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."
Monologue
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know this is, I haven't done a concert, in about six years. and
It's oh thank you... but it's very exciting I
Must say, but it's also terribly, terribly
Scary... ooh, god I wish I was back on the set!
Mmm, I gotta tell you this funny thing. but it's
Not so funny. but talking about being scared
I was even more scared till I spoke to friends
Were telling me that they also... uh ...[drinks Tea]
Tastes much better that way! the Japaneses
Said so! anyway... they told me that in order
To conquer their fears, you know, they ... eh
Well, some of them drink; but I really hate
The taste of liquors, so i...you know, I can't
Do that... and some of them... uh ... take pills;
But I can't even swallow aspirin, so I can't
Do that, but... more important than that... I
Have found, and I believe, that performers
Should be very strong, you know, and... you don't
Know what I'm gonna say... your way ahead of me tonight.
It's still illegal? we should face our problems head
On! you know... what I was about to say you see,
I have found that the way I conquer my fear of
A performance is just to... uhm... you know,
Talk about it, and you get it out in the open,
And you discuss it with a little...excuse me...
[sniff] you just, you just talk about it freely and just...
Everything... and she's... what a fantastic
Accord you just played... what was that of f minor
7th with a demented pinky on the 5th it was really high.
In this monologue, Barbra Streisand is expressing her nervousness about performing in a concert after six years of not doing so. She talks about how scary it is to be on stage and wishes she was back on set. But she also shares a funny story about how other performers cope with their fears before going on stage. Barbra mentions that some performers drink while some take pills to ease their fears, but she cannot do either of these because she hates the taste of liquor and cannot even swallow aspirin. Instead, she suggests that talking about her fears and discussing them openly is how she conquers her fear of performing.
The overall message of the monologue is that fear is a natural experience, but it does not have to paralyze us. If we confront our fears head-on and find ways to cope with them, we can overcome them and achieve our goals. Barbra's honesty and vulnerability in sharing her fears with her audience make her more relatable and endear her to her fans.
Line by Line Meaning
You know this is, I haven't done a concert, in about six years. and
I haven't performed in front of an audience in six years and this is a big deal.
It's oh thank you... but it's very exciting I
I'm thrilled to be here, but it's also nerve-wracking.
Must say, but it's also terribly, terribly Scary... ooh, god I wish I was back on the set!
Performing live is really scary and I wish I could go back to filming movies.
Mmm, I gotta tell you this funny thing. but it's Not so funny. but talking about being scared I was even more scared till I spoke to friends Of mine also performers, you know...and they Were telling me that they also... uh ...[drinks Tea]
I have a story to tell you, but it's not really funny. Before this performance, I was really scared, but then I talked to some of my performer friends who reminded me that they get scared too. Oh, and by the way, this tea is really good.
Tastes much better that way! the Japaneses Said so! anyway... they told me that in order To conquer their fears, you know, they ... eh Well, some of them drink; but I really hate The taste of liquors, so i...you know, I can't Do that... and some of them... uh ... take pills; But I can't even swallow aspirin, so I can't Do that, but... more important than that... I
My Japanese friends say tea tastes better with this cup, but anyway, they told me that some performers drink or take pills to calm their nerves. I don't like the taste of alcohol and can't even swallow aspirin, so I can't do that. But more importantly, I believe performers should be strong and find other ways to conquer their fears.
Have found, and I believe, that performers Should be very strong, you know, and... you don't Know what I'm gonna say... your way ahead of me tonight. It's still illegal? we should face our problems head On! you know... what I was about to say you see,
I think performers should be mentally strong and face their fears head-on. You're probably ahead of me on this - we need to deal with our problems directly. By the way, is it still illegal to do something? We should talk about controversial issues too.
I have found that the way I conquer my fear of A performance is just to... uhm... you know, Talk about it, and you get it out in the open, And you discuss it with a little...excuse me... [sniff] you just, you just talk about it freely and just...
For me, the best way to overcome my fear of performing is to talk about it and get it out in the open. You just need to speak freely about your fears and work through them with others. Sorry, I needed to sniff a bit there.
Everything... and she's... what a fantastic Accord you just played... what was that of f minor 7th with a demented pinky on the 5th it was really high.
Anyway, moving on... That was a great performance earlier! What was that chord you played? F minor 7th with a strange fingering? It sounded really impressive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADAM BRAVIN, JUSTIN WARFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Broussard
Merci