Duets (Barbra Streisand album)

2002 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

Duets

Compilation album by

Barbra Streisand

Released| November 26, 2002 (2002-11-26)
Length| 78:06
Label| Columbia
Producer|

* Barbra Streisand
* Walter Afanasieff
* Kim Carnes
* Bill Cuomo
* Martin Erlichman
* David Foster
* Albhy Galuten
* Bob Gaudio
* Barry Gibb
* Gary Klein
* Richard Marx
* Richard Perry
* Phil Ramone
* Karl Richardson
* Thomas Z. Shepard

Barbra Streisand chronology
| The Essential Barbra Streisand
(2002)  | Duets
(2002)  | The Movie Album
(2003)

|
|

Singles from  Duets

1. "I Won't Be the One to Let Go"
Released: November 4, 2002 (2002-11-04)

Duets is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on November 26, 2002, by Columbia Records. The collection features nineteen duets from Streisand's career, including two newly recorded ones: "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" with Barry Manilow and "All I Know of Love" with Josh Groban. The Manilow duet was released as the album's lead single on November 4, 2002, as a streaming-only exclusive for AOL Music website members.

Streisand and her manager Jay Landers were executive producers for the compilation. Music critics highlighted the album's duets with Ray Charles, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra. Commercially, the album peaked within the top ten of record charts in Denmark and the Netherlands; it also entered the Billboard 200 at number 38 and became certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies. Duets has gone on to sell 1.5 million records worldwide.

## Development and songs

[edit]

Streisand and Columbia Records released two compilation albums in 2002: the first being The Essential Barbra Streisand, a greatest hits collection largely consisting of the singer's top-ten and top-forty hits,[1] followed by Duets, a compilation of nineteen duets from her music catalog.[2]

Fourteen out of the album's nineteen tracks were originally featured on previous Streisand studio albums. The singer included three songs originally performed for other artist's projects: "I've Got a Crush on You" with Frank Sinatra initially appeared on his 1993 Duets album; her rendition of "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" with Harold Arlen first appeared on the 1966 studio album Harold Sings Arlen (With Friend); her medley of "Get Happy / Happy Days Are Here Again" with Judy Garland was originally performed live on The Judy Garland Show in 1963.

While eighteen of the album's songs are duets with other musicians, Streisand's medley of "One Less Bell to Answer / A House Is Not a Home" is a duet with herself, first released on the 1971 album Barbra Joan Streisand.

Streisand recorded two new tracks for the album: "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" with Barry Manilow and "All I Know of Love" with Josh Groban. The former track was written by Richard Marx and Manilow, while the latter was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson.[3]

"I Won't Be the One to Let Go" was released as the album's lead and only single on November 4, 2002, as an exclusive download for AOL Music website members.[4] Although the track was not released commercially, "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" was distributed as a promotional CD single on January 6, 2003. With the release handled by Columbia Records, the CD was sent exclusively to United States radio stations and includes the "Radio Version Edit" and "Radio Version" releases of the song.[5]

Sony Music Entertainment reissued the compilation in South American countries with different cover art, but identical track listing, under the title Star Collection in 2013.[6]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]
BBC Music| (Favorable)[7]

AllMusic's William Ruhlmann awarded Duets three out of his five stars during his album review. He wrote that the best performances on the album are her duets with Sinatra, Garland, and Ray Charles. However, Ruhlmann criticized Streisand's role as a duet partner: "Her unsuitability to the duet format is repeatedly evidenced, as she seems virtually incapable of shutting up when her partner is trying to take a solo, invariably humming in the background to draw attention back to herself."[2] Tom Santopietro, author of The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand, was disappointed by Streisand's decision to release two greatest hits albums in the same year. Nonetheless, he considered the medley inclusion of "One Less Bell to Answer" and "A House Is Not a Home" to be the "standout cut" on Duets.[8] Morag Reavley from BBC Music highlighted the album's array of genres and wrote: "Even the most faithful Streisand acolyte must be delighted by the range of songs and singers assembled." She also enjoyed the inclusion of "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" and "All I Know of Love", writing that the latter track "shows that Barbra can still hold her own".[7]

## Commercial performance

[edit]

Duets entered and peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 38, during the week of December 14, 2002. It was the chart's eleventh highest debut and would go to spend fourteen weeks on the listing.[9] On January 9, 2003, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for physical shipments of 500,000 copies,[10] and during the year-end Billboard 200 chart in 2003, the compilation was listed at number 176.[11] In Oceania, the album peaked in Australia and New Zealand at numbers 13 and 11, respectively.[12][13] In the two aforementioned countries, it received a Gold certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of 35,000 copies and a Platinum certification by Recorded Music NZ for shipments of 15,000 copies.[14][15]

The album entered several record charts across Europe as well. According to the Official Charts Company, it peaked at numbers 39 and 30, in Scotland and the United Kingdom, respectively.[16][17] In the latter country, the compilation spent 6 weeks charting during 2002 and was ranked on the year-end sales charts at position 89.[18] In Denmark and the Netherlands, Duets peaked within the top ten at numbers 10 and 9, respectively.[19][20] The album reached number 26 in Spain and received a Gold certification by PROMUSICAE for shipments of 50,000 copies.[21][22] Its lowest peak positions were achieved in France, Germany, and Switzerland, where the compilation peaked at numbers 44, 53, and 88, respectively.[23][24][25] The album has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[26]

## Track listing

[edit]

Duets - Standard edition[3]No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" (with Barry Manilow)|

* Barry Manilow
* Richard Marx

* Marx
* Walter Afanasieff

| 4:41
2.| "Guilty" (with Barry Gibb) (from Guilty, 1980)|

* Barry Gibb
* Robin Gibb
* Maurice Gibb

* B. Gibb
* Albhy Galuten
* Karl Richardson

| 4:25
3.| "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (with Neil Diamond) (from Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2, 1978)|

* Alan Bergman
* Marilyn Bergman
* Neil Diamond

| Bob Gaudio| 3:25
4.| "I Finally Found Someone" (with Bryan Adams) (from The Mirror Has Two Faces, 1996)|

* Barbra Streisand
* Marvin Hamlisch
* R.J. Lange
* Bryan Adams

| David Foster| 3:43
5.| "Cryin' Time" (with Ray Charles) (from Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments, 1973)| Buck Owens| Martin Erlichman| 2:18
6.| "I've Got a Crush on You" (with Frank Sinatra)|

* George Gershwin
* Ira Gershwin

* Foster
* Phil Ramone

| 3:23
7.| "Tell Him" (with Celine Dion) (from Higher Ground, 1997)|

* Foster
* Linda Thompson
* Afanasieff

* Foster
* Afanasieff

| 4:53
8.| "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (with Donna Summer) (from Wet, 1979)|

* Paul Jabara
* Bruce Roberts

| Gary Klein| 4:43
9.| "What Kind of Fool" (with Barry Gibb) (from Guilty)|

* B. Gibb
* Galuten

* B. Gibb
* Galuten
* Richardson

| 4:07
10.| "I Have a Love / One Hand, One Heart" (with Johnny Mathis) (from Back to Broadway, 1993)|

* Leonard Bernstein
* Stephen Sondheim

| Foster| 4:45
11.| "One Less Bell to Answer / A House Is Not a Home" (from Barbra Joan Streisand, 1971)|

* Burt Bacharach
* Hal David

| Richard Perry| 6:32
12.| "Lost Inside of You" (with Kris Kristofferson) (from A Star Is Born, 1976)|

* Leon Russell
* Streisand

* Ramone
* Streisand

| 2:55
13.| "Till I Loved You" (with Don Johnson) (from Till I Loved You, 1988)| Maury Yeston| Ramone| 5:04
14.| "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" (with Kim Carnes) (from Emotion, 1984)| Kim Carnes|

* Carnes
* Bill Cuomo

| 4:11
15.| "If You Ever Leave Me" (with Vince Gill) (from A Love Like Ours, 1999)| Marx|

* Foster
* Marx

| 4:38
16.| "The Music of the Night" (with Michael Crawford) (from Back to Broadway)|

* Andrew Lloyd Webber
* Charles Hart
* Richard Stilgoe

| Foster| 5:38
17.| "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (with Harold Arlen)|

* Harold Arlen
* E.Y. Harburg

| Thomas Z. Shepard| 1:54
18.| "Get Happy / Happy Days Are Here Again" (with Judy Garland)|

* Arlen
* Ted Koehler
* Jack Yellen
* Milton Ager

| Mort Lindsey[a]| 2:22
19.| "All I Know of Love" (with Josh Groban)|

* Foster
* Thompson
* Alberto Testa
* Tony Renis

| Foster| 4:29
Total length:| 78:06

Duets EP - Promotional sampler edition[27]No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" (with Barry Manilow)| 4:41
2.| "Guilty" (with Barry Gibb)| 4:25
3.| "I Finally Found Someone" (with Bryan Adams)| 3:43
4.| "I've Got a Crush on You" (with Frank Sinatra)| 3:23
Total length:| 16:12

Notes

* ^a Mort Lindsey is credited as the track's musical director; no producer is listed

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2002–2003)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] | 36
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[19] | 10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] | 9
French Albums (SNEP)[23] | 44
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] | 53
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] | 11
Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] | 39
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21] | 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] | 88
UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 30
US Billboard 200[9] | 38

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2002)  | Position

|

UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 89
Chart (2003)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] | 63
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[30] | 65
US Billboard 200[11] | 176

## Certifications and sales

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[14] | Platinum  | 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] | Platinum  | 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22] | Gold  | 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Gold  | 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold  | 561,000[32]
Summaries
Worldwide  | —  | 1,500,000[26]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Barbra Streisand – The Essential Barbra Streisand". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
2. ^ a b c Ruhlmann, William. "Barbra Streisand – Duets". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
3. ^ a b Duets (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Columbia. 2002. C2K 86126.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. ^ "Ask Barry! In the Studio...". Barry Gram (Winter). 2002.
5. ^ "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" (Radio edit) (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow (Promotional CD ed.). United States: Columbia. 2003. CSK 59450.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
6. ^ Star Collection (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Venezuela: Sony Music Entertainment. 2013. 5 099750 981290.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. ^ a b Reavley, Morag (2003). "Barbra Streisand Duets Review". BBC Music. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
8. ^ Santopietro 2007, p. 56
9. ^ a b "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
10. ^ a b "American album certifications – Barbra Steisand – Duets". Recording Industry Association of America.
11. ^ a b "The Year-End Issue 2003". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52\. December 27, 2003. p. 72\. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
12. ^ a b "Australiancharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
13. ^ a b "Charts.nz – Barbra Streisand – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
14. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
15. ^ a b "New Zealand album certifications – Barbra Steisand – Duets". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
16. ^ a b "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
17. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
18. ^ a b "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2002". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
19. ^ a b "Danishcharts.dk – Barbra Streisand – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
20. ^ a b "Dutchcharts.nl – Barbra Streisand – Duets" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
21. ^ a b Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
22. ^ a b "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 2000–2002". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
23. ^ a b "Lescharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
24. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Barbra Streisand – Duets" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
25. ^ a b "Swisscharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
26. ^ a b Copsey, Rob (August 29, 2014). "Lionel Richie talks working on new Barbra Streisand album: 'She's a gift to the world'". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
27. ^ Duets (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Spain: Sony Music Entertainment. 2002. PROMO10.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Barbra Streisand – Duets" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
29. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten Album 2003" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. GfK. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
31. ^ "British album certifications – Barbra Steisand – Duets". British Phonographic Industry.
32. ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 22, 2007). "Keith discusses top debuts, Barbra Streisand, Tiffany and more". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Santopietro, Tom (April 1, 2007). The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1429908535.

## External links

[edit]

* Duets at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Barbra Streisand

* Discography
* Songs
* Filmography
* Accolades

Studio albums|

* The Barbra Streisand Album (1963)
* The Second Barbra Streisand Album (1963)
* The Third Album (1964)
* People (1964)
* My Name Is Barbra (1965)
* My Name Is Barbra, Two... (1965)
* Color Me Barbra (1966)
* Je m'appelle Barbra (1966)
* Simply Streisand (1967)
* A Christmas Album (1967)
* What About Today? (1969)
* Stoney End (1971)
* Barbra Joan Streisand (1971)
* Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments (1973)
* The Way We Were (1974)
* ButterFly (1974)
* Lazy Afternoon (1975)
* Classical Barbra (1976)
* Superman (1977)
* Songbird (1978)
* Wet (1979)
* Guilty (1980)
* Emotion (1984)
* The Broadway Album (1985)
* Till I Loved You (1988)
* Back to Broadway (1993)
* Higher Ground (1997)
* A Love Like Ours (1999)
* Christmas Memories (2001)
* The Movie Album (2003)
* Guilty Pleasures (2005)
* Love Is the Answer (2009)
* What Matters Most (2011)
* Partners (2014)
* Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway (2016)
* Walls (2018)
* The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two (2025)

Live albums|

* A Happening in Central Park (1968)
* Live Concert at the Forum (1972)
* One Voice (1987)
* Barbra: The Concert (1994)
* Timeless: Live in Concert (2000)
* Live in Concert 2006 (2007)
* Back to Brooklyn (2013)
* The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic! (2017)
* Live at the Bon Soir (2022)

Compilations|

* Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits (1970)
* Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1978)
* Memories (1981)
* A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More (1989)
* Just for the Record... (1991)
* The Essential Barbra Streisand (2002)
* Duets (2002)
* Barbra: The Ultimate Collection (2010)
* Release Me (2012)
* The Classic Christmas Album (2013)
* Release Me 2 (2021)
* Evergreens: Celebrating Six Decades on Columbia Records (2023)

Cast recordings
and soundtracks|

* I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962)
* Funny Girl (1964)
* Funny Girl (1968)
* Hello, Dolly! (1969)
* The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)
* On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
* The Way We Were (1974)
* Funny Lady (1975)
* A Star Is Born (1976)
* Yentl (1983)
* Nuts (1987)

Television specials
and videos|

* My Name Is Barbra (1965)
* Timeless: Live in Concert (2001)
* One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at The Village Vanguard (2010)

Tours|

* Barbra Streisand in Concert
* Timeless
* Streisand
* Barbra Live
* Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic

Films directed|

* Yentl (1983)
* The Prince of Tides (1991)
* The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

Related articles|

* Streisand effect
* "Mecha-Streisand"
* Harold Sings Arlen (With Friend) (featuring album)
* Elliott Gould (first husband)
* Jason Gould (son)
* James Brolin (second husband)
* Roslyn Kind (half-sister)
* My Name Is Barbra (2023 memoir)

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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