From Sondheim's 80th Birthday Concert with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall / Lincoln Center. Elain Stritch singing 'I'm Still Here' from Follies
True...once in an interview, her her mention the DAMN FABULOUS Sights of the GREATS of Broadway that she had seen and met..From Mae West to Sophie Tucker; a virtual memory bank of Who's Who...and this song...just fits.
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Stritch should have interrupted the song to answer her cell phone while of course flipping the bird at Lupone with her other hand. Lupone's inevitable sour-faced and mean-spirited reaction would have produced an expression I'd like to have seen. And if Stritch is going to rewrite the lyric for a lame riposte against Barbara Walters, why not update the other references as well? Happily, she's "no longer here" to do so.
I don’t say this lightly. This is my favorite video on the internet. I have watched it time and time again: to cheer up, to gain resolve, and to revel in the absolute brilliance that is this hilarious, heartbreaking tour de force. The best performance ever of one of the best songs ever. I got through all of last year…
Anyone watching in 2019? I missed her so much. My favorite, 'Still, someone said she's sincere - so I'm here,' always brings tears in my eyes. Love you Elaine.
Ditto SueLin P. This is the definitive performance, better than Polly Bergen's IMO. As for the comments about her not singing on pitch--she does and always did. You can't have the kind of career she had singing off pitch. Many of the other greats sharing the stage with her are in tears, for good reason. This is really artistry. And BTW--if she replaced Brenda Frazier with Barbara Walters, who can blame her? Who knows Brenda Frazier? I didn't. The theater is dimmer without her. Luckily, we have LuPone, the phenomenal McDonald, Peters, and Murphy are gracing the stages. Get over it--Stritch was a force of nature.
Why am I over here with tears in my eyes? Like honestly she just made me cry. I can't be the only one! Elaine Stritch you're still "here" to me. Thanks for inspiring.
How can you not like this? It is the song of someone who has been through it all and persevered against all odds. It's knowing you're mortal. It's knowing the world doesn't owe you anything. It's about being responsible for your own actions ... damn the consequences.
You know at the end, she means every word, the words may have been written by Sondheim, but every word of this song was true for Elaine Stritch and this is why it crossed from acting into something real, of the moment and therefore truly special and to be treasured. I am sure when people look back on her career, they will highlight this as one of her greatest performances. This song was meant to be sung by her and I am sure we will never see it performed like this ever again.
this stage is filled with the absolute A-list of broadway women and the reverence they pay to Madame Stritch is beautiful.... This performance is magnificence. Stritch is a National Treasure.
There's no better example of Elaine Stritch's brilliance than at 4:42. The opening lyrics come round again and instead of immediately (following the accompaniment) going for a triumphant ending, she exposes her vulnerability, her fragility and it's heartbreaking. She kicks you in the guts. And then the end is so triumphant because you know it's so hard won. One of a kind and one of the greats.
Husband and I saw her in her first performance of this and then 3 other times. I’ll go to my “grave:” with those remembered experiences at the top of my list of life’s lessons English muffins be dammed.
@@ztramsey93 Yes - and Marin Mazzie also looks tearful at the opening (it might be from the previous song, not in the clip?) - but the way she hangs on every word and note is notable. And my understanding of top artists is they're sensitive, so when they're in the audience they connect to the emotions and nuances of the performer more acutely than most.
I feel you. I wish she was "still here." Only wish she had been more of a survivor. Her mom was that kind of survivor though. "Postcards from the Edge" has her mother figure played by Shirley MacLaine singing it. Her mom, Debbie Reynolds, sang it in her touring show. The "Bright Lights" documentary has her family riffing on the lyrics to "There's No Business Like Show Business." Elaine Stritch does that! The end song in "Bright Lights," Carrie does a torch song, right? There's a gutsy spirited song of Yoko Ono's that Carrie does which has just a snippet on an iphone You Tube clip.It is the opposite of a torch song and I think you would love it. In around 2010 at a benefit. "What a Bastard the World Is." (She had a bond with Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon.)
Look at the faces of the great next generation [Audra, Bernadette, Patti etc] sitting on the chairs and you can see the love and admiration they have for one of the greatest of all Broadway performers,
There have been many excellent performers that do this song, but Elaine really blows them all away here. You can tell by watching the women in the background focused in absolute rapture and admiration. They are all professionals that have seen it all, and the fact that even they clearly know this is really special is clear. Thanks for posting!
Many years ago, I had a conversation with Stephen Sondheim about this song and the various people who have performed it. He told me that Elaine Stritch had really wanted to sing it in the concert version of Follies, but that he had nixed that idea because he didn't think Stritch was up to the task vocally. I saw Stritch perform (and slay) this song several times over the years and always liked to imagine that at least some of the defiance and bravado in her performances stemmed from that earlier snubbing.
@@ericholck272 I mean to be fair the song here is taken down a few steps cause he was right she couldn't vocally do it but the thing about her is that she doesn't just sing, she performs and that's what makes her a once in a lifetime talent, she really took what she had (superb acting talent and a sub-par singing voice) and just made it work.
@@ejgotcher1011 Yes, absolutely that. Some of Elaine's contemporaries like Channing & even Merman didn't approach their songs with the grace of an operatic angel, they brought a bulldozer of CHARACTER & CHARM to every note. They knew they weren't Garland or Andrews, hitting every note with laser-focused accuracy & pitch, and they never tried to be that. These were PERFORMERS & ENTERTAINERS which is a class in & of itself. If you wanted a Broadway legend to wring out every drop of truth & raw integrity in their performance, Elaine Stritch was among the best.
The problem is that this is how this song deserves to be performed by everyone, but only the icon Elaine Stritch can do it like this! She just got up from a chair, wearing normal clothes, and made everyone feel something like she’s been on stage setting this up. Legendary. And Patti LuPone lip syncing behind her is the greatest.
She owns this song. Others sing it - very well - but for me, it will always be her song, her legacy. By the way, the song is about Joan Crawford, according to Sondheim. That's especially true about the line where someone said that she was sincere.
Sondheim always wanted actors who could sing, and he wrote songs that had to be performed, not just sung. This song and the performance by Elaine Stritch is simply perfect.
@@paulwalsh8459 I was at the piano for one of those performances and I was her helper for the evening: "Are you gonna help an old lady get down from here." After that I was her lifter/descender for the evening.
David Schalk Did you see the doc Always at the Carlyle? There's a part where the lights go out during some interviews & they all agree it's Elaine making contact 😘👻
This is the definition of how to perfectly perform a song. Elaine was the penultimate performer of the night and the ONLY one to get a standing ovation, let that sink in. In a room with living legends like Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Georg Hearn, and many others, Elaine Stritch was the only one to make 2,200 people rise to their feet in applause
Elaine Stritch is so F*ckin Phenomenal! I was blessed to see her one woman show live in New York in 2001, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty. A simple loose silk shirt with her long hosed legs and gentle heels. She held the space with such a delicious mix of irreverence, timing, energy, vulnerability, humor, and theatrical dexterity. She was (and her spirit still is) a Wonder! ✨🙌🏾💕✨
You can just see how much respect, admiration, and affection all of the other incredibly talented women sitting on that stage had for Elaine Stritch. Patti and Bernadette especially looked just so excited and elated. Even when this happened i felt like this number was celebrating not just Stephen Sondheim and his incredible talent, career, legacy, but also Elaine Stritch's incredible talent and career.
I absolutely love how the women on stage behind her get more enraptured with Elaine Stritch’s performance as she goes on. It is a testament to how amazing this woman truly is.
It's 2021, the Oscars are over, and I can honestly say it'd be a damn shame if the Tonys don't put this in the show. After all that happened last year, we're kind of overdue for this reassurance
I’m 70 now but I remember our drama club going to NYC to see Company when I was in high school. I still get chills when I think about Elaine singing The Ladies Who Lunch. That was when I realized the power of one person,one song, one actress commanding the entire theater. Over the years I’ve learned that this combination is rare and magical. Thank you Elaine for giving me those five minutes! Stellar.
I’m not a Broadway kinda guy at all. But I happened upon this video randomly yesterday and I’ve watched it 3 times. And each time I tear up a bit. One of my many regrets will be that I never got to see her live. What talent.
A year has passed since you posted this. I hope that in that time you have found and seen or heard "At Liberty" or the RUclips posts of Company's Original Cast Album ("The Little Things You Do Together" and the soul-shattering "Ladies Who Lunch") or Elaine's later concert performances of "Ladies." If not, please do so! Each, you will find, is time well spent. She will come to throbbing, roaring life every time you watch her.
Finally got my husband to watch this. He never got into musicals growing up. But at least now he understands why I yell "STRITCHYYYYY" whenever she turns up on 30 Rock.
I’m so grateful for Tina Fey for introducing me to Elaine Stritch via 30 Rock. And I’m grateful for The Algorithm and The Universe for serving me up this video! I love the women behind her too x
Dammit, Sondheim! Your compositions and lyrics are magic! Stritch brought these words to life in a way we'll not witness again, I'm sure. There's something to be said about a technically perfect performance, but something entirely different when you lose the line between performer, character, and... something bigger: A perfect intersection of the two. And that.. is pure magic. 🎉 God, thank you for Ms. Elaine Stritch.❤
For some reason I was watching older Lucille Ball performances (before and after I Love Lucy) she was Amazing. And then Elaine Stritch popped up. Without even watching or knowing anything about her, I could tell that she was something special that passed me bye my entire life. Watching her sing was a highlight.
This is the song I played for my dog when she passed because, I don't know, she really reminded me of Elaine Stritch. That might sound stupid but this song and this woman are such an inspiration to me I watch this video probably once a week and it never gets old.
My gosh, why did this make me cry? Oh I know why. Because this is the epitome of broadway. It's about selling emotion to everyone from the front row to the balconies, not (necessarily) about signing runs and other vocal acrobatics. Such a powerful performance. Thanks for posting it.
Omigosh, yes! Sometimes I want to scream when I read the comments below a video of whoever is the current pop star flavor of the month, comments that say "Oh, look, there's a tear. She has so much emotion. Nobody else does that!" But instead of screaming, I offer a link to this, or any of the other performances by the ladies at that concert.
I don't know what it is, but there's something about the way she delivers "whatever happened to her?" that lets you know exactly what happened to her and it absolutely guts me every time.
She may not have had a classically beautiful singing voice but she was utterly authentic, a brilliant interpreter of whatever she sang, completely and wonderfully unforgettable. And damn it, she was here!
When it comes to this particular song, Elaine Stritch's performance is the VERY best. She is a trooper and a survivor, and she really HAS been through it all.
I don't think there's a better rendition that can match the passion and fire of this song. Elaine truly lived thru a lot and that experience shines thru every aspect of this performance. When she says, "But I'm here," I believe it. God I miss her. Look at the respect she gets from the rest of the performers behind her, and Jesus, that line-up's nothing to scoff at: Donna, Marin, Patti, Audra, Bernadette? Holy shit.
Elaine’s, Patti’s and Donna’s performances on sondheim’s birthday make me fucking cry every single time. These are true artists with true talent. This is true entertainment.
Probably watched this video 20 times now. I am convinced that Elaine Stritch was the most talented and coolest person on the planet. This has got to be my favorite 6 minutes of life. Jesus effing Christ. How incredible is this glorious woman.
Definitive version, a masterpiece. It took her life to bring every nuance to each line. She shines knowing she nailed it. Yes Elaine your a major talent.
She’s been through it all and toward the ends she got sober to find she didn’t need a crutch in the first place . She found out that her unique talent was one of a kind - the ability to communicate deeply with her audience through humor . She said in an instant one can change a downer day to a great day with humor . Thank you Elaine for lifting many of my days . That’s about the greatest gift one can give another . The “ I got through all of last year “ sprung up emotion in me that I didn’t give permission for but am grateful for . All of us are human and life at times is rough but it’s ok . Just laugh and you’ll look down on the problem instead of looking up at it , helpless . No one is truly alone . Life hits everyone.
REST in FOREVER HONORED PEACE, STEPHEN SONDHEIM -- You passed away yesterday and we're all REELING here ... ELAINE STRITCH - RIP, too! You are the most moving creature on the planet in so many ways here ... THANK YOU FOR INSPIRING us ALL! Y'all KNOCKED IT OUTTA DA BALLPARK. T'anks! (ALL those lyrics and not ONE FLUFF! -- WHEEEEW!)
What makes this special is the fact that she is probably the last person to sing this song on a major stage where some of those lyrics are actually true. And if not true to her, she knew people who they were true for first hand. That will never happen again.
Nobody ever deserved to sing this brilliant Sondheim song more than dear Elaine Stritch, especially at that point in her career. What a talent, sorely missed!
WHAT A SONG! :-) A whole play! lol 🙂 I remember her onstage and she was riveting. Ok...in this, the vocal chords are no longer great, but her energy still sends chills up my spine! The intelligence of her connection to words...her timing...her inner imagery...it all conspires to give her a masterful presence.
Anyone else loving how much fun the conductor seems to be having in this song? That's fun to me, that he's enjoying making this great musical event so much!
Sad to think Stritch would be gone just 4 years later, but how lucky we were that she was able to keep giving us performances like this so late in her game, and almost until the very end.
Jack Donaghy, I wonder if you ever really appreciated what an enormously talented performer your mother was. Watching this for the sixth time, I can only say that she absolutely deserved the boisterous standing ovation.
Is Elaine your favorite Sondheim singer? If not, who is? What is your favorite song and play by Sondheim?
Patti LuPone ♥
OUTSTANDING ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Unconventional, but Julie Andrews.
Ellen for me!
Elaine and Bernadette
"I got through all of last year ... and I'm here!" will be the line for 2021. lol
You said it for all of us!
I’m hoping I’m still here!!!!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Isn't That the TRUTH!
LIVE, LOVE, LIVE, LAUGH! ♥️🌹♥️🌹♥️
There should be a new years eve mix of this song...eartha kitt has a good one too
I could not agree more! 😀
The crazy thing is she DID live through the depression
True...once in an interview, her her mention the DAMN FABULOUS Sights of the GREATS of Broadway that she had seen and met..From Mae West to Sophie Tucker; a virtual memory bank of Who's Who...and this song...just fits.
She will probably be the last American Broadway star to sing that line honestly...unless Barbara Cook decides to sing it soon.
And now Im crying.
Were you depressed?
So did both of my grandparents.
Patti LuPone casually fangirling over there...
I love that 😍❤️💞💕
Aren’t we all though?
And then she sang it so good in pose
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I was thinking she knows this will be her.
I love how Patti Lupone is just having the time of her life in the background wHahHahhhHahaa
good lord....YES!
Nasty woman
Stritch should have interrupted the song to answer her cell phone while of course flipping the bird at Lupone with her other hand. Lupone's inevitable sour-faced and mean-spirited reaction would have produced an expression I'd like to have seen. And if Stritch is going to rewrite the lyric for a lame riposte against Barbara Walters, why not update the other references as well? Happily, she's "no longer here" to do so.
Bronx Bear did you just say it’s a good thing she isn’t here?! You’re a monster to say that about anybody.
@@bronxbear8126 hallucinate much?
Good performers sing pitch perfect, great ones make you believe every single word they are saying. Elaine is the latter.
ok okokok truest and most important comment.
I'm pretty sure she was able to do both back in her prime! By no means was this performance bad in any way. True artist
@@claymodelexpert ....and I'd bet Sondheim needed yet another sets of aspirin, ANACIN....BUFFERIN lmao
@@claymodelexpert Nah, she really couldn't. Lol. Its her whole schtick
Well thank you! lol
And that, darlings, is how it’s done.
Thanks, Mary.
Amen Genevieve R!!!!
Yeeeeesssss! ❤😊
"I got through all of last year, an I'm here" That really struck a nerve... I felt that.
Brianna Nechelle - Same ... and by the end of the song I was like .... are these tears? Am I crying?
@@greeneyedvegan oi
yeah -- today more than EVER!!!
I cry every time!!
I still watch this a cry at that part alone! That was personal for her!❤️
I don’t say this lightly. This is my favorite video on the internet. I have watched it time and time again: to cheer up, to gain resolve, and to revel in the absolute brilliance that is this hilarious, heartbreaking tour de force. The best performance ever of one of the best songs ever. I got through all of last year…
That's quite a statement - I will have to think of my favorite video on the internet now.
My favorite is still Michael Jackson grocery shopping, this one is probably my second favorite.
Me too
Sam Tucker, this song got me through a divorce and so much more. I hear you friend. ❤
same.
I want to be Elaine Stritch when I'm older.
I want to be Elaine Stritch right now!!
A kick-ass old broad that don’t miss a trick! Damn sure you won’t put one over on her!
@@wessikes I was just thinking the very same thing...
Y'all watching this in 2020? Sounds like a good "fight song" for what we are all enduring 😅
Yeah, I think the "I lived through all of last year" bit will be pretty poignant in 2021. For a number of reasons.
You betcha!
That very thought was what brought me here.
Yes I’m preparing to perform this
Song next year for my birthday once the vaccine is out
I'm rewriting this song for my xmas cards about this year.
Anyone watching in 2019?
I missed her so much. My favorite, 'Still, someone said she's sincere - so I'm here,' always brings tears in my eyes.
Love you Elaine.
me! I come back and rewatch from time to time, just to see how an artist does it..
She was such a power house. I could watch this performance once a day for the rest of my life.
God...
why do ya always have to take the good ones.
Ditto SueLin P. This is the definitive performance, better than Polly Bergen's IMO. As for the comments about her not singing on pitch--she does and always did. You can't have the kind of career she had singing off pitch. Many of the other greats sharing the stage with her are in tears, for good reason. This is really artistry. And BTW--if she replaced Brenda Frazier with Barbara Walters, who can blame her? Who knows Brenda Frazier? I didn't. The theater is dimmer without her. Luckily, we have LuPone, the phenomenal McDonald, Peters, and Murphy are gracing the stages. Get over it--Stritch was a force of nature.
@@annearenstein8195 yes, this segment of the concert shows the best bunch of Broadway divas in history... so sad we already lost two (Stritch, Mazzie)
And then to see those shots with just her with Marin in the background. Simply heartbreaking.
What a talent. Here's to the ladies who lunch.
+Mike Hipp
Mike, I agree ! Miss this Gal !
2019, this wonder enters my feed and I’m elated! Thank you so much! What a treasure Elaine is! ❤️❤️❤️
Her authenticity shines through!!! A true dame!
The way she says "Whatever happened to her?" Is just... So fucking on point. I love this performance so much, I keep coming back to it.
Me too! I’ve watched about 10 singers do this song and Stritch nails it the best.
Me, too. 🙂
Why am I over here with tears in my eyes? Like honestly she just made me cry. I can't be the only one! Elaine Stritch you're still "here" to me. Thanks for inspiring.
+Arron Holman You're not the only one. She's one of a kind and she'll be missed.
me too
Me too.
me too
Same here, same here!!!
my dad used to be her driver before she passed, such a sweet woman, my biggest inspiration.
Aw, cool. Thanks for sharing.
This is why Sondheim is so good - you don't need a pretty vibrato to deliver his songs, just let the words and melody do the work. RIP.
The words, the melody, and passionate performance!
Yep Stephen’s brilliance❤️
How can you not like this? It is the song of someone who has been through it all and persevered against all odds. It's knowing you're mortal. It's knowing the world doesn't owe you anything. It's about being responsible for your own actions ... damn the consequences.
Couldn't have said it better myself! You are awesome!
DirtyOldMountainGoat So eloquently written!!
No self pity here. BLM-Take notice
Because there's not much singing.
You know at the end, she means every word, the words may have been written by Sondheim, but every word of this song was true for Elaine Stritch and this is why it crossed from acting into something real, of the moment and therefore truly special and to be treasured. I am sure when people look back on her career, they will highlight this as one of her greatest performances. This song was meant to be sung by her and I am sure we will never see it performed like this ever again.
4⁴&&&&&&&&&&&1😅😊😅😊😊; mm
The right age and performer to sing of endurance personified. The apex!
this stage is filled with the absolute A-list of broadway women and the reverence they pay to Madame Stritch is beautiful.... This performance is magnificence. Stritch is a National Treasure.
Tonight somewhere the feisty Stritch and brilliant Sondheim are together, wit and melody singing through the universe...
✨❤️❤️✨
Awww that’s beautiful what u said !! Ur a beautiful soul for having that thought !
❤❤❤❤
There's no better example of Elaine Stritch's brilliance than at 4:42. The opening lyrics come round again and instead of immediately (following the accompaniment) going for a triumphant ending, she exposes her vulnerability, her fragility and it's heartbreaking. She kicks you in the guts. And then the end is so triumphant because you know it's so hard won. One of a kind and one of the greats.
Merins reaction @ 4:52 KILLS ME
One experiences tears and exultation watching her. What a magnificent actress.
Husband and I saw her in her first performance of this and then 3 other times. I’ll go to my “grave:” with those remembered experiences at the top of my list of life’s lessons English muffins be dammed.
@@ztramsey93 Yes - and Marin Mazzie also looks tearful at the opening (it might be from the previous song, not in the clip?) - but the way she hangs on every word and note is notable. And my understanding of top artists is they're sensitive, so when they're in the audience they connect to the emotions and nuances of the performer more acutely than most.
If we are lucky, we will all be able to sing: “I got through all of last year, and I'm here”
We did ig
Almost a year since you commented; hopefully you’ve been able to get through it still ☺️
2022 and we are still getting through all of last year
I wish Carrie Fisher had lived long enough to sing this somewhere.
I feel you. I wish she was "still here." Only wish she had been more of a survivor. Her mom was that kind of survivor though. "Postcards from the Edge" has her mother figure played by Shirley MacLaine singing it. Her mom, Debbie Reynolds, sang it in her touring show. The "Bright Lights" documentary has her family riffing on the lyrics to "There's No Business Like Show Business." Elaine Stritch does that! The end song in "Bright Lights," Carrie does a torch song, right? There's a gutsy spirited song of Yoko Ono's that Carrie does which has just a snippet on an iphone You Tube clip.It is the opposite of a torch song and I think you would love it. In around 2010 at a benefit. "What a Bastard the World Is." (She had a bond with Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon.)
This feels like the right song at the right time.
Especially now!
I can't. This is a master class.
I wholly agree! Heres a woman who's been there and here and can still tell it like it is! RiP Elaine!
Yes. At so many levels.
And even at that is an understatement. I would have killed to have been a product of the 40s and been amongst the greats
Just sucks that Stritch, Marin, and Sondheim are gone 💔
Look at the faces of the great next generation [Audra, Bernadette, Patti etc] sitting on the chairs and you can see the love and admiration they have for one of the greatest of all Broadway performers,
Marin Mazzie was never an etc., sir.
There have been many excellent performers that do this song, but Elaine really blows them all away here. You can tell by watching the women in the background focused in absolute rapture and admiration. They are all professionals that have seen it all, and the fact that even they clearly know this is really special is clear. Thanks for posting!
Many years ago, I had a conversation with Stephen Sondheim about this song and the various people who have performed it. He told me that Elaine Stritch had really wanted to sing it in the concert version of Follies, but that he had nixed that idea because he didn't think Stritch was up to the task vocally. I saw Stritch perform (and slay) this song several times over the years and always liked to imagine that at least some of the defiance and bravado in her performances stemmed from that earlier snubbing.
@@ericholck272 Well, he couldn't have been more wrong could he? I wonder how often Mr. Sondheim regretted that misguided decision?
@@ericholck272 I mean to be fair the song here is taken down a few steps cause he was right she couldn't vocally do it but the thing about her is that she doesn't just sing, she performs and that's what makes her a once in a lifetime talent, she really took what she had (superb acting talent and a sub-par singing voice) and just made it work.
@@ejgotcher1011 Yes, absolutely that. Some of Elaine's contemporaries like Channing & even Merman didn't approach their songs with the grace of an operatic angel, they brought a bulldozer of CHARACTER & CHARM to every note. They knew they weren't Garland or Andrews, hitting every note with laser-focused accuracy & pitch, and they never tried to be that. These were PERFORMERS & ENTERTAINERS which is a class in & of itself. If you wanted a Broadway legend to wring out every drop of truth & raw integrity in their performance, Elaine Stritch was among the best.
Stritch was everything and second only to my Judy who she partied with.
This is criminally underviewed
@Michael Julliard I assume that's because it's not the sort of performance that is easily appreciated. It's along the lines of an "acquired taste".
The problem is that this is how this song deserves to be performed by everyone, but only the icon Elaine Stritch can do it like this! She just got up from a chair, wearing normal clothes, and made everyone feel something like she’s been on stage setting this up. Legendary.
And Patti LuPone lip syncing behind her is the greatest.
She owns this song.
Others sing it - very well - but for me, it will always be her song, her legacy.
By the way, the song is about Joan Crawford, according to Sondheim. That's especially true about the line where someone said that she was sincere.
But did Sondheim write it specifically for Stritch to perform?
Patti Lupone sang this in POSE, and owned it. I'm certain, Elaine is watching from above and smiling. Both women, amazing talents 👏👏👏
But Patti LuPone plays such a vile character!
Elaine just delivers. She is the original "been there done that".
Sondheim always wanted actors who could sing, and he wrote songs that had to be performed, not just sung. This song and the performance by Elaine Stritch is simply perfect.
I watch this over and over, remembering that Sondheim wrote in with Joan Crawford in mind. Think of that!
Sat at her feet as she sang this at the Cafe Carlyle. One of the best nights of my life.
Robert oh my gosh wow. Is say that must have been some feeling
@@paulwalsh8459 I was at the piano for one of those performances and I was her helper for the evening: "Are you gonna help an old lady get down from here." After that I was her lifter/descender for the evening.
David Schalk Did you see the doc Always at the Carlyle? There's a part where the lights go out during some interviews & they all agree it's Elaine making contact 😘👻
Performing in HEELS at 86 years old! THAT is impressive!
Elaine Stritch embodies this song. It's as if it was written for her personally. This is hands down the best performance of I'm Still Here.
Elaine Stritch was one of our greatest American Musical Actress. There will never be another like her.
Elaine is so sadly missed... But songs like this confirm that she really is still here...
This is the definition of how to perfectly perform a song. Elaine was the penultimate performer of the night and the ONLY one to get a standing ovation, let that sink in. In a room with living legends like Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Georg Hearn, and many others, Elaine Stritch was the only one to make 2,200 people rise to their feet in applause
The way she sings "I got through all of last year" makes me tear up. I'm sure Sondheim knew what he was doing when he wrote that line too.
It's the line that most makes the audience reflect on the individual trials they've survived. Simple and brilliant.
My god...performing at 86 years old.....what a woman!
Three cheers dammit, c'est la vie. RIP Elaine.
I want to be Elaine Stritch when I grow up. I'm already a 58 year old actress...there's still time.
Elaine Stritch is so F*ckin Phenomenal! I was blessed to see her one woman show live in New York in 2001, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty. A simple loose silk shirt with her long hosed legs and gentle heels. She held the space with such a delicious mix of irreverence, timing, energy, vulnerability, humor, and theatrical dexterity. She was (and her spirit still is) a Wonder! ✨🙌🏾💕✨
I saw her one-woman show in Boston. Watching it over and over again on RUclips is such a delight!!
You can just see how much respect, admiration, and affection all of the other incredibly talented women sitting on that stage had for Elaine Stritch.
Patti and Bernadette especially looked just so excited and elated.
Even when this happened i felt like this number was celebrating not just Stephen Sondheim and his incredible talent, career, legacy, but also Elaine Stritch's incredible talent and career.
which accounts for the attention.....but nothing wrong in certain associations
I love the emotion and acting Elaine put into this song...Ive heard better singers, but have not seen better acting in this song.
Yes!!!!!!!!!!
"seen all my dreams disappear"
"but im *here* "
yes maam, preach
I absolutely love how the women on stage behind her get more enraptured with Elaine Stritch’s performance as she goes on. It is a testament to how amazing this woman truly is.
Yes, Patti LuPone is looking on at her with such admiration. Beautiful!
It's 2021, the Oscars are over, and I can honestly say it'd be a damn shame if the Tonys don't put this in the show. After all that happened last year, we're kind of overdue for this reassurance
Agreed. Put Trump and Covid in the song and it would be quite appropriate for what we've been through - as the world! Who would you pick to sing it?
@@SomeDaysYoureBarbra i would have picked Bernadette Peters or Donna Murphy.
God bless her soul.
There are no gods, and there is no such thing as a soul; but okay, your well wishes are noted.
I always crack up when she laughs after saying Beverly Hills 😂 3:02
I’m 70 now but I remember our drama club going to NYC to see Company when I was in high school. I still get chills when I think about Elaine singing The Ladies Who Lunch. That was when I realized the power of one person,one song, one actress commanding the entire theater. Over the years I’ve learned that this combination is rare and magical. Thank you Elaine for giving me those five minutes! Stellar.
I’m not a Broadway kinda guy at all. But I happened upon this video randomly yesterday and I’ve watched it 3 times. And each time I tear up a bit. One of my many regrets will be that I never got to see her live. What talent.
A year has passed since you posted this. I hope that in that time you have found and seen or heard "At Liberty" or the RUclips posts of Company's Original Cast Album ("The Little Things You Do Together" and the soul-shattering "Ladies Who Lunch") or Elaine's later concert performances of "Ladies." If not, please do so! Each, you will find, is time well spent. She will come to throbbing, roaring life every time you watch her.
She was extraordinary live. No one like her.
Finally got my husband to watch this.
He never got into musicals growing up. But at least now he understands why I yell "STRITCHYYYYY" whenever she turns up on 30 Rock.
I’m so grateful for Tina Fey for introducing me to Elaine Stritch via 30 Rock. And I’m grateful for The Algorithm and The Universe for serving me up this video! I love the women behind her too x
Dammit, Sondheim! Your compositions and lyrics are magic! Stritch brought these words to life in a way we'll not witness again, I'm sure. There's something to be said about a technically perfect performance, but something entirely different when you lose the line between performer, character, and... something bigger: A perfect intersection of the two. And that.. is pure magic. 🎉 God, thank you for Ms. Elaine Stritch.❤
For some reason I was watching older Lucille Ball performances (before and after I Love Lucy) she was Amazing. And then Elaine Stritch popped up. Without even watching or knowing anything about her, I could tell that she was something special that passed me bye my entire life. Watching her sing was a highlight.
I want this video played at my funeral. Seriously.
This is the song I played for my dog when she passed because, I don't know, she really reminded me of Elaine Stritch. That might sound stupid but this song and this woman are such an inspiration to me I watch this video probably once a week and it never gets old.
💔❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💔
"I got through all of last year
And I'm here."
The ballad alof 2021.
My gosh, why did this make me cry? Oh I know why. Because this is the epitome of broadway. It's about selling emotion to everyone from the front row to the balconies, not (necessarily) about signing runs and other vocal acrobatics. Such a powerful performance. Thanks for posting it.
I held out my tears until she went and gave everyone a kiss..... waterworks and she's greatly missed!
Omigosh, yes! Sometimes I want to scream when I read the comments below a video of whoever is the current pop star flavor of the month, comments that say "Oh, look, there's a tear. She has so much emotion. Nobody else does that!" But instead of screaming, I offer a link to this, or any of the other performances by the ladies at that concert.
I don't know what it is, but there's something about the way she delivers "whatever happened to her?" that lets you know exactly what happened to her and it absolutely guts me every time.
Elaine Stritch… the legend you still are, deeply missed
She may not have had a classically beautiful singing voice but she was utterly authentic, a brilliant interpreter of whatever she sang, completely and wonderfully unforgettable. And damn it, she was here!
I don't know what is more fun: watching Elaine, or watching the other actors watching her!!!
Not bad for 85 years of age! The immortal Elaine Strich. 🤩💖
This wasn't singing, it was storytelling. Only a certain generation has that in them. Top, top performance! 👏🏻
😂😂 only one generation has storytelling? Tell me you're a boomer without saying you're a boomer.
Why aren't more people seeing this? I watch it at least 3 times a week. She really IS still here!!!!!!!!
When it comes to this particular song, Elaine Stritch's performance is the VERY best. She is a trooper and a survivor, and she really HAS been through it all.
A masterclass, plain and simple. People will look at this performance in the years to come and say YES!!!! THAT is how you do it.
Such a shame we've lost not only Stritch but also Marin Mazzie.
Brian Ingram devastating. They were goddesses.
I don't think there's a better rendition that can match the passion and fire of this song. Elaine truly lived thru a lot and that experience shines thru every aspect of this performance. When she says, "But I'm here," I believe it. God I miss her. Look at the respect she gets from the rest of the performers behind her, and Jesus, that line-up's nothing to scoff at: Donna, Marin, Patti, Audra, Bernadette? Holy shit.
Best rendition of this Sondheim standard. A true master class sung by a show biz survivor --- who better than Stritch to understand this song!!??
She completely understands that this is an proclamation. Bravo!!
Elaine’s, Patti’s and Donna’s performances on sondheim’s birthday make me fucking cry every single time. These are true artists with true talent. This is true entertainment.
Probably watched this video 20 times now. I am convinced that Elaine Stritch was the most talented and coolest person on the planet. This has got to be my favorite 6 minutes of life. Jesus effing Christ. How incredible is this glorious woman.
Definitive version, a masterpiece. It took her life to bring every nuance to each line. She shines knowing she nailed it. Yes Elaine your a major talent.
She’s been through it all and toward the ends she got sober to find she didn’t need a crutch in the first place . She found out that her unique talent was one of a kind - the ability to communicate deeply with her audience through humor . She said in an instant one can change a downer day to a great day with humor . Thank you Elaine for lifting many of my days . That’s about the greatest gift one can give another . The “ I got through all of last year “ sprung up emotion in me that I didn’t give permission for but am grateful for . All of us are human and life at times is rough but it’s ok . Just laugh and you’ll look down on the problem instead of looking up at it , helpless . No one is truly alone . Life hits everyone.
REST in FOREVER HONORED PEACE, STEPHEN SONDHEIM -- You passed away yesterday and we're all REELING here ...
ELAINE STRITCH - RIP, too! You are the most moving creature on the planet in so many ways here ...
THANK YOU FOR INSPIRING us ALL! Y'all KNOCKED IT OUTTA DA BALLPARK. T'anks! (ALL those lyrics and not ONE FLUFF! -- WHEEEEW!)
Few could retain their greatness towards later years. She florished.
What makes this special is the fact that she is probably the last person to sing this song on a major stage where some of those lyrics are actually true. And if not true to her, she knew people who they were true for first hand. That will never happen again.
Nobody ever deserved to sing this brilliant Sondheim song more than dear Elaine Stritch, especially at that point in her career. What a talent, sorely missed!
You're still here, Elaine. Always will be.
Too bad you didn't get through all of last year...but God, you ARE here.
what a fucking LEGEND! she may not be on this plane anymore but DAMMIT she's HERE!
This clip and Elaine's Emmy acceptance speech in 2004 are two of the coolest videos on RUclips.
I'm so in love with her silver hair, red suit, black top and her red high heels. I'm so touched by these. So glamourous.
WHAT A SONG! :-) A whole play! lol 🙂 I remember her onstage and she was riveting. Ok...in this, the vocal chords are no longer great, but her energy still sends chills up my spine! The intelligence of her connection to words...her timing...her inner imagery...it all conspires to give her a masterful presence.
I’m going to act like and dress like this lady when I’m older and always be young ❤
“Epic” doesn’t do it justice. Legendary? Iconic? Sincere? Triumphant? I’ll go with… Im not crying! You’re crying!
Anyone else loving how much fun the conductor seems to be having in this song? That's fun to me, that he's enjoying making this great musical event so much!
Gave me goosebumps and tears. What a talent. She's STILL here as far as i''m concerned.............
Ladies and gentlemen: an American Icon if there ever was one.
Thank you Elaine.. and all the Gods who put you there when I'm here. 💕
Sad to think Stritch would be gone just 4 years later, but how lucky we were that she was able to keep giving us performances like this so late in her game, and almost until the very end.
I don't know but I cried....I felt her sincerity....
The Queen of Broadway ! How this world move's without her I'll never know !
Jack Donaghy, I wonder if you ever really appreciated what an enormously talented performer your mother was.
Watching this for the sixth time, I can only say that she absolutely deserved the boisterous standing ovation.
She was perfect as his mother
Elaine Stritch and Eartha Kitt doing this song are unmatchable!!!