Born Marjorie Chandler in Windsor, Ontario, Collins shot to fame as the lead vocalist on the long-running television series Your Hit Parade, on which she sang (and often acted out in costume) the popular songs of the day. Additional TV credits include The Steve Allen Show, the Bell Telephone Hour, The Hollywood Palace, and Candid Camera, as both a participant in the stunts and co-host with Allen Funt.
Collins was married to Raymond Scott from 1952 until their divorce in 1965. They had two daughters, Deborah and Elizabeth. With Scott she recorded many advertizing jingles and the 1957 album "At Home with Dorothy and Raymond". In 1966, she married actor/singer Ron Holgate, with whom she had a daughter, Melissa. The two eventually divorced.
In 1971, Collins made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's Follies, portraying a one-time Ziegfeld-style showgirl trapped in a disappointing marriage. Her dramatic rendition of "Losing My Mind" routinely stopped the show and was one of the production's highlights. Her performance won her a Tony Award nomination as Best Actress in a Musical, but she lost to co-star, fellow Canadian-born actress Alexis Smith; the two actresses died within a year of each other.
She died from respiratory distress as a result of a long-standing pulmonary disease (asthma) at her home in upstate Watervliet, New York ), survived by her three daughters.
Losing My Mind
Dorothy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think about you
The coffee cup
I think about you
I want you so
It's like I'm losing my mind
The morning ends
I think about youI talk to friends
I think about you
And do they know
It's like I'm losing my mind
All afternoon doing every little chore
The thought of you stays bright
Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor
Not going left
Not going right
I dim the lights
And think about you
Spend sleepless nights
To think about you
You said you loved me
Or were you just being kind
Or am I losing my mind
All afternoon doing every little chore
The thought of you stays bright
Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor
Not going left
Not going right
I dim the lights
And think about you
Spend sleepless nights
To think about you
You said you loved me
Or were you just being kind
Or am I losing my mind
The song "Losing My Mind" by Dorothy Collins is about the overpowering feeling of love and desire towards someone. The lyrics start with the morning where the singer wakes up and starts to think about their love interest. The mention of a coffee cup and talking to friends suggest that the day has begun, but the singer's focus is still on their love interest. As the day passes, every little chore and activity in the day leads to thoughts of the significant other.
The chorus highlights the intense feeling of losing one's mind because of love. The singer cannot stop thinking about their love interest, and the thought of them stays bright in their mind. The lyrics "sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor, not going left, not going right" suggests that they are lost in their thoughts and cannot think of anything besides their love interest. The singer spends sleepless nights thinking about the person they love and wonders if they really loved them or were just being kind.
Overall, the song "Losing My Mind" is about the overwhelming feeling of love that takes over one's mind and leaves them feeling lost and consumed.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun comes up
As I awaken and begin my day, thoughts of you immediately come to mind.
I think about you
You occupy my every thought and linger in my mind throughout the day.
The coffee cup
Even something as simple as my morning coffee reminds me of you.
I want you so
My desire for you is so intense that it feels as if I am losing my mind.
It's like I'm losing my mind
My obsession with you is so overpowering that it feels as if I am losing control of my thoughts and emotions.
The morning ends
Throughout the day, my thoughts continue to be consumed by you.
I talk to friends
Even when I am with others, my mind is preoccupied with thoughts of you.
And do they know
I wonder if my friends can sense the intensity of my feelings for you.
All afternoon doing every little chore
Even as I go about my daily routines and responsibilities, thoughts of you remain at the forefront of my mind.
The thought of you stays bright
My infatuation with you remains strong and persistent, even in the mundane moments of my day.
Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor
At times, I find myself so consumed with thoughts of you that I am immobilized, unable to move in any direction.
Not going left
I cannot bring myself to make a decision or take any action that does not involve you.
Not going right
I am unable to move forward, as my preoccupation with you holds me back.
I dim the lights
Even in the quiet and solitude of the night, thoughts of you remain ever-present in my mind.
And think about you
As I lay awake in bed, my mind continues to race with thoughts of you.
Spend sleepless nights
My obsession with you is so intense that it robs me of sleep at night.
You said you loved me
While you may have professed to love me, my doubts and uncertainties about your feelings for me continue to haunt me.
Or were you just being kind
I question whether your expressions of love were genuine or simply an act of kindness and pity.
Or am I losing my mind
My intense fixation on you has begun to feel like a losing battle, and I am unsure if I can continue to maintain my sanity while consumed by thoughts of you.
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@RafaelPReyes
Many performers overthink, overact or oversing this song. This is DEFINITIVE.
@gnirolnamlerf593
No one who has sung this song, and a lot of greats have done so, managed to express being torn apart by the conflicting and overwhelming emotions her persona is feeling like Dorothy Collins. You see them battling in her facial and vocal expression. I think that if I had seen Follies in the theater, I would have had to leave after this to explode in sobs in the lobby or on the sidewalk.
@DaeeWright
my favorite version of this song! Just pure excellence!!
@HajimeIshii-dn6mz
Dorothy Collins had a very beautiful voice. I love to listen to her recordings. Thanks a lot for posting this clip.
@nanabananaboat
Oh how I wish we could turn back time❤ beautiful woman heartfelt words.
@michaelbiagi8875
THIS IS IT!! NOBODY has done it better. I thought my only shot of watching her sing this "live" was on the Mike Douglas show. THANK YOU for giving us this rendition WITH full orchestra!!
@fantastica9186
It's such a haunting performance; really gets to me! Beautiful performance from a master of her craft!
@laidbacklefty
Damn this hit
@fantastica9186
Doesn't it😢😢😢 brings back some difficult memories.
@angelstarfelix29
This is got to be the best performance of this song❤