People (Barbra Streisand album)

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People
People-album.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1964
RecordedDecember 20, 1963; July 24, 1964; August 4, 11, 21, 1964
Studio Columbia 7th Ave, New York City
Genre Pop
Length35:35
Label Columbia
Stereo CS 9015
Mono CL 2215
Producer Robert Mersey; "People" produced by Mike Berniker
Barbra Streisand chronology
Funny Girl (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
(1964)
People
(1964)
My Name Is Barbra
(1965)

People is Barbra Streisand's fourth solo studio album, released in September 1964. The title track was a newly recorded version of the hit song from the Broadway musical Funny Girl in which Streisand starred.

Contents

The album became the first of Streisand's albums to hit No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, spending five weeks in the top spot; it was also certified Platinum. [1] [2] After hitting No. 1 on the charts, Barbra received a commemorative plaque from Billboard magazine editor Mike Gross. [3] The album was re-released in the UK on the CBS Hallmark Series label in 1966 with different artwork. [4]

In 2017, the album was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". [5]

Artwork

The cover photo was taken by Don Bronstein at Chicago's Oak Street Beach in June 1963, when Streisand was in town for an engagement at Mister Kelly's nightclub.[ citation needed ]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]

High Fidelity noted that the singer successfully navigated the challenge of transitioning from an artist who initially made an impact by being "deliberately different" to one whose authority could sustain repetition. The review stated that Streisand achieved this through her ability to invest material with a "strong, personal, and valid quality". The album's program was praised for its selection of "unusually good songs", and while the critic felt she could be "led astray by her emotionalism", as on a version of "Supper Time" that was deemed "overdone," her performance of "Fine and Dandy" was highlighted as a "magnificent example of strongly projected popular singing." The review concluded that Streisand had "no need of gimmicks, oddities, or other crutches", and that her skill made these "straight presentations just as brilliant" as her earlier, more unconventional work. [8]

Accolades

Streisand won the Best Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for this album, her second in this category. [9] Grammy Awards were also won for Best Accompaniment/Arrangement for Vocalist or Instrumentalist (Peter Matz); and Best Album Cover (Robert Cato and Don Bronstein). [9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Absent-Minded Me" Bob Merrill, Jule Styne 3:07
2."When in Rome (I Do as the Romans Do)" Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh 2:57
3."Fine and Dandy" Kay Swift, Paul James 2:49
4."Supper Time" Irving Berlin 2:47
5."Will He Like Me?" Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick 2:34
6."How Does the Wine Taste?"Matt Dubey, Harold Karr2:36
7."I'm All Smiles"Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin2:09
8."Autumn" Richard Maltby, Jr., David Shire 1:57
9."My Lord and Master" Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers 2:59
10."Love Is a Bore" Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen 2:08
11."Don't Like Goodbyes" Harold Arlen, Truman Capote 3:14
12."People" Bob Merrill, Jule Styne 3:40

2002 reissue

Reissued 29 January 2002 with original album art restored and remastered from original master tapes by Stephen Marcussen in 2001. CDs released outside of the US and Canada include the bonus track "I Am Woman", previously issued on the B-side of the single "People". [10]

Song information

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Albums 1955-2001 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2001), 845.
  2. "Recording Industry Association of America". Library of Congress . Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  3. "Barbra Streisand accepts..." Billboard . November 21, 1964. p. 4. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  4. Original 1966 album
  5. "Registry Titles with Descriptions and Expanded Essays". RIAA. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  6. Ruhlmann, William. "People - Barbra Streisand - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". Allmusic . Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  7. Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (February 27, 1965). "Barbra Streisand: People" (PDF). Record Mirror . No. 207. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  8. "The Lighter Side" (PDF). High Fidelity . Vol. 15, no. 1. January 1965. p. 94. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "National on the spot". Billboard . April 24, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  10. Barbra Archives: Records/People album.
  11. "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  12. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1965". Archived from the original on August 26, 2012.. Cash Box magazine .
  13. "American album certifications – Barbra Streisand – People". Recording Industry Association of America.