As a singer myself, I can tell you there is NOTHING more terrifying than performing a song like this...you are in complete free-fall from the get-go and just pray that you stay on top of the wave!!! Madeline makes it seem effortless!!!!
For 60 or so years, I was under the impression I didn't care for show tunes, until I spent a delightful hour or so today listening to Madeline Kahn sing show tunes. RU-vid can be a really wonderful resource for learning something new, at any age.
Everyone’s going crazy over her “I’m not well so Im not getting married” But I was really loving her ending of “but im not getting married” right before she throws the bouquet.
I love her change in tone when she sings "I'm not well, so I'm not getting married," like now she's really putting her foot down. She really knows how less is more. So talented!
I love this woman. she is absolutely amazing as a vocalist and an actress. Definitely one of kind. She goes beyond technique and discipline. She's Madeline Kahn and no one can imitate that.
Madeline Kahn, wow! That song is such a frenetic balance between the crazed angst she is feeling and making those words clear and understood. She is such an actress to pull off the emotion as well as making the song work.
Agreed--also a good example of the genius that is Stephen Sondheim--wrote the song not only in character but gender as well. (Imagine some guy trying to sing this and do it justice! LOL)
wow she's good, singing so fast, her eyes wide with terror. I sure do miss her. ever seen the SNL when she did "i feel Pretty" as the bride of frankenstien?.....classic!
here here! I'm a huge musical fan, but sometimes when you don't live in New York, and you don't just listen to every original cast recording of every show on Broadway out of principle, things are not on your radar. I was too young for the original in 1970, and not in NY the year of the recent revival or the staged concert. I knew the Elaine Stritch "The Ladies Who Lunch" because I'm a Stritch fan, but the rest of the show was off my radar. Glee introduced me to this song and "Being Alive"
Easily the best rendition of this song. No one can even come close to Madeline Kahn's delivery. I dare you to find anything close to this. Better than the original or the revival cast. No one can hold a candle to her, plain and simple.
Oh my Gosh! People are still arguing over Madeline's version versus the Glee one? I hope the "Gleeks" understand that this is not the original either, just her take on it, so comparing this and the Glee one is ridiculous. And I have to reiterate how talented Madeline was, how humble and intelligent. This bickering is such a slap, for lack of a better phrase, to all that she as a human being. :/ I prefer to have respect for her memory, her talent and all these gems she left with us.
Considering this is live.....WOW! I like the Glee version more but that's because they were able to record Jayma's voice perfectly. I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! :D
Actually in the original production, Beth Howland sung it much faster (as Sondheim wanted) and Heather Laws in the '06 revival did as well. I think Kahn sung it well, just not in the way it was originally intended.
From 2:28 to 2:42 Madeline is doing something with the flowers and I admire her for doing that while singing, she talented but I dont understand why she is doing it.
Here's what I love about Kahn's version... it's subtle. Everyone I've seen perform this song tends to go for a little bit of camp and over the top comedy on this number which really does work. Kahn plants her feet and goes quietly insane, it's all in her eyes and you see her going nuts or in her tiny actions. It's what makes it brilliant
@@Unpoeticirony Did you watch through to the end? It’s a performance for a large, live audience that is being filmed.. The crazy eyes are for the camera. The voice and contracted movements will communicate everything to the theatre audience.
True. I’ve seen a few and the people all try to summon super human efforts just to appear normal when it’s obvious they are not in any way ok. Kahn standing their so still when her insides are exploding is the exact effect.
The few times I've had a panic attack I froze and just stared at something. Putting all my focus and energy on that one thing just hoping and praying I can hold on and not burst.
Madeline Kahn was incredible. She had it all: beauty, a lovely voice, acting ability and a great sense of humor. I think anyone who could do what she did in this video would have to be a genius as well.
IMO, Madeline Khan was flawless and always flawless. This is a LIVE rendition of a very difficult song, a Sondheim song, no less. You all are entitled to your opinions but I, for one, will take Madeleine's performance any day and so grateful that I was alive to see her many appearances and performances before she passed away from OVARIAN CANCER much too soon.
Madeline WAS absolutely FLAWLESS on this one.........and I'm another person who misses her dearly. She was a GREAT commedienne, and certainly one of the brightest stars in Mel Brooks' preferred troupe of actors. She could do ANYTHING.
Honestly, I'm pretty sure this is the definitive performance. Aside from being wildly, wildly funny, her diction is just *unreal* -- she's not eliding a single damn word in there, and the way she's hitting the stresses makes it a lot easier to parse than even other extremely good interpretations.
@@dangelo1369 Have seen Beth, and she is wonderful. But would still have to give the performance of *this* song to Madeleine. The deer in the headlights gaze, the genuine feel of a panic attack, the diction, the comedic timing. It's stunning from start to finish. She was a comedic genius with a brilliant classicaly trained voice, and a huge huge loss.
for anyone like me trying to sing along: PART 1: Pardon me, is everybody here? Because if everybody's here I'd like to thank you all For coming to the wedding I'd appreciate you going even more I mean, you must have lots of better things to do And not a word of it to Paul Remember Paul? You know, the man I'm going to marry But I'm not, because I wouldn't ruin anyone As wonderful as he is Thank you all for the gifts and the flowers Thank you all, now it's back to the showers Don't tell Paul, but I'm not getting married today PART 2: Listen everybody, look, I don't know what you're waiting for A wedding. What's a wedding? It's a prehistoric ritual Where everybody promises fidelity forever Which is maybe the most horrifying word I ever heard of Which is followed by a honeymoon, where suddenly he'll realize He's saddled with a nut, and want to kill me, which he should Thanks a bunch, but I'm not getting married Go have lunch, cause I'm not getting married You've been grand, but I'm not getting married Don't just stand there, I'm not getting married And don't tell Paul, but I'm not getting married today PART 3: Go! Can't you go? Why is nobody listening? Goodbye! Go and cry At another person's wake If you're quick, for a kick You could pick up a christening But please, on my knees There's a human life at stake! PART 4: Listen everybody, I'm afraid you didn't hear Or do you want to see a crazy lady fall apart in front of you? It isn't only Paul who would be ruining his life You know, we'll both of us be losing our identities I telephoned my analyst about it, and he said to see him Monday But by Monday I'll be floating in the Hudson with the other garbage I'm not well, so I'm not getting married You've been swell, but I'm not getting married Clear the hall, 'cause I'm not getting married Thank you all, but I'm not getting married And don't tell Paul, but I'm not getting married today PART 5: Go! Can't you go? Look, you know I adore you all But why watch me die Like Eliza on the ice? Look, perhaps I'll collapse In the apse right before you all So take back the cake Burn the shoes, and boil the rice Look, I didn't want to have to tell you But I may be coming down with hepatitis And I think I'm gonna faint So if you want to watch me faint, I'll do it happily But wouldn't it be funnier to go and watch a funeral? So thank you for the twenty-seven dinner plates Thirty-seven butter knives Forty-seven paperweights Fifty-seven candle holders I'm not getting married But I'm not getting married See, I'm not getting married! Still, I'm not getting married! Let us pray that we're not getting married Today!
This one is a hare slower than the original cast recording, which I appreciate. I’ll start with this one and work my way up to the other tempo. It’d sure be a fun game to see who can do it the fastest.
This should be watched as a lesson in acting. Kahn uses her eyes to tell what many other amys use their bodies to tell. Granted...this would not have worked if she didn't have a camera up her nose the whole time but it's stunning. Her voice tells the story for the crowd and she is so subtle in how she shows Amy cracking. She did an amazing job. Also..loved Jeane Lehman and the stepford wife-esque bridesmaids were honestly freaky...but added to the whole affect quite nicely
Guns and Ships is awesome, but you have to see the revival of this. It's 1.5x faster than this. The special performances of this are generally slowed down to highlight the performer rather than the song. The Carol Burnett performances is HILARIOUS, but so SO slow.
I belive the revival is something like 6.2 words per second, and guns and ships is 6.3. It's a nearly negligible difference, and yes, fewer chances to breath in this.
Sarah Eliza they're both about the same with words and sped the thing with this is that it's less chance for breath in Hamilton there is a breath after each verse
Comparing this to Glee is insanity. Let me be clear, I love the Glee version, it's great and all props to Jayma in that version because she really made something of it... but here's the thing, Jayma's version was over the top, dramatic and was basically all facade. Madeline is working on layers here, you can see by the way she's standing that she's trying to give off the illusion that she's got everything together, that she's calm and rational and it's only the eyes at first that give away that she's on the verge of losing her mind. If you watch carefully you see the wall collapse, the lowering of the bouquet perfectly timed to when she started getting a little more terrified, the delivery of "I'm not well, so I'm not getting married" the first time any real emotion starts coming out and when she actually takes the microphone off, she's no longer pretending, she's just scared of being married. Her performance was complete, told a story and had an incredible evolution from the start to the finish. Jayma was all one note (An amazing note, but still one note). I can't think of a single version of this song where the performer completely committed to the same level that Madeline did, it's a insane comparison to make, one version is good, but the other version is perfect in every possible way.
And frankly, who can compare with Madeline Kahn's unique sense of comedy? It's so removed from time and place that it never feels dated or of a specific genre. She was gifted in so many ways.
Occidental79er No one could ever be like Madeline Kahn, she absolutely perfected the idea of the Deadpan Delivery. I mean her Blazing Saddles role would be enough to make her a genius but I think I can put how perfect a comic she was in one simple sentence "Flames, Flames on the side of my face"
Personally, I actually prefer Jayma's performance _because_ it was so over the top. The thing about any comparison is that we can tell each other why we're wrong all day long, but in the end, tastes vary widely, and that's all this really comes down to.
Joel Henderson It has nothing to do with taste--Sondheim was very clear about what he wanted from the singer and how she should present it as an actress. Being over the top was NOT Sondheim's intention, and he wrote it, so in the end, HIS version wins. And this version is much closer to what Sondheim intended than some ridiculous Glee mess.
Madeline Kahn's version of this is astonishing. She didn't miss a word...WOW. Added to that is her embodiment of a woman going quietly mad with subtle gestures, intonations and facial expressions. It doesn't get better.
tinyelephant 500 you haven't learned it? that's the amazing thing about patter songs, each one is a fresh tongue twister you've got to learn all over again.
Loved that in Clue, but the interchange between Mull (Mustard) and her (Mrs. White) regarding her views on men is priceless: Mull: How many husbands have you had? Kahn: Mine or other women's? Mull: Yours. Kahn: Five. Mull: Five? Kahn: Yes, just the five. Husbands should be like Kleenex: soft, strong and disposable. Mull: You lure men to their deaths like a spider with flies. Kahn: Flies are where men are most vulnerable.
stop comparing it to glee. it's like comparing apples to oranges. you can't compare a live performance in a concert setting to a produced, scripted, and edited television show. they're both great, but they're both different. the setting of the glee episode is different than that of the concert. you also have to appreciate/respect glee for introducing the beauty that is Sondheim's music to a younger generation. i'd rather them do that then cover crappy pop songs.
Thank you for this! Both are great! Why do we have to shit on people for no reason? Glee does pop, rock, musical, and all sorts of other covers! Just let people enjoy what they want. God😒
Some of the songs glee does are actually good you didn’t have to do that some people actually like them I actually agree with you with they are both great but you also have to remember people can do whatever they want to
Madeline perfectly tosses the bouquet, timing the 12-foot, arching flight of flowers to LAND on the LAST note. This was not luck, Madeline nailed the lyrics and stuck the landing for the flowers too! 😍
This is completely related to her future as the Black Widow "Mrs. White" in 1985's "Clue" Alongside Tim Curry and Christopher Lloyd. Sadly, she passed away in 1995.
the understatedness really sells the idea of a person who is almost completely dead inside. She's like a walking corpse who alternates between total numbness and a rising sense of panic that appears to be her natural state. This is one of the few Amys that doesn't appear to be suffering from some kind of stage fright or wedding nerves or regret or whatever. I 100% believe that she's just an incredibly neurotic person who is scared of EVERYTHING and prone to falling into debilitating anxiety spirals, a fact that this Paul is 100% aware of- and he adores her anyway. Most other women play this song like - a crazy nervous breakdown that appears to have been prompted entirely by the stress of the wedding. And that's valid. But I think this song is more moving when you realise that it's about Amy trying to hide her true "self" from Paul, by talking to the imaginary audience in her head. And then later in the show she realises that she doesn't have to, i.e Paul isn't marrying some "body", he's marrying SOMEBODY - ie a fully formed human with flaws and vulnerabilities. In that way this song is an essential part of a beautiful tribute to how messy and wonderful and lovely human relationships are. And Madeline's performance sells that aspect of this - character arc - so well.
love so much that this isn't sung fast for the sake of being sung *really fast* - perfect pace, perfect expressions. her "I'm not well so I'm not getting married!" is so FIRM and completely certain, no one else sings it that way!
JENNY: Bless this day, Pinnacle of life Husband joined to wife The heart leaps up to behold This golden day. PAUL: Today is for Amy Amy, I give you the rest of my life To cherish and to keep you To honor you forever Today is for Amy, My, happily, soon-to-be wife. AMY: Pardon me, is everybody here? Because if everybody's here, I'd like to thank you all For coming to the wedding. I'd appreciate you going even more, I mean, you must have lots of better things to do, And not a word of it to Paul Remember Paul? You know, the man I'm going to marry But I'm not, because I wouldn't ruin anyone As wonderful as he is. Thank you all for the gifts and the flowers, Thank you all, now it's back to the showers Don't tell Paul, but I'm not getting married today. JENNY: Bless this day, Tragedy of life Husband bound to wife The heart sinks down And feels dead This dreadful day. AMY: Listen everybody, look, I don't know what you're waiting for A wedding. What's a wedding? It's a prehistoric ritual Where everybody promises fidelity forever, Which is maybe the most horrifying word I ever heard of, Which is followed by a honeymoon, where suddenly he'll realize He's saddled with a nut, and want to kill me, which he should. Thanks a bunch, but I'm not getting married Go have lunch, 'cause I'm not getting married You've been grand, but I'm not getting married Don't just stand there, I'm not getting married And don't tell Paul, but I'm not getting married today. Go! Can't you go? Why is nobody listening? Goodbye! Go and cry At another person's wake. If you're quick, for a kick You could pick up a christening But please, on my knees, There's a human life at stake! Listen everybody, I'm afraid you didn't hear Or do you want to see a crazy lady fall apart in front of you? It isn't only Paul who would be ruining his life You know, we'll both of us be losing our identities I telephoned my analyst about it, and he said to see him Monday But by Monday I'll be floating in the Hudson with the other garbage. I'm not well, so I'm not getting married You've been swell, but I'm not getting married Clear the hall, 'cause I'm not getting married Thank you all, but I'm not getting married And don't tell Paul, but I'm not getting married today. JENNY: Bless this bride, Totally insane Slipping down the drain And bless this day in our hearts As it starts To rain. PAUL: Today is for Amy Amy, I give you the rest of my life To cherish and to keep you To honor you forever AMY: Go! Can't you go? Look, you know I adore you all But why watch me die Like Eliza on the ice? Look, perhaps I'll collapse In the apse right before you all So take back the cake Burn the shoes, and boil the rice. PAUL: Today is for Amy, My, happily, soon-to-be wife My adorable wife... AMY: Look, I didn't want to have to tell you, But I may be coming down with hepatitis, and I think I'm gonna faint So if you want to watch me faint, I'll do it happily, But wouldn't it be funnier to go and watch a funeral? So thank you for the twenty-seven dinner plates, Thirty-seven butter knives, Forty-seven paperweights, Fifty-seven candle holders PAUL: One more thing... AMY: I'm not getting married. CHOIR: Amen! PAUL: Softly said... AMY: But I'm not getting married. CHOIR: Amen! PAUL: With this ring... AMY: See, I'm not getting married! CHOIR: Amen! PAUL: I thee wed. AMY: Still, I'm not getting married! CHOIR: Amen! PAUL: Let us pray that we are getting married AMY: Let us pray that we're not getting married ALL: Today!
I dunno why I find the woman on the right of Madeline hilarious; she nails that dreamy bridesmaid look, completely oblivious to what the bride is going through. :-D
All the hate and comparisons annoy me. Jayma Mays and Madeline Khan both did amazing jobs. Can't we just appreciate them both? On Madeline's behalf, it's not an easy song to sing LIVE like this. The pressure of messing a song like this up is immense, and Jayma recorded in a studio with however many takes she needed to get it perfect. On Jayma's side, it takes guts to perform such a classic and difficult song on Glee because every Glee cover always comes with a certain amount of hate, and she did just as good a job as Madeline. People hate on Madeline (and other performances) because they're not "perfect" like Glee's version. That's because they're live and not edited to be perfect. It's a hard song to perform live. Can't we all just appreciate each performance for what it is. Every performer needs praise for their work. Because, let's face it, anyone brave enough to tackle this song for an audience, television or live, needs praise no matter what.
I welcome the Glee performance, because it opens up a new world of The Arts to an audience otherwise captivated by video games and texting. So, now 4-count..
utubewatcher806 I give Madeline props and anyone else who does this LIVE! Glee is nothing but machine created auto tuned garbage, not even worth mentioning.
Imissingu2001 I see your point. I think I'm a bit biased because I love Jayma Mays. But you can't deny that some Glee covers are amazing, and I think this is one of them. And the autotune used in Glee has been used less and less as the show goes on. They ARE professionals for the most part, after all.
One thing I like the most about this cover? She’s not focused on speed. In other covers, they sing very quickly and it’s honestly not easy to distinguish what they are trying to say. With Madeleine, however, she’s saying everything clearly and not going too fast so that we all know what she’s pleading. I love it!
Madeline Kahn continues to astound and delight us, long after her premature departure from this plane. This is an EXTREMELY difficult song to do, more than most, and she sang it like it was written for her. Brava, Madeline, you left SUCH a legacy! We love you!
Her facial expressions in so many of her roles are brilliant. The vocal ranges are incredible switching from one to another and then to another almost without pause.
+Dee DePalma - Those with talent do.. those without become critics (thus the thumbs down). She's brilliant. She's been gone for 16 years and I remember everything I EVER saw the woman in. She was an amazing and brilliant presence... One we will never see again.
+Dee DePalma These are just fuil-time flamers who wouldn't know the difference between Madeline Kahn and Genghis Khan and surf the net all day giving thumbs down to everything they can't figure out, which is just about, welll, everything. All I would kindly ask of them is . . . a little respect for the dead.
I think most people who thumbs down these sorts of clips are mainly incensed that they are not in the clip. You don't even have to like a particular type of music to appreciate the cleverness of performance, lyric etc - so thumbs down people maybe are thumbsdowning their lives in general. I have a lot of average times in my life and things that lift me up for a bit can't be bad. So a big thumbs up!
It’s an enormous feat, what she accomplishes here. Almost super human. I am in awe. Her technical expertise, allowing me to understand EVERY word at that breakneck pace with loud sounds behind her is astonishing by itself. Plus her acting is touching and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Wow.
