Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
originally for the 1971 musical '' Follies'' for the character of a former showgirl, Sally Durant Plummer. The song became a popular top ten hit for singer and actress
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, ...
in 1989 on the UK Singles Chart and in Europe. "Losing My Mind" has been covered by many artists over the years.
Imelda Staunton
Dame Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre pr ...
(2017).
The song was written as a
torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...
for the character of Sally to sing in the "Loveland" portion of the musical. The song "expresses her preoccupation with Ben, her idealized lover...With infinite attention to detail, Sondheim leads Sally from sunrise to sleepless night, revealing that every second of her existence is defined by her longing...the number ...explores the extent to which she has lost herself in this make-believe world of undying desire." As originally staged, Sally comes onstage in a "clinging, beaded silver" dress, holding a microphone.Goodhart, Sando "The End of Ever After" ''Reading Stephen Sondheim; A Collection of Critical Essays'', Taylor & Francis, 2000, , p. 23 The "cute" Sally from Phoenix "has become a languid torch singer." She repeats her lines, reflecting "the paralysis about which she sings...the phrase 'It's like I'm losing my mind' occurs no less than six times."
In the first literary resume of his career, ''Finishing the Hat'', Sondheim reveals that the song is a
pastiche
A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
In the UK Singles Chart, the most successful version has been by American singer and actress
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, ...
, reaching number six. In Ireland, Minnelli's version reached number two. It was the lead single from her 1989 studio album, ''Results'', produced by
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
and Julian Mendelsohn. The 12" release peaked at number eleven on the ''Billboard'' Maxi Singles Sales chart. It also peaked at number twenty-six on the American dance chart.
The Pet Shop Boys demo version of "Losing My Mind" (which has
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...
singing the vocal) was later remixed and released as a B-side on the Pet Shop Boys' single, "
Jealousy
Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety.
Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...
". This demo version contains a scream that Minnelli opted not to include on her release. The Pet Shop Boys also performed the song as part of their 2022 tours ''Dreamworld'' in Europe and ''Unity Tour'' (with New Order) in the United States. In 2004, '' Q'' magazine featured Minnelli's version of the song in their list of "The 1010 Songs You Must Own".
Critical reception
David Giles from ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' stated that Minnelli is "brought back to life" by the
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
on the track. Edwin J. Bernard from '' Number One'' described the singer's cover version of "Losing My Mind" as "high energy". Joe Brown from ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' wrote, "Minnelli utterly misses the song's irony and delicacy, playing it instead as if she's literally going nuts, complete with a mid-song electronic freak-out fugue and a spoken soliloquy, guaranteed to raise a camp clamor on the dance floor." When reviewing the single, Phil Cheeseman of ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...
'' wrote that "the Pet Shop Boys are people who understand exactly what pop music's about: nothing. That's why they are so good".
More recently, theater scholar Jordan Schildcrout interpreted the song as a commentary on Minnelli's status as a celebrity in the late 1980s, writing: "I find it easy to imagine Liza singing, 'You said you loved me/Or were you just being kind?' not to any man (as depicted in the neo-noir video of the song), but to the audience and the entertainment industry that gave her a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy by the age of 27 and then dismissed her as a camp joke. That 27-year-old haunts 43-year-old Liza, just as the middle-aged characters in ''Follies'' are 'ghosted' by actors playing their younger selves."
Track listings
* 7" Epic / ZEE 1 (UK)
# "Losing My Mind" (7" mix) – 4:09
# "Tonight Is Forever" – 5:03
* also released on MC (ZEE M1)
* 12" Epic / ZEE T1 (UK)
# "Losing My Mind" (extended mix) – 7:01
# "Losing My Mind" (7" mix) – 4:09
# "Tonight Is Forever" – 5:03
* also available on CD (ZEE C1)
* 12" Epic / 49-68858 (US)
# "Losing My Mind" (extended remix) – 7:01
# "Losing My Mind" (7" mix) – 4:09
# "Losing My Mind" (Ultimix) – 7:32
# "Losing My Mind" (Ultimix dub) – 5:07