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 Music That Makes Me Dance
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know he's around
When the sky and the ground started ringing

I know that he's near
By the thunder I hear in advance

His words, his words alone are the words
That can start my heart singing

And his is the only music that makes me dance

He'll sleep and he'll rise
In the light of two eyes that adore him

Bore him it might
But he won't leave my sight for a glance

In every way, everyday I need less of myself
I need more him
More him
'Cause his is the only music that makes me dance

Bore him it might
But he won't leave my sight for a glance
In every way, everyday I need less of myself
And I need more him
More him

'Cause his is the only music that makes me dance
Yes, his is the only music that makes me dance

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Barbra Streisand's song The Music That Makes Me Dance are about the overwhelming power that love has over someone's mind and body. The singer of the song knows that her love is near when she hears the thunder and feels the ground and sky ringing. She describes how her heart can only be moved by the words of her lover, and that his is the only music that can make her dance. She expresses her dependence on him, saying that she needs more of him every day and less of herself.

The line "Bore him it might but he won't leave my sight for a glance" suggests that even if her love may be tedious or uninteresting at times, she cannot bear to be without him. She is willing to sacrifice her own identity and desires in order to be close to him. The repetition of the line "his is the only music that makes me dance" emphasizes how deep the singer's love is, and how it is the only thing that truly moves her.

Overall, The Music That Makes Me Dance is a passionate ode to love and the uncontrollable feelings that it can bring about. The singer is consumed by her love for her partner, and is willing to do anything to be near them and feel the rush of joy and excitement that comes with it.

Line by Line Meaning

I know he's around When the sky and the ground started ringing.
I can sense his presence as nature seems to come alive.

I know that he's near By the thunder I hear in advance.
I can hear his impending arrival through the sound of thunder.

His words, his words alone are the words That can start my heart singing. And his is the only music that makes me dance.
Only he has the ability to make me feel alive with his words and his presence.

He'll sleep and he'll rise In the light of two eyes that adore him.
I'll always be there to witness him sleeping and waking up with my adoring eyes.

Bore him it might But he won't leave my sight for a glance.
Even though I may bore him, he won't leave me for something more exciting.

In every way, everyday I need less of myself. I need more him. More him. 'Cause his is the only music that makes me dance.
Every day, I realize I need him more and myself less, because he's the only one who brings me true happiness.

Yes, his is the only music that makes me dance.
In the end, it's only his presence that truly makes me feel alive.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Merrill, Jule Styne

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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