Paige's first professional appearance was in the UK tour of the Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse musical The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd. She made her West End debut in Hair, and went on to featured roles in Jesus Christ Superstar, Nuts, Grease, and Billy (a musical adaptation of the film Billy Liar.)
In 1978, Hal Prince offered the still relatively unknown Paige the title role in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita after Julie Covington, who played the role on the album turned down the part. This proved to be the defining moment in her evolution to the self proclaimed title "First Lady of British Musical Theatre".
Paige has portrayed some of Lloyd Webber's most notable female characters, originating the role of Grizabella in Cats (a role she reprised for a video release). She took on the role late in rehearsal when the actress Judi Dench had to pull out due to a torn Achilles tendon. Her performance of the song Memory from that show is her signature piece.
In 1994, Paige took over the role of Norma Desmond in Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard when Betty Buckley was ill, before stepping into the part full time the following year. She transferred to the American production to make her Broadway debut in a performance that Lloyd Webber described as "musically terrific" in 1996, staying with the show until it closed the following year. In 1998, Paige made a guest star appearance at the Andrew Lloyd Webber, fiftieth birthday celebration in the Royal Albert Hall. She sang Memory and Don't Cry for Me Argentina.
By no means has Paige limited her theatre credits to Lloyd Webber projects. In 1986, she appeared as Florence in Chess, (lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA), a role she had originated for the 1984 RCA double-disc concept album. The show was notable at the time for its set, which featured a large, tilting stage that resembled an illuminated chess board, with a proscenium built from television screens. For this role Paige was nominated for Laurence Olivier Award in a category Outstandng Performance by an Actress in a Musical.
She followed this success with a hit revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes in 1989 which she co-produced with Tim Rice, based on the contemporary US (Lincoln Center) production starring Patti LuPone. In 1993, she embarked on a troubled run as famed French chanteuse Édith Piaf in Pam Gems' musical play Piaf (1993). In 2000 she appeared in another acclaimed revival, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's The King and I, in which the King was played by Jason Scott Lee.
In 2004, she sang the role of Mrs. Lovett in the New York City Opera production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. In June 2007 Paige will play the title role in the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone at London's Novello Theatre.
Paige also has had success in the UK singles charts. I Know Him So Well (from Chess), her duet with Barbara Dickson, held the #1 position in the British charts for four weeks, and still remains the biggest selling record by a female duo in the Guinness Book of Records. She also had a top ten hit with Memory from Cats. Additionally, she has had eight consecutive gold and four multi-platinum albums.
Paige released her first full studio album of new recordings in twelve years, "Essential Musicals" in October 2006. It includes popular songs from musicals identified by a poll on her radio show.
Paige has hosted her own BBC television specials as well as starred in several films for the network, and has also performed in a number of televised Royal Variety Shows. Arts commentator Melvyn Bragg hosted a special edition of The South Bank Show about Paige's career in 1996, entitled The Faces of Elaine Paige. She made special recordings of some of her most famous songs exclusively for the programme. It is frequently shown on PBS in the USA.
More recently, Paige has focused on television appearances, playing Dora Bunner in the 2004 ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced, before performing a guest role as a post mistress in Where the Heart Is.
In September 2004, Paige began a weekly radio show, Elaine Paige on Sunday, on BBC Radio 2, featuring music from musical theatre and film scores. Occasional interviews are also featured, having included theatre impressario Cameron Mackintosh, actress Angela Lansbury, the Pet Shop Boys and Elton John. Paige's show has been described by Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian as a "rare wrong move" on the part of Radio 2.
Memory
Elaine Paige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone in the lamplight
In the lamplight, the withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every streetlamp seems to beat
A fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and the streetlamp gutters
And soon, it will be morning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me!
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
Look
A new day has begun
Elaine Paige's song "Memory" is a heart-wrenching ballad that has become one of the most popular songs from the musical "Cats". The song opens with a lonely woman standing on a deserted street in the dead of night. The imagery of the quiet pavement and the moon's smile seems to suggest that the world around her is dead, or at least asleep. As the wind picks up, she begins to reflect on her past, and remembers a time when she was beautiful and truly happy. She longs to relive those days and "let the memory live again".
The second verse of the song sees her waiting for the dawn, which seems like a symbolic representation of a new beginning. She is determined to start fresh and not give in to the past, even though the memories are still so vivid in her head. As she reflects on the burnt-out ends of smoky days, it feels like she is looking back at a life that was once full of passion and energy, but which has now faded and crumbled away.
The climax of the song is the powerful refrain "Touch me!", which seems like a desperate plea for someone, anyone, to understand her pain and share her memory. She believes that if she is touched, the person touching her will understand what true happiness is, and she can begin to heal. As the song comes to a close, the woman looks up and realizes that a new day has begun, and with it the hope of a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
It's quiet outside at night with no noises coming from the street.
Has the moon lost her memory?
The moon is up and shining, but does not remember what happened before.
She is smiling alone in the lamplight
The moon is up and shining, but it's the only one 'smiling' in the darkness.
In the lamplight, the withered leaves collect at my feet
The leaves that have fallen from the trees are now littered on the ground in the dimly lit area.
And the wind begins to moan
The wind starts to pick up and creates a low, mournful sound.
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
In the quiet of night under the moon, memories surface.
I can smile at the old days
Thinking back on happier times makes me smile.
I was beautiful then
I had physical beauty during those times.
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
I have memories of feeling truly and genuinely happy before.
Let the memory live again
I wish to re-experience the happiness from that time again in my mind.
Every streetlamp seems to beat
It feels like the streetlights are sending out ominous vibes.
A fatalistic warning
A sense of doom or disaster looming.
Someone mutters and the streetlamp gutters
Someone is talking under their breath and the light flickers.
And soon, it will be morning
The night is coming to a close and daytime is soon to arrive.
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
The singer is waiting for the sun to come up and set in a new day.
I must think of a new life
It's time to move on from what was and look forward to creating something new.
And I mustn't give in
There is a temptation to give up or quit, but the artist must push through.
When the dawn comes
After the night has ended and the sun is about to rise again.
Tonight will be a memory too
The night that has just passed is already a memory that'll remain.
And a new day will begin
A new day with new possibilities is about to start.
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The leftovers of days with hazy, unfocused memories and experiences.
The stale cold smell of morning
The air smells like a bad, lifeless start to the day.
The streetlamp dies, another night is over
The wind or circumstances cause the light to flicker out, signifying the night is done.
Another day is dawning
The light starts to peak over the horizon, bringing in the new day.
Touch me!
The singer wants to be able to feel and interact with others to forget about their loneliness.
It's so easy to leave me
The singer's company is not valued and easily left behind.
All alone with the memory
Only the singer and the memories they cling to for comfort are present.
Of my days in the sun
The artist remembers when they were happy, carefree, and life was enjoyable.
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
The artist is begging for someone to touch them to feel human contact and understand what happiness feels like.
Look
The singer is drawing attention to something important.
A new day has begun
The sun is up and shines brightly, signaling the start of a new day.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn, T.S. Eliot, Zdenek Hruby
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@heisthomaz8184
Memory, turn your face to the moonlight
Let your memory leave you
Open up, enter me
If you find there, the meaning of what happiness is
Then a new life will begin
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Burnt out ends of smokey days
The stale, cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Sunlight through the trees in summer
Endless masquerading
Like a flower, as the dawn is breaking
The memory is fading
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
@nkbujvytcygvujno6006
Lyrics:
Memory
Turn your face to the moonlight
Let your memory lead you
Open up, enter in
If you find there the meaning of what happiness is
Then a new life will begin
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember a time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
A street lamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
JEMINA:
Sunlight, through the trees in summer
Endless masquerading
GRIZABELLA AND JEMIMA:
Like a flower as the dawn is breaking
GRIZABELLA:
The memory is fading
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
@TheShowsMustGoOn
What's your favourite Elaine Paige performance?
Here she is singing 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxR-1mZem8Q
@enolamsamoht
Yup, Andrew Lloyd Webber is known for recycling his characters into new ones for new productions
@redsidebiker
Simple, this one. Don't Cry is Julie Covington's song. Julie chose to not do the West End.
@Broadwaygirl918
All of them
@graceannemorgan1035
For me the choice is easy
Memory this one.
@donreed
I'm new here. Specializing in headless homophones. Care for one?
@kashiichan
Everyone always talks about how well Elaine Paige sings this role -- and she DOES -- but no one ever mentions how well she ACTS it. This is fantastic.
@ROYALP100
Yes, and that is the difference Paige can also ACT!
@deiiisan
It just feels so natural that it almost goes unnoticed!
@HaydnC5
This is why I believe Elaine is the best Grizabella, she acts it so perfectly. Most other artists I see tend to try and belt as much as they can, but that's not the point of the song at all. It's about the raw emotion of a character that is literally on their last legs, thinking they are going to dye alone and forgotten about, pleading to be accepted again.