''Release Me'' is a

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

compilation album of eleven rare and previously unreleased studio performances by American singer

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

. A companion compilation of ten more unreleased tracks followed in 2021: '' Release Me 2''.

Overview

Streisand announced the album's release on her official website in August 2012. It contains tracks recorded between her 1967 ''

Simply Streisand ''Simply Streisand'' (1967) is the ninth studio album released by American singer Barbra Streisand. The album was released simultaneously with '' A Christmas Album'' and was Streisand's first that failed to chart in the Top 10 of the ''Billboard' ...

'' and 2011 ''

What Matters Most ''What Matters Most'' is the thirty-third studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand released on August 23, 2011 by Columbia Records. Dedicated to the lyrics of her longtime friends Alan and Marilyn Bergman, the album was produced by Streis ...

'' albums, gathering unreleased material from, among others, '' Stoney End'', ''

The Broadway Album ''The Broadway Album'' is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released by Columbia Records on November 4, 1985. Consisting mainly of classic show tunes, the album marked a major shift in Streisand's career. She had ...

'', and ''

Back to Broadway ''Back to Broadway'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1993. The album was Streisand's second collection of songs from Broadway musicals, after 1985's ''The Broadway Album''. It debuted at number 1 ...

''. The compilation's release was accompanied by a series of short video clips posted onto

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, in which Barbra discussed every track. A music video for "

I Think It's Going to Rain Today "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (or "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today") is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. It appears on Julius La Rosa's 1966 album ''You're Gonna Hear from Me'', Eric Burdon's 1967 album ''Eric Is Here'', on N ...

" was directed, photographed and edited by

Matt Amato Matt Amato is an American film writer and director. His major works include music videos for artists such as Barbra Streisand, Beach House, Bon Iver, Dido, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Soko, and Wild Nothing. He also co-founded the Los Ange ...

. The album debuted at #7 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums sales chart (with approximately 40,000 copies sold), making this her 32nd Top 10 album and her 6th consecutive Top 10 effort since '' The Movie Album'' in 2003.

Track listing

# "Being Good Isn't Good Enough" (From ''

Hallelujah, Baby! ''Hallelujah, Baby!'' is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the irst half of the20th centur ...

'') – 3:30 (Intended for ''

'') # " Didn't We" – 2:36 (Intended for aborted album ''The Singer'' in 1970) # "

Willow Weep for Me "Willow Weep for Me" is a popular song composed in 1932 by Ann Ronell, who also wrote the lyrics. The song form is AABA, written in time,Zimmers, Tighe, E. (2009). ''Tin Pan Alley Girl: A Biography of Ann Ronell''. McFarland. pp. 19-22. altho ...

" – 3:31 (Intended for ''

'') # " Try to Win a Friend" – 4:07 (Intended for '' Streisand Superman'') # "

" – 3:27 (Intended for '' Stoney End'') # "With One More Look at You" (From '' A Star Is Born'') – 3:39 (Unreleased studio take) # "Lost in Wonderland" – 3:33 (Often cited as being recorded during the ''

What About Today? ''What About Today?'' is the eleventh studio album released in July 1969 by Barbra Streisand. It is considered to be her first attempt at recording contemporary pop songs and features songs by The Beatles and Paul Simon, among others. Two single ...

'' sessions) # "

How Are Things in Glocca Morra? "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" is a popular song about a fictional village in Ireland, with themes of nostalgia and homesickness. It was introduced by Ella Logan in the original 1947 Broadway production of '' Finian's Rainbow''. Production T ...

"/"Heather on the Hill" (From '' Finian's Rainbow''/''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, ...

'') – 4:34 (Intended for unreleased version of ''

'') # "Mother and Child" – 5:03 (Intended for aborted album ''Life Cycle Of A Woman'') # "If It's Meant to Be" – 4:08 (Intended for ''

'') # " Home" (From ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'') – 3:37 (Intended for ''

'')

Charts

References

External links

Barbra Archives: ''Release Me'' (2012)"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" lyric video
{{Authority control 2012 compilation albums Barbra Streisand compilation albums Legacy Recordings albums