Simply Streisand

Simply Streisand was the first album released after Barbara and her manager Marty Erlichman renewed their contract with Columbia Records Clive Davis, the label’s administrative vice president and general manager since 1965 after being appointed President of Columbia Records Goddard Liberson.

Clive Davis wrote in his biography The Soundtrack of My Life : “at that time such stable labels as Columbia Records had a carefully selected and marked list of parameters for all types of contracts concluded with performers [...] Including the standard percentage of sold goods, services and other income was 5%. After success, [Andy] Williams and Streisand insisted on signing a contract worth more than a million dollars. " The result was a contract with Streisand for the release of fifteen albums in five years worth a little less than a million dollars.

Despite the contract, Streisand completely controlled the main creative process, choosing the songs that she liked and working with the arrangers she wanted.

Streisand herself spoke of the album: “It’s even a little funny: I became popular with very strange songs. I mean, people have never heard these songs, although they sounded in fantastic and beautiful musicals. These were just unknown, unpopular songs. But in 1967, I recorded an album called Simply Streisand with simple, well-known musical numbers. And it was this album that became one of my least popular works. ”

The record was recorded in just three studio sessions:

March 14, 1967 - Studio C Studio (207 East 30th Street, New York)

• The boy next door
• Make the man love me
• When Sunny Gets Blue
• I'll know

March 15, 1967 - Studio C Studio (207 East 30th Street, New York)

• My funny valentine
• All the things you are
• Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most †

March 20, 1967 - Studio C Studio (207 East 30th Street, New York)

• The nearness of you
• Willow Weep For Me †
• More than you know
• Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)
• Stout-hearted men

† - song data not released

Despite the fact that Streisand often performed “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” during her concerts, she first recorded this song specifically for Simply Streisand . However, she recorded this song of Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolfe again after 42 years, for her album Love is the Answer , since she believed that the 1967 version was "lousy."

A cover version of Willow Weep For Me, an 1932 Anne Ronnell song, was finally released in 2012 on Release Me . Barbra said: “... there was one song ... I specifically hired Ray Ellis, whose arrangements drove me crazy. I constantly listened to Billy Holiday's Lady in Satin album, and I thought - wow, if he is good enough for Billy Holiday, then all the more he is good for me. But it so happened that we had too many songs for the proposed track list, and besides, I didn’t like one note in the record, therefore “Willow Weep For Me“ was not included in the album. ”

The first American editions of the album included a rare 10-page illustrated booklet called Songs by Barbra / A complete listing listing all the albums and songs recorded by Barbra at that time. This list also included “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” and “Willow Weep for Me”, recorded for Simply Streisand , but excluded from the track list at the last moment.

James Moore shot the Streisand photo shoot specifically for use by the CBS network (most likely to promote the 1965 My Name Is Barbra show). One of the photos taken then was used to design the album Simply Streisand .

Simply Streisand debuted on the Billboard 200 on November 11, 1967 at 164th place. After 9 weeks, the record reached its peak position at 12th place, where it held for 3 weeks. Simply Streisand was Barbra 's first album to miss the top 10 Billboard 200 . In total, the album spent 23 weeks on the chart. After 35 years, the album was certified by the RIAA as gold ^[3] .

Two singles have been released from the album. As the first, in June 1967, Stout-Hearted Men / Look songs were released. The version of "Stout-Hearted Men" from the single differed in vocals from the album version - it was recorded in November 1965, and Streisand in this version did not improvise in the manner of May West . “Look” is a song recorded in March 1966 for her French-language album Je m'appelle Barbra . The song was never released on Barbara's albums, and its only source is this 7-inch single. Despite the significant success of the Stout-Hearted Men on the radio - the single reached number 2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart , becoming its third top 3 hit here - the single failed on the Billboard Hot 100 , debuting on August 27, 1967 from 92 positions and remaining at the same place for another week, finally leaving the chart the next.

The second single was the song Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?) / My Funny Valentine in October 1967. Both songs were recorded in March 1967 specifically for Simply Streisand . The single was not successful in America, never reaching the Billboard Hot 100.

1. “ My Funny Valentine ” ( Lorenz Hart , Richard Rodgers ) - 2:22
   • from the musical Children in Armor (1937)
2. “ The Nearness of You ” ( Hoagy Carmichael , Ned Washington ) - 3:27
3. “When Sunny Gets Blue” (Marvin Fisher, Jack Segal ) - 2:56
4. “Make the Man Love Me” ( Dorothy Fields , Arthur Schwartz ) - 2:26
   • from the musical Tree grows in Brooklyn (1951)
5. “ Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?) ” (Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez , James Sherman) - 2:50
6. “ More Than You Know ” ( Edward Eliscu , Billy Rose , Vincent Youmans ) - 3:29
7. “I'll Know” ( Frank Loesser ) - 2:47
   • from the musical Guys and Dolls (1950)
8. “ All the Things You Are ” ( Oscar Hammerstein II , Jerome Kern ) - 3:36
   • from the musical Very warm for May (1939)
9. “ The Boy Next Door ” ( Ralph Blane , Hugh Martin ) - 2:50
   • from the musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
10. "Stout-Hearted Men" (Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg ) - 2:43
    • from the musical New Moon (1928)

• Barbra Streisand - vocals
• Ray Ellis - Arrangements
• David Sheer - Conductor
• Frank Laiko - Sound Engineer
• Ray Garhard - Sound Engineer
• James Moore - Photo
• Richard Rogers - Introductory Words in a Booklet

• Color Me Barbra at Internet Movie Database
• The Barbra Streisand Official Site - Color Me Barbra
• Barbra Streisand Archives: Records / Color Me Barbra