Barbra Streisand’s recently released latest album, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, features the legendary entertainer duetting with some other extremely famous music artists, including Bob Dylan.
Streisand and Dylan teamed up for a classy version of the 1934 pop standard “The Very Thought of You.” Streisand’s powerful, trained voice and Dylan’s historically gruff and nasal singing might seem like an unusual pairing, but the collaboration truly works. Bob’s vocals are soft and restrained, fitting with Barbra’s smooth, warm voice and the jazzy, melodic arrangement of the standard.
One of the musical highlights of the track is the sprightly harmonica played by Grégoire Maret.
It’s worth noting that Dylan released a trio of albums showcasing standards during the 2010s—Shadows in the Night (2015), Fallen Angels (2016), and Triplicate (2017)—that included a variety of songs recorded by Frank Sinatra.
Streisand Talked About Collaborating with Dylan in a Recent Interview
Streisand discussed her collaboration with Dylan during a recent interview with The New Yorker. Barbra noted that Dylan had reached out to her decades ago to sing a song with him, but the duet never came together. She told The New Yorker that she was glad to finally have the chance to work with the folk-rock legend.
She shared that it was “wonderful to have picked … ‘The Very Thought of You,’” which was a song Dylan loved.
“He’s very shy, like I am. But he was wonderful to work with,” Streisand said. “I was told that he didn’t want any direction. But when I talked to him about things that I suggested, he was so pliable—he was so open to suggestions. Everything I heard about him just went out the window. He stood on his feet for three hours with me.”
She added that the time she spent with Dylan in the studio was “extraordinary.”
Streisand and Dylan’s Previous History
Dylan and Streisand, who are 84 and 83, respectively, both spent time in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood early in their careers, although they didn’t cross paths at the time.
In a 1971 interview with his friend Tony Glover, Dylan revealed that he’d written his 1969 hit “Lay Lady Lay” for Streisand to sing.
After Dylan’s 1971 comments came to light in 2020, Streisand sent a statement about the revelation to NBC News.
“I’m very flattered to find out that Bob Dylan wrote ‘Lay Lady Lay’ for me,” Barbra said. “What I remember is getting flowers from him with a handwritten note asking me to sing a duet with him, but I just couldn’t imagine it then. Guess what, Bob, I can imagine doing it now!”
More About Streisand’s New Duets Album
The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two was released on June 27. The album, which features 11 songs, is a sequel to Streisand’s chart-topping 2014 duets album, Partners.
Partners, Volume Two also features collaboration with Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Sting, Tim McGraw, Sam Smith, Hozier, Seal, Josh Groban, and Laufey.
The album was co-produced by Peter Asher and Walter Afanasieff.
The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two is available on CD, as a blush-colored vinyl LP, and via digital formats. The physical versions of the album include photos from Streisand’s personal archives and liner notes about each track.
