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."
My Coloring Book
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As certain people do
Here's a new one for you
A most unusual coloring book
The kind you never see
Crayons ready?
Very well
These are the eyes that watched him
As he walked away
Color them gray
This is the heart that thought
He would always be true
Color it blue
These are the arms that held him
And touched him
Then lost him, somehow
Color them empty, now
These are the beads I wore
Until she came between
Color them green
This is the room I sleep in
Walk in and weep in, hiding
That nobody sees
Color it lonely, please
This is the man
The one I depended upon
Color him gone
In Barbra Streisand's song "My Coloring Book", the singer takes on the role of the coloring book itself, inviting the listener to color her in with their emotions. The song describes various experiences the singer has had in her life, inviting the listener to color in the corresponding emotions through a series of metaphors. For example, the singer describes watching someone walk away, and invites the listener to color in the eyes that were watching them with gray. She also describes the feeling of being betrayed by a loved one and losing them, inviting the listener to color in her empty arms with an appropriate color.
The song serves as a metaphor for the way that emotions and experiences can color our perception of the world around us. By presenting the listener with a series of images to color, the singer is inviting them to engage with their own emotions and experiences, and to explore the way that these experiences have shaped them. Ultimately, the song celebrates the power of our emotions to add richness and color to our lives, even as they can also bring pain and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
For those who fancy coloring books
This song is for people who enjoy coloring books.
As certain people do
Not everyone likes coloring books, but some people do.
Here's a new one for you
This song is like a new coloring book for listeners.
A most unusual coloring book
The coloring book described in this song is unique and unlike any other.
The kind you never see
This coloring book is so different that you've never seen anything like it.
Crayons ready?
It's time to use your imagination and start coloring with your crayons.
Very well
Okay, let's get started.
Begin to color me
The coloring subject in this song is the singer herself. She wants the listeners to color her using the lyrics of the song.
These are the eyes that watched him
The singer is referencing her own eyes that looked upon a love interest as he walked away.
As he walked away
The love interest in the singer's life was leaving her.
Color them gray
The singer wants the listeners to color her eyes gray, representing sadness and loss.
This is the heart that thought
The singer now references her own heart, which believed the love interest would always be true to her.
He would always be true
The singer believed that the love interest would never hurt or betray her.
Color it blue
The singer wants the listeners to color her heart blue, representing sadness and disappointment.
These are the arms that held him
The singer talks about her own arms that held and touched her love interest.
And touched him
The singer had a physical relationship with the love interest.
Then lost him, somehow
The singer lost the love interest in some way, whether due to death or a breakup.
Color them empty, now
The singer wants the listeners to color her arms empty, representing the absence of the person she loves.
These are the beads I wore
The singer references the jewelry she wore, perhaps given to her by the love interest.
Until she came between
Another woman came between the singer and her love interest, causing a rift.
Color them green
The singer wants the listeners to color the beads green, representing jealousy and envy.
This is the room I sleep in
The singer is talking about the space where she sleeps at night.
Walk in and weep in, hiding
The singer goes to this space to cry and hide her emotions from others.
That nobody sees
The singer experiences her emotions alone and does not want others to witness them.
Color it lonely, please
The singer wants the listeners to color her space lonely, representing the isolation she feels.
This is the man
The singer is now talking about the love interest who left her.
The one I depended upon
The singer relied on this man for emotional support and love.
Color him gone
The singer wants the listeners to color the man gone, representing his absence from her life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED EBB, JOHN KANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
i love music movies
These are the eyes that watched him
As he walked away
Color them gray
This is the heart that thought
He would always be true
Color it blue
These are the arms that held him
And touched him
Then lost him, somehow
Color them empty, now
These are the beads I wore
Until she came between
Color them green
This is the room I sleep in
Walk in and weep in, hiding
That nobody sees
Color it lonely, please
This is the man
The one I depended upon
Color him gone
Barry I. Grauman
She omitted the verse before the song began (Ed was on a tight schedule):
For those who fancy coloring books
As certain people do
Here's a new one for you.......
A most unusual coloring book
The kind you never see
Crayons ready?
Very well.
Begin to color me.........
Brennen Lancashire
I can still remember the first time that I heard Barbra Streisand sing, I was around 10yrs old and at the cinema with my dad and after the film’s finished and we were all leaving they played a film trailer and it was Barbara singing Don’t Rain on my Parade, I just looked at this woman singing on the screen and the hairs on the back of my head stood up, I didn’t know who she was then but I fell in love with her voice right then, I’m now 70yrs old and an still in love 🥰 with this woman’s voice, and it’s good to know that I’m not by myself in feeling this way, there are millions around the world 🌎 September 2021 Love to you all around the world ❤️💐🎤
Curiously Strong Singing
That moment in the movie dictated the course of the rest of my life
John Cortesi
😊 you have the best taste! Also, you must be a passionate person to love her, as I am!
Fred Moore
I was 20, in Miami in summer 1963. I heard this on the jukebox in a neighborhood bar at NW 36th St and 27th Ave.
Amazing.
Edith Carter
My feelings too
Edith Carter
I’m 59 now and still love her just ad much as when I discovered her.
Jero Rosario
There are have been lots of good singers in the past, there are maybe a few today. And then there's Barbra Streisand. Truly in a league of her own. She has the most remarkable non operatic voice in the world. But also what sets her apart from all the other is the incredible control she has over it. She knows how to use her instrument like no other singer I've ever heard. A true musical wonder the likes of which we'll never see again.
Christophe Pena
Perfect comment.
TruthSerum101
Have you ever heard Sarah Vaughan?
Jean-Pierre Huot
@TruthSerum101 I love Sarah (I prefer Ella), but Sarah can't belt as high as Barbra. In fact, Sarah did not belt. And her vibrato was intense. What I like about Barbra is her vibrato, just the right speed and amplitude. And sometimes, she sings straight tone, it's always changing, surprising. Listen to that note at 1:09 : she start it staight tone and then, the vibrato creeps in, gradually and the vibrato is subtle, it's not overwhelming, it complements the sound. Sarah's vibrato in the 70's was distracting and too much, like a cake that is too rich.