Paul McCartney described collaborating with Barbra Streisand on their new duet as “nerve-wracking,” admitting, “I was pretty terrified.”
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The two icons joined forces to perform a duet of McCartney’s song, “My Valentine.”
It might come as a surprise, but even Paul McCartney experiences stage fright.
The legendary musician recently teamed up with Barbra Streisand to record a duet of his song “My Valentine,” describing the experience as “nerve-wracking” and “nail-biting.”
In a blog post on his website dated Tuesday, May 20, McCartney, 82, shared insights about working with Streisand, 83, on the track, which is set to be featured on her upcoming album The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, releasing June 27.
“I recorded the session with her in LA and was pretty terrified. The session lasted about three hours, a typical length, and was produced by my friend Peter Asher,” McCartney revealed. “It began with a full 40-piece orchestra at the Sony lot… and we were on ‘The Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage,’ so, no pressure at all!”
The studio stage, named in honor of the EGOT-winning icon, is a renowned location on the Sony lot where famous film soundtracks like Gone with the Wind, Forrest Gump, and Toy Story were recorded. The duet McCartney and Streisand performed, “My Valentine,” was originally written for McCartney’s wife, Nancy Shevell, whom he married in 2011.
“I thought, ‘This should be easy since it’s my own song, ‘My Valentine.’ What could possibly go wrong?’ But I had forgotten that the arrangement required the song to be sung first in Barbra’s key and then in mine,” he shared. “Transitioning from Barbra’s higher key to my lower key was tricky—I had to start singing without even knowing what key I was in. It definitely wasn’t easy!”
Despite the challenges, the “Band on the Run” singer expressed excitement at the song’s potential to become a modern classic, noting that Michael Bublé had also recorded it.
“That was part of why I agreed to do it; if Barbra is going to cover my song, I want to support that,” he wrote. “She was fantastic—I hadn’t fully appreciated just how creatively accomplished she is.”
McCartney mentioned that the recording session was filmed, and initially, he was a bit overwhelmed by the cameras and bright lights. But soon he recalled that Streisand is a skilled director—she was the first woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Director for her 1983 film Yentl.
“I thought, ‘Wow, you’re directing this!’ Then it hit me—she’s directed three major movies. She’s definitely a smart cookie,” he wrote.
When the song was released on May 16, Streisand shared her admiration for McCartney in an Instagram post featuring a photo of them in the studio.
“What a joy it was to record ‘My Valentine’ with @paulmccartney. Spending that time with him in the studio was truly special!” she wrote.
The Funny Girl star announced her new album in April, a follow-up to her 2014 release Partners. The album features duets with a star-studded lineup including McCartney, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Sting, Hozier, Sam Smith, Seal, Josh Groban, Tim McGraw, Laufey, Mariah Carey, and Ariana Grande.