Woman in Love
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"Woman in Love" is a popular 1980 song performed by Barbra Streisand and taken from her album, Guilty. The song was written by Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees.
After the success enjoyed by the Bee Gees in the late 1970s, the band was asked to participate in musical endeavors for other artists, and Streisand asked Barry Gibb to write an album for her. This album ultimately became Guilty; "Woman in Love", as the lead single, became one of the most successful songs of Streisand's music career. It spent a total of three weeks at the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Streisand's fifth (and last, so far) #1 on this chart. The others were: "The Way We Were" (1974); "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born, 1977); "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (duet with Neil Diamond, 1978); and "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" (duet with Donna Summer, 1979). It also spent five weeks atop the adult contemporary chart, her sixth #1 from that tally. Outside of the U.S., the song also proved very popular, reaching #1 in many countries, including the United Kingdom.
About midway through the song, Streisand holds a note for over ten seconds while singing the line: I stumble and fall / But I give you it all (the word "all" is the note held for this duration of time). During the chart run of "Woman In Love", Casey Kasem claimed in an edition of the radio program American Top 40 that this was the longest unaltered note held by a singer in a #1 song; however, it is unknown what basis Kasem had for making this claim.(Bill Withers' 1977 recording of "Lovely Day" contains a note held for 18.5 seconds, beating Streisand by a considerable margin. This song only reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, however.)