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."

Two People
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two people
Like two children
We're holding back
We're holding on

Two children frightened of new places
Of getting lost
Of being found

Running, hiding
Somehow afraid of love
Playing in the sunlight
And shade of love
Games we play too well

Like two children
Isn't it time
Time we throw all our toys away
So that our love can grow
Day by day

We're two people trying to leave
What belongs to some far-off past
Ready to find the love that will last

Are you the one who can free
The child in me

Overall Meaning

The song "Two People" by Barbra Streisand highlights two people in a romantic relationship who are experiencing difficulties in their love life. The lyrics compare them to two children who are holding back and holding on, frightened of new places and being found. They are playing games too well as children often do, but it is time for them to throw away their toys and let their love grow day by day. They want to leave their past behind and find a love that will last, but they need someone to free the child in them and help them move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Two people
Two individuals in a relationship

Like two children
Acting immature and hesitant in love

We're holding back
Not fully committing to the relationship

We're holding on
Trying to make the relationship work

Two children
Metaphor for feeling vulnerable and scared

Frightened of new places
Scared of new experiences in the relationship

Of getting lost
Fear of losing oneself in the relationship

Of being found
Fear of being vulnerable and exposed in the relationship

Running, hiding
Avoiding intimacy due to fear or insecurity

Somehow afraid of love
Feeling uneasy or unsure about love

Playing in the sunlight
Enjoying the good times in the relationship

And shade of love
Struggling through the harder times

Games we play too well
Both partners are skilled at avoiding real intimacy

Isn't it time
Asking a rhetorical question about the current state of the relationship

Time we throw all our toys away
It's time to grow up and commit to the relationship

So that our love can grow
Removing obstacles to let the relationship flourish

Day by day
Slow and steady progress towards a stronger relationship

We're two people trying to leave
Desire to move on from past mistakes or traumas

What belongs to some far-off past
Making peace with past mistakes to improve the present relationship

Ready to find the love that will last
Searching for a deeper, more lasting love

Are you the one who can free
Asking a potential partner if they can help facilitate growth in the relationship

The child in me...
Referencing the past baggage or immaturity that is weighing down the relationship

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Spirit Music Group
Written by: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Barbra Streisand

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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