Two for the road. The iconic Elaine Stritch performs two of her signature songs “The Ladies Who Lunch” and “I’m Still Here.” She’s not anymore (here) but she’ll never be forgotten. What a woman!
First up: “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company. A bitter, biting, and vodka-soaked toast to empty-headed society swans who waste their time with frivolous things like luncheons and parties. At the end of the song, the character Stritch plays, Joanne, realizes that she is one, herself – a socialite who spends her time criticizing the lives of other women, but never does anything to improve her own life. It’s a devastating critique of New York society, and nobody sings it better than Elaine.
Then: “I’m Still Here” from Follies was written for the show’s original star Yvonne de Carlo (TV’s Lily Muntser) by Stephen Sondheim. The song is a about looking back on a long and storied life and congratulating yourself on your survival. Elaine explains at the beginning of the video that an actress has only earned the right to perform the song once they reach 80, like herself. Everyone else is just fooling themselves.
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