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."
I Have Dreamed / We Kiss in a Shadow / Something Wonderful
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We hide from the moon
Our meetings are few
And over too soon
I have dreamed
That your arms
Are lovely
What a joy you'll be
I have dreamed
Every word you whisper (we speak in a whisper)
When you're close
Close to me (afraid to be heard)
Alone in our secret
Together we sigh
For one smiling day
To be free
How you look
In the glow of evening (to kiss in the sunlight)
I have dreamed
And enjoyed the view (and say to the sky)
In these dreams
I've loved you so
That by now I think I know
What it's like to be loved by you
Behold and believe
I will love
Being loved by you
He will not always say
What you would have him say
But now and then he'll say
Something wonderful
The thoughtless things he'll do
Will hurt and worry you
Then all at once he'll do
Something wonderful
He has a thousand dreams
That won't come true
You know that he believes in them
And that's enough for you
You'll always go along
Defend him when he's wrong
And tell him, when he's strong
He is wonderful
He'll always need your love
And so he'll get your love
A man who needs your love
Can be wonderful
The lyrics to Barbra Streisand's song "I Have Dreamed / We Kiss in a Shadow / Something Wonderful" are a testament to the beauty of those secret moments we spend with someone we love, and the hope that we might one day be able to be free to express our love openly. The song consists of three different pieces woven together, with each telling a different part of the story. The first part speaks to the clandestine nature of the lovers' relationship - they must hide from the moon and their meetings are few and far between. But in these stolen moments, they are able to whisper sweet nothings and dream of a time when they can be together without fear.
The second part of the song explores the idea of how we imagine our loved ones when we're apart. In this dream-like state, the singer revels in the memory of how their lover looks in the evening light. They yearn to be able to bask in this light together, out in the open, so they can proudly declare their love to the world.
Finally, the third part of the song speaks to the complexities of love. The man in the relationship is not perfect, and he may say or do things that hurt the singer. But despite these flaws, the singer knows that beneath it all, this man is wonderful - full of dreams and desire, and in need of love. Ultimately, the song is a beautiful exploration of the myriad emotions that love can evoke - from the euphoria of secret meetings, to the wistful longing for a love that can be fully realized, to the acceptance of the imperfections that make our partners uniquely wonderful.
Line by Line Meaning
We kiss in a shadow
We hide from the world to be together, we are afraid to reveal our love openly
We hide from the moon
We only meet in the night, under the cover of darkness
Our meetings are few
We cannot be together often enough, our time is limited
And over too soon
Our moments together always come to an end too quickly
I have dreamed
I have imagined
That your arms
Being held by you
Are lovely
Brings me great pleasure
What a joy you'll be
How happy I will feel with you
Every word you whisper (we speak in a whisper)
Our conversations are quiet and intimate, like secrets only we share
When you're close
Being near you
Close to me (afraid to be heard)
But also scared of being discovered
Alone in our secret
We keep our love hidden from the outside world
Together we sigh
Our love is full of longing and dreaming
For one smiling day
Hoping for a time when we can truly be happy together
To be free
To be free to love without fear or reservations
How you look
Your appearance
In the glow of evening (to kiss in the sunlight)
In the warm light of sunset (a romantic setting)
And enjoyed the view (and say to the sky)
Admiring your beauty and feeling grateful for your presence
In these dreams
In my imagination
I've loved you so
I have felt deep, passionate love for you
That by now I think I know
I feel like I understand what it's like to truly love you
What it's like to be loved by you
But I still long to know what it would feel like to be loved by you in return
Behold and believe
See and understand
I will love
I promise to always love you
Being loved by you
And I hope that one day I will also know the feeling of being loved by you
He will not always say
Sometimes he might be quiet or distant
What you would have him say
He might not always express himself in the way that I want or expect
But now and then he'll say
But every once in a while he will surprise me
Something wonderful
And it will be something beautiful or touching that makes me fall in love with him all over again
The thoughtless things he'll do
Sometimes he might unintentionally hurt me
Will hurt and worry you
And it will make me sad and anxious
Then all at once he'll do
But just when I start to doubt, he will surprise me with something special
Something wonderful
And I will realize why I love him so much
He has a thousand dreams
He has many hopes and aspirations
That won't come true
But he knows that some of them will never be realized
You know that he believes in them
But I support him and believe in his dreams
And that's enough for you
And that is all that matters, because I love him and want him to be happy
You'll always go along
I will always support him and be by his side
Defend him when he's wrong
Even when he makes a mistake, I will stand up for him
And tell him, when he's strong
And when he does something right, I will praise him and let him know how much I appreciate him
He is wonderful
Because he is the man I love and I see all the good in him
He'll always need your love
He will always rely on my love and support
And so he'll get your love
And I will give him my love unconditionally
A man who needs your love
Because a man who needs your love is worth loving
Can be wonderful
And in spite of all our differences and imperfections, our love can still be a wonderful thing
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tomhbeatle1
There are literally thousands of great female volcalists on this earth, I love many, many, of them, but right now you are listening to the pinnacle of them. There can only be a # 1. This is her. " Barbra Streisand" Tom...
@philomenawhitehead7840
I couldn't agree more. I love this song and this is the best version of it. Barbara Streisand is absolutely the greatest female vocalist ever.
@holdensupreme9436
ABSOLUTELY. Her delivery, phrasing, keen ability to decide what sounds best for her ASTOUNDS!
@edithcarter3554
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
@BBBYpsi
From a man's perspective. The song "something wonderful" is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Maybe because Barbra Streisand is singing it. But combine both together & it is pure special magic.
@christopher5040
I fell the same..
@necktieguy1
This beautiful medley, sung in the incredible style of Ms. Streisand, is haunting. "Something Wonderful" is a tour de force. Thank you for this post. Thank you, Ms. Streisand.
@JBlinky67
"Our meetings are few, and over too soon." There is no better version of "I have dreamed". Making wishes for that future love.
@manuelorozco7760
Julie Andrews has an equally beautiful version
@JBlinky67
@@manuelorozco7760 OK cool. I will search for it