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The Way We Were by Marvin Hamlish (Piano Solo sheet music)
Lyrics
Memories
Light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?
Memories
May be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply to choose to forget
So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
The way we were
Song’s genesis
The Way We Were is an American song by Barbra Streisand, taken from the soundtrack to the film We Were (1973). She was ranked #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. It also received the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1974, as well as the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1975. It ranks eighth in the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movie Songs.
Songwriter/producer Marvin Hamlisch creates the melody for The Way We Were, causing conflict between the songwriter and singer. In fact, Streisand wanted this composition to be written in a minor key, but he wrote it in a major key to avoid revealing the meaning of the lyrics too quickly. Following the success of The Way We Were, Columbia is compiling tracks for Streisand’s 15th album.
As time runs out, the label integrates various tracks recorded by Streisand for previous albums, including the single All in Love Is Fair. The Way We Were, along with All in Love Is Fair, Being at War with Each Other, and Something So Right are the only songs created specifically for the album. Three versions of the song were added to the soundtrack: an original version, an instrumental version, and a final version.
The single was released on August 27, 1973, under Columbia Records in the United States and contains the studio version A-side, and What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? , cover by Michael Dees, on the B-side. In Japan, the single takes the same configuration while in Mexico, an instrumental version of the song appears on the B-side.
Hamlisch, Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote The Way We Were, while Marty Paich produced it. The lyrics describe the life of Katie Morosky, Streisand’s character in the film. More specifically, she describes her tumultuous relationship with Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford): ‘Memories light up the corners of my mind / Misty watercolors memories of how we were’ or ‘Memories can be beautiful and yet’.
Streisand sings ‘That Which Is Too Painful To Remember/We Choose To Quickly Forget’ when she needs to be nostalgic. Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone says that he ‘resonates with current social unrest’. At the beginning of the bridge, he whispers, “If we had the chance to do it all over again / Tell me, would we? We could? ‘.
The Way We Were receives very good reception after its premiere in the United States. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone says that the song’s impact helped revive her singing career. However, he was more critical of the singer ‘ignoring line-by-line variations in the direction of the song’.
Andrea Passafiume of Turner Classic Movies describes the song’s success as ‘one of the most recognizable songs’. Hamlisch and the Bergmans win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Hamlisch also won the Oscar for Best Original Score for his work on The Way We Were and the soundtrack. The song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1974 and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1975.
In a joint list by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America, it is at the top of the list, in 298th place, out of 365 songs of the century.
In the US, the US path entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 92 for the week of November 24, 1973. She finally came in first place on February 2, 1974, where she replaced You’re Sixteen with Ringo Starr. . Replaced by The Love Unlimited Orchestra’s Love’s Theme the following week, it returned to the top of the chart on February 16.
The Way We Were last appeared on April 27 at 53rd position after 23 weeks of presence on the charts. The song finished in pole position on the 1974 annual chart. On the Easy Listening charts, it reached number one on January 12, 1974.
On August 19, 1997, The Way We Were received, along with other Streisand songs, the Platinum Disc certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for the sale of one million copies.
The success of The Way We Were transcends borders. In Canada, The Way We Were integrates the RPM charts at position 45. After seven weeks, he replaces Seasons in the Sun with Terry Jacks in first place. He has added thirteen weeks in the ranking. She is also number one in the Adult Contemporary rankings. It finished eighth in the annual ranking for 1974. In Australia, The Way We Were ranked sixth according to the ranking established by Go-Set magazine. In the UK, the song reaches 31st place.
Streisand has performed The Way We Were on several occasions, and it is considered one of her signature songs. On their live album One Voice, a video for the song is included on the DVD.
In 1994, she released the album The Concert, which featured a stage performance of The Way We Were at Madison Square Garden. During a series of concerts in Las Vegas in 1999 and 2000, he performed the song. The performance is included on the Timeless: Live in Concert album. The song also appears on the later albums Live in Concert 2006 and Back to Brooklyn.
Covers
Various artists have covered The Way We Were since its original release in 1973. Singer Andy Williams covered the song on his album The Way We Were in 1974. Mike Parker of the Daily Express considers it a classic. Bing Crosby recorded a version for his album Feels Good, Feels Right in 1976. He also re-performed this song during concerts at the London Palladium.
In 2014, Streisand re-recorded the song with Lionel Richie on the Partners album. The song was rearranged by Walter Afanasieff, earning it a good review from the Los Angeles Times. The Way We Were has also appeared on several compilations: Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1978), Memories (1981), Just for the Record (1991), The Essential Barbra Streisand (2002), and Barbra: The Ultimate Collection (2010).
The group Gladys Knight and the Pips covers The Way We Were in double face A with Try to Remember. Thrown in 1975, the single includes the songs Love Finds Its Own Way and The Need to Be. The cover page is included on the album I Feel a Song, released in 1974 under by Buddah Records.
Alex Henderson de Allmusic thinks that this version is an ‘improbable remake’. He believes that the monologue of Knight ‘ reflects the nostalgia that seems to be the human nature ‘. On the contrary, Rashod Ollison of The Virginian-Pilot appreciated this cover, that he finds touching.
In the US, The Road We Try to Remember reached the 11th position of the Billboard Hot 100 on August 2, 1975. It has totaled 17 weeks on the chart and made its last appearance on August 16 at 57th position. . In Canada, it reached the 29th ranking of the RPM position.
The song also appears on the Adult Contemporary charts in the United States and Canada. He reached second and third place respectively. In the UK, Gladys Knight & the Pips’ version is more successful than Streisand’s. It reached fourth place on the charts, becoming the group’s first top 10 hit and their biggest hit.
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