The Way We Were (song)
{{short description|Song by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman}}
{{about|the Barbra Streisand song|other songs|The Way We Were (disambiguation)#Songs}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox song
| name = The Way We Were
| cover = Barbra Streisand "The Way We Were".jpg
| alt = In this black-and-white photograph, Barbra Streisand appears wearing a shawl around her head with her hand against a wall.
| type = single
| artist = Barbra Streisand
| album = The Way We Were
| B-side = What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
| released = {{Start date|1973|09|27}}
| recorded =
| studio = United Western Recorders (Las Vegas, NV){{cite AV media notes |title=The Way We Were |edition=CD release |others=Barbra Streisand |year=1974 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=C4K 44111}}
| venue =
| genre =
- Pop{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were"|website= Stereogum |date= May 7, 2019 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2042641/the-number-ones-barbra-streisands-the-way-we-were/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= As a piece of music, “The Way We Were” does a neat job extending a bridge...to the slick studio-musician pop of the early ’70s.|accessdate= June 19, 2023}}
- soft rock{{cite book|title=33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999|first=Mike|last=Segretto|date=2022|chapter= 1974|pages= 296–297|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=9781493064601|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ}}
- easy listening{{cite book|title= Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s|first1=Don|last1=Breithaupt|first2= Jeff|last2= Breithaupt|date= October 15, 1996|chapter= The Energy Crisis: MOR|page= 159|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=031214704X|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMPCAwAAQBAJ}}
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=29}}
| label = Columbia
| writer = {{hlist|Alan Bergman|Marilyn Bergman|Marvin Hamlisch}}
| producer = Marty Paich
| prev_title = If I Close My Eyes
| prev_year = 1973
| next_title = All in Love Is Fair
| next_year = 1974
| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|type=single|{{YouTube|ifWOSnoCS0M|"Barbra Streisand - The Way We Were (Official Audio)"}}}}
}}
"The Way We Were" is a song by American singer Barbra Streisand from her fifteenth studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's lead single on September 27, 1973, through Columbia Records. The 7" single was distributed in two different formats, with the standard edition featuring B-side track "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"; the Mexico release instead included an instrumental B-side. The song was written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch, while production was solely handled by Marty Paich. "The Way We Were" was specifically produced for the record, in addition to three other tracks, including her then-upcoming single "All in Love Is Fair" (1974).
Its lyrics detail the melancholic relationship between the two main characters Katie Morosky (Streisand) and Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford) in the 1973 film of the same name. Its appeal was noted by several music critics, who felt its impact helped revive Streisand's career. The song also won two Academy Awards, which were credited to the songwriters of the track. The single was also a commercial success, topping the charts in both Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100, while peaking in the top 40 in Australia and on the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, "The Way We Were" was 1974's most successful recording in the United States, where it was placed at number one on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles list. It has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over one million units. Streisand has also included "The Way We Were" on various compilation albums, with it most recently appearing on 2010's Barbra: The Ultimate Collection.
Several renditions and versions of the single exist, including one by American singer Andy Williams, who sang it for his thirty-second studio album of the same name in 1974. American band Gladys Knight & the Pips also recorded a cover for I Feel a Song (1974), which was commercially successful; it reached number four in the United Kingdom and number 11 in the United States.
Development and release
American composer and producer Marvin Hamlisch created the final melody for "The Way We Were", which initially was a problem between himself and the singer. Barbra Streisand had asked Hamlisch to produce a composition in minor key, but he instead wrote it in major key due to his fear of the song's lyrics being revealed too quickly.{{cite news|title="The Way We Were" – Barbra Streisand: Columbia 45944|url=http://www.superseventies.com/1974_1singles.html|access-date=November 14, 2016|publisher=The Super Seventies|date=February 1, 1974|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804014356/http://www.superseventies.com/1974_1singles.html|archive-date=August 4, 2016}}
Shortly following the commercial success of "The Way We Were", Columbia Records began compiling tracks for the singer's then-upcoming fifteenth studio album The Way We Were. Since time was limited, the record consists of several non-album compositions recorded by Streisand, including the aforementioned title and her preceding single "All in Love Is Fair" (1974).{{cite web|last1=Ruhlmann|first1=William|title=Barbra Streisand – The Way We Were|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-way-we-were-mw0000650840|access-date=November 14, 2016|website=AllMusic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126065634/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-way-we-were-mw0000650840|archive-date=January 26, 2017}} According to the liner notes of her 1991 greatest hits album Just for the Record, "The Way We Were", "All in Love is Fair", "Being at War with Each Other", and "Something So Right" were the only tracks specifically created for the album. The recording and two other variants were also included on the original soundtrack for the film: the original, the instrumental, and the "Finale" version.{{cite web|title=The Way We Were (Original Soundtrack Recording) by Barbra Streisand on iTunes|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/way-we-were-original-soundtrack/158514683|publisher=iTunes Store, Apple|date=1974|access-date=November 27, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127151824/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/way-we-were-original-soundtrack/id158514683|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} Individually, it was released as a 7" single in the United States on September 27, 1973, through Columbia Records; the aforementioned edition included the studio version of "The Way We Were", in addition to the B-side single "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?", a cover of the 1969 Michael Dees song. The Japanese release featured the same versions with slightly different durations, while the version intended for the Mexico market includes the instrumental version of "The Way We Were" as the B-side track instead.
Lyrical interpretation
Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote "The Way We Were" while Marty Paich handled its production. In particular, the lyrics detail the personal life of Katie Morosky, the character Streisand portrays in the film The Way We Were. Specifically, her troubled relationship with Robert Redford's Hubbell Gardiner is explained, "Memories light the corners of my mind / Misty watercolor memories of the way we were" and "Memories may be beautiful and yet".{{cite magazine|last1=Corliss|first1=Richard|title=Remembrance: Nobody Did It Better: Memories of Marvin Hamlisch, 1944–2012|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/08/07/nobody-did-it-better-memories-of-marvin-hamlisch-1944-2012/|access-date=November 14, 2016|magazine=Time|date=August 7, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127152011/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/08/07/nobody-did-it-better-memories-of-marvin-hamlisch-1944-2012/|archive-date=November 27, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Grad|first1=Laurie Burrows|title=Memories: Misty Water-Colored Memories Of The Way We Were|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-burrows-grad/loss-of-spouse_b_9582238.html|access-date=November 27, 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=April 8, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127152703/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-burrows-grad/loss-of-spouse_b_9582238.html|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} Streisand sings, "What's too painful to remember / We quickly choose to forget", where she longs for nostalgia, which Rolling Stone{{'}}s Stephen Holden described as an implication that "resonate[s] in the current social malaise".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.superseventies.com/spstreisandbarbra.html|title=Rolling Stone Review - The Way We Were|author=Stephen Holden|date=11 April 1974|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=30 May 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923154835/http://www.superseventies.com/spstreisandbarbra.html|archive-date=23 September 2016}} In the beginning of what seems to be a bridge, Streisand whispers, "If we had the chance to do it all again / Tell me would we? Could we?".
Legacy and accolades
File:Marvin Hamlisch - Oscars (cropped).jpg for his credited work on "The Way We Were".]]
"The Way We Were" received significant success after its original release in North America; Jon Landau of Rolling Stone claimed that its impact proved worthy enough to revive Streisand's career as a musical artist. However, he was more critical of the singer "ignor[ing] the line-by-line variations in [the] song's meaning".{{cite magazine|last1=Lindau|first1=Jon|title=Barbra Streisand – The Way We Were|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/barbrastreisand/albums/album/118213/review/6067409/the_way_we_were|access-date=November 27, 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 6, 1974|url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609052227/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/barbrastreisand/albums/album/118213/review/6067409/the_way_we_were| archive-date=June 9, 2008}} Nevertheless, the mass appeal of the single was labeled by Turner Classic Movies's Andrea Passafiume as "one of the most recognizable songs in the world".{{cite news|last1=Passafiume|first1=Andrea|title=The Way We Were (1973)|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3867/the-way-we-were#articles-reviews|access-date=November 14, 2016|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127085945/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3867/The-Way-We-Were/articles.html|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} Hamlisch and the Bergmans won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 46th Academy Awards; the former musician also won the Oscar for Best Original Score for the film.{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1974|title=The 46th Academy Awards (1974) Nominees and Winners|access-date=December 31, 2011|date=1974|publisher=Academy Awards|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402003953/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1974|archive-date=April 2, 2015}} The tune also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 31st Golden Globe Awards in 1974 and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975.{{cite web|title=Winners & Nominees Best Original Song – Motion Picture|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/best-original-song-motion-picture|publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association|access-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106035845/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/best-original-song-motion-picture|archive-date=January 6, 2017}}{{cite web|title=17th Annual Grammy Awards|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/17th-annual-grammy-awards|publisher=The Recording Academy|access-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101161440/https://www.grammy.com/awards/17th-annual-grammy-awards|archive-date=January 1, 2017}} In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#w|title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com|website=grammy.com}} According to the National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in their list of the top 365 "Songs of the Century", the single was placed at number 298.{{cite news|title=Songs of the Century|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/list.top.365.songs/index.html|access-date=November 17, 2016|publisher=CNN|date=March 7, 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502005739/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/list.top.365.songs/index.html|archive-date=May 2, 2014}} In 2023, American Songwriter and The Guardian ranked the song number five and number one, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Barbra Streisand songs.{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/top-10-barbra-streisand-songs/|title=Top 10 Barbra Streisand Songs|first=Alli|last=Patton|website=American Songwriter|date=January 28, 2023|accessdate=December 31, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/oct/27/barbra-streisand-20-greatest-songs-ranked|title=Barbra Streisand's 20 greatest songs – ranked!|first=Alexis|last=Petridis|website=The Guardian|date=October 27, 2023|accessdate=December 31, 2023}}
Commercial performance
In the United States, "The Way We Were" debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending November 24, 1973, where it served as the issue's seventh-highest debut.{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – The Week Of November 24, 1973|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1973-11-24|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 14, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203100303/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1973-11-24|archive-date=December 3, 2016}} After steadily climbing the list for ten consecutive weeks, it topped the chart on February 2, 1974, where it knocked Ringo Starr's version of "You're Sixteen" (1973) from the highest spot.{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – The Week Of February 2, 1974|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-02-02|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 14, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227213037/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-02-02|archive-date=December 27, 2016}} After being temporarily displaced by The Love Unlimited Orchestra's debut single "Love's Theme", Streisand reclaimed the number one rank for two more weeks beginning February 16 of the same year.{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – The Week Of February 16, 1974|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-02-16|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 14, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105202117/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-02-16|archive-date=November 5, 2016}}{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – 1974 Archive|url=http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1974/hot-100|access-date=November 14, 2016|magazine=Billboard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126045033/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1974/hot-100|archive-date=November 26, 2016}} "The Way We Were" departed the Billboard Hot 100 on April 27 at the position of number 53; in total, it spent 23 consecutive weeks among the chart's ranking.{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – The Week Of April 27, 1974|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-04-27|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 14, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228193844/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1974-04-27|archive-date=December 28, 2016}} On the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1974 list, the single also topped the chart on the list of the year's 100 highest-ranking songs. On August 19, 1997, in addition to several of Streisand's recordings, "The Way We Were" was certified Platinum in the United States by the RIAA for sales exceeding one million copies. On the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it was then referred to as the Easy Listening chart, it reached the number one spot on January 12, 1974, and held that position for two weeks.
Outside of Streisand's native country, the single found similar commercial success. In Canada, "The Way We Were" entered the chart compiled by RPM at number 45, where it was the week's third-highest debut.{{cite news|title=Top RPM Singles: Issue 4978a|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4978a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4978a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4978a|access-date=November 24, 2016|publisher=RPM. Library and Archives Canada|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127090206/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4978a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4978a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4978a|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} On its seventh week, it reached the top position that was previously held by Terry Jacks' cover of "Seasons in the Sun" (1973). It spent a total of 13 weeks in Canada before departing at its position at number 58.{{cite news|title=Top RPM Singles: Issue 5000b|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5000b&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5000b.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5000b|access-date=November 24, 2016|publisher=RPM. Library and Archives Canada|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127090627/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5000b&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5000b.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5000b|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} It also topped the Adult Contemporary chart in its 11th week, also in 1974. In their year-end chart, "The Way We Were" was ranked as Canada's eighth best-selling single of 1974. In the final year of Australia's chart compiled by Go-Set, Streisand's recording peaked at number six. It also reached its peak position on the UK Singles Chart at number 31 for the week of March 30, 1974.
Live performances
Streisand has performed "The Way We Were" on numerous occasions and is often considered to be one of her signature songs.{{cite web|last1=Passafiume|first1=Andrea|title=Trivia & Fun Facts About The Way We Were|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/467350|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=November 23, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127085352/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/467350%7C0/The-Way-We-Were.html|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} On her third live album, One Voice (1986), the single was included alongside a live video of the singer performing it.{{cite AV media notes |title=One Voice |year=1986 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=CK 40788 }} In September 1994, Streisand released The Concert, which also included a live rendition of "The Way We Were" as performed at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.{{cite AV media notes |title=The Concert |year=1994 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=C2K 66109 }} At a series of live concerts in 1999 and 2000 in Las Vegas, the singer sang several songs from her catalog and was billed as one of her final live performances; the entirety of the event was then included on Timeless: Live in Concert (2000), including the "Introduction" segment which featured "The Way We Were" in addition to "You'll Never Know", "Something's Coming", and a live interview with actress Shirley MacLaine.{{cite AV media notes |title=Timeless: Live in Concert |year=2000 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=C2K 63778 }} The single was also placed on Live in Concert 2006 (2006) and Back to Brooklyn (2013), with its appearance on the latter consisting of a medley of both "The Way We Were" and "Through the Eyes of Love".{{cite AV media notes |title=Live in Concert 2006 |year=2006 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=88697019222 }}{{cite AV media notes |title=Back to Brooklyn |year=2013 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=88843001952 }}
Track listings and formats
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Standard edition 7" single{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were" / "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" |year=1973 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=4-45944}}{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were" / "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" |year=1974 |type=Liner notes |publisher=CBS |id=CBS 1915}}
- A1 "The Way We Were" – 3:29
- B1 "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" – 3:17
;Japan 7" single{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were" / "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" |year=1973 |type=Liner notes |publisher=CBS, Sony Music |id=SOPB 266}}
- A1 "The Way We Were" – 3:30
- B1 "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" – 3:19
{{col-2}}
;Mexico 7" single{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were"" |year=1974 |type=Liner notes |publisher=CBS |id=CBS 7244}}
- A1 "The Way We Were" – 3:29
- B1 "The Way We Were (Instrumental Version)" – 2:58
{{col-end}}
Personnel
- Barbra Streisand - vocals
- Paul Humphrey - drums
- Carol Kaye - bass
- Marty Paich - arranging
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
= Weekly charts =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for "The Way We Were" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1973–2017)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australia (Go-Set){{cite web|title=Australian Singles: 1 June 1974|url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1974/19740601.html|work=Go-Set|access-date=November 14, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918221451/http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1974/19740601.html|archive-date=18 September 2016}}
| 6 |
| scope="row"| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
| 7 |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|1|artist=Barbra Streisand|rowheader=true|chartid=4966a|access-date=November 13, 2016|refname="Canada"}} |
| {{single chart|Canadaadultcontemporary|1|artist=Barbra Streisand|rowheader=true|chartid=5008|access-date=November 13, 2016|refname="Canada Adult Contemporary"}} |
| {{single chart|France|145|artist=Barbra Streisand|song=The Way We Were|rowheader=true|access-date=August 8, 2017|refname="France"}} |
| scope=row | Italy (Musica e dischi){{cite book|last=Racca|first=Guido|title=M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019|language=it|date=2019|publisher=Independently Published |isbn=9781093264906}}
| 24 |
| scope="row"| Japan Singles (Oricon){{cite book|last1=Okamoto|first1=Satoshi|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|date=2006|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}
| 76 |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|31|artist=Barbra Streisand|access-date=November 13, 2016|rowheader=true|refname="UK"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Barbra Streisand|rowheader=true|access-date=November 13, 2016|refname="US"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|1|artist=Barbra Streisand|rowheader=true|access-date=November 13, 2016|refname="US Adult Contemporary"}} |
{{col-2}}
= Year-end charts =
= All-time charts =
| class="wikitable unsortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+All-time chart performance for "The Way We Were" |
| Chart (1958-2018)
! Position |
|---|
| scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=10 December 2018}}
| 116 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications and sales
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "The Way We Were"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Barbra Streisand|title=The Way We Were|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1973|certyear=2021|access-date=February 3, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Japan (RIAJ)|artist=Barbra Streisand|title=The Way We Were|nocert=true|salesamount=38,650|salesref=}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Barbra Streisand|title=The Way We Were|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1973|certyear=1997|date=August 19, 1997|access-date=November 14, 2016|refname="RIAA"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
Cover versions
Several renditions of "The Way We Were" have been released since its initial distribution in 1973. American singer Andy Williams recorded a cover of the track for his 1974 and thirty-second studio album of the same name.{{cite AV media notes |title=The Way We Were |year=1974 |type=Liner notes |publisher=CBS |id=CBS 80152}} AllMusic's William Ruhlmann was divided on Williams' interpretation and claimed that fans of Streisand's version would not be interested in this one.{{cite web|last1=Ruhlmann|first1=William|title=Andy Williams – The Way We Were|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-way-we-were-mw0001245130|access-date=November 17, 2016|website=AllMusic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127084905/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-way-we-were-mw0001245130|archive-date=November 27, 2016}} However, Mike Parker from the Daily Express considered his version and the album as a whole as a classic.{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Mike|title=Don't be sad, just remember the way we were, dying Andy Williams tells family|url=http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/332918/Don-t-be-sad-just-remember-the-way-we-were-dying-Andy-Williams-tells-family|access-date=November 17, 2016|work=Daily Express|date=July 15, 2012}} American actress and singer Doris Day performed the song in a CBS special, Doris Day Today, in 1975.{{cite news|last1=Eames|first1=Tom|title=Remembering Doris Day's emotional final performance, singing 'The Way We Were'|url=https://www.smoothradio.com/news/music/doris-day-final-performance-tv-video/|access-date=March 22, 2022|work=Smooth Radio|date=May 13, 2019}} Bing Crosby recorded the song for his album Feels Good, Feels Right in 1976. He also sang it at his London Palladium concerts that year and in 1977.{{cite AV media notes |title=Feels Good, Feels Right |year=1976 |type=Liner notes |publisher=London |id= PS 679}} Dorothy Squires included it for her 1978 LP Rain Rain Go Away which was produced by Norman Newell. In 2008, the singer-songwriter Beyoncé, sang a rendition of the song in front of Streisand herself at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors. In 2018, the group Il Divo included the translated version "Toi et Moi" on their album Timeless. The song was sung twice on the TV series Angel, firstly by Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall in the 2002 season 2 episode "Disharmony" and later in the 2002 season 4 episode "Spin the Bottle" by Andy Hallett as Lorne.
In 2008, Filipino singer Rico J. Puno covered the song for his album entitled Rico J Walang Kupas All Hits with some alterations of its lyrics which includes a speech at the first part and his Filipino cover version at the last part, retaining the original English lyrics on the middle part.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Um7cqW5olc The Way We Were - Rico J. Puno (Official Lyric Video)]
In 2014, Streisand re-recorded the track with Lionel Richie for her thirty-fourth studio album, Partners (2014).{{cite AV media notes |title=Partners |year=2014 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=88843091142 }} Walter Afanasieff's contributions and added background vocals to the aforementioned edition were acclaimed by Los Angeles Times{{'}} Mikael Wood, who described the composition as a "fluttering" one.{{cite news|last1=Wood|first1=Mikael|title=Review: Barbra Streisand stays mostly the way she was on 'Partners'|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-barbra-streisand-partners-20140918-story.html|access-date=November 17, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 18, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812065655/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-barbra-streisand-partners-20140918-story.html|archive-date=August 12, 2016}} "The Way We Were" has also been selected for inclusion on several of Streisand's compilation albums, including Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1978),{{cite AV media notes |title=Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 |year=1978 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=FCA 35679 }} Memories (1981),{{cite AV media notes |title=Memories |year=1981 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=TC 37678 }} Just for the Record... (1991),{{cite AV media notes |title=Just for the Record |year=1991 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=CK 48648 }} The Essential Barbra Streisand (2002),{{cite AV media notes |title=The Essential Barbra Streisand |year=2002 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=C2K 86123 }} and Barbra: The Ultimate Collection (2010).{{cite AV media notes |title=Barbra: The Ultimate Collection |year=2010 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Columbia |id=88697790432 }}
Gladys Knight & the Pips version
{{Infobox song
| name = The Way We Were" / "Try to Remember
| cover = The Way We Were (Gladys Knight version).jpg
| alt = An orange photograph displaying all of the band members plus the title and respective artist of the song.
| type = single
| artist = Gladys Knight & the Pips
| album = I Feel a Song
| A-side = Try to Remember
| B-side = {{hlist|"The Need to Be"|"Love Finds Its Own Way"|"Midnight Train to Georgia"}}
| released = {{Start date|1975|03|14}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = * Soul{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were"|website= Stereogum |date= May 7, 2019 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2042641/the-number-ones-barbra-streisands-the-way-we-were/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= Gladys Knight & The Pips recorded a lush, ruminative soul cover of “The Way We Were” in 1975...|accessdate= June 19, 2023}}
- R&B{{Cite podcast|url=https://slate.com/podcasts/hit-parade/2024/02/how-barbra-became-the-original-taylor|title= The Hello Gorgeous Edition|website=Hit Parade {{!}} Music History and Music Trivia|publisher=Slate|last=Molanphy|first=Chris|date= February 10, 2024|access-date= February 10, 2024}}
| length = {{duration|m=4|s=48}}
| label = Buddah
| writer = {{hlist|Alan Bergman|Marilyn Bergman|Marvin Hamlisch|Tom Jones|Harvey Schmidt}}
| producer = Ralph Moss
| prev_title = Love Finds Its Own Way
| prev_year = 1975
| title = The Way We Were
| title2 = Try to Remember
| next_title = Money
| next_year = 1975
}}
= Background and reception =
American R&B band Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded a cover of "The Way We Were" as part of a blend with the song "Try to Remember", released on their 1974 studio album I Feel a Song. The cover/blend was released by Buddah Records on March 14, 1975, in a 7-inch format, paired with the B-side singles "Love Finds Its Own Way" and "The Need to Be". Due to the inclusion of "Try to Remember", the song features additional writing by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt.{{cite AV media notes |title=I Feel a Song |year=1974 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Buddah Records |id= BDS 5612}} Alex Henderson from AllMusic was surprised regarding their version, calling it an "unlikely remake". He further critiqued Gladys Knight's "ironic" spoken monologue on the track by assuming she's "reflecting on the nostalgia that seems to be human nature".{{cite web|last1=Henderson|first1=Alex|title=Gladys Knight & the Pips – I Feel a Song|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-feel-a-song-mw0000026320|access-date=December 31, 2016|website=AllMusic|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101003121/http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-feel-a-song-mw0000026320|archive-date=January 1, 2017}} However, Rashod Ollison from The Virginian-Pilot declared it a "stirring remake" and liked the track's live orchestra. He further lauded the B-side track "The Need to Be" for being a "deeply soulful declaration of independence".{{cite news|last1=Ollison|first1=Rashod|title=When Gladys Knight & the Pips were at the top|url=http://pilotonline.com/entertainment/music/behind-the-groove/when-gladys-knight-the-pips-were-at-the-top/article_67916746-d564-5070-a146-afc9fc77d9fa.html|access-date=December 31, 2016|work=The Virginian-Pilot|date=November 10, 2016|archive-date=January 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101002331/http://pilotonline.com/entertainment/music/behind-the-groove/when-gladys-knight-the-pips-were-at-the-top/article_67916746-d564-5070-a146-afc9fc77d9fa.html|url-status=dead}} Knight's rendition of "The Way We Were" was sampled in 1993 for "Can It Be All So Simple" by the Wu-Tang Clan from their album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
= Chart performance =
On the United States' Billboard Hot 100, "The Way We Were" reached its highest position of number 11 on August 2, 1975.{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – The Week Of August 2, 1975|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1975-08-02|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113170158/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1975-08-02|archive-date=January 13, 2017}} It spent a total of 17 weeks charting before decreasing weekly until meeting its final position at number 57 for the week ending August 16, 1975.{{cite magazine|title=The Hot 100 – The Week Of August 16, 1975|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1975-08-16|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 31, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101090819/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1975-08-16|archive-date=January 1, 2017}} In Canada, it peaked at number 29 on the list compiled by RPM. It also entered the Adult Contemporary charts in both the United States and Canada, ranking at numbers two and three, respectively. In the United Kingdom, the Gladys Knight & the Pips version was more successful than Streisand's. It peaked at number four in that country, becoming their first top ten single; it would tie with their 1977 single "Baby, Don't Change Your Mind" as their highest-peaking track.
= Track listings and formats =
;Standard edition 7" single{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were"/"Try to Remember" / "The Need to Be" |year=1975 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Buddah |id=BDA-463-N}}
- A1 "The Way We Were" / "Try to Remember" – 4:48
- B1 "The Need to Be" – 4:07
;United Kingdom 7" single{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were"/"Try to Remember" / "Love Finds Its Own Way" |year=1975 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Buddah |id=BDS 428}}
- A1 "The Way We Were" / "Try to Remember" – 4:45
- B1 "Love Finds Its Own Way" – 3:51
;United Kingdom Reissued 7" single{{cite AV media notes |title="The Way We Were"/"Try to Remember" / "Midnight Train to Georgia" |year=1983 |type=Liner notes |publisher=Old Gold |id=OG 9290}}
- A1 "The Way We Were" / "Try to Remember" – 4:45
- B1 "Midnight Train to Georgia" – 4:41
= Charts =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for "The Way We Were" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1975)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|29|artist=Gladys Knight & the Pips|rowheader=true|chartid=3989a|access-date=December 4, 2016|refname="Canada GK"}} |
| {{single chart|Canadaadultcontemporary|3|artist=Gladys Knight & the Pips|rowheader=true|chartid=5008|access-date=December 4, 2016|refname="Canada Adult Contemporary GK"}} |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|4|artist=Gladys Knight and the Pips|access-date=December 4, 2016|rowheader=true|refname="UK GK"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|11|artist=Gladys Knight & the Pips|rowheader=true|access-date=December 4, 2016|refname="US GK"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|2|artist=Gladys Knight & the Pips|rowheader=true|access-date=December 4, 2016|refname="US Adult Contemporary GK"}} |
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{YouTube|BJjVlEG8WHM|The Way We Were}}
{{Barbra Streisand songs}}
{{The Manhattans}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for "The Way We Were"
| titlestyle = background: lightblue
| list1 =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1971–1980}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}
{{Grammy Award for Song of the Year 1970s}}
}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1960–1979}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Way We Were, The}}
Category:Songs about nostalgia
Category:Barbra Streisand songs
Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs
Category:Best Original Song Golden Globe–winning songs
Category:Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Buddah Records singles
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Gladys Knight & the Pips songs
Category:Songs with lyrics by Alan Bergman