Barbra Streisand, The #20 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

In 1975, Streisand released the album Lazy Afternoon and followed that up with the release of the album Classical Barbra in 1976.  Both albums went Gold, and Barbra was nominated for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance at the Grammy Awards for the latter album.

 Barbra starred in the remake of A Star Is Born, and asked Paul Williams, who had written hits for the Carpenters and Three Dog Night, to  help her with the theme song.  Because the song had to be performed on camera, it was written before filming began.  "She sat down and played on a guitar the melody for 'Evergreen' that she'd written, Williams told Songfacts.  "It was just such a beautiful melody," he continued.  "I said, 'There's your love song.  There's the big love song.'  I asked her for the melody.  She put it on tape for me, and I took it home." 
The theme song from the movie ("Evergreen") became one of Streisand's biggest career hits, reaching #1 in the U.S. and Canada and selling over two million copies.  It is another of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

Streisand won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance, and she was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Original Score - Motion Picture or Television Special.  "Evergreen" also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.
 In 1976, Streisand received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Superman in 1977 became Streisand's first Top 10 album since The Way We Were in 1974, and sold over four million copies.  The single "My Heart Belongs To Me" was originally considered for A Star Is Born but didn't make that project.  It gave her another #1 Adult hit that reached #4 overall.

 Barbra released the album Songbird in 1978, which went Platinum and yielded her fifth Adult #1 hit, the title song.  
Streisand received the Woman of Achievement in the Arts award by the Anti-Defamation League in 1978. 

Later in the year, released the compilation Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Volume Two, a #1 album which has sold over five million copies. 
 
Streisand and former classmate Neil Diamond each released versions of the song "You Don't Bring Me Flowers on their respective albums.  An enterprising DJ spliced the two versions together as a duet.  That edited version received so many requests that Columbia (which happened to employ both superstars) was forced to bring Barbra and Neil into the recording studio to record the song as a single.  




 The song rocketed up to #1 on both the AC and Popular charts and sold over two million copies, and it earned nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for Streisand.  Barbra starred in the movie The Main Event, and her title song shot up to #3.

 The album Wet in 1979 reached #7 and also sold over one million copies.  Streisand and fellow superstar Donna Summer agreed to record a duet for the album.  According to songwriter Paul Jabara, the session was not a case of dueling divas, as was speculated, but he did admit that the two seemed intimidated by each other.  

"There was Streisand, hands flaring, and Donna, throwing her head back," Jabara told Us magazine, "and they're both belting, sparking each other.  It was a songwriter's dream."   Barbra's duet with Summer sold over two million copies and went to #1--"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)".
 Another release from the album, "Kiss Me In The Rain", hit #9 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
 At the conclusion of the 70's, Streisand was the most successful female singer in the United States, as only Elvis Presley and the Beatles had sold more albums.





 Barry Gibb, who with his brothers in the Bee Gees were also coming off an incredible decade, joined Barbra for the highly successful album Guilty in 1980.  Gibb and his brothers wrote all the music and produced the album.  The lead single "Woman In Love" reached #1 in every major country in the world and sold over two million copies.





 The smash hit received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Streisand and Gibb's title song made it to #3 and scored a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Duo, Group, or Chorus.

 Guilty has sold over five million albums in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide.  It earned another Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.   Streisand and Gibb teamed for this #1 smash on the AC chart that peaked at #10 overall--"What Kind Of Fool". 





 Guilty went to #1 in every major country in the world.  "Promises" from the album is one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*; although it made it to #8 on the Adult chart, it stalled at #48 overall.
Join us for Part Four of Barbra!