Remember When Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer Recorded a Duet Together in 1979?

Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer might seem like two very different artists, and in many ways they were. Still, when they combined their voices on one duet, the result was pure magic.

In 1979, Streisand and Summer released “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”. The song is part of both Streisand’s Wet album and Summer’s On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II record.

“No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” was written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts. The sad song says, “No sunshine / No moonlight / No stardust / No sign of romance / We don’t stand a chance.”

Streisand and Summer made history with “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”. They became the first two female artists to have a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song also became a four-week No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Disco chart as well.

The Story Behind “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer

When Roberts had the idea for “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”, both Streisand and Summer were two of the hottest artists at the time.

“We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fabulous to write a song for Barbra and Donna?’ We wrote the song in literally 10 minutes,” Roberts tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And [Streisand’s son] Jason Gould, who is now a very close friend, was a fan of Donna’s.”

Although a very atypical way to pitch a song, Roberts and Jabara picked up Summer in their car and drove to Streisand’s house so both singers could hear the song at the same time. Surprisingly, both Streisand and Summer were instant fans of the song, and the idea of a duet, from the first time they both heard it.

“Paul and I just trapped them in a room and played the song for them,” Roberts says. “And before any of the business people could try and stop it, it was too late. They loved it and started singing it.”

Not only did Streisand and Summer both like the song, but they immediately recorded “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”.

“It was finished overnight,” Roberts remembers. “It was just finished so quickly. Before any of the lawyers could stop it, it was out as a record. They didn’t know what hit them.”

Interestingly, Roberts tells The Hollywood Reporter that he is the one who also introduced Summer to David Geffen. Geffen later signed Summer as the first artist on his Geffen Records.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images

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