Cabaret (''Cabaret'' song)

"Cabaret" is the title song from the 1966 musical of the same name. It is sung by the character Sally Bowles. The music was composed by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Background

In the musical, the song is performed by the character Sally Bowles in a night club setting in Nazi Germany in 1931. Her lover has told her that he is taking her back to America so that they can raise their baby together in safety. Sally protests as she thinks their life in Berlin is wonderful and she states politics have nothing to do with them or their affairs. After a heated row, Sally goes on stage singing “Cabaret” (“life is a cabaret, old chum”), thus confirming her decision to live in carefree ignorance of the impending problems in Germany.

The version of the song used in the musical includes a verse beginning:

"I used to have a girlfriend known as Elsie
With whom I shared
Four sordid rooms in Chelsea..."

The verse goes on to describe her friend's prostitution, alcoholism and early death. Usually this is omitted in other commercial recordings of the song.

Synopsis

A review by Robert Feldberg on NorthJersey.com explains Michelle Williams' interpretation of the song in the 2014 Broadway revival in relation to the musical's plot:^[1]

Urging us to "come to the cabaret," it’s not with joy or defiance, but (as Natasha Richardson also performed it in 1998) with increasing fear and sorrow. Unable to summon the strength to alter the course of her life, she breaks down.

Critical reception

AllMusic wrote that the 1972 film "contains some definitive Minnelli performances, particularly her rendition of the title song".^[2]

Reviews of the 2014 Broadway revival included: The Guardian described the song as "the hardest scene in the show, so shopworn as to have long ago collapsed into kitsch".^[3] Broadway World wrote Michelle Williams' "version of the title song has a wrenching, dead-eyed quality that hauntingly undercuts its light lyrics."^[4] It has been described as "stirring",^[5] "devastating",^[6] and "jaunty".^[1]

Notable recordings

• Bing Crosby - included in his album At My Time of Life (1976)
• Brenda Lee - for the album For the First Time (1968)^[7]
• Ella Fitzgerald - included in the 'live' album Ella in Budapest (1970)
• Frankie Vaughan - (1966)^[8]
• Judi Dench (includes the 'Elsie' verse) - for the London cast recording (1968).^[9]
• Liza Minnelli (includes the 'Elsie' verse) - for the film soundtrack.
• Louis Armstrong (1966) ^[10]
• Mantovani - included in the album An Evening with Mantovani (1973)^[11]
• Max Bygraves (1968)^[12]
• Russ Conway included in the album Russ Conway Presents 24 Piano Greats (1977)^[13]
• Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé - for their 1967 album Steve & Eydie – Together On Broadway^[14]
• Vikki Carr (1972)^[15]

References