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Barbra Streisand didn’t let her well-documented stage fright prevent her from paying tribute to one of her longtime friends Sunday, as the Oscar winner honored Robert Redford during the Academy Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment.
Shortly after taking to the stage to tell the story of meeting Redford and convincing him to sign on to their 1973 film, “The Way We Were,” Streisand sang a few lines from the movie’s title track to close out her tribute, drawing a standing ovation from the Dolby Theatre crowd.
The moment quickly trended online, with social media users praising the star for overcoming her stage fright to sing for her friend. Streisand’s performance has also brought the original movie back in the spotlight.
If you want to watch “The Way We Were,” you can rent it through Amazon Prime Video here. You can also stream “The Way We Were” with a free trial to the movie streamer Sony Pictures Core here.
If you’re looking for a physical copy, “The Way We Were” was re-released as a special 50th anniversary edition in 2023, with the romantic drama remastered in 4K Ultra HD quality. The special extended version also includes two scenes that were restored along with the original theatrical version.
LIMITED-EDITION RELEASE
The Way We Were (50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray)
“The Way We Were” was nominated for six awards at the 46th Academy Awards, and won two, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
The song, “The Way We Were,” meantime, was written for Streisand by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch. The sweeping ballad was included in the soundtrack for the film, and was also the lead single from Streisand’s 15th studio album of the same name.
The soundtrack was released by Columbia Records in 1974 and became a critically-acclaimed hit. The song, meantime, hit number one on the Billboard charts and was named the biggest song of 1974 in the United States.
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
The Way We Were: Original Soundtrack Recording
Streisand’s album topped the Billboard charts when it was released and has since been certified 2x Platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. The singer has also included “The Way We Were” in various compilation albums since.
SOLO ALBUM
The Way We Were (Studio Album)
Streisand’s performance of “The Way We Were” at the Oscars was particularly poignant, as the EGOT star has spoken at length about her intense stage fright. “I don’t get ‘nervous nervous,’ but I don’t enjoy it,” she told James Corden in a segment for “Carpool Karaoke” in 2018. “I don’t want to disappoint people.”
The Oscar winner even backed out from performing at the 1997 Academy Awards despite the fact that she was nominated for “I Finally Found Someone,” a song from “The Mirror Has Two Faces” — a movie she directed and starred in.
Oscar producers famously asked Celine Dion to perform it instead, as the singer was already booked on the show to sing her Oscar-nominated hit, “Because You Loved Me.” When asked for comment, Streisand reportedly told the press that “[Celine] can have the butterflies, not me.”
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