When Bryan Adams teamed up with Barbra Streisand in 1996 for a gorgeous one-off duet

4 September 2025, 15:33

It had been a good few years since she last made a hit.

Barbra Streisand is undoubtedly one of the greatest stars the worlds of music and film have ever seen.

Her credentials on the stage or in the studio simply can't be argued with, but like most artists, she's had her dry patches.

By 1996, it had been nearly a decade since Babs wrote a significant hit, after she released 'We're Not Makin' Love Anymore' in 1989, which was written by none other than lion-haired heartthrob Michael Bolton.

• Barbra Streisand’s husband James Brolin reveals surprising secret to pair’s long marriage
• Listen to Barry Gibb's haunting original demo of Barbra Streisand's 'Woman In Love'
• Barbra Streisand sings beautiful duet with her son in rare concert clip – watch
• Barbra Streisand's 10 greatest songs, ranked

But you'd had to look further back for her last top ten hit, which was in 1981 when 'What Kind Of Fool' reached No.10 in the US charts, a duet with dear friend and her collaborator at the time, Barry Gibb.

What could an artist as legendary as Streisand do to rejuvenate her fortunes? Enlist the hit-making man behind some of the '90s greatest power ballads, of course: Bryan Adams.

So in 1996, Barbra and Bryan teamed up for one of the decade's most melodramatic and gorgeous songs in 'I Finally Found Someone'.

That year, Streisand decided to dip her toe into the world of directing movies and signed up to helm romantic comedy/drama The Mirror Has Two Faces.

Not only would Barbra direct the film and star in it alongside the dashing Jeff Bridges – she'd also write the song's soundtrack.

Initially, Streisand penned a love theme with composer Marvin Hamlisch, who bagged his first job in the business alongside Barbra as a rehearsal pianist for the 1964 Broadway musical Funny Girl.

As the song evolved, her producer, David Foster, felt the song would be better suited as a duet.

So she reached out to Bryan Adams, who wanted in on the project, and who brought his own producer, Robert "Mutt" Lange, the former husband of Shania Twain.

Barbra Streisand - I Finally Found Someone (Official Video) ft. Bryan Adams

Adams was riding high that year with a string of hits like 'The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You' and 'Let's Make A Night To Remember', so it was a no-brainer to add some contemporary star quality to the film's soundtrack.

But neither Bryan nor Barbra could've foreseen the chemistry they'd share in the studio when they were both behind the microphone.

Mirroring the on-screen relationship in the film, 'I Finally Found Someone' hints at a love blossoming out of what starts as a platonic relationship between two colleagues.

A music video was made for the single, consisting of promotional shots of the pair spliced with clips from the film The Mirror Has Two Faces.

'I Finally Found Someone' also received widespread critical acclaim, with many critics saying that the song saved the film, which was widely panned.

Talking to The Los Angeles Times in 1996, Streisand revealed how all the pieces fell into place.

"I wrote the love theme, the main love theme, then Marvin wrote a bridge to it, and that was going to be our song. Then David Foster had the idea that I should sing the duet with Bryan Adams.

"Bryan played our track and heard me humming and fell in love with this little theme that I wrote, and then he and his producer Mutt Lange wrote a counter melody based on the track that I sent him. And they wrote the lyrics," she continued.

• When Michael Bublé and Barbra Streisand sizzled on duet of a Frank Sinatra classic
• Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand squabble over how to make a cup of tea in hilarious video
• The Story of... 'Everything I Do (I Do it For You)' by Bryan Adams
• Bryan Adams reveals how his song started a "surreal" friendship with Princess Diana

"So that's how that happened. I don't think his record company wanted him to sing with me... because I'm more traditional, and I haven't had a hit since I don't know when."

Well, both parties would have been more than satisfied with the result, as 'I Finally Found Someone' peaked at no. 2 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.

The power ballad even saw Streisand achieve a nomination for Best Original Song at the 1997 Academy Awards.

Having initially been asked to perform the song at the ceremony, Barbra declined to perform, though she changed her mind when her replacement, Natalie Cole, fell ill.

This is when some drama ensued – by that time, the Academy Awards had secured Celine Dion to perform 'I Finally Found Someone' alongside trumpeter Arturo Sandoval instead.

The media picked up on Streisand paying a visit to the little girl's room when Dion performed, though the 'Woman In Love' legend insisted there weren't any issues in the years since.

Anyways, 'I Finally Found Someone' lost out to 'You Must Love Me' by Madonna from the 1996 musical thriller Evita.

Madonna's 'You Must Love Me' pipped 'I Finally Found Someone' again at the 1997 Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song, and Madonna beat out Babs for Best Actress In A Musical/Comedy too.

It was Grammy Award-nominated, too, but ultimately, the experience of recording together meant a lot to both Bryan and Barbra.

Years later, in 2012, after EGOT Marvin Hamlisch's death, Adams tweeted: "We co-wrote the Oscar-nominated song, 'I Finally Found Someone' (a No. 8 Hot 100 Adams-Streisand duet for her 1996 film The Mirror Has Two Faces). He was an amazing musician-composer and will be missed."