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."

Can't Help Lovin' That Man
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, listen sister
I love my mister man
And I can't tell you why
There is no reason why I should love that man

It must be somethin'
That the angels done planned

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly
I gotta love one man till I die
Can't help lovin' that man of mine

Tell me he's lazy, tell me he's slow
Tell me I'm crazy, maybe I know
Can't help lovin' that man of mine

When he goes away, that's a rainy day
But when he comes back that day is fine
The sun will shine
He can come home as late as can be

Home without him ain't no home to me
Can't help lovin' that man of mine

Overall Meaning

In the song "Can't Help Lovin' That Man," Barbra Streisand is expressing her unconditional love for her partner or mister man, even though she cannot explain why she loves him so much. She tells her sister that her love for him must be something that God has planned. The song features the paradoxical ideas of loving someone even though there's no reason to do so, and the inevitability of falling in love with that person.

Streisand then expresses her love through several metaphors. She likens her love to the natural cycle of life; fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, and she's gotta love her man until the day she dies. She proclaims that she can't help loving that man, using repetition and a catchy hook to express her unwavering devotion. Whenever he goes away, she is left feeling sad, but as soon as he returns, everything is bright again. Finally, Streisand states that even when her man comes home late, she is just happy to have him by her side, as she cannot imagine life without him.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, listen sister
Pay attention, my dear friend

I love my mister man
I am deeply in love with my significant other

And I can't tell you why
I cannot explain the reasons for my intense love

There is no reason why I should love that man
There is no logical basis for my infatuation

It must be somethin'
There must be something elusive about him

That the angels done planned
Perhaps it was planned by spiritual forces

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly
As creatures of nature have their own natural inclinations, I too have this unexplainable love for him

I gotta love one man till I die
I am committed to loving him for the rest of my life

Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I am unable to resist my love for him

Tell me he's lazy, tell me he's slow
He may be criticized as lethargic or sluggish

Tell me I'm crazy, maybe I know
I might be considered irrational, but I am aware of my own feelings