Streisand's Fifty Percent
Streisand's Fifty Percent
#1Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 10:08am
http://www.playbill.com/article/exclusive-video-premiere-barbra-streisand-sings-fifty-percent-from-ballroom
Wow, wasn't a fan of At The Ballet, and don't love the "scenes" she seems to be adding to many of the songs on the album, but this sounds amazing! Poor Marilyn Bergman doesn't look well - very sad. She is a brilliant lyricist.
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#2Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 1:21pm
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:
#3Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 1:52pm
I'm not familiar with the musical "Ballroom", only it's source material - "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom" - so, I want to thank you for advancing my theater education because that song just blew me away!
#4Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 3:09pm
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.
#5Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 3:17pm
Instead of Gypsy, let her film Ballroom with Dustin Hoffman, Goldie Hawn, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
If she's hell bent on Gypsy, either do it for HBO or do it on Broadway for one night for charity.
Do you know what happens when you let Veal Prince Orloff sit in an oven too long?
#6Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 3:18pm
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.
#7Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 3:27pm
Wow, the hate for Streisand on this board is pretty surprising. It does appear as if she has the approval of he lyricists who were at the recording session. I don't know the song by heart, so I didn't pick up on any of the changes the experts noticed. What I do know is that I am glad that there are often reinterpretations of classic songs that are easily identifiable with other singers. The changing of lyrics to suit the singer is not that unusual. I'd hate to think that once a song becomes the "property" of its original singer that it is set in stone until the end of time. I don't want a carbon copy in perpetuity. What's the fun in that?
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#8Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 3:55pm
I wonder how Dorothy Loudon would have been as Sally in FOLLIES?
#9Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 3:56pm
She sounds great. I'm glad she finally did this song. Can't wait to hear the full thing.
As for Gypsy, making the film for HBO or Netflix would be incredibly smart. There's a limited audience for any adult theatrical film these days (sad, but true) and, if we're being honest, TV is FAR superior to film these days. The best writing and acting has been from TV recently. Even her beloved passion project, The Normal Heart, ended up being an HBO movie despite the star wattage attached. If she was smart, she'd take it to them.
#10Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:05pm
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.)
#11Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:09pm
morosco said: "I wonder how Dorothy Loudon would have been as Sally in FOLLIES?
"
Horrible. There's no way she could have sung it. I said SOME roles were better performed by non-singers (because that's the kind of singer for whom they were written), not EVERY role! Loudon might have played one of the one-song characters, but the time she sang "Broadway Baby" on the Tony Awards she made Ethel Shutta seem subtle by comparison.
#12Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/4/16 at 4:15pm
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)
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
Rumpelstiltskin
Broadway Star Joined: 4/22/07
#13Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/6/16 at 8:28am
I expected to dismiss this because Dorothy Loudon's version is sacrosanct, but Barbra won me over, como siempre.
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. For anyone who hasn't been similarly inspired, here's a taste: https://youtu.be/E-nGbguXKgY There are many versions on YouTube. This one, recorded live in her 70's, just breaks my heart. Gorgeous.
#14Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/6/16 at 8:38am
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.
#15Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/6/16 at 10:35am
Putting the Streisand and Loudon versions back to back really underlines other flaws I find in Barbra's clip:
That magnificent double-time waltz accompaniment to the lyric "Life is anyone's guess!" Why on earth did they throw that away in the new version? It's the most thrilling part of the whole song! In the show on Bway I have a vague memory of hearing that orchestral waltz as a reprise of the opening "Ballroom" title tune-- am I right that at that point in the song we saw the whole ensemble of elderly dancers waltzing in their ballroom upstage of Dorothy through a scrim? Memory may play tricks on me, but that sweeping waltz stands for everything this character is grabbing for however she can at her stage of life. To me that surge in tempo is what compels her onward to all the passion and anger and defiance which with Dorothy finished the song.
And how does Barbra compare? Well she's careful to make the last verse just as sweet and lovely as the first. Where's the great acting arc in that?
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#16Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/6/16 at 11:05am
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.
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#17Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/6/16 at 11:18am
Someone in a Tree2 said: "Putting the Streisand and Loudon versions back to back really underlines other flaws I find in Barbra's clip [...]"
I miss that double-time waltz, too! 
#18Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 12:58am
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
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#19Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 8:36am
ljay889 said: "This is such a wonderful song."
It's one of my all-time favorites from musical. It's special to me because it's a song about relishing and being satisfied with what you can and do have, as opposed to bemoaning what you don't have or can't have. It's about fully knowing, and having confidence that the "incomplete" love you have can be, and is just as strong as any other.
When Barbra changed the lyric from "or expect his tomorrows" to "I don't butter his toast", she downgraded that message significantly. IMO (and admittedly, I may be alone in this), changing the lyric to something so drastically polar from the original message and as insignificant as 'buttering toast' demonstrates a lack of understanding/appreciation for the material.
I first heard this song almost 40 years ago. As a gay man who's lived nearly all his life being denied the right to marry, I've always appreciated its definition of, and its permission to accept that love is love; it is not restricted to a social or legal definition.
These lyrics in particular have always resonated with me:
I don't share his name
I don't wear his ring
There's no piece of paper saying that he's mine
But he says he loves me and I believe it's true
Doesn't that make someone belong to you?
The Bergmans have written a beautiful song. I wish Barbra demonstrated more respect for them and their work. I wish she had more faith that the music she's producing on this album might be able to stand on its own - because she is Barbra freakin' Streisand. 
#20Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 10:01am
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...
#21Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 10:01am
I ordered a second version of this upcoming album just to get the Target edition which includes Fifty Percent and other bonus tracks...(probably her own marketing strategy, too)... :)
Updated On: 8/7/16 at 10:01 AM
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#22Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 10:05am
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.
#23Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 10:25am
I love this song and glad that it will reach new audiences with Barbra's version but where's the acting? And who in their right mind would buy that Barbra Streisand would share 50% of a man?
#24Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 10:27am
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?
bwayboy22
Broadway Star Joined: 5/9/12
#25Streisand's Fifty Percent
Posted: 8/7/16 at 10:43am
Someone in a Tree2 said: "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?
"
I wouldn't be surprised if she had already finished recording the song and then filmed it after with her surrounded by the orchestra to make it look better for this clip.
