My mother used to sing this in the kitchen while doing the dishes. This, and “Maria” from West Side Story. I miss her endlessly, but I find such comfort in listening to this. Edit: You all are so incredibly kind, thank you for all the love and support. To those also thinking of lost loved ones, you aren’t alone. Let’s remember them all with love.

ok, can we stop the bashing of the new movie for like 5 minutes and talk about how hauntingly beautiful that one woman's voice is at 2:33. made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and game me Goosebumps

Don’t worry, people who saw the movie trailer. You’re safe here.

That movie looks horrific and I am so excited

I cried a bit when she said 'touch me, it's so easy to leave me' because i've known this song my whole life but only just realised she says that because she's an old & mangey cat that is shunned by everyone and no humans want to touch her fur anymore and give her love & attention and it made me wanna fo find an old, ugly cat and give it a stroke and tell it it's beautiful >.

I should probably go to bed instead of crying over broadway songs...

Actual correct lyrics: Memory, turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory lead you Open up, enter in If you find there the meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin Memory, All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember a time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again Burnt out ends of smoky days The stale, cold smell of morning A street lamp dies, another night is over Another day is dawning... Daylight I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I musn't give in When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too And a new day Will begin (instrumental break) Sunlight through The trees in summer Endless masquerading Like a flower As the dawn is breaking The memory is fading Touch me It's so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day Has begun

I needed to cleanse after that trailer so I’m here

this song is the reason i can never leave an old cat on the streets It physically would make me sick to because whenever I see an old wild cat I hear this song in my head unfortunately it means I have to say goodbye too soon to them but they all die happy and that's the be all end all to me I miss them all but Bailey is the most recent and most painful R.I.P Bay Bay

I saw Cats over 20 years ago on Broadway. My first time in New York City. Best time of my life

I had the pleasure of seeing the original cast in London. It was one of the highlights of my life.

here to listen to this real beauty after the movie trailer.

For those wondering, the actor's name is Elaine Paige.

Me: I'm going to study all day for finals Also Me: Ends up here watching Memory from Cats

I would rather see a professional recording of Broadway productions than a shitty CGI version of James Corden with a tail.

I've never seen cats so just to make sure I'm getting emotional for the right reasons - this is an old, dishevelled cat, shunned and shamed from the rest, longing for acceptance once more before she dies? Finding everything within her to belt a final 'Touch me' 🥺

This is ELAINE PAIGE in the role she created, the original Grizabella in CATS in the UK's New London Theatre, May 11, 1981 (before the Broadway production). This is her signature song & she owns it!!!

my cat Cindy was actually a big fan of this musical. this was one of her favorite songs. she would sit and purr while we listened to it. she just recently passed and I've been playing this song in her memory

It hurts me when I imagine them as actual cats and how so many cats become strays and how alone they must feel

After watching Jackfilm's frame by frame analysis of the new movie, I had to watch this to cleanse my eyes and my soul.

I wonder if my cat does this kind of thing she he's out on the streets!

My cat just started wailing from the other room...

This is actually awesome! The movie trailer had me worried that the play was also nightmare fuel.

Jennifer Hudson you have big shoes to fill. This performance will forever make me cry

I picked up a stray cat on 15 dec my younger brothers birthday who died a year earlier. She is with me now asleep on my bed, her name is Tibby

I came into this video wanting to comment something witty like "contour on fleek" but I just came out crying...

Actors for the musical: actually look like cats. Actors for the Million dollar movie production company: look like hell spawns.

Jennifer Hudson has a great voice I’m just not sure it’s suited for this song. This rendition is beautiful.

I can keep it together until she sings "Touch me! It's so easy to leave me!" That's where I lose it every time. And only Ellen Paige can do that to me with this song. She puts so much sorrow into it, you can almost taste the tears she's crying as she sings this, her last lament. The woman knows no peers when it comes to this song.

A lot of people sing this song to out sing others who performed it, or simply because it's a beautiful song. The reason why she is my favorite is because she sings it with the intent to tell a story. She's not just singing it, she's acting it, she MADE herself into the song. And because of that, I feel every ounce of emotion radiating off the lyrics and instrumental in the background. Listening to her sing "Memory" has placed me into the shoes of this mangy, old, and regected cat and I've never felt so alone and rejected by listening to a song before.

the actor has so much passion singing this song it actually hurts me

The sheer emotion that Elaine shows in her performances like this are just stunning. I'm not here to debate who can sing better.....this is about immersing into the character and I feel she does just that...but she sings her heart and soul out of this! ❤️

Turns out there are many versions for Memory. I spent an hour getting the lyrics for this video just right. Enjoy. Memory Turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory leave you Open up, enter in If you find there The meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin Memory All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old things I was beautiful then I remember the time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again Burnt out ends of smoky days The stale cold smell of morning The streetlamp dies, another night is over Another day is dawning Daylight I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn’t give in When the dawn comes Tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin Sunlight, through the trees in the summer Endless masquerading like a flower as the dawn is breaking The memory is fading Touch me It's so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You'll understand what happiness is Look A new day has begun

For me this song is about growing old and not just wanting your life to be spent looking back to better days, but also looking forward to growing old and dying in a life filled with love. My interpretation of each verse is as follows: "Midnight not a sound from the pavement Has the moon lost her memory? She is smiling alone" The notion of the moon forgetting that that there is also a sun that brings with warmth and happiness and not an endless, lonely, cold night. "In the lamplight The withered leaves collect at my feet And the wind begins to moan" The old cat is lying by the street light which brings no warmth, but at least some comfort that the day will come around again. The leaves resemble her scattered collection of memories of happy days long passed and the wind is the vocal expression of her loneliness and longing. "Memory all alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember The time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again" She is a recalling a time when she was young and attractive, when she had owners who would give her comfort and attention. She is comforted yet melancholic at the recollection of happier times. "Every street lamp Seems to beat a fatalistic warning Someone mutters at the street lamp gutters And soon it will be morning" The lights are flickering from their timers as the dawn is approaching, the cat awakes from her dreams of youth. "Daylight I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn't give in When the dawn comes Tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin" She is happy that the lonely night is about to end and hopeful that she has another day to find the attention and happiness that she yearns for, but she is on the edge of collapse and close to resigning herself to spending the rest of her days alone. "Burnt out ends of smoky days The stale cold smell of morning The street lamp dies, another night is over Another day is dawning" Back to reality, but time to start the search again. "Touch me it's so easy to leave me All alone with my memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You'll understand what happiness is Look a new day has begun" She is crying out to the world that she is still lovable and has so much to give if someone would give her that once chance. Her only chance. Her last chance. She is saying that if you take that chance with her and extend to her your love and affection, she can do the same for you too. She may be old, but she has so much love to give.

Elaine Paige is absolutely outstanding! The only person on the planet who could sing this beautiful song, and do it the emotional justice it deserves.

After seeing the trailer...this is HOLY WATER.

GRIZABELLA: Memory, turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory lead you Open up, enter in If you find there the meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin Memory, all alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember a time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again Burnt out ends of smokey days The stale cold smell of morning A street lamp dies, another night is over Another day is dawning Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn't give in When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin SILLABUB: Sunlight, through the trees in summer Endless masquerading GRIZABELLA AND SILLABUB: Like a flower as the dawn is breaking GRIZABELLA: The memory is fading Touch me, it's so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day has begun

Album: Cats SILLABUB: Daylight, see the dew on the sunflower And a rose that is fading Roses wither away Like the sunflower I yearn to turn my face to the dawn I am waiting for the day MUNKUSTRAP: Now Old Deuteronomy, just before dawn Through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife Announces the cat who can now be reborn And come back to a different Jellicle life GRIZABELLA: Memory, turn your face to the moonlight Let your memory lead you Open up, enter in If you find there the meaning of what happiness is Then a new life will begin Memory, all alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember the time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again Burnt out ends of smokey days The stale cold smell of morning A street lamp dies, another night is over Another day is dawning Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn't give in When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin SILLABUB: Sunlight, through the trees in summer Endless masquerading GRIZABELLA AND SILLABUB: Like a flower as the dawn is breaking GRIZABELLA: The memory is fading Touch me, it's so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day has begun

Yes. Elaine Page is still, always one and only, the best Grizabella for me. Betty Buckles has amazing, beautiful, incredible voice but Elaine is living in this character, she put a real drama in it. I can feel emotions, so touching and honest. Thanks you so much for that.

Who else came here from the cats movie trailer to remember how beautiful this play really is?

Elaine Paige’s version is the only version to ever make me cry like a baby. I know within the theater community, there’s this debate of Betty vs Elaine but I think that is so silly. They are both so MAGICAL when it comes to singing this beautiful song. For me personally, I prefer Elaine but Betty is very, very good. Elaine just touches my heart and makes me feel soft in a way that Betty doesn’t.

2:35 she is so pretty! It’s captivating

This song perfectly exemplifies Grizabella's struggle with despair over her lost youth, beauty and popularity, her reflection on happier times, and her feelings of hope for a new life. It goes to show that hope cannot exist without despair. And sometimes those who love us can show us that hope when all seems lost, as Jemima had shown Grizabella that there was hope when she had lost all hope and broke down.

When .. I see a Stray/Lost Kitty . I think of this song

She has a perfect voice.👏

This song reminds me of my cat who died last year. I played this song at her funeral, she was so tiny and cute. May she rest in peace :(

I am Japanese. This song learned a music class. I knew “cats” but I didn’t know songs. And today I was moved listening this song. 😭😭👍👍💕👍

Am I the only one who teared up listening to this? I can't stop watching it

ugh I grew up watching cats on VHS. My mom said she related to this song because before she met my father, she was a beautiful dancer and she now felt that she was old and forgotten. To this day, she can still do the splits standing up. She's always been a beautiful dancer in my eyes.

I'm not gonna lie. But when I was younger I thought she was a Sasquatch. But I finally realize she's a singing cat.

KZfaq algorithm: Here's 2019 Cats *I NEED TO GO BACK* KZfaq Search Bar: I got you bro. Here's the better one

We're sorry for offending you -from everyone after watching the CATS trailer

With this one song Elaine stole the show. The other performers and singers were great, but Elaine takes it to another level.

The whole song is so good but my favorite parts are 02:33 and 03:02.

3:02 gives me chills every time.

Had to come here to remember why Cats was great in the first place. Some musicals are meant to be solely experienced in the theater. This is one of them.

Man what a hell of a Lyricist Andrew Lloyd Webber is. This guy really walks the edge. Most of his songs expresses is risque tiptoeing on the Edge of the depth of Darkness.

First Musical i've ever seen. My mother dragged me along to see it as a young boy. 30 years later I still remember this song. Although I can appreciate it abit more now ;)

I went to the new version of this tonight 2019!!! I loved every minute of it, except when people were talking during the performance, but I cried during memory!! It was beautifully done

This song reminds me of an old stray cat that lived in my husband’s (then boyfriend) neighborhood that we called Sweetie... you could tell she was abandoned and used to be a house cat, she loved people so much. She had such a hard life in the streets and would beg to come inside. Finally one day my mother in law adopted her and she is living a new life for the rest of her days. Just like Grizabella got her second chance ❤️

OMG this is AMAZING. I cannot stop watching it. The Voice, The Costume, The Performance, The Energy, Everything so PERFECT & AMAZING. Her expression while singing is the BEST.

This part always hit me in the heart very hard... :'(

I just watched several people preform this song. As someone who does not know anything about theater, I would have thought "dress someone up like a cat and have her sing this song" but it's amazing how so many talented people can sing this song in context and how this performance can still stand out so much from the rest.

Anybody here to cleanse their brain with the good Cats?

when I was little I had a wind up toy that would play this song and I didn't know what song it was until high school.

When I was little, I was really obsessed with cats. In preschool, nobody believed that I could talk, all I did was meow. My first day of preschool, the first thing I did when I got there was meow. Two meows was yes, one was no. And I hissed at people I didn't like. I'm sure some of you can relate. Anyways... I was watching a video ( like 5 min ago ) of Eddie Redmayne saying that he was the type of kid who sang this song. I just searched it up and watched this video. I completely forgot about it until now, but I know that when I was little my mom showed me this, because of my obsession with the animal, I dunno if it was on tv or a tape or something, but I remember watching it and thinking, I want to do that. So this video just kinda restored a memory that I completely forgot of, like a missing link. Kinda funny how that works. 😊

No movie will ever be able to capture the beauty of this production.

Her voice is so perfect it causes the soul to swell. If you find a tear at your eye its just because the soul has filled your body and needed the extra room... nothing to be ashamed of.

my mum really loved this song when she was alive

I love this song so much and I get tears in my eyes every time I listen to it! It reminds me of my cat (Georgia) who use to be a beautiful cat but got very old, scruffy and seemed sad. Georgia died earlier this year.

And in 2019 this turns into a furry movie Look at how they massacre my boy

How come this silly musical about anthropomorphic cats has one of the most beautiful songs ever composed?

I remember what happy nest was in1986, I had a beautiful girl who was killed in Brooklyn. I never have gotten over her. She was the love of my life

I always wanted to see Cats live ever since I was a little kid. I hope I can go one day. c:

Who else wants to repeat what the other person said about coming here after 2019's trailer of Cats?

I hope that Jennifer’s version is better than the trailer made it seem because honestly it’s like she had no finesse. This song makes the musical!

Now that I'm old and unhappy I can finally relate to her.

The cat from 2:33 has one of the loveliest voices I've heard in my entire life.

it made me remember that old cat we took from shelter, she was older and looked miserable in cage between two dogs and was the most loving kitty I ever had. She is long gone, and this song made me cry so MUCH bc I remembered her ;3;

No one talking about the performance at 2:28 that high note synchronised with Elaine’s voice gave me chills. Such a beautiful voice!

No one touches Elaine's beautiful voice.........beautiful

I watched this musical with my parents when I was about 8 or 9. Now that I rewatch this, now 16, I appreciate this so much more!

Here because of the 2019 trailer - - This is better💕

I remember seeing this in second grade and being terrified of the characters (macavity in particular). But after years of being in musicals and seeing the horrendous CGI in the new cats movie, I don't know what I was complaining about. Also this was the one thing that I actually enjoyed in second grade and enjoy even more now.

I cried at this part when i watched the play today in Regent Theatre

Only acceptable version

This song makes me want to cry because this is how all the abandoned cats feel. People often fail to realize how REAL this song is for animals thrown out into the street by people with NO COMPASSION.

nothing better then the original - this is perfection and beauty - saw the musical in New York - this tune brought tears to my eyes

Webber: I'm gonna write a musical. Everyone: Cool Webber: About cats! Everyone: Wait, what? Webber: Everyone will be a cat!! Everyone: Let's just slow down here Webber: I will call it...Cats Everyone: Yeah, you do you man Webber: _Writes Cats_ Everyone: ERMAHGERD I LUV CATS!!!!

Eliene Paige = Vocal Goddess

My grandma had a music box with the tune of this song on it. When I found the tune and realized the name of it... Tears came to my eyes. Happy I found it and was able to tune in to those memories. Thank you

Midnight, not a sound from the pavement Has the moon lost her memory? She is smiling alone In the lamplight, the withered leaves collect at my feet And the wind begins to moan Memory, all alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember the time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again Every streetlamp seems to beat A fatalistic warning Someone mutters and the street lamp gutters And soon It will be morning Daylight I must wait for the sunrise I must think of a new life And I mustn't give in When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too And a new day will begin [Optional verse:] Sunlight through the trees in summer Endless masquerading Like a flower, as the day is breaking The memory is fading Touch me It's so easy to leave me All alone with my memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day has begun Burnt out ends of smokey days The stale cold smell of morning The street lamp dies, another night is over Another day is dawning

Always when I listen to this incredible song, it reminds me of my grandma who died 4 years ago. She loved the musical "cats" and specelly this song. My grandma was - and will always be- all for me. Stay in peace. Love you.❤

Do you think Andrew Lloyd Webber just said 'fuck it' when naming this musical

This song specifically, can NEVER be redone with the same beauty and grace

I played this to my grandma as she was dying in hospital. She loved this song. It makes me feel close to her when i listen to it now. 😢 have a good cry remembering our complicated but beautiful relationship. ❤

One of the most beautiful songs of all time!!! 😼❤

Andrew Lloyd Webber will go down in history as THE musical genius. Simply beyond compare!

Don’t get me wrong, I think Jennifer is gonna do an amazing job as Grizabella, but Elaine Page will always BE Grizabella! Her version is so hauntingly beautiful and raw, and her acting is spot on. But let’s stop bashing the new movie for a few seconds okay? Just listen to this and relax XD

3:02 my cat when I don't pet her