"Cabaret" is the title song from the 1966 musical of the same name. It is sung by the character Sally Bowles. The music was composed by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb.
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Synopsis
NorthJersey explains Michelle William's interpretation of the song in relation to the musical's plot:
Urging us to "come to the cabaret," it’s not with joy or defiance, but (as Natasha Richardson also performed it in 1998) with increasing fear and sorrow. Unable to summon the strength to alter the course of her life, she breaks down.
Critical reception
AllMusic said the 1972 film "contains some definitive Minnelli performances, particularly her rendition of the title song". The Guardian described it as "the hardest scene in the show, so shopworn as to have long ago collapsed into kitsch". Broadway World wrote Michelle Williams' "version of the title song has a wrenching, dead-eyed quality that hauntingly undercuts its light lyrics." It has been described as "stirring", "devastating", and "jaunty".