"Follies" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Follies (Original Broadway Cast Recording) — 1992 CD Reissue" Soundtrack Description

Overview

Is there a 1992 Follies movie? No—the year points to the widely circulated compact-disc reissue of the 1971 Original Broadway Cast Recording on the Broadway Angel label. That 1992 CD is the reference “soundtrack” for most listeners: it restores the original 1971 take of “One More Kiss,” offers a fresh remix/remaster, and keeps the cast that made the score legendary (Dorothy Collins, Alexis Smith, Yvonne De Carlo, John McMartin, Gene Nelson, Victoria Mallory).

The album captures Stephen Sondheim’s pastiche-rich score—Ziegfeld-style gloss at the surface, private disquiet underneath—and Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations that pivot from showband brass to chamber-like strings without losing period bite. It is not complete (the original LP was truncated), but the 1992 program is the canonical one-disc document of the Broadway production. Trusted sources: Sondheim Guide; Discogs; IBDB.

Questions & Answers

So there isn’t a 1992 film?

Correct. No film adaptation was released in 1992. The date refers to the Broadway Angel CD reissue of the 1971 cast album.

What exactly did the 1992 CD change?

New remix/remaster in the “Broadway Classics” series and the restoration of the 1971 recording of “One More Kiss” that was missing on the original LP.

Is this album complete?

No. The original cast album was recorded for a single LP; several numbers were omitted or cut. Later recordings (e.g., Follies in Concert 1985; 2011 revival) document more of the score.

Who leads the band and who orchestrated?

Harold (Hal) Hastings conducts; orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick.

Who sings the signature numbers?

“I’m Still Here” — Yvonne De Carlo; “Losing My Mind” — Dorothy Collins; “Could I Leave You?” — Alexis Smith; “Too Many Mornings” — Collins & McMartin; “One More Kiss” — Victoria Mallory & Justine Johnston.

Why does this album matter if fuller sets exist?

It preserves the original cast’s tone and attack; for many, that performance quality outweighs its incompleteness.

Notes & Trivia

• The 1992 CD appears in the Broadway Angel “Broadway Classics” line (series no. 6) with catalog ZDM 7 64666 2 0.
• Running time ≈ 58 minutes; original 1971 sessions were squeezed to fit a single LP.
• “One More Kiss” on the 1992 disc is the 1971 take; it was omitted from the first LP issue.
• Multiple later recordings exist (1985 Follies in Concert; 1987 London; 1998 Paper Mill; 2011 Broadway revival; 2017 London revival).

Genres & Themes

Vintage revue pastiche vs. modern doubt. Tunick writes with 1920s–30s dance-hall color—muted trumpets, saxes, banjo/harp flourishes—then slips into stark strings and winds when the characters’ present-tense truths surface.

Character-coded numbers. Torch balladry (“Losing My Mind”) equals fixation; survival-cabaret (“I’m Still Here”) equals defiant self-myth; brittle marital songs (“Could I Leave You?”) carry knives behind nightclub sheen.

Tracks & Scenes

Stage placements from the Broadway version captured on this cast recording. Not a complete list; key moments only.

“Beautiful Girls” — Company
Where it falls: Early reunion pageant as the Weismann women re-enter the stage.
Why it matters: Establishes the “ghosted” nostalgia frame the score keeps undermining.

“The Road You Didn’t Take” — Ben
Where it falls: Ben defends his choices in brittle self-justification.
Why it matters: Sondheim turns memory into evasive rhetoric; harmony sidesteps resolution.

“Too Many Mornings” — Ben & Sally
Where it falls: The ex-lovers’ most romantic relapse.
Why it matters: Lush melody collides with hard reality minutes later; the album preserves that whiplash.

“I’m Still Here” — Carlotta
Where it falls: Mid-show star turn.
Why it matters: Survival anthem as résumé; Yvonne De Carlo’s dry bite became the template.

“Buddy’s Blues” — Buddy
Where it falls: “Loveland” vaudeville within the breakdown sequence.
Why it matters: Comic patter covers despair; a clinic in character writing under tap-show sparkle.

“Could I Leave You?” — Phyllis
Where it falls: Marriage knife-fight.
Why it matters: Tunick’s cutting orchestration lets Alexis Smith spit consonants like cymbal hits.

“Losing My Mind” — Sally
Where it falls: “Loveland” fantasy peak for Sally.
Why it matters: A torch song that reads like obsession notes; Collins’s plainspoken vibrato hurts in the right way.

“One More Kiss” — Heidi (with Young Heidi)
Where it falls: Past and present literally harmonize.
Why it matters: The 1992 CD restores the 1971 performance; its antique operetta color is the score’s quiet heart.

Music–Story Links

Numbers split between public spectacle and private confession. The “Weissmann” pastiche cues let characters hide in glitter; the “Loveland” sequence rips the mask off and restages their crises as stylized turns. On disc, that shift is audible—brass and snare give way to strings and winds shaped for intimacy and unease.

How It Was Made

Recorded in 1971 under Harold Hastings with Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations, the album was trimmed to a single LP per label policy. The 1992 Broadway Angel CD (part of EMI’s Broadway Classics rollout) remixed/remastered the tapes and folded in the previously omitted “One More Kiss.” Liner notes for the remixed program document the changes and context. Trusted sources: Sondheim Guide; Broadway Angel catalog data.

Reception & Quotes

Among cast-album collectors, the 1971 performances remain the touchstone even when fuller later sets exist. A common critical stance: keep the original for character, use later recordings to hear the missing pages.

“The original cast… despite the frustrations, meant it would never be bettered.” (Kritzerland remaster notes, paraphrasing Bruce Kimmel’s line)

Additional Info

• There is no 1992 film of Follies; the nearest screen document is the 1985 Follies in Concert (NY Philharmonic) recording.
• The 1992 CD carries Broadway Angel branding; cassette issues from the same campaign also circulated.
• Subsequent comprehensive documents include the 2011 Broadway revival (PS Classics, 2-CD) and 2017 London revival.
• Collectors often pair the 1992 disc with Follies in Concert to approximate a fuller score while keeping the original Broadway cast performances in rotation.
• Series placement: “Broadway Classics” #6.

Technical Info

• Title: Follies (Original Broadway Cast Recording) — 1992 CD reissue
• Year: 1992 (recorded 1971)
• Type: Cast album (Broadway)
• Composer/Lyricist: Stephen Sondheim
• Book (show): James Goldman
• Conductor: Harold (Hal) Hastings
• Orchestrations: Jonathan Tunick
• Label/Series: Broadway Angel — “Broadway Classics” (cat. ZDM 7 64666 2 0)
• Program note: Remixed/remastered; restores the 1971 “One More Kiss” take; still not a complete score.
• Running time: ≈ 58 minutes

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Sondheim Guide; Discogs; IBDB; Wikipedia.

November, 09th 2025