About the song
Background
- The Film: “The Way We Were” served as the title track for the 1973 romantic drama film of the same name, starring Streisand and Robert Redford.
- Songwriting and Success: The music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The song resonated deeply with audiences, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and later became a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.
- Streisand’s Impact: The song is considered by many to be one of her signature pieces and helped revitalize her career in the 1970s.
Lyrics and Themes
The lyrics of “The Way We Were” explore a range of complex emotions and themes related to the past, memory, and lost love:
- Nostalgia and Regret: The song evokes a powerful sense of nostalgia, with lines like “Memories light the corners of my mind / Misty watercolor memories of the way we were.” However, this nostalgia is tinged with regret for what might have been.
- The Idealization of the Past: The speaker seems to romanticize the past, painting a rosier picture of the relationship than might have actually existed. This is shown through phrases like “Can it be that it was all so simple then?”
- Longing and Pain: There’s a deep longing for a lost love that has left emotional scars (“What’s too painful to remember / We simply choose to forget”). The pain of these unhealed wounds lingers.
- Uncertainty About the Future: The song ends on a note of doubt, asking, “If we had the chance to do it all again / Tell me, would we? Could we?” This reflects the complex emotions that surface when looking back at a failed relationship.
Overall
“The Way We Were” is a timeless ballad about the bittersweet power of memory. It explores how we remember the past, often selectively, and how the echoes of a past love can continue to shape our present emotions. Streisand’s powerful vocals and the song’s haunting melody only amplify the deep sense of longing and poignant introspection within the lyrics.
Video
Lyrics
MemoriesLike the corners of my mindMisty watercolor memoriesOf the way we were
Scattered picturesOf the smiles we left behindSmiles we gave to one anotherFor the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?Or has time rewritten every line?If we had the chance to do it all againTell me, would we, would we,Could we, could we?
MemoriesMay be beautiful and yetWhat’s too painful to rememberWe simply choose to forget
Can it be that it was all so simple then?Or has time rewritten every line?If we had the chance to do it all againTell me, would we, would we,Could we, could we?
MemoriesMay be beautiful and yetWhat’s too painful to rememberWe simply choose to forget
So it’s the laughterWe will rememberWhenever we rememberThe way we wereThe way we were
I miss you baby
The way we were
The way we were
I miss you so much babyI miss the way we were