29 years ago Streisand released 'Back to Broadway' and upset Patti Lupone

[David10086]

Posted: 6/30/22 at 11:22pm

June 29, 1993 - Barbra Streisand released the long awaited sequel to her 1985 best seller "The Broadway Album". Eight years in the making, "Back to Broadway" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart, knocking Janet Jackson's "janet." out of the top spot. This was Streisand's first time debuting at #1 on the Album Charts, and her first album topping the charts for the 90s - giving her a #1 album in four decades ( 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s).  

 

On the album, Streisand recorded two songs from "Sunset Boulevard". Andrew Lloyd Webber's new mega musical which was still a year and a half away from debuting on Broadway (critics called her out on that, saying she 'stumbled on her way back to Broadway'.  "With One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" - recorded a few months earlier - were the big show-stoppers in the new musical, which had yet to officially open anywhere. In a later interview, lyricist Don Black recalled going to Streisand's house in late winter with ALW bringing the song sheets from 'Sunset Boulevard' for Streisand to consider recording anything from the musical for her new album. He remembered ALW handing them to Streisand with the instructions, "Do whatever you want with them..." (she had some of the lyrics changed to 'With One Look'. 

 

In her memoir years later, actress Patti Lupone (who debuted as Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Boulevard' in London on July 9, 1993) recalled hearing the songs on the radio in London promoting her new musical.  Lupone said she was fuming with anger - as ALW promised her NO ONE would be releasing any of the songs from the show until after her recordings were released on the World Premiere Cast Recoding, due in stores later that summer.

 

 Streisand stole her thunder - and she accused Streisand of doing this back in 1979 when she recorded "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" before Lupone recorded the Broadway cast recording (for the record, Streisand never recorded "Argentina" as she hated the musical).  However, Lupone didn't blame Streisand for the mishap - she blamed ALW for allowing this to happen, and for giving her the songs to record in the first place. 

 

"Back to Broadway" spent 49 weeks on the Hot 200 Albums Chart, and was certified Gold (500,000 units sold) and Platinum (1M sold) on August 31, 1993.  It was certified 2X Platinum in December, 1994. 

 

https://youtu.be/1Qx00214qKE?list=RDMM

[inception]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 1:40am

Lupone should have been grateful that ALW was able to create interest in the show, by having a recording star who could sell so many albums record the songs.

At that point Streisand was only a recording & movie star.  She hadn't yet returned to live performances. It was common practice, going back decades, to have a popular recording stars release different versions of musical numbers from shows.

I don't know if it would work now in the age if streaming.  Perhaps instead we'll see producers trying to get "influencers" to make TikToks to new songs from shows.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 1:56am

Still one of my favorite albums.

[OldTheatreLover]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 3:05am

As much as I love Patti, she’s a peanut in the entertainment arena compared to Barbra, a living legend. I don’t think ALW was wrong to have the top female recording artist perform his songs, after all her rendition of Memory from Cats helped him in the past. 

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 6:39am

Whether it was in the best interest of the show or not, ALW (allegedly) promised LuPone that her recording of the songs would be the first, so I don't think she should have been grateful. If he were up front about his plans or how his plans might have changed, that would be another thing. No reason for her to have found out through radio and not from him.

Communication, Andy, it's an important thing.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 7:55am

ALW changes his mind when it serves him.  He also contractually offered LuPone to also open SUNSET BLVD on Broadway then changed his mind and chose Glenn Close to do the honors after her Los Angeles raves.  LuPone didn’t take this lightly and sued him and won.  We all know who paid for her Connecticut home’s pool.  

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 8:13am

I've always wondered how much $$ it would take to get LuPone to appear in a one night only concert presentation of SUNSET BLVD. for charity? I don't think there's enough money in the world to get her to do an actual run in a production!

[David10086]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 10:17pm

It's too bad that Columbia didn't release "With One Look" as a single in the USA. I think it would have been very popular - at least on the AC charts. Streisand, at 51, was in her prime vocally. Unfortunately, they didn't release any singles off the album in the US.  I guess they were pleased with the album's performance on it's own. 

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 10:30pm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CXJSMwQWXDw
 

Nancy Kerrigan skated to it. Streisand recording it gave the songs more mass appeal. 

[David10086]

Posted: 7/2/22 at 2:07pm

It was a year later, as the album started falling down the charts, that rumors of Streisand starring in the movie version started up in the media. It hadn’t even hit Broadway yet, but ALW said he loved Streisand’s interpretations of his two songs the most.  

[wiggum2]

Posted: 7/6/22 at 4:18pm

Broadway Bob* said: "I've always wondered how much $$ it would take to get LuPone to appear in a one night only concert presentation of SUNSET BLVD. for charity? I don't think there's enough money in the world to get her to do an actual run in a production!"

That would be FRIGGIN AWESOME