Minnelli's first film appearance was at the age of three in the final scene of the 1949 musical In the Good Old Summertime, starring her mother and Van Johnson. Minnelli started performing at age 16, in 1963, in an Off-Broadway revival of the musical Best Foot Forward, for which she received good notices. The next year, her mother invited Minnelli to perform with her at the London Palladium. The audience loved her, launching her musical career. She returned to Broadway at 19, and won a 1965 Tony Award for Flora the Red Menace. Minnelli would also receive Tony Awards for The Act in 1978 and a special Tony in 1974. She was nominated in 1984 for The Rink but lost to her costar, Chita Rivera.
The film The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), in which Minnelli starred as a love-seeking teenage misfit, garnered the young actress her first Academy Award nomination. In 1972, Minnelli won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Sally Bowles in the movie version of Cabaret, along with Joel Grey who won an Oscar reprising his role from the original Broadway production (that of the Emcee).
Minnelli has the distinction of being one of the few Academy Award winners whose parents are both Academy Award nominees. She has also won an Emmy Award for the 1972 TV special Liza with a Z. Minnelli received a 1990 Grammy Legend Award. She received Golden Globe Awards for Cabaret and for the TV movie A Time to Live.
Minnelli, like her mother, is known for her powerful vocal style, as in her trademark songs "Cabaret" and "Theme from New York, New York". Minnelli's original version of the latter, for the film in which she was a co-star with Robert DeNiro, preceded Frank Sinatra's successful cover version (for his Trilogy album), by two years.
After her performance as leading lady to Dudley Moore in 1981's Arthur, Minnelli made fewer, and fewer successful, film appearances.
She returned to Broadway in 1997, taking over the title role in the musical Victor/Victoria, replacing Julie Andrews. In his review, New York Times critic Ben Brantley commented, "her every stage appearance is perceived as a victory of show-business stamina over psychic frailty... She asks for love so nakedly and earnestly, it seems downright vicious not to respond."
Following her 2002 wedding to David Gest, Minnelli and Gest signed with the American cable network VH1 to star in their own reality series, but production of the series was cancelled at the last minute.
In 2004 and 2005 she appeared as a recurring guest star on the critically acclaimed TV sitcom Arrested Development as the lover of sexually and socially awkward Buster Bluth.
On January 1, 2006, she sang "New York, New York" at the second inauguration of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Other famous performances were at the 1978 Studio 54 party honoring New York City's revival, at which a guest was Mayor Ed Koch; the reopening of the Statue of Liberty on July 4, 1986; and at a 2001 New York Mets baseball game that was the metro area's first major sporting event after the September 11 attacks.
In 2013, she guest-starred on the NBC musical drama Smash, where she performed the number A Love Letter From the Times. She also reprised her role in the fourth season of Arrested Development.
Son Of A Preacher Man
Liza Minnelli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That ma-a-an, that Jimmy Ray-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Was a preacher man's son, yes he was, now-ow-how)
Jimmy Ray was a preacher's son
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along
When they gathered 'round the parlour talkin'
Cousin Jimmy would take me walkin', Through the back woods we'd go walkin'
The only one who could ever reach me, Was the son of a preacher man, yeah
The only boy who could ever teach me, Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was (was), he was (was), ooh-ooooh, yes he was
Bein' good isn't always easy, No matter how hard I try
When he started his sweet-talkin' to me, He'd come'n tell me Everything is all right
Kiss and tell me Everything is all right, Can you get away again tonight?
The only one who could ever reach me, Was the son of a preacher man, yeah
The only boy who could ever teach me, He was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was (was), he was (was), ooh-ooooh, yes he was
How well I remember, The look that was in his eyes
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly-why
Takin' time to make time (make time), Tellin' me that he's all mine (all mine)
Learnin' from each other's knowin', And watchin' to see how much we've grown
The only boy who could ever reach her, Was the son of a preacher man, yeah
The only boy who could ever teach her, He was the sweet talkin' son of a preacher man
Yes he was (yeah), he was (yeah), oooh-oh-oh-oh yes he was
The only one who could ever reach me, Was the son of a preacher man, yeah
The only boy who could ever teach me, Was the son of a preacher man
"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song by Dusty Springfield that was later covered by Liza Minnelli. The lyrics are about a young woman who falls in love with a man named Jimmy Ray, who happens to be the son of a preacher. According to the song, Jimmy's father would frequently visit the singer's home, and Jimmy would accompany him. During these visits, Jimmy and the singer would take walks through the backwoods, and the singer found herself falling in love with him, even though she was aware that being good isn't always easy.
The chorus repeats the idea that Jimmy was the only one who could ever reach the singer and that he was the only boy who could ever teach her anything about love. The lyrics suggest that their relationship was kept secret, with stealing kisses and taking the time to make time. The song ends by repeating the chorus, emphasizing the idea that Jimmy was a unique and special person in the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet talkin' Jimmy Ray-ay was the so-o-on of a preacher man-an, yes he was now-ow
Jimmy Ray was a preacher's son and a good talker
That ma-a-an, that Jimmy Ray-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Jimmy Ray is the man being described
Was a preacher man's son, yes he was, now-ow-how)
Jimmy Ray's father was a preacher
Jimmy Ray was the son of a preacher man
Jimmy Ray's father was a preacher
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along
Jimmy Ray used to accompany his father when he went out to visit people
When they gathered 'round the parlour talkin'
When people came over to talk, they would all sit in the parlour
Cousin Jimmy would take me walkin',
Jimmy would take me for a walk
Through the back woods we'd go walkin'
We used to walk through the backwoods
Then he'd look into my eye-eyes, Lord knows, to my surprise
Jimmy Ray made eye contact with me, which surprised me
The only one who could ever reach me,
Jimmy Ray was the only one who could connect with me
Was the son of a preacher man, yeah
It was Jimmy Ray, who was the son of a preacher
The only boy who could ever teach me, Was the son of a preacher man
Jimmy Ray was the only one who could teach me
Bein' good isn't always easy, No matter how hard I try
It's hard to be good all the time, no matter how much effort one puts in
When he started his sweet-talkin' to me,
When he started talking sweetly to me
He'd come'n tell me Everything is all right
He would tell me that everything is going to be okay
Kiss and tell me Everything is all right, Can you get away again tonight?
He kissed me and asked if we could meet again that night
The only one who could ever reach me,
Jimmy Ray was the only one who could understand me
How well I remember, The look that was in his eyes
I remember the expression in his eyes very vividly
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly-why
He used to kiss me secretly
Takin' time to make time (make time),
We took out time to be together
Tellin' me that he's all mine (all mine)
He would assure me that he belongs only to me
Learnin' from each other's knowin',
We learned from each other's experiences
And watchin' to see how much we've grown
We watched each other to see how much we've developed
The only boy who could ever reach her, Was the son of a preacher man
Jimmy Ray was the only one who could understand her
He was the sweet talkin' son of a preacher man
Jimmy Ray was the charismatic son of a preacher
The only one who could ever reach me,
Jimmy Ray was the only one who could connect with me
Was the son of a preacher man, yeah
It was Jimmy Ray, who was the son of a preacher
The only boy who could ever teach me,
Jimmy Ray was the only one who could teach me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
V
on Ring them bells
Handsome señor