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."

I Remember
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I awake on a chilly Christmas morning
Watching choirs singing carols on TV
I gaze out through my window at a dozen other windows
Then I plug in my artificial tree
And like a dream I begin to remember every Christmas I used to know
A thousand miles away, a million years ago
I remember sky.
It was blue as ink

Or at least I think
I remember sky
I remember snow, soft as feathers, sharp as thumbtacks
Coming down like lint
And it made you squint when the wind would blow
And ice like vinyl on the streets
Cold as silver, white as sheets
Rain like strings and changing things
Like leaves
I remember leaves
Green as spearmint
Crisp as paper
I remember trees
Bare as coat racks, spread like broken umbrellas
And parks and bridges, ponds and zoos
Ruddy faces, muddy shoes
Light and noise and bees and boys
And daaaaays, oh!
I remember days or at least I try
But as years go by, they're a sort of haze
And the bluest ink isn't really sky.

And at times I think I would gladly die
For a day of sky!

Overall Meaning

In "I Remember," Barbra Streisand speaks about the memories of Christmas past, the glory of the changing seasons, and the passage of time. The opening lyrics of the song depict Streisand waking up to a cold Christmas morning where she watches choirs singing carols on television. She gazes out her window, observing a dozen other windows and then plugs in her artificial tree. The lyrics then take on an introspective tone, with Streisand recollecting every Christmas that she used to know, years ago and miles away. She also reminisces about the seasons, reminiscing about blue, crisp skies, snow that fell "like lint," leaves, and trees that were "bare as coat racks, spread like broken umbrellas."

Throughout the song, Barbra Streisand's voice is smooth, controlled, and emotional, capturing the nostalgia of the lyrics flawlessly. The final verse showcases her emotional depth best, where she sings about the passage of time and the blurring of memories over the years.

"I Remember" is surprisingly one of Barbra Streisand's best songs, showcasing her strong vocals and different vocal ranges. The song was used in the movie "John Maggio's Auschwitz: Inside The Nazi State," where Scorsese used a special mix of the song. The melody is from a French classical composer named Charles Trenet. The single for the song was released in 1981 and became almost as popular as the film, helping to change the public's perception of Streisand's music.

Line by Line Meaning

I awake on a chilly Christmas morning
I opened my eyes and rose from my bed on a frosty Christmas morning.

Watching choirs singing carols on TV
While the choirs on television sang Christmas songs, I watched with interest.

I gaze out through my window at a dozen other windows
I looked out my window and saw many other windows.

Then I plug in my artificial tree
After that, I turned on my fake Christmas tree.

And like a dream I begin to remember every Christmas I used to know
Memory of all the Christmases of my past come flooding back like a dream.

A thousand miles away, a million years ago
Those past Christmases I remember seem so long ago and so far away.

I remember sky. It was blue as ink. Or at least I think
I recall the sky, which was either really blue, or maybe it just seems that way to me now.

I remember snow, soft as feathers, sharp as thumbtacks
I remember the snow, which was both gentle and biting, as if made of downy feathers and razor-sharp tacks.

Coming down like lint. And it made you squint when the wind would blow
Falling like a fine dust, the snow was so bright that you had to squint whenever the wind picked up.

And ice like vinyl on the streets
The ice on the streets was slick and smooth like a vinyl record.

Cold as silver, white as sheets
The ice was as cold as a silver coin, and as white as bed sheets.

Rain like strings and changing things, Like leaves
The falling rain was like thin strings, changing shape as it fell, like the leaves on a tree.

I remember leaves. Green as spearmint. Crisp as paper
I can recall the leaves, which looked as fresh as spearmint and had a crisp texture like paper.

I remember trees. Bare as coat racks, spread like broken umbrellas
I can remember the trees, which were stripped of their leaves like coat racks, and had branches spread out chaotically like broken umbrellas.

And parks and bridges, ponds and zoos. Ruddy faces, muddy shoes. Light and noise and bees and boys
I recall going to parks, walking over bridges, looking at ponds and animals in zoos. I remember seeing the red faces and muddy shoes of children, and everything was full of light, noise, bees, and boys.

And daaaaays, oh!
Those days were so memorable!

I remember days or at least I try
I make an effort to remember all those days, or at least I try.

But as years go by, they're a sort of haze
Still, as time passes year after year, all those memories seem like a blur.

And the bluest ink isn't really sky.
The ink with the bluest hue still cannot compare to the vibrant shade of the sky.

And at times I think I would gladly die. For a day of sky!
Sometimes I wish that I could just die to experience the pure beauty of the sky once again!

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN SONDHEIM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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