The Styrous® Viewfinder: Elaine Paige

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May 3, 2026

45 RPMs 106: Mary Hopkin ~ Those Were the Days

45 RPM record

photo by Styrous®

Today is the birthday of Welsh singer, Mary Hopkin, who bust forth internationally with her wonderful song, Those Were the Days. I was in my early twenties when it did; I remember thinking what a marvelous take on what it must be like to be old and review your life. I danced madly to the bouncy, lively beat of it. I still fondly look back at the song and those early days of my life but now that I am there, I have a totally different perspective on it, my life and my aspirations. As they say, "hindsight is 20/20".

Those Were the Days was composed by Boris Fomin in 1924 but credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to Fomin's Russian romance song Dorogoi dlinnoyu, which originally had lyrics by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. With Raskin's lyrics, the song is an evaluation of youth and romantic idealism, reminiscing about drinking, singing, and dancing in a tavern, imagining a rosy future which has not been fulfilled. Although it has a joyous feeling, it is wistful and, well, a little melancholy. It conveys the same feeling as the Peggy Lee song, Is That All There Is? I love that song as well. With both I feel, "Then let's keep dancing!"

Hopkin did some backup singing on albums by Tom Paxton, Ralph McTell, David Bowie (Low), Bert Jansch, the Radiators from Space, Thin Lizzy, Carmen, the Sarstedt Brothers, Osibisa, Sparks, Hazel O'Connor and Elaine Paige.

The "B" side of the record is the song Turn, Turn, Turn written by Pete Seeger in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines – consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as To Everything There Is a Season on the folk group the Limeliters' album Folk Matinee, and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet album.

Mary Hopkin ~ Turn, Turn, Turn

45 RPM record

photo by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Those Were The Days, written by Gene Raskin - 5:05

Side 2:

B - Turn, Turn, Turn, written by Pete Seeger - 2:48

Companies, etc.

Mastered At – Capitol Studios, New York City
Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton
Manufactured By – Apple Records, Inc.
Published By – TRO
Published By – Melody Trails, Inc.

Credits:

Producer – Paul McCartney

Notes:

Scranton Label Variant: "Mfg. by Apple Records, Inc." on 'B Side' label at bottom, and missing from 'A side'.
The reverse Scranton label variant here - Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days

A: T.R.O. Organization
B: Melody Trails Inc. (BMI)

Runouts have a combination of both stamped and etched characters. "[IAM logo]" is stamped.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Rights Society: BMI
Pressing Plant ID (Stamped in runouts): "IAM" in triangle logo
Matrix / Runout (Label side A): X46416
Matrix / Runout (Label side B): X46417
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 1): 45-X46416-P1 #2 45-70293-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 1): 45-X46417-P1 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 2): 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X46416-P1 #3 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 2): 45-X46417-P1#3 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 3): 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X46416-P1 #2 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 3): 45-X46417-P1 [IAM logo] 45-46417-P1
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 4): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #4 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 4): 45-4617-T2
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 5): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 5): 45-X46417-P1 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 6): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #8 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 6): 45-X46417-P1 #7 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 7): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #8 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 7): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶4-̶P̶1 46417 45-X-46417-P1
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 8): 45-46416-T2 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 8): 45-46417-T2 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 9): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #3 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 9): 45-X46417-P1 #6 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 10): 45-7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1̶ 45-X46416-P1#2 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 10): 45-X46417-P1#5 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶4̶-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 11): 45-7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1̶ 45-X46416-P1 [IAM logo]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 11): 45-X46417-P1#5 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶4̶ -P1 [IAM logo]

Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days
Label: Apple Records – 1801
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Scranton Pressing
Country: US
Released: Aug 26, 1968
Genre: Rock, Pop, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Chanson, Pop Rock, Folk

Viewfinder links:

David Bowie

Boris Fomin

the Limeliters

Hazel O'Connor

Osibisa

Elaine Paige

Tom Paxton

Pete Seeger

Sparks

Thin Lizzy

Net links:

YouTube links:

Mary Hopkin ~ Those Were the Days

Sergey Lazarev ~ Dorogoi dlinnoyu (The long road)

What the hell! Let's keep dancing!

Styrous® ~ Sunday, April 3, 2026

45 RPMs Archive
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October 6, 2021

20,000 vinyl LPs 312: Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats

Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats

vinyl LP gatefold cover interior

artwork by John Napier

photo of album cover interior by Styrous®

On October 6, 1982, The musical Cats opened at the Wintergarden Theatre located at 1634 Broadway between 50th and 51st streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In 1997 the show became the longest running show in Broadway history and as of 2019, it remains the fourth-longest-running Broadway show and the sixth-longest-running West End show.

Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats

vinyl LP front cover

Logo by Really Useful Group

photo by Styrous®

The London production ran for 21 years and 8,949 performances, while the Broadway production ran for 18 years and 7,485 performances, making Cats the longest-running musical in both theatre districts for a number of years. There are many foreign productions which include a 15-year run at the Operettenhaus in Hamburg that played over 6,100 performances, as well as an ongoing run in a purpose-built theatre in Japan that has played over 10,000 performances since it opened in 1983.

Cats turned out to be an unprecedented commercial success, with a worldwide gross of US$3.5 billion by 2012.

Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats

vinyl LP back cover

photo by Styrous®

Cats is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the 1939 poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. It tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice" by deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside layer and come back to a new life.

Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats cast

photo by Geraint Lewis

One of the cats, Grizabella, “the Glamour Cat” who once led a more glamorous life and now that she is older, she struggles to be accepted back into the tribe of Jellicle cats. The role is played by Elaine Paige, who sings the show-stopper, Memory, written by Cats director Trevor Nunn and lyricist Richard Stilgoe; one of the most beautiful and bittersweet songs ever written (link below).

Elaine Paige as Grizabella
photo: Really Useful Group

Memory

Daylight
See the dew on the flower
And a rose that is fading
Roses whither away
Like the sunflower
I yearn to turn my face to the dawn
I am waiting for the day . . .

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 streetlamp gutters
And soon it will be morning

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

Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning

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

Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats

vinyl LP labels, side 1 & 2

photos by Styrous®

Andrew Lloyd Webber ~ Cats

vinyl LP labels, side 3 & 4

photos by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

Act One "When Cats Are Maddened By The Midnight Dance"
A1 - Overture - 2:26
A2 - Prologue: Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats, written by [Additional Material] – Richard Stilgoe, Trevor Nunn - 5:41
A3 - The Naming Of Cats - 2:19
A4 - The Invitation To The Jellicle Ball/The Old Gumbie Cat - 5:56
A5 - The Rum Tum Tugger - 3:07
A6 - Grizabella - 3:26
A7 - Bustopher Jones - 3:26

Side 2:

B1 - Mungojerrie And Rumpleteazer - 3:51
B2 - Old Deuteronomy - 4:53
B3 - The Jellicle Ball - 8:42
B4 - Grizabella, The Glamour Cat - 4:24
B5 - Memory, written by [Additional Material] – Trevor Nunn - 5:16

Side 3:

        Act Two "Why Will The Summer Day Delay - When Will Time Flow Away"
C1 - The Moments Of Happiness/Memory - 3:12
C2 - Gus: The Theatre Cat - 6:41
C3 - Growltiger's Last Stand Including "The Ballad Of Billy McCaw" - 9:42
C4 - Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat - 4:44

Side 4:

D1 - Macavity - 6:58
D2 - Mr. Mistoffelees - 3:38
D3 - Memory, written by [Additional Material] – Trevor Nunn - 5:16
D4 - The Journey To The Heaviside Layer - 1:55
D5 - The Ad-Dressing Of Cats - 5:18

Companies, etc.

    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The Really Useful Company Ltd.
    Copyright © – The Really Useful Company Ltd.
    Copyright © – Faber Music Ltd.
    Lacquer Cut at – Tape One
    Pressed By – PRS Ltd.

Credits:

    Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Electric] – John Maskell
    Arranged By [Orchestrations] – Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Cullen (4)
    Artwork By – John Napier
    Baritone Vocals, Clarinet – Barry Graham
    Bass, Double Bass – John Mole
    Cello – John Franca
    Conductor [Deputy] – Tony Stenson
    Design [Lighning] – David Hersey
    Directed By – Trevor Nunn
    Directed By [Associate], Choreography – Gillian Lynne
    Drums – Jon Hiseman
    Engineer – David Hamilton-Smith
    Flute – Barbara Thompson, Barry Graham
    Horns [First] – Daniel Edmond
    Horns [Second] – Ann Barnard
    Keyboards – Peter Lemer, Rod Argent, Tony Stenson
    Lacquer Cut By – BilBo (3)
    Music Director – Harry Rabinowitz
    Music Director [Production] – David Firman
    Oboe, English Horn – Stephen Nye
    Percussion – Dave Locke
    Producer, Written-By [Music] – Andrew Lloyd Webber
    Soprano Vocals – Barbara Thompson, Barry Graham
    Sounds – Abe Jacob
    Tenor Vocals – Barbara Thompson
    Trombone, Euphonium – Billy Graham
    Trumpet [First, Piccolo] – Ralph Izen
    Trumpet [Second], Flugelhorn – Steve Jenner

Notes:

Music By Andrew Lloyd Webber Based On 'Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats' By T. S. Eliot.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Label, sides A and B): 2478 149
    Matrix / Runout (Label, sides C and D): 2478 150
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, etched, sides A and D): BILBO ‧ TA1PE 2
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, etched, sides B and C): BILBO ‧ TA1PE
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, stamped, side A ): 2478149 A // 2 ∇ 1 E TO 12 6
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, stamped, side B): 2 478149 B // 4 ∇ (crossed out)1E TO 1 1 3
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, stamped, side C): 2478150 A // 2 ∇ E TO 1 2 3
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, stamped, side D): 2478150 B // 2 ∇ E TO 1 2 3

Andrew Lloyd Webber – Cats
Label: Polydor – CATX 001
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP
Country: UK
Released: Jun 30, 1981
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Musical

Viewfinder links:

T. S. Eliot

Elaine Paige

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Net links:

Elaine Paige ~ Memory from Cats

PBS ~ Memory, the Most Famous Song from Cats

Playbill ~ Paige's Memory Lives Again

Polygon ~ What the hell is Cats?

YouTube link:

Elaine Paige ~ Memory