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."
Letters That Cross In The Mail
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While thinking of love
I wrote him some words and mailed them away
But the next day
I found at my door a letter from spain
He'd sent long before
And his note read
I must assume that you no longer care
Too bad that's it, goodbye
It's just amazing
How loving can fail
From letters that cross in the mail
A life, a love, a chance to win it all
Can pass you by, in the foreign scene
And you think you'll find your fate tomorrow night
And he finds somebody else in-between
I sat with swords in my heart
And pen in a hand I wrote
I'm glad that we're through
Full of hate I mailed it
But then in a week a letter arrived
With love did it speak
And his note read
I loved the tender words you sent
It seems I wronged you please forgive me
I'll return, I should leave soon
But oh, I know now that he'll never sail
Our letters will cross in the mail
It's just amazing
How time brings a loss
And loving can fail
Like letters that cross in the mail...
The song "Letters That Cross In The Mail" by Barbra Streisand narrates a tale of lost love and regret that is expressed through letters that crossed each other in the mail. The song highlights how communication lost in the mail can cause a tremendous misunderstanding, leading to the end of a once-beautiful relationship. The song is about how the couple's missed connections in the mail lead to their eventual parting of ways. The singer explains how she wrote a letter to her lover and mailed it away, hoping to rekindle their love. But before he could respond to her letter, she received another letter from him, saying he hadn't heard from her in weeks and was assuming she didn't care anymore. This chain of letters caused the couple to drift, and he found someone else while she bitterly wrote a response that she was glad they were through with each other.
The singer's letter, however, crossed with his previous letter, which spoke of his longing and love for her. Through this crossed communication, she realizes he still cares for her, and she forgives him for their misunderstandings. The chorus echoes the theme of the song, how lost communications can affect love and cause misunderstandings, leading to lost opportunities, wondering about what could have been, and regret. In the end, they send letters in the hope that they would cross again, and that they can rekindle their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Last month
A while ago
While thinking of love
During a time when love was on the mind
I wrote him some words and mailed them away
She wrote a letter and sent it to him
But the next day
The following day
I found at my door a letter from spain
She received a letter from someone in Spain
He'd sent long before
He had sent it a while ago
And his note read
He wrote
I haven't heard from you in weeks
He had not received a letter from her in weeks
I must assume that you no longer care
He assumed that she no longer cared about him
Too bad that's it, goodbye
He accepted it and said goodbye
It's just amazing
It's surprising
How loving can fail
How love can fail
From letters that cross in the mail
From letters that were sent to each other but crossed paths in the mail system
A life, a love, a chance to win it all
A life, a chance at love, and an opportunity to have everything
Can pass you by, in the foreign scene
Opportunities can be missed, especially in a foreign country
And you think you'll find your fate tomorrow night
You think you'll find your destiny tomorrow
And he finds somebody else in-between
And he finds someone else in the meantime
I sat with swords in my heart
She felt hurt and angry
And pen in a hand I wrote
She wrote a letter with her pen in hand
I'm glad that we're through
She was happy that their relationship had ended
Full of hate I mailed it
She sent the letter full of anger and hatred
But then in a week a letter arrived
But then she received a letter a week later
With love did it speak
It was a letter full of love
And his note read
He wrote
I loved the tender words you sent
He loved the sweet words she wrote
It seems I wronged you please forgive me
He realized he had done something wrong and asked for forgiveness
I'll return, I should leave soon
He planned on coming back soon
But oh, I know now that he'll never sail
But she knew he would never come back
Our letters will cross in the mail
Their letters to each other will continue to cross paths in the mail system
It's just amazing
It's surprising
How time brings a loss
How time can bring about a loss
And loving can fail
And love can fail
Like letters that cross in the mail...
Just like letters that cross paths in the mail system.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, HOLMES LINE OF RECORDS INC
Written by: RUPERT HOLMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robo
on Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)
I love Melinda Vesterfelt