How Lucky Can You Get

"How Lucky Can You Get" is a song recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand for the official soundtrack to the 1975 film Funny Lady. It was released as a 7" single in April 1975 through Arista Records. The song was written by Fred Ebb and John Kander, while production was handled by Peter Matz. "How Lucky Can You Get" is one of the new songs on the soundtrack, with its origins coming from Fanny Brice, the character Streisand portrays in the aforementioned film. The music pertains to Brice herself, particularly the sarcastic nature of the lyrics that are accompanied by an "insistent" melody and production.[1] It was suggested that the pattern of the lyrics may have been influenced by Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera, La bohème.

"How Lucky Can You Get"
Single by Barbra Streisand
from the album Funny Lady
B-side"More Than You Know"
ReleasedApril 1975
Recorded1975
Length3:53
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Peter Matz
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"Jubilation"
(1975)		 "How Lucky Can You Get"
(1975)		 "My Father's Song"
(1975)

In terms of its popularity, the song is the most recognizable one from Funny Lady. "How Lucky Can You Get" was well received by music critics, who enjoyed the musical-esque qualities of the production, particularly Streisand's performance. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but it lost both times to Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy" from the 1975 film Nashville. It entered the Adult Contemporary charts in both the United States and Canada, peaking at numbers 27 and 19, respectively.

Background and release

According to the liner notes that came with the 1990 soundtrack CD release of Funny Lady, the origins of "How Lucky Can You Get" stem from a song with the same name that Fanny Brice (the character portrayed in the movie) had once performed live.[2] The song (and several others for the soundtrack) was written by Fred Ebb and John Kander, despite both musicians having minimal experience in writing songs for musicals or films.[3][4] It was produced by Peter Matz, who also took care of arranging the track's audio.[2] Streisand recorded "How Lucky Can You Get" during a three-week-long recording schedule in 1975.[5] It was released in April 1975 as a 7" single through Arista Records in both the United States and Italy.[6][7] Both versions contains "How Lucky Can You Get" as the A-side track while "More Than You Know" is used as the B-side.[6] However, the Italian release features a longer version of "How Lucky Can You Get" as the A-side.[7]

Composition and lyrics
The lyrics to "How Lucky Can You Get" pertain to Fanny Brice, the character that Streisand portrays in Funny Lady.

The song's lyrics pertain to Fanny Brice, the character who Streisand portrays in Funny Lady. "How Lucky Can You Get" is written in the key of C major with Streisand's vocals ranging from F3 to F5; it is additionally accompanied by the sole instrumentation of a piano.[8] Through the use of a four-bar phrase and increasing changes in its key to build up suspense and anticipation, the chromatic melody is able to fully support the strength of the lyrics and sound "insistent" to the listener.[1][9] To match the written aspects of the songs, Ebb and Kander came up with "sarcastic" lyrics to suit the character of Brice accurately.[10]

In terms of the lyrics, Streisand opens the song by humming the first few lines ("Badodiodiodi / Odiodo"),[8] followed by the chorus, where she questions, "Gee, whee, wow, how lucky? / How lucky can you get?".[11] The short musical interlude in "How Lucky Can You Get" switches from a four-bar to an eight-bar phrase, just as it "returns to its original key" and the lyrics become "outwardly straightforward".[1] During the final two verses of the song, Streisand talks to herself and questions, "Hey there, gorgeous! / Big success! / What's your secret? / Just lucky I guess". James Leve, who wrote the biography book Kander and Ebb, referred to these lyrics as ironic and claimed that the music that accompanies the aforementioned four lines was borrowed from Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera, La bohème.[9]

Critical reception and legacy

Perhaps the most recognizable song from Funny Lady,[2] "How Lucky Can You Get" received positive reviews from music critics. Author Leve recalled that the song "exemplifie[d] Kander and Ebb's approach to musical theater", referring to its use in the film.[9] During the segment of Funny Lady where Streisand is shown performing the song, author David Craig wrote that she "sings it in the simplest possible performance" but does not need any "pizzazz to corroborate its showstopping status".[1] Peter Filichia, who wrote a series of books dealing with broadway musicals, claimed that singing "How Lucky Can You Get" and working with Kander and Ebb was perfect for her. Who also joked that the title of the song "perfectly summed up Streisand's experience with Funny Girl".[12] Music researcher Thomas S. Hischak was favorable to the song on the soundtrack and labeled it as "breezy".[13] Referring to its popularity, Alan Neff felt that "How Lucky Can You Get" provided a sense of "exhibitionism" to the listener.[14]

Both Ebb and Kander were nominated for several awards for their songwriting credits on "How Lucky Can You Get". At the 48th Academy Awards, the single was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy" from the film Nashville.[15] "How Lucky Can You Get" also lost to "I'm Easy" when nominated for Best Original Song at the 33rd Golden Globe Awards.[16]

In 2010, the karaoke label Musical Creations released a six track album titled How Lucky Can You Get – In the Style of Barbra Streisand, which featured six different instrumental edits of "How Lucky Can You Get".[17] During Streisand's concert tour titled Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic, she sang a live rendition of "How Lucky Can You Get" at her shows; she also featured this on her accompanying ninth live album, The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic! (2017).[18]

Chart performance

"How Lucky Can You Get" did not enter the main charts in the United States and Canada, but rather the Adult Contemporary charts in both countries. In the United States, the single debuted on the aforementioned chart at number 33 for the week ending May 31, 1975.[19] After rising for several weeks, it peaked at number 27 on June 21.[20] In Canada, it debuted at number 35 and was the week's highest debut according to the official list compiled by RPM.[21] It eventually reached number 19 in its fourth week charting (and was also its peak position).[22]

Track listings

Charts
Chart performance for "How Lucky Can You Get"
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[22] 19
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[23] 27

References

Citations
  1. Craig 1999, p. 235
  2. Funny Lady: Original Soundtrack Recording (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand, James Caan (1990 CD release ed.). Arista, Bay Cities. 1975. BCD 3006.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Vogel 2003, p. 305
  4. Kander, Ebb & Lawrence 2004, p. 105
  5. Nickens & Swenson 2000, p. 125
  6. "How Lucky Can You Get" / "More Than You Know" (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand. Arista. 1975. AS 0123.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. "How Lucky Can You Get" / "More Than You Know" (Liner notes). Barbra Streisand (Italian ed.). Arista. 1975. 3C 006 96705.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. Ebb, Fred; Kander, John (1975). "From Funny Lady 'How Lucky Can You Get' Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  9. Leve 2009, p. 19
  10. Pohly 2000, p. 98
  11. Santopietro 2007, p. 85
  12. Filichia 2015, p. 39
  13. Hischak 2008, p. 269
  14. Neff 2007, p. 16
  15. "The 48th Academy Awards (1976) Nominees and Winners". Academy Awards. 1976. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  16. "Winners & Nominees Best Original Song – Motion Picture". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  17. "Karaoke – How Lucky Can You Get [Karaoke With Competition Edits]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  18. "The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic! – Barbra Streisand". iTunes Store (US). Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  19. "Adult Contemporary – The Week Of June 7, 1975". Billboard. June 7, 1975. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  20. "Adult Contemporary – The Week Of June 21, 1975". Billboard. June 21, 1975. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  21. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3967". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  22. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3988." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  23. "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2017.

Bibliography
  • Craig, David (September 1, 1999). A Performer Prepares: A Guide to Song Preparation for Actors, Singers and Dancers (illustrated ed.). Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 1557833958.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Filichia, Peter (April 7, 2015). The Great Parade: Broadway's Astonishing, Never-to-Be-Forgotten 1963-1964 Season (illustrated ed.). Macmillan. ISBN 978-1250051356.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hischak, Thomas S. (June 2, 2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0195335330.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Kander, John; Ebb, Fred; Lawrence, Greg (October 1, 2004). Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 1429928328.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Leve, James (March 1, 2009). Kander and Ebb. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300155945.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Neff, Alan (July 31, 2007). Movies, Movie Stars, and Me. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1467078900.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Nickens, Christopher; Swenson, Karen (2000). The Films of Barbra Streisand (illustrated ed.). Citadel Press. ISBN 0806519541.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Pohly, Linda (January 1, 2000). The Barbra Streisand Companion: A Guide to Her Vocal Style and Repertoire (illustrated ed.). Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313304149.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Santopietro, Tom (April 1, 2007). The Importance of Being Barbra: The Brilliant, Tumultuous Career of Barbra Streisand. Macmillan. ISBN 978-1429908535.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Vogel, Frederick C. (January 8, 2003). Hollywood Musicals Nominated for Best Picture. McFarland & Company. ISBN 1476611572.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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