No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
Encyclopedia
"No More Tears" is a duet from 1979 by Donna Summer
and Barbra Streisand
. While Summer was famous for her disco
material and Streisand for her more easy listening
and soundtrack
work (though both had crossed over into other genres before), this song fused both sounds with a slow beginning (lasting almost two minutes) which then develops into a disco song. The song then becomes something of a feminist anthem
with two women taking action against their men and throwing them out.
The song was recorded for Streisand's Wet
album and also as a new track for Summer's compilation double album entitled On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
. The full-length version was found on Streisand's album, while a longer 11 minute plus version (the 12" version) was featured on Summer's album. The Summer version features additional production by frequent collaborator Harold Faltermeyer
, and incorporates the harder rock edge symbolic of her work with him. The single was released on both Casablanca Records
(Summer's label) and Columbia Records
(Streisand's label) and sales of the two were amalgamated. The versions on the two 7" singles differed slightly however, with different mixes and slightly different background vocal arrangements. The formats differed between nations - in the UK for example, the song was only released on 7" by Casablanca, and 12" (the extended version from the On The Radio album) by Columbia.
Although the sales of the two labels' releases were amalgamated, both the 7" and the 12" were certified Gold by the RIAA in early 1980. The 7" single was eventually certified Platinum by 1997. The single spent two weeks at number one on the U.S. singles chart (making it both singers' fourth chart-topping single in the U.S.). It was also a big international hit, and made the top three in the UK.
During the recording of the song, Summer is said to have passed out and fallen off her chair having been out partying the night before. Streisand supposedly carried on singing her long note and waited until she had finished it before stopping and asking Summer if she was okay. Another
rumour regarding the song is that Streisand's son, Jason Gould
, is the one who talked his mother into recording the duet as he was a fan of
Summer's work.
It has been said that "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" almost never made it on to the Wet
album. The song was originally entitled, "Enough Is Enough", where the ballad introduction was never recorded between the two women. When the final song selections were being made, it was said by the producers that "Enough Is Enough" was not to be included, for it had nothing in common with the other songs, since the track did not interpret water of any kind (which was the theme of the Wet album). Barbra Streisand really wanted the song on the album and thus changed the title of the song to "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", upon which the ballad introduction was written, to give more of an explanation of water to the song..."It's raining, it's pouring, my love life is boring me to tears after all these years...", and so forth.
The Swedish pressing of the Casablanca Records 7" single had a B-side called "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" (Special Disco Version) - a truth with modification since it was exactly the same version as on the A-side, only without the ballad intro ( - 3:04).
To date Summer and Streisand have never performed the song together live since recording it, although Summer still sings the song live in concert with other female performers, most recently her sister Mary Gaines Bernard
.
recorded a parody version of the song as it might be performed by exercise guru Richard Simmons
and Our Gang
actor Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas. The song appears on Murphy's 1982 self-titled comedy album
.
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
. While Summer was famous for her disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
material and Streisand for her more easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
work (though both had crossed over into other genres before), this song fused both sounds with a slow beginning (lasting almost two minutes) which then develops into a disco song. The song then becomes something of a feminist anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
with two women taking action against their men and throwing them out.
The song was recorded for Streisand's Wet
Wet (album)
Wet is an album released by Barbra Streisand in 1979. The album is a concept album of sorts with all the songs referring to, or expressing different interpretations of, water...
album and also as a new track for Summer's compilation double album entitled On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
-Charts:AlbumSingle- Certifications :...
. The full-length version was found on Streisand's album, while a longer 11 minute plus version (the 12" version) was featured on Summer's album. The Summer version features additional production by frequent collaborator Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
, and incorporates the harder rock edge symbolic of her work with him. The single was released on both Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
(Summer's label) and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
(Streisand's label) and sales of the two were amalgamated. The versions on the two 7" singles differed slightly however, with different mixes and slightly different background vocal arrangements. The formats differed between nations - in the UK for example, the song was only released on 7" by Casablanca, and 12" (the extended version from the On The Radio album) by Columbia.
Although the sales of the two labels' releases were amalgamated, both the 7" and the 12" were certified Gold by the RIAA in early 1980. The 7" single was eventually certified Platinum by 1997. The single spent two weeks at number one on the U.S. singles chart (making it both singers' fourth chart-topping single in the U.S.). It was also a big international hit, and made the top three in the UK.
During the recording of the song, Summer is said to have passed out and fallen off her chair having been out partying the night before. Streisand supposedly carried on singing her long note and waited until she had finished it before stopping and asking Summer if she was okay. Another
rumour regarding the song is that Streisand's son, Jason Gould
Jason Gould
Jason Emanuel Gould is an American actor, writer and director.Gould is the son of singer/actress Barbra Streisand and actor Elliott Gould, who divorced July 9, 1971. Gould spent his formative years around major Hollywood players in Los Angeles, California...
, is the one who talked his mother into recording the duet as he was a fan of
Summer's work.
It has been said that "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" almost never made it on to the Wet
Wet (album)
Wet is an album released by Barbra Streisand in 1979. The album is a concept album of sorts with all the songs referring to, or expressing different interpretations of, water...
album. The song was originally entitled, "Enough Is Enough", where the ballad introduction was never recorded between the two women. When the final song selections were being made, it was said by the producers that "Enough Is Enough" was not to be included, for it had nothing in common with the other songs, since the track did not interpret water of any kind (which was the theme of the Wet album). Barbra Streisand really wanted the song on the album and thus changed the title of the song to "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", upon which the ballad introduction was written, to give more of an explanation of water to the song..."It's raining, it's pouring, my love life is boring me to tears after all these years...", and so forth.
The Swedish pressing of the Casablanca Records 7" single had a B-side called "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" (Special Disco Version) - a truth with modification since it was exactly the same version as on the A-side, only without the ballad intro ( - 3:04).
To date Summer and Streisand have never performed the song together live since recording it, although Summer still sings the song live in concert with other female performers, most recently her sister Mary Gaines Bernard
Mary Gaines Bernard
Mary Gaines Bernard is an American singer best known for her work with sister, Donna Summer.-Biography:Bernard was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and her parents, the late Andrew and Mary Gaines, raised their 6 children as devout Christians....
.
Personnel
- Vocals: Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand
- Acoustic and Electric Piano: Greg Mathieson
- Bass: Neil Stubenhaus
- Drums: James GadsonJames GadsonJames Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....
- Guitar: Jay Graydon and Jeff Baxter
- Background Vocals: Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Luther Waters
- Produced By Gary Klein for The Entertainment Company in association with Giorgio Moroder Productions
- Arranged and Conducted by Greg Mathieson
- Vocals arranged by Bruce Roberts, Paul Jabara and Luther Waters
- Engineered by Juergen Koppers and John Arrias
- Recorded at Village Recorders and Rusk Sound Studios, Los Angeles
Chart positions
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health... chart |
27 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
20 |
Cover versions
- In 1993, K. D. Lang and ErasureErasureErasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
's Andy BellAndy Bell (singer)Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
recorded a cover of the song for the soundtrack of the movie ConeheadsConeheads (film)Coneheads is a 1993 film based on the Saturday Night Live sketches about the Coneheads. The film was directed by Steve Barron and produced by Lorne Michaels...
. - In 1994, Kym MazelleKym MazelleKym Mazelle is an American dance-pop, Hi-NRG, soul, and house singer. She was brought up and lived on the same street as the Jackson family and knew Michael Jackson's mother and uncle.-Career:...
and Jocelyn BrownJocelyn BrownJocelyn Lorette Brown is an American R&B and dance music singer...
released a cover of the song which reached number 13 on the UK chartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. - In 2004, Summer re-recorded the track with the Irish pop band WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
for the compilation album, Discomania. - In 2004, Diana DeGarmoDiana DeGarmoDiana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
performed a cover of the song on American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
as Donna Summer served as a guest judge during Disco Week. - In 2008, AmberAmber (performer)Marie-Claire "Amber" Cremers is a Dutch-German singer, songwriter, label owner and executive producer. She is best known for her hits "This Is Your Night," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "Sexual ."-Career:Amber's music career took off when one of her demos, "This Is Your Night" gained interest...
and Zelma Davis collaborated on a cover of the song.
Live cover performances
- "Enough is Enough" was part of the medley of songs about men that Liza Minnelli and her back-up girls (The Demon Divas) sang in 1993's "Liza Minnelli: Live from Radio City Music Hall."
- Donna Summer performed a new version of the song with Tina ArenaTina ArenaFilippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
for a live concert which aired on VH-1 called Live & More EncoreLive & More EncoreLive & More Encore is a live album released by Donna Summer in 1999, an edited version of a televised concert of the same name. Released on Sony Music's sublabel Epic, it featured a live concert which had been filmed especially for the VH-1 channel, and also two new dance tracks, including a...
. The song was included on the album and was one of the concert's highlights, earning enthusiastic praise from the audience. Summer also performed another live version with WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
on the British ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's "Discomania" in 2004.
Parodies
Comedian Eddie MurphyEddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
recorded a parody version of the song as it might be performed by exercise guru Richard Simmons
Richard Simmons
Milton Teagle Simmons , known professionally as Richard Simmons, is an American fitness personality who promotes weight-loss programs, most famously through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and DVDs and is known for his eccentric, outgoing and frequently flamboyant personality...
and Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
actor Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas. The song appears on Murphy's 1982 self-titled comedy album
Eddie Murphy (album)
Eddie Murphy is Eddie Murphy's first album, released in 1982.-Track listing:All tracks by Eddie Murphy, except were noted.#"Faggots" – 2:08#"Buckwheat" – 1:57#"Black Movie Theaters" – 2:33#"Talking Cars" – 0:59#"Doo-Doo/Christmas Gifts" – 6:44...
.
Sampling
- In 2008, SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n pop-folkPop-folkPop-folk is the umbrella term for the popular musical genres originating in the Balkans and Eastern Europe that are characteristic by the fusion of commercial folk music and "nightclub" music. The term is used alternatively for Turbo-folk and Chalga and is mostly used in Bulgaria...
singer Jelena KarleušaJelena KarleušaJelena Karleuša Tošić , professionally known under her maiden name Jelena Karleuša and initials JK, is a Serbian pop singer, fashion designer and former columnist. She rose to fame with her debut turbo-folk album Ogledalce , and has since been a popular Serbian female singer...
used the 'enough is enough' line on her album JK RevolutionJK RevolutionRevolution is the latest album by Jelena Karleuša, released on February 7, 2008 after 3 years hiatus, by City Records, fully arranged and produced by Atelje Trag from June–December 2007. The first single is "Tihi Ubica", which is the most expensive videoclip released by any artist in the Balkans...
. It can be heard in the song "Mala (TeatroMix)".
Appearances/References in other media
- The song has been featured in many television shows, most notably in a 1980 episode of the soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Guiding LightGuiding LightGuiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
, in which a pregnant Rita BauerRita StapletonRita Stapleton Bauer was a fictional character on the CBS soap Guiding Light. The character was played by Lenore Kasdorf, and was created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson, shortly after they became Guiding Light's head writers in 1975. Rita was written out in 1981, when Kasdorf announced she was...
(Lenore KasdorfLenore KasdorfLenore Kasdorf is an American actress.-Biography:Kasdorf was born in New York City to an army colonel father. She is best known for her role as the alluring and promiscuous nurse Rita Stapleton Bauer, whom she played from 1975 to 1981 in the soap opera Guiding Light, and for her performance as Mrs...
) was chased through a "hall of mirrors" attraction at a carnival by the crazed Roger Thorpe (Michael ZaslowMichael ZaslowMichael Joel Zaslow was an American actor. He was best known for his role as villain Roger Thorpe on CBS's Guiding Light, a role he played from 1971 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1997.-Life and career:...
). The orchestrated sequence won Guiding Light a Daytime Emmy in 1981. - The song was also featured in the Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
episode "An Old-Fashioned Piano Party", in which GraceGrace AdlerGrace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman...
and Larry reach the climax of the song, playing the piano and repeating "Enough is enough is enough is enough is enough..." to which KarenKaren Walker (character)Karen Walker is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace . She was portrayed by actress and singer Megan Mullally...
yells, "It's enough!" - Family Guy Presents: Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story featured adult and baby StewieStewie GriffinStewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
singing a duet of this song. - In the British sitcom Beautiful PeopleBeautiful People (UK TV series)Beautiful People is a British comedy drama television series based on the memoirs of Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. The series takes place in Reading, Berkshire in 1997, where thirteen-year-old Simon Doonan and his best friend Kylie dream of escaping their dreary suburban surroundings and...
the main character Simon DoonanSimon DoonanSimon Doonan is the Creative Ambassador-at-Large of the New York City-based clothing store, Barneys.-Biography:Doonan hails from the English town of Reading. He got his first retail job as a summer job working at Heelas, a department store in Reading that belonged to the John Lewis Partnership...
sings a version of the song as a duet with Elaine PaigeElaine PaigeElaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
in the 2009 season two episode called "How I Got My Water Feature". - In the BBC TV series Over the RainbowOver the Rainbow (2010 TV series)Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series which aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a...
in April 2010, the remaining Dorothys sung the song alongside Charlotte ChurchCharlotte ChurchCharlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
, one of the show's judges.