"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is a song that hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1978. It is a song about two lovers who have drifted apart while they "go through the motions" and heartache of life together. Its lyrics include what became somewhat of a "cult phrase": But 'used-to-bes' don't count anymore/They just lay on the floor 'till we sweep them away.

The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman for the ill-fated TV show All That Glitters. The song was intended to be a theme song, but Norman Lear changed the concept of the show so that the song no longer fit. Eventually, Neil Diamond and several collaborators came upon the song (then only 45 seconds long) and expanded it with instrumental sections. The Bergmans expanded the song to full length with an additional verse, and the composition took form.

In 1977, Diamond released the album I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight, which included the track. "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was also covered by Barbra Streisand on her album Songbird in the same key (C major). This led Gary Guthrie, then Program Director at WAKY (an AM radio station in Louisville, Kentucky) to combine the two in a "virtual" duet.

The popularity of the virtual duet motivated Diamond and Streisand to record the real thing, and it became a very large hit. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December of 1978; this was the third #1 hit for both singers. Their performance of the song during the 1980 Grammy Awards show has been featured on live music performance highlight reels ever since.

Diamond and Streisand had planned to star in a motion picture based on the song, but such plans were cancelled when Diamond starred in a remake of The Jazz Singer, which was less successful than hoped at the box office.

In 1980, a cover version of the song was recorded by expatriate American singer Dean Reed and Hungarian vocalist Kati Kovacs.

In 1996, the song was also sung by rappers Ice T and an embarrassed Tupac Shakur during a Saturday Night Live show. It was also infamously covered in spoken-word form by pianist Liberace.

References