Woman in Love — Barbra Streisand Subtitulado

JUL 01 1981 · 12:00

Woman in Love — Barbra Streisand Subtitulado (1981) Director: Frank Pierson Era: Early MTV Era (1980–1981) - Pre-MTV launch clip-compilation video produced during the transition from promotional film reels to dedicated music video format; released September 10, 1981 via Columbia Records concurrent with the dawn of the music video age. This video holds exceptional curatorial value as a documented artifact of the transitional moment between the promotional film clip era and the MTV music video format. Directed by Frank Pierson — who also directed and wrote the primary source film A Star Is Born (1976) — the video is a rare case of self-referential archival authorship. Its slow pace, warm film-stock palette, and theatrical visual style provide a direct aesthetic counterpoint to the emerging fast-cut video grammar of 1981–1982, making it highly valuable for comparative studies of early music video aesthetics. The song's chart dominance and enduring cultural footprint (ranked #1 greatest Streisand song by American Songwriter in 2023) ensure continued research relevance. Context: Released as the lead single from Barbra Streisand's Guilty album (1980), 'Woman in Love' was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees and became Streisand's fifth and final Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, topping charts in over 22 countries and selling more than 2.5 million copies by December 1981. The promotional video — a compiled montage of clips from Streisand's 1970s film work — represents an early and influential example of the archive-clip music video format that predates the stylistic conventions codified by MTV (launched August 1, 1981). The song's drum loop was derived from the Stayin' Alive rhythm track, slowed and re-EQ'd, bridging the sonic worlds of late-disco and early-80s adult contemporary. The video's nostalgic, cinematic register reinforced Streisand's crossover identity as both a film star and a recording artist. Director notes: Pierson is credited as director of the music video on IMDB (tt12917162), released September 10, 1981. The video is a clip-compilation montage assembled primarily from footage of Streisand's 1976 film A Star Is Born, which Pierson himself wrote and directed, along with clips from other Streisand films of the 1970s. The production is therefore a re-edit of Pierson's own prior directorial work repurposed as a promotional music video, placing it in a uniquely self-referential authorial position. The video was produced by Columbia Records and runs approximately 3 minutes in its official form. Pierson's deep familiarity with the source material — having directed A Star Is Born — made him the logical choice to assemble the montage. The connection between Pierson and Streisand carried notable creative tension; Pierson had written a revealing behind-the-scenes account of clashes with Streisand during the making of A Star Is Born, yet the two collaborated again on this video release.