Babs and me.
I first discovered her when I was in high school. The 1970s. After the Beatles had broken up and the world was listening to disco and soft rock shit. I took refuge in the two classic albums I refer to as, "The Runs" (Band on the and Born to) and Streisand. Her music and her movies were a revelation to me.
Uncompromising in her art, always going her own way, tough and vulnerable and sincere, she was a terrific role model for me then ... and now.
I'm feeling isolated, misunderstood and overworked. I'm tired -- no, make that weary -- as I settle in to my 50s. Then I look at her. Oscars, Emmies, Grammies, Tonies, lifetime achievement awards and even a Peabody. Last year, with Love Is the Answer, at age 67 she not only outsold Mariah Carey (who released a CD the same day), she became the only artist to have a #1 album/CD in five different decades.
A troubled childhood and on-going family issues, divorce, broken romances, splintered relationships, failures along the way, bad press, bad reviews, "Shut up and sing" ... she survived it all. Perhaps because she keeps going. Learning from her mistakes (you can hear that hard-won wisdom in her songs), but ploughing ahead. Like an indomitable Energizer Bunny.
I've been listening to her a lot these past few days. I know I can count on her to help me through this rough patch.
Yes you can...we all have these low peaks in our life...we are your blog friends, we will listen and support you while you pour your feeling out.
ReplyDeleteMusic soothes. Barbara is the best.
ReplyDeleteI had on "The Way We Were" the other day. I was doing other things at the time but I was enjoying it. It was the first chance I watched the entire thing.
ReplyDelete