>> Barbra Streisand Archives | <span class="verdana12italic">Funny Lady</span> Soundtrack Album, CD

Barbra Streisand Archives - Rare Recordings

Funny Lady Soundtrack

Arista 9004 - 1975
Arista AQ 9004 - 1975
Bay Cities 3006 - 1990
Arista Masters 19006 - 1998

How Lucky Can You Get 45 rpm Single

Funny Lady, as a recording, has had several iterations over the years.

The Funny Lady soundtrack was released in 1975 on vinyl by Arista Records—not Columbia Records (Streisand’s record label and recording “home” since 1962). Clive Davis, a Columbia Records executive who’d helped Streisand update her sound and release the Stoney End album, had partnered with Columbia Pictures for the Arista label. Since the Funny Lady movie was a Columbia Pictures release, the album rights went to Arista Records. Arista advertised the album proudly as one of the first releases from the new label.

The original Funny Lady album contained 15 tracks, not in the original order that they appeared in the film. Curiously, the James Caan vocal of “Me and My Shadow” was included, even though it was cut from the final film. Also included on the soundtrack album was the complete track of “So Long Honey Lamb”. Again, in the final film, this number lasted only a few seconds.

Because Quadraphonic sound was popular, Arista also released another version of the Funny Lady soundtrack in Quadraphonic format. Several of the tracks on the Quad album were completely different than their counterparts on the standard album. The Quad engineers used different takes. The Quadraphonic version of “If I Love Again” featured an entirely different Streisand vocal (a more thoughtful and introspective reading of the lyric) and an alternate piano ending. The vocals used for the Quad version of “Let’s Hear it for Me” were curious. Streisand’s first note of the song (“Blow”) is off key! The entire vocal sounds as if it’s a first take, before Streisand settled into the song.

Arista promoted “How Lucky Can You Get” as the single from the Funny Lady soundtrack. A 45-rpm single of the song was released which contained different Streisand vocals and a different musical arrangement.

Later, on an Arista compilation album entitled Soundtrack Memories, another version of “How Lucky Can You Get” surfaced. On this one, the first half of the song (with the male backup singers) is completely different than the other versions. The men’s voices are huskier and there’s a few more “doo-ahh’s” than in the soundtrack and single versions. Plus, Streisand’s reading of the lyric is different as well.

It wasn’t until 1990 that Funny Lady appeared on compact disc. Released on the Bay Cities label, the CD contained generic liner notes by Merrick S. Talcove. The CD also replicated the track listing exactly as the original vinyl album.

Eight years later, back on the Arista label, Funny Lady once again had another life on CD. This time, the CD reissue producer Didier C. Deutsch dug into the Arista master tapes and remastered the tracks in 20-bit digital technology. He re-listed the tracks in the order in which they appear in the film. Deutsch included, as a bonus track, the single mix of “How Lucky Can You Get”.

The most interesting change in the 1998 reissue of Funny Lady is “Great Day”. The original soundtrack album and the 1990 Bay Cities CD contained a 5:16 minute track, which Streisand fans refer to as the “sky-high” version (Streisand belts out a long note when she sings the lyrics “angels in the sky, high”). It should be noted that this version of “Great Day” sounds just like what is on the movie’s soundtrack. The 1998 reissue features a decidedly different version of “Great Day”. From the minor chords that Streisand sings as the song opens, to the complex middle-section (after the clapping hands), one has to wonder if this is the original Peter Matz version that Marvin Hamlisch reworked (see “Great Day” section).

Another new addition to the Funny Lady soundtrack which appeared on the Arista 1998 CD reissue was the dramatic introduction before “Let’s Hear it For Me”, sung by Streisand in the film as she leaves Nick Arnstein for good. “Well I’ll be damned. No I won’t be damned. Cause I have been damned. But I won’t be damned anymore.” This introduction had not appeared on previous Funny Lady soundtracks.

It should be noted, in detailing the various soundtracks released over the years, that there are a few tracks which were not included on any of them!

On the Columbia Pictures DVD fans can hear a mysterious instrumental cue if they click on the “Special Features” option. The background music is a 40-second instrumental version of “If I Love Again”. It’s also possible to hear a 29-second instrumental cue from the Aquacade number by clicking on the “Song Highlights” option. Were these part of the unused Funny Lady overture or intermisson music?

Another “missing” track is Barbra Streisand’s ballad version of “Let’s Hear it For Me”, sung as the finale of the film. (“... and I’m glad to say I’m finally free ...”)

Crazy Quilt songs that appeared in the film have, to date, not appeared on any Funny Lady recording. The Crazy Quilt songs are: “Beautiful Face Have A Heart” (B. Rose, J.V. Monaco, F. Fisher), “If You Want the Rainbow, You Must Have the Rain”, and “Fifty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong” (F. Fisher).