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By: Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York.)
Streisand is an American singer, actress, director, and songwriter. One of the most successful entertainers in modern history, she has sold more than 71.5 million albums shipped in the United States and 140 million albums sold worldwide. She is the best-selling female artist on the Recording Industry Association of America's Top Selling Artists list, the only female recording artist in the top ten.
"The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were
, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. It won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Song and also ranked at #8 on the American Film Institute's list of Top 100 Songs from Film.
The soundtrack album charted for 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually sold more than one million copies.
While recording the song, Streisand changed the first word from "daydreams" to "memories".
Before ABKCO released a boxed set of Cameo-Parkway artists in 2004, "The Way We Were" was the only #1 single since 1939 to never have been issued on CD in its hit version.
Chart position: #1 (US).
It was Streisand's first US #1 single.
It was #1 in US for a combined total of three weeks in February 1974. It was preceded at #1 by "You're Sixteen" (Ringo Starr,) then succeeded after one week by "Love's Theme" (Love Unlimited Orchestra). It then returned to #1 for two more weeks before it was ultimately succeeded by "Seasons In The Sun" (Terry Jacks).
The Top Ten Songs: February 2, 1974 (US Billboard Hot 100).
- "The Way We Were" (Barbra Streisand)
- "You're Sixteen" (Ringo Starr)
- "Love's Theme" (Love Unlimited Orchestra)
- "Show and Tell" (Al Wilson)
- "Americans" (Byron MacGregor)
- "I've Got to Use My Imagination" (Gladys Knight and the Pips)
- "Let Me Be There" (Olivia Newton-John)
- "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (Aretha Franklin)
- "The Joker" (Steve Miller Band)
- "Spiders and Snakes" (Jim Stafford)
Written by: Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York,) Marilyn Bergman (born November 10, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York) and Marvin Hamlisch (born June 2, 1944 in New York, New York.)
The Bergmans, a husband-and-wife songwriting duo, wrote lyrics for many popular songs, including "The Windmills of Your Mind", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "Yellow Bird", "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?".
Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only two people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize (the other is Richard Rodgers). Hamlisch has also won two Golden Globes.
Hamlisch's adaptation of Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" reached #3 on the Billboard pop chart and #1 on the easy listening chart in 1974. He also co-wrote "Nobody Does It Better", which was recorded by Carly Simon as the theme song for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
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) and singer Gary S. Paxton (who, at the time, was half of the duo Skip and Flip). Paxton later said, "I was still under contract as 'Flip' ... I couldn't put my name on 'Alley Oop'."
, which reached #3 in the UK in 1973: "Oh, man, look at those cavemen go..." The song was also recorded by Barbra Streisand for her 1974 album 
.
(Connie Francis) and succeeded by 
(Brenda Lee).
, and 
.
, with Mike Love on lead vocals.
on the Ed Sullivan Show is considered one of the show's classics. 
and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher". 
(Fontella Bass, #4 US, #11 UK).
). Sadly, not all are here; 
, 
and 
are three tunes I would have loved to have included.
album was ranked #65 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. And it swings like a pendulum.
, comes one of the greatest ballads ever penned. Mancini released a version, as well as many others, including Danny Williams, whose version reached #1in the UK. However, everyone knows that this is the signature song of crooner Andy Williams. Compared to any other version, Andy totally pwned that song. (Note: pwned is not a typo.)
) was released in 2004 and starred Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey (who also wrote, produced and directed the film.)
(B.J. Thomas) and succeeded by 
(The Carpenters).