Hello, Gorgeous Edition Part 2

Summary

Hit Parade | “Hello, Gorgeous” Edition Part 2 (Feb 24, 2024)

Podcast Host: Chris Molanphy (Slate Podcasts)
Episode Theme: Exploring Barbra Streisand’s career from the late 1970s through the present, focusing on her ongoing adaptability, chart dominance, and cultural legacy.

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Overview

This episode continues Chris Molanphy’s deep dive into Barbra Streisand’s half-century music career, picking up at the end of the disco era and charting her major artistic pivots, blockbuster collaborations, chart milestones, and lasting cultural imprint. Through expert pop chart analysis, storytelling, and audio clips, the episode illustrates how Streisand evolved from disco collaborator to musical theater interpreter to elder pop stateswoman, maintaining her superstar status across decades and changing tastes.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Bee Gees & The Creation of Guilty (1979–1980)

• Disco’s Decline, New Alliances: With the disco backlash at the dawn of the 1980s, major acts reinvented themselves. Streisand partnered with Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) for her biggest pop album yet.
  • “Streisand's 1980 album would be, in essence, a Bee Gees album, fronted and personified by Barbra Streisand.” (03:45)
• Album Craft & Image: Gibb not only wrote and produced the album but also duetted with Barbra, lending Bee Gees glamour—showcased in the iconic all-white cover image.
• Guilty’s Smash Hit Singles:
  • “Woman in Love” — First single; fastest-breaking hit of Streisand’s career, topping the Hot 100 within two months. (05:45)
  • “Guilty” — Title duet with Barry Gibb reached #3. (07:53)
  • “What Kind of Fool” — Another duet with Gibb hit #10. (08:11)
• Quotable:
  • “Not only did Guilty become Streisand's top selling studio album ever… it also generated the most hits.” (06:21)

2. Early ’80s: Film, Direction, and Era-Defining Ballads

• Hiatus & Yentl: After the Guilty era, Streisand shifted to making her dream film Yentl (1983), her directorial debut.
  • “For this film, her directorial debut, Streisand won a Golden Globe, the first woman to win the Globe’s Best Director prize...” (10:00)
  • Yentl soundtrack song “The Way He Makes Me Feel” charted. (09:48)
• Oscars & Shifting Tastes: Despite musical acclaim, Streisand’s style began to fall out of pop radio favor amid the ascendance of synth-driven new wave (Flashdance’s theme beating her at Oscars, 10:43).

3. Adapting to a New Pop Era: Steinman Collaboration & Return to Broadway Roots

• ‘80s Reinvention: 1984’s Emotion album featured first MTV video and work with producer Jim Steinman (of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” fame), but was a lesser commercial success.
  • “The pairing proved a less than ideal fit… Left in the Dark only reached number three 50 on the Hot 100.” (12:09)
• Triumphant Broadway Return: Instead of chasing trends, Streisand returned to musical theater with The Broadway Album (1985).
  • “...the Broadway album went to number one... and ultimately went quadruple platinum. Streisand's bestseller since Guilty and an album that could not have been less like that previous blockbuster.” (15:12)
  • Collaborated with Stephen Sondheim, including newly written lyrics for “Send in the Clowns.” (15:12)
  • Notably replaced the Miami Vice soundtrack atop the charts. (16:05)

4. High-Profile Duets & Icon Status (Late ’80s–’90s)

• Tabloid Duets: Dated Don Johnson; their duet “Till I Loved You” and album went Top 10. (18:12)
• The Diva Era: Streisand as the blueprint for vocal powerhouses like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.
  • “In a way they were all following Barbra Streisand, who was the rock era’s premier athletic vocalist.” (19:00)
• Pop Culture Parodies & Tributes:
  • SNL’s Mike Myers as Linda Richman, with Streisand herself making a surprise cameo. (20:46–21:39)
  • Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire (22:12)
  • Satirized as a narcissistic villain in South Park (1998). (22:46)
  • “These pop culture references indicated what a massive cultural figure she had become.” (23:13)

5. Unstoppable Chart Presence: ’90s–2010s

• Albums That Debut at #1:
  • Back to Broadway (1993) — #1 debut (24:21)
  • Higher Ground (1997) — with Celine Dion, also #1 (24:46)
• Unexpected Late-Career Singles:
  • “I Finally Found Someone” (with Bryan Adams) — Top 10 hit in 1996 at age 54 (26:58)
• Duets & Dancefloor Surprises:
  • Guilty Pleasures (2005) with Barry Gibb; club hit “Night of My Life” (27:02–29:13)
  • 2009’s Love is the Answer and 2014’s Partners both debuted atop the album chart, extending her #1 albums record into five and then six decades (29:48–32:13)
  • 2016’s Encore (with Hollywood actors like Chris Pine) again hit #1, tying Bruce Springsteen’s overall #1 album tally at 11 (31:39, 32:13)
• Quotable:
  • “She would score nearly half of her record roster of number one albums after age 50.” (24:55)

6. Political Voice & Late-Career Relevance

• Walls & Protest Songs: 2018’s Walls album included anti-Trump lyrics and yielded a club hit with a remix of “Don’t Lie to Me” (32:56)
• Ongoing Admiration: Celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors (2008) by stars like Queen Latifah, Idina Menzel, and Beyoncé (32:56).
• Hopes for Her Legacy: Molanphy notes hopes Streisand scores another #1 and continues singing, concluding:
  • “Regardless of how this fraught political year turns out, I do hope Barbra finds a reason to sing at least one more time. Preferably the song that launched her unparalleled career all those decades ago… that would indeed be a happy day.” (34:52)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Streisand’s Adaptability:
  “Barry Gibb had cleverly adapted his style for a singer with a titanic voice and an audience that was now allergic to falsetto vocals and Studio 54 beats. It turned out Barry Gibb could do 80s diva pop as adeptly as he’d done disco.” (03:15)

• On Broadway Return:
  “Columbia… wanted Barbra to attempt another contemporary pop album, but Streisand's contract still granted her creative control. So the Broadway album it was.” (13:36)

• On Keeping Her Chart Magic Late into Her Career:
  “By the 90s, she was a known quantity. She could take years off between albums and come back fairly secure that her latest output would be welcomed.” (24:55)

• On Parody & Tribute:
  “Notwithstanding South Park's snide portrayal, these pop culture references to Streisand indicated what a massive cultural figure she had become.” (23:13)

• On Breaking Records at 74:
  “At age 74, Streisand ruled the album chart once again.” (32:13)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:17] – [03:45] – Recap, transition from disco's demise, Bee Gees partnership
• [04:41] – [08:51] – Guilty album’s hits and impact, move to film projects
• [09:01] – [10:43] – Yentl and Streisand as director; Oscars and cultural change
• [11:56] – [15:12] – Steinman era and MTV; pivot to The Broadway Album
• [16:05] – [19:00] – Don Johnson, diva explosion, Streisand’s foundational influence
• [20:46] – [23:13] – SNL, Mrs. Doubtfire, South Park; icon and parodic figure
• [24:12] – [27:02] – 1990s: Album comebacks, duets, renewed chart relevance
• [29:13] – [32:13] – 2000s–2010s: Surprising #1 albums, Encore
• [32:56] – [34:52] – 2018’s Walls, political voice, Kennedy Center tribute, closing hopes

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Tone and Style

Chris Molanphy’s narration remains witty, detailed, and highly reverent, combining cultural criticism, chart trivia, and affectionate ribbing—mirroring Streisand’s career as both celebrity and serious artist. The episode weaves song snippets, pop culture clips, and notable Streisand quotes with in-depth chart analysis, using Molanphy’s signature blend of humor and erudition.

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For fans, newcomers, and anyone interested in how one artist can keep rewriting the rules of stardom, this episode offers a definitive chronicle of Barbra Streisand’s post-disco evolution and abiding influence.

Transcript

[Barbra Streisand]

You're listening ad free on Amazon Music.

[Chris Melanphy]

Welcome back to Hit Parade, a podcast of pop chart history from Slate magazine about the hits from coast to coast. I'm Chris Melanphy, chart analyst, pop critic and writer of Slate's why Is this Song Number One Series. On our last episode, we walked through the first two decades of Barbra Streisand's career. How she emerged as a Broadway star, movie star and, yes, pop star virtually simultaneously, and how she struggled to adapt to contemporary music before finally finding an approach in the mid-70s that consistently generated hits. We are now at the end of the 70s. Disco is on the wane, but Barbra is about to score her biggest pop album ever by teaming with a leading disco singer and songwriter. By 1980, the leading acts of disco were all finding ways to pivot their careers amidst the disco backlash. Streisand's friend Don, a summer not long after their hit duet, pivoted toward a fusion of dance pop and synthesized rock on her 1980 album The Wanderer. Chic, the hit making disco group led by Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards that had revolutionized dance music and even helped launch hip hop in the closing months of 1979, Increasingly turned their attention toward production and songwriting for other acts. Chic's greatest 1980 triumph was producing and writing the album Diana, the transformative post disco blockbuster by Motown legend Diana Ross. You might say the Chic approach was also the strategy being pursued by Barry Robin and Morris Gibb, the Bee Geese. They scored the last of their string of Hot 100 number ones in the summer of 79, Which was around the time Barry Gibb met Barbra Streisand. Impressed by Barry's hit making skill, Barbara asked him if he would write some songs for her next album. Gibb upped the ante. He offered to produce the entire album and write all of the songs with his brothers. All Streisand had to do was show up and sing. Even more so than Chic with the Diana LP. Streisand's 1980 album would be, in essence, a Bee Gees album, fronted and personified by Barbra Streisand. The hallmarks of the Bee Gees production style were all over the lp, but it was lush, urbane pop, not exactly dance music. Barry Gibb had cleverly adapted his style for a singer with a titanic voice and an audience that was now allergic to Falsetto vocals and Studio 54 beats. It turned out Barry Gibb could do 80s diva pop as adeptly as he'd done disco.

[Barbra Streisand]

You know you're the light, I am.

[Chris Melanphy]

The Streisand album didn't have a title until near the end of recording. When Streisand asked Gibb for one more uptempo song, Barry wrote one with both Robin and Morris. The album's only song penned by all three Gibb brothers, a bop with a yacht rock style bounce, and Barry sang it with Barbara as a duet. The song and the album would be called Guilty. In a remarkable promotional move for Guilty's album cover, Streisand photographed herself in a hug with Barry Gibb, both of them clad in disco era white. Rather than hide the involvement of the lead Bee Gee, she was showcasing him even though her name was the one above the title. For the first single, Columbia went with the LP's Sultriest Song, a pseudo feminist tone poem co written by Barry and Robin Gibbs that Streisand found lyrically inscrutable. But nonetheless, she sang the hell out of it. It was called Woman in. And it was an instant smash. The fastest breaking solo single of Barbra Streisand's career. Within two months, Woman in Love was on top of the Hot 100. The very same week the Guilty album reached number one on the album chart. Even for Barbra, this was exceptional. Her biggest chart success not accompanied by a movie, movie, Broadway show or TV telecast, Guilty blew up. Based on the songs and Barbara's own imperial pop profile, Not only did Guilty become Streisand's top selling studio album ever, quintuple platinum sales in the US alone and a reported 15 million sold worldwide, it also generated the most hits after Woman in Love. Barbara and Barry's Guilty duet reached number three.

[Barbra Streisand]

Far we are and we never let it end.

[Chris Melanphy]

And finally, in early 1981, the heartbroken ballad what Kind of Fool, another Barry Gibb duet, reached number 10.

[Barbra Streisand]

What kind of what can tears it apart? Leaving me pain and sorrow.

[Chris Melanphy]

It was the last wave of Streisand's imperial phase on the singles charts and Barbara made it count. A 1981 compilation called Memories essentially prolonged the Guilty era, collecting a handful of Streisand's recent hits and adding a new song coming in and out of youf Life that rose to number 11 on the pop chart in early 82.

[Barbra Streisand]

Come and end and out of your life isn't easy Now.

[Chris Melanphy]

Possessing the clout to get any project greenlit, Streisand took a multi year break from the pop charts to direct and star in her dream project, the movie Jentl, the story of an early 20th century Jewish woman in Poland who disguises herself as a man to study the Talmud. The film was both a historical drama and a musical drawing on all of Streisand's talents. A song from the Yentl soundtrack the Way He Makes Me Feel briefly cracked the top 40 in late 1983.

[Barbra Streisand]

Like the way I feel.

[Chris Melanphy]

For this film, her directorial debut, Streisand won a Golden Globe, the first woman to win the Globe's Best Director prize, Although she was not nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, a controversial snub at the time, not unlike Greta Gerwig's MIS nomination for for Barbie in this year's Oscar race, the music from Yentl was nominated at the 1984 Oscar ceremony. Streisand's friend Donna Summer sang the movies Papa, can you hear me live?

[Barbra Streisand]

Papa can you hear me? Papa can you see me? Papa can you find me? In.

[Chris Melanphy]

For the record, the Yentl music did win the Oscar for Best Original Song score, a now defunct prize. But in Best Original Song, both Papa can youn Hear Me and the Way He Makes me Feel lost out to the theme from Flashdance. The Irene Cara sung Flashdance. What a feeling. It was a telling defeat. Four years into the 80s, pop had shifted once again past Streisand's style of balladry towards synth driven technopop and new wave. When Barbara returned to recording in 1984, she tried to adapt. She worked with iconoclastic songwriter producer Jim Steinman, whom we covered in depth in a prior Hit Parade episode. Steinman was riding high at the time, having just topped the charts with Bonnie Tyler's bombastic Total Eclipse of the Heart.

[Barbra Streisand]

Every now and then I fall apart and I need you now, tonight and I need you more than ever.

[Chris Melanphy]

So Streisand took on her own bombastic Steinman power ballad. But the pairing proved a less than ideal fit. Serving as the lead single of Streisand's 1984 album Emotion, it was also her first video to appear on MTV. Left in the Dark only reached number three. 50 on the Hot 100. We'll be back momentarily. It had now been almost five years since Streisand had scored a major hit lp. In a counterintuitive move, rather than go deeper into MTV style pop, Streisand sought refuge in the arena where she'd first made her Broadway. Only she didn't return to the stage. In fact, after the 60s, Streisand never trod the boards again. Rather, Barbra would bring Broadway to her next album. She called it Duh. The Broadway Album. Columbia. Streisand's label fought the idea at first. They wanted Barbra to attempt another contemporary pop album, but Streisand's contract still granted her creative control. So the Broadway album it was. Streisand recorded show tunes by a range of composers from Rogers and Hammerstein to George and Ira gershwin. But the LP's highlights were mainly songs by musical theater legend Stephen Sondheim, who worked directly with Streisand on the lyrical arrangements of her recordings. For the album's first single, Barbara covered the west side Story classic co written by Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. Somewhere. Streisand even got Sondheim to write new lyrics for some of his most famous songs, including Putting It Together from his show Sunday in the park with George or from A Little Night Music, the melancholy classic Send in the Clowns, which had already been a 70s hit for Judy Collins.

[Barbra Streisand]

But where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns.

[Chris Melanphy]

At Streisand's request, Sondheim wrote a new second bridge for Send in the Clowns that musically filled in a plot point from the original show. Barbara was the first person to sing this new verse. For theater nerds. These details were delightful for the record buying public, however, it was potentially very inside baseball. Would it sell? Did it ever? Released just before Christmas 1985, the Broadway album went to number one on the album chart by early 85 and ultimately went quadruple platinum. Streisand's bestseller since Guilty and an album that could not have been less like that previous blockbuster. Now here's an interesting chart footnote. When the Broadway album reached number one, the LP it ejected from the top spot was the soundtrack to the smash NBC TV show Miami Vice. Vice starred actor Don Johnson as the pastel wearing Miami cop Sonny Crockett. The show made Johnson momentarily so galactically famous that he he briefly pursued a pop career. If you can recall Don Johnson's 1986 top five hit Heartbeat, you have my sympathies. Why do I bring all this up? Because in late 1987 Don Johnson began dating Barbra Streisand. Uncanny, right? The whirlwind romance, which lasted just under a year, resulted in Johnson's Only other top 40 hit, a duet with Streisand called Till I Loved you and now.

[Barbra Streisand]

I can't ever imagine my living without. It seems I spend all of my time thinking only about you.

[Chris Melanphy]

Streisand's 1988 album, also titled Till I loved you went top 10 and platinum. The duet with Johnson? Not so much. It peaked at number 25, by which time he and Streisand had broken up. Never let it be said that Babs is unwilling to share the spotlight. By the late 80s and early 90s, the charts were awash in titanic divas with powerhouse vocals singing like it was an athletic competition.

[Barbra Streisand]

Give me one moment in a time when I'm racing Sing with D.

[Chris Melanphy]

Although some of these vocalists emerged from the R and B or gospel tradition, in a way they were all following Barbra Streisand, who was the rock era's premier athletic vocalist. Whether it was Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. Or the vocalist who perhaps most emulated the Streisand approach, Celine Dion. But by the 90s, Streisand was more focused on focused on her directorial career, not competing with these divas. Barbara helmed 1991's the Prince of Tides, co starring herself with Nick Nolte. Though it was not a musical, Barbara did record a song for the soundtrack that was a minor adult contemporary radio hit.

[Barbra Streisand]

Something always seems to remind, the 90s.

[Chris Melanphy]

Was also when Streisand became more of a pop culture icon than an ordinary celebrity. For better and for worse. On the affectionate side, Saturday Night Live's Mike Myers played performatively Jewish talk show host Linda Richman, who treated Barbara as an object of worship.

[Mike Myers]

This show is dedicated, as ever, to Barbra Joan Streisand.

[Chris Melanphy]

Yes, we love her.

[Mike Myers]

We love her. And of course, the big news, Prince of Toys. Seven Oscar nominations total, including Best Picture, but Barbara did not get a nomination for Best Director. It's so unfair. Now I'm getting emotional. I'm a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.

[Chris Melanphy]

By the way, in that 1992 sketch, Linda Richmond's friend Liz was played by Madonna. To show that she was a good sport, Barbara herself surprised both Myers and Madonna by making a cameo.

[Mike Myers]

Well, that's all the time we have this week. My name is Linda Richmond.

[Barbra Streisand]

And my name is Liz. Barbara, we love you.

[Chris Melanphy]

Hello, gorgeous.

[Barbra Streisand]

The movie was like butter.

[Mike Myers]

Like butter.

[Chris Melanphy]

All this talk about food.

[Barbra Streisand]

I'm getting hungry, girls. Oh, my God, She is like butter. I can die now.

[Chris Melanphy]

In 1993, Robin Williams briefly lampooned Streisand in the hit movie Mrs. Doubtfire. No one in the movie said whom he was imitating. It was meant to be obvious, and it was.

[Barbra Streisand]

Don't tell me not to live Just sit and putter Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade it's not working. I need to go older. Older?

[Chris Melanphy]

You mean like Shelley Winters older or Shirley MacLaine older?

[Barbra Streisand]

What's the difference?

[Chris Melanphy]

Some scotch tape and red hair dye. And on the nastier side, south park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone depicted Streisand as a narcissist and outright villain in a 1998 episode of their animated.

[Barbra Streisand]

Series, I'm Going Where There's Lucky Clovers in the Sucks. Dude, I'm Barbra Streisand.

[Chris Melanphy]

So.

[Barbra Streisand]

So? Well, so I'm a very famous and very important individual. Like John Elway important. What?

[Chris Melanphy]

Later in the episode, Streisand enlarges into a Godzilla sized villain and wrecks the town, only to be stopped by Robert Smith of the Cure. It makes more sense on the show, or maybe less. Anyway, notwithstanding South Park's snide portrayal, these pop culture references to Streisand indicated what a massive cultural figure she had become. Moreover, Mike Myers comical fan Linda Richman did accurately portray a significant chunk of Barbara's fan base, which gave her music career a a solid foundation. The fact was, whatever Streisand issued on disc, a hardcore of Linda Richman's were guaranteed to buy it. So, for example, when Streisand issued a sequel to her 1985 Broadway album in 1993, simply titled Back to Broadway.

[Barbra Streisand]

Your Eyes will only tell the Truth and the Truth Isn't what you, the CD.

[Chris Melanphy]

Predictably debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart four years later when she released an album loosely themed around inspirational music called Higher Ground, featuring a duet with her Celine Dion.

[Barbra Streisand]

Tell Him, Tell him that the sun and.

[Chris Melanphy]

Moon Rising his eyes, that CD also debuted atop the album chart. Unlike the 60s or the 70s, when Streisand had to prove herself with each project and certain albums could and did underperform on the charts by the 90s, she was a known quantity. She could take years off between albums and come back fairly secure that her latest output would be welcomed. She would score nearly half of her record roster of number one albums after age 50. Streisand's more amazing mid-90s chart feat was that she scored an actual hit pop single. It came from her 1996 film The Mirror Has Two Faces, her third directorial project. For the soundtrack, Barbara recorded a duet with Canadian rocker and frequent movie balladeer Brian Adams titled I Finally Found Someone. Perhaps Babs was benefiting from Brian's profile more than he was benefiting from hers. Adams was coming off a string of chart topping 90s movie soundtrack hits like Everything I Do, I Do it for you all for love and have you ever really loved a woman? Nonetheless, at age 54, Streisand was scaling the charts again. In December 1996, I finally found someone reach number eight on the Hot 100, her first top 10 hit in 15 years since the string of hits from her Guilty album. Streisand's duet even made the top 20 on pop radio playlists alongside hits by Toni Braxton, Hootie and the Blowfish and the Lannis Morris set.

[Barbra Streisand]

I can't wait for the rest of my Life.

[Chris Melanphy]

We'll be right back. While I Finally Found someone was Barbra Streisand's last Hot 100 hit, she did not settle quietly into the elder stateswoman phase of her career. Babs kept recording new material and landing on various Billboard charts. In late 1999, a duet with country star Vince Gill put Barbra on the Hot Country Songs chart. In 2005, on the 25th anniversary of her blockbuster Guilty album, Streisand reunited with Barry Gibb for a sequel album of all new material titled Guilty Pleasures. A top five seller on cd, Guilty Pleasures also generated a dance hit, the neo disco banger Night of My Life, which reached a stunning number two on Billboard's Club Play chart. The club community loves a mature diva, But Streisand's most age defying 21st century feats were on the Billboard 200 album chart in late 2009. Chart watchers were eagerly anticipating a new album from pop titan Mariah Carey. Mimi was coming off a string of number one CDs and singles like We Belong Together and Touch My Body, and her new cd, Memoirs of an Imperfect angel, was led by an instant top 10 hit, obsessed.

[Barbra Streisand]

With Me. Boy, I wanna Know Lying that your sat.

[Chris Melanphy]

What chart watchers were not anticipating, including Billboard's own editors who admitted they were blindsided by this outcome, was for a CD released on the same day as Carries Barbara Streisand's Love Is the Answer to take the number one spot instead.

[Barbra Streisand]

We Had a Day now that's Time. In the Past, Spring came along.

[Chris Melanphy]

This gave Streisand her first number one album of the alts, extending her chart topping prowess into a fifth decade. Five years later, Streisand extended that streak into a sixth decade with her 2014 chart topper Partners. After her long history as the queen of hit duets, Barbara released a new album composed entirely of duets, many of them remakes of her earlier hits. For example, her 1981 hit what Kind of Fool, originally a pairing with Barry Gibb, was reimagined for the Partners album as a duet with soul singer John Legend. Partners went gold instantly and eventually platinum. Remarkable at a time when album sales were down across the board and Streisand still wasn't done pulling album chart upsets. In 2016, she released a sequel called Encore Movie Partners Sing Broadway. This time, her duet partners were Hollywood stars moonlighting as vocalists. Some of them really held their own with Babs, including Star Trek film heartthrob.

[Barbra Streisand]

Chris Pine, the Children's Carousel, the Chestnut Trees, the Wishing well. Oh, I'll be seeing you.

[Chris Melanphy]

The week that the Encore album arrived, Billboard chart watchers were expecting the number one spot to go to the latest album by bro country duo Florida Georgia Line. But yet again, Team Billboard underestimated the Barbara hive. At age 74, Streisand ruled the album chart once again.

[Barbra Streisand]

Climb every mile, Turn for every Stream.

[Chris Melanphy]

By going to number one an 11th time, Streisand not only reset the record for women, the benchmark that Taylor Swift wouldn't surpass for another seven years, she also tied her fellow elder singing legend Bruce Springsteen, who, by the way, also has 11 number one albums.

[Barbra Streisand]

Got High hope, I got high hope.

[Chris Melanphy]

Though she has not returned to number one since 2016, Streisand has continued to record and chart. Her 2018 LP Walls, whose lyrics were a political protest against then President Donald Trump, generated yet another dance hit when a remix of Don't Lie to Me reached number eight on the Club Songs chart. Generations of vocalists continue to revere Barbra Streisand. Among the most prestigious of her awards was the Kennedy center honors. At her 2008 induction, several musicians performed performed in Barbara's honor, including Queen Latifah, Idina Menzel and Beyonce. Thank you. Streisand herself has not performed performed live in several years. She continues to speak out about politics and where she will go to live if Trump is re elected president. Some haters, and she has many may welcome her exit from public life. Me, I'm hoping she scores one more number one album in the 2000s to extend that Billboard streak into a seventh decade. And regardless of how this fraught political year turns out, I do hope Barbara finds a reason to sing at least one more time. Preferably the song that launched her unparalleled career all those decades ago. However theatrical and melodramatic, that would indeed be a happy day.

[Barbra Streisand]

Happy days.

[Chris Melanphy]

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Hit Parade. Our show was written, edited and narrated by Chris Melanfi. That's me. My producer is Kevin Bendis. Kevin also produced the latest installment of our monthly Hit parade the Bridge shows, which are available exclusively to Slate plus members. In our latest Bridge episode, I talk to New York Times critic at large Wesley Morris about his interview and profile of Barbra Streisand and what makes her career so unique. To sign up for Slate plus and hear not only the Bridge but all our shows the day they drop, visit slate.com hitparade plus. Derek John is executive producer of Narrative Podcasts and we had help help from Joel Meyer. Special thanks this month to Uni Hong for research assistance. Alicia Montgomery is VP of Audio for Slate Podcasts. Check out their roster of [e-mail] podcasts. You can subscribe to Hit Parade wherever you get your podcasts, in addition to finding it in the Slate Culture feed. If you're subscribing on Apple Podcasts, please rate and review us while you're there. It helps other listeners find the show. Thanks for listening and I look forward to leading the Hit parade back your way. Until then, keep on marching on the one. I'm Chris Mullanv.

[Barbra Streisand]

Sam.