"The Main Event/Fight" is a 1979 medley recorded by Barbra Streisand. The song is the title track and only single issued from the soundtrack of the film The Main Event starring Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. The song became the first of two major disco-styled hits for Streisand, the other being "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," a duet with Donna Summer later the same year. Both songs were written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts.

"The Main Event/Fight"
Single by Barbra Streisand
from the album The Main Event
B-side"The Main Event/Fight (instrumental)"
ReleasedJune 1979 (1979-06)
GenreDisco[1][2]
Length
  • 4:39 (radio edit)
  • 4:51 (The Main Event album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bob Esty
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"Superman"
(1979)
"The Main Event/Fight"
(1979)
"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (with Donna Summer)"
(1979)

Record World said that it "exhibits Barbra's stylish vocals adorning a punchy disco beat."[1]

"The Main Event/Fight" spent four weeks at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In Canada it reached number five.[3] It was also a major Adult Contemporary hit, reaching number two and number one in those nations, respectively. The song did not chart outside North America and was largely left out of recurrent rotation, having among the highest amount of drop-off in radio airplay of the hits of 1979 (Streisand's other singles of that year also fared poorly in maintaining airplay).[4]

Chart performance

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 16, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  2. ^ Molanphy, Chris (February 10, 2024). "The Hello Gorgeous Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1979-09-15. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  4. ^ Ross, Sean (June 10, 2020). "Made for dancin' but not built to last: the lost songs of 1979". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  6. ^ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19790901.html CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, September 1, 1979
  7. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 32, No. 13, December 22, 1979". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  9. ^ "CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1979, December 29, 1979". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  10. ^ "American single certifications – Barbra Streisand – The Main Event". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
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