Streisand's Fifty Percent

I've been a fan of this song for many, many years. I also associate it very strongly with Dorothy Loudon and her heartfelt rendition of the song. Even over anything she is so famously remembered for singing as Miss Hannigan, I think of this song as her signature piece.

I wish Streisand hadn't changed the lyrics, especially changing, "or expect his tomorrows" to "I don't butter his toast". I understand her creative choice to put "her stamp" on songs (like she did with Sondheim's Putting It Together), but this particular song is like an old and very dear friend to me.

She's decided to claim my "old, dear friend" as her own, and she went and changed his name and I don't know why. I don't recognize that name. It's not my friend's name.

What was so wrong with singing "sew on his buttons" that she felt it necessary to "open his mail" instead? She seemed willing to iron his shirts after all, so it's not like she refuses to do physical labor for this man. Is buttering his toast more of a personal sacrifice than choosing not to "expect his tomorrows"?

Leave the lyrics alone, Barbra. I like my friend exactly the way he's always been - old and familiar.

Oh... and I still prefer Dorothy Loudon singing this song, which I think got even better twenty years after she first sang it:

I have to agree with you John Adams and wish Streisand's ego could allow the better, original lyrics to stay in place. "Expect his tomorrows" is far superior in thought and romance to the dreary and mundane "Butter his toast".

Once I asked John Kander why they had changed the lyric and melody of New York, New York for Sinatra from what they had written it for Liza. He explained that they had changed nothing and Sinatra just didn't bother to learn it. Sinatra even repeats lyrics making Ebb sound like a lazy writer.



As you know Streisand even "fixes" Sondheim. Such gall. Of course, she, along with Sinatra, fixes him all the way to the bank so no one complains too loudly.

Updated On: 8/4/16 at 03:09 PM

There's a fine, fine line between expressing yourself creatively and just pissing on everything to mark your territory.



ETA now that I've heard the clip: her voice sounds a lot stronger than it did at the Village Vanguard concert, which is nice. "Open his mail" might have been added because of the redundancy of "ironing" and "sewing on buttons". "Butter his toast" continues the pattern of intimate actions without jumping ahead to bigger concepts like "owning" his tomorrows. I could believe these changes were made by Bergman herself.

But the scene before the song is totally unnecessary, as Jennifer "Stay" Nettles could have told La Streisand.

And there's a reason why so many musicals have starred "non-singers" (from Harrison to Preston to Burton to Harris (Barbara) to Loudon). There's something very real about Dorothy Loudon half-talking her way through the number that Streisand doesn't begin to approach, even with the powerful belt at the end.

And that's okay. We can enjoy two versions of what is a beautifully simple song. And as the poster implied above, Streisand will bring millions of people to the song who might never hear it otherwise.

Updated On: 8/4/16 at 03:18 PM

I wonder how Dorothy Loudon would have been as Sally in FOLLIES?

Anshel2 said: "Wow, the hate for Streisand on this board is pretty surprising...

The changing of lyrics to suit the singer is not that unusual....



"

"Hate"? You must have led a very sheltered life. Good for you. The rest of us can appreciate Streisand without thinking everything she utters is magic. That opening "scene" is so mundane a playwriting teacher would use it as a lecture on "first level" (i.e., superficial) dialogue; even James Brolin stumbles over the banality.

Changing keys and arrangements may be common, but I've rarely heard of changing lyrics for a singer (except when the gender of a love object is switched). Linda Ronstadt managed to release three full albums of standards without changing a word. The exception of course was Frank Sinatra, but as the anecdote above suggests, his changes were more a result of carelessness late in his career than creative collaboration.

Streisand has been a friend and collaborator of the Bergman's for years. I'm sure you are right they approved the changes, or at least stood by and let them happen. That doesn't mean that fans of the song have to agree. (Even though you may note that I actually defend the lyric changes above.)

agree that that's strange she changed the lyric. I love the song (Dorothy's rendition and also Carolee Carmello's wonderful performance).

the part of the song we heard I enjoyed (and I like that she took up the note at the end like Carolee did)

My life hasn't been so sheltered and saying that there is "hate" on a message board, BWW in particular, is a fairly common phrase or term. Either you just want to be argumentative or you are twelve years old. MY OPINION is that there is nothing wrong with an artist interpreting a song to suit their experiences - especially when one is an iconic as Streisand. You may not be a fan and you may not believe as I do, but changing lyrics, tone, tempo - especially if one has the consent of the song writers - keeps things fresh and new, not just for the artist but for the listener as well. She changed the final note in If I Loved You and Somewhere sounds like it is from outer space. Artists create - you may not agree with it, may not like it - so be it.

Her version does nothing to take away from Loudon's version, which outside of the Broadway community, isn't exactly a well know classic. I loved the song as Loudon did it - always makes me tear up. I haven't heard the entire version of Streisand's and still am not convinced I love her use of "scenes" during this and other songs she's leaked, but damn if she doesn't sound pretty darn terrific. There's been a lot of talk on these boards about her pipes and I agree, they are no where near what they used to be, but from what I've heard in her 50 Percent snippet, it sounds like she pulled it together for a great performance regardless of the words.

And again, good thoughts out to Marilyn Bergman who really didn't look well or stand up when acknowledged.

There's no hate for Streisand, here. She's Barbra freakin' Streisand. I've loved her work and collected her albums for decades. And IMO, she still sounds great - not like she did in her 20s, but there's no mistaking that even though her voice has aged, the gift is still there.

I agree with GavestonPS, though (There's a fine, fine line between expressing yourself creatively and just pissing on everything to mark your territory). Some of the choices Streisand has made in creating this album - most obviously, the ridiculously awful and amateurish intros - are just... well, bad choices. Really bad choices. I would guess that she finds them pleasing though, or she wouldn't be making them.

That does not mean I hate Barbra Streisand. It just means that I disagree that the choices she's made for this album are "fresh" or "new". To me they just seem vain.

Updated On: 8/6/16 at 11:05 AM

This is such a wonderful song. I wish we got to hear Elaine Stritch sing it when she was younger, but it's still great that we have this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB1dwHLKupQ

Maybe Alan and Marilyn Bergman re-wrote it for her, or with her? They're sitting right there obviously and Alan Bergman in particular has a beautiful lit up smile on his face as she sings his song...Also, in response to some other comments here, Streisand didn't re-write Sondheim...HE re-wrote lyrics for her to make more sense for a recording out of context of the show...and he has done the same for her in concert...Still, I agree that she seems to need to sometimes "piss" on a song to mark her territory! :) But her singing on this excerpt is thrilling, and to me, that's what it comes down to...at least she not only thinks about the lyrics, she works on making them specific...I loved her scenario she created to bring the phone call from James Brolin playing "the married man" into making this something fresh for a recording...

Can someone please explain what she is listening to on the headphones? Knowing nothing about the recording process, I always assumed the artist is listening to the already-recorded musical accompaniment or getting some other musical cues, but why would that be necessary if she's recording together with a conductor and the orchestra?

Maybe she's listening to the Loudon version for inspiration.



Streisand is simply using the headphones as a monitor. The feed is directly from the mixing board so everything she's hearing, including herself, is balanced. The live orchestra is playing at various audio levels in the recording studio. This is why you see artists wearing headphones during recording sessions and why they are in separate booths even for a duet - to isolate vocals. Each instruments and vocal is recorded on its own individual track.

Yeah, but she's NOT in a booth in this clip-- she's standing out there in the large hall with the whole freaking 50-piece orchestra playing right there beside her.

So, again, why the headphones?