Superman | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 1977 | |||
Recorded | March – April 1977 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 36:41 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Gary Klein, Charles Calello (track 6) | |||
Barbra Streisand chronology | ||||
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Singles from Superman | ||||
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Superman (1977) is the nineteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. The lead single "My Heart Belongs to Me" became a hit in 1977, peaking at #4 on the US pop chart. The title track was released as a follow-up but did not chart as highly as its predecessor. The album peaked at number 3 on the Top 200 LP Billboard album chart and on the UK Albums Chart at number 32. [1] It has sold 2 million copies in United States and was certified 2× Platinum. [2] Streisand co-wrote two songs on the album - "Don't Believe What You Read" and "Answer Me". The latter is also featured on her 2023 compilation album Evergreens: Celebrating Six Decades.
The album was released after the success of Streisand's movie A Star Is Born , from 1976. At that time the movie soundtrack was the singer's best-selling album with 4.1 million copies sold worldwide and a platinum certificate in the United States, for more than 1 million copies sold. [3] According to The New York Times , the album brings sounds from what they called "the second transition in Streisand's career", which began with the Stoney End album, in 1970, in which the singer experimented contemporary pop rock sounds and left aside "old‐fashioned" and "theatrical diva" from her early LPs, and that in Superman she confirms as a "a credible interpreter of contemporary songs". [3]
Two songs were written for the movie A Star Is Born but not used in the picture — "Answer Me" by Streisand, Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher; and "Lullaby for Myself" by Rupert Holmes. [4] It also includes cover versions of contemporary singer-songwriters Kim Carnes' "Love Comes from Unexpected Places" from her album Sailin' and Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" from Turnstiles . According to Joel, Streisand's recording resulted in his mother looking at his career with newfound respect: "Certainly my mom looked at me with fresh eyes--finally, a real singer had picked up on her errant son's efforts." [5]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The album received good reviews from music critics. William Ruhlmann from AllMusic wrote that even though the album "seemed to be an unusually personal album for the singer, reflecting her feelings and viewpoints" it is not one of her best. [6] Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone wrote that the album was Streisand's best effort since her Stoney End (1970) album, [8] and that it's an "ample evidence that Streisand actually can get away with singing whatever she chooses". [8] He also wrote that even though there are some mannerisms, like her phrasing, "the material is chosen skillfully enough to transcend that". [8] In his review for The New York Times , Stephen Holden wrote that Superman "ranks among the finest of Barbra Streisand's 30plus LP's", and that her "voice is in amazing shape today—stronger, more controlled and more confident than ever". [3]
The album repeated the success of the singer's previous album, the movie soundtrack A Star Is Born, and as of November 1977, it had sold 1.6 million copies in the United States, three times more than the two previous studio albums: Butterfly (1974) and Lazy Afternoon (1975). [3] The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and on the UK Albums Chart at number 32. [1] On November 14, 1994, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for 2 million copies sold in the United States. [9]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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} } }
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [18] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [19] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Japan | — | 15,000 [12] |
United States (RIAA) [20] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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.
Barbra Streisand is an American actress and singer. Her discography consists of 118 singles, 36 studio albums, 12 compilations, 11 live albums, and 15 soundtracks. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Streisand is the second-best-selling female album artist in the United States with 68.5 million certified albums in the country, and a career total ranging from 150 to 200 million making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The Movie Album is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on October 14, 2003, by Columbia Records. Overall, her sixtieth release with her record label, it was executively produced by Streisand and her manager, Jay Landers. A concept album, it contains twelve songs from the singer's favorite films ranging in release from 1935 to 1988. While curating the album, Streisand was inspired by her marriage to actor James Brolin to record songs about love and relationships. To better fit her needs, songwriting duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman were commissioned to add lyrics to several of the songs Streisand had chosen to record.
Barbra Joan Streisand is the thirteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in August 1971 on Columbia Records. It was her second consecutive album produced by Richard Perry and features backing work by members of the female band Fanny. Like the two previous studio albums, the singer continued to opt for a more contemporary repertoire, this time choosing three songs by Carole King, two by John Lennon, two by Burt Bacharach and Hal David in medley form, one each by Laura Nyro and the trio Michel LeGrand, Marilyn Bergman and Alan Bergman, and one by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, who would go on to form Steely Dan.
The Essential Barbra Streisand is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features 38 songs from Streisand's catalog, in addition to two previously unreleased tracks. It includes material from 26 of the singer's albums and was described as a collection of, mainly, her pop songs. A reissued version of the compilation was distributed by Columbia and Legacy Recordings in 2008 and includes a bonus disc featuring nine additional songs from Streisand's discography.
Duets is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on November 26, 2002, by Columbia Records. The collection features nineteen duets from Streisand's career, including two newly recorded ones: "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" with Barry Manilow and "All I Know of Love" with Josh Groban. The Manilow duet was released as the album's lead single on November 4, 2002, as a streaming-only exclusive for AOL Music website members.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released in January 1970, by Columbia Records. The record is a compilation consisting of 11 commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1960s, with a majority of them being cover songs. The songs on Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits originally appeared on one of the singer's eight previous albums and span in release from 1963 to 1968. It contains her most commercially successful tracks, including her first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single "People" and top 40 entry "Second Hand Rose". The album was distributed on compact disc in 1986 and rereleased under the title The Hits in 2006.
Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. The album was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA, reaching number 10 on the US Billboard 200. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks. In the UK, where it was released as Love Songs, it reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart for nine weeks. The album was certified platinum in the UK, and 6× platinum in Australia. According to the liner notes of Streisand's retrospective box set, Just for the Record, the album also received a record certification in the Netherlands and in Switzerland.
A Christmas Album (1967) is the first Christmas album and the tenth studio album released by American singer Barbra Streisand.
Simply Streisand (1967) is the ninth studio album released by American singer Barbra Streisand. The album was released simultaneously with A Christmas Album and was Streisand's first that failed to chart in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 when it peaked at #12. Simply Streisand was recorded March 14, 15 and 20th, 1967. The album sold 250,000 in its first week in the market. It was certified Gold by RIAA on April 24, 2002.
The Way We Were is the fifteenth studio album recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand. The album was released in January 1974, preceded by the commercial success of its lead single "The Way We Were" first released in September 1973.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 is the second greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 15, 1978 by Columbia Records. The album is a compilation consisting of ten commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1970s, with a majority of them being cover songs. It also features a new version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which was released as the collection's only single on October 7, 1978. Originating on Streisand's previous album, Songbird, the new rendition is a duet with Neil Diamond who had also recorded the song for his 1978 album of the same name. The idea for the duet originated from DJ Gary Guthrie who sold the idea to the record label for $5 million.
Stoney End is the twelfth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released in 1971 and produced by Richard Perry, it was a conscious change in direction for Streisand, having a more upbeat, contemporary pop/rock sound. It included cover versions of several songs by contemporary singer-songwriters, including Laura Nyro, Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell.
Emotion is the twenty-third studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in October 1984 by Columbia Records. It was her first studio album in four years after the release of Guilty, which has since become her highest selling studio album worldwide.
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and twenty-ninth studio release by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 30, 2001, by Columbia. Streisand recorded the album during July, August, and September 2001 in various recording studios throughout California and in North Vancouver. It was executive-produced by Streisand and Jay Landers, while William Ross and David Foster served as additional producers. The album contains several cover versions of various holiday songs. To promote Christmas Memories, Columbia Records released an advance sampler version of the album titled A Voice for All Seasons.
Live Concert at the Forum is the second live album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released physically on October 1, 1972, by Columbia Records. Produced by long-time collaborator Richard Perry, it was recorded at The Forum in Inglewood, part of Greater Los Angeles, on April 15, 1972, during Four for McGovern, a concert held in benefit for George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign. A CD version of Live Concert at the Forum was released on September 6, 1989.
Songbird is the twentieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1978. The title track reached number 25 on the Hot 100 and spent two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart. The album also includes Streisand's solo version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". She also subsequently re-recorded the song as a duet with Neil Diamond and this version topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978.
Just for the Record... is a box set by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released by Columbia Records on September 24, 1991. Streisand and her manager, Martin Erlichman, were credited as the album's executive producers. Just for the Record... includes a variety of performances throughout Streisand's career, including a song taken from her first studio recording session in 1955: a cover of "You'll Never Know". Other tracks were compiled from various live performances, TV specials, and previous albums from her back catalog.
Partners is the thirty-fourth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on September 16, 2014, by Columbia Records. The album features Streisand singing duets with an all-male lineup including Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie, and from an earlier recording, Elvis Presley. The collection also features Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her now 47-year-old son, Jason Gould. The album release was promoted on The Tonight Show, where Streisand was the evening's sole guest and sang a medley with host Jimmy Fallon.
A Star Is Born is the soundtrack album to the 1976 musical film of the same name, performed by its stars Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The album was very successful, holding the number-one spot on the US Billboard 200 chart for six weeks and eventually was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA for more than four million units shipped and has sold a total of eight million copies worldwide.
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