You Don't Bring Me Flowers

"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is a song that hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. It is a song about two lovers who have drifted apart while they "go through the motions" and heartache of life together.

"You Don't Bring Me Flowers"
Single by Barbra & Neil
from the album Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 and You Don't Bring Me Flowers
A-side"You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Duet)"
B-side"You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Instrumental)"
ReleasedOctober 1978
GenreEasy listening
Length3:25
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Producer(s)Bob Gaudio
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"Prisoner (Love Theme from Eyes of Laura Mars)"
(1978)		 "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"
(1978)		 "The Main Event/Fight"
(1979)
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"Desiree"
(1977)		 "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"
(1978)		 "Forever in Blue Jeans"
(1979)

The song was written by Neil Diamond with Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the ill-fated daily TV sitcom All That Glitters.[1] The song was intended to be the theme song, but Norman Lear, the show's creator, changed the concept of the show and the song was no longer appropriate. Diamond then expanded the track from 45 seconds to 3:17, adding instrumental sections and an additional verse. The Bergmans contributed to the song's lyrics.[2]

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" as a solo performance. Early in 1978, Barbra Streisand covered the song on her album Songbird.

These solo recordings were famously spliced together by different radio stations, creating unofficial duets, the success of which led to the studio bringing the two performers together for an official duet recording.

Duet version created

The roots of the duet version, as chronicled in myriad Streisand and Diamond biographies as well as Streisand's Just for the Record... box set, revolve around WAKY (AM) Louisville, KY program director, Gary Guthrie, who spliced the two solo tracks together as a going away present to his wife, whom he had just divorced. Guthrie's spliced-together duet version first aired on WAKY on May 24, 1978.[3]

As the real life story behind the song unfolded, it triggered a media buzz worldwide from Good Morning America and People magazine to the BBC. Meanwhile, a different version was prepared by Chicago's WGN radio personality Roy Leonard and producer Peter Marino.[4][5] Streisand's album was placed on one turntable and Diamond's on another, and the recording was mixed 'live'. They began with Streisand singing and Diamond's vocal followed. Streisand and Diamond repeated the same lyrics back and forth to each other -- there weren't any edits and the recording was mixed in one take. The Roy Leonard Show version became so popular that years after Columbia Records released their official duet, listeners continued to call in requesting to hear the WGN version.

Radio personalities Jack Hood and Gene Kruszewski of WJR-AM/Detroit also created a duet version of the song which was a local and regional hit and helped escalate the song’s novelty.

Interest in the unofficial versions of the duet caused a clamor on the retail level, as the song was commercially unavailable as a duet. Guthrie sent CBS his version of the duet on July 27, and by August 3, both Streisand and Diamond had agreed to the release of a duet version. However, rather than issue any of the spliced-together versions, Columbia Records had Streisand and Diamond record a brand-new "official" studio version, which was released on October 17, 1978. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978, producing the third number-one hit for both singers.[6] The single sold over one million copies, and eventually went Platinum.

In 1979, Guthrie sued CBS for $5 million, claiming that he was improperly compensated for his role in making the song a hit.[7] The parties reached an out-of-court settlement. Acknowledgment and gratitude for Guthrie also came from CBS with a Gold record plaque, flowers from Diamond, and a telegram from Streisand.

Columbia also presented gold records to both Leonard and Marino, for creating the WGN version, and to Hood and Kruszewski for their WJR version. The solo versions had also drawn attention from other radio stations, resulting in other radio personalities receiving recognition for helping to increase the popularity of a “spliced” duet, further contributing to the decision to create an official duet.

The duo performed the song at the 1980 Grammy Awards show, a performance released on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I.[8]. The story of how it happened was recalled by Alicia Keys on the CBS network television special, My Night at the Grammys which aired on November 30, 2007. Keys said, “It might very well have been the first Grammy moment ... they [had] never performed the song “live” together, so on February 27, 1980 the lights dimmed at the Shrine Auditorium and Barbara and Neil took the stage to sing one of the classic television duets of all time.”

Diamond and Streisand had planned to star in a motion picture based on the song, but such plans were canceled when Diamond starred in a remake of The Jazz Singer (1980).

Chart history

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[21] Gold 10,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius version

Concurrent with the success of Diamond and Streisand's version of the song, country singers Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius released a country version of the song, which reached number ten on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in early 1979.

gollark: It takes real dedication to cause Jav'aa errors.
gollark: Cool OS!
gollark: It's stuck at 55%.
gollark: *runs inside PotatOS*
gollark: Sure, whynot.

See also
  • List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1978 (U.S.)

References
  1. Alan and Marilyn Bergman on Songwriting: Part 1
  2. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". All Music Guide. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  3. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1970s/1979/RR-1979-06-15.pdf
  4. Erhlich, Ken. "At The Grammys! Behind the Scenes at Music's Biggest Night". Hal Leonard Corporation. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  5. Jones, Chris. "Roy Leonard, beloved WGN Radio personality, is dead at 83". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  7. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1970s/1979/RR-1979-06-15.pdf
  8. "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume 1: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Don't Bring Me Flowers". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  11. Flavour of New Zealand, 21 January 1979
  12. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  13. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  14. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  15. "Top 200 Singles of '78 – Volume 30, No. 14, December 30 1978". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  16. Musicoutfitters.com
  17. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1978
  18. "1979 Top 200 Singles". RPM. Vol. 32 no. 13. Library and Archives Canada. December 22, 1979. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  19. Musicoutfitters.com
  20. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  21. "New Zealand single certifications – Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond – You Don't Bring Me Flowers". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
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