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."
Widescreen
Barbra Streisand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There are themes that fill the screen
There are lines I say that sound as if they're written
There are looks I wear the theater should have seen
though I've made my life a movie
The matinee must end by five
And I must stagger out into the blinding sunlight half alive
There where it's always night
Notice how the screen is wide
The second role I've said around too tight
Will I stay? Yes, I might
Oh widescreen wider on my eyes
Lie my mind with lies
Find the world like nothing that I've seen
Oh widescreen dreams are just my sighs
As we walk from out the movie
Are we acting out a scene
Does the orchestra play chords
When we start loving?
Do we move just like slow motion
On the screen?
Life's a constant disappointment
When you live on celluloid
But my movie expectations are a dream I can't avoid
Waiting for a man to say the things
That I heard in the film last night
But he doesn't want to play the role
And he can't pick his cues up right
Will I dream? Yes, I might!
Oh widescreen winding round my eyes
Blinding me with lies
Finding I've been fooled by what I've seen
No, widescreen dreams are more than you
How can lies be true?
All we have is life and mind
And love we find with a friend
Oh let the movie end...
In Barbra Streisand's song "Widescreen," she compares her life to a movie, acknowledging that some songs sound like movies with a grand theme playing on a wider screen. She mentions lines that sound as if they were written and looks that should have been seen in the theater. Streisand has lived her life as if it were a movie, and she expresses how she wishes to go back to the picture show where it's always night, and the screen is wide. She speaks about how at the end of the matinee, she must stagger out into the blinding sunlight, half alive, wishing she were back inside the movie.
The song further explores the idea of living on celluloid and how life's a constant disappointment. Streisand is always waiting for a man to say the things she heard in the film the night before, but he doesn't want to play the role, and he can't pick his cues up right. The widescreen winds around her eyes, blinding her with lies and finding herself fooled by what she's seen. Streisand comes to the realization that all she has is life and mind and the love she finds in a friend. So, she wants the movie to end.#
Line by Line Meaning
There are songs that sound like movies
Some songs tell stories or paint a picture so vivid that they resemble movies
There are themes that fill the screen
Some themes are so grand and expansive that they demand to be displayed on a larger-than-life stage
There are lines I say that sound as if they're written
Sometimes the things we say seem too perfect or fitting, as if they were pre-scripted for a role or scene
There are looks I wear the theater should have seen
Certain outfits or styles are so visually striking that they could hold their own on a theater stage
though I've made my life a movie
Despite living a life that feels like a movie, with all its grandeur and spectacle...
The matinee must end by five
...my life must still conform to the mundane constraints of reality, no matter how grand my dreams may be
And I must stagger out into the blinding sunlight half alive
After indulging in the vivid world of movies and dreams, returning to the harsh light of reality can be disorienting and draining
Wishing I were back inside the picture show
Longing to escape back into the theatrical world where everything seems more exciting and magical
There where it's always night
Theatrical scenes are often set at night, when things seem more dramatic and mysterious
Notice how the screen is wide
The expansive screen in a movie theater can make even the smallest details seem grand and significant
The second role I've said around too tight
Some roles can feel restrictive and don't allow for much creativity or spontaneity, which can be frustrating for an artist
Will I stay? Yes, I might
Despite the challenges, the allure of the theatrical world can be too strong to resist
Oh widescreen wider on my eyes
The visually stunning world of movies can be all-consuming and overwhelming
Lie my mind with lies
Movies can be so fantastical and exaggerated that they distort our perception of reality
Find the world like nothing that I've seen
The world of movies can seem like a completely different reality, disconnected from the mundane world we inhabit
Oh widescreen dreams are just my sighs
Sometimes our grandest dreams and fantasies can be captured by the dramatic world of movies
As we walk from out the movie
Returning to reality after watching a movie can be jarring and disorienting
Are we acting out a scene
Sometimes our actions and behaviors can feel performative or scripted, like we're playing a role rather than being ourselves
Does the orchestra play chords when we start loving?
In romantic moments, it can feel like the whole world around us is lifting up our emotions and swelling with dramatic music
Do we move just like slow motion on the screen?
Even our movements can feel exaggerated and dramatic, as if we're moving in slow motion like in a movie
Life's a constant disappointment when you live on celluloid
Living in a world constantly filled with theatrical grandeur and drama can make real life seem dull and uninspiring by comparison
But my movie expectations are a dream I can't avoid
Even if we know better, it's hard to resist the allure of the fantastical world of movies and the grand expectations it creates
Waiting for a man to say the things that I heard in the film last night
The unrealistic expectations set by movies can create unrealistic expectations for love and relationships
But he doesn't want to play the role, and he can't pick his cues up right
Real-life people and situations rarely play out like they do in movies, which can lead to disappointment and frustration
Will I dream? Yes, I might!
Despite the challenges and disappointments of real life, the allure of the theatrical world can be hard to resist
Oh widescreen winding round my eyes
The vivid world of movies can be all-consuming and overwhelming
Blinding me with lies, finding I've been fooled by what I've seen
The grand illusions and exaggerations of movies can be hard to distinguish from reality, leading to disappointment and disillusionment
No, widescreen dreams are more than you, how can lies be true?
Despite the allure of the theatrical world, we must ultimately remember that it is just an illusion, and that there is more to life than grand illusions and fantasies
All we have is life and mind, and love we find with a friend
Ultimately, the most valuable things in life are real relationships and connections with other people, not grand illusions and fantasies
Oh let the movie end...
Despite the excitement and allure of the theatrical world, we must ultimately return to reality and engage with the real world around us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, HOLMES LINE OF RECORDS INC
Written by: RUPERT HOLMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robo
on Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)
I love Melinda Vesterfelt