PSB in new Liza memoir

[nonesuch]

No dishing, just some interesting background. Apologies for any scanning/transcription errors.

From Chapter 8 of Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!

And Now, for Something Completely Different...
As "The Ultimate Event" rolled into London in early 1989, I took a musical leap into synth-pop that some people still can't believe. I was fine with the detour, because creative people should always feel free to take new risks, try something different – it won't kill you.

The story began a year earlier, when Mark and I dined with Gene Simmons, who sang lead and played bass for Kiss. We were all friends, and later that night, after dinner, he called me at home with a question: Had I ever recorded a hit record or single? "Nope," I said, mystified by the question. I'd sung on popular recordings like the soundtracks to the films Cabaret and New York. New York. But none of the songs on those albums became singles that I released separately. Gene was amazed that I'd done so well without making hit records. I reminded him that I had built a career singing on Broadway holding unbroken records at Carnegie Hall and in some of the largest venues around the world. I may have felt a little defensive, saying, "I guess records aren't in the cards for me. I've made my share – eight to be precise – but they never lived up to my expectations. Or any of the record companies'. So what's up with the question, Gene?"

He cut to the chase: I was a big star and should be making hit records with modern pop songs. I just needed good representation. He was willing to help me reach the next level, and I was intrigued. Gene took me to meet Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS Records, and we had a good rapport. He signed me to a contract with Epic Records. Before I knew it, a popular English group called the Pet Shop Boys reached out and said they wanted to work with me. I could see all my friends rolling their eyes. Stick to your lane, Liza, they were saying. You're not a rocker. They missed the fact that I had always embraced pop music in my shows and on my albums.

I was restless as hell creatively, and I listened to pop music like millions of other people. I've loved a lot of artists over the years. Mary J. Blige and Joan Jett, Heavy D, James Tavlor, Michael and Janet Jackson, Laura Nyro, Lobo, Janis Ian, and Bonnie Raitt. Chappell Roan, Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Tavlor Swift (from one Showgirl to another – with a worldwide smash tribute to my friend Elizabeth Tavlor), Beyoncé, and Cynthia Erivo today. I love Latin music big-time, especially Portuguese music. I never wanted to be pigeonholed, however much I loved the Great American Songbook classics. I wondered if a new album with new music could broaden my career. It was time to flex my muscles and find out.

The Pet Shop Boys had several hit records and I began listening. To be honest, it felt at first like we were on different planets. I lived in a world of classical arrangements for classic songs with live instruments. They made prerecorded tracks for hard, mostly original songs. It was edgy, synth-driven stuff Their songs set a ghostly mood and told brooding, offbeat stories. They reminded me of Brecht and Weill, Kander and Ebb, even Aznavour. I began warming up to the project because we actually had more in common than I thought. Why not give it a shot?

I met with Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the two leaders of the Pet Shop Boys, and we began looking for songs. The first on their list was "Losing My Mind," which has a righteous place in the Great American Songbook. It's a sad, regretful ballad about lost love and missed opportunities from Stephen Sondheim's Follies. Chris and Neil had recently seen a revival of the show in London and felt the song would be perfect for me. I had seen that same production with Michael when we were in London in 1987. It was the first time I'd ever seen the show, which was originally produced on Broadway in 1971.

Before I even arrived in the studio, Chris and Neil proceeded to reconstruct it from top to bottom. For some it was now almost unrecognizable. In their version, my fury over a failed love affair would descend into madness. Like I was opening an angry artery. Right up my alley.

When I showed up in the studio the first day, I asked questions that sparked laughter: Where are the musicians? When can we start running through the song? Who's in the band? Chris and Neil were flabbergasted, but also kind. The music has already been recorded, they explained. All you have to do is sing. Live and learn.

I nailed the song quickly. More efficiently than I've ever recorded any other number. Chris and Neil lowered the key so my voice would blend with the music's smoky, agitated mood. We also shot a video that presented a totally new image for me. Instead of bright, bold, and brassy Liza, I was dancing seductively against a dark, shadowy background. The album was called Results, but could have just as easily been titled Departures.

Did I crash and burn? Hell no – we charted on Billboard in the States. "Losing My Mind" was my most successful single. And we killed on the other side of the pond, as well as other countries. I couldn't believe it. Our song made the top ten in the United Kingdom, reaching number six. Radio stations crowned me "New Artist of the Week." Seriously! We sold just shy of a million copies of Results, a blockbuster by today's standards. And it's still selling. That record may still yet turn platinum, because every sale counts until you reach Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) requirements.

That would be a helluva gift. But a larger point was made. Be open to exploring new directions as an artist. I wasn't shedding an old identity or acquiring a new one. I wasn't reinventing myself as a disco queen. I was just having fun. I'm not sure Michael loved it. He said, "Liza, what will you do when people come to hear the Pet Shop Boys music?" I simply said, "All I have to do is get 'em in the seats," knowing that once they were there, I was sure they'd love the rest of the show.

I had a ball. because I was recording tracks for Results on the same nights that Frank, Sammy, and I were performing "The Ultimate Event" in London. I'd finish a show at the London Palladium and then race to the studio after midnight to work on the album. My kind of busy. I got strong support from Frank and Sammy. They were genuinely curious about the record and came to the studio with me several times. I asked them both a hard question: "Tell me the truth. No Hollywood bullshit. Did you like the album?" They did. Frank got into the swing of it. Sammy said Results was the hippest sound around.

<snip>

When [Sondheim] heard my take of "Losing My Mind" with the Pet Shop Boys, he didn't particularly like it. He always wanted songs he wrote performed exactly as he wrote them. However, there's some legal mishmash that says after a song has been recorded, anyone has the right to record and release it if you maintain the melody and lyrics. It's compulsory. So Mr. Sondheim couldn't put me through hell this time. Years later. I'm still cashing royalty checks for "Losing My Mind." And so is his estate.

[Dog]

Thank you for sharing this. It would have been nice if she’d paid tribute to them in some way. Might that be elsewhere in the book?

[dylanww73]

Thanks for posting. I still enjoy listening to Results every once in a while. Great anecdote about Sinatra and Davis Jr accompanying her to the studio on occasion.

[Sandy Shaw]

Thanks! I've just ordered my signed copy but couldn't resist reading this now. I saw Liza ''live'' several times over the years and even had a handshake after one Royal Albert Hall performance. I love her to bits and ''Results'' is a very special recording.

[nonesuch]

Thank you for sharing this. It would have been nice if she’d paid tribute to them in some way. Might that be elsewhere in the book?

Nothing else comes up under their names as far as I can see.

[dequesi]

Thanks for sharing! Now I'm curious about the book.

[Gabby]

Love this. Results is a great album, and I generally don't do well with female vocalists for some unfathomable reason, but Liza and Dusty hit different (maybe it's the PSB connection, but I don't feel that's strictly the case).

[Xakrij]

Don't forget her single with the same name as the book:
Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!

https://elevenlabs.io/eleven-album

(if I can't un-hear it, neither can YOU!)

[psbfannyc]

Loved reading this thank you!

[Spittingcat]

Thanks for the clipping. Great read. Especially the name dropping!

I’m not going to listen to the Elevenlabs AI tripe though.

[TallThinMan]

“I met with Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the two leaders of the Pet Shop Boys”.

What a curious turn of phrase!

[Drico One]

“I met with Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the two leaders of the Pet Shop Boys”.

What a curious turn of phrase!

Probably written by AI...

Drico.

[MikeyC]

Wow loved reading that! Thanks for sharing!!

[nonesuch]

“I met with Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the two leaders of the Pet Shop Boys”.

What a curious turn of phrase!

The memoir was "as told to" 3 authors, so I guess the weird phrasing came from them (or AI!).

[OakeyDokey]

It seems very factual/professionally savvy, the style of writing. At her current age, I'd be surprised if Liza was that sharp or detailed so if it's bee ghost-written, it makes sense.