41 Years ago, on November 9, 1983, the best Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in movie history (so says many fans) was released to the public - "Yentl". Some say it was the very best vocals in Barbra Streisand's career.
The album was co-produced by Barbra Streisand, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Phil Ramone and Dave Gruisin. Michel Legrand served as the associate producer. The Bergmans wrote the lyrics, Legrand composed and conducted all the music, Streisand sang all the songs. It was a movie which Streisand wanted to make since 1968, and worked on for over a decade. She decided in 1979, after she released 'The Main Event', that 'Yentl' would be her next movie - and it took her four years to get the project into movie theaters. She starred, directed, co-wrote, and produced the film.
The studio behind her wanted her to make the movie into a musical. The only way she was going to get financing was if she sang (her singing in a movie back then meant an enormous box office to the studio). She decided against making it a traditional musical, and to make a 'film with music'. (Streisand is the only actor to sing in the movie, and all the songs are structured as her 'inner voice' vocalizing the thoughts and emotions she's feeling).
In April, 1983 as the album was being finished, Columbia asked for some 'pop arrangements' of the songs to be released to Top 40 radio. Streisand originally pushed back at the the label, but then relented. The three songs which were 'studio' recorded for possible releases were 'The Way He Makes Me Feel', 'Papa, Can You Hear Me?', and 'No Matter What Happens'. Only 'Papa...' was vaulted, and not released on the OMPS. A studio arrangement was also made for 'A Piece of Sky' but Streisand never did the vocals for it.
"The Way He Makes Me Feel" was released in early October, 1983 and debuted on the Hot 100 Singles Chart on October 22, 1983. It stayed on the chart for nearly four months (15 weeks) and peaked at #40 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart on December 10, 1983. On the AC Chart, it peaked at #1 where it stayed for two weeks. This was Streisand's eighth (and as of today, final) time topping the AC Chart.
Instead of releasing 'No Matter What Happens', Columbia released the album version of 'Papa' as the second single in the USA on January 22, 1984. The single didn't crack the Hot 100 Singles Chart, but did debut at its peak at #37 on the AC Chart, where it sat for several weeks, never charting higher. Both songs were nominated for Oscars. ("No Matter What Happens" was released as the second single in the UK.)
The album itself debuted on the Hot 200 Albums Chart on November 26, 1983 and stayed on the chart for six months (26 weeks). It peaked at #9. On January 9, 1984 it received both Gold (500,000 units sold) and Platinum (1M units sold) sales certification from the RIAA. In the UK, the album peaked at #21.
In October, 2023 for the 40th Anniversary, Streisand released a special edition of the soundtrack. It was a 2 CD commemorative package, with remastered tracks from the original recordings as well as demos and unreleased tracks (including Legrand's 'End Credits' orchestrations).