Memory (Cats song)

"Memory", often incorrectly referred to as "Memories", is a show tune from the 1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats sung by the character Grizabella, a one-time glamour cat who is now a shell of her former self. The song is a nostalgic remembrance of her glorious past and a declaration of her wishes to start a new life. Sung briefly in the first act and in full near the end of the show, "Memory" is the climax of the musical, and by far its most popular and well-known song.

The lyric, written by Cats director Trevor Nunn, was based on T. S. Eliot's poems "Preludes" and "Rhapsody on a Windy Night". Lloyd Webber's former writing partner, Tim Rice and contemporary collaborator Don Black submitted a lyric to the show's producers for consideration, although Nunn's version was favoured. Elaine Paige has said that she sung a different lyric to the tune of Memory for the first 10 previews of Cats.

Lloyd Webber, fearing that the tune sounded too similar to a work of Puccini, and the opening - the haunting main theme - also resembles the flute solo in The Mamas & the Papas' 1965 song "California Dreamin'", asked his father's opinion. According to Lloyd Webber, his father responded, "It sounds like a million dollars!" So he based the haunting opening bars of the tune on Ravel's Bolero.^{[citation needed]} The careful listener could also notice the famous lines of Memory sounds highly similar to the song Viņi dejoja vienu vasaru, composed by the Latvian composer Imants Kalniņš for Elpojiet dziļi, a 1967 Latvian movie.

Prior to its inclusion in Cats, the tune was ear-marked for earlier Lloyd Webber projects, including a ballad for Perón in Evita and as a song for Max in his original 1970's draft of Sunset Boulevard.

In its original orchestration, the song's climax is in the key of D-flat major, the composer's favourite.

The arrangement of the lyrics in the show were changed after the initial recordings of the track, with the first verse beginning,"Midnight, not a sound from the pavement..." being used in only the brief, Act I rendition of the song and a new verse, "Memory, turn your face to the moonlight...'" in its place for the Act II performance. Furthermore, the original second bridge section became the first and a new second bridge instated. Consequently, the arrangement of the lyric for a recording usually depends on whether the artist has played the role on stage.

Cover versions

"Memory" has been covered by numerous musical acts.

• 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 #6 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1981. This version was re-recorded in 1998 with a slight lyrical alteration, which was included in the video release of the musical. This version made #36 in the UK in October of that year. Paige also recorded a version for her 1983 album Stages
• Barbra Streisand recorded "Memory" for her 1981 album Memories. When released as a single, Streisand's cover reached #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #9 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart in 1982. In the UK, this version peaked at #34 the same year.
• Barry Manilow released a cover of "Memory" as a single in late 1982; this became the highest-charting version to date on the Billboard Hot 100 when it reached #39 in January 1983. Manilow's recording also made the Top 10 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart, reaching #8. This version is included on his album, Here Comes the Night.
• The Shadows did an instrumental version in 1983 (it is featured on their album Moonlight Shadows).
• Johnny Mathis also recorded 'Memory'
• Shirley Bassey recorded 'Memory' for the B-side of her European single "That's Right" in 1984. In 1993 She re-recorded 'Memory' for her Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber album.
• Mireille Mathieu recorded the song in French titled 'Nos Souvenirs' (Our Memories)
• Sarah Brightman (who recorded an Italian version of the song, "Piano")
• Betty Buckley (first to play Grizabella on Broadway)
• Celine Dion
• Petula Clark
• José Carreras
• Paloma San Basilio recorded her own version is Spanish titled 'Recuerdos'.
• Rocío Banquells Spanish version (1990).
• Jason Castro on the seventh season of American Idol
• Sandra Criado on the sixth season of Spain's Operación Triunfo
• Kim Criswell on the album, Aspects of Andrew Lloyd Webber Volume 1
• Kikki Danielsson (with lyrics in Swedish by Olle Bergman as "Minnet") on her 1982 album Kikki
• Barbara Dickson in 1985
• Maria Friedman in 1992
• Lesley Garrett
• Frances Yip
• Howard Keel on his album, And I Love You So
• Stephanie Lawrence, who later played Grizabella in London, in 1988
• Mark Rattray
• Julian Lloyd Webber on the 2001 album Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber
• Menage, a Hi-NRG disco group (1983)
• Simone Simons from the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica (although in the song they just play piano)
• Marti Webb, who played Grizabella in London and on two UK tours, on her 1989 album Performance
• Jacinta Whyte
• Susan Boyle, as a finalist in the third series of Britain's Got Talent, performing live on Britain's ITV network; later, when Boyle became an overnight sensation, the selection was planned to be on her debut album "I Dreamed a Dream" but was not recorded (it is planned for a later release)
• Dianne Pilkington played the role in the recent UK National Tour (2006–2007)
• Chrissie Hammond played Grizabella and closed the show in London in 2002 and played Grizabella on 2 UK National Tours (2003-2004 & 2007-2008).
• Lama El-Homaissi in 2009.
• John Barrowman on his 2010 studio album John Barrowman
• Delia Hannah, who played the role of Grizabella in 2010
• Lea Salonga, who played the role of Grizabella in the Manila production of Cats
• Lena Park sung a live version for Music TV in Japan, 2009.
• Karita Mattila performed the song frequently early in her career and recorded it on her album Wonderful (1995)
• Frank Patterson on his album "Frank Patterson's Broadway"
• Hayley Westenra
• Jackie Evancho
• Bonnie Langford, who performed in the London cast of Cats in the early 1980s as Rumpleteazer, on her 2000 album "Now"
• Rose Jang for her 2010 "Songs of Hope" digital album.

• A rendition of the song can also be found in the 2003 comedy film School Of Rock in which it is sung by Summer Hathway (Miranda Cosgrove).
• In the film Jersey Girl, all but Gertie, the main character's daughter, perform the song at a school talent show.
• Another rendition of the song can be found in the 2009 film "Funny People".
• The most recent rendition of the song is in the 2011 film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (film)". The song is sung by the character of Patty Ferrell.

External links

• Rhapsody on a Windy Night and
• Preludes the T. S. Eliot poems that inspired the lyrics to "Memory"
• Memories 1981 Album Barbra Streisand Archives Memories album page