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THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY: Barbra Streisand & Burt Bacharach's Dynamic Duets

By: Sep. 18, 2014
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Today we are turning our attention to a sensational TV special featuring music icons Barbra Streisand and Burt Bacharach in honor of this week's release of Streisand's new duets album, PARTNERS.

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Close To You

In 1971, the music of composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David was positively ubiquitous throughout the United States. The recent Academy Award-winning success of the soundtrack and lead single for 1969's multi-award-winning BUTCH CASSIDY & THE Sundance KID, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", firmly established Bacharach & David as a team in the very top-tier of modern music, while a string of striking hit singles for the likes of Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones, Perry Como and many more displayed their popular charm, as well. Yet, it was with the marriage of the music and lyrics of this titanically gifted team with the blazing, brilliant talent of the increasingly vaunted vocalist known as Barbra Streisand that would contribute most to creating a classic and outright unforgettable TV moment - or, in this case, several of them.

On March 14, 1971, SINGER PRESENTS BURT BACHARACH was shown on CBS and featured Streisand joining the composer at the piano for an intimate conversation about life, love and music, as well as several performance set-pieces - in addition to appearances by Tom Jones, Rudolf Nureyev and Bettie De Jong, too. Nonetheless, the trio of showstoppers tackled by Streisand over the course of the awe-inspiring telecast are among the most unique, fascinating and just-plain purely entertaining in the vast array of performance footage available of the consummate entertainer from over the decades. As Bacharach himself told the press at the time, "The best things I've seen on television were done by Barbra," and with the creation and enacting of this special Bacharach could claim to have maintained the perilously high standard set forth with her previous work, on TV and beyond.

Performing the chart-topping Carpenters earworm "Close To You", Streisand and Bacharach evoke an intimacy and sexy rapport rarely seen in performers singing live onstage for a TV audiences - yet the palpable chemistry between the two is awe-inspiring and spine-tingling to behold, time and time again. While their convivial and then-contemporary patter is amusing and oftentimes quite delightful, it is in the performance sequences as seen on the special that the inherent, unmistakable magic capable of being conjured is truly given a chance to shine - and sing.

With the undoubted centerpiece of the entire program, Streisand recreates her memorable BARBRA JOAN STREISAND album cut mashing up the Bacharach/David hits "One Less Bell To Answer" and "A House Is Not A Home" in a dynamic and breathtaking arrangement and performance - and does it live! Yes, indeed, Streisand actually recorded both parts of the duet with herself live and the footage was then spliced together in order to create the incredible performance showcase as seen on the broadcast itself. Only Streisand could create a self-duet this effective, seemingly effortless and powerful, without a drip of irony or camp about it - and, rightly so. It's astonishing - and genius.

Additionally, Bacharach and David penned a brand new tune specifically tailored to the myriad musical and dramatic gifts possessed by the triple-threat stage and screen superstar designed for the telecast in the guise of the anthemic "Be Aware", which Streisand performs at the close of the show. Nevertheless, it is the two duets that are impossible to forget - and, with good reason: it is as good as musical marriages get. Wow.

So, now, let's go all the way back to 1971 and relive Barbra and Burt crafting some indelible duets for the ages.

Introduction & "One Less Bell To Answer"/"A House Is Not A Home"

"Close To You"

"Be Aware"

What precisely is it about the music and lyrics and Burt Bacharach and Hal David that fit Barbra Streisand's voice, style and attitude in these clips so effortlessly, elegantly and excellently? Furthermore, if forced to choose just one of these three tremendous performance pieces to treasure forever, which one would you cite as the absolute best of the best? With a triptych of showstoppers this dynamic, dynamite and delicious, any one of the three is worthy of praise - and reviewing.







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