Memory (Cats song)
"Memory" | |
---|---|
Song by Andrew Lloyd Webber | |
from the album Cats: Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording | |
Released | 1981 |
Genre | Show tune |
Composer(s) | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Lyricist(s) | Trevor Nunn |
"Memory" is a
Elaine Paige originated the role of Grizabella in the West End production of Cats and was thus the first to perform the song publicly on stage. "Memory" was named the Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the 1982 Ivor Novello Awards.[2] In 2020, Jessie Thompson of the Evening Standard wrote, "Paige’s version set the standard and enabled Memory to become one of the most recognisable musical theatre songs of all time."[3]
Context
In Cats, "Memory" is sung primarily by Grizabella, a one-time "glamour cat" who has fallen on hard times and is now only a shell of her former self.[4] For most of the musical, Grizabella is ostracized by her fellow Jellicle cats.[5] She sings a prelude version of "Memory" at the end of the first act, recalling the time before she became an outcast.[5][6]
Melodic fragments of "Memory" are then sung twice in a higher D major key by Jemima (also known as Sillabub), a young cat who is sympathetic to Grizabella's plight. The first instance occurs at the beginning of the second act after "The Moments of Happiness", and the second instance occurs near the end of the second act right before Grizabella's final appearance. As Grizabella returns near the end of the musical, she sings the full version of the song as she pleads for acceptance, with Jemima joining in briefly to urge her on.[6]
Conception and composition
Andrew Lloyd Webber originally composed the tune for a proposed Giacomo Puccini project that he later abandoned. Although the tune was intentionally written in the style of Puccini, Lloyd Webber was concerned that he had unknowingly lifted it from one of Puccini's works. He asked his father, a noted expert on Puccini, for his opinion on whether it sounded like one of the composer's works; according to Lloyd Webber, his father responded: "It sounds like a million dollars!"[7] Prior to its inclusion in Cats, the composition had also been earmarked for his early draft of Sunset Boulevard.[8]
The widow of
8) in "Memory" are more akin to popular music of the time, suggesting a completely different origin than Boléro.[9]
Cats is based on a 1939 book of poems by T. S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and the lyrics for "Memory" were adapted from Eliot's poems "Rhapsody on a Windy Night" and "Preludes" by the musical's director Trevor Nunn.[10] Lloyd Webber's former writing partners Don Black[11] and Tim Rice had also each submitted a lyric to the show's producers for consideration, although Nunn's version was favoured. Elaine Paige was given a different lyric to sing to the tune of "Memory" every night during previews for Cats.[8]
There are three
The first commercial release of "Memory" was an instrumental single performed by guitarist Gary Moore. It was released in early 1981 by MCA Records to promote Cats while the musical was still in development.[13] Paige heard this version driving home one evening and rushed into the house to record it from the radio, vowing to contact Lloyd Webber to insist on recording a vocal version of it. Before she was able to do so, the following morning he rang her to ask whether she would, at short notice, replace the injured Judi Dench as Grizabella in the London production of Cats. Paige later recalled that the opportunity to sing "Memory" was the principal reason for agreeing.
In the 2019 film adaptation featuring Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Jemima's soprano part was given to Victoria the White Cat.[14]
Elaine Paige version
Elaine Paige, who originated the role of Grizabella in the West End production of Cats, released a version of the song that was a Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1981.[15] The single recording was incorporated into the original London cast recording of the musical.
She re-recorded the song in 1998 for the
Notable cover versions
"Memory" has been covered by numerous musical acts. By 2006, there were around 600 recorded versions of the song, ranging from easy listening to techno covers.[17]
- Barry Manilow released a cover of "Memory" as a single in late 1982; it became the highest-charting version to date on the Billboard Hot 100 when it reached No. 39 in January 1983.[18] Manilow's recording also made the Top 10 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart, reaching No. 8.[19] This version is included on his album Here Comes the Night.
- In 2014, Olivier Award for her performance.[3]
Barbra Streisand version
"Memory" | ||||
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Single by Barbra Streisand | ||||
from the album Memories | ||||
B-side | "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" | |||
Released | February 1982 | |||
Genre | Pop[20] | |||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andrew Lloyd Webber, T. S. Eliot, and Trevor Nunn | |||
Producer(s) | Andrew Lloyd Webber | |||
Barbra Streisand singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Barbra Streisand - Memory (Official Video)" on YouTube |
American singer, songwriter, actress and director
Charts
Chart (1981–1984) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] | 14 |
Canadian Adult Contemporary (RPM)[24] | 3 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[25] | 1 |
France ( SNEP)[26]
|
185 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] | 19 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] | 4 |
South Africa (Springbok)[29] | 8 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 6 |
UK Singles (OCC)[31] | 34 |
US Billboard Hot 100[32] | 52 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[33] | 9 |
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[34]
|
48 |
West Germany (Official German Charts)[35] | 30 |
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
France ( SNEP)[26]
|
185 |
References
- ^ Sternfeld 2006, pp. 113, 157
- ^ "The Ivors 1982". The Ivors. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Memory covers ranked: From Elaine Paige's Cats debut to Nicole Scherzinger's take on the classic". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "Grizabella". Cats the Musical (official website). Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ a b "The Story of Cats". Cats the musical (official website). Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Sternfeld 2006, pp. 160–161
- ^ Lloyd Webber 2018, p. 310
- ^ a b McLamore 2017, pp. 414–415
- ^ Snelson 2004, pp. 173–174
- ^ Eliot et al. 1983, p. 9
- ^ Lloyd Webber 2018, pp. 332–333
- ^ a b Lloyd Webber 2018, pp. 354–355
- ^ Lloyd Webber 2018, pp. 333–334
- ^ Universal Pictures (18 July 2019), CATS - Official Trailer [HD], archived from the original on 13 December 2021, retrieved 19 July 2019
- ^ a b "Elaine Paige – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "This Is Your Life (1994)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Sternfeld 2006, p. 163
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 394.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 260.
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (28 June 2019). "The Lullaby of Broadway Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "– Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ Watkins, TanChun (11 November 2023). "Move Over 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' 'The Marvels' Has the Best MCU Needle Drop". Collider. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand – Memory" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary – Volume 36, No. 14 May 15, 1982". RPM. 17 July 2013.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Barbra Streisand". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 248. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Les classement single. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand – Memory" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand – Memory". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand – Memory". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles - Week Ending April 3, 1982". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Barbra Streisand – Memory" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
Print sources
- ISBN 978-0156155823.
- ISBN 978-0062424204.
- McLamore, Alyson (2017). Musical Theater: An Appreciation (Second ed.). ISBN 978-1138678682.
- Snelson, John (2004). Andrew Lloyd Webber. ISBN 978-0300104592.
- Sternfeld, Jessica (2006). The Megamusical. ISBN 978-0-253-34793-0.
External links
- Rhapsody on a Windy Night and Preludes the T. S. Eliot poems that inspired the lyrics to "Memory"