Being Alive
| PROFILE | |
| Composer and Lyricist | Stephen Sondheim |
| Year Written | 1970 |
| About Being Alive | |
| “Being Alive” is the closing song in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, which ran on Broadway for 705 performances. Company was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince), Best Book of a Musical (George Furth), Best Original Music and Best Original Lyrics as well as Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). D.A. Pennebaker made a documentary of the recording of the original cast album, recorded by Columbia Records at the 30th Street Studio, that was released in 2006. | |
Lyrics
Somebody hold me too close
Somebody hurt me too deep
Somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep
And make me aware of being alive
Being alive
Somebody need me too much
Somebody know me too well
Somebody pull me up short and put through Hell
And give me support for being alive
Make me alive
Make me alive
Make me alive
Make me confused
Mock me with praise
Let me be used
Vary my days
But alone is alone, not alive
Somebody crowd me with love
Somebody force me to care
Somebody make me come through
I’ll always be there as frightened as you
To help us survive
Being alive
Being alive
Being alive
Session / Album Information
2004
“Being Alive” was recorded in 2004 and released that same year on The Art of Romance. This song was arranged by Lee Musiker.
This recording released on:
- 2004: RPM/Columbia CD: CK 92820 — The Art of Romance
- 2004: Sony Music CD 5187092000 — The Art of Romance (import)
- 2011: Disc #69 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK67) The Art of Romance
- 2013: Columbia/Legacy – Sixty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett