Songbird is the twentieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1978. The title track reached number 25 on the Hot 100 and spent two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart. The album also includes Streisand's solo version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". She also subsequently re-recorded the song as a duet with Neil Diamond and this version topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978.
| Songbird | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1978[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 37:32 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Gary Klein | |||
| Barbra Streisand chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Songbird | ||||
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In the United States the album has been certified Platinum for sales of 1,000,000 copies.[2] Streisand received the award at a convention held by CBS, in Los Angeles.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Orange Coast | unfavorable[6] |
| Rolling Stone | unfavorable[5] |
The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "down-the-pike Streisand, safely negotiating the lanes to the right of the middle of the road."[7]
Track listing
edit- "Tomorrow" (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin) – 2:56
- "A Man I Loved" (Nikki Oosterveen, George Michalski) – 4:02
- "I Don't Break Easily" (Bruce Roberts) – 3:53
- "Love Breakdown" (Alan Gordon) – 3:36
- "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (Neil Diamond, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) – 3:58
- "Honey Can I Put on Your Clothes" (Jean Monte Ray, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 5:24
- "One More Night" (Stephen Bishop) – 3:10
- "Stay Away" (Kim Carnes) – 3:47
- "Deep in the Night" (Helen Miller, Eve Merriam) – 3:10
- "Songbird" (Dave Wolfert, Stephen Nelson) – 3:46
Personnel
edit- Barbra Streisand – vocals, back cover photography
- Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather, Dennis Budimir, Lee Ritenour, Mitch Holder, Charlie Brown, Sal DiTroia, Larry Carlton, John Tropea – guitar
- David Hungate, Will Lee, Abraham Laboriel, Reinie Press – bass guitar
- Larry Muhoberac, David Foster, Lincoln Mayorga, Greg Mathieson – piano
- Leon Pendarvis, Pat Rebillot – keyboards
- Ian Underwood, James Newton Howard – synthesizer
- Allan Schwartzberg – drums, percussion
- Ed Greene, Jeff Porcaro – drums
- Bob Zimmitti, Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Gayle Levant – harp
- Ronny Lang – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
- Jim Horn – alto saxophone, flute, tenor saxophone
- Ernie Watts – alto saxophone, flute, tenor saxophone
- Larry Williams – saxophone
- Jerry Hey, Steve Madaio – trumpet
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
- Louise Di Tullio – flute
- George Michalski, Niki Oosterveen, Jim Gilstrap, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Oren Waters, Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals
- Technical
- Charles Koppelman – executive producer
- Armin Steiner – engineer, remixing
- Nick DeCaro, James Newton Howard, Lee Holdridge, Gene Page – orchestral arrangements
- Steve Schapiro – front cover photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] | 30 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 10 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[10] | 48 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 12 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[12] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[13] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Barbra Streisand Archives – Songbird". Barbra Streisand Archives. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ "RIAA: Songbird -Platinum Certification". www.riaa.com. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
- ^ CBS L.A. convention highlights. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 12 August 1978. p. 14. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ William Ruhlmann. "Songbird (AllMusic Review)". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
- ^ Stephen Holden (July 27, 1978). "Rolling Stone Review-Songbird". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Kemnitz, Robert (September 1978). "Records". Orange Coast (Vol.4, nº 9 ed.). Emmis Communications. p. 72. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ Blume, Dave (9 Jul 1978). "Too Many Cooks Dilute the Streisand Soul". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 85.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4628". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Songbird". Music Canada.
- ^ "British album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Songbird". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Songbird". Recording Industry Association of America.
