Memory

About Memory

"Memory" is a show tune composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and with lyrics by Trevor Nunn based on a poem by T. S. Eliot. It was written for the 1981 musical Cats, where it is sung primarily by the character Grizabella as a melancholic remembrance of her glamorous past and as a plea for acceptance. "Memory" is the climax of the musical and by far its best-known song, having achieved mainstream success outside of the musical. According to musicologist Jessica Sternfeld, it is "by some estimations the most successful song ever from a musical. "Elaine Paige originated the role of Grizabella in the West End production of Cats, and was thus the first to perform the song publicly on stage. "Memory" was named the Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the 1982 Ivor Novello Awards. more »