THE STORY BEHIND THE “BIG LOVE SONG” BARBRA STREISAND WROTE FOR HER DUET WITH KRIS KRISTOFFERSON IN A STAR IS BORN
When A Star Is Born premiered in 1976, it wasn’t just a film remake — it was a cultural moment. And at its emotional center was a love song unlike anything audiences expected: “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)”, written by Barbra Streisand and performed as a duet with Kris Kristofferson.
What many fans don’t realize is that “Evergreen” was never meant to be flashy. Streisand has described it as a “big love song” — not because it was grandiose, but because it was emotionally pure. She wanted something simple, timeless, and sincere enough to carry the weight of the film’s tragic romance.
Unlike most movie soundtracks of the era, Streisand didn’t outsource the song to hitmakers. She wrote it herself — quietly, instinctively, without chasing trends. In fact, she originally doubted whether it was even good enough. The melody came first, followed by lyrics that felt more spoken than sung. Lines like “Love, soft as an easy chair” were deliberately gentle, reflecting intimacy rather than passion-for-show.
The song mirrors the relationship at the heart of the film: Esther Hoffman and John Norman Howard. Kristofferson’s character is unraveling, but in “Evergreen,” time briefly stops. There is no ego, no fame, no addiction — just love suspended in a moment before collapse.
Kristofferson’s role in the song is crucial.
Unlike Streisand’s soaring vocal presence, Kristofferson sings plainly, almost conversationally. His voice doesn’t compete — it grounds the song. That contrast gives “Evergreen” its emotional power: one voice full of hope, the other already shadowed by loss. It feels less like a performance and more like two people quietly acknowledging what they have, knowing it won’t last.
The recording itself was intentionally restrained. Streisand resisted dramatic orchestration, allowing space and silence to do the work. The result was a song that didn’t sound like a “movie hit” — which may be why it resonated so deeply.
Against expectations, “Evergreen” became a massive success. It topped the charts, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and earned Streisand a Golden Globe — making her the first woman to win the Golden Globe for songwriting. Yet even with its accolades, Streisand has always spoken about the song as something personal rather than triumphant.
She didn’t write it to impress.
She wrote it to tell the truth about love — how soft it can be, how rare, and how fragile.
Nearly five decades later, “Evergreen” endures not because it’s dramatic, but because it’s honest. In a film filled with spectacle and tragedy, it remains the quiet heart — a reminder that sometimes the greatest love songs don’t shout.
They whisper.
And in that whisper, Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson captured something eternal.