Date: Dec 2, 1978
Weeks: 2
Barbara Streisand again, two days in a row? Curse you, Randomizer!
Her voice still bugs me by sounding fakely over-emotional. At least in this song Neil Diamond is around to help offset that. His voice is often-mocked, but I've always liked his unique sound and he acquits himself well here. He sounds genuine. And I like Streisand's voice more than usual. Maybe by trying not to overshadow Diamond, she's reigning herself in just the right amount. They're a good pair for a duet.
The music in this is actually pretty good. Rather than a quickly-dated pop sound, they've gone with something completely orchestral. It sounds like it could come from a musical. When I first listened to it, I thought it must have come from a Broadway musical and tried to figure out which one. That turns out not to have been the case, although Wikipedia says it was originally conceived as a TV theme song. So, partial credit to me then?
Anyway, the music is a piano and string arrangement. Very classic and classy. It would fit in a musical. Maybe not as the big bombastic song that moves the plot forward and sticks in your memory after the show is over, but certainly as an enjoyable early piece that sets up a relationship between two characters. The song is just as big as it would need to be to fill that role in a musical.
The lyrics are sad. It's about a couple that has started taking each other for granted. They don't bring flowers or sing love songs like they used to. It's sad and kind of depressing, but it does end with just a bit of hope, when they both say "You think I could learn how to tell you goodbye." But they can't say goodbye, because they still have affection for each other and neither of them is ready to give up on the relationship yet. I'm glad for that bit a hope. It turns an otherwise depressing song into something kind of sweet.
My verdict: Like it. It doesn't have a traditional pop sound, but I would enjoy this song if it were in the middle of a musical.
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