I can't tell if it is because I've been watching Smash, or because I'm getting more and more excited for American Idiot to come to the Orpheum, but I've been listening to a lot of musical theater recently. So, let's make a mix! One song per show. You'll notice that, despite my love for rock musicals, there's no Spring Awakening on here. What can I say? I've never really liked it. I also only just got the soundtrack for Next to Normal, so no songs from that yet. And here are a few of the shows I don't know well enough to pick from: South Pacific, Carousel, La Cage Aux Folles, Follies, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Drowsy Chaperone, Ragtime, Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy, Hello Dolly, Nine, Mame, Urinetown, most of Gilbert & Sullivan, etc., etc., etc...
The Introduction:
Prologue - Into the Woods.
Tradition - Fiddler on the Roof.
Two really great ways to start a show.
The Rock & Roll:
Rock Star - Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
Favorite Son - American Idiot. There are other songs I love even more from this show, but I think this one is the best example of improving a Green Day song with musical harmonies.
Greased Lightning - Grease.
Pinball Wizard - Tommy.
The Funny Stuff:
Don't Say Yes Until I've Finished Talking - Smash.
All er' Nothin' - Oklahoma.
Getting Married Today - Company.
Cell Block Tango - Chicago.
Gay or European - Legally Blonde.
Make 'Em Laugh - Singing in the Rain.
I Believe - Book of Mormon.
America - West Side Story.
Oh, Better Far to Live & Die - Pirates of Penzance.
Hernando's Hideaway - Pajama Game.
A Little Priest - Sweeney Todd.
Schadenfreude - Avenue Q.
The Sad:
I Don't Care Much - Cabaret. Maybe This Time is a great song, but it's only in the movie, and I feel like this one captures the mood of the stage version better.
Ballad of Booth - Assassins.
Mack the Knife - Threepenny Opera.
Ol' Man River - Showboat.
The Rabble-Rousing:
Seize the Day - Newsies. Hey! This is on Broadway now! Oh, to be 12 again.
You Can't Stop the Beat - Hairspray.
Trouble - Music Man.
Sit Down, John - 1776.
Marat/Sade - The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade.
Do You Hear the People Sing - Les Mis. Yeah - On My Own. I know. (Or Bring Him Home, but that one is INSTANT tears.) The fact is, I really like this one back to back with Marat/Sade.
A New Argentina - Evita.
The Torch Songs:
On the Street Where You Live - My Fair Lady.
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Phantom.
Memory - Cats.
Send in the Clowns - A Little Night Music. This is clearly the best video.
Elaborate Lives - Aida.
Once in A While - The Rocky Horror Show. Bonus Dick Cavett!
(Yes, alright. On My Own - Les Mis. Without You - RENT. Unworthy of Your Love - Assassins. My Man - Funny Girl.)
The Quiet Ones:
By My Side - Godspell.
The Lusty Month of May - Camelot.
Summertime - Porgy & Bess.
Hey Big Spender - Sweet Charity.
Impossible Dream - Man of La Mancha. I prefer the Linda Eder version on this.
Stars and the Moon - Songs for a New World.
Try To Remember - The Fantastics.
He Lives in You - Lion King.
The Ones that Make Me Want to Kill Myself:
Tomorrow - Annie.
I Enjoy Being a Girl - Flower Drum Song.
Dancing Queen - Mama Mia.
The Trolley Song - Meet Me in St. Louis.
The Sound of Music. All of it. Always.
(The Pineapple Song gets an honorable mention here.)
The Self-Referential:
There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway - The Producers.
You Won't Succeed on Broadway - Spamalot.
There's No Business Like Show Business - Annie Get Your Gun.
One - A Chorus Line.
Brush Up Your Shakespeare - Kiss Me, Kate.
Lullaby of Broadway - 42nd Street.
(Life Upon the Wicked Stage from Showboat would also be in this category, but... Ol' Man River.)
The Belters:
Suddenly Seymour - Little Shop of Horrors.
Don't Rain on My Parade - Funny Girl.
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going - Dreamgirls.
Bring On the Men - Jekyll & Hyde. The show is supposed to be godawful. But this song was written for her to go to town on.
Easy to Be Hard - Hair. I have a real love for the Flesh Failures and Ain't Got No, not to mention The Bed. But this one out-belts Dreamgirls. It's amazing.
Defying Gravity - Wicked. Well, duh.
Anything Goes - Anything Goes. This one makes me think I should have a category for dance numbers.
Lot's Wife - Caroline, Or Change. Good god. I remember watching this during the Tonys and knowing I had to go watch in person. Just utterly jaw-dropping.
The Closing Act:
Midnight Radio - Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Another Day - RENT. What?
The Introduction:
Prologue - Into the Woods.
Tradition - Fiddler on the Roof.
Two really great ways to start a show.
The Rock & Roll:
Rock Star - Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
Favorite Son - American Idiot. There are other songs I love even more from this show, but I think this one is the best example of improving a Green Day song with musical harmonies.
Greased Lightning - Grease.
Pinball Wizard - Tommy.
The Funny Stuff:
Don't Say Yes Until I've Finished Talking - Smash.
All er' Nothin' - Oklahoma.
Getting Married Today - Company.
Cell Block Tango - Chicago.
Gay or European - Legally Blonde.
Make 'Em Laugh - Singing in the Rain.
I Believe - Book of Mormon.
America - West Side Story.
Oh, Better Far to Live & Die - Pirates of Penzance.
Hernando's Hideaway - Pajama Game.
A Little Priest - Sweeney Todd.
Schadenfreude - Avenue Q.
The Sad:
I Don't Care Much - Cabaret. Maybe This Time is a great song, but it's only in the movie, and I feel like this one captures the mood of the stage version better.
Ballad of Booth - Assassins.
Mack the Knife - Threepenny Opera.
Ol' Man River - Showboat.
The Rabble-Rousing:
Seize the Day - Newsies. Hey! This is on Broadway now! Oh, to be 12 again.
You Can't Stop the Beat - Hairspray.
Trouble - Music Man.
Sit Down, John - 1776.
Marat/Sade - The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade.
Do You Hear the People Sing - Les Mis. Yeah - On My Own. I know. (Or Bring Him Home, but that one is INSTANT tears.) The fact is, I really like this one back to back with Marat/Sade.
A New Argentina - Evita.
The Torch Songs:
On the Street Where You Live - My Fair Lady.
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Phantom.
Memory - Cats.
Send in the Clowns - A Little Night Music. This is clearly the best video.
Elaborate Lives - Aida.
Once in A While - The Rocky Horror Show. Bonus Dick Cavett!
(Yes, alright. On My Own - Les Mis. Without You - RENT. Unworthy of Your Love - Assassins. My Man - Funny Girl.)
The Quiet Ones:
By My Side - Godspell.
The Lusty Month of May - Camelot.
Summertime - Porgy & Bess.
Hey Big Spender - Sweet Charity.
Impossible Dream - Man of La Mancha. I prefer the Linda Eder version on this.
Stars and the Moon - Songs for a New World.
Try To Remember - The Fantastics.
He Lives in You - Lion King.
The Ones that Make Me Want to Kill Myself:
Tomorrow - Annie.
I Enjoy Being a Girl - Flower Drum Song.
Dancing Queen - Mama Mia.
The Trolley Song - Meet Me in St. Louis.
The Sound of Music. All of it. Always.
(The Pineapple Song gets an honorable mention here.)
The Self-Referential:
There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway - The Producers.
You Won't Succeed on Broadway - Spamalot.
There's No Business Like Show Business - Annie Get Your Gun.
One - A Chorus Line.
Brush Up Your Shakespeare - Kiss Me, Kate.
Lullaby of Broadway - 42nd Street.
(Life Upon the Wicked Stage from Showboat would also be in this category, but... Ol' Man River.)
The Belters:
Suddenly Seymour - Little Shop of Horrors.
Don't Rain on My Parade - Funny Girl.
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going - Dreamgirls.
Bring On the Men - Jekyll & Hyde. The show is supposed to be godawful. But this song was written for her to go to town on.
Easy to Be Hard - Hair. I have a real love for the Flesh Failures and Ain't Got No, not to mention The Bed. But this one out-belts Dreamgirls. It's amazing.
Defying Gravity - Wicked. Well, duh.
Anything Goes - Anything Goes. This one makes me think I should have a category for dance numbers.
Lot's Wife - Caroline, Or Change. Good god. I remember watching this during the Tonys and knowing I had to go watch in person. Just utterly jaw-dropping.
The Closing Act:
Midnight Radio - Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Another Day - RENT. What?
"Hey Big Spender" as a "Quiet One?" It's a big show-stopping number. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp22IWPkafg
ReplyDeleteWell, it doesn't really fit the other categories. I suppose you could put it under belters, but it doesn't really show off vocal range the way the others do.
ReplyDeleteDid you see the Tony noms?