About The Song
The Bee Gees’ best song might be one they didn’t record for themselves. And Barbra Streisand’s “Woman in Love” may be the musical highlight of Barry Gibb’s remarkable career.
Following the enormous success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the Bee Gees became in-demand songwriters and producers. Barbra Streisand invited them to collaborate, leading to her 1980 album Guilty. The album gave the group a second life after the backlash they faced following the commercial demise of disco.
Streisand’s album featured two of her biggest hits: the title track, a duet with Barry Gibb; and “Woman in Love,” the Bee Gees’ best ballad.
The song follows a woman consumed by the emotions of an intense romance. According to Streisand, it is “one of the greatest love songs of all time.” The earnest and cinematic ballad connected with a global audience, reaching No. 1 in 19 countries.
However, the line right I defend gave Streisand pause. Barry Gibb told Billboard she “felt that [“Woman in Love”] was a little bit liberationist; that it might be a little too strong for a pop song.”
Though Gibb and Streisand appear together on the album cover, CBS wanted the first single to be a solo effort, not a duet. “Woman in Love” was released five weeks before the album and became her fifth No. 1 single. As of this writing, it’s the last time Streisand topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Gibb nearly declined the offer to work with Streisand. Her star power intimidated him, and he wondered if they might clash in the studio. He said, “That’s got to intimidate anyone. I didn’t want to do it at first, but my wife told me to do it, or she’d divorce me! I even called Neil Diamond to ask what it was like to work with her. He had nothing but glowing reports, so I felt a little less scared.”
The song became an immediate success. Barry and Robin Gibb won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for “Woman in Love” at the 1981 Ivors.
Additionally, the song received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Guilty was nominated for Album of the Year, and the title track won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
The music video features clips of Streisand’s 1976 film with Kris Kristofferson, A Star Is Born. In 2018, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga starred in a remake, which produced two of Gaga’s biggest hits: “Shallow” and “Always Remember Us This Way.”
Streisand’s video for “Woman in Love” also features clips from her other movies from the 1970s.
A Star Is Born originated as a 1937 film starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March and was later adapted as a musical in 1954, starring Judy Garland and James Mason.
Though the world reacted against the Bee Gees following the rise and subsequent decline of disco, Barry Gibb and his brothers endured as one of the greatest songwriting teams in history.
“Woman in Love” lives up to the enormous star power of Barbra Streisand, and her extraordinary voice highlights Barry Gibb’s musical powers.
Video
Lyric
Life is a moment in space
When the dream is gone
It’s a lonelier place
I kiss the morning goodbye
But down inside, you know we never know why
The road is narrow and long
When eyes meet eyes
And the feeling is strong
I turn away from the wall
I stumble and fall
But I give you it allI am a woman in love
And I’d do anything
To get you into my world
And hold you within
It’s a right I defend
Over and over again
What do I doWith you eternally mine
In love there is no measure of time
We planned it all at the start
But you and I live in each other’s heart
We may be oceans away
You’ll feel my love
I hear what you say
No truth is ever a lie
I stumble and fall
But I give you it allI am a woman in love
And I’d do anything
To get you into my world
And hold you within
It’s a right I defend
Over and over again
What do I doI am a woman in love
And I’m talking to you
You know I know how you feel
What a woman can do
It’s a right I defend
Over and over againI am a woman in love
And I’d do anything
To get you into my world
And hold you within
It’s a right I defend
Over and over again