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."

The Best Gift
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

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The best gift
That I ever got
Didn't really weigh a lot
It didn't have a ribbon 'round
And it sometimes made the terrible sound
The best of all it seems to me
It wasn't neath the christmas tree
And yet, I guess I'd have to say

That it made all the other presents twice as gay
The best gift that I've ever known
I'd always wanted most to own
Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice
I never thought it could be so nice
The best gift that I ever get
Was sometimes dry and sometimes wet
Was usually pink but oftentimes red
As it lay so innocently in it's bed
The best gift of the year to me
The one I hold most dear to me

A gift that simply drove me wild
Was a tiny new born child...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Barbra Streisand's "The Best Gift" describe the ultimate present - a newborn baby. The song lyrics suggest that even though the baby is not a materialistic object that can be wrapped and placed beneath a tree, it holds immense value and changes the perspective of all other presents in comparison. The size or weight of the baby does not matter, as it is the significance of the life-changing gift that matters the most. The song suggests that the greatest gift anyone could receive is a gift of life, which touches the heart and soul to the core.

The lyrics even suggest that one may not have initially thought of a child as the best gift they could receive, as they "never thought it could be so nice," indicating that the true value of this gift is revealed only after it is received. Furthermore, the lyrics utilize adjectives such as "wild" and "innocently in its bed" to suggest the sense of wonder and purity imbued with the gift of new life. In short, the song, "The Best Gift," celebrates the joy of new life and highlights that the non-materialistic gifts can sometimes hold more significance than those wrapped boxes under a tree.

Line by Line Meaning

The best gift
The most precious present

That I ever got
That I have received

Didn't really weigh a lot
Was not heavy in terms of weight

It didn't have a ribbon 'round
It wasn't adorned with a decorative band

And it sometimes made the terrible sound
And sometimes produced an unpleasant noise

The best of all it seems to me
To me, it was the greatest of all

It wasn't neath the christmas tree
It was not located under the Christmas tree

And yet, I guess I'd have to say
Still, I have to admit

That it made all the other presents twice as gay
It made all the other gifts seem twice as joyful

The best gift that I've ever known
The finest present I've experienced

I'd always wanted most to own
The one I longed to possess the most