The Way We Were (Barbra Streisand album)

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The Way We Were
Barbra Streisand appears wearing a black shawl around her head with her hand against a wall.
Studio album by
Barbra Streisand
ReleasedJanuary 30, 1974 (1974-01-30)[1]
Recorded1969–1973
StudioUnited Western (Hollywood)
GenreContemporary pop
Length35:13
LabelColumbia
Producer
Barbra Streisand chronology
Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments
(1973) 		The Way We Were
(1974) 		The Way We Were: Original Soundtrack Recording
(1974)
Singles from The Way We Were
  1. "The Way We Were"
    Released: September 27, 1973 (1973-09-27)
  2. "All in Love Is Fair"
    Released: March 1974 (1974-03)

The Way We Were is the fifteenth studio album recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand. The album was released in January 1974, preceded by the commercial success of its lead single "The Way We Were" first released in September 1973.

Three additional songs were newly recorded for the album, while six of the tracks salvaged unreleased material from previous Streisand projects. Following the distribution of a soundtrack album for the eponymous 1973 film, Columbia added a caption to Streisand's LP (Featuring the Hit Single The Way We Were and All in Love Is Fair) in order to minimize confusion between the two albums.

Covering a wide array of themes, Streisand sings about recovering relationships, social awareness, and love in general: a contemporary pop album blended with her signature vocal style. Streisand's production team included Tommy LiPuma and Wally Gold, while Marty Paich contributed to the title track.

The lead single topped the charts in both Canada and the United States, where it became the top-selling single of 1974. The second single "All in Love Is Fair" was released in March 1974 and also charted in the two countries.

The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Streisand's vocals and found the record capable of being extremely successful. Commercially, The Way We Were topped the Billboard 200 in the United States and reached the top ten on album charts in Australia and Canada. It also entered the charts in Japan and the United Kingdom. The album has since been certified 2× Platinum in the United States by the RIAA.

Background and release

The concept for the record first developed in late 1973, following the success of "

official soundtrack to her 1970 film The Owl and the Pussycat.[6]

Recording sessions for the album took place at

8-track cartridge in 1974, with a differing track listing: both "Something So Right" and "Summer Me, Winter Me" are broken into two separate parts increasing the number of tracks on the record from ten to twelve.[10] The album was later released in CD and digital formats on February 5, 2008.[11]

Music and lyrics

Paul Simon sings live with a guitar in hand.
Streisand recorded Paul Simon's "Something So Right" for The Way We Were.

As a whole, the record is a contemporary pop piece, incorporating elements from Streisand's signature musical style.[12] The Way We Were begins with "Being at War with Each Other", a cover of the Carole King song from her 1973 studio album, Fantasy, although King wrote the track specifically for Streisand.[13] Produced by LiPuma, she sings about various topics, ranging from socialization and relationships.[14] She also claims that all humans stem from "one father" and "one mother" and how differing opinions only "complicate our lives".[15] "Something So Right" is also a cover and originally the B-side track to Paul Simon's 1973 single "Take Me to the Mardi Gras".[16] It focuses heavily on the songwriting rather than the production, although the composition was the second included to be produced by LiPuma.[17] "The Best Thing You've Ever Done" was originally written in 1970 by Charnin who maintained interest in creating a composition for Streisand.[6] Additionally, Wally Gold handled the production for the track, the first of six on the album.[7] Lead single "The Way We Were" is the album's fourth track. In particular, its lyrics detail the personal life of Katie Morosky, the character Streisand portrays in the previously mentioned film, and her troubling relationship with boyfriend Hubbell Gardiner.[18][19] Track five, "All in Love Is Fair", is a Stevie Wonder cover but is fronted by Streisand's own personal take on it.[12] She sings about a failing relationship through the use of clichés and obvious messages regarding love.[20][21]

"What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" was written by French composer Michel Legrand (who would continue writing songs with Streisand for years) and Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Gold also produced it, while Peter Matz arranged the instruments and orchestration that accompanied the composition.[7] Seventh and eighth tracks "Summer Me, Winter Me" and "Pieces of Dreams", respectively, also feature contributions from Legrand, with the former originally created specifically for The Singer and the latter a cover of the 1970 version for the film Pieces of Dreams.[22][23] "I've Never Been a Woman Before" is song written by Tom Baird and Ron Miller for Cherry, an unproduced musical based on the William Inge play Bus Stop.[24][25] The closing song on the record is a medley of "My Buddy" and "How About Me", from Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson, and Irving Berlin.[7] The first part of the melody details someone affected by the loss of a friend, particularly a soldier who died during combat, as noted by author Robert Eberwein in his 2007 book Armed Forces; Masculinity and Sexuality in the American War Film.[26]

Singles

The song's lead songwriter appears holding two awards for his credited work in the single.
Hamlisch was awarded two Academy Awards for his credited work on "The Way We Were".

The album's lead single "The Way We Were" was released as a

signature songs.[33] For their work on the track, Hamlisch and the Bergman's won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 46th Academy Awards, with Hamlisch also winning the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the film.[34] It additionally won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1974 and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1975.[35][36] On the National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America's list of the top 365 "Songs of the Century", "The Way We Were" was placed at number 298.[37]

"All in Love Is Fair" was released as the album's second single in March 1974,[38] a cover of the Stevie Wonder original for his 1973 album, Innervisions.[39] Columbia also released it as a 7" single paired alongside the medley of "My Buddy" and "How About Me".[38] Matthew Greenwald from AllMusic was so fond of her rendition that he wrote: "It is no doubt one of the most graceful and memorable hooks from the era, and Streisand's performance – particularly her phrasing of this line – is unforgettable".[40] It failed to replicate the success of "The Way We Were", but it managed to peak at numbers 63 and 60 in the United States and Canada, respectively.[41][42] It additionally reached the top ten of the Adult Contemporary chart, also compiled by Billboard.[31]

In 1972, Streisand's version of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" was released as a promotional single in the United States in the 7" vinyl format. It was paired alongside "The Best Thing You've Ever Done", which is also included on The Way We Were.[43]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[44]

The Way We Were has received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Robert Christgau enjoyed the overall sound of the album, noting that the catchiness of roughly half the album allows for the songs to be replayed over and over.[44] The editors at Billboard were appreciative of the release, and singled out The Way We Were in its "Spotlight" section for the February 9, 1974 issue. The publication highlighted album tracks "Being at War with Each Other" and "All in Love Is Fair" and declared: "This is the way Streisand should sound."[45] Bob Talbert of the Detroit Free Press remarked upon its release, "thank you, Barbra, for coming back to where you belong. It's no wonder this is the best-selling album and tape in the middle-of-the-road world at this moment. The last few times Streisand has come out of the chutes it's been as an imitation-cum-parody of herself. Or it was a commercial spin-off from her last and mediocre TV special. This is a listener. Sit back, prop up, sip away, turn on, do whatever it is you do, and enjoy. She picks—and you can rest assured she picks 'em—unique song again. Stevie Wonder's 'All in Love Is Fair', not a major Wonder work, is one now after Streisand's treatment. Or Carole King's 'Being at War with Each Other' and Paul Simon's 'Something So Right.' Dynamite. This is quality Streisand. The way she was and should always be."[46]

Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone labeled it "her best album in years"; he also found that her voice sounds just "as fresh as it did in the sixties".[47] Jon Landau, also from Rolling Stone, was disappointed by the singer's effort, writing that she "no longer sings songs", but rather "acts them out". He referenced her catalogue and stated: "I've enjoyed Barbra Streisand's music in the past, but of the 20 albums I listened to to write this column, The Way We Were was not only the most disappointing, but the most difficult to get all the way through."[48]

AllMusic's William Ruhlmann awarded the album three out of five stars but found it obvious that the record was "thrown together" instead of being orchestrated and thought out carefully. He also declared that the success of the title track "propelled th[e] album to the top of the charts".[5]

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at number 97 on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending February 16, 1974,[49] and by February 26, had already sold 500,000 copies and was certified Gold.[50] The following week it rose to number 39,[51] and on March 16 of the same year, it reached the top position.[52] It became Streisand's second number one and seventh top five album, with the other number-one being People (1964).[53] The Way We Were spent two weeks at the highest position before falling to number four on March 30.[54][55] It continued dropping on the charts but managed to stay within the top 10 of the list for a total of six weeks.[56] The Recording Industry Association of America changed its certification status to Platinum for shipments upwards of 1,000,000 sales, and again on September 23, 1998, The Way We Were was certified for selling over 2,000,000 copies.[50] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 49 in May 1974, and was certified Silver for shifting 60,000 physical copies.[57]

On Canada's Top Albums/CDs chart conducted by RPM, the record debuted at number 76 during the week of February 23, 1974.[58] The Way We Were peaked at number three on March 30 and spent another week at that same position on April 6.[59][60] It dropped to number nine the succeeding week and spent a total of twenty-three weeks in that country, with its final position being number 91 during the week of August 3.[61] Music Canada reported in 1978 that the record had sold over 100,000 copies in their country, prompting it to become certified Platinum.[62] In Australia and Japan, The Way We Were peaked at positions 7 and 73, respectively.[63][64] It was later certified gold in the former country after selling approximately 35,000 copies.[65]

Track listing

The Way We Were – Standard edition[7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Being at War with Each Other"Carole KingTommy LiPuma4:02
2."Something So Right"Paul SimonLiPuma4:26
3."The Best Thing You've Ever Done"Martin CharninWally Gold2:49
4."The Way We Were"
Marty Paich3:31
5."All in Love Is Fair"Stevie WonderLiPuma3:50
6."What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"
Gold3:20
7."Summer Me, Winter Me"
  • A. Bergman
  • Legrand
Gold2:55
8."Pieces of Dreams"
  • A. Bergman
  • M. Bergman
  • Legrand
Gold3:27
9."I've Never Been a Woman Before"
Gold2:45
10."My Buddy / How About Me"
Gold4:08
Total length:35:13
Featuring the Hit Single The Way We Were and All in Love Is Fair – 8-track cartridge edition[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Being at War with Each Other"4:02
2."The Best Thing You've Ever Done"2:49
3."Something So Right" (Part 1)2:44
4."Something So Right" (Conclusion)1:45
5."The Way We Were"3:31
6."I've Never Been a Woman Before"2:45
7."All in Love Is Fair"3:50
8."What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"3:20
9."Summer Me, Winter Me" (Part 1)1:53
10."Summer Me, Winter Me" (Conclusion)1:07
11."Pieces of Dreams"3:27
12."My Buddy / How About Me"4:08
Total length:35:21

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD edition of The Way We Were.[7]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications for The Way We Were
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[65] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[62] Platinum 100,000^
Japan — 4,000[64]
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[50] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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Works cited

External links
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