SHE IS STILL GORGEOUS!! WITH A VOICE TO MATCH, WHAT A LOVELY RANGE TO HER VOICE. SHE SANG THIS WE SO VERY VERY ELOQUENTLY. RIP DEAR, MISS BARBARA McNAIR WE LOVE YOU MISS BARBARA McNAIR!!
Since Christmas Eve of last year on the Merv Griffin show, I have became in awe of this woman. Her talent & this aura she brought in where ever she would appear in. Her life, her essence seems so unique & special & I think she deserved so much more than what she got. So many layers & elements that I found to Miss McNair!
Years later--I'm finding this gem. And what a find! Had forgotten Barbara's power, and her performance here really shows it. Love the subtleties of emotion WHILE the horns/lyric/range blare away. She could have been tempted into melodrama but didn't fall for it; she let that powerhouse voice do all the work. Really, I'm in awe.
The first time I saw Miss Barbara McNair was in a movie name Stiletto, and 2nd If he hollers let him go, late 1960s, but I never knew that she was such a great singer. What a voice. R.I.P great beauty.
What a talent singing the standards of the great American songbook. I was so surprised when she became a Motown artist. I wanted her to sing Gershwin, Kern, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, etc. She was as beautiful as Lena Horne.
She's somewhere between Shirley Bassey, Lena Horne, and Nancy Wilson. Such a beautiful woman. Also portrayed Yvonne, George Jefferson's scorned and embittered ex-girlfriend in a standout 1984 episode of The Jeffersons. 👍🏽💯🤗
Barbara McNair was a Singer /Actress n every sense of the word. She knew just what to give a song and how to sell it. She had power and beauty in that voice! Her looks were only one aspect of the woman. She was a major musical talent!
What a forgotten talent. What a shame. I remember Ms. McNair. A great singer. An emotional voice, but she sings this as it should be; with a hint of hope that the sun will come out and isn't that love? Never knowing for sure, but holding hope that it will endure...?
THANK YOU!!!! I had totally forgotten about Barbara McNair....don't know why she never achieved the "star ' status of Diahann Carroll....BTW Stevers62 sent me here !
Thanks for this posting BronzeVenus. I am 75 and have never heard her before. Many comments below, like stunning looks and super version, I agree with. She should have stayed with the Great American Songbook and not bothered with Motown. No one has mentioned Ella's version on The Harold Arlen Songbook but I prefer this to all the others. The only CDs I can find are Motown. Tony Partridge.
Wow. What a discovery. Not an easy song to essay. I only know 3 renditions of this one: Judy's, Barbra's, and now Ms. McNair's- and it's drop-dead gorgeous- both song and singer. That up-down register on the final "out" is a belter's dream.
Notice that she doesn't flap her arms and hands around like a lot of singers? All she needed was her clear, beautiful voice and acting ability to let the lyrics tell the story.
The That's 60s Channel brought us hear. We've never heard of her before. She's absolutely brilliant fantastic. She was singing a Beatles medley with Frankie Avalon and Joanie Sommers. Happy New Year!! 💓💘💝💖💗💘 💛💙💛💙💛💙 🎇🎉🎈🤹♀️🎊🎇 🤴🏻❤️👑🇬🇧❤️🤴🏻 🥰🇯🇲🏴🕊️🔥✝️
@DEEDUBB1979 I agree. Barbara McNair deserves her place among all of those singers. She appeared as a guest on many of the variety and game shows of the time. She even had a TV show of her own for a while. She appeared on Broadway. Played all the nightclubs of the time: Vegas, NY, all over the world. She was what they used to call a "legit" singer. She could take a song and sing it note perfect and make it work.
@DEEDUBB1979 She also did something none of those others would ever do: A spread in Playboy! Oct 1968. Long before it was considered fashionable for celebrities to do so. She was quite the trailblazer!
Wow!!! I'm ashamed to say I've heard of Barbara before, but have never heard that great voice. What a wonderful discovery for this late-comer. The only version I like better is Judy Garland's first version from her TV show, so anything approximating that level of talent is pretty amazing. This definitely beats the Streisand version...as great as she is. Thanks for posting this wonderful performance!!!
I've never heard a better arrangement or rendition of this tune. Totally "in the pocket" without the need to over-decorate the melody. I had no idea she was so good. A devastating performance. I think this comes from a May 1965 episode of Hullabaloo.
@grenadian11 She was underutilized at Motown. Berry Gordy placed her as a Middle-Of-The Road act instead of using her torchy voice. There are a quite a few best of CDs of her out, including a Motown best of.
@erickliddell Check out her other videos here on UA-cam. Also check out a great film called, "They Call Me Mr.Tibbs" with Sidney Poitier. Barbara plays his wife. Her part was not big but she was quite good in it!
Ms. McNair paved the way for so many black women. However on the same token it worked against her. She looked and sounded too much of what the public considered "white" - whatever that is - and the fact that she was black people didn't promote her as they should have. Why do so many know of Streisand, and not McNair?!
@mikesterSTLMO dev·as·tat·ing [dev-uh-stey-ting] adjective 1. tending or threatening to devastate: a devastating fire. 2. satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way: a devastating portrayal of society. Definition #2 applies in a way!
Love it. A good discover..but barbra's own this. The raw emotion and the nuances in barbra's version it's superior. Barbara M. feel more similar to Judy's version, witch a very close emocional expresssion to her.
@RealPete I think it was just her style of phrasing. Barbara was a cabaret singer. She knew that the turn of a phrase can bring a lot of meaning to a lyric. It's always the band that follows the singer in the these circumstances. The other way around is called karaoke.
Agreed Barbara tended to overblow at that point in her career....now she tends to over intellectualize and make each note perfect losing the 'spontaneity " and realness of the lyrics of any song she sings...beautiful voice ...no denying ...but this is a way more moving performance.
Lovely ... but it seems like she comes close to getting lost, or the orchestra is often waiting for her to get on with it, or something. Especially in the earlier half of the song.
That last phrase made the hair on the back of my neck stand up! What an amazing, clear voice! You are missed Miss McNair!
Wow! Never heard of her before, she is great! Shades of Barbra.
The best rendition of this song. Soooo good.
Yes, Barbara had a fabulous voice. We lost her a few years ago. It would be nice to see more videos from this lovely & talented lady.
SHE IS STILL GORGEOUS!! WITH A VOICE TO MATCH, WHAT A LOVELY RANGE TO HER VOICE. SHE SANG THIS WE SO VERY VERY ELOQUENTLY. RIP DEAR, MISS BARBARA McNAIR WE LOVE YOU MISS BARBARA McNAIR!!
Simply fantastic. A Beautiful Great Voice with heart and soul forever
For belting out such a beautiful song, there's no singer quite like Barbara McNair. Thanks for this!
Just gorgeous! such control of voice. This is my favorite version of this song . . .
I could listen to this forever. Fantastic vocals...smooth yet so so powerful.
She’s just stunning. We love you Barbra.
Since Christmas Eve of last year on the Merv Griffin show, I have became in awe of this woman. Her talent & this aura she brought in where ever she would appear in. Her life, her essence seems so unique & special & I think she deserved so much more than what she got. So many layers & elements that I found to Miss McNair!
Years later--I'm finding this gem. And what a find! Had forgotten Barbara's power, and her performance here really shows it. Love the subtleties of emotion WHILE the horns/lyric/range blare away. She could have been tempted into melodrama but didn't fall for it; she let that powerhouse voice do all the work. Really, I'm in awe.
Excellent rendition from a beautiful woman...inside and out!
SHE IS GORGEOUS!!
The first time I saw Miss Barbara McNair was in a movie name Stiletto, and 2nd If he hollers let him go, late 1960s, but I never knew that she was such a great singer. What a voice. R.I.P great beauty.
Been a long time since I have heard her voice and forgotten how remarkable she was, Rip Barbara you are a great miss!
I'd give my remaining teeth to see Barbara's performance of THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE from the 1965 Oscars again. She was so great!! Anybody?
Magnificent rendition!!! I love her and rip dear one.
This is soooo goooood!!!!
Prachtig!!!
What a talent singing the standards of the great American songbook. I was so surprised when she became a Motown artist. I wanted her to sing Gershwin, Kern, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, etc. She was as beautiful as Lena Horne.
what a voice! great great music.............-
amazing voice
She's somewhere between Shirley Bassey, Lena Horne, and Nancy Wilson. Such a beautiful woman. Also portrayed Yvonne, George Jefferson's scorned and embittered ex-girlfriend in a standout 1984 episode of The Jeffersons.
👍🏽💯🤗
I was thinking the same thing, Bassey Horne and Wilson, but no one other than the amazing Barbara Mc Nair.
Big 1965 horn intro. They don't make music like this any more.
Wow.
And that, children, is how you do it.
THAT is a pure and beautiful voice!
Absolutely gorgeous....Thanks
Glorious!!!!!!!! RIP beautiful, brilliant Barbara-
A kiss too you Miss Mcnair where ever you may be.
WOW!!! She had waaayyyy too big of a voice for Motown!...I love Motown! I love Barbara McNair!...She is so amazing here....WOW!!!
WOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!
JUST STUNNING!!
Underrated entertainer
Sensational by any standards! Brava! TY
Barbara McNair was a Singer /Actress n every sense of the word. She knew just what to give a song and how to sell it. She had power and beauty in that voice! Her looks were only one aspect of the woman. She was a major musical talent!
What a forgotten talent. What a shame. I remember Ms. McNair. A great singer. An emotional voice, but she sings this as it should be; with a hint of hope that the sun will come out and isn't that love? Never knowing for sure, but holding hope that it will endure...?
There is something very Leslie Uggams about this vocal performance. Love it!
Can't get enough of this!
THANK YOU!!!! I had totally forgotten about Barbara McNair....don't know why she never achieved the "star ' status of Diahann Carroll....BTW Stevers62 sent me here !
Thanks for this posting BronzeVenus. I am 75 and have never heard her before.
Many comments below, like stunning looks and super version, I agree with.
She should have stayed with the Great American Songbook and not bothered with Motown.
No one has mentioned Ella's version on The Harold Arlen Songbook but I prefer this to all the others.
The only CDs I can find are Motown.
Tony Partridge.
one of the great belters. a time when singers had talent and sang natural
Just as good as Streisand version of it! Never heard of her until now.
Superb!
Stop, look, listen...this is the real thing!
Wow. What a discovery. Not an easy song to essay. I only know 3 renditions of this one: Judy's, Barbra's, and now Ms. McNair's- and it's drop-dead gorgeous- both song and singer. That up-down register on the final "out" is a belter's dream.
Notice that she doesn't flap her arms and hands around like a lot of singers? All she needed was her clear, beautiful voice and acting ability to let the lyrics tell the story.
The That's 60s Channel
brought us hear.
We've never heard of her before.
She's absolutely brilliant fantastic.
She was singing a Beatles medley with
Frankie Avalon and Joanie Sommers.
Happy New Year!!
💓💘💝💖💗💘
💛💙💛💙💛💙
🎇🎉🎈🤹♀️🎊🎇
🤴🏻❤️👑🇬🇧❤️🤴🏻
🥰🇯🇲🏴🕊️🔥✝️
Music ...ah music.
great voice!
I played this for my friends. They thought it was Streisand.
Wht a voice!!!!!!!
@DEEDUBB1979 I agree. Barbara McNair deserves her place among all of those singers. She appeared as a guest on many of the variety and game shows of the time. She even had a TV show of her own for a while. She appeared on Broadway. Played all the nightclubs of the time: Vegas, NY, all over the world. She was what they used to call a "legit" singer. She could take a song and sing it note perfect and make it work.
@JerseySurvivor Me too! I'll bet it was great! "Shadow" took the Best Song Oscar that year!
This is May 11 1965.
Superb voice and technique nice post
Best rendition over streisand, garland, everyone- real nice!!
Wow
@DEEDUBB1979 She also did something none of those others would ever do: A spread in Playboy! Oct 1968. Long before it was considered fashionable for celebrities to do so. She was quite the trailblazer!
Great underrated singer. Too much negative drama drowned her carrier.
They don't make CLASSY WOMEN like this any more either.
After lena Horne ms McNair eartha kitt diahann Carroll and others paved the way for glamorous divas like miss Ross and beyonce
Wow!!! I'm ashamed to say I've heard of Barbara before, but have never heard that great voice. What a wonderful discovery for this late-comer. The only version I like better is Judy Garland's first version from her TV show, so anything approximating that level of talent is pretty amazing. This definitely beats the Streisand version...as great as she is. Thanks for posting this wonderful performance!!!
Not at all, Streisand version is unique, and the way she build the song, the dinamics and raw emocition she adds, it's in a league on her own.
Magnifique voix
I don't think Motown knew what to do with her. Probably the best female voice to record on that label.
I've never heard a better arrangement or rendition of this tune. Totally "in the pocket" without the need to over-decorate the melody. I had no idea she was so good. A devastating performance. I think this comes from a May 1965 episode of Hullabaloo.
@torresongs2 Well uh .. if you say so:) At least we agree that 'the other Barbara' is magnifico!
I wonder what the date is on this > Streisand sings a note for note version on an early recording.
@grenadian11 She was underutilized at Motown.
Berry Gordy placed her as a Middle-Of-The Road act instead of using her torchy voice.
There are a quite a few best of CDs of her out, including a Motown best of.
i need to find out more about this chick
wow! beautiful with pipes to match ....she should have been a bigger star...
Way underrated,
No
@erickliddell Check out her other videos here on UA-cam. Also check out a great film called, "They Call Me Mr.Tibbs" with Sidney Poitier. Barbara plays his wife. Her part was not big but she was quite good in it!
Ms. McNair paved the way for so many black women. However on the same token it worked against her. She looked and sounded too much of what the public considered "white" - whatever that is - and the fact that she was black people didn't promote her as they should have. Why do so many know of Streisand, and not McNair?!
It’s almost identical to the Streisand version but I say better even t[hough I’m a Streisand fan. I’m beginning to wonder who recorded it first .
Wow ... is Ms. McNair still out there doing her thang?
@mikesterSTLMO dev·as·tat·ing [dev-uh-stey-ting] adjective
1. tending or threatening to devastate: a devastating fire.
2. satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way: a devastating portrayal of society.
Definition #2 applies in a way!
@keoniili Um ... you might want to look up the word "devastating". (((((LOLOLOL))))))
And that is how this song is supposed to be sang! ... Not to much over the top emotion . . .
In one of his shows, Howard Stern said that this woman was the best looking black female of all time.
0:01 she's singing inside a menorah. LOL
Love it. A good discover..but barbra's own this. The raw emotion and the nuances in barbra's version it's superior. Barbara M. feel more similar to Judy's version, witch a very close emocional expresssion to her.
Interesting--it's a 3 minute tune: one chorus
@RealPete I think it was just her style of phrasing. Barbara was a cabaret singer. She knew that the turn of a phrase can bring a lot of meaning to a lyric. It's always the band that follows the singer in the these circumstances. The other way around is called karaoke.
Agreed Barbara tended to overblow at that point in her career....now she tends to over intellectualize and make each note perfect losing the 'spontaneity " and realness of the lyrics of any song she sings...beautiful voice ...no denying ...but this is a way more moving performance.
i love this version but streisands is dominating this song right now! but i still love Mcnair
...oh, and as a bonus, she sort of looks like Michelle Obama.....beautiful!!
Very good. Quite impressed. I'll go with Garland though.
Lovely ... but it seems like she comes close to getting lost, or the orchestra is often waiting for her to get on with it, or something. Especially in the earlier half of the song.
@keoniili Barbra is better.