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The Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" topped the Billboard pop chart 40 years ago today. 

It's a song that wasn't originally meant to be a duet. Diamond had written a 45-second version to use as the opening theme for a TV series being developed by that Norman Lear — but when the concept of the series changed, the song no longer fit, so Diamond expanded it into a full-length tune. 

He released a version of the longer song, and so did Barbra Streisand. A DJ spliced the two recordings together so they sounded like a duet. When that version started to get some radio airplay, Streisand and Diamond decided to get together and record a proper duet.

Cathy Wurzer

Author

It's a song that wasn't originally meant to be a duet. Diamond had written a 45-second version to use as the opening theme for a TV series being developed by that Norman Lear — but when the concept of the series changed, the song no longer fit, so Diamond expanded it into a full-length tune.

40 years since the Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond duet 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' topped the Billboard chart

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