You Don't Bring Me Flowers (song)
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| “You Don't Bring Me Flowers” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand from the album Neil Diamond's I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight and Barbra Streisand's Songbird |
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| Writer(s) | Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman | |
For the album of the same name, click here
"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is a song that hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1978. It is a song about two lovers who have drifted apart while they "go through the motions" and heartache of life together. Its lyrics include what became somewhat of a "cult phrase": But 'used-to-bes' don't count anymore/They just lay on the floor 'till we sweep them away.
The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman for the ill-fated tv show All That Glitters.[1] The song was intended to be a theme song, but Norman Lear changed the concept of the show so that the song no longer fit. Eventually, Neil Diamond and several collaborators came upon the song (then only 45 seconds long) and expanded it with instrumental sections. The Bergmans expanded the song to full length with an additional verse, and the composition took form.
In 1977, Diamond released the album I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight, which included the track. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was also covered by Barbra Streisand on her album Songbird in the same key (C major). This led Gary Guthrie, then Program Director at WAKY Radio (Louisville) to combine the two in a "virtual" duet.
The popularity of the virtual duet motivated Diamond and Streisand to record the real thing, and it became a very large hit. The 1978 version featured Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, the verses were well-suited to either a man or woman singing them. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks in December. Their performance of the song during the 1980 Grammy awards show has been featured on live music performance highlight reels ever since.
Diamond and Streisand had planned to star in a motion picture based on the song, but such plans were cancelled when Diamond starred in a remake of The Jazz Singer--that film bombed at the box office.
In 1996 the song was also sung by rappers Ice T and an embarrassed Tupac Shakur during a Saturday Night Live show. It was also infamously covered in spoken-word form by pianist Liberace.
[edit] References
| Preceded by "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 2, 1978 |
Succeeded by "Le Freak" by Chic |
| Preceded by "Le Freak" by Chic |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 16, 1978 |
Succeeded by "Le Freak" by Chic |
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