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.[5] 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 reached the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Streisand's fifth (and last to date) number-one hit on that chart. It replaced Queen's big-selling hit "Another One Bites the Dust", spent three weeks at number one, and was itself replaced by "Lady" by country singer Kenny Rogers. It also spent five weeks atop the adult contemporary chart, her sixth number one on that tally.[6] The song also proved very popular internationally, reaching number one in many countries, including on the UK Singles Chart. The song sold more than 2.5 million copies up to December 1981, according to Billboard.[7] In 2023, American Songwriter and The Guardian ranked the song number one and number seven, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Barbra Streisand songs.[8][9]
Music video
The music video for the song included clips from A Star Is Born, starring Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, and from other movies she made in the 1970s.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Atomic Kitten member Liz McClarnon covered "Woman in Love" after the band's split in 2005. Produced by original songwriter Robin Gibb—whom McClarnon accompanied on his 2005 tour—the cover was released in February 2006 as McClarnon's debut solo single. In the United Kingdom, the song was released as a double A-side with a cover of Jackie Wilson's 1968 hit "I Get the Sweetest Feeling". The double A-side peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart on February 19, 2006, staying in the top 100 for six weeks. Elsewhere, "Woman in Love" reached number 21 in Ireland and became a minor hit in Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
McClarnon would go on to record another song entitled "Lately", but the track was not released as a single.
"Woman in Love" is the first demo Barry Gibb recorded for Barbra Streisand's album Guilty. This composition by the Gibb brothers Barry and Robin would become the album's very successful first single.[71] It was due to this demo that Barry Gibb became the first male artist to sing the song, though it was originally recorded for Streisand to perform alone on her album.
^Woman in Love (Scandinavian CD single liner notes). Liz McClarnon. Bonnier Music. 2006. 33441641.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Woman in Love (Australian & New Zealand maxi-single liner notes). Liz McClarnon. All Around the World Productions. 2006. CDRS007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
