The Way We Were – no more
RIPBarbra Streisand laments the death, aged 93, of Marilyn Bergman who, with husband Alan, wrote the Oscar-winning theme song for her movie with Robert Redford, The Way We Were.
She writes: ‘Marilyn and Alan Bergman were like family, as well as brilliant lyricists. We met over 60 years ago backstage at a little night club, and never stopped loving each other and working together. Their songs are timeless, and so is our love.’
The Bergmans won Oscars for The Way We Were, Windmills of Your Mind and the soundtrack to Streisand’s Yentl.
The Way We Were was the top-selling song of 1974.
The music was by Marvin Hamlisch.
“The Way We Were” is a wonderful song and is quite poignant when it arrives towards the end of the movie.
I can only say that I wish I had written it.
There’s a thread to be opened, here. Which songs do we wish we’d written? Here’s my list:
Manhã de Carnaval
I’ll Be Seeing You
Moonlight Serenade
The Land of Might-Have-Been
I’ll stop, the list is too long.
The most beautiful recording I have heard of the “Windmills of Your Mind” by the Bergmanns is Barbra’s. It defines the profound and deep respect, admiration and love from her soul to the souls of the creators of this song. https://youtu.be/8voO7rTPfZU
Oh well, the windmill keeps turning and another legend departs. The work generated by the Streisand/Green/Condon/
Bergman/Hamlisch collaboration should be made a UNESCO protected site.
For me, Barbra Streisand is the voice of the 20th Century. Only Callas runs her close. If you ever need to know how to tell a story through singing, there’s only one person you need to listen to, and I say that as someone who has worked for over thirty years in the classical domain.
It is the way Barbra shapes words, ends words, feels words, phrases words, tells a story. Nobody can do what she does. My favorite phrase in teaching piano playing is, “Play it the way Barbra would sing it.”
Great advice.
Lovely lyrics. “Misty watercolour memories” is so dead-on evocative.