Saturday 9: People

Saturday 9: People (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Barbra Streisand sings that pride can get in the way of happy relationships. Have you found that to be true?

A. I think it depends on the people and what they feel pride about. I am not so sure that what she calls "pride" in the song is actually pride. It's more a like a facade she's talking about, the one we all wear to keep that little six-year-old in our head from coming out and crying.

2) The photo on the record sleeve was taken on Chicago's Oak Street Beach, as Barbra watches the sun rise over Lake Michigan. Have you been to the beach yet this summer?

A. No. I don't expect to go, either.

3) Barbra performed "People" more than 1,350 times when she played Fanny Brice onstage in Funny Girl. She also did it in her Oscar-winning turn as Fanny in the film version. She performed it in her first TV special back in 1964 and in at least 510 concerts since. That's a lot of "People!" Can you think of another performer who has/had a song that is so identified with them you can't imagine seeing them in concert without hearing it?

A. Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones would be one I would expect to hear from them. I would expect to hear Night Moves from Bob Seger. I would have expected to hear My Way at an Elvis Presley concert. I would expect to hear the Theme from Titanic at a Celine Dion concert.

4) Barbra got her first pet, a poodle named Sadie, as a gift from the Funny Girl behind-the-scenes crew when she was 23 years old, and she's had dogs in her life ever since. Did you have pets when you were growing up?

A. We had many dogs when I was growing up. The first ones I remember were two Dalmatians, Prince and Princess. At least one of them was run over by the milk truck (which I saw happen - I was about 4); I'm not sure what happened to the other. We had a poodle named Heidi who had puppies, and one of those we kept; his name was Major. We had a collie mix named Schooner. Around the time I married my mother picked up two dogs; one was named Trixie and the other was Clipper, I think. Not 100% sure about that, I wasn't around those dogs much. My parents had one other dog later that bit me in the leg; I don't even remember its name. My husband and I had an Eskimo-Spitz/Terrier mix dog named Ginger that lived for 17 years (which is a very long life for a dog). She stayed outside because of my allergies, and I did not get another dog when she died because I knew I could not have one inside. Ginger much preferred to be outside; she hated it when I made her come into the garage on frigid nights.

5) Barbra has always taken her Jewish faith seriously, beginning with her days at the Yeshiva of Brooklyn. 70 years later, her old school is still there. How about your grammar school? Does it still stand?

A. Yes, it does.

6) She tried marijuana a couple times but didn't like it and the only alcohol she drinks is the occasional beer with her Chinese food. Are you like Barbra and generally abstain? Or do you enjoy pot and/or alcohol?

A. I abstain.

7) Barbra's favorite lunch is a bowl of Campbell's condensed tomato soup. If we were to peek into your pantry, would we find any canned soup?

A. Yes, you'd find cream of celery, cream of mushroom, and chicken with rice soup.

8) In 1964, when this song was popular, hats were, too. The Sears Spring/Summer catalog devoted six pages to ladies hats and two pages to mens. Are hats part of your wardrobe?

A. Not usually, no. I wore hats when I was younger, but I stopped wearing them after I married.

9) Random question: Which of your personality traits has gotten you in the most trouble?

A. All of them.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.