"Like Sinatra, Alan can turn a 32 bar song into a Three Act Play," Quincy Jones observed. In 1973, Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote the lyrics for the title track to the movie, 'The Way We Were'. With Marvin Hamlisch writing the music, Barbra Streisand recorded her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1974. In its review in 2018, 'Widescreenings' website noted, "'The Way We Were' (the song) is the second-most effective piece of film music ever composed."
'Turner Classic Movies' added, "The title theme song to 'The Way We Were' was a gigantic success just like the film and became an institution unto itself." 'Widescreenings' continued, "Permanently established among the world's greatest love songs, it's a lifeline to a cinematic production lost at sea. It's not like the world doesn't know this. Marvin Hamlisch won an Oscar for it. The lyrics were written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. The film does not open with the song but the score. Sydney Pollack considered Robert Redford a 'vital, vital element' to this Arthur Laurents story. The subtle reason for the film's endurance is that it thrives on a lead female character."
As understood, "The screenplay by Arthur Laurents was based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un‐American Activities Committee." 'TCM' also mentioned, "'The Way We Were' was one of the first mainstream films to tackle the hovering dark cloud in Hollywood's history: McCarthyism and the blacklist."
'Turner Classic Movies' added, "The title theme song to 'The Way We Were' was a gigantic success just like the film and became an institution unto itself." 'Widescreenings' continued, "Permanently established among the world's greatest love songs, it's a lifeline to a cinematic production lost at sea. It's not like the world doesn't know this. Marvin Hamlisch won an Oscar for it. The lyrics were written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. The film does not open with the song but the score. Sydney Pollack considered Robert Redford a 'vital, vital element' to this Arthur Laurents story. The subtle reason for the film's endurance is that it thrives on a lead female character."
As understood, "The screenplay by Arthur Laurents was based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un‐American Activities Committee." 'TCM' also mentioned, "'The Way We Were' was one of the first mainstream films to tackle the hovering dark cloud in Hollywood's history: McCarthyism and the blacklist."
In a conversation with Mike Ragogna of 'The Huffington Post' in 2013, Marilyn Bergman expressed, "If one really is serious about wanting to write songs that are original, that really speak to people, you have to feel like you created something that wasn’t there before — which is the ultimate accomplishment, isn't it? And to make something that wasn't there before, you have to know what came before you."
Mike Ragogna: Considering the incredible careers you've had, what advice do you have for new artists?
Alan Bergman: Well, for one thing I would say know the literature of popular music. Go back and listen to the great songs. There’s a reason why songs like Irving Berlin’s are still played and sung. Especially listen to Stephen Sondheim.
Mike Ragogna: With a lot of school funding going away, the first thing that gets slashed is music.
Marilyn Bergman: The arts in general. Yes, we're probably fast approaching the time where there's a whole generation of young people who won’t know who Mozart was. The name will be totally unfamiliar. You have to seek out the young directors who understand the use of music in film because ultimately, it's the director who's the boss. There are fortunately quite a few young directors who really do understand music in film. That’s the first thing.
"There are very talented young film scorers. For example, there’s a young guy named Brian Byrne from Ireland who’s extremely gifted. He knows the soil from whence he came, and it’s not that he’s imitating or that it sounds in any way like them but he’s built upon the foundation. No matter what the field, how do you know that you’re not rewriting something that was written before you were born? And maybe written much better."
On New Year's Eve 1993 and New Year's Day 1994, Barbra Streisand made her first public performance in over 20 years. Tickets to her concert at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel sold out in minutes. "Can it be that it was all so simple then; Or has time rewritten every line; If we had the chance to do it all again; Tell me, would we? Could we?"
Barbra Streisand had stated, "I've always felt a kind of sadness on New Year's Eve. It seems to carry an imperative to be joyous, which is not something you turn on and off like a faucet. So, I thought it might be easier if I gathered a few thousand friends around me and we had some fun together." Some 26,000 people (including Hollywood superstars), happily paid up to $1000 for tickets to see Barbra Streisand live. "I would go anywhere to see Barbra," one fan told the press.
Robert Hilburn of 'The Los Angeles Times' reported at the time, "There was a magical moment during Barbra Streisand's landmark concert here (in Las Vegas) Saturday night (New Year's Day 1994) when the noted perfectionist goofed. She got mixed up on the words to her own song, the 1976 hit 'Evergreen'. It was dramatic because one reason Streisand avoided formal concerts for 22 years was stage fright – the inability to re-shoot or re-record the way you can in studios.
"Because the miscue Saturday was projected on a huge closed-circuit video screen, even those in the most remote areas of the MGM Grand Hotel's 13,000-seat Grand Garden arena could see the startled look on Streisand's face as she realized her error. Rather than freeze, however, she smiled sheepishly and joked, 'And it's my own song.' She then resumed the song, singing with the confidence and grace that characterized the rest of the evening's performance."
Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote the show. Barbra directed. Marty Erlichman executive produced. Marvin Hamlisch directed the music and arrangements. And Donna Karan designed Barbra's concert gowns. 'The Way We Were' was performed during Act II, followed by the duet with Neil Diamond, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' in which Barbra performed solo. "It used to be so natural; To talk about forever; But used-to-bes don't count anymore; They just lay on the floor 'til we sweep them away."
Mike Ragogna: The music industry is so fragmented right now (in 2013), could an Alan and Marilyn Bergman surface in this era (21st century)?
Marilyn Bergman: Oh, I don’t know. The directors are different. Sydney Pollack for example … Sydney Pollack was a student of both music and of songs and he didn't just want to use a song just to decorate a film, he knew exactly what he wanted a song to accomplish and was very specific.
Of Barbra's concert, 'New York Daily News' remarked, "Most great singers, from Billie Holiday to Sinatra to Piaf, tell part of their story in their music. The key is to let the song do the work. Streisand did that with her opener, the upbeat 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' from the new musical 'Sunset Boulevard' … Her voice has lost nothing, and she seems to understand songs better — a point she noted joking that it took 2,700 hours of therapy before she felt she could really sing 'On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.'"
'The Los Angeles Times': Why didn't you take the easier option of just doing a greatest hits show, instead of a more ambitious, scripted show?
Barbra Streisand: I wanted something more personal. I wanted to pick songs that meant something to me and then put them into some kind of story or theme so that there was a thread running through the show.
Barbra Streisand's triumphant Las Vegas return after a 22-year break led to a 6-city concert tour between April and July 1994. Then 52, Barbra Streisand told 'The Los Angeles Times', "As you get to a certain age, you don't take things for granted … things we took for granted for 30 some years. I never sort of felt this before in my life … standing back a bit and appreciating my career … and my fans … everything in life."
Mike Ragogna: Considering the incredible careers you've had, what advice do you have for new artists?
Alan Bergman: Well, for one thing I would say know the literature of popular music. Go back and listen to the great songs. There’s a reason why songs like Irving Berlin’s are still played and sung. Especially listen to Stephen Sondheim.
Mike Ragogna: With a lot of school funding going away, the first thing that gets slashed is music.
Marilyn Bergman: The arts in general. Yes, we're probably fast approaching the time where there's a whole generation of young people who won’t know who Mozart was. The name will be totally unfamiliar. You have to seek out the young directors who understand the use of music in film because ultimately, it's the director who's the boss. There are fortunately quite a few young directors who really do understand music in film. That’s the first thing.
"There are very talented young film scorers. For example, there’s a young guy named Brian Byrne from Ireland who’s extremely gifted. He knows the soil from whence he came, and it’s not that he’s imitating or that it sounds in any way like them but he’s built upon the foundation. No matter what the field, how do you know that you’re not rewriting something that was written before you were born? And maybe written much better."
On New Year's Eve 1993 and New Year's Day 1994, Barbra Streisand made her first public performance in over 20 years. Tickets to her concert at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Hotel sold out in minutes. "Can it be that it was all so simple then; Or has time rewritten every line; If we had the chance to do it all again; Tell me, would we? Could we?"
Barbra Streisand had stated, "I've always felt a kind of sadness on New Year's Eve. It seems to carry an imperative to be joyous, which is not something you turn on and off like a faucet. So, I thought it might be easier if I gathered a few thousand friends around me and we had some fun together." Some 26,000 people (including Hollywood superstars), happily paid up to $1000 for tickets to see Barbra Streisand live. "I would go anywhere to see Barbra," one fan told the press.
Robert Hilburn of 'The Los Angeles Times' reported at the time, "There was a magical moment during Barbra Streisand's landmark concert here (in Las Vegas) Saturday night (New Year's Day 1994) when the noted perfectionist goofed. She got mixed up on the words to her own song, the 1976 hit 'Evergreen'. It was dramatic because one reason Streisand avoided formal concerts for 22 years was stage fright – the inability to re-shoot or re-record the way you can in studios.
"Because the miscue Saturday was projected on a huge closed-circuit video screen, even those in the most remote areas of the MGM Grand Hotel's 13,000-seat Grand Garden arena could see the startled look on Streisand's face as she realized her error. Rather than freeze, however, she smiled sheepishly and joked, 'And it's my own song.' She then resumed the song, singing with the confidence and grace that characterized the rest of the evening's performance."
Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote the show. Barbra directed. Marty Erlichman executive produced. Marvin Hamlisch directed the music and arrangements. And Donna Karan designed Barbra's concert gowns. 'The Way We Were' was performed during Act II, followed by the duet with Neil Diamond, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' in which Barbra performed solo. "It used to be so natural; To talk about forever; But used-to-bes don't count anymore; They just lay on the floor 'til we sweep them away."
Mike Ragogna: The music industry is so fragmented right now (in 2013), could an Alan and Marilyn Bergman surface in this era (21st century)?
Marilyn Bergman: Oh, I don’t know. The directors are different. Sydney Pollack for example … Sydney Pollack was a student of both music and of songs and he didn't just want to use a song just to decorate a film, he knew exactly what he wanted a song to accomplish and was very specific.
Of Barbra's concert, 'New York Daily News' remarked, "Most great singers, from Billie Holiday to Sinatra to Piaf, tell part of their story in their music. The key is to let the song do the work. Streisand did that with her opener, the upbeat 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' from the new musical 'Sunset Boulevard' … Her voice has lost nothing, and she seems to understand songs better — a point she noted joking that it took 2,700 hours of therapy before she felt she could really sing 'On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.'"
'The Los Angeles Times': Why didn't you take the easier option of just doing a greatest hits show, instead of a more ambitious, scripted show?
Barbra Streisand: I wanted something more personal. I wanted to pick songs that meant something to me and then put them into some kind of story or theme so that there was a thread running through the show.
Barbra Streisand's triumphant Las Vegas return after a 22-year break led to a 6-city concert tour between April and July 1994. Then 52, Barbra Streisand told 'The Los Angeles Times', "As you get to a certain age, you don't take things for granted … things we took for granted for 30 some years. I never sort of felt this before in my life … standing back a bit and appreciating my career … and my fans … everything in life."
