Studio Album · No. 7
Emotion Songwriting Credits by Barbra Streisand
Produced by Richard Perry, Kim Carnes, Bill Cuomo, Maurice White, Charles Koppelman, Barbra Streisand, Jim Steinman, Albhy Galuten, Richard Baskin · Engineered by Gary Skardina, John Arrias, Niko Bolas, Rik Pekkonen, Jeremy Smith, Neil Dorfsman, Jack Joseph Puig, Mick Guzauski, Ed Cherney
Holds writing credit on 2 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 2 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Barbra Streisand carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Emotion is one of Streisand's most outside-written albums. Nearly every song came from other writers and was overseen by a different producer, giving the record its patchwork feel: Maurice White brought Earth, Wind & Fire polish to three tracks, Jim Steinman delivered his own seven-minute 'Left in the Dark,' Kim Carnes wrote and sang the duet 'Make No Mistake, He's Mine,' and Richard Perry, Albhy Galuten, Charles Koppelman, and Richard Baskin split the rest. Streisand's writing credit appears on just two songs, both collaborations: she wrote the lyric to John Mellencamp's music on 'You're a Step in the Right Direction' and the music to Richard Baskin's lyric on 'Here We Are at Last.' She also co-produced three tracks, sharing the desk with Koppelman and Baskin. The composer and producer columns are dominated by hired hands, making this an interpreter's album far more than a songwriter's.
Emotion is the twenty-third studio album by Barbra Streisand, released by Columbia Records on October 9, 1984. It was her bid for contemporary pop and MTV-era radio, built almost entirely from songs supplied by outside writers and cut with a rotating cast of producers rather than a single studio team. Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire produced three tracks, Jim Steinman produced his own epic 'Left in the Dark,' Richard Perry handled the title song, Kim Carnes both wrote and dueted on 'Make No Mistake, He's Mine,' and Albhy Galuten, Charles Koppelman, and Richard Baskin took the remaining sides. Streisand's own pen appears on only two songs, and she co-produced three of the ten tracks. The record reached number 19 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum in the US, though Streisand later dismissed it as a 'hodgepodge' in her 2023 memoir and said she would never make a pure pop record like it again.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Emotion
#79
|
Peter Bliss | Peter Bliss | Richard Perry | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)The Pointer Sisters (Background Vocals) |
| 2 |
Make No Mistake, He's Mine
#51
|
Kim Carnes | Kim Carnes | Bill CuomoKim Carnes | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)Kim Carnes (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Time Machine
|
Maurice WhiteMartin PageBrian Fairweather | Maurice WhiteMartin PageBrian Fairweather | Maurice White | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)Maurice White (Background Vocals) |
| 4 |
Best I Could
|
Bobby WhitesideRichard Parker | Bobby WhitesideRichard Parker | Charles KoppelmanBarbra Streisand | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals) |
| 5 |
Left in the Dark
#50
|
Jim Steinman | Jim Steinman | Jim Steinman | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)Rory Dodd (Background Vocals)Holly Sherwood (Background Vocals)Eric Troyer (Background Vocals) |
| 6 |
Heart Don't Change My Mind
|
Diane WarrenRobbie Buchanan | Diane WarrenRobbie Buchanan | Maurice White | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)Maurice White (Background Vocals) |
| 7 |
When I Dream
|
Kathy WakefieldRichard Baskin | Michel ColombierKathy WakefieldRichard Baskin | Maurice White | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)Maurice White (Background Vocals) |
| 8 |
You're a Step in the Right Direction
|
Barbra Streisand | John Mellencamp | Albhy Galuten | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals)Monty Byrom (Background Vocals) |
| 9 |
Clear Sailing
|
Peter McIanAnne Black Montgomery | Peter McIanAnne Black Montgomery | Albhy Galuten | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals) |
| 10 |
Here We Are at Last
|
Richard Baskin | Barbra Streisand | Richard BaskinBarbra Streisand | Barbra Streisand (Lead Vocals) |