I know right? That’s my most favourite part she sings it with such emotion! Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
Transposing music in cromatic mediants (like at that moment) does that to you. It's really emotional. That's why it's my favorite trick to use when composing.
I love the performer who plays Jemima so much, each time she's on stage my eyes always move to find her. But I don't think that's her voice we hear, I remember reading a comment on another video, and people were saying how they were upset that her voice was dubbed over with this version :(
Elaine just nailed the acting and characterization like no one else could. I’ve seen so many versions of this where the performer is smiling throughout, why would you smile at all during this song?!? Not only that, but every nuance is just perfect. I wouldn’t have changed the thing.
Yes, definitely. I know this sounds weird, but her singing has a kind of meowing quality to it. It's not at all smarmy or maudlin (like that awful Streisand version). Her facial expressions and voice quality are genuinely moving. She really hit the sweet spot in this performance.
I disagree completely. Hudson could have knocked it put of the park if the acting direction had just LET her rather than making her sob and snot through the whole thing.
Chills every time. Actually surprised myself and got big emotional at the climax of this song first time I watched this. I discovered the spectacle of Cats the Musical through a video describing just how bad Cats the Movie screwed up on every level. New respect for this entire show
For me it’s the eyes. Elaine Page’s vocals are up there with the best of them, but no one has *ever* emoted with their eyes in this song the way she does. I buy her pain, hurt, desperation, pride, and strength all through her eyes. They are, after all, the window to the soul.
What also helps is the way they did her make-up, they dragged everything down so she constantly looks sad. Most other Grizabella make-up I've seen they just dirty her up, here it looks like she's genuinely broken inside. Really adds to the performance as a whole. Elaine is perfection.
3:33 This single change of microexpression gets me everytime. You can actually see her face light up as she sings the word "happiness", and then, in a split second, it goes back to grief and sadness. Absolutely incredible acting.
@@OfficialROZWBRAZEL Bruh, that's...what I meant? It's very common to refer to an actor by their character's name, regardless of whether or not you know their actual name (which I do not)??
@@drakkonscythe No, the voice we hear in this is _not_ the actress's actual singing voice. Her accent was very strong so they dubbed it. Go look for clips of her actually singing, she still has a very cute and lovely voice.
The emotion shown in her eyes while singing displays more talent that most actors can muster in their entire career. forget the voice, it's once of the best all time.
@@TheHeirofDrakkon She has a scene before this, where she's trying to move like she did when she was young, and she goes from "smiling" to gut-wrenching sad in an absolutely brilliant way.
It's touching how at first most cats avoid looking at her but by the end they're all paying attention to what she's singing. Demeter and Bombalurina seem particularly moved, Munkustrap is staring at Old Deuteronomy's reactions, Jellylorum sits still while Victoria approaches Grizabella again.
This is not the first time I heard this song, but HOLY COW, that "The memory is fading." and "Touch me! It's so easy to leave me..." hit me hard this time.
The harmony between Jemima & Grizabella gives me chills every time i hear it and raptures my soul. Elaine Page has made it impossible for anyone else to embody this role. She is a true legend in every sense of the word.
I’m always moved by the surprised way Grizabella pops up after hearing Jemima’s voice chime in like a ray of sunshine. It’s as if she’d just heard that she’d been freed from a horrible prison and was immediately prompted to make her final plea for acceptance.
Sometimes, our cat is just meowing in the middle of the night with no apparent reason. I just pretend that she's just singing Memory. Well, probably she is.
Betty Buckley may have the amazingly effortless full belt that pierces through you, but nobody pulled out the raw emotions in both voice and acting like Elaine Page. Once that climax hits, she looks like she is in agony with her grief and sadness. One of the finest performances ever.
Completely agree! Betty is superb vocally but the way Elaine sang it with so much emotion...i don’t think anyone can top that! Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
Very true. Nobody else I heard has packed so much hurt into the song as she has. She reserves all the power for the climax. Buckley puts so much pride into the part that one thinks: she's kinda fine, don't worry about her. Page's choice is reaching out at a different level.
Why is nobody talking about how she nailed the climax WHILE STANDING UP just a second before? If anyone has sung before, you know that while what she did does technically make sense, it would have to have pretty much perfect timing. Not to mention that breathing in while standing up like that would give me super intense vertigo.
Agreed! It’s really difficult. I can never do that! Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
The song is heart wrenching but what makes it even more so is the look on her face when Victoria lays her hand (paw) in hers. That's the look of someone who has been touched starved for years, wanting affection but also afraid to reach out from being rejected so many times but still hopes that someone would reach back. Don't mind me I'm emotional.
There's a similar feeling when Jemima starts singing an accompaniment to her halfway through the song. Demeter and Bombalurina sang during Grizabella's song, but it wasn't an accompaniment, it was accusatory and hammered home her isolation. The first instance of Memory was also the only full song in the show that was a solo with no chorus.
Memory Turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory lead you Open up enter in If you find there The meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin Memory All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember The time I knew what happiness was Let the memory Live again Burnt out ends of smoky days The stale cold smell of morning A street lamp dies Another night is over Another day is dawning Daylight I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn't give in When the dawn comes Tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin Sunlight through the trees in summer Endless masquerading Like a flower as the dawn is breaking The memory is fading Touch me It's so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day Has begun
Jemima's voice with Grizabella's is absolutely beautiful. Jemima's soprano voice that's so soothing and Grizzabella's reed alto voice is so perfect. It's so beautiful.
The fact that Andrew Lloyd Webber had a big part in how this taping of the theater show went and was extremely hard on the actors to get it exactly how he wanted, shows how dedicated and determined he was. He wanted us to experience it perfectly, and we did. Elaine Page is the best Grizabella we could ever have asked for. I've experienced it live with a different cast, but nothing comes close to this original.
Completely agree! I wish I could’ve seen this live! Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
@Abeni Schwebke then why didn't they take the costumes seriously? Like damn that's poor excuse... many fantasy films have done better with their costumes...
It' because these cats are practical effects and makeup while the movie is all CGI. This is the same reason that the orcs in the Lord of the Rings movies look so much better than the ones in the Hobbit.
If the movie production can't afford realistic CGI they could have just use costumes and make up then cgi for feature enhancements... that's cheaper...
the ultimate "crying for help" song, add any mental issue with it, and it all comes down to wanting to feel that you belong somewhere, that you are accepted by everyone else
@@AxeKick80 well, they're not. it's all about perspective. There is always something new you can do and explore, always a skill you haven't mastered and always some knowledge you haven't gained yet
The entire appeal of Cats was that it was an experience you could only get in theater. The stage, the costumes, the songs, it was like the theater house was its own separate world, one of actors and props, and plays were your gateway to that world. It had no business being made into a movie.
Everyone who sings Memory and means it just show their absolute talent. Like the one time it was sung during the Oscars and the woman went from crouching to standing without pitch change. Edit. Betty Buckly and the Tony awards.
It actually is a dub, as all the vocals in the 1998 film were pre recorded in a studio. But Elaine did regularly perform with this range of motion when doing it live at the West End which is absolutely mind boggling to me 😵💫
@@LucyAylerI would imagine she would have done the motions in the studio too, it needed to be perfectly in sync with the stage performance in which they sang too, they didn’t perform it in silence.
I've seen it live on stage three times, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when Grizabella sang "Memory." But what *really* gets me is when, just after Grizabella collapses in hopeless despair, Jemima stands and begins to sing in that indescribably pure, unbelievably beautiful voice. Brings a tear to my eye ... every. single. time.
Umm, you seem to have omitted the original Broadway and (IMO) far superior, Ms. Buckley. Page is certainly good; but I don’t feel near Buckley in the role. Not only in voice, but perhaps principally because (as others have pointed out), Buckley played the part with strength and defiance. Someone who has been shunned, but has not doubted her self worth. Whereas Page, and the uninspiring and far worse Hudson versions, play the role as desperate for approval, pathetic even (certainly in the Hudson version). For example: toward the end, when she sings “if you touch me,” Page seems desperate and scared in her facial expression(same with the touch at the end). Now Buckley at the 83 Tony’s video on YT, it’s strength and dignity. (I won’t even mention Hudson, other than to agree she suffered from the American Idol desire to just belt everything out; missing restraint. I think the reviewer who said JH looked constipated during Memory was too harsh, though.) That’s my take and opinion at least. Thank God for UA-cam for these videos.
Wow. I've never seen Cats but of course after the movie came out I got curious about the original musical. I watched Jennifer Hudson's rendition first and thought it was lovely. BUT this one brought tears to my eyes. The raw emotion as she sang that climax was absolutely breathtaking.
It tears me up every time I watch this and I watch this 5x back to back and tear up over and over again. That's the difference between Hollywood and Broadway. Broadway performers don't have special affects or music to prep an audience before hand predisposing an emotion but Broadway performers have to showcase their story by their actions, gestures and facial expressions which makes it very real and raw live. She is a magnificent artist and I appreciate her art form and talents enabling be to feel all those things from behind my screen. Apologies for my extensive addition 🙏.
It’s so amazing not only because of the emotion in this very song but the build up of the plot throughout the story, unlike the movie which confused me about Veronica and Grizzabella
I love this musical, but this song has never made me cry until now. I had my cat for 21 years. I was six when we adopted her. We just lost her a few months ago. Now this song makes me think of her.
The fact that this song is about an old unwanted cat that just wants to be touched and loved makes it so sad. You can imagine she had a loving home and was then discarded. Those are the happy memories she refers to. Now each day she hopes she'll find that happiness again only for the day to end without it. Also, it's a message not to overlook the senior cat with the matted fur. Give them a chance. Touch them and YOU'LL see what happiness is and the happy memories will live again for that cat as they'll once again be loved. 😭😭😭😭 #adoptdontshop
3:07 you can hear the pain, desperation, and fear in her voice when she lets out the last scream she has any energy for. Her last chance for new life, and she’s begging for anyone just to touch her. To just acknowledge her presence. Then you hear the defeat in her voice. Her slowly coming to terms that she won’t be reborn. One last exasperated plea. Not the greatest broadway show, but absolutely one of the greatest broadway hits of all time, paired with a masterful performance. Exquisite tbh
I love how she gets up from the ground she's not afraid of looking clumsy and off balance and just fling herself into the next line. So many new grizabella's are too busy looking pretty
I got to see the national tour front row center for my birthday, I didn’t know anything about cats (and front row center is a bit to close for this play) however memory was amazing
I agree. I'm just not into all the cheap emotionalism of Broadway musicals. But I would stand in line to watch Elaine Page sing this song in all her kitty cat make-up with those amazing expressions and all that emotion.
My husband absolute adored cats and understood them like nobody else did When he died I had to sing this song at his funeral service. Upto this very day by now 15 years ago, It can stil make me tearful when I hear it.
My grandfather played this at my grandmother’s funeral. She loved cats. I also remember her playing the recording of this musical every now and again. Since then it’s always made me cry. Now I’m listening to it because I lost my partner a few months ago. She was with me when I found out my grandmother had passed. She knew what this song meant to me. Now this song carries even more meaning. I just wish I was a good singer. It would be cathartic to sing.
I don't personally give a fig for musical theater or Cats in general, but this is just undeniably one of the greatest musical performances ever, and I will always come back to it
Lyrics: Turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory lead you Open up, enter in If you find there the meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin Memory All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember a time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again Burnt out ends of smokey days The stale cold smell of morning A streetlamp dies - another night is over Another day is dawning Daylight I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn't give in When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin Sunlight through the trees in summer Endless masquerading Like a flower as the dawning is breaking The memory is fading Touch me It's so easy to leave me All alone with a memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day has begun
It looks like this song is so effortless for her but it’s a really hard song to sing. That too, to sing and act together is even harder and she nailed it! Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
English is not my native language sorry for that. I was getting piano lessons 2 years ago and my teacher taught me this masterpiece on piano i was playing it perfectly i loved it. Then I moved for the university and we didn't talk in that time. 4-5 hours ago he just passed away and I'm now here listening this piece and crying for him. I just wanted to share my feelings.
What makes this song so special, is how it reveals the true spirit of the play. It's not JUST about the secret life of cats, it's about the pain of knowing that youth only lasts for so long. In time, all our youthful energy, strength, talent, and beauty will fade away. And until the moment comes where the Angel of Death arrives to lead each of us out of this world and into the next, all we will have left will be those fond memories of our glorious and happy days in the sun.
Worst thing about the movie is so many people will assume this musical is a horrible, uncanny valley horror experience and miss out on the very real emotional impact of the musical.
I think part of it also is when you see a musical live, you are impacted as much by the performance as the story. The actors/dancers are doing it live and they don't get multiple takes. It puts the audience into a sympathetic relationship with the performers. Movies invariably lose that feeling of presence you get in the theater.
2:53 I know that Elaine Page absolutely kills this song she is so good, but that inflection on the end of the word "Flower" by the woman singing in the background was just jaw dropping! Holy shit that must be the most beautiful second of a woman singing I have ever heard...
I agree - she did so well. Her voice was bright, and clear, and so beautiful. She doesn't get a lot of credit but she killed it and really moves people every time they hear or watch this!
+tacokotaco Veerle Casteleyn? Edit: Well apparently I had the right person, but its not her voice that you hear in this video. Guess they dubbed another singer who's accent wasn't as heavy or something? But whenever you try to find anything from Helen Massey singing CATS, there isn't really anything, and on top of that there is hardly anything at all on UA-cam with her singing. Damn... I'm not even a big fan of this musical and I'm getting sucked into trying to figure out the story behind this now! Lmfao Edit 2: And now I just saw more comments saying its a woman named Jemima something... I am completely lost now!
[2:33] is Jemima’s part and let me just say when her and Grizabella are sing together I get goosebumps every time. You have no idea how many times I’ve rewinded to that part just to hear that beautiful harmony.
Elaine’s version is everything because it’s so beautifully acted. She conveys such desperation, loneliness, and torture that is missing her old life in just one look/note. Even Betty Buckley’s version rings a bit hollow to me. I don’t know why everyone praises Betty when Elaine made this song what it is today.
I agree. It's just that this song's not about how well ya sing it, it's about how well you portray this pain that Grizzabella is going through both with your voice and your body. This song is a cry of pain and hope, not a song you can exactly belt out like Betty did. Betty portrayed a Grizzabella who was still glamorous despite everything and perhaps in doing that it's missing the point entirely because Grizzabella was casted out of society and desperately wants to go back, so portraying her as a cat who's still feeling like they're glamorous and confident is just not doing justice to the idea of Grizabella's character. If you watch Betty's performance, you can see her express emotion but it's not pain, it's not sorrow, she looks poised and unaffected by what she's singing and that's where she fails. I agree with everyone else that Betty's voice is incredible and deserves praise, but Elaine's is just the better version overall.
@@redblackjester Dude you hit the nail on the head. It's more complicated than that too. From a musical standpoint, Betty's version is kinda better. She takes a lot of liberties in the notes and tempo of the song, singing a lot of it it tempo rubato which means "stolen time". She not only maintains the emotion and power behind her words, but she does it while modulating freely up and down in her register to emphasis certain lines and speeds up/down so she can linger on some of those prettier words and sounds. She and the orchestra separate and merge back together in some beautiful ways that feel like two singers in perfect harmony. On the other hand, Elaine follows the music as it was written and while the orchestra compliments her, there is no individual freedom and variation. It's still great but its a different type of great. Both performers are amazing, and while that was some nerdy crap, I'm no professional musician. All I can say to describe it is that Betty hammers emotion into your soul while Elaine draws it out like a water well. And it goes without saying that emotion the comes from within will always be more powerful.
Jemima's voice was actually dubbed. Her actress in the 1998 film was Dutch, and they dubbed her over with a British actress over fears that her accent would make her unintelligible.
Even the simple story behind the original poem and song is heartwrenching. A cat who's owner used to put it in pageants and stuff, only to abandon it once it gets old. Then just going through the perspective of it as it walks through empty streets. "Burnt out ends of smoky days, the still cold smell of morning. A streetlamp dies, another night is over, another day is dawning."
Within the context of this story, I suspect Grizabella's backstory is a bit less misanthropic but perhaps somewhat more tragic. Instead of abandoning her because she gets old her owner abandoned because the owner died. That makes Grizabella the perfect choice for the Jellicle choice: she already has someone waiting for her on the Heaviside Layer.
@3:08 my tears started to fall. You can feel the anguish, frustration, and desperation in her voice. My golly, this image lingers in my head and cuts so deeply.
Same! She’s an absolutely amazing artist! Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
I swear I’m a tough person. However, every time I hear this song I cry like a newborn baby. I can hold it in until “If you touch me, you’ll understand what happiness is.” That line is just so raw and emotional. It sends me into literal hysterics. I would elaborate more but I can’t put it into words…because I’m crying again. 😭😭
I heard it live and watch the play. The cost was $35. Dollars. Iwas shocked I would pay double now just to here her sing meomeries live again. Thanks Robinson Center music hall in little Rock for hosting the play.
Has anyone else noticed that when Grizabella begins to sing, everyone is turning away from her but at the song goes on they slowly begin to turn towards her
As a kid I always noticed Mr. Mistofelees turning around right when she sings “and I mustn’t give in”. I always thought it was the moment the rest of the cats respected her so they turned around too🤷🏼♀️
Sometimes I think how mad it must be for the co stars of legends like Elaine Page to just watch something like this unfold in realtime and just keep it together.
Well, they watch it over and over and over and over and over, and then some more. There comes a point where it goes from a staggering performance to just the usual.
Elaine Paige is excellent as Grizabella. this is the definitive version of "Memory". this version always makes me feel sorry for Grizabella, because Elaine Paige gives us a tragic performance, and this song is the pinnacle of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical career. CATS: Now & Forever.
I remember standing on a hotel balcony with my Grandmother in Val d'isere in France, many years ago. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time and Cats would have only been a musical for only a couple of years. It was very cold and snowing and I remember her singing this song to me and telling me that she felt that way about herself and even though I was a child, I understood on some level what she meant and it must have been very impactful because I remember it so clearly 40 or so years later. Grandma is long gone, but the memory does indeed linger on. I was taught a lesson about the frailty and fragility of life that day. I'm quite sure it wasn't her intention, but that was what happened. I struggle to listen to the song today, chiefly because of that memory.
This is such a quintessential performance, especially for any of us 90s kids who owned the VHS. There was so much depth and meaning, and so much life in her eyes. This song got greater over time with Elaine. The whole show got greater over time, and that's inspiring to me.
KAY DENÉ This musical will always hold a special place in my heart for so many reasons but this performance of Memories always puts me in tears for in truly is a link to my childhood and my grandma who I lost several years ago. Memories was her favorite and I never understood why until I was older
'Memory' was the first song I learned 18 years ago at my singing lessons ❤️ Last week my singing teacher died of cancer and today would be her birthday. I'm so thankful that she teached me this song.
Why am I sitting here and having a crush on the FUCKING CAT that she sang with. She owns this song she has such a beautiful and powerful voice and her performance made me cry
@@mollygarrigan6763 I absolutely agree and I’m so glad other people are picking up on this. The only thing is apparently her singing voice was overdubbed by another singer - but its still one of the most pristine voices I’ve ever ever heard in my life, like seriously
Veerle Casteleyn, I think, because of her accent, so we see her but are hearing Helen Massey, but it may be a mixture in different songs? You can hear Veerle's own voice in the Dutch cats, & she is adorable.
This shit looks awful. Of all the musicals, what made them think that THIS would be a good movie. Whoever the artsy farsy director is needs to checked for any involvement with bestiality
I've seen some sources call *this* version of Cats a film. IMO, it's more of a stage recording; but regardless, it's way better than the 2019 one for sure.
Apparently Steven Spielberg wanted to produce an animated film adaptation back in the 90s, but he could never get it off the ground. If you were going to adapt this to film, that seems like the most appropriate medium to me.
Blunderscrew _ Shes basically Grizabella the Glamour cat who left the rest of the cats when she was younger and her life crashed. She came back to the cats and they don’t accept her because she left them before for a fancier life. Also it’s implied she’s diseased
I DO love how EVEN NOW, when she's putting everything on the line, Old Deuteronomy is STILL reaching for her. And I love how THIS TIME, when Victoria goes to touch Grizabella, she looks back and rather than stopping her, Old Deuteronomy tells her to go. And there's this expression of pure joy on Grizabella's face when she feels Victoria's hand touching hers. And initially, most of the other cats have their backs to her....but by the end, she has gained ALL of their respect.
I was able to experience Cats live over 20 years ago. I Think i was about 6 or 7 Years old. It was incredible, an experience that I have not forgotten to this day. Cats also had a big influence on me, I am a total cat person and have 4 cats of my own. Memory is one of the most beautiful songs for me, I wished that it would be played at my funeral one day.
it’s not so much a harmony as it is singing in unison, as i believe they are singing the same note but in different octaves. but my God, is it beautiful...
My 18yr old rescue cat who was a grey/tan tortie passed away a month ago, weirdly a month after I first saw cats in person. Makes me cry too.. we got her at 7yrs old and I always think of her being a “model kitten” with her beauty. Miss her like crazy! wishing u peace.
I haven’t seen the show, or the movie. I’ve only seen a video of someone talking about how the show was way better than the movie and They played a part of this song. I liked what I was hearing so I decided to check out the full song. This song made me cry at “touch me, it’s so easy to leave me” Without the context of the show this song was able to make me cry... that’s impressive music for you
Man same though. This song made me cry every time he played it and I ended up going and watching the musical today because I just couldn't get it out of my head. What an amazing performance.
I feel like the thing missing from the other version is desperation - absolute miserable desperation of a cat that's been cast out and neglected for years upon years, left in the trash, with nothing more to lose but their mortal soul, reaching with every ounce of their heart towards the last flickering light of hope that remains.
I literally dont know anything about this musical. I've only ever heard Memory and this one. But God damn that "touch me, it's so easy to leave me." Is so fucking good I cry everytime.
My wife kept on at me to see this musical for years, I eventually surprised her taking her to London to see the musical just before it closed at the New London theatre , did I like it ? My wife passed away in 2019 and up until then we saw the stage show at various venues 28 times ! I miss you my Grizabella !
A motif that most people don't notice is that of all the cats to have touched Grizabella, it was Victoria (the cat just coming of age). This speaks to the fact that progress is largely a youthful institution. The whole play, the older cats were shunning Grizabella, and Victoria was turned away from Grizabella by them. It's fitting that Victoria be the one to make progress... since she's the only one looking at this state of affairs with new eyes. The paradox of the situation is that those most able to see the world clearly WITHOUT their own personal baggage and the baggage of the community... are also those who are most naive and in need of guidance
that "touch me! it's so easy to leave me!" gave me fucking goosebumps. absolutely flawless.
I know right? That’s my most favourite part she sings it with such emotion!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
I keep rewinding it..
I fell in a loop of memory versions and this one made me cry.
That was actually well in the movie too but that's about all the movie did well
Transposing music in cromatic mediants (like at that moment) does that to you. It's really emotional. That's why it's my favorite trick to use when composing.
Can we talk about Jemima’s “like a flower”?! BEAUTIFUL FLAWLESS AMAZING
YES SOMEONE SAID IT 😭
Gorgeous 😍
I love the performer who plays Jemima so much, each time she's on stage my eyes always move to find her. But I don't think that's her voice we hear, I remember reading a comment on another video, and people were saying how they were upset that her voice was dubbed over with this version :(
@@tessfan12 I think it was because the actress Veerle Casteleyn was Belgian and they were worried about an accent, so she was dubbed over.
always remember that part from when I was a kid somethin bout the tone of voice just omg
can you imagine the amount of goosebumps you'd get hearing that live?
yes i did
@@sonnysinger9107 im jealous
i wish
id cry
I heard it live! It was so powerful and moving, tears well up.
Elaine just nailed the acting and characterization like no one else could. I’ve seen so many versions of this where the performer is smiling throughout, why would you smile at all during this song?!? Not only that, but every nuance is just perfect. I wouldn’t have changed the thing.
Jennifer Hudson nailed it in the movie too like, not only vocally but everything, she wasn't smiling as well 🎉
Yes, definitely. I know this sounds weird, but her singing has a kind of meowing quality to it. It's not at all smarmy or maudlin (like that awful Streisand version). Her facial expressions and voice quality are genuinely moving. She really hit the sweet spot in this performance.
@@helgathegreat just saw that recently and agree!
I disagree completely. Hudson could have knocked it put of the park if the acting direction had just LET her rather than making her sob and snot through the whole thing.
No one beats Elaine as Grizabella. Jennifer Hudson doesn't have the takes, she's a singer and actress. But not Broadway experience.
The fear in her voice when she sings
*"The memory is fading"*
Is just haunting, she doesn't want to lose it.
One of the many reasons I feel Elaine is one of tbe few people who can do this song justic
Chills every time. Actually surprised myself and got big emotional at the climax of this song first time I watched this. I discovered the spectacle of Cats the Musical through a video describing just how bad Cats the Movie screwed up on every level. New respect for this entire show
Sideways was it?
Me, too
Omg same, i just wached the entire play!
Sideways Pog
Sideways just gave me an entire new obsession
For me it’s the eyes. Elaine Page’s vocals are up there with the best of them, but no one has *ever* emoted with their eyes in this song the way she does. I buy her pain, hurt, desperation, pride, and strength all through her eyes.
They are, after all, the window to the soul.
Matt Thompson keri. fuller. period
Yes, she made my heart shake!
That's why this is my favorite version of this song. I can feel her pain I'm suffering just buy her expression
What also helps is the way they did her make-up, they dragged everything down so she constantly looks sad. Most other Grizabella make-up I've seen they just dirty her up, here it looks like she's genuinely broken inside. Really adds to the performance as a whole. Elaine is perfection.
@@Graycata never fails to make me cry
3:33 This single change of microexpression gets me everytime. You can actually see her face light up as she sings the word "happiness", and then, in a split second, it goes back to grief and sadness. Absolutely incredible acting.
Yes I noticed this as well. Very subtle! 🤌 especially with her eyes looking back straight as if coming out of the trance.
me too! i love it every time!
as a cat ages ....
Jemima's voice is so pure. Nothing else to describe it as. Pure
Yes! Immaculate 👏
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
Yes! And the actual actor’s voice is beautiful too!
@@OfficialROZWBRAZEL Bruh, that's...what I meant? It's very common to refer to an actor by their character's name, regardless of whether or not you know their actual name (which I do not)??
@@drakkonscythe No, the voice we hear in this is _not_ the actress's actual singing voice. Her accent was very strong so they dubbed it. Go look for clips of her actually singing, she still has a very cute and lovely voice.
@@OfficialROZWBRAZEL Huh. Interesting
The amount of emotion in the climax makes me cry every single time.
Xristina Quiroz ...same sis same
Same here. Tears tears tears.
the amount of emotion in the cry makes me climax every single time
Facts
YES! Goosebumps and tears, every time
The emotion shown in her eyes while singing displays more talent that most actors can muster in their entire career.
forget the voice, it's once of the best all time.
So true
Really true. There is no replacing these people... Elaine Paige, Michael Crawford, not to mention Andrew himself... just unbelievable talent.
good you say most actors
She almost cried from the looks of it, this is also more emotion than what I saw in the remake trailer.
@@TheHeirofDrakkon She has a scene before this, where she's trying to move like she did when she was young, and she goes from "smiling" to gut-wrenching sad in an absolutely brilliant way.
It's touching how at first most cats avoid looking at her but by the end they're all paying attention to what she's singing. Demeter and Bombalurina seem particularly moved, Munkustrap is staring at Old Deuteronomy's reactions, Jellylorum sits still while Victoria approaches Grizabella again.
Mistophelees seems quite moved by her singing as well. He turns around at "and I mustn't give in" right on cue
those aren't their names, you made those up
Can we just talk about jemima’s vocals during her part? When she starts with “sunlight” my ears were blessed❤️
Seriously
Not to mention she’s absolutely beautiful. Who is that singer/actress?
It’s not her singing
@@katlyneakle7837 who is it then
@@0.lori.mori.0 veerle casteleyn is the actress but she’s being dubbed over by helen massey I believe. apparently she had too thick of an accent :(
YOU CAN SEE THE PAIN IN HER EYES
*CRYS*
true
SBB it’s because she’s a great musical actress who can really get into the feels. She’s extraordinary.
TRUE
STFU
*Cries
I can't believe this was 1998. I wish I was there to have heard this live. God her voice transcends the decades.
I was there in 1998 and saw this live on broadway. Pierced my soul! One of my most amazing "memories."
@@nicolettaasmr you’re so lucky to have seen her live.
@@jalicea1650 breathtaking!
Lo vi en Argentina por tv Films and Art..inovidable.
This was 81
This is not the first time I heard this song, but HOLY COW, that "The memory is fading." and "Touch me! It's so easy to leave me..." hit me hard this time.
The harmony between Jemima & Grizabella gives me chills every time i hear it and raptures my soul. Elaine Page has made it impossible for anyone else to embody this role. She is a true legend in every sense of the word.
Her voice is amazing, it literally made my eyes tear up, and that's an impressive feat. Bravo Madam, bravo.
Susan Boyle maybe
keri fuller has met this challenge
I’m always moved by the surprised way Grizabella pops up after hearing Jemima’s voice chime in like a ray of sunshine. It’s as if she’d just heard that she’d been freed from a horrible prison and was immediately prompted to make her final plea for acceptance.
*cough* Betty Buckley *cough*
Sometimes, our cat is just meowing in the middle of the night with no apparent reason. I just pretend that she's just singing Memory. Well, probably she is.
That made me cry for some reason. Please, hug your kitty!
What a cuty kitty
nah man she probably dying
Yeees
Sing with her. Make a kareoke night with her.
One good thing that Cats (2019) did was make us appreciate this version a lot more.
Amen
the movie was so lierally bad ....thankfuly i watched the theater side....and will remember what is the real CATS.
This is a musical... Personified.
And that's on period
It made people appreciate the 1998 more (except for Skimbleshanks, the 2019 version is an actual good adaptation of the stage version)
This song alone is singlehandedly responsible for this fever dream of a musical success
Betty Buckley may have the amazingly effortless full belt that pierces through you, but nobody pulled out the raw emotions in both voice and acting like Elaine Page. Once that climax hits, she looks like she is in agony with her grief and sadness. One of the finest performances ever.
Completely agree! Betty is superb vocally but the way Elaine sang it with so much emotion...i don’t think anyone can top that!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
@@TheCosmicNote Don't beg on other videos.
Agreed, and her vibrato is just exceptional
Very true. Nobody else I heard has packed so much hurt into the song as she has. She reserves all the power for the climax. Buckley puts so much pride into the part that one thinks: she's kinda fine, don't worry about her. Page's choice is reaching out at a different level.
Amen!!!!
Why is nobody talking about how she nailed the climax WHILE STANDING UP just a second before? If anyone has sung before, you know that while what she did does technically make sense, it would have to have pretty much perfect timing. Not to mention that breathing in while standing up like that would give me super intense vertigo.
Agreed! It’s really difficult. I can never do that!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
They recorded the music before filming. Not singing live
@@oldageisdumb But still, people do this live all the time
@@oldageisdumb then damn, she did an amazing job lip-syncing
@@oldageisdumb they do that in live, London theatre? Really....😂
The song is heart wrenching but what makes it even more so is the look on her face when Victoria lays her hand (paw) in hers. That's the look of someone who has been touched starved for years, wanting affection but also afraid to reach out from being rejected so many times but still hopes that someone would reach back. Don't mind me I'm emotional.
I felt the same way! Just that look of "Ah~" and peace after endless pain.
#pandemicfeels
There's a similar feeling when Jemima starts singing an accompaniment to her halfway through the song. Demeter and Bombalurina sang during Grizabella's song, but it wasn't an accompaniment, it was accusatory and hammered home her isolation. The first instance of Memory was also the only full song in the show that was a solo with no chorus.
Memory
Turn your face to the moonlight
Let your memory lead you
Open up enter in
If you find there
The meaning of what happiness is
Then a new life will begin
Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember
The time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory
Live again
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
A street lamp dies
Another night is over
Another day is dawning
Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Sunlight through the trees in summer
Endless masquerading
Like a flower as the dawn is breaking
The memory is fading
Touch me
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day
Has begun
Jemima's voice with Grizabella's is absolutely beautiful. Jemima's soprano voice that's so soothing and Grizzabella's reed alto voice is so perfect. It's so beautiful.
Helen Massey
@@chrisliamshepard254
They didn't ask😂.
The agony and ecstasy of growing old
Ikr it's beautiful
2:37 what is her name
Baby did that. Nobody can touch this, and no damn CGI can touch any of these incredibly talented individuals.
Oh fuck you. Cats cast is good so shut up
Fuck off, same bullshit. The creepy characters look like shit regardless of the version.
@@jacoby_iron5812 wth how can you judge the acting without even watching the movie
@@nheilvocal3801 Bold of you to assume he hasn't seen the movie...
@@persephone2706 ummmm excuse me? The movie hasnt been released yet.
The fact that Andrew Lloyd Webber had a big part in how this taping of the theater show went and was extremely hard on the actors to get it exactly how he wanted, shows how dedicated and determined he was. He wanted us to experience it perfectly, and we did.
Elaine Page is the best Grizabella we could ever have asked for. I've experienced it live with a different cast, but nothing comes close to this original.
Completely agree! I wish I could’ve seen this live!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
@@TheCosmicNote jesus christ I see you on ever comment section
She is very beautiful and amazing voice ❤️
It feels like jemima’s voice can’t not be photoshopped. It’s so pure and beautiful that it doesn’t sound real
You do know it's not her singing, right? Her actress is Belgian and has a distinct accent, so they dubbed over her with another singer.
I think you mean "autotuned". Photoshop is a image editing programm.
Saying “photoshopped” instead of auto tuned is so funny actually
How is it that these cats look so much better than a movie made 20+ years later?
because the movie took the cats thing too literally
@Abeni Schwebke then why didn't they take the costumes seriously? Like damn that's poor excuse... many fantasy films have done better with their costumes...
It' because these cats are practical effects and makeup while the movie is all CGI. This is the same reason that the orcs in the Lord of the Rings movies look so much better than the ones in the Hobbit.
Because it's realistic
If the movie production can't afford realistic CGI they could have just use costumes and make up then cgi for feature enhancements... that's cheaper...
the ultimate "crying for help" song, add any mental issue with it, and it all comes down to wanting to feel that you belong somewhere, that you are accepted by everyone else
The ultimate song for aging and bittersweet nostalgia as well. Feeling your best days are behind you...😔
@@AxeKick80 well, they're not.
it's all about perspective. There is always something new you can do and explore, always a skill you haven't mastered and always some knowledge you haven't gained yet
You just elevated this song from sad to gut-wrenching and beautiful.
To me memory is a song about loving life.
As someone who has major mental issues, this song is my go to for a calming session.
The entire appeal of Cats was that it was an experience you could only get in theater. The stage, the costumes, the songs, it was like the theater house was its own separate world, one of actors and props, and plays were your gateway to that world. It had no business being made into a movie.
Pay attention at 3:03, that is not a dub, she is holding that note WHILE STANDING UP!
That is incredible.
Everyone who sings Memory and means it just show their absolute talent.
Like the one time it was sung during the Oscars and the woman went from crouching to standing without pitch change.
Edit.
Betty Buckly and the Tony awards.
It actually is a dub, as all the vocals in the 1998 film were pre recorded in a studio. But Elaine did regularly perform with this range of motion when doing it live at the West End which is absolutely mind boggling to me 😵💫
@@LucyAylerI would imagine she would have done the motions in the studio too, it needed to be perfectly in sync with the stage performance in which they sang too, they didn’t perform it in silence.
That is UN FRIKKIN REAL!!!
@Lucy-lp5yx this is a recording of a live production, the original group would preform in London theatre ext
This is a plea. This is a desperate, genuine plea for someone, anyone to help her.
'It's so easy to leave me!'
Me: (while sobbing) WHO HURT YOU?! WHOOO?!
Life.
Literally all the jellicles lmao
Sofia Horstman l.
all the cats ok do u not watch the show ???
XD
3:07
_"Touch me! It's so easy to leave me!"_
Me, running towards the stage with tears in my eyes: I'M COMIN' GRIZZIE!
Meeeeee
i cryed
Me too! 😭 Every time
sry i have dirty mind about the touch part
Aw lawd he comin'!
I've seen it live on stage three times, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when Grizabella sang "Memory." But what *really* gets me is when, just after Grizabella collapses in hopeless despair, Jemima stands and begins to sing in that indescribably pure, unbelievably beautiful voice. Brings a tear to my eye ... every. single. time.
But why is no one talking about Jemima, she has such a stunning voice and every time I hear her part it gives me goosebumps.
I know right! She's my favorite cat in this musical!
It's Grizabella's song that's why.
I’ve seen loads of comments about her lol
@@Yes-ey4wq ya, every other comment is about her, lol
And she has a spike collar. Adorable and deadly...
I heard Jennifer Hudson’s rendition, she is so utterly talented but no one can sing it like Elaine Paige, she totally understands Grizabella
Her voice was killer but man all that snot was distracting.
Qris wtf 🙄
This IS Elaine Paiges’’ role 😮 blissful voice 👏👏incredible!
I saw Sarah Brightman play this role in London.. She was also amazing.
She was also married to Andrew Lloyd Webber at the time I believed.
Umm, you seem to have omitted the original Broadway and (IMO) far superior, Ms. Buckley. Page is certainly good; but I don’t feel near Buckley in the role. Not only in voice, but perhaps principally because (as others have pointed out), Buckley played the part with strength and defiance. Someone who has been shunned, but has not doubted her self worth. Whereas Page, and the uninspiring and far worse Hudson versions, play the role as desperate for approval, pathetic even (certainly in the Hudson version).
For example: toward the end, when she sings “if you touch me,” Page seems desperate and scared in her facial expression(same with the touch at the end). Now Buckley at the 83 Tony’s video on YT, it’s strength and dignity. (I won’t even mention Hudson, other than to agree she suffered from the American Idol desire to just belt everything out; missing restraint. I think the reviewer who said JH looked constipated during Memory was too harsh, though.)
That’s my take and opinion at least. Thank God for UA-cam for these videos.
Wow. I've never seen Cats but of course after the movie came out I got curious about the original musical. I watched Jennifer Hudson's rendition first and thought it was lovely. BUT this one brought tears to my eyes. The raw emotion as she sang that climax was absolutely breathtaking.
It tears me up every time I watch this and I watch this 5x back to back and tear up over and over again. That's the difference between Hollywood and Broadway. Broadway performers don't have special affects or music to prep an audience before hand predisposing an emotion but Broadway performers have to showcase their story by their actions, gestures and facial expressions which makes it very real and raw live. She is a magnificent artist and I appreciate her art form and talents enabling be to feel all those things from behind my screen. Apologies for my extensive addition 🙏.
It’s so amazing not only because of the emotion in this very song but the build up of the plot throughout the story, unlike the movie which confused me about Veronica and Grizzabella
I love this musical, but this song has never made me cry until now. I had my cat for 21 years. I was six when we adopted her. We just lost her a few months ago. Now this song makes me think of her.
The fact that this song is about an old unwanted cat that just wants to be touched and loved makes it so sad. You can imagine she had a loving home and was then discarded. Those are the happy memories she refers to. Now each day she hopes she'll find that happiness again only for the day to end without it. Also, it's a message not to overlook the senior cat with the matted fur. Give them a chance. Touch them and YOU'LL see what happiness is and the happy memories will live again for that cat as they'll once again be loved. 😭😭😭😭 #adoptdontshop
Muy triste
You pass on a wonderful message to all of us. All life, however unloved it looks is worth loving and cherishing.
Best wishes to you
You are right.
@Pai de Whatsapp you play roblox shut up
She was probably a prized show cat,but once she got too old to show or breed from,she was tossed out.
best version of memory ever!!! salute to elaine page
Gerald Posadas agree
Gerald Posadas this whole movie is the best version
Owl Lover - I would agree, however the movie never included Growltiger's Last Stand. A real shame, other than that, the movie is great.
Betty Buckley was better imo
John Arindale agreed I cry every time I watch her perform it
I just wanna hug every cat who feels this way. :'(
Mich S me to... Me to
me
Same
Me too 😿.
And every human...
One of my favorite duets. Grizelda's voice is so rich and soulful and Jemima's voice is so clear and angelic. The harmony is indescribable.
3:07 you can hear the pain, desperation, and fear in her voice when she lets out the last scream she has any energy for. Her last chance for new life, and she’s begging for anyone just to touch her. To just acknowledge her presence.
Then you hear the defeat in her voice. Her slowly coming to terms that she won’t be reborn. One last exasperated plea.
Not the greatest broadway show, but absolutely one of the greatest broadway hits of all time, paired with a masterful performance.
Exquisite tbh
But at the end, they accepted her, and she was chosen to be reborn.
Oh definitely, when I heard the music along with the amazing singing it’s always a tear jerker for me
God damn... 20 years on, and Jemima's voice is still one of the most angelically beautiful things I've ever heard.
Agree
...welp, I feel old.
I love how she gets up from the ground she's not afraid of looking clumsy and off balance and just fling herself into the next line. So many new grizabella's are too busy looking pretty
Princess Lisa Marie 1:51 Munkustrap’s expression says it all: what have we done?
Dillon Ohlemiller ah! good spy!
@@dillonohlemiller9027 I never noticed that, that's beautiful.
I could not care less about the rest of the musical, but I would give anything to be able to see this song performed live. Absolutely awe-inspiring
Same
I got to see the national tour front row center for my birthday, I didn’t know anything about cats (and front row center is a bit to close for this play) however memory was amazing
I agree. I'm just not into all the cheap emotionalism of Broadway musicals. But I would stand in line to watch Elaine Page sing this song in all her kitty cat make-up with those amazing expressions and all that emotion.
“Touuuch mee, it’s so eeeeassy to leave me” I felt that...my mouth did exactly as hers...didn’t sound the same but my heart was there
Taufu'a'alemalo Ella same man
as soon as I read this she started singing it, like at the same exact time
Kinda hot ngl
I ALWAYS CRY AT THIS PART
My husband absolute adored cats and understood them like nobody else did
When he died I had to sing this song at his funeral service.
Upto this very day by now 15 years ago, It can stil make me tearful when I hear it.
❤❤
My grandfather played this at my grandmother’s funeral. She loved cats. I also remember her playing the recording of this musical every now and again. Since then it’s always made me cry. Now I’m listening to it because I lost my partner a few months ago. She was with me when I found out my grandmother had passed. She knew what this song meant to me. Now this song carries even more meaning. I just wish I was a good singer. It would be cathartic to sing.
O@@swordspiritghirahim
I'm crying for you and sending love
I’m not even a cats fan and this song slaps.
I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
I don't personally give a fig for musical theater or Cats in general, but this is just undeniably one of the greatest musical performances ever, and I will always come back to it
Lyrics:
Turn your face to the moonlight
Let your memory lead you
Open up, enter in
If you find there the meaning of what happiness is
Then a new life will begin
Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember a time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Burnt out ends of smokey days
The stale cold smell of morning
A streetlamp dies - another night is over
Another day is dawning
Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Sunlight through the trees in summer
Endless masquerading
Like a flower as the dawning is breaking
The memory is fading
Touch me
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with a memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
Thanks
Thank you
Thank you!!
LOVE THIS SONG FOREVER
Thanks
She sings so easily, so naturally. There's no strain in her voice and that makes it 10 times more enjoyable to listen to/watch.
It looks like this song is so effortless for her but it’s a really hard song to sing. That too, to sing and act together is even harder and she nailed it!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
i love how the other cats go from aggressively ignoring her to silently watching her while she sings
Yes!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
Everyone needs their moments. 😂😊
English is not my native language sorry for that. I was getting piano lessons 2 years ago and my teacher taught me this masterpiece on piano i was playing it perfectly i loved it. Then I moved for the university and we didn't talk in that time. 4-5 hours ago he just passed away and I'm now here listening this piece and crying for him. I just wanted to share my feelings.
Anyone love the duet portion of the song at 2:50?!
Elaine Paige KILLS it here and it perfectly goes right to the climax of the song.
That's the part that makes me cry 😭
Just wish to have version of this song where they both sing whole thing
Exactly
Who's the second caractère of the duo, and the actress
@@sylvainflorence9155 the character is Jemima. She is played by Veerle Casteleyn.
And Jemima switches to a maybe alto, or mezzo-soprano there, complimenting Grizzabella's baritone SO well, it's absolutely beautiful!
What makes this song so special, is how it reveals the true spirit of the play.
It's not JUST about the secret life of cats, it's about the pain of knowing that youth only lasts for so long. In time, all our youthful energy, strength, talent, and beauty will fade away. And until the moment comes where the Angel of Death arrives to lead each of us out of this world and into the next, all we will have left will be those fond memories of our glorious and happy days in the sun.
I love this comment so much, honestly....
If you say so. This song was only added late in the writing process so that it would have a big hit ballad.
It also doesn't help when you have the life span of a cat
Very well summarized.
Worst thing about the movie is so many people will assume this musical is a horrible, uncanny valley horror experience and miss out on the very real emotional impact of the musical.
dont worry. I was horrified by the movie and now im here discovering how great the musical is :-)
Glad to find other newcomers here!
Maybe something good did come from Cats (2019).
No, i'm glad about the movie cause it makes me descovery the movie
I also finally watched the musical after seeing the movie. Turns out I love it and I should have given it a chance when I was 13.
I think part of it also is when you see a musical live, you are impacted as much by the performance as the story. The actors/dancers are doing it live and they don't get multiple takes. It puts the audience into a sympathetic relationship with the performers. Movies invariably lose that feeling of presence you get in the theater.
One of the few songs that moves me to tears every single time I listen to it
Same.
Cleansing my soul from the cats movie by watching this masterpiece
Exactly what I'm doing now 😂
me too
This is infinitely better than the crappy remake
2:53 I know that Elaine Page absolutely kills this song she is so good, but that inflection on the end of the word "Flower" by the woman singing in the background was just jaw dropping! Holy shit that must be the most beautiful second of a woman singing I have ever heard...
I agree - she did so well. Her voice was bright, and clear, and so beautiful. She doesn't get a lot of credit but she killed it and really moves people every time they hear or watch this!
tankmaster1018 I know it is crazy her voice almost sounds auto-tuned
IKR! Does anyone know her name?
+tacokotaco Veerle Casteleyn?
Edit: Well apparently I had the right person, but its not her voice that you hear in this video. Guess they dubbed another singer who's accent wasn't as heavy or something? But whenever you try to find anything from Helen Massey singing CATS, there isn't really anything, and on top of that there is hardly anything at all on UA-cam with her singing. Damn... I'm not even a big fan of this musical and I'm getting sucked into trying to figure out the story behind this now! Lmfao
Edit 2: And now I just saw more comments saying its a woman named Jemima something... I am completely lost now!
tankmaster1018 Thank you!
2:33 Honestly Jemima is so pretty. Like it’s so wacky how pretty the actress looks even if she’s dressed up as a cat.
I agree completely. She’s freakin adorable.
I will tell pam
At this point, you're used to it. You've already sat through 3/4 of a show of this, it's not weird anymore.
More proof that cats are prettier than people
furry detected. Run before the cops come.
This is one of those videos you come back to and never get tired of.
[2:33] is Jemima’s part and let me just say when her and Grizabella are sing together I get goosebumps every time.
You have no idea how many times I’ve rewinded to that part just to hear that beautiful harmony.
Same here
mee too... repeat and repeat again. Crystal clear voice and expression
The best moment I love...
ME TOO!!!! i need it on streaming or to hear the artists music i love it
Grizzabella and Jemima’s duet is SO PRETTY, the roughness of Grizzabella goes so well with Jemima’s soft vocals
She leaves it all on stage in her performance! Incredible!
Elaine’s version is everything because it’s so beautifully acted. She conveys such desperation, loneliness, and torture that is missing her old life in just one look/note. Even Betty Buckley’s version rings a bit hollow to me. I don’t know why everyone praises Betty when Elaine made this song what it is today.
I agree. It's just that this song's not about how well ya sing it, it's about how well you portray this pain that Grizzabella is going through both with your voice and your body. This song is a cry of pain and hope, not a song you can exactly belt out like Betty did. Betty portrayed a Grizzabella who was still glamorous despite everything and perhaps in doing that it's missing the point entirely because Grizzabella was casted out of society and desperately wants to go back, so portraying her as a cat who's still feeling like they're glamorous and confident is just not doing justice to the idea of Grizabella's character. If you watch Betty's performance, you can see her express emotion but it's not pain, it's not sorrow, she looks poised and unaffected by what she's singing and that's where she fails. I agree with everyone else that Betty's voice is incredible and deserves praise, but Elaine's is just the better version overall.
@@redblackjester Dude you hit the nail on the head. It's more complicated than that too. From a musical standpoint, Betty's version is kinda better. She takes a lot of liberties in the notes and tempo of the song, singing a lot of it it tempo rubato which means "stolen time". She not only maintains the emotion and power behind her words, but she does it while modulating freely up and down in her register to emphasis certain lines and speeds up/down so she can linger on some of those prettier words and sounds. She and the orchestra separate and merge back together in some beautiful ways that feel like two singers in perfect harmony. On the other hand, Elaine follows the music as it was written and while the orchestra compliments her, there is no individual freedom and variation. It's still great but its a different type of great. Both performers are amazing, and while that was some nerdy crap, I'm no professional musician. All I can say to describe it is that Betty hammers emotion into your soul while Elaine draws it out like a water well. And it goes without saying that emotion the comes from within will always be more powerful.
PL en un poco más tarde Westey
@@goosequillwrites_ para la próxima semana se estrena en la mañana a juntarmiie el
I'm South East Asian, and this mesmerized me. It's so beautiful.
Jemima's voice is unreal. It sounds almost computerized because it is so perfect.
I always want to follow Grizzabella up those stairs!
Helen massey
Jemima's voice was actually dubbed. Her actress in the 1998 film was Dutch, and they dubbed her over with a British actress over fears that her accent would make her unintelligible.
Veerle Casteleyn is Belgian
Who is Jemima
Even the simple story behind the original poem and song is heartwrenching. A cat who's owner used to put it in pageants and stuff, only to abandon it once it gets old. Then just going through the perspective of it as it walks through empty streets. "Burnt out ends of smoky days, the still cold smell of morning. A streetlamp dies, another night is over, another day is dawning."
Within the context of this story, I suspect Grizabella's backstory is a bit less misanthropic but perhaps somewhat more tragic.
Instead of abandoning her because she gets old her owner abandoned because the owner died.
That makes Grizabella the perfect choice for the Jellicle choice: she already has someone waiting for her on the Heaviside Layer.
That is the greatest note ever sang above Pavarotti. I’m sobbing and going to listen to it again. Damn. Amazing.
The most beautiful moment in the history of musical theater! When she sings: “Touch me! It’s so easy to leave me!” I get goosebumps!
Who doesn’t?
It makes me emotional too!
@3:08 my tears started to fall. You can feel the anguish, frustration, and desperation in her voice. My golly, this image lingers in my head and cuts so deeply.
Same! She’s an absolutely amazing artist!
Also, I tried to cover this beautiful song. It’s not perfect😅 but it would really mean the world to me if you gave a listen to it!🤗
I swear I’m a tough person. However, every time I hear this song I cry like a newborn baby. I can hold it in until “If you touch me, you’ll understand what happiness is.” That line is just so raw and emotional. It sends me into literal hysterics. I would elaborate more but I can’t put it into words…because I’m crying again. 😭😭
why this line strong impact on you ??
It’s the line “it’s so easy to leave me!” That the tears come pouring out! So I understand ❤
Sexual activities😂😂😂
I cry as well Xx 😢😢
I fall apart at "I remember the time I knew what happiness was."
After that, I'm more broken than an opera house chandelier...
*(👉ﾟヮﾟ)👉*
Years and years I've heard this song and chills every time 🥹💕
many female singers have sung this song but no one like her, she does it beautifully. Maravilloso Bravo !!!!!!!
I heard it live and watch the play. The cost was $35. Dollars. Iwas shocked I would pay double now just to here her sing meomeries live again. Thanks Robinson Center music hall in little Rock for hosting the play.
Has anyone else noticed that when Grizabella begins to sing, everyone is turning away from her but at the song goes on they slowly begin to turn towards her
The first person I noticed to turn around was Jennyanydots.
You seriously need more likes
As a kid I always noticed Mr. Mistofelees turning around right when she sings “and I mustn’t give in”. I always thought it was the moment the rest of the cats respected her so they turned around too🤷🏼♀️
Jenny, Etcetera and Elektra were the first to look around
i did
Anyone else randomly come back to this performance whenever they wanna feel their heart strings tugged?
Yes.
Sometimes I think how mad it must be for the co stars of legends like Elaine Page to just watch something like this unfold in realtime and just keep it together.
Well, they watch it over and over and over and over and over, and then some more. There comes a point where it goes from a staggering performance to just the usual.
Elaine Paige is excellent as Grizabella. this is the definitive version of "Memory". this version always makes me feel sorry for Grizabella, because Elaine Paige gives us a tragic performance, and this song is the pinnacle of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical career. CATS: Now & Forever.
Don't forget Betty Buckley in the original Broadway production!Grisabella
I've always been more of a Phantom guy, but this song is so beautiful.
@@gesk betty didnt give that emotion elaine did
Gregory Eskridge Betty Buckley is d best vocally, but Elaine Paige performed Grizabella better. She made me cry.
I remember standing on a hotel balcony with my Grandmother in Val d'isere in France, many years ago. I must have been 10 or 11 at the time and Cats would have only been a musical for only a couple of years. It was very cold and snowing and I remember her singing this song to me and telling me that she felt that way about herself and even though I was a child, I understood on some level what she meant and it must have been very impactful because I remember it so clearly 40 or so years later. Grandma is long gone, but the memory does indeed linger on. I was taught a lesson about the frailty and fragility of life that day. I'm quite sure it wasn't her intention, but that was what happened. I struggle to listen to the song today, chiefly because of that memory.
This is such a quintessential performance, especially for any of us 90s kids who owned the VHS. There was so much depth and meaning, and so much life in her eyes. This song got greater over time with Elaine. The whole show got greater over time, and that's inspiring to me.
KAY DENÉ I HAD THAT VHS. WATCHED IT UNTIL IT BROKE
KAY DENÉ This musical will always hold a special place in my heart for so many reasons but this performance of Memories always puts me in tears for in truly is a link to my childhood and my grandma who I lost several years ago. Memories was her favorite and I never understood why until I was older
I straight up grew up on this film. I want to find a copy for my collection today.
Yea, I was probably 7-8 when I saw this and it is hands down one of the best productions/musical I can never forget
It on dvd now I got it now
'Memory' was the first song I learned 18 years ago at my singing lessons ❤️ Last week my singing teacher died of cancer and today would be her birthday. I'm so thankful that she teached me this song.
Why am I sitting here and having a crush on the FUCKING CAT that she sang with.
She owns this song she has such a beautiful and powerful voice and her performance made me cry
It’s called Jemima and it must be protected at all costs
@@blueshell292 she's so adorable 😭☺️
@@mollygarrigan6763 I absolutely agree and I’m so glad other people are picking up on this. The only thing is apparently her singing voice was overdubbed by another singer - but its still one of the most pristine voices I’ve ever ever heard in my life, like seriously
@@shazkeys_ yeah she sounds a lot older she had too much of a accent there is videos of her singing as jamima and she's really good
Veerle Casteleyn, I think, because of her accent, so we see her but are hearing Helen Massey, but it may be a mixture in different songs? You can hear Veerle's own voice in the Dutch cats, & she is adorable.
Thanks to Sideway , I understand that the most important part of this song is the "touch me" part -- not the moonlight part.
See, this is where Cats the Musical should have stayed. Not everything needs to turned into a movie.
This shit looks awful. Of all the musicals, what made them think that THIS would be a good movie. Whoever the artsy farsy director is needs to checked for any involvement with bestiality
I've seen some sources call *this* version of Cats a film. IMO, it's more of a stage recording; but regardless, it's way better than the 2019 one for sure.
Well, I guess we got it out of the way. Now let’s forget it happened.
Nothing *needs* to be turned into a movie.
Apparently Steven Spielberg wanted to produce an animated film adaptation back in the 90s, but he could never get it off the ground. If you were going to adapt this to film, that seems like the most appropriate medium to me.
This song makes me wish I could adopt and care for every senior cat I can rescue.
I don’t know anything about this musical but I’m sobbing
Azul
Amparo montes szul
Same and I’m not much into musicals
Blunderscrew _ Shes basically Grizabella the Glamour cat who left the rest of the cats when she was younger and her life crashed.
She came back to the cats and they don’t accept her because she left them before for a fancier life. Also it’s implied she’s diseased
@@roseclouds5838 anywhere where i can watch/listen to this musical fully? id like to understand the story behind it
Misto just be sparkling in the back
he can't turn off the fabulous. it's who he is.
this song breaks my heart but I'm wheezing at this I'm sorry
For dramatic effect ofc
I DO love how EVEN NOW, when she's putting everything on the line, Old Deuteronomy is STILL reaching for her. And I love how THIS TIME, when Victoria goes to touch Grizabella, she looks back and rather than stopping her, Old Deuteronomy tells her to go. And there's this expression of pure joy on Grizabella's face when she feels Victoria's hand touching hers. And initially, most of the other cats have their backs to her....but by the end, she has gained ALL of their respect.
I was able to experience Cats live over 20 years ago. I Think i was about 6 or 7 Years old. It was incredible, an experience that I have not forgotten to this day. Cats also had a big influence on me, I am a total cat person and have 4 cats of my own. Memory is one of the most beautiful songs for me, I wished that it would be played at my funeral one day.
the harmony at 2:52 is so beautiful
SHe will eat u
it’s not so much a harmony as it is singing in unison, as i believe they are singing the same note but in different octaves. but my God, is it beautiful...
Meow
@@camille.8285 a duet
My 19 yaer old cat died in January this year, I cannot hear this without weeping, I miss her so much-she was epic.
Jemima?
Ratio of 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉
@@nottristan6300 stop trying to be quirky please
Hugs
My 18yr old rescue cat who was a grey/tan tortie passed away a month ago, weirdly a month after I first saw cats in person. Makes me cry too.. we got her at 7yrs old and I always think of her being a “model kitten” with her beauty. Miss her like crazy! wishing u peace.
I haven’t seen the show, or the movie. I’ve only seen a video of someone talking about how the show was way better than the movie and They played a part of this song. I liked what I was hearing so I decided to check out the full song.
This song made me cry at “touch me, it’s so easy to leave me”
Without the context of the show this song was able to make me cry... that’s impressive music for you
Man same though. This song made me cry every time he played it and I ended up going and watching the musical today because I just couldn't get it out of my head. What an amazing performance.
I just had the exact same experience
I saw movie
Like
ua-cam.com/video/zrE5Yhy2rks/v-deo.html
Four years later and I still cry every time she raises her voice
I feel like the thing missing from the other version is desperation - absolute miserable desperation of a cat that's been cast out and neglected for years upon years, left in the trash, with nothing more to lose but their mortal soul, reaching with every ounce of their heart towards the last flickering light of hope that remains.
@@neveropenyourmoutharoundfo1903 Uh, citation needed?
@@neveropenyourmoutharoundfo1903 no dumbass
I cannot agree more with your comment. And Memory is just perfect song that such emotions are concentrated into..
Absolutely. This performance is untouchable.
Did we watch the same movie?
I literally dont know anything about this musical. I've only ever heard Memory and this one. But God damn that "touch me, it's so easy to leave me." Is so fucking good I cry everytime.
See I think thats what the cats movie is missing. The cat mouth.
It would look weird with a cat body and mouth and just human eyes though 😂
George joy that is true.
and noses. the bare human face is just really odd.
Cat mouth
George joy it looks weird regardless
My wife kept on at me to see this musical for years, I eventually surprised her taking her to London to see the musical just before it closed at the New London theatre , did I like it ? My wife passed away in 2019 and up until then we saw the stage show at various venues 28 times ! I miss you my Grizabella !
A motif that most people don't notice is that of all the cats to have touched Grizabella, it was Victoria (the cat just coming of age).
This speaks to the fact that progress is largely a youthful institution.
The whole play, the older cats were shunning Grizabella, and Victoria was turned away from Grizabella by them. It's fitting that Victoria be the one to make progress... since she's the only one looking at this state of affairs with new eyes.
The paradox of the situation is that those most able to see the world clearly WITHOUT their own personal baggage and the baggage of the community... are also those who are most naive and in need of guidance