My Name Is Barbra is the first of two studio album tie-ins by Barbra Streisand for her debut television special of the same name, which aired April 28, 1965, on CBS-TV. Boosted by the critical acclaim for the broadcast, the album was certified gold and peaked at #2 on the US charts; by 1966, the album sold over one million copies worldwide.

My Name Is Barbra
Studio album by
Released3 May 1965
RecordedFebruary 1; April 26, 30, 1965
GenrePop
Length31:14
LabelColumbia
ProducerRobert Mersey
Barbra Streisand chronology
People
(1964)
My Name Is Barbra
(1965)
My Name Is Barbra, Two...
(1965)
Singles from My Name Is Barbra
  1. "Why Did I Choose You"
    Released: March 1965
  2. "My Man"
    Released: June 1965

The album cover photograph of Streisand at age five was taken by her brother Sheldon. A digitally restored and remastered CD was released in 1990.[1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Song information

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  • The opening track "My Name Is Barbara" is from the song cycle I Hate Music by Leonard Bernstein, hence the spelling difference with the album title, based on Streisand's name.[2]
  • The CD release contains an extended arrangement of "Why Did I Choose You?", a minute longer than the original vinyl release.
  • "Where Is the Wonder" was contributed by Dion McGregor and his roommate Michael Barr, who had sent many songs to publishers and were unsuccessful in getting them recorded; they viewed Streisand's rendition as a breakthrough in their songwriting career.

Accolades

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At the 8th Annual Grammy Awards the album garnered Streisand her third win for Best Female Vocal Performance, her fifth Grammy overall.[3]

The National Association of Recording Merchandisers named Streisand the best-selling female vocalist of 1965.[4]

Track listing

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Side One

  1. "My Name Is Barbara" (Leonard Bernstein) – 0:53
  2. a. "A Kid Again" (Johnny Melfi, Roger Perry) – 1:27
    b. "I'm Five" (Milton Schafer) – 0:38
  3. "Jenny Rebecca" (Carol Hall) – 3:03
  4. "My Pa" (Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin) – 2:30
  5. "Sweet Zoo" (Jeffrey D. Harris) – 1:36
  6. "Where Is The Wonder" (Michael Barr, Dion McGregor) – 2:18

Side Two

  1. "I Can See It" (Tom Jones, Harvey Schmidt) – 3:06
  2. "Someone to Watch Over Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:43
  3. "I've Got No Strings" (Leigh Harline, Ned Washington) – 2:49
  4. "If You Were the Only Boy in the World" (Nat Ayer, Clifford Grey) – 3:28
  5. "Why Did I Choose You?" (Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin) – CD: 3:46/Vinyl: 2:49
  6. "My Man" (Jacques Charles, Channing Pollock, Albert Willemetz, Maurice Yvain) – 2:57

Singles

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  1. "Why Did I Choose You?" / "My Love": US #77 (May 1, 1965)[5]
  2. "My Man" / "Where Is The Wonder ": US #79 (July 10, 1965)[6]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide 1,000,000[11]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Barbra Streisand - My Name Is Barbra". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  2. ^ "Barbra Streisand - My Name Is Barbra". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  3. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (26 March 1966). Night of the Grammy a 14-Carat Gala. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 6–. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ 'Color Me Barbra' new TV special. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 26 March 1966. pp. 4–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  6. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  7. ^ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  8. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1965". Archived from the original on August 26, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
  9. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1966". Archived from the original on August 25, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Barbra Streisand – My Name Is Barbra". Recording Industry Association of America.
  11. ^ Lurie, Diana (18 March 1966). "Stricken with phenomenal success at 23, Barbra Streisand is more ridden than ever by self-doubts and fears". Life. Time Inc. pp. 93–. ISSN 0024-3019.
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