Till I Loved You (album)

Last updated
Till I Loved You
Tillilovedyou.jpg
Studio album by
Barbra Streisand
ReleasedOctober 25, 1988 [1]
Genre Pop
Length47:07
Label Columbia
Producer
Barbra Streisand chronology
Nuts
(1987)		Till I Loved You
(1988)		 A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More
(1989)

Till I Loved You is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on October 25, 1988, on Columbia Records. The album was notable for both its thematic structure (chronicling the beginning, middle, and end of a romance) and its high-budget production, with many guest writers, producers, and musicians: Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager offered three brand new songs to the album, Quincy Jones produced "The Places You Find Love", with Luther Vandross and Dionne Warwick adding backing vocals.

Contents

The title track, a duet between Streisand and then-boyfriend Don Johnson, became a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. [2]

History

After two successful projects with The Broadway Album – Streisand's 1985 return to her stage roots – and One Voice – her first full-length live concert recorded in September 1986, which was issued on both disc and video with benefit purposes, she decided to make a return to the pop scene. Till I Loved You was conceived as a lushly romantic album, with a particular concept – it followed the stages of a relationship from the beginning (in songs like "The Places You Find Love") to the end ("Some Good Things Never Last"), and then wrapped up the theme with a positive song about the future ("One More Time Around"). [2]

Many writers, producers and musicians appeared on the album, making it a high-budget project as with Streisand's previous pop mainstream project, 1984's Emotion .

The opening song, "The Places You Find Love" was produced by Quincy Jones. Later, the song appeared on his own album Back on the Block , which received a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1991. Streisand's version features an all-star backup group - background vocals are credited to Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, James Ingram, Howard Hewett, Jennifer Holliday, Peggi Blu, Clif Magness, Siedah Garrett and Edie Lehmann. On Back on the Block's version, Garrett sang the first verse and chorus, followed by Chaka Khan singing the second verse. Jones utilized the same arrangement and background singers for his album, and also incorporated some African chanting during the bridge and climax of the song. "The Places You Find Love" was the only time Streisand and Jones have worked together (until "We Are The World 25 (For Haiti)" in 2010).

The album's title track is a duet with the Miami Vice actor Don Johnson, whom Streisand was dating at the time of recording. [3] The track was the love theme from Goya , a project developed by CBS Records, Freddie Gershon and Allan Carr for opera singer Plácido Domingo playing artist Francisco Goya. In 2006, in an interview with TV host Jonathan Ross, Johnson recalled about the recording of the song:

... It was amazing. First of all she's probably the diva of all time, in terms of voices... I was under contract to Columbia at the time – her studio. Of course, at the time I was the "biggy-wow-wow" in television and film and with Miami Vice. And I'd just put out a record that had made the Top 5. This is how I met Barbra – Columbia came to me and said, "Would you like to do a duet with Barbra?" At first I said it's a different kind of music. Then I went, "What are you, crazy? You've got to do a duet with Barbra Streisand!

There was studio glass between us so that she could watch me sing – because it was a duet. It was a little nerve wracking, as I recall. She's a perfectionist... She's impeccable about everything, impeccable about every note. I want to be that way; it's just that I don't have the equipment that she has to do it. She is a wonderful, wonderful person. She's one of the most intelligent persons I've ever been around in my life, and she's very funny and has a humongous heart. She's a really terrific person.

— Don Johnson

Burt Bacharach produced and wrote three tracks on Till I Loved You with his wife and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager. According to his own words, "Barbra has great range. Nobody sounds like her when she's up that high, with that kind of clarity and purity. You can tell right away it's her. You can't say that about many singers."

Phil Ramone produced the song "All I Ask of You", which was originally a duet in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera . Ramone commented:

... It's an interesting concept – messing with Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff. It's not easy. Barbra's always approached music from both a lyrical point of view and a sensibility of, ‘why can’t I sing this? Why wouldn’t I sing this? Why wouldn’t I sing this to him?’ You know, it's established for too long that it's a duet. You can take a song and re-voice it or change keys. But this song is written as a duet. I don’t know, we just took a shot... We worked on it so it could be a meaningful song, as it is.

You always call [the lyricists]. It's one of the classic things that Barbra's capable of. She's not afraid to make a change, make a lyrical point more poignant. Her friends, you know, are the Bergmans. Barbra's the queen of listening and looking at lyrics. All of us who have been around great songs know what that means.

— Phil Ramone

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

The album received mixed reviews from music critics. William Ruhlmann from AllMusic gave the album a mixed review and wrote that although the album "was a big-budget effort" it's "like a movie with a great star, great production values, and a mediocre script, so how much you liked it depended on how much you liked Streisand, and it sold to her fans only". Paul Grein from the Los Angeles Times gave the album a favorable review and elected "All I Ask of You" as the best song of the record. He also wrote that the album "marked improvement over “Emotion” in that Streisand is no longer trying to compete with singers half her age for the hearts and minds of the teen-agers who buy singles and watch MTV". [5] People gave the album an unfavorable review in which the author wrote that the best part of the record is "the sheer pleasure of hearing Streisand's voice" and some tunes like "All I Ask of You" and "Some Good Things Never Last" but concluded that "there are moments when it almost doesn't matter what she's singing; you just wish it would never end." [6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Places You Find Love"
5:09
2."On My Way to You"
3:44
3."Till I Loved You" (duet with Don Johnson) Maury Yeston 5:10
4."Love Light"
4:32
5."All I Ask of You"
4:02
6."You and Me for Always"
  • Bacharach
  • Bayer Sager
3:49
7."Why Let It Go"
4:25
8."Two People"
3:40
9."What Were We Thinking Of"
4:28
10."Some Good Things Never Last" Mark Radice 4:20
11."One More Time Around"
3:44
Total length:47:06

Personnel

Information taken from the album's liner notes. [1] [7]

Production

Studios

Charts

Weekly charts

ChartPeak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [8] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [9] 5
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [10] 9
French Albums (SNEP) [11] 35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 33
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [13] 16
Spanish Albums Chart [14] 19
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [15] 34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [16] 16
UK Albums (OCC) [17] 29
US Billboard 200 [18] 10

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [19] Platinum70,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [20] Platinum100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [21] Gold50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [22] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [23] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [24] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Streisand's retrospective box set Just for the Record noted the album also received certification in New Zealand. [25]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lets Talk About Love</i> 1997 studio album by Celine Dion

Let's Talk About Love is the fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 14 November 1997 by Sony Music. The follow-up to the commercially successful Falling into You (1996), Let's Talk About Love showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project, she collaborated with Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, George Martin, Diana King, Brownstone, Corey Hart, and her previous producers: David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Jim Steinman. The album includes Dion's biggest hit, "My Heart Will Go On". Written by James Horner and Will Jennings and serving as the love theme for James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film, Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On" topped the charts around the world and is considered to be Dion's signature song.

<i>Duets</i> (Frank Sinatra album) 1993 studio album by Frank Sinatra

Duets is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1993. Recorded near the end of Sinatra's career, it consists of electronically assembled duets between Sinatra and younger singers from various genres. The album was a commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and selling over 3 million copies in the US. It is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification.

<i>Songs</i> (Luther Vandross album) 1994 studio album by Luther Vandross

Songs is the ninth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1994. The album, a collection of cover versions, produced the singles "Endless Love", "Always and Forever", and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". According to an interview both Vandross and Mariah Carey gave in Japan following the release of their duet "Endless Love", there was mention that Carey had given advice as to what songs Vandross would cover on this album.

<i>Winner in You</i> 1986 studio album by Patti LaBelle

Winner in You is the eighth studio album by American R&B singer Patti LaBelle. It was released by MCA Records on April 28, 1986, in the United States. Recording sessions took place during 1985–1986. Production was handled by several record producers, including Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Nickolas Ashford, among others.

<i>Another Page</i> 1983 studio album by Christopher Cross

Another Page is Christopher Cross's second studio album, recorded in 1982 and released in early 1983. It was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. "Think of Laura", taken from the album as Cross's third single, reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. It was Cross' final single to reach the Top 10. The first single, "All Right", reached #12 on the chart a year before. As a single, "No Time For Talk" peaked at #33. "Arthur's Theme " appeared as a bonus track on the cassette and later CD releases of the album.

<i>The Force Behind the Power</i> 1991 studio album by Diana Ross

The Force Behind the Power is the nineteenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1991, by Motown Records. The album reached No. 11 on the UK Albums chart and became the biggest selling studio album of her career there, selling over half a million copies in the UK alone.

<i>Donna Summer</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Donna Summer

Donna Summer is the tenth studio album by American songwriter Donna Summer, released on July 19, 1982, by Geffen Records. It featured the Top 10, Grammy-nominated "Love Is in Control " single. The album itself saw a drop in chart position from her previous album, peaking at No.20, but ultimately outsold it by remaining on the Billboard 200 for 37 weeks - nearly 20 weeks more. Its longevity was aided by follow-up singles "State of Independence" and "The Woman in Me", which charted at 41 and 33 respectively.

<i>Friends Can Be Lovers</i> 1993 studio album by Dionne Warwick

Friends Can Be Lovers is the twenty-ninth studio album by American singer Dionne Warwick. Her tenth album for Arista Records, it was released on January 20, 1993, in the United States. Warwick garthered material from songwriters and producers such as Barry J. Eastmond, Harvey Mason, Siedah Garrett, Dianne Warren, and Blue Zone lead singer Lisa Stansfield. The album, which Warwick described as "a labor love" and true "family affair," also saw her collaborating with her son David Elliot and cousin Whitney Houston for the first time as well as reuniting with former contributors Burt Bacharach and Hal David on the song "Sunny Weather Love" after more than two decades.

<i>At Last...The Duets Album</i> 2004 studio album by Kenny G

At Last...The Duets Album is the second cover album and thirteenth studio album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records in 2004, and reached number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, number 21 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 40 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Wet</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Wet is the twenty-first studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1979. It is a concept album of sorts with all the songs referring to, or expressing different interpretations of, water. Wet is also the first and the last word sung on the album.

<i>The Broadway Album</i> 1985 studio album by Barbra Streisand

The Broadway Album is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released by Columbia Records on November 4, 1985. Consisting mainly of classic show tunes, the album marked a major shift in Streisand's career. She had spent ten years appearing in musicals and singing standards on her albums in the 1960s. Beginning with the album Stoney End in 1971 and ending with the album Emotion in 1984, Streisand sang mostly rock, pop, folk, and disco-oriented songs for Columbia records. Noted Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim personally penned additional lyrics for the songs "Putting It Together" and "Send in the Clowns" on request of the singer. The album, originally released on the Columbia label and subsequently re-released by Columbia and Sony Records, was a critical and commercial success. First certified gold by the RIAA on January 13, 1986, it reached four times platinum on January 31, 1995.

<i>After Dark</i> (Andy Gibb album) 1980 studio album by Andy Gibb

After Dark is the third and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. It features his last US Top 10 single "Desire", "I Can't Help It" and two Bee Gees numbers "Rest Your Love on Me" and "Warm Ride".

<i>Rhythm of Love</i> (Anita Baker album) 1994 studio album by Anita Baker

Rhythm of Love is the fifth album by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker, released in 1994. The album peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop chart and was certified double platinum, giving Baker her fourth platinum selling album.

<i>Emotion</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1984 studio album by Barbra Streisand

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.

<i>Born to Love</i> (Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack album) 1983 studio album by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack

Born to Love is a 1983 studio album of duets by American singers Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. It was released by Bryson's label Capitol Records on July 22, 1983, in the United States. The album yielded the hit single "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. The track "Maybe" was written and recorded for the film Romantic Comedy (1983).

<i>Reservations for Two</i> 1987 studio album by Dionne Warwick

Reservations for Two is a studio album by the American singer Dionne Warwick. It was recorded during the spring of 1987 and released on July 30 of that year. Her eighth album for Arista Records, it was again executive produced by label head Clive Davis. Warwick reteamed with Barry Manilow and the duo Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager to work on the album, while Kashif, Jerry Knight, Howard Hewett and Smokey Robinson also contributed to the tracks.

<i>Everlasting</i> (Natalie Cole album) 1987 studio album by Natalie Cole

Everlasting is the eleventh studio album by American singer Natalie Cole, released on June 14, 1987 by Manhattan Records. The album peaked at number 8 on Billboards Top R&B Albums chart and number 42 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<i>Just for the Record...</i> 1991 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

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.

<i>A Star Is Born</i> (1976 soundtrack) 1976 soundtrack album by Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson

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.

<i>Walls</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 2018 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Walls is the thirty-sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Barbra Streisand, released on November 2, 2018, by Columbia Records. The lead single "Don't Lie to Me" was written as a criticism of America's political climate amid the presidency of Donald Trump, while the title track alludes to Trump's frequent calls for a wall at the Mexico border.

References

  1. 1 2 ”Till I Loved You” (1988). Barbra Archives. 25 October 1988. http://barbra-archives.com/record/albums/till_i_loved_you.html
  2. 1 2 James Kimbrell (1989). Barbra, an Actress Who Sings: An Unauthorized Biography, Volume 1. Branden Publishing Company. ISBN   9780828319232 . Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ John Bush (23 November 1996). Barbra returns to Hot 100 with film cut. Billboard Magazine . Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  4. ↑ Till I Loved You at AllMusic
  5. ↑ Paul Grein (26 October 1988). "POP RECORD REVIEW : Post-'Broadway' Streisand Goes Lush and Romantic". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Till I Loved You". www.people.com. 5 December 1988. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Streisand, Barbra. “Till I Loved You”. Columbia. 1988.
  8. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Barbra Streisand". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 248. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  15. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Barbra Streisand | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  19. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  20. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Music Canada.
  21. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter Till I Loved You in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1988 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  22. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Till I Loved You')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  23. ↑ "British album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". British Phonographic Industry.
  24. ↑ "American album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Till I Loved You". Recording Industry Association of America.
  25. ↑ Liner notes, C4K 44111. Columbia Records, 1991
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.