**Paul McCartney Admits to Nerves During Barbra Streisand Duet Session**
Music icons Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand have joined forces on a new rendition of “My Valentine”, but it seems even legends are not immune to a bout of nerves. Sir Paul, now 82, confessed he was “pretty terrified” during the recording of their duet for Streisand’s forthcoming album, *The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two*.
Reflecting on the nerve-wracking session in Los Angeles, McCartney offered a candid glimpse behind the scenes of their collaboration. The former Beatle explained, “I did the session with her in LA and I was pretty terrified. It was nail-biting!” He revealed the recording process lasted about three hours—typical for such projects—but the circumstances were anything but ordinary.
The experience was heightened by the grandeur of the setting: a full 40-piece orchestra assembled at the famous Sony lot, once home to countless major Hollywood productions. Adding to the pressure, the pair were working on the legendary Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage. McCartney remarked on the venue: “No pressure there! I thought, ‘Well, this will be easy because it’s my song, it’s My Valentine. What can go wrong?’”
Yet the complexity of the arrangement quickly became apparent. The song had to traverse both Streisand’s and McCartney’s vocal ranges, which presented an unexpected technical challenge. “What I’d forgotten was that they’d arranged it so it had to go in Barbra’s key and then in my key. To get from Barbra’s key into mine was kind of difficult, and I had to launch in not knowing what key I was in. Mine was lower, hers was higher. It wasn’t easy at all!” McCartney confessed.
Despite the initial jitters, McCartney was full of praise for his collaborator. He observed Streisand’s multifaceted talent extended beyond singing, recalling, “She was great. I didn’t realise how rounded she is, creatively. They were filming the session and as soon as we went in, she said, ‘Who put that camera there? That shouldn’t be there, bring it over here. And what about those lights?’ I thought, ‘Wow, you’re directing it!’”
It was not lost on McCartney that Streisand is an accomplished film director herself, having helmed three major movies. “She’s a smart cookie,” he added, hinting at his admiration for her professionalism and vision.
Streisand, aged 83, seemed equally enthusiastic about the partnership. Ahead of the single’s release, she took to Instagram to celebrate the experience, writing, “What a joy it was to record ‘My Valentine’ with @paulmccartney. To share time with him in the studio was truly special!” Her warmth points to a mutual respect between the two music legends.
*The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two* is slated for release on 27 June. The album serves as a follow-up to Streisand’s Grammy-nominated *Partners* from 2014, a record that showcased her collaborative spirit with an array of star musicians.
“My Valentine”, co-written and originally performed by McCartney for his 2012 album *Kisses On The Bottom*, has seen previous cover versions by artists such as Michael Bublé. This latest rendition by Streisand and McCartney is set to introduce the song to a wider audience and no doubt ignite interest among fans of both artists.
The collaboration is a timely reminder that, regardless of decades in the spotlight, even the most seasoned performers can encounter new challenges—and, with the right partnership, rise above them to create something memorable.