Babs nailed these songs, but can you? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most technically and emotionally challenging vocal performances that made Barbra Streisand a music legend.
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00:00 "Don't tell me not to fly, I simply got to, if someone takes a spill it's me and not you!"
00:06 Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're looking at the most technically and emotionally challenging
00:11 vocal performances that made Barbara Streisand a musical legend.
00:15 "I'm not big enough, he's enough, I can't go on, I can't go on no more!"
00:22 Number 10. The Minute Waltz.
00:26 Bear in mind that Frédéric Chopin's "Waltz du petit chien" is nicknamed "Minute" as in "Small".
00:32 Of course, the brief waltz is no small feat on the piano.
00:35 Len Oaken's patter song interpretation is itself a challenge that few can meet like Barbara Streisand.
00:41 "I have got a minute, just a little minute, I have only got a minute, just a minute, I have only got a minute."
00:46 In just over a minute, as in time, she playfully matches the piano's uptempo rhythm and dynamic scales.
00:53 As much breath as she carries through the wacky parody lyrics,
00:56 she manages to punctuate most verses with stunning falsetto.
01:00 "Of course I will, I've done it, and to wager that I mean I will have won,
01:02 it's not the money but the satisfaction that I get from winning money."
01:07 Even the slow bridge has a classical grandeur.
01:10 The Minute Waltz may essentially be as gimmicky as the wordplays suggest,
01:13 but Streisand's rendition is as sweetly whimsical as it is humorously hard.
01:18 "Oh, the second hand is rushing round the dial,
01:20 and though I'd like to end this torture with a smile,
01:22 unless someone knows how to stop the clock,
01:24 they're going to see me cry before I've been fined."
01:26 It was four decades before fans got to hear Lost in Wonderland
01:32 on a compilation album of Streisand outtakes.
01:35 "High in a spiral of ice, I gaze upon the scene that plagues us far below me."
01:42 The psychedelic bossa nova may not readily fit the singer's aesthetic,
01:46 but she adapts with a literally breathtaking performance.
01:49 The intervals are long, the key is low, and the pitch is precise.
01:54 This beautifully conveys the enchantment and surrealism of a Lewis Carroll fairy tale.
01:59 The real challenge is in making the breezy ballads sound
02:02 both viscerally intense and effortlessly charming.
02:05 "I have a feeling that gravel is laid for wherever he's going, whatever he's headed for."
02:13 Whatever Lost in Wonderland may lack in the belting spectacle usually associated
02:17 with Streisand's virtuosity, it more than compensates in a masterpiece of dreamy breath control.
02:22 "You wander into that wonderland shining behind your eyes."
02:28 Number 8. Come to the Supermarket in Old Peking
02:32 A 1958 spin on Aladdin is full of hidden gems by legendary songwriter Cole Porter,
02:37 but the opening number was made timeless by Streisand's rendition on her debut album.
02:42 "If you want to buy a kite or a pup to keep you up at night
02:45 or a dwarf who used to know Snow White or a frog who loves to sing."
02:49 She dramatically ups the tempo of the already wordy Come to the Supermarket in Old Peking,
02:54 turning it into an eager patter piece.
02:57 Despite the excited frenzy, she still nails the bark and sweeping belts of a showtune showstopper.
03:03 "Come to the supermarket, if you come on an ostrich you can park it,
03:06 so come to the supermarket and see Peking."
03:10 Let's be honest, Come to the Supermarket has gotten harder to sing
03:13 because of its exotic stereotypes of Chinese culture.
03:16 As catchy as Porter's lyrics still is,
03:18 Streisand's jumpy interpretation is all the more infectious to be all the more tricky.
03:23 "If you want to buy a sawfish, delicious when it's raw,
03:26 a pill to kill your mother-in-law, a beat without a sting."
03:31 Number 7. Putting It Together
03:33 Streisand's return to Broadway songs album opens with an obscure entry in the Stephen Sondheim
03:39 songbook. Putting It Together, from the musical Sunday in the Park with George,
03:43 is a fast-paced piece for multiple vocalists.
03:45 "Bit by bit, put it together, piece by piece, only way to make a work of art."
03:52 Streisand performs all the singing parts solo,
03:55 seamlessly blending multiple vocal styles and pitches in long, fast intervals.
04:00 The range and concentration are incredible, but there's still a deliberate and growing frenzy.
04:05 "What's a little cocktail conversation if it gets the funds for your foundation?
04:09 Every time I start to feel defensive, I remember vinyl is expensive."
04:12 Sondheim himself rewrote the song to focus on the exhausting relationship between artists and
04:17 the music industry. Still, Streisand perfectly captures the original lyrics expression of the
04:22 difficulty in composing art. It's definitely more difficult to put together without the extra
04:27 vocalists. "All they ever want is repetition, all they really like is what they know.
04:31 Come keep a link with your tradition, come learn to trust your intuition."
04:35 Number 6. Tell Him
04:37 It's as if Streisand recognized her legacy in Céline Dion when they collaborated on
04:41 the monumental Tell Him. "I've been there with my heart out in my hand."
04:50 The verses display the virtuosos' distinct mastery of serene melody and longing,
04:58 as they discuss and offer support for a situation of romantic uncertainty.
05:02 The maturity and reassurance can be heard in their vocal interaction.
05:06 Of course, the bridges and chorus explode with astonishingly soulful harmonies.
05:11 "Tell him that the sun and moon rise in his eyes."
05:16 The heart-wrenching and mind-blowing performance was nominated for a Grammy,
05:21 and is now considered a highlight of Streisand and Dion's 90s catalogs.
05:25 One singer capable of expressing that much passion is a gem.
05:28 "Be the flower with all the passion you can show."
05:35 Never mind a pop duet, you can only get A Few Times in a Generation.
05:40 Number 5. Evergreen
05:42 Though the 1976 remake of A Star is Born ends as tragically as all other versions,
05:47 Evergreen ends the romance on a triumphant note.
05:50 Streisand fills the escalating love ballad with both longing and nostalgia.
05:54 "Like a rose under the April snow."
06:02 By the climax, she's soaring on hopeful high notes.
06:05 It's a quintessential Streisand anthem that hits particularly hard
06:09 in swooning emotions and vocal range.
06:12 Though the album version is an impressive solo, the duet with Chris Christopherson
06:16 in the film brings home the intensity through chemistry and vocal contrast.
06:19 "You and I will make each night a first."
06:29 Lady Gaga may have put up stiff competition by closing 2018's A Star is Born with
06:34 I'll Never Love Again, but the Golden Globe, Oscar,
06:36 and Grammy-winning Evergreen lives on as a daunting classic.
06:40 "Cause we have the brightest love."
06:47 Number 4. Woman in Love
06:49 Barry Gibb was naturally key to Streisand perfecting her distinctive disco style on
06:53 the album Guilty, but she proved the perfect interpreter of his distinctive
06:57 songwriting style with Woman in Love.
06:59 "Life is a moment in space when the dream is gone."
07:05 She nails the groovy swoon of a soft Bee Gees melody,
07:09 while incorporating her own bittersweet soul.
07:11 It all infectiously blends for a chorus led by a hypnotic four-part harmony.
07:16 This was the culmination of several refined vocal melodies forming
07:20 something both ethereal and danceable.
07:22 "I am a woman in love, and talking to you, you know I know how you feel."
07:30 That's almost impossible to replicate.
07:33 Sure, Streisand may be accused of playing a bit fast and loose with her acclaimed work
07:37 with Gibb, but as one of her biggest hits, Woman in Love is also a unique vocal performance.
07:42 "I'd do anything to get you into my world, and hold you in me."
07:51 Number 3. The Way We Were
07:53 In addition to being a favorite romantic drama of the 70s,
07:57 The Way We Were features one of the great heartbreak ballads as its theme song.
08:00 "Memories light the corners of my mind."
08:12 Barbra Streisand's melancholy nostalgia piece may not sound like an exceptionally technical melody.
08:17 Certainly, she makes it shine with her haunting swoons and escalating belts.
08:21 "Smiles we gave to one another, for the way we were."
08:30 But the key to this ballad is the depth of emotion that Streisand conveys like no other artist.
08:39 Indeed, the real challenge in singing The Way We Were is not breaking into tears.
08:43 The song, like the movie, was hailed as a masterpiece in pop culture phenomenon.
08:48 "Whenever we remember."
08:53 It epitomizes how even a simple tune can sound mesmerizing with Streisand's voice.
08:58 Number 2. A Piece of Sky
09:01 Streisand's musical passion project Yentl showcased her vocal range as much as her
09:05 filmmaking ability. Some of the most soulful numbers of her career, as composed by the
09:10 renowned Michel Legrand, all lead to the show-stopping A Piece of Sky.
09:14 "I stepped outside and looked around."
09:21 The epic crescendo is the culmination of the emotions felt by a woman trying to be heard.
09:26 The heavy lows and soaring highs throughout the song are devastating enough.
09:30 "Sometimes where danger lies, there the sweetest of pleasures are found."
09:37 And then it all ends in a phenomenal high note that lasts 20 seconds.
09:42 The aria is a fitting finale to Yentl and possibly the pinnacle of Streisand's musical career.
09:47 Streisand possesses a rare register, and A Piece of Sky plays it for all it's worth.
09:52 "Just a piece of sky."
10:01 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:05 Piano Practicing
10:06 A classical vocal warm-up still can't prepare you for the patter with Paradisi's piano.
10:11 "When I was a little girl I wanted to be a soprano, but I hadn't sit and practice on my
10:15 rotten old piano."
10:15 I Never Has Seen Snow
10:17 A Broadway blowout's rendition of a Harold Arlen masterpiece.
10:20 Down With Love
10:29 A smoky jazz ballad gradually evolves into a swinging and screaming anthem.
10:34 "Brother let's stuff that dove down with love."
10:41 I Can See It
10:42 A sweeping crescendo from soft whimsy to an explosive final belt.
10:46 The Main Event
10:55 Fight
10:56 A punchy disco medley with strikingly high hooks.
10:59 "Fight for what you want, fight for what is real."
11:04 "That looks great!"
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11:22 Number 1. Don't Rain On My Parade
11:25 The fiery Don't Rain On My Parade perfectly closes the first act of the Fanny Bryce
11:29 biomusical Funny Girl.
11:30 "Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter. Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter."
11:36 And with the film adaptation, first-time film actress Barbara Streisand made the number a
11:41 signature song. The triumphant rage against manipulation demands a fierce delivery at a
11:46 hurried pace. Streisand keeps a theatrical bark throughout these vibrant verses, flawlessly
11:51 punctuated by clean head voice refrains.
11:54 "Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a comer. I simply gotta march my heart's a drummer."
12:00 These intense runs and playful melodic bridges build toward a massive finale,
12:04 with a 12-second final note. This stunningly technical exercise
12:09 became a sensation independent of Funny Girl.
12:11 "Don't rain on my parade."
12:25 Don't Rain On My Parade is now considered a major milestone in pop vocal performance.
12:30 It may also be the definitive showcase of Babs' unparalleled singing skills.
12:35 What are your favorite Barbara Streisand songs to try singing along with? Get in tune in the comments.
12:41 "I'm a comer, I'm a comer, I'm a comer, I'm a comer, I'm a comer, I'm a comer, I'm a comer, I'm a comer."
12:46 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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12:55 [Music]