Emotion is the twenty-third studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in October 1984 by Columbia Records. It was her first studio album in four years after the release of Guilty, which has since become her highest selling studio album worldwide.

The album was promoted with the release of three singles, but none of them entered the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100. The album wasn't as successful as its predecessor, having peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA and Gold in the UK by the BPI.

Overview This album was recorded in eleven studios in Los Angeles and two in New York with a multitude of producers and composers. Produced by Jim Steinman, "Left in the Dark" was the lead single, peaking at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Make No Mistake, He's Mine", a duet with Kim Carnes, was the album's second single and charted at #8 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The final single, "Emotion", featuring the Pointer Sisters on background vocals, was also released as extended 12" remix.

An instrumental version of "Here We Are At Last" appeared on the soundtrack of the 1987 feature film Nuts.

The video for "Left in the Dark" reunited Streisand with Kris Kristofferson, her co-star from A Star Is Born. The video to the album's title track, which received some airplay on MTV, featured cameos from The Who's Roger Daltrey and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

The album peaked at #19 on the US Billboard 200 and #15 on the UK Pop Album chart. Emotion has also been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA and Gold in the UK by the BPI.

In 2023, in her memoir My Name Is Barbra, Streisand described the album as a "hodgepodge", vowing to "never again" make a pop record like Emotion.

Critical reception

Cash Box wrote that the album was dominated by "soft, emotional ballads" and was "destined for tremendous retail and radio success", while Billboard noted that it spans styles from "lush orchestral pop to rock", unified by Streisand's "sense of adventure and imagination". The magazine called "Left in the Dark" a "bloated melodrama", but praised the album for offering "a half dozen real gems" and singled out "Here We Are at Last" as its "classiest cut".

In a retrospective review, AllMusic described the album as a typical "'80s adult contemporary superstar release", praising Streisand's ability to handle contrasting styles, from Maurice White's "space-age R&B" to Jim Steinman's "melodramatic overproduction". However, the review found that the album "lacked consistency" and noted that it sold mainly to Streisand's established fan base.

Track listing

Unreleased songs "When the Lovin' Goes Out of the Lovin "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" (later re-recorded and included on The Movie Album)

Personnel Barbra Streisand – vocals Roy Bittan – piano Steve Buslowe, Nathan East, Abraham Laboriel, Bob Lizik, Lee Sklar, Neil Stubenhaus – bass guitar Peter Bliss – programming, guitar Bill Cuomo – piano, synthesizer Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, synthesizer, programming Michel Colombier, Randy Waldman – synthesizer James Newton Howard – keyboards Steve Mitchell – synthesizer, Hammond B-3 Albhy Galuten – synthesizer, keyboards Vinnie Colaiuta, Russ Kunkel, Gary Mallaber, Tom Radke, Max Weinberg – drums Ed Tossing – piano, Fender Rhodes Paulinho Da Costa, Steve Forman, Jimmy Maelen, Joe Porcaro – percussion Gary Chang – additional synthesizer, programming Rick Derringer, George Doering, Don Felder, Bruce Gaitsch, Dann Huff, Craig Hull, Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather – guitar Ray Kelley – cello Lon Price, Jerry Peterson, John Phillips – saxophone Maurice White, Maxine Willard Waters, Clydene Jackson, Julia Waters Tillman – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1984)Peakposition European Albums (Music & Media) 22US Cashbox Top Albums15

Year-end charts Chart (1984)PositionUS Cash Box. Cash Box magazine.61

Certifications and sales

References

External links Streisand on making of the "Emotion" video