The Movie Album (Barbra Streisand album)
The Movie Album is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on October 14, 2003, by Columbia Records. Overall, her sixtieth release with her record label, it was executively produced by Streisand and her manager, Jay Landers. A concept album, it contains twelve songs from the singer's favorite films ranging in release from 1935 to 1988. While curating the album, Streisand was inspired by her marriage to actor James Brolin to record songs about love and relationships. To better fit her needs, songwriting duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman were commissioned to add lyrics to several of the songs Streisand had chosen to record.
The Movie Album
October 14, 2003
June–July 2003
- Sony Pictures Studios (Culver City, California)
- Grandma's House (Malibu, California)
- The Hop (Studio City, California)
51:42
- Barbra Streisand
- Robbie Buchanan
- Johnny Mandel
Individual songs on the parent album were produced by Streisand, Robbie Buchanan, and Johnny Mandel. The record contains orchestral pop compositions accompanied by a 75-piece film orchestra, recorded on set at various studio locations in California during June and July 2003. Simultaneously with the release of The Movie Album, Columbia Records distributed a sampler extended play (EP) version of the album titled Selections from the Movie Album. A deluxe edition with audio commentary and music videos for her covers of "Wild Is the Wind" and "I'm in the Mood for Love" was released exclusively in the United States. Streisand also performed live on The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking her first televised performance in forty years.
Music critics highlighted Streisand's singing ability and the lushness of the album as a whole. However, some felt the collection of songs was boring and ultimately disappointing. Nonetheless, it received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2004. Commercially, The Movie Album reached the top ten of record charts in Canada and the United States. It also received record certifications in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Movie Album is Streisand's best-selling studio album from the 2000s and has since sold over 694,000 copies in the United States.
Background and development[edit]
The Movie Album is Streisand's sixtieth album overall as a signed artist with Columbia Records.[1] It contains twelve songs from some of the singer's favorite films released since her birth year.[1] Furthermore, she told Ileane Rudolph in an interview with TV Guide that her covers of "Smile" and "More in Love with You" are her two favorite tracks on The Movie Album.[2] Regarding her decision for to record a concept album, she said: "I’ve always been very influenced by the movies, ever since I was a kid and kind of dreamed in the movies. A lot of the songs come from my memories of how that music affected me."[3] The album was released on October 14, 2003, through her label and is the singer's thirtieth studio effort and first studio album of original material in the 2000s.[4][5] Despite the title of the record being The Movie Album, it does not contain any of the songs that Streisand has recorded specifically for any of her films. However, the singer did state, in an interview with USA Today, that "she would like to work again in film and would even consider doing another movie musical".[6]
Recording sessions for The Movie Album took place at various studio locations throughout California in June and July 2003: Streisand worked at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Grandma's House in Malibu, and The Hop in Studio City.[7] A limited edition deluxe version, limited to 250,000 CD copies,[2] with a bonus DVD including two previously unreleased music videos for "Wild Is the Wind" and "I'm in the Mood for Love" was released. It also features a live visual with Streisand discussing the album's tracks titled "Song Commentary".[8] Alongside the release of The Movie Album, Columbia Records distributed a sampler extended play (EP) version of the album titled Selections from the Movie Album, featuring Streisand's renditions of "Smile", "Calling You", and "Moon River".[9] For further promotion, the singer was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 14, 2003, and performed songs from The Movie Album; it marked her first appearance on national television since 1963.[6]
Commercial performance[edit]
The Movie Album debuted and peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 5, during the week of November 1, 2003. It was the week's third highest entry, behind Clay Aiken's chart-topping Measure of a Man and Jagged Edge's effort Hard, which entered at number three.[15] It became Streisand's first top ten entry since her twenty-eighth studio album, A Love Like Ours, in 1999.[16] The Movie Album also was the week's second best-selling digital album according to Billboard's Top Internet Albums component chart, behind Measure of a Man.[17] The record spent fourteen weeks on the Billboard 200 and was later certified Gold by Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 500,000 copies on November 18, 2003, less than three weeks after its release.[16][18] The Movie Album serves as Streisand's best-selling album from the 2000s and has sold over 694,000 copies in the United States as of October 15, 2014.[19] On the Canadian Albums Chart, newly compiled by Billboard, it entered and peaked at number ten, becoming Streisand's first appearance on the chart.[20] In Australia, the record peaked at number 36 on the official albums chart and received a Gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association in 2003 for shipments of 35,000 units.[21][22]
In Europe, The Movie Album entered several record charts in lower positions. According to the Official Charts Company, the album peaked at number 25 in the United Kingdom,[23] and would go on to receive a Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 60,000 copies.[24] Elsewhere, it reached the top 40 on Belgium's Flanders chart, and in Greece, Scotland, and Spain.[25][26][27][28] Its lowest positions were achieved in Italy, Germany, and on Belgium's Wallonia chart, where it reached positions 50, 85, and 98, respectively.[29][30][31]