It was 49 years ago this month. "The Barbra Streisand Album" was released by Columbia Records in 1963, a quiet, inauspicious release. History even differs on the exact date; was it February 1 or Feburary 25? Perhaps they had shipped some copies early. After all, nobody knew about this kid Streisand. She was a nobody; a nebbish. Just another girl singer, right?
Um, no. Nearly 50 years ago, record-buyers walked into Sam Goody or E.J. Korvette's and saw the image of a girl at a microphone, wearing a modest Peter Pan collar, looking for all the world like a sweet new singer with the somewhat ethnic name of Streisand. And, oh, her first name was missing an 'a.'
What did they make of the package? Probably not very much. It wasn't a cover that would have elicited anything like a "wow." The back cover, however, issued a manifesto. A note from composer Harold Arlen, the man who'd written classics like "Over the Rainbow," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Stormy Weather," was announcing the coming of a person named Barbra Streisand.
Arlen wasn't joking around. His liner notes dared to compare Streisand -- a neophyte known for some television appearances and a supporting role on Broadway in "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" -- to the likes of Fanny Brice, Beatrice Lillie and Helen Morgan! He described this girl as a Modigliani painting! He "advised" listeners to watch her career and he wanted us to remember that he'd told us about her.
Talk about throwing down the gauntlet! Arlen put Streisand's album on his shoulder -- like a chip -- and defied us to knock it off. It was like he was saying, "Go ahead and listen, then tell me I'm wrong." He challenged the record-buyer with those words as much as Streisand did with the songs.
Well, Arlen was no fool. He knew that once the needle caught the first track of the vinyl, once Barbra's voice began singing with side one, track one, "Cry Me A River" like it had never been sung before, the record-buyer would be hooked. You can only imagine the reactions to that first listen, "Who is this woman?" And “Did she really just sing ‘Come to the Supermarket in Old Peking?’”
By the end of side one, let alone the entire album, Streisand had planted her flag in your heart. You were sold. You were knocked out. You were ready to go out and prosthelytize -- like Mr. Arlen -- for Barbra Streisand. You wanted to share the experience and you started telling your friends about this amazing new discovery. Everyone had to know and feel like you did!
Now, truth be told; I was only seven years old in 1963, so I was not one of those who jumped on the Streisand bandwagon back then. I wasn't frequenting Sam Goody's or E.J. Korvette's until years later. For me, the Barbra ride began with "Funny Girl" in 1969, when I first saw the movie on the big screen. That was when I was knocked out by Streisand and started my life-long love affair with her artistry.
So, now, on the 49th anniversary of "The Barbra Streisand Album," I'm going to spend celebrate the music and magic of Barbra by going back in time and hearing that album again as if for the first time. For even though there had been "Wholesale" and the "Pins and Needles" albums, and small though the distribution, a couple of singles, this was the album.
The world and America, especially, did take notice. No doubt fueled by her burgeoning success throughout 1963 and 1964 -- going on "The Tonight Show," singing for JFK in Washington, appearing on "The Judy Garland Show" and, ultimately, opening on Broadway in "Funny Girl" -- "The Barbra Streisand Album" staying on the Billboard Top 200 for 101 weeks. That's nearly two years!
And lest we forget, the other hottest group in the world at the time was four lads from Liverpool named The Beatles. While they were revolutionizing music with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You," Barbra was emoting from the Great American Songbook with "A Sleepin' Bee" and "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf."
Think about that for a moment: somehow, Barbra Streisand broke through at a nexus in time when she should have never been able to do it. But it was more than her music, you see, it was her personality. The voice was there, to be sure, but she was also the most iconic, unusual performer to appear on the scene in decades. The Beatles had nothing on Streisand when it came to a great story and an interesting persona. She was just as fascinating, and maybe even more so because she was singular; they were a group.
Columbia Records was shocked by her success, but Barbra was not. In 1964, she said, “Goddard Lieberson [Columbia's president] said I wouldn't sell records, that I was much too special, that I would appeal only to a small clique who would dig me. But the first album went right on the charts… Everyone was surprised. But I always knew it would happen this way. People were ready for me.”
Ready or not, do yourself a favor and do what I'm going to do. Listen to "The Barbra Streisand Album" again and appreciate. That's all; just be grateful. …Oh, and try not to get caught smiling like a fool.
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