"Cabaret" is a song from the 1966 musical of the same name sung by the character

Sally Bowles Sally Bowles () is a fictional character created by English-American novelist Christopher Isherwood and based upon 19-year-old cabaret singer Jean Ross. The character debuted in Isherwood's 1937 novella ''Sally Bowles'' published by Hogarth Pre ...

. It was composed by

John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...

with lyrics by

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita ...

Background

In the musical, the song is performed by the character Sally Bowles in a night club setting in Weimar 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 Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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. This section is often omitted in commercial recordings of the song by other artists, for example in the recording by

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Synopsis

A review by Robert Feldberg on NorthJersey.com explains

Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...

' interpretation of the song in the 2014 Broadway revival in relation to the musical's plot:

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that the 1972 film "contains some definitive izaMinnelli performances, particularly her rendition of the title song". Reviews of the 2014 Broadway revival included: ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described the song as "the hardest scene in the show, so shopworn as to have long ago collapsed into kitsch". ''Broadway World'' wrote Michelle Williams's "version of the title song has a wrenching, dead-eyed quality that hauntingly undercuts its light lyrics". It has been described as "stirring" and "jaunty".

Notable recordings

(1966) - Armstrong's version was released together with " What a Wonderful World" in the UK, which reached No. 1 on the chart. "Cabaret" is listed together with "What a Wonderful World" in the chart. * Frankie Vaughan (1966) * Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé - for their 1967 album ''Steve & Eydie – Together On Broadway'' * Mamie Van Doren (1967) *

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...

- for the album '' For the First Time'' (1968) * Max Bygraves (1968) *

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

(includes the 'Elsie' verse) - for the London cast recording (1968). *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

- included in the 'live' album '' Ella in Budapest'' (1970) *

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

(includes the 'Elsie' verse) - for the film's soundtrack (1972), and for numerous other recordings, including '' Liza with a Z'' (1972), ''Liza Minnelli Live at the Winter Garden'' (1974), and ''Liza Minnelli at Carnegie Hall'' (1987). (On the latter recording, Minnelli added one word to the "Elsie" verse, emphasizing her own recent sobriety.) * Vikki Carr (1972) * Mantovani - included in the album ''An Evening with Mantovani'' (1973) *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

- included in his album '' At My Time of Life'' (1976) * Russ Conway included in the album ''Russ Conway Presents 24 Piano Greats'' (1977) * Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their album '' Are a Drag'' (1999) * Ashleigh Murray for the '' Riverdale'' third season soundtrack (2019) * Thea Gilmore for her covers album ''These Quiet Friends'' (2025)

Chart history

;Marilyn Maye ;Mike Douglas ;Ray Conniff ;Herb Alpert

References

External links

* * * * * {{authority control Songs about Berlin Songs about theatre 1966 songs 1966 singles 1967 singles 1968 singles 1972 singles Songs from Cabaret (musical) Songs with music by John Kander Songs with lyrics by Fred Ebb Liza Minnelli songs Marilyn Maye songs