Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand’s Classic “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”

The “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” duet performed by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond was originally a 45-second long song clip intended for a television show. That never materialized and instead, the two made their now-classic duet. the song hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1978.

The song is about two lovers who have been together for enough time to feel like they have slipped into a routine. They’re growing apart while going through the motions. The song was initially written by Neil Diamond with Alan and Marilyn Bergman for TV show All That Glitters. The premise of the show changed, so “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” was no longer needed as the theme song. So, Diamond expanded the song from 45 seconds to 3:17, adding additional verse and instrumental sections.

The American popular song was released on Neil Diamond’s “I’m Glad You’re Here with Me Tonight” sans Barbra Streisand. The two didn’t formally record a duet performance until after radio stations started splicing together their verses. The power of demand made the song a reality!

Streisand had originally covered the song on her album "Songbird." The duo performed the duet version at the Grammy Awards show in 1980, with their performance being released on the 1994 album "Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume 1." Both Streisand and Diamon had originally planned to star in a motion picture based on the song itself, but the plans were canceled after Diamon started in a remake of the 1980 hit "The Jazz Singer."

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