Bette Midler (album) Bette Midler (album) Bette Midler is the eponymous second studio album by American female vocalist Bette Midler, released in 1973 on the Atlantic Records label. The album, produced by Arif Mardin and Barry Manilow, includes Midler's interpretations of Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark", Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill's "Surabaya Johnny", Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" as well as a Phil Spector medley. "Bette Midler" reached #6 on the US albums chart and was later awarded a Gold Disc by the RIAA. The album was released on CD for the first time in
Friends (Bette Midler song) for an audition for a Broadway show called "Mirror Cracked", Linhart sang to Midler a song that he and his songwriting partner Mark "Moogy" Klingman had just written, called "Friends". After hearing the song, Midler asked Linhart if she could sing "Friends" during a show that she was performing in at the Continental Baths in New York. Klingman and Linhart attended the show and were impressed with the performance. Soon after, Midler recorded the song on her debut album "The Divine Miss M", which was a nickname she always wanted to be known as having personified. The song "Friends" can