I'm going to post another "Why Does Everyone Have to Compare" comment, because I think it's entirely futile. Each actress to sing this in a major production approached it from a completely different place under different directors, while you can say you enjoy one better than the other, I lost interest a long time ago in trying to argue whom is better on any song. I happen to think they each are interesting and beautiful in their own right. Except that disco version Liza did, that's cray-cray.
Cook's for me may be the very best version. You know doubt read all the glorious comments under her version. Her aching, piercing voice, her mannerisms, her vocal performance. All sublime. Much better than Peters.
@greg1lewin I have preferences as well, but it's not for me to say that Peters' or Collins' renditions are "better" than Cook's, though I do feel that way.
@boynamedalexxx Yes, that's obvious you feel that way. If you look at my original comment, I said "for me"...meaning me personally. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
Well, you wrong of course on both counts. Hope you saw the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Ms. Cook and others. Everybody who was anybody in show business got on stage to honor her. Streep was gushing sitting next to her, too.
And wrong in that one can't state one's preferences. People should state their preferences. So, it is for me to say who, for me, is better.
Did you see Barbara Cook on the Kennedy Center Honors? Everybody and his/her brother/sister got up to honor her. Meryl, Glenn, Patti, Audra, etc. It's in two parts on youtube. First part, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Second part, anyone who's anyone on B'way, including B'way's reigning soprano, Audra MacDonald. This, young person, is singing. Don't mean to sound condescending, but I think you are too young to get that. But I have hope that you will.
@greg1lewin I did see the Honors. You've left several comments on different videos I've commented on. Obviously, you feel the need to force your opinion on me. I'm not being condescending, you are. Sorry if my opinion doesn't match up with yours, but that doesn't make it "wrong". I haven't replied to your other posts, yet you responded to mine.
Glad you saw the show. Hope it influences you. What other posts haven't you replied to? You began this by replying to my post. What other vids have I left comments on? Not aware of any.
@an7iguy This, I take it, is intended as sarcasm. I saw Patti in Evita and she was great. But so much of what she does now seems to be a caricature of herself. Her "Mama" in "Gypsy" has way too big, ditto for "Mrs. Lovett" in "Sweeney Todd" and of course, she was fired from "Sunset Boulevard" for that reason. I like her, so it's disappointing to see this happen all the time. She might as well do "Funny Girl" next and out-Barbra Barbra
I especially like how, as a television veteran, she knows to keep the microphone low, and sing over it instead of into it, so that it won't show in her closeups. The result is much more an acting performance than a TV performance. You can also see her pulling it back on the first "I want you so," so that the sound won't be overmodulated. Brava!
Today there is a problem in Musical theatre and that is eveyone it doing what they think is acting. At that point (whan Miss Collins sang this song) in Musical Theatre these people did not act, they became and most of all they believe what they were doing was real therefore it was real and fantastic. Now everything is at it's best, artifice and at it's worst a pale copy of what preceded.
I sang this at work today, and was escorted out of the building. OK, wishful thinking....please get me out of that building. Interesting performance. I still LOVE the Liza performance best, but this is also intense and fascinating. Thanks for posting!!
The greatest interpretation of this song ever. Ms. Collins was the original Sally and her subtlety of interpretation is astounding. She sings and acts this song at the same time. She keeps the pace of the song going and never indulges into cheap sentimentality. It is heartbreaking and she is the only one who does the mordant on the last line of "being kind" which just climaxes the meaning of this as a torch song written in the classic style.
Dorothy Coillins was perfection. How fortunate I was to have seen her perform in the original production. No one has ever topped her performance, even to this day.
I love it when a performer really trusts the material, and just PRESENTS it, directly, honestly, without gimmicks. Collins is perfect. Sometimes I think in today's world only Barbara Cook knows how to inhabit a song with this sort of honesty.
Pure perfection. A dear friend of mine and Peggy Lee fanatic was not aware of "Follies" and Ms. Collins until I insisted he get the cast recording. His verdict, "I don't like the way "that lady" sings that song. Peggy's is better". This nearly ended a 30 year friendship. He may learn someday.
"Follies" opened on my 30th Birthday, 4 April 1971. I had the fortune of doing the poster for this first production in the fall of 1970. I will NEVER forget Dorothy Collins' performance of this song in a gown of silver beads. This song was written for her and will ALWAYS be hers in every way. Others do it very well --- but she is PERFECTION, vocally & emotionally. What a VOICE~!!!!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
This song will always belong to Dorothy Collins, for whom it was written. She strikes just the right posture. Not too saccharine (Barbara Cook). Not too over the top (Bernadette Peters). It's the difference between art and artifice.
Just heard Bernadette singing it twice. She plays it for what it is in the context of the show -- a nervous breakdown. But it's not just Sally struggling with the emotions, it's Bernadette struggling with the song. Bernadette's version is the best dramatically, but vocally no one can touch Dorothy.
I can understand someone singing this song showing lots of emotion when its in the context of the show. Sally's character comes to a realization that has culminated from a history of longing and sadness. When its performed in the setting Ms. Collins sings it in, being over-emotional is irrelevant.
@Beejeification - I saw the show in 1971 or 1972. Dorothy Collins wore a silver dress with the back cut out to her waste. She sang the true torch song. It was my first broadway musical, and I will never forget her. She sang it the way it was suppose to be, which is absolutely wonderful.
Until I heard Bernadette Peters' rendition of this number recently, I'd never heard anyone other than Collins perform it and make it so hauntingly real. Collins delivers the pain and obsessiveness so incredibly, and makes it so emotional...
and Peters, once again, does another incredible song justice. Her version is, quite simply, shattering.
@boynamedalexxx Im sorry but I completely disagree! When I saw it, she kept cracking and they had to keep turning up her mic throughout the whole performance. PLUS she cried through the ENTIRE song. Literally, I saw 3 tears hit the floor when the pianist played the first few chords. For me, she did not connect with it at all. Musical theater is all about discovery, seeing that its all coming from the top of the head. Her performance look soooo premeditated... This, however, is great! :D
@Sweeney1407 Of course, that is your opinion. It is no more correct than mine. I discovered quite bait in her performance, but I can't change your mine, nor you mine.
@boynamedalexxx Oh, you're so right! I just feel that she understands and plays the complexities of the song way better than Peters. This isn't the best version, I just felt like being an ass lol!
@boynamedalexxx Then ya all haven't heard the Original "Barbara Cook" sing it. Once you hear her sing it, I challenge you to say she doesn't do it best.
@nancylwoz Oh, I've seen and heard Cook's rendition. I'm sure it'll be disheartening to hear, but I'm not a fan of hers. Gorgeous voice, but otherwise, it does nothing for me. Collins and Peters are my top choices, followed by McKenzie.
boynamedalexxx No not disheartened to hear at all, we can disagree, you like nasally sounding singers (Peters) I just like crisp clear and from the heart singers (Cook) :-) . The song is beautiful either way, we'll enjoy it whoever sings it. Happy New Year!
There are two other versions you absolutely have to listen to--both available here: Marin Mazzie's and Barbara Cook's. Incredible in their own ways as well. @boynamedalexxx
@boynamedalexxx Bernadette Peters' rendition is unmusical, dramatically bizarre, and a vocal train wreck. Would that she had the musicality, vocal discipline and mastery of Ms. Collins.
Did anyone see the British actress Julia McKenzie sing this in the 1987 London production of Follies? To me, Julia's performance was even better than Dorothy or Barbara Cook. More vocal heft,and she sang the last note an octave higher..and held it forever. It was an amazing moment in the theatre.
@enolamsamoht The song was written in 1970-71 for the show Follies. That's some of the casst there on the stage.The conductor is not terribly good at following Ms Collins. He comes in with the downbeats before she is ready eg at 1.46
I first saw follies a week after it opened and twice more with the original cast. everyone was incredible but i most remember dorothy collins doing this, one of the best songs ever written. it's a shame the obc recording is mere shreds of the show.
I had never heard of Ms. Collins before, but I know this song very well. WOW! So easy...so naturall...so heart wrenching without going over the top. Folks don't sing like this anymore. Thanks for posing this gem!
I saw "Follies" on opening night and Dorothy Collins was just sublime. Her performance of "Losing My Mind" has not been equalled. She was, in every way, perfection.
I saw "Follies" on opening night and Dorothy Colinns was sublime. Her performance of "Losing My Mind" has not nor ever will be equalled. She was perfection.
Great video, great song, and great, great singer. I've been a Dorothy Collins fan since the early 1950s. As a (very) young child, I regularly watched her on "Your Hit Parade."
P.S. I love the way her Canadian roots come out when she sings "aboot" for "about." She really was wonderful.
The song has so much more resonance and a sense of palpable pain with reference to the experience of repressed desire, when it is delivered in this masterly, controlled, somewhat bewildered fashion. Perfection from the Lady who gave us the song first.
Something about this song is so haunting. It expresses the pain of unrequited love so well. The chord progressions stay in your mind long after the song is over. The lyrics are so simple too. And Dorothy Collins's performance is beyond brilliant. She expresses the pain she feels beautifully, but with amazing restraint. To put it simply, everything about this video is brilliant.
I am so glad this is here for all to see! I saw the original FOLLIES not only that Ms. Collins taught Mary McCartys' musical comedy class as a substitute at H.B. Studio. I still have a note she wrote inside the original FOLLIES book. She was generous and kind a joy to be around. Wow. This brings back memories.
Beautiful clarity and control. I love the moment when, as Sally, she sings "You said you loved me..." and then in that moment it occurs her "...or were you just being kind?" A great example of less is more!
Yep, perfection, I have watche several other versions here on youtube and in my humble opinion this is the best version by far. Her delivery is pitch perfect and dead on emotionally..
That's what I love about this song -- about "Follies." It shows the lovely, sad, longing sides of the OLDER characters. Usually, older couples are depicted in theater as being ancillary to the younger characters -- just something sweet and fluffy in between. With the play, the older characters, who are no longer young or as lovely as they ever were, are shown to posses deep emotions and feelings. That is remarkable. It makes the play a standout among many, many others.
I used to think that no one could possibly equal Barbara Cook's performance of this song; but I guess I was wrong. There's an old saying that art consists in concealing art. This is a case in point. What reaches you are the meaning and the emotion; you don't see the skill and the years of practice that are required for conveying them.
@atosov PS. I was referring to a sound recording of Barbara Cook on RCA, not to the video clip that is on YouTube (which I found only after posting my previous comment).
In my Mind, No one ever sang this song better! Gut wretching, heartfelt pain into every word and what Clearity! May you long be remembered,loved and not forgotten. Big band ,Your Hit parade, Candid Camera, Musical theator, Broadway, Humanitarian(MS spokeswomen) for years. Your struggle with Asthma,causing early retirement and later early death. Left the world wanting more. Thankful for all the video clips , records and cds.
Not too much more to say after all these comments, except what a great pleasure to watch this and realize how absolutely beautifully Dorothy Collins sings and delivers this song. The best I've heard. I remember her from YHP but had forgotten how good she was.
Many many wonderful singers/actresses (and one or two singers/actors) have sung this song over nearly 40 years, but this lady will never be surpassed. Absolutely THE definitive performance, a perfect marriage of artiste and song
I'm dissolved in tears watching this, for several reasons. First, there's Ms. Collins' touching performance of what is, imo, Sondheim's greatest song. Second, I was fortunate enough to have seen the original cast at the Winter Garden, back in '71, and thanks to YT, I get to see many of these numbers again, And third, I'm just lost in admiration for the magic of the American musical theater. Thanks for posting!
@edwardjames50 I too, was reduced to tears watching this performance. Sondheim wrote her a truely remarkable song. Many singers have sung it since.....but the song will forever be Her's. "You said you loved me, but were you just being kind"? .......Brilliant!
No on will surpass this performance of the song. She had terrific pitch and such terrific phrasing and musicality. There aren't many who can do what Dorothy Collins did. I am forever grateful to experience this video performance of her doing what I consider to be one of the top five Sondheim songs ever composed. I remember her from TV. I was less than five years old at the time, and there was always something so very close to my heart whenever I heard her sing.
Thanks so much for posting this! The original Sally - and can't be beat. I loved Dorothy (did 'Applause' with her in the 70s - a powerful Margo!) and it's such a pleasure to hear and see her sing here from her greatest role on B'way. Fame came w/ 'Your Hit Parade' on tv in the 50s, followed by great theatre work all over the world - in spite of severe asthma. One of the kindest and most generous stars to ever grace the stage. A great underrated actress and musician, she's greatly missed by many.
Vannie, she is Dorothy Collins, who played "Sally" in the original production of "Follies". Her performace is the standard to which all actresses who take on the role should strive for. Great clip - an71guy, thank you so much for posting it!
How great is this. i am so impressed. Watched her on YHP and thought she was good--but just listened and watched this. Unbelievable. Perfect to the last sylable. Bravo!
Actually, it wasn't written for her. Check out "Everything Was Possible" by Ted Chapin; Hal Prince, Steve Sondheim, Jim Goldman and Michael Bennett were undecided as to whether Sally or Phyllis should sing this song. It was originally intended as a duet between the two. However, they obviously made the right choice in the end, and Dorothy certainly owns the song here.
Thank you SO much for posting this. I hoped there might be video footage somewhere of the great Miss Collins singing this sublime song. What an amazing instrument she had... pitch-perfect, beautifully controlled vibrato, warmth and subtle sensuality in abundance... but it's her phrasing that makes hers the definitive version.
I saw Dorothy Collins in Michael Bennet's Ballroom, on tour. Most of the original cast was still intact, but she had taken over the central role from Dorothy Loudon. No matter how wonderful Louden was in the role, and she was, Dorothy Collins brought a whole different quality to the role, much warmer and she was a Bea that you cried for. A brilliant performance.
Agreed. I heard Michael Feinstein sing this a few years back. A great version, but I enjoy hearing a female voice sing this more, i think. It would have been amazing to hear this live.
Great.Ijust love hearing Dorothy singing. She is the greatest. i saw Follies when it first opened. oh--she rocked the house with her acting and singing.We saw it again a year later and she was better,and marvelous.She showed so much emotion in that role.The young lady from the Your Hit Parade and Candid Camera really came into her own.Follies was a triumphet for Miss.Collins.You know she was a great Jazz singer also. she sure could sing jazz----We miss her but have these great clips.bubbleburst.
What is it about these people who introduce the song to the world? So often, you just can't top them - and here Dorothy is absolutely the ultimate. Thank you, David Frost!
Everything UncleCharlie said. Collins - unlike so many other interpreters of the song - just SINGS IT FOR WHAT IT IS. She wisely lets the song do the emotional work. And, God, her voice is beyond perfect for it.
PLEASE DONT READ THIS. YOU WILL GET KISSED ON THE NEAREST POSSIBLE FRIDAY BY THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. TOMORROW WILL BE THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE. HOWEVER IF YOU DONT POST THIS COMMENT TO AT LEAST 3 VIDEOS YOU WILL DIE WITHIN 2 DAYS. NOW UV STARTED READIN DIS DUNT STOP THIS IS SO SCARY. SEND THIS OVER TO 5 VIDEOS IN 143 MINUTES WHEN UR DONE PRESS F6 AND UR CRUSHES NAME WILL APPEAR ON THE SCREEN IN BIG LETTERS. THIS IS SO SCARY BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY WORKS.. so sorry
It seems that Ms. Collins had an excellent emotional control that some other singers seemed to miss. Consequently, they were overcome by emotion (since the specific song is a masterpiece) and in order to avoid having their voices broken from sobs they reverted to a delivery with shorter notes. I've seen some deliveries in YouTube that are really painful to listen to. So, Ms. Collin's version comes like a balsam to my ears.
One of the greatest theatrical thrills in my life was seeing "Follies" in tryouts three times in Boston, then twice on Broadway. Dorothy Collins was brilliant each time. She sang the song standing almost completely still and she broke my heart. I've never heard the song more beautifully sung nor more magnificently acted. The magic of the theater they talk about all the time? That was Dorothy Collins as Sally.
Oh Lordy! How fabulous to know that a member of your family will be remembered and revered forEVER. Dont know what it is about Follies and all those fabulous Ladies and Gents from the original production, but they have cast a spell over us for so many years! Fab.
Wow! She's my Role Model! I saw this when I was much younger and she was the lady who has made me take up acting and singing. She's just so fantastic! I can't imagine how proud you must be to have someone in oyur family who inspired so many people... :)
Thanks for posting this fabulous clip of Dorothy singing her famous signature tune from Follies. Would wish you could post more of the television show this was edited from. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
I saw her perform this in the original Follies and have never forgotten her brilliance in this role. I love Barbara Cook. But she only sings the song - Dorothy Collins brings an entire life into focus in the way she absolutely inhabits the role, and this song - more than any other - nails the passion and futility of Sally's "folly." Nobody will ever do it better. What a legacy.
Beautifully expressed, "patdebrincat." Singers ever since have treated "Losing My Mind" as an "art song" or an ego trip. Dorothy Collins lived the song and wrung out every nuance -- a torch song, a self-confession, a prayer, a sigh of regret, an end-of-the-road and more. Brilliant work, unforgettable and never sung better.
Wow! I couldn't have imagined anything better than Barbara Cook's version, but here it is. Somewhere on youtube there is a humorous version of this by Ms. Collins at a Washington Sondheim tribute.
Great-Fantastic.so glad to find this.We saw the original production with Miss Collins-saw it 3 times.WHAT A PERFORMANCE. she was nominated for the tony for this performance.SHE WAS THE GREATEST IN FOLLIES.She played Sally Plummer and it was marvelous. I HAVE NEVER HEARD THE SONG SUNG BETTER. Miss Collins was the sweetheart of the Your Hit Parade,a great singer, comedinne,actress.We saw her several times in summer stock in South Pacific,The Sound Of Music.etc.Her performances-bravo......
I like Bobby Short's version as well....
flight69twa 1 week ago
just beautiful
ReallyGayMusic 2 weeks ago
I'm going to post another "Why Does Everyone Have to Compare" comment, because I think it's entirely futile. Each actress to sing this in a major production approached it from a completely different place under different directors, while you can say you enjoy one better than the other, I lost interest a long time ago in trying to argue whom is better on any song. I happen to think they each are interesting and beautiful in their own right. Except that disco version Liza did, that's cray-cray.
an7iguy 3 weeks ago 5
@an7iguy
Why post a comment like this? The song is great. Leave it at that.
vbplayer50 1 month ago
I don't know what you are all talking about, this was an absolute perfect and flawless performance.
princepeterwolf 1 month ago
I would hate to hear Patti LuPone sing this!
PecsMaster 1 month ago
Cook's for me may be the very best version. You know doubt read all the glorious comments under her version. Her aching, piercing voice, her mannerisms, her vocal performance. All sublime. Much better than Peters.
greg1lewin 1 month ago
@greg1lewin Why does it always have to be "better than" someone else? Why can't it just exist as it is?
boynamedalexxx 1 month ago 2
@boynamedalexxx Because people have preferences, it's as simple as that.
greg1lewin 1 month ago
@greg1lewin I have preferences as well, but it's not for me to say that Peters' or Collins' renditions are "better" than Cook's, though I do feel that way.
boynamedalexxx 1 month ago
@boynamedalexxx Yes, that's obvious you feel that way. If you look at my original comment, I said "for me"...meaning me personally. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
greg1lewin 1 month ago
@boynamedalexxx
Well, you wrong of course on both counts. Hope you saw the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Ms. Cook and others. Everybody who was anybody in show business got on stage to honor her. Streep was gushing sitting next to her, too.
And wrong in that one can't state one's preferences. People should state their preferences. So, it is for me to say who, for me, is better.
Hope that's finally clear to you.
greg1lewin 1 month ago
@boynamedalexxx
Did you see Barbara Cook on the Kennedy Center Honors? Everybody and his/her brother/sister got up to honor her. Meryl, Glenn, Patti, Audra, etc. It's in two parts on youtube. First part, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Second part, anyone who's anyone on B'way, including B'way's reigning soprano, Audra MacDonald. This, young person, is singing. Don't mean to sound condescending, but I think you are too young to get that. But I have hope that you will.
greg1lewin 3 weeks ago
@greg1lewin I did see the Honors. You've left several comments on different videos I've commented on. Obviously, you feel the need to force your opinion on me. I'm not being condescending, you are. Sorry if my opinion doesn't match up with yours, but that doesn't make it "wrong". I haven't replied to your other posts, yet you responded to mine.
boynamedalexxx 3 weeks ago
@boynamedalexxx
Glad you saw the show. Hope it influences you. What other posts haven't you replied to? You began this by replying to my post. What other vids have I left comments on? Not aware of any.
greg1lewin 3 weeks ago
@an7iguy This, I take it, is intended as sarcasm. I saw Patti in Evita and she was great. But so much of what she does now seems to be a caricature of herself. Her "Mama" in "Gypsy" has way too big, ditto for "Mrs. Lovett" in "Sweeney Todd" and of course, she was fired from "Sunset Boulevard" for that reason. I like her, so it's disappointing to see this happen all the time. She might as well do "Funny Girl" next and out-Barbra Barbra
greg1lewin 1 month ago
I especially like how, as a television veteran, she knows to keep the microphone low, and sing over it instead of into it, so that it won't show in her closeups. The result is much more an acting performance than a TV performance. You can also see her pulling it back on the first "I want you so," so that the sound won't be overmodulated. Brava!
jmdocs 2 months ago
Today there is a problem in Musical theatre and that is eveyone it doing what they think is acting. At that point (whan Miss Collins sang this song) in Musical Theatre these people did not act, they became and most of all they believe what they were doing was real therefore it was real and fantastic. Now everything is at it's best, artifice and at it's worst a pale copy of what preceded.
robbey10 2 months ago
damn you liza minelli. if only i knew... x youtube
Blackhoundrise 2 months ago
I sang this at work today, and was escorted out of the building. OK, wishful thinking....please get me out of that building. Interesting performance. I still LOVE the Liza performance best, but this is also intense and fascinating. Thanks for posting!!
stevers62 2 months ago
@stevers62 The song was written for this woman. She was the original Sally in FOLLIES.
amazinggarrett1 2 months ago
@amazinggarrett1 Not technically for this woman; originally, it was to be a duet between Sally and Phyllis.
boynamedalexxx 2 months ago
makes me nuts. love it..
futuristfood 3 months ago
The greatest interpretation of this song ever. Ms. Collins was the original Sally and her subtlety of interpretation is astounding. She sings and acts this song at the same time. She keeps the pace of the song going and never indulges into cheap sentimentality. It is heartbreaking and she is the only one who does the mordant on the last line of "being kind" which just climaxes the meaning of this as a torch song written in the classic style.
Tribecaguy 4 months ago 2
Wonderful clarity and focus. Thanks for posting.
Stignatz 4 months ago
You should have heard Victoria Clark sing it in the City Center Encores production. She's extraordinary.
shelgr3 4 months ago
Impeccable.
BabyDillGerkin 4 months ago
Dorothy Coillins was perfection. How fortunate I was to have seen her perform in the original production. No one has ever topped her performance, even to this day.
ronco0807 4 months ago 3
@ronco0807 ~ I saw it at the Winter Garden in 1971, also! I'm seeing the revival at the Marquis next month.
edwardjames50 3 months ago
amazing.
bidubarreto 4 months ago
It will never be better than this, Peters is a close second and different. But this is for the ages.
49tammart 5 months ago
Thank you for posting..... Dorothy is the best Sally thus far....... a lovely performance.
classicactor60 5 months ago
Absolutely great.
JRobbySh 6 months ago
I love it when a performer really trusts the material, and just PRESENTS it, directly, honestly, without gimmicks. Collins is perfect. Sometimes I think in today's world only Barbara Cook knows how to inhabit a song with this sort of honesty.
AndrewRudin 6 months ago 2
I never heard this version before! Simply wonderful!
CandyAppleBlueTV 7 months ago
Pure perfection. A dear friend of mine and Peggy Lee fanatic was not aware of "Follies" and Ms. Collins until I insisted he get the cast recording. His verdict, "I don't like the way "that lady" sings that song. Peggy's is better". This nearly ended a 30 year friendship. He may learn someday.
mmelocchi 7 months ago
@mmelocchi Tell your friend I said, "Peggy Lee sang this one?"...
DrDespicable 5 months ago
I liked she singing "Unchained Melody". It's great!
CasimiroSetimo 7 months ago
cacao
econdo 7 months ago
"Follies" opened on my 30th Birthday, 4 April 1971. I had the fortune of doing the poster for this first production in the fall of 1970. I will NEVER forget Dorothy Collins' performance of this song in a gown of silver beads. This song was written for her and will ALWAYS be hers in every way. Others do it very well --- but she is PERFECTION, vocally & emotionally. What a VOICE~!!!!
jobyrd4157 7 months ago
Amazing and effective reading. She was brilliant in this show.
Barbara Cook was equally effective, but in a very different way.
thedavidvbf 7 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This song will always belong to Dorothy Collins, for whom it was written. She strikes just the right posture. Not too saccharine (Barbara Cook). Not too over the top (Bernadette Peters). It's the difference between art and artifice.
Crwthy 7 months ago
@Crwthy Bernadette Peters and "over the top" can't be used in the same sentence, y'know.
boynamedalexxx 7 months ago 7
Just heard Bernadette singing it twice. She plays it for what it is in the context of the show -- a nervous breakdown. But it's not just Sally struggling with the emotions, it's Bernadette struggling with the song. Bernadette's version is the best dramatically, but vocally no one can touch Dorothy.
Goomgam 8 months ago
@Goomgam I thought Peters' version was gorgeous, vocally and otherwise.
boynamedalexxx 8 months ago
I can understand someone singing this song showing lots of emotion when its in the context of the show. Sally's character comes to a realization that has culminated from a history of longing and sadness. When its performed in the setting Ms. Collins sings it in, being over-emotional is irrelevant.
Beejeification 8 months ago
@Beejeification - I saw the show in 1971 or 1972. Dorothy Collins wore a silver dress with the back cut out to her waste. She sang the true torch song. It was my first broadway musical, and I will never forget her. She sang it the way it was suppose to be, which is absolutely wonderful.
sinjin405 7 months ago 2
Until I heard Bernadette Peters' rendition of this number recently, I'd never heard anyone other than Collins perform it and make it so hauntingly real. Collins delivers the pain and obsessiveness so incredibly, and makes it so emotional...
and Peters, once again, does another incredible song justice. Her version is, quite simply, shattering.
boynamedalexxx 8 months ago 7
@boynamedalexxx Im sorry but I completely disagree! When I saw it, she kept cracking and they had to keep turning up her mic throughout the whole performance. PLUS she cried through the ENTIRE song. Literally, I saw 3 tears hit the floor when the pianist played the first few chords. For me, she did not connect with it at all. Musical theater is all about discovery, seeing that its all coming from the top of the head. Her performance look soooo premeditated... This, however, is great! :D
Sweeney1407 2 months ago
@Sweeney1407 Of course, that is your opinion. It is no more correct than mine. I discovered quite bait in her performance, but I can't change your mine, nor you mine.
boynamedalexxx 2 months ago
@boynamedalexxx Oh, you're so right! I just feel that she understands and plays the complexities of the song way better than Peters. This isn't the best version, I just felt like being an ass lol!
Sweeney1407 2 months ago
@boynamedalexxx Then ya all haven't heard the Original "Barbara Cook" sing it. Once you hear her sing it, I challenge you to say she doesn't do it best.
nancylwoz 1 month ago
@nancylwoz Oh, I've seen and heard Cook's rendition. I'm sure it'll be disheartening to hear, but I'm not a fan of hers. Gorgeous voice, but otherwise, it does nothing for me. Collins and Peters are my top choices, followed by McKenzie.
boynamedalexxx 1 month ago 3
boynamedalexxx No not disheartened to hear at all, we can disagree, you like nasally sounding singers (Peters) I just like crisp clear and from the heart singers (Cook) :-) . The song is beautiful either way, we'll enjoy it whoever sings it. Happy New Year!
nancylwoz 1 month ago
@nancylwoz Ah, such a sweet reply.
boynamedalexxx 1 month ago 3
There are two other versions you absolutely have to listen to--both available here: Marin Mazzie's and Barbara Cook's. Incredible in their own ways as well. @boynamedalexxx
greg1lewin 1 month ago
@greg1lewin I've seen/heard both. Not a fan of Cook's, but Mazzie's is excellent. An absolute powerhouse, vocally and emotionally.
boynamedalexxx 1 month ago
@boynamedalexxx Bernadette Peters' rendition is unmusical, dramatically bizarre, and a vocal train wreck. Would that she had the musicality, vocal discipline and mastery of Ms. Collins.
bangbgood 3 weeks ago
Did anyone see the British actress Julia McKenzie sing this in the 1987 London production of Follies? To me, Julia's performance was even better than Dorothy or Barbara Cook. More vocal heft,and she sang the last note an octave higher..and held it forever. It was an amazing moment in the theatre.
stephenhkent 8 months ago
I just watched Donna Murphy perform this song..Amazing!
sherilynn1963 9 months ago
This is what we call a show stopper, ladies and gents.
v0zbox 9 months ago 4
Perfect, just perfect
helanle 9 months ago
perfect!x
joshxxxfull3 11 months ago
I used to think Cleo Laine did the definitive version. Then I heard this. My God!
ferociousgumby 11 months ago 4
When was this song written?
enolamsamoht 11 months ago
@enolamsamoht The song was written in 1970-71 for the show Follies. That's some of the casst there on the stage.The conductor is not terribly good at following Ms Collins. He comes in with the downbeats before she is ready eg at 1.46
paulybarr 11 months ago
I first saw follies a week after it opened and twice more with the original cast. everyone was incredible but i most remember dorothy collins doing this, one of the best songs ever written. it's a shame the obc recording is mere shreds of the show.
zenji25 1 year ago
Tears are streaming down my face as I listen to this, thanks for posting
antoniodcz 1 year ago
God I love this....
chiedu72 1 year ago
Gorgeous! Who knew Dorothy Collins had this sort of vocal talent. What a great gift for us all. I saw her performance on Broadway. What a knockout!
burris1422 1 year ago
Absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to see Bernadette Peters do Sally at the Kennedy Center.
aasjb4ever 1 year ago
I had never heard of Ms. Collins before, but I know this song very well. WOW! So easy...so naturall...so heart wrenching without going over the top. Folks don't sing like this anymore. Thanks for posing this gem!
rkrealtorva 1 year ago 3
First time I've seen this clip - first time EVER I have felt moved to write a comment. I am awestruck. This is just sublime....
ukthonger 1 year ago
It's sort of sad that Tim Curry's versions has more views than this.
90lysander 1 year ago
You can grab the audio-mp3 of this clip at fromvideotomp3 doht cohm.
LisleMonteiro8162 1 year ago
I saw "Follies" on opening night and Dorothy Collins was just sublime. Her performance of "Losing My Mind" has not been equalled. She was, in every way, perfection.
mgb150 1 year ago
I saw "Follies" on opening night and Dorothy Colinns was sublime. Her performance of "Losing My Mind" has not nor ever will be equalled. She was perfection.
mgb150 1 year ago
Best performance of this song ever.
boinx1234 1 year ago
What an incredibly heartwrenching performance. I can listen to it again and again and feel the pain.
bbref1 1 year ago
Great video, great song, and great, great singer. I've been a Dorothy Collins fan since the early 1950s. As a (very) young child, I regularly watched her on "Your Hit Parade."
P.S. I love the way her Canadian roots come out when she sings "aboot" for "about." She really was wonderful.
Acubomaj 1 year ago
Great!!!
2563titus 1 year ago
The song has so much more resonance and a sense of palpable pain with reference to the experience of repressed desire, when it is delivered in this masterly, controlled, somewhat bewildered fashion. Perfection from the Lady who gave us the song first.
barcyorky 1 year ago
Perfect phrasing.
elzbieta52 1 year ago
I cannot believe I don't know her...she's wonderful.
toddsherry 1 year ago
Something about this song is so haunting. It expresses the pain of unrequited love so well. The chord progressions stay in your mind long after the song is over. The lyrics are so simple too. And Dorothy Collins's performance is beyond brilliant. She expresses the pain she feels beautifully, but with amazing restraint. To put it simply, everything about this video is brilliant.
Judill 1 year ago 3
I am so glad this is here for all to see! I saw the original FOLLIES not only that Ms. Collins taught Mary McCartys' musical comedy class as a substitute at H.B. Studio. I still have a note she wrote inside the original FOLLIES book. She was generous and kind a joy to be around. Wow. This brings back memories.
dreamofmzjeanie 1 year ago
Beautiful clarity and control. I love the moment when, as Sally, she sings "You said you loved me..." and then in that moment it occurs her "...or were you just being kind?" A great example of less is more!
wallycarrfan 1 year ago
I saw Dorothy Collins on Broadway in the original musical, Follies. Man, does this bring back memories.
Flick4U2 1 year ago
@Flick4U2 very jealous!
dbrel 1 year ago
Touching...
Rainbow7815 1 year ago
Wow!!
1Renbar 1 year ago
Yep, perfection, I have watche several other versions here on youtube and in my humble opinion this is the best version by far. Her delivery is pitch perfect and dead on emotionally..
MRDINK513 1 year ago
holy shit!
bdamson 1 year ago
That's what I love about this song -- about "Follies." It shows the lovely, sad, longing sides of the OLDER characters. Usually, older couples are depicted in theater as being ancillary to the younger characters -- just something sweet and fluffy in between. With the play, the older characters, who are no longer young or as lovely as they ever were, are shown to posses deep emotions and feelings. That is remarkable. It makes the play a standout among many, many others.
OldieMusicMan 1 year ago
I used to think that no one could possibly equal Barbara Cook's performance of this song; but I guess I was wrong. There's an old saying that art consists in concealing art. This is a case in point. What reaches you are the meaning and the emotion; you don't see the skill and the years of practice that are required for conveying them.
atosov 1 year ago 5
@atosov PS. I was referring to a sound recording of Barbara Cook on RCA, not to the video clip that is on YouTube (which I found only after posting my previous comment).
atosov 1 year ago
The original cast was perfection. It just couldn't ever ever be topped!
damone77 1 year ago
Absolutely Astonishing.
girlnumber99 1 year ago
one of the great broadway performances of all time - without a doubt
thanks for posting this gem
BabyDillGerkin 1 year ago
Stunning.
SeanPhillipMabrey 1 year ago
In my Mind, No one ever sang this song better! Gut wretching, heartfelt pain into every word and what Clearity! May you long be remembered,loved and not forgotten. Big band ,Your Hit parade, Candid Camera, Musical theator, Broadway, Humanitarian(MS spokeswomen) for years. Your struggle with Asthma,causing early retirement and later early death. Left the world wanting more. Thankful for all the video clips , records and cds.
rudisroom 1 year ago 4
Dorothy Collins was in the original cast. Surely a Sondheim sanctioned rendition.
Pywacket2 1 year ago
Absoulutely blows most other interpretations out of the water. What a fabulous singer...so happy to see her, again.
lwellsnyc 1 year ago 2
absolute killer...................brill
rhylmark 1 year ago
Who would have thought? From Your Hit Parade to the definitive performance of the definitive Sondheim song. Astounding....
clpassen 1 year ago
Not too much more to say after all these comments, except what a great pleasure to watch this and realize how absolutely beautifully Dorothy Collins sings and delivers this song. The best I've heard. I remember her from YHP but had forgotten how good she was.
dgarnes1 1 year ago
Many many wonderful singers/actresses (and one or two singers/actors) have sung this song over nearly 40 years, but this lady will never be surpassed. Absolutely THE definitive performance, a perfect marriage of artiste and song
mandeley 2 years ago 2
Mr. Sondheim should light a candle every night for miss Collins.
bowmister 2 years ago 3
I'm dissolved in tears watching this, for several reasons. First, there's Ms. Collins' touching performance of what is, imo, Sondheim's greatest song. Second, I was fortunate enough to have seen the original cast at the Winter Garden, back in '71, and thanks to YT, I get to see many of these numbers again, And third, I'm just lost in admiration for the magic of the American musical theater. Thanks for posting!
edwardjames50 2 years ago 13
@edwardjames50 I too, was reduced to tears watching this performance. Sondheim wrote her a truely remarkable song. Many singers have sung it since.....but the song will forever be Her's. "You said you loved me, but were you just being kind"? .......Brilliant!
davidlysander 1 year ago
No on will surpass this performance of the song. She had terrific pitch and such terrific phrasing and musicality. There aren't many who can do what Dorothy Collins did. I am forever grateful to experience this video performance of her doing what I consider to be one of the top five Sondheim songs ever composed. I remember her from TV. I was less than five years old at the time, and there was always something so very close to my heart whenever I heard her sing.
larespo1 2 years ago 4
Thanks so much for posting this! The original Sally - and can't be beat. I loved Dorothy (did 'Applause' with her in the 70s - a powerful Margo!) and it's such a pleasure to hear and see her sing here from her greatest role on B'way. Fame came w/ 'Your Hit Parade' on tv in the 50s, followed by great theatre work all over the world - in spite of severe asthma. One of the kindest and most generous stars to ever grace the stage. A great underrated actress and musician, she's greatly missed by many.
soaringsound 2 years ago 4
Vannie, she is Dorothy Collins, who played "Sally" in the original production of "Follies". Her performace is the standard to which all actresses who take on the role should strive for. Great clip - an71guy, thank you so much for posting it!
TarotMage 2 years ago 3
@TarotMage is this dorothy collins as in "your hit parade"???
bertiejr 1 year ago
@bertiejr Yes!
TarotMage 1 year ago
@bertiejr Yes. Absolutely. The very same.
GeorgeWTush 1 year ago
Can someone please tell me who this is? She is INCREDIBLE. Thanks.
vanniebab 2 years ago
It is one of the best performances in Broadway history! I wish I could see the version from the show with her in the role.
9fantastic 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
competent but not Barbara Cook
octimothy 2 years ago
who ?
octogarden72 2 years ago
Esta interpretacion es simplemente perfecta!
entrerriano73 2 years ago 6
Incredible ! Such a voice and such feeling...
dbrel 2 years ago
How great is this. i am so impressed. Watched her on YHP and thought she was good--but just listened and watched this. Unbelievable. Perfect to the last sylable. Bravo!
junetta111 2 years ago 3
Wow. This is how it's done. Straight forward and elegant as hell.
bodder777 2 years ago
Not overworked, Not over sentimental -- perfection.
PattiwhackPics 2 years ago 47
One of the great torch songs and surely the definitive performance. A perfect marriage of song and performer
mandeley 2 years ago 3
Comment removed
KokoPuffs52 2 years ago
Actually, it wasn't written for her. Check out "Everything Was Possible" by Ted Chapin; Hal Prince, Steve Sondheim, Jim Goldman and Michael Bennett were undecided as to whether Sally or Phyllis should sing this song. It was originally intended as a duet between the two. However, they obviously made the right choice in the end, and Dorothy certainly owns the song here.
beardedartisan 2 years ago
wow, what a performance!
sookiestackhouse2u 2 years ago
Hi sookie... this is my favorite performance of the song. She wowed 'em on B'way. Saw this the night it closed. What a show!
DiffrentDrumr 2 years ago
Wow, when Broadway singers had voices and could sing! Wonderful.
marchesano 2 years ago
Thank you SO much for posting this. I hoped there might be video footage somewhere of the great Miss Collins singing this sublime song. What an amazing instrument she had... pitch-perfect, beautifully controlled vibrato, warmth and subtle sensuality in abundance... but it's her phrasing that makes hers the definitive version.
scottishphotographer 2 years ago
love her. she's brings depth to the song.
irisindelight 2 years ago
I saw Dorothy Collins in Michael Bennet's Ballroom, on tour. Most of the original cast was still intact, but she had taken over the central role from Dorothy Loudon. No matter how wonderful Louden was in the role, and she was, Dorothy Collins brought a whole different quality to the role, much warmer and she was a Bea that you cried for. A brilliant performance.
Snowydog123 2 years ago
this is a sensual version, the techno version is from Pet Sop Boys and Liza Minelli.
alexsummer2007 2 years ago
liza's version is a cover.. this was written aaaages ago ;) This is how the song should actually sound...
oLgaaRyL 2 years ago
This was amazing!! Thank you for posting this!
Laugharamallama 2 years ago 2
Agreed. I heard Michael Feinstein sing this a few years back. A great version, but I enjoy hearing a female voice sing this more, i think. It would have been amazing to hear this live.
herocat44 2 years ago
Great.Ijust love hearing Dorothy singing. She is the greatest. i saw Follies when it first opened. oh--she rocked the house with her acting and singing.We saw it again a year later and she was better,and marvelous.She showed so much emotion in that role.The young lady from the Your Hit Parade and Candid Camera really came into her own.Follies was a triumphet for Miss.Collins.You know she was a great Jazz singer also. she sure could sing jazz----We miss her but have these great clips.bubbleburst.
3276541 2 years ago 4
What is it about these people who introduce the song to the world? So often, you just can't top them - and here Dorothy is absolutely the ultimate. Thank you, David Frost!
showtunestarpower 2 years ago 4
a wonderful song.. I like bobby Short's version too.
josephdupont 2 years ago 2
Everything UncleCharlie said. Collins - unlike so many other interpreters of the song - just SINGS IT FOR WHAT IT IS. She wisely lets the song do the emotional work. And, God, her voice is beyond perfect for it.
jjarndyce 2 years ago 4
This has been flagged as spam show
emovalleygirl 3 years ago
Fantastic for all the right reasons.
voice1 3 years ago 3
It seems that Ms. Collins had an excellent emotional control that some other singers seemed to miss. Consequently, they were overcome by emotion (since the specific song is a masterpiece) and in order to avoid having their voices broken from sobs they reverted to a delivery with shorter notes. I've seen some deliveries in YouTube that are really painful to listen to. So, Ms. Collin's version comes like a balsam to my ears.
seth669669 3 years ago 24
@seth669669 very well stated. She is lovely and contained and she gives us space to feel the emotion.
fruitistic 1 year ago
@seth669669
So true. Anyone can take a song like this and make it maudlin. Dorothy's performance is beautifully under-stated, and her voice is incredible.
AtLastOnTheGround 1 year ago
Thank you so much for the upload!! I love this song and always wanted to hear the original
chissock 3 years ago 6
One of the greatest theatrical thrills in my life was seeing "Follies" in tryouts three times in Boston, then twice on Broadway. Dorothy Collins was brilliant each time. She sang the song standing almost completely still and she broke my heart. I've never heard the song more beautifully sung nor more magnificently acted. The magic of the theater they talk about all the time? That was Dorothy Collins as Sally.
UncleCharlieOakley 3 years ago 8
I was at the first afternoon preview in Boston at the Colonial
Theater walking in and seeing Angela Lansbury few feet in front of me who was doing Prettybelle at the Shubert Theater.
Great show and excitement in the Theater!!
Sanfrankid1 3 years ago 5
I am her Grandaughter! Thank you all for your kind thoughts! I am very proud to have her as my Grandma.
elisheva6458 3 years ago 8
Oh Lordy! How fabulous to know that a member of your family will be remembered and revered forEVER. Dont know what it is about Follies and all those fabulous Ladies and Gents from the original production, but they have cast a spell over us for so many years! Fab.
Sondheimsbitch 3 years ago 3
Really? You're Grandma???!!
Wow! She's my Role Model! I saw this when I was much younger and she was the lady who has made me take up acting and singing. She's just so fantastic! I can't imagine how proud you must be to have someone in oyur family who inspired so many people... :)
Just Wonderful!!! :D
bnicecjcoles 3 years ago 5
Thanks for posting this fabulous clip of Dorothy singing her famous signature tune from Follies. Would wish you could post more of the television show this was edited from. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
collinsfollower 3 years ago 7
I saw her perform this in the original Follies and have never forgotten her brilliance in this role. I love Barbara Cook. But she only sings the song - Dorothy Collins brings an entire life into focus in the way she absolutely inhabits the role, and this song - more than any other - nails the passion and futility of Sally's "folly." Nobody will ever do it better. What a legacy.
patdebrincat 3 years ago 7
Beautifully expressed, "patdebrincat." Singers ever since have treated "Losing My Mind" as an "art song" or an ego trip. Dorothy Collins lived the song and wrung out every nuance -- a torch song, a self-confession, a prayer, a sigh of regret, an end-of-the-road and more. Brilliant work, unforgettable and never sung better.
UncleCharlieOakley 3 years ago 9
Fabulous! The best version I've ever heard.
Hisrevenge 3 years ago 8
Thanks for sharing with wonderful piece of theatre history with us.
wfurtwangler 3 years ago 6
Absolutely wonderful!
Thanks for this as all the other amazing videos you shared with us.
A friend from Brasil.
MaguMagu1963 3 years ago 4
Wow! I couldn't have imagined anything better than Barbara Cook's version, but here it is. Somewhere on youtube there is a humorous version of this by Ms. Collins at a Washington Sondheim tribute.
ramilles1706 3 years ago 3
Well, with a user name like mine, what can I say? Incredibly good. Brava Dorothy.
sallydurant 3 years ago 6
Wow.
antiandrewx 3 years ago 4
wow. wow. wow.
BrochtrupBean 3 years ago 2
Great-Fantastic.so glad to find this.We saw the original production with Miss Collins-saw it 3 times.WHAT A PERFORMANCE. she was nominated for the tony for this performance.SHE WAS THE GREATEST IN FOLLIES.She played Sally Plummer and it was marvelous. I HAVE NEVER HEARD THE SONG SUNG BETTER. Miss Collins was the sweetheart of the Your Hit Parade,a great singer, comedinne,actress.We saw her several times in summer stock in South Pacific,The Sound Of Music.etc.Her performances-bravo......
3276541 3 years ago 2