Inside McCartney’s ‘Nail-Biting’ Duet Session with Barbra Streisand
A trembling sonnet of two musical titans entwined, the studio lights danced like spectral moons across the famed Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, setting the scene for an unexpectedly nerve-wracking collaboration. Paul McCartney, whose very name evokes Beatlemania and timeless love songs, confessed in a May 20 blog post on his official website that joining forces with Barbra Streisand on a duet of “My Valentine” left him “pretty terrified.” Imagine Sir Paul, the man behind “Band on the Run,” standing amidst a 40-piece orchestra on the Sony lot, his pulse quickening as he prepared to blend his voice with that of Streisand, the EGOT-winning powerhouse whose Scoring Stage has witnessed the soundtracks of Gone with the Wind and Toy Story.
McCartney, 82, fondly recalled how producer Peter Asher orchestrated the session—three intensive hours of musical tension, shifting keys and whispered encouragement. “I thought, ‘Well, this will be easy because it’s my song.’ But then I discovered we’d arranged it first in Barbra’s key and then in mine, which launched me into a realm of tonal uncertainty,” he admitted. The former Beatle’s vulnerability spilled through his words as he described the delicate dance of navigating from her soaring octave down to his lower register, all under the critical gaze of camera crews rolling every melodic nuance for posterity.
Barbra Streisand, 83, returned the admiration in an Instagram post upon the duet’s May 16 release, calling the experience “truly special” and praising McCartney’s creativity. It’s a tribute to the enduring power of “My Valentine,” a song originally written for McCartney’s wife, Nancy Shevell, and now poised to become a modern standard alongside renditions by Michael Bublé. In her statement announcing The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two—due June 27—Streisand emphasized her delight in singing with “gifted artists,” from Bob Dylan and Sam Smith to Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande.
The session wasn’t just an exercise in vocal gymnastics; it highlighted Streisand’s directorial prowess. McCartney marveled at her composure, recalling a moment of panic at the dozens of cameras before remembering she’d already earned Best Director at the Golden Globes for Yentl. “She’s a smart cookie,” he wrote, relief softening his awe.
As the orchestral crescendo fades and the echoes of their harmonies linger in the hallowed hall, fans await not just a duet but a poetic collision of legends. What began as a nervous undertaking has blossomed into a timeless musical tapestry, inviting listeners to discover every tremor and triumph etched into each note. A bittersweet ending, or merely the overture to another harmonious chapter?
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Dotdash Meredith
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
