a sense of regret and nostalgia for the opportunities missed.

Line by Line Meaning

If I loved you
If my feelings for you were genuine

Time and again
Repeatedly

I would try to say
I would attempt to express

All I'd want you to know
Everything I would want you to be aware of

Words wouldn't come
I would struggle to find the right words

In an easy way
Effortlessly

Round in circles I'd go
I would be indecisive and unsure

Longing to tell you
Having a strong desire to let you know

But afraid and shy
Being fearful and timid

I'd let my golden chances
I would miss out on great opportunities

Pass me by
Go away without me taking advantage of them