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."
Adelaide's Lament
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Basically insecure
Due to some long frustration may react
React?
With psychosomatic symptoms
Difficult to endure
Affecting the upper respiratory tract
Achoo
In other words
Just from waiting around
For that little band of gold
A person can develop a cold
You can spray her wherever you figure
The streptococci lurk
You can give her a shot
For whatever she's got
But it just won't work
If she's tired of getting the fish-eye
From the hotel clerk
A person
Can develop a cold
The female remaining single, uh
Just in the legal sense, ahh
Shows a neurotic tendency
See note
Where's note? Uh
Chronic organic syndromes
Toxic and hypertense
Involving the eye,
The ear and the nose and throat
Oh, that's very interesting
In other words
Just from worrying
Whether the wedding is on or off
A person
Can develop a cough
You can feed her all day
With the Vitamin A
And the Bromo Fizz
But the medicine never
Gets anywhere near
Where the trouble is
If she's getting a kind
Of name for herself
And the name ain't "his"
A person
Can develop a cough
And further more
Just from stalling
And stalling and stalling
The wedding trip
A person
Can develop la grippe
When they get on a train For Niagara
And she can hear church bells chime
The compartment is air conditioned
And the mood sublime
They get off at Saratoga
For the fourteenth time
Well, a person
Can develop la grippe
La grippe, la post nasal drip
With the wheezes
And the sneezes
And a sinus that's really a pip
From a lack of community property
And a feeling she's getting too old
A person
Can develop a bad, a bad, a really, really bad cold
Ah, ah, ah ah achoo
"Adelaide's Lament" is a song from the musical "Guys and Dolls" that was originally performed by Vivian Blaine. It was later recorded by Barbra Streisand in her album "The Broadway Album" in 1985. The song tells the story of a single woman who is frustrated because she is still not married, hence the title of the song. She believes that waiting around for a wedding ring has made her sick and given her psychosomatic symptoms. These symptoms primarily affect her respiratory system, causing her to have a cough and sneeze frequently. The lyrics are very tongue-in-cheek, as the idea of being unmarried leading to physical illness is exaggerated for comedic effect.
The song is notable for its clever lyrics and catchy tune, but also for the fact that it is often cited as an example of sexism in musical theater. The idea that a woman's primary goal is to get married, and that being single is a pathological condition that can cause illness, is obviously outdated and offensive. However, it is important to remember the context in which the musical was created. "Guys and Dolls" premiered in 1950, when gender roles were very different than they are today. While the song may be seen as sexist now, it was probably seen as a lighthearted take on a common societal pressure then.
Line by Line Meaning
The average unmarried female
The common single woman
Basically insecure
Has a fundamental lack of self-confidence
Due to some long frustration may react
At times, due to lengthy frustration can respond overtly
React?
React how?
With psychosomatic symptoms
Exhibiting physical symptoms due to psychological distress
Difficult to endure
Hard to withstand
Affecting the upper respiratory tract
Involving the nose and throat
Achoo
Sneeze noise
In other words
Put simply
Just from waiting around
Simply from anxiously waiting
For that little band of gold
For a wedding ring
A person can develop a cold
A woman can develop an illness
You can spray her wherever you figure
You can administer medication wherever you assume is necessary
The streptococci lurk
Bacteria may be present
You can give her a shot
You can give her an injection
For whatever she's got
For whatever medical issue she may have
But it just won't work
But it won't have an effect
If she's tired of getting the fish-eye
If she's fed up of getting suspicious glances
From the hotel clerk
From the hotel attendant
A person
A woman
Can develop a cold
Can become sick
The female remaining single, uh
The unmarried female
Just in the legal sense, ahh
Only from a legal standpoint
Shows a neurotic tendency
Reveals a psychological inclination
See note
Unknown cue
Chronic organic syndromes
Long-term symptoms resulting from physical or mental illnesses
Toxic and hypertense
Poisonous and high in blood pressure
Involving the eye,
Involving the eyes,
The ear and the nose and throat
Ears, nose, and throat
Oh, that's very interesting
Oh, that's fascinating
In other words
Put simply
Just from worrying
Simply from fretting
Whether the wedding is on or off
Whether the wedding is taking place or cancelled
A person
A woman
Can develop a cough
Can become afflicted with a cough
You can feed her all day
You can provide her food all day
With the Vitamin A
With Vitamin A supplements
And the Bromo Fizz
And the Bromo Fizz drink
But the medicine never
But the medicine isn't effective
Gets anywhere near
Reaches anywhere close
Where the trouble is
The real issue's location
If she's getting a kind
If she's gaining a type
Of name for herself
Of reputation
And the name ain't "his"
And she's not known in reference to him
A person
A woman
Can develop a cough
Can acquire a cough
And further more
Furthermore
Just from stalling
Simply from delaying
And stalling and stalling
And perpetuating the delay
The wedding trip
The honeymoon
A person
A woman
Can develop la grippe
Can develop a bad cold
When they get on a train For Niagara
When they board a train for Niagara Falls
And she can hear church bells chime
And she can listen to ringing church bells
The compartment is air conditioned
The compartment has air conditioning
And the mood sublime
And the atmosphere is wonderful
They get off at Saratoga
They disembark at Saratoga
For the fourteenth time
For the 14th instance
Well, a person
Well, a woman
Can develop la grippe
Can become ill with a bad cold
La grippe, la post nasal drip
A severe cold
With the wheezes
With breathing difficulty
And the sneezes
And sneezing
And a sinus that's really a pip
And a severely troubled sinus
From a lack of community property
From a lack of shared assets
And a feeling she's getting too old
And feeling too mature
A person
A woman
Can develop a bad, a bad, a really, really bad cold
Can become terribly sick
Ah, ah, ah ah achoo
Ah, ah, ah ah, sneeze noise
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Loesser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robo
on Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)
I love Melinda Vesterfelt