Liza May Minnelli (born March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California) is an Ac… Read Full Bio ↴Liza May Minnelli (born March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. She is the daughter of legendary entertainer Judy Garland and her second husband, acclaimed film director Vincente Minnelli (who was of Italian and French descent).

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.

You've Let Yourself Go
Liza Minnelli Lyrics

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I guess just about the hardest thing to do
When you're doing something like this
Is to find a new love song to sing
Because they're almost always about one of three things

Right, they're either the, ah, the guy meets the girl
Or the guy loses the girl or the guy gets the girl
Well I found this song and it isn't about any of those three things

This song is about two people
Who have already known each other for quite a while

So we're alone again tonight
I read a book, you watch the fight
A stifled yawn, a can of beer
What an enthralling atmosphere

And yet the sight of us this way
Helps me to say what I must say
It helps me to think a thought or two
To pass it right along to you
And just for starters you should know I think
You've let yourself go

Down through the years, each sage repeats
Grass never grows on busy streets
Which might explain that balding spot
Were you a thinker, which you're not

And where's that slender youth I knew
I fear he's grown an inch or two
Not up and down my joy and pride
But more precisely side to side

When at a party, now and then
You tell the same old jokes again
Or wear a lampshade for a hat
Who could be wittier than that?

With one too many you just might
Pick some unnecessary fight
Though in the morning with the sun
You can't remember what you've done
If there's regret, it doesn't show
You know, you've let yourself go

You never care the way you dress
You stay unshaven, you look a mess
The smallest thing is too much to do
I even hold the door for you

And every rose upon the shelf
Is one that I've supplied myself
It's not the same, I'm well aware

Yet I need to see them there
I don't know why I say it now, why I don't?

Overall Meaning

In Liza Minnelli's song "You've Let Yourself Go," the singer expresses her thoughts about her partner and their relationship. The song does not fit the typical love song narrative, but instead focuses on two people who have known each other for quite some time. The first verse sets the scene for the evening, where the two sit together but engage in separate activities. The uneventfulness of the situation allows the singer to speak her mind about the changes she has noticed in her partner.

The second verse begins with a nod to the saying that "grass never grows on busy streets," suggesting that her partner may have lost some of his youthfulness and vibrancy. As the song continues, the singer highlights numerous changes in her partner's behavior, ranging from his receding hairline to his lack of regard for his appearance. The singer's tone throughout the song grows increasingly critical, culminating in the chorus when she bluntly declares that "you've let yourself go."

Despite the harshness of the lyrics, Liza Minnelli delivers the song with a playful and lighthearted tone. The song is not meant to be taken completely seriously, but rather as a commentary on the ups and downs of long-term relationships. The song ultimately celebrates the familiarity and comfort that can come with knowing someone for years.

Line by Line Meaning

I guess just about the hardest thing to do When you're doing something like this Is to find a new love song to sing Because they're almost always about one of three things
It's difficult to write a love song that's unique because most love songs are about the same things.

Right, they're either the, ah, the guy meets the girl Or the guy loses the girl or the guy gets the girl Well I found this song and it isn't about any of those three things This song is about two people Who have already known each other for quite a while
Most love songs follow one of three formats, but this song is different because it's about a couple who have been together for a long time.

So we're alone again tonight I read a book, you watch the fight A stifled yawn, a can of beer What an enthralling atmosphere
We're spending another boring night at home, doing nothing interesting.

And yet the sight of us this way Helps me to say what I must say It helps me to think a thought or two To pass it right along to you And just for starters you should know I think You've let yourself go
Despite our uneventful night, it gives me an opportunity to tell you that I think you've become complacent and let yourself go.

Down through the years, each sage repeats Grass never grows on busy streets Which might explain that balding spot Were you a thinker, which you're not
Wise people often say that someone who is always busy doesn't have time for personal grooming, which could explain why you're losing your hair. And if you were a deep thinker, that might be understandable, but you're not.

And where's that slender youth I knew I fear he's grown an inch or two Not up and down my joy and pride But more precisely side to side
When I met you, you were much thinner, but now you've gained weight mostly around your waist, and I'm worried about your health.

When at a party, now and then You tell the same old jokes again Or wear a lampshade for a hat Who could be wittier than that?
You tell the same jokes and wear silly hats at parties, but it's not as funny or interesting as you think it is.

With one too many you just might Pick some unnecessary fight Though in the morning with the sun You can't remember what you've done If there's regret, it doesn't show You know, you've let yourself go
When you drink too much, you tend to start arguments with people for no reason, and although you can't remember what happened in the morning, it's clear that you've become less aware of your actions.

You never care the way you dress You stay unshaven, you look a mess The smallest thing is too much to do I even hold the door for you
You don't take care of yourself anymore - you dress sloppily, don't shave, and are generally uninterested in anything that requires effort, and now I'm even holding the door open for you.

And every rose upon the shelf Is one that I've supplied myself It's not the same, I'm well aware Yet I need to see them there I don't know why I say it now, why I don't?
All the flowers in the house are ones that I bought for myself, but it's not the same as when you used to buy them for me. I don't know why I'm bringing this up now or why I don't say something more often.

Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS
Written by: CHARLES AZNAVOUR, MARCEL STELLMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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