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.
Twist In My Sobriety
Liza Minnelli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause Lisa with a S goes S, not Z, huh
It's Liza with a Z, not Lisa with a S
'Cause Lisa with a S goes S, not Z, huh"
All God's children needs travelling shoes
Drive your problems from here
All good people read good books
Now your conscience is clear
In the morning, when I wipe my brow
Wipe the miles away
I like to think that I can be so willed
And never do what you say
And never do what you say
Look, my eyes are just holograms
Look, your love has drawn red from my hands
In my hands you know you'll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
Twist
We just poked a little empty pie
For the fun that people had at night
Late at night don't need hostility
The timid smile, and pause to free
I don't care about their different thoughts
Different thoughts are good for me
Up in arms and chaste and whole
All God's children took their toll
Look, my eyes are just holograms
Look, your love has drawn red from my hands
In my hands you know you'll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
Half the people read the papers
Read them good and well (oh, yeah)
Pretty people, nervous people
People have got to sell (oh, yeah)
News you have to sell (oh, yeah)
Look, my eyes are just holograms
Look, your love has drawn red from my hands
In my hands you know you'll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
Look, my eyes are just holograms
Look, your love has drawn red from my hands
In my hands you know you'll never be
More than twist in my sobriety
More than twist in my sobriety
Oh yeah
"It's Liza with a Z, not Lisa with a S
'Cause Lisa with a S goes S, not Z, huh"
(Twist)
(Oh yeah)
"It's Liza with a Z, not Lisa with a S
'Cause Lisa with a S goes S, not Z, huh"
The beginning of the song, with Liza Minnelli correcting people on the spelling of her name, serves as a playful introduction to the more serious themes explored in the rest of the lyrics. The song touches on the idea of individuality and the struggle to maintain one's identity in a world that often tries to impose its own expectations and limitations. The chorus, with its repeated phrase "twist in my sobriety," suggests a sense of inner turmoil and frustration that comes from feeling trapped and unable to fully express oneself.
The first verse encourages listeners to "drive your problems from here" and "read good books" in order to find clarity and escape from the difficulties of life. The second verse refers to the unrealistic expectations and pressures placed on individuals, with the lines "I like to think that I can be so willed / And never do what you say" implying a desire for independence and self-determination. The bridge of the song, with its references to holograms and love that has "drawn red from my hands," adds a surreal and somewhat ominous quality to the lyrics, while the repeated refrain of "more than twist in my sobriety" hints at a deeper yearning for something more meaningful and fulfilling in one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
It's Liza with a Z, not Lisa with a S
My name is spelled with a Z, not an S, and it's pronounced 'Liza' with a long 'i' sound
'Cause Lisa with a S goes S, not Z, huh
The name 'Lisa' has an 's' sound, not a 'z' sound
All God's children needs travelling shoes
Everyone needs to escape their troubles by moving on and exploring new places
Drive your problems from here
Leave your troubles behind and start fresh
All good people read good books
People who are kind and virtuous read books that promote positive values
Now your conscience is clear
You can feel good about yourself because you have done the right thing
In the morning, when I wipe my brow
When I wake up and start my day, I try to leave behind any stress or fatigue from the day before
Wipe the miles away
I clear my mind of any negative thoughts or emotions
I like to think that I can be so willed
I believe in my ability to control my own actions and thoughts
And never do what you say
I won't listen to someone who tries to tell me what to do, I make my own decisions
Look, my eyes are just holograms
My eyes deceive me, they don't really see things as they truly are
Look, your love has drawn red from my hands
Your love has caused me to shed tears or possibly even hurt someone
In my hands you know you'll never be
I won't be responsible for your emotions or well-being
More than twist in my sobriety
At my core, I will always have a bit of emotional turmoil, even if I am sober
We just poked a little empty pie
We made fun of something that didn't deserve it, like a joke that fell flat
For the fun that people had at night
We laughed and joked around, even though it was late at night and we should have been quiet
Late at night don't need hostility
In the calm of the night, there's no reason for angry or negative behavior
The timid smile, and pause to free
A hesitant or nervous smile can be a sign of someone who wants to be liberated from their worries
I don't care about their different thoughts
I don't judge people based on their beliefs or opinions
Different thoughts are good for me
Hearing diverse opinions and ideas is beneficial for personal growth and understanding
Up in arms and chaste and whole
People are angry and pure, holding themselves to high moral standards
All God's children took their toll
Everyone has been affected in different ways by life's hardships
Half the people read the papers
Only some people pay attention to current events in the news
Read them good and well (oh, yeah)
Those who do read the news do it thoroughly and thoughtfully
Pretty people, nervous people
The beautiful and anxious people
People have got to sell (oh, yeah)
People are always trying to make a profit or gain something through their actions
More than twist in my sobriety
Even if I try to be level-headed and clear-minded, I can never escape my emotional struggles
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tanita Tikaram
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
V
on Ring them bells
Handsome señor