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."
Second Hand Rose
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything from toothpicks to a baby-grand
Stuff in our apartment came from father's store
Even clothes I'm wearing someone wore before
It's no wonder that I feel abused
I never get a thing that ain't been used
I'm wearing second hand hats
That's why they call me
Second hand Rose
Even our piano in the parlor
Daddy bought for ten cents on the dollar
Second hand pearls
I'm wearing second hand curls
I never get a single thing that's new
Even Jake, the plumber, he's the man I adore
He had the nerve to tell me he's been married before
Everyone knows that I'm just
Second hand Rose
From Second Avenue
From Second Avenue
No
one knows better than Barbra Streisand how to tell a story through music. In "Second Hand Rose," she employs her vocal prowess to give life to a character who tells a bitter-sweet tale of a girl whose life is defined by the legacy of her father's business. The opening line sets the tone: "Father has a business strictly second hand." The singer is a girl whose father has built a successful enterprise of selling used items. The store is so vast that it has furnished their apartment with everything from toothpicks to a baby-grand, and it's no surprise that even the clothes she wears were once worn by someone else.
This backstory becomes the chorus, where Streisand sings, "I'm wearing second hand hats, second hand clothes, that's why they call me Second Hand Rose." The singer bemoans her lot, and her voice is tinged with a hint of sadness and resignation as she describes how her father has shaped her life's course. She cannot escape the sense that everything she is and has is enduring a repetition of a past life. Her only hope for redemption is in Jake the plumber, whom she adores, but even Jake is not immune to the shadow of her father's outdated legacy. He shyly confesses that he has been married before, increasing the weight of her pessimism.
"Second Hand Rose" is a timeless song that finds resonance in any culture where inherited legacies and second-hand clothes are seen as a sign of being downtrodden. It's a critique of the American societal belief in ownership and the unbridled desire to acquire new things. Barbra Streisand ensures that the song speaks, even after decades, to those who have had to endure the stigma of being a second-hand citizen. It's a testament to the beauty of music when it tells a story that resonates with audiences across generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Father has a business strictly second hand
My father owns a consignment shop, where he sells used items exclusively
Everything from toothpicks to a baby-grand
He sells a wide variety of items, ranging from tiny things like toothpicks to large ones like a baby grand piano
Stuff in our apartment came from father's store
Most of the items in our apartment were bought by my father's shop and sold as second-hand items
Even clothes I'm wearing someone wore before
The clothes I am wearing right now have been used by someone else before me
It's no wonder that I feel abused
I feel mistreated and taken advantage of because I never get anything new
I never get a thing that ain't been used
I have never owned anything brand new, everything I have is previously owned by someone else
I'm wearing second hand hats
The hat I am wearing right now was previously owned by someone else, and I purchased it from my father's store
Second hand clothes
My clothes have been used by someone else before me, and my father's store sold them to me second-hand
That's why they call me Second hand Rose
I am called Second Hand Rose because everything I own and wear is second-hand or previously used
Even our piano in the parlor
The piano in our parlor is also a second-hand item that my father bought for a fraction of its original price
Daddy bought for ten cents on the dollar
My father purchased the piano for just 10% of the original price
Second hand pearls
Even the pearls I am wearing have been used by someone else before me
I'm wearing second hand curls
The hairstyle I am wearing right now is a style that has previously been worn by someone else
I never get a single thing that's new
I have never been lucky enough to have anything brand new in my life
Even Jake, the plumber, he's the man I adore
I have a crush on Jake, who is a plumber, even though he has been married before
He had the nerve to tell me he's been married before
Jake revealed to me that he has already been married before, which made me surprisingly upset
Everyone knows that I'm just
Everyone in my life is aware that I am just
Second hand Rose
I am known as Second Hand Rose because everything I own, wear, and use is second-hand or previously owned
From Second Avenue
I am from Second Avenue, which is well-known for having many consignment shops like my father's
From Second Avenue
This line is repeated once more, implying that I cannot escape my background of having second-hand things, even when I am famous and successful
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Grant Clarke, James Hanley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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