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Hello, Barbra: music icon Barbra Streisand is back on the scene with his first new original music since 2005. "Do not Lie to Me" is an exciting ballad with a political twist and universal emotion. This is the first new single of his next album Walls, to be released on November 2, after his 2016 album of Broadway duets.
Streisand is no stranger to her mind, and in a conversation with TIME, she explained what led her to the studio to record "Do not Lie to Me" and the rest of Walls, which includes seven new compositions and four of his own taken on classics.
"My problem is what is happening in America. Even the basic human decency seems to be disappearing faster than the polar ice caps, "she told TIME. "At least, an artist has a form of expression, and I'm grateful for that. It allows me to let off steam a little. Streisand dedicated the album to young people as a nod to young people, like Parkland students who, she says, see "through lies", suggesting that the song and album will provide a break and a point. rallying point. "It's easy to feel helpless, but we're not helpless," she says.
TIME spoke with the musical legend about her belief in active citizenship, the way she even incorporated Abraham Lincoln's words into her work this time, and the importance of the truth – and the comfort of pancakes.
TIME: It's been a few years since you released a new album. What brought you into the studio this time?
BARBRA STREISAND: The times are very troubling. The leader of the free world does not seem to worry about the truth and he attacks the pillars of democracy, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. I believe in the power of truth and I can not bear being lied to. I do not think the country should be lied to either. So, I started to think about how to write my thoughts in music and words about what worried me. In fact, the first song of this album is called "What's On My Mind". And I was very motivated by the lies of this president. And that's why this first song is "Don`t Lie to Me".
So, does this song speak directly to Trump?
Well, if you listen to it at first, maybe it could be a relationship – a woman walks into a room and sees her husband with another woman and says, "Who will you believe? Me or my larin eyes? For me, being lied is very personal, very deep, because I was lied to as a child. But it's a president now … I think the total is over 5,000 lies. And I just do not understand how the public or even his party let him do that.
One of the chorus of the song is, "How do you sleep?" you to sleep? How do you work through this political concern?
After being elected for the first time, I was funny: I said, "It makes me gain weight," because every time I heard the news in the morning, I had to eat pancakes. And the next day, it would be even worse, and I would have more pancakes and maple syrup and butter on it. [But now] it upsets my stomach, it upsets me, it disturbs all my physiology. Stress is crippling; it gives me a headache. I do not like the way I feel. But when you hear this distorted view of reality, it's even more frustrating. And who will speak?
What do you think the role of the artist is in this kind of climate?
That's how I felt in 1995 when I spoke at Harvard's School of Government, and I gave a speech entitled The Artist as Citizen. That was President Carter [who said] "In a few days, I will discharge from my official responsibilities in this office, to use the unique title of our democracy superior to that of president, the title of citizen." First of all, we were citizens before to become artists and every person has the right to this word – citizen. I think words make sense and the facts are important and the truth is the truth. This question of alternative facts; it's a lot of bullshit-t. By the way, that's why I use the "J" in the middle of my name – Barbara Joan Streisand – because I hate the letters BS and what they represent!
I invited President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara on my last concert tour in Houston. They came – George in his wheelchair, Barbara in his walker. They were so kind, so kind; they had such dignity. I loved that President Bush knows how to work through the aisle. The other day, I answered the call of Bob Dole, a Republican. He kindly wanted to tell me that my music helped him recover from his last illness. I'm also friends with Colin Powell, William Cohen – Republicans decent people! There are also great Republican senators, like Jeff Flake and Bob Corker, who are not afraid to tell the truth to power. With rational Republicans, you can agree to disagree. That's what counts: nobody on the party!
The album is called Walls. Where does this title come from?
Well, we have a president who wants to build walls, and that makes me think: the walls can be structural and the walls can be emotional; walls between people. So I asked my dear friends Marilyn and Alan Bergman to write a song for this album, and this one came out under the title "Walls," which says we'd have a better day if all of these walls were falling. I hope we will find a way to destroy the walls and build more bridges instead. There is also a very encouraging song on this topic, "Better Angels", inspired by Lincoln's first maiden speech. This reminds us of who we have the potential to be when we listen to the best angels of our nature.
Do you think that you are going out this album or that you think about the reception of this song?
I do not care if it sells or not. Last night, I played the song to my masseuse and she did not even know I had written it, and she said, "What is this song? It's so catchy! "It's a good sign. I hope that other people can be identified there.
"Imagine" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that I compared with "What a Wonderful World". The last line, "I say to myself," I changed it to "I think could be a wonderful world. I even make a new rendition of my song "Happy Days Are Here Again". I wanted a kind of symphonic story of terror. [Laughs.] That's what I did.
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