Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Barbra Streisand Maintains Icon Status, Belting And Rapping In ‘Carpool Karaoke’

With a mane of golden waves, a black choker, and the index figure of a formidable safta, the legendary Barbra Streisand piloted herself and James Corden through the streets of Los Angeles, belting the classics.

It was another segment of “Late Show With James Corden” favorite “Carpool Karaoke,” which is what it sounds like — famous people and James Corden singing along to the radio while driving around what may or may not be a soundstage. The Schmooze is not always amused by this kind of thing. But this featured Barbra Streisand. Thus, it was delightful.

In the twelve minute joyride, Babs and James cover plenty of ground — the diva’s 27 year period of stage fright (“I get scared. I just don’t want to disappoint people”) and her mind right now (“twirling.”) In between grooving to Donna Summer and “The Way We Were,” our lady of the stage confessed that not only did she call Tim Cook to announce that she didn’t like the way Siri was pronouncing her name (he saw to it that it was fixed,) she also once phoned Steve Jobs to ask for computer help. He blamed Microsoft, she said.

Then they sang “Imagine.”

Explaining that the Trump administration has her at a loss, only able to write and tweet, Streisand and Corden burst into the single “Walls” from her new album — a song aimed at the President that just happens to be a total bop. Streisand’s index finger here deserves its own EGOT:

Image by youtube

Look at that artistry!

Image by Youtube

Mastery of form!

Image by Youtube

But the best is saved for last: Streisand, in her half-refined-half-Yentl voice, trying to rap to Cardi B.

Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at editorial@forward.com, subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.

Exit mobile version