From 1950 to 1966 she was married to composer Luciano Berio, who deconstructed her voice in Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) (1958) and wrote his Circles (1960) and Recital I (for Cathy) (1972) for her. In addition Sylvano Bussotti, John Cage, Hans Werner Henze and Igor Stravinsky wrote works for her voice.
She interpreted contemporary avant-garde music, Armenian folk songs, Monteverdi, The Beatles, and her own compositions. Her best known work is her Stripsody (1966), in which she exploits her vocal technique using comic book sounds.
She is a trivial pursuit question for classic rock fan baby boomers: Who is Cathy Berberian in the Steely Dan song "Your Gold Teeth" from the 1973 album Countdown To Ecstasy?
"Even Cathy Berberian knows/There's one roulade she can't sing."
Ticket To Ride
Cathy Berberian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The girl that's driving me mad is going away
She's got a ticket to ride
She's got a ticket to ride
She's got a ticket to ride
but she don't care
She said that living with me is bringing her down, yeah
For she would never be free when I was around
She's got a ticket to ride
She's got a ticket to ride
but she don't care
I don't know why she's riding so high
She ought to think right
She ought to do right by me
Before she gets to saying goodbye
She ought to think right
She ought to do right by me
I think I'm gonna be sad, I think it's today, Yeah
The girl that's driving me mad is going away, yeah, oh
She's got a ticket to ride
She's got a ticket to ride
She's got a ticket to ride
but she don't care
I don't know why she's riding so high
She ought to think right
She ought to do right by me
Before she gets to saying goodbye
She ought to think right
Sh
e ought to do right by me
The lyrics of Cathy Berberian's "Ticket to Ride" depict the story of a man who is losing his lover to travels. He is deeply hurt by the fact that his lover has a ticket to ride and is leaving him behind. The song begins with the man's sense of foreboding that something is wrong as he thinks he's going to be sad and that it is today when the girl driving him mad is going away. The girl in question has a ticket to ride, indicating her willingness to leave her current life behind.
The man realizes that this is because he's been holding her back in some way, which is why she thinks that living with him is bringing her down. She has a desire to be free from the limits he imposes on her life, and she believes that she'll never be free as long as he's around. Even though the man is feeling hurt and wants his lady to change her mind and stay with him, he acknowledges that he doesn't know why she's riding so high and why she doesn't care about his feelings. He emphasizes that she should think right and do right by him before she gets to saying goodbye.
The song's overall mood is one of melancholy, regret, and heartbreak. It portrays the man's pain as he reflects on what went wrong in his relationship and how he'd like to stay with his lover. It's a classic example of a piece of music that accurately captures the emotions of a particular moment in time and uses music to express that feeling succinctly and poignantly.
Line by Line Meaning
I think I'm gonna be sad, I think it's today, Yeah
I have a feeling that I'm going to be sad today, maybe because the girl who is making me crazy is leaving me today.
The girl that's driving me mad is going away
The girl who is making me crazy is leaving me.
She's got a ticket to ride
She bought a ticket to leave.
but she don't care
She doesn't care about how I feel.
She said that living with me is bringing her down, yeah
She told me that living with me is making her unhappy.
For she would never be free when I was around
She feels trapped when she's with me.
I don't know why she's riding so high
I don't understand why she's so happy when she's leaving me.
She ought to think right
She should consider what is right.
She ought to do right by me
She should treat me properly.
Before she gets to saying goodbye
Before she leaves me.
Writer(s): Paul Mccartney, John Lennon
Contributed by Samantha J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@altaroxllc3184
Steely Dan brought me here. Who knew this rabbit hole existed. Love it.
@paulpadillo4591
Cathy once again proving why there was no one else like her. God, I loved this woman!
@robinbugs6019
this woman is too powerful, everything abt this is too much, i bow down
@SmurfetteDoesntBEeP
how is this not a viral video
@joeyrider
Berberian was the epitome of avant-garde music
Berio, Cage and Maderna composed pieces expressively for her. She was a composer herself, on top she was also one of the greatest interpreter of baroque music. Her interpretation of L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi is a stronghold of modern baroque music. The Beatles rendition came in that spirit. Love for genuine contemporary pop music, her love for baroque music, love for avant-garde performance and sheer fun.
The Beatles were great because artist as different as Sinatra, Ray Charles, Cathy Barberian, Nina Simone, Jeff Beck and Siouxsie Sioux made their own music through their compositions.
@Alessandro-tk2ll
Grande Caty. Un omaggio riverente ad una grande artista che ricordo con affetto e stima sincera.
@susaedu368
How this is not the best video ever...Miss Berberian has been an amazing artist
@tenorette2003
Cathy Berberian: Genius!!!!
@johanneslindemmann1660
Beatles at its best
@4EyedAnimation
I know of Cathy Berberian via Steely Dan