"Stranger in a Strange Land" is a song recorded by American singer
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
for her 31st studio album, ''
Guilty Pleasures'' (2005). It was released as the album's lead single on August 16, 2005, by
. The track was written by Ashley Gibb,
Barry Gibb
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...
and
Stephen Gibb while production was handled by Barry Gibb and John Merchant. It serves as the first of 11 reunion collaborations with Barry Gibb, who Streisand had last collaborated with on ''
Guilty'' (1980). The single was released
digitally and physically distributed on
CD and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
, with some editions including the song's official music video.
The composition is essentially a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
song and contains lyrics referencing individuals who have lost a loved one due to war. Barry Gibb's work on the track was lauded by
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. Commercially, "Stranger in a Strange Land" entered the charts in Scotland and the United Kingdom, in addition to peaking at number 39 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''s
Adult Contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...
in the United States. An
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
exclusive, the music video was released for
streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
alongside the song and features clips of Streisand interspersed with scenes of soldiers during the
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
.
Background and release
"Stranger in a Strange Land" was taken from Streisand's 31st studio album, ''
Guilty Pleasures'' (2005). The parent album serves as a reunion piece between the singer and musician
Barry Gibb
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...
, with whom she had previously worked on ''
Guilty'' (1980).
''Guilty Pleasures'' was officially announced on August 29, 2005, and was described as a collaborative effort between Gibb and Streisand.
"Stranger in a Strange Land" was written by Ashley Gibb, Barry Gibb and
Stephen Gibb while production was handled by Barry Gibb and John Merchant. The track includes backing vocals from singers Beth Cohen and Leesa Richards, in addition to Barry Gibbs, who backed for Streisand on each of the album's 11 songs.
The song was released on August 16, 2005,
through
as the first of three singles from ''Guilty Pleasures''. Distributed
digitally, and as both a
CD single
A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
and
DVD single
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of m ...
, the standard edition CD features the album version of "Stranger in a Strange Land" while the promotional version uses the radio edit of the song instead.
In the United Kingdom, a maxi CD single was distributed and includes Streisand and Barry Gibb's 1980 duet "
Guilty", the official music video for "Stranger in a Strange Land", and the album version of the single.
A DVD single was released in Greece featuring the music video and four television advertisements used to promote "Guilty".
Directed by Rick Walker,
the official music video for "Stranger in a Strange Land" was first released to
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
, also on August 16, 2005, as a
streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
-only video for members to view. The clip, serving in dedication to fallen troops that lost their lives during the
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, features photographs and videos of the individuals, their family members, and their memorials interspersed with scenes of Streisand performing the song live in a recording studio.
Composition and lyrics
A
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
track, "Stranger in a Strange Land", according to
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, serves as one of Barry Gibb's many attempts to "update his signature sound" on ''Guilty Pleasures''.
According to the official sheet music published by the
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...
, the song is written in the key of
D major
D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...
with a moderately slow beat consisting of 96
beats per minute
Beat, beats, or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact
* Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact
* Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. Accompanied by the instrumentation of a piano and guitar, Streisand's vocals range from A
3 to D
5.
Lyrically, Streisand dedicates the song to "soldiers who have perished 'fighting someone else's war'".
In the track, she sings: "You may be someone else's sweetheart, fighting someone else's war / And if you suffer for the millions, then it's what you're fighting for." During the
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in whic ...
, Streisand assures a deceased loved one that: "Somewhere in the lonely night, your flame is burning bright / I know it's how I'm gonna stay, for a stranger in a strange land far away."
Reception
A staff member from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' described the single as "priceless" and a "positive yet poignant timely expression". The reviewer also acclaimed Streisand's vocal performance and Barry Gibb's contributions to the production.
Also impressed, Tom Santopietro, author of ''The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand'', applauded its "catchy melody".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from ''AllMusic'' praised Gibb's production work on "Stranger in a Strange Land" (and on single "
Night of My Life" and album track "Hideaway") for "proudly stick
ngto unfashionable pop styles".
"Stranger in a Strange Land" did not enter the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, but did reach the same publication's
Adult Contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...
, where it peaked at number 39.
On the
UK Singles Chart, according to the
Official Charts Company
The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
(OCC), the single did not reach the top 100 of the chart, but did peak at number 111 on October 29, 2005.
On the official chart in Scotland, also compiled by OCC, it debuted and peaked at number 66, becoming the week's fifteenth highest ranking entry.
Track listings and formats
;Standard edition CD single
# "Stranger in a Strange Land" – 4:48
;UK maxi CD single
# "Stranger in a Strange Land" – 4:48
# "
Guilty" – 4:24
# "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Music Video) – 4:05
;Greece DVD single
# "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Music Video) – 4:05
# "Guilty" (4x TV Spots) – 3:00
;US promotional CD single
# "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Radio Edit) – 4:05
Charts
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
{{Good article
2005 singles
2005 songs
Barbra Streisand songs
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by Barry Gibb