Part 4:
Concert recorded by HTV Wales at St. David's Hall, Cardiff in 1985 in aid of the International Year of Youth. This video has been issued on many different VHS releases and also on laserdisc. Sadly this concert has yet to be released on DVD.
Sleeve Note:
Shirley Bassey, one of the handful of truly great performers in the entertainment business, returns to her native Wales for a gala concert and the evenings spectacular entertainment is captured here for posterity and for Shirley's legion of fans.
I Am What I Am
Written by Jerry Herman
Released in 1984 on a single and on another version with the London Symphony Orchestra on the album I Am What I Am. Along with classic This Is My Life, Shirley Bassey sings this song at the end of almost every concert. For this reason, it is available on many collections and live recordings. It can be found live on The Birthday Concert , The Diamond Collection and on the 2003 compilation Thank you for the Years.
Live performances can also be seen on the videos An Audience With Shirley Bassey, You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet and Divas Are Forever. After Shirley sings the word "ovation" in the line "give me the hook or the ovation" the audience usually breaks into applause.
La Cage Aux Folles
Short Synopsis
This song is taken from the musical "La Cage Aux Folles" written by Jerry Herman. The musical is based on a French film with the same title. The premiere of this film was on August 21st, 1983 at the Palace Theatre in New York and it ran there for 1761 performances. In 1996 a new movie "The Birdcage" was made out of it with actors like Robin Williams and Gene Hackman.
The musical is about the transvestite night-club "La Cage Aux Folles" in the seedy part of St. Tropez, France. Georges is the owner of the night-club and Albin is Georges's gay lover and star performer as ZaZa at the club. Georges' son Jean-Michel from a previous marriage to a woman wants to marry a woman - the daughter of Dindon, a notoriously narrow-minded politician. Jean-Michel wishes to present himself as coming from a high moral background and invites his fiancée's parents to his home where Georges has to remove anything that may be considered as inappropriate. Jean-Michel's real mother should come to play an intact marriage, but calls to say that she cannot come. To the utter astonishment from the others, Albin walks in exclaiming "Here's Mother", and takes her place. Albin is eventually de-frocked, it results in high insanity and it all ends up with Dindon and his wife dressing up in high-heels, tights and leotards.
Although La Cage was Broadway's first homosexual musical, it was nevertheless a mainstream production. Director Arthur Laurents didn't allow his lead characters so much as a peck on the cheek for fear that he might offend his audience.
Lyrics I Am I Am What I Am:
I am what I am
I am my own special creation
So come take a look
Give me the hook or the ovation
It's my world that I want to have a little pride in
My world and it's not a place I have to hide in
Life's not worth a damn till you can say
Hey world I am what I am
I am what I am
I don't want praise
I don't want pity
I bang my own drum
Some think it's noise
I think it's pretty
And so what if I love each feather and each spangle
Why not try and see things from a different angle
Your life is a sham till you can say
Hey world I am what I am
I am what I am
And what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
Sometimes the ace
Sometimes the deuces
It's my life and there's no return and no deposit
One life, so it's time to open up your closet
Life's not worth a damn till you can say
Hey world I am what I am
(Transcribed by Roman)
Lyrics Big Spender:
The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction, a real big spender
Good looking, so refined
Say, wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind?
So let me get right to the point
I don't pop my cork for every man I see
Hey big spender!
Spend a little time with me
Wouldn't you like to have fun, fun, fun?
How's about a few laughs, laughs?
I could show you a good time
Let me show you a good time
The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction, a real big spender
Good looking, so refined
Say, wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind?
So let me get right to the point
I don't pop my cork for every man I see
Hey big spender!
Hey big spender!
Hey big spender!
Spend a little time with me
Yes
(Transcribed by Roman)
