Favorite Songs from Musicals #15: The Final Battle

I'm a horrible, horrible, person. But for all the death and destruction and loud explosions (well, the explosions were really loud in the performance we saw!), this song is also pretty dang cool. I mean sure, they all die ten seconds after the singing stops, but dang! Those lyrics! They manage to be all inspiring and depressing at the same time.
 
P.S: The guy who plays Enjolras on this recording is awesome. ;)

Favorite Songs From Musicals #14: The Farmer and the Cowman

Okay. This song is a MASSIVE earworm. Like, I couldn't get it out of my head after listening to it just once. Despite the fact that it tortures me by buzzing around in my head during French Class, I really like it. The tune is fun and energetic, and it totally wants you to clap along with the rhythm.

 

Favorite Songs From Musicals #13: Everything Stays The Same

Yay, A Tale of Two Cities, my second favorite stage musical!! I think that a big reason this musical didn't do well on Broadway though, was because it didn't offer anything new for the audience. Bloody revolution and social justice themes? Les Miserables did that. Tragic impossible love story? The Phantom of the Opera did that. That's not the musical's fault, it just means that it didn't have enough fresh or original enough to make people want to flock to the theater. I mean, I dislike Urinetown, but even I understand that it's original enough to be successful.
All that having been said, this song is like nothing I've ever heard in a musical before. And it's awesome.
There is a lot going on in this song, and it's a little hard to visualize it all in your mind if you don't know what exactly is happening in the story. Basically, what's going on is that the Bastille was just stormed, and the Revolution has begun. At first the people are idealistic about the outcome, but as time goes on they wonder 'what happened to tomorrow', and why everything is still the same as before the Revolution. It's very powerful, and I love the eerie waltz tempo that constantly surfaces. It's a very strong opening for Act 2.

What happened to tomorrow?

Tell us just who to blame

Villains may come and they may go

But everything stays the same!

Favorite Songs From Musicals #12: Epilogue from Les Miserables

The Epilogue from Les Miserables is my favorite ending of any musical. By this point, everything is resolved it seems. The revolution has failed, but the happiness of Marius and Cosette is ensured and that at least balances out the darkness left by the surviving Thenardiers. And here's Jean Valjean, dying of who-knows-what-disease. The ending starts very quiet as Jean Valjean prays for a quiet and peaceful end to his life, then eight minutes later we finish out with a titanic, triumphant reprise of Do You Hear the People Sing.
I really like how the musical finishes out with that song. Before it was used as a call to arms to rise up and seize justice, and at the end it's more about.... I can't express what I'm trying to say, I'm nowhere near eloquent enough. Just read the lyrics below or listen, and you'll know what I'm failing to say. XD

Do you hear the people sing?

Lost in the valley of the night.

It is the music of the people who are climbing to the light

For the wretched of the earth,

there is a flame that never dies

Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise!

 

We will live again in freedom in the garden of the lord

We will walk behind the plowshare,

We shall put away the sword

The chains will be broken and all men will have their reward

 

Will you join in our crusade,

Who will be strong and stand with me

Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?

Do you hear the people sing?

Say do you hear the distant drums?

It is the future that we bring when tomorrow comes.

Favorite Songs From Musicals #11: Drink With Me

Yay, booze. Just kidding, don't drink, kids.
Now why on earth would this low-key, uber depressing song make it onto my list? True, this song isn't the most impressive or memorable of the songs in Les Miserables, but I inexplicably like it. It's obviously bittersweet, as all the students are fessing up to the fact that they are very likely to die once morning comes. I like how it's not very dramatic, it's just a simple tune that sounds like something you might sing with your friends. If you're like me and my friends and like to sing a lot, that is. Hey, I don't claim to speak for other people.
And it was either Chinese subtitles or the short one from the movie that I know you guys don't like. ;)
Oh yeah, and the first verse is a little suggestive. Just thought I'd throw that out there as a warning.

Drink with me

To days gone by

To the life that used to be

At the shrine of friendship,

Never say die

Let the wine of friendship

Never run dry

Here's to you,

and here's to me.

Favorite Songs From Musicals #10: Final Lair/Down Once More

Whatever you want to call it, this is the Finale of The Phantom of the Opera, and it's amazing. I'm not such a big fan of the constant sing/shouting over each other that's supposed to pass for dramatic, but overall, this is a really good finale. Phantom of the Opera is my sister's favorite Musical, and I think her liking of it has been rubbing off on me because this part 'gets' me at the end too. I'm not saying that I approve of murdering people, but the ending is very bittersweet. And when they aren't yelling over each other and sounding generally chaotic, the music is just brilliant! So many of the previous themes are repeated, and I love that kind of dark reprisal. :)

You alone can make my song take flight

It's over now the music of the night

Favorite Songs from Musicals #9: Do You Hear The People Sing?

What kind of list would this be if I didn't have Do You Hear The People Sing on it? :D
Just kidding, I didn't put this one on just because it's popular. That's not how I roll. ;)
The context of the song is different depending on whether you're watching the stage play or the movie. In the play, I think that The Friends of the ABC are rallying the people to get all riled up about the revolution (I think), whereas in the movie the song is sung while the students crash Lamarque's funeral and the Revolutionary Funtimes begin. I have to say, I like it's placement in the movie a little better. I think it's very cool how the revolution starts with a whisper and spreads through the people and becomes something very big! Too bad for them it didn't last. Oops, spoilers. :P

Do you hear the people sing?

Singing the song of angry men

It is the music of the people who will not be slaves again

When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes.

 

Will you join in our crusade

Who will be strong and stand with me?

Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free!

55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #8: The Confrontation

Oh no! I missed a week. XD Oh well, I had an exam to study for, and exam takes precedence over blog series. And the start of Hockey Season takes precedence over both of them! Just kidding. I have filled out a Janeite tag, so I think I'll have that read to post tomorrow.
YEAH, more Les Miserables! Ahem. This song carries a lot of tension, and when done right the counterpoint duet sounds awesome. A lot about both Jean Valjean and Javert's characters is revealed in the lyrics, and all in all it's a very powerful scene.
 

 

Javert:

Dare you talk to me of crime,

and the price you have to pay
Every man is born in sin, every man must choose his way

 

You know nothing of Javert,

I was born inside a jail

I was born with scum like you

I am from the gutter too!

 

Valjean:

I am warning you Javert

I'm the stronger man by far

There is power in me yet,

My race is not yet run

 

I am warning you Javert

There is nothing I won't dare

If I have to kill you here

I'll do what must be done

55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #7: Belle

Okay, so Beauty and the Beast isn't my favorite Disney movie. I'm actually a little afraid to admit my favorite Disney movie in public. XD
I just have a few little issues, like the fact that Belle is kind of a snob, and seriously? Nobody discovered that gigantic castle just sitting there? What exactly is the beast 'prince' of?
But I also really like it because it has great music, brilliant animation, and aside from the whole snob thing, Belle is very cool. She likes reading, she respects and loves her father, she stands up for herself, and I find her relatable. Especially since I'm a snob myself. ;) At least when it comes to books.
Ahem. Sorry, didn't mean to rant, but I'm super-muy under the weather today, so I gave myself a rant license! Mwahahaha, cower in fear, mortals!
Ahem. Again.
So! 'Belle' is a very strong opening number, and I think that it sets pretty much everything up perfectly! One of the best opening songs to a musical, in my opinion. :)

Oh, isn't this amazing?

It's my favorite part because you'll see!

Here's where she meets Prince Charming

But she won't discover that it's him 'till Chapter Three!

55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #6: Beauty and the Beast

I don't know if Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie, but it certainly has some really good music!
This song is of course, very iconic, and for good reason. Angela Lansbury does a terrific job singing it, the lyrics are moving, and the orchestrations are beautiful! And it's very sweet the way Beast's confidence grows during the song. :)
And I know that it's not related to the music at all, but just LOOK at that eye-poppingly awesome animation!

 

Tale as old as time

Tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange,
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong.

 

Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast.



55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #5: At The End of The Day

From Les Miserables. Call me generic if you will, but it's my favorite musical and I don't really care if people think that I just like it because it's popular. ;)
Anyway, this song takes place about eight years after the events of the prologue, and dang are these peasants angry!
I love the massive four note repeating introduction, then the angry strings, finally settling down into one heck of an awesome chorus piece. It always sends shivers down my spine, and it was really cool when we got to see it live. :) It's not a really pleasant song, but it's got that simmering anger that is constantly just on the surface of the story, and it sounds really neat.
I don't know why the picture is of Marius and Cosette. O.o

At the end of the day you're another day older

And that's all you can say for the life of the poor

It's a struggle, it's a war

and there's nothing that anyone's giving

All the day standing about,

What is it for? One day less to be living.

 

At the end of the day you're another day colder

And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill

And the righteous going past,

They don't hear the little ones crying

And the plague is coming on fast

Ready to kill. One day nearer to dying.

 

At the end of the day it's another day dawning

And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise

Like the waves crash on the sand

Like a storm that'll break any second

There's a hunger in the land

There's a reckoning still to be reckoned

And there's going to be hell to pay

At the end of the day.



55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #4: Arabian Nights

From Aladdin. :)
Probably the least politically correct song on this list. XD
But really, this song is hilarious! I personally prefer the Broadway version with it's more comedic lyrics, but the Movie version also makes for a really cool opening!



And here's the Broadway one. :)

 

Oh I come from a land,

from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam.

Where it's hot and immense and the heat is intense

It's barbaric, but hey! It's home.

 

When the wind's in the east and the sun's in the west

and the sand in the glass is right

Come on down, stop on by

Hop a carpet and fly to another Arabian Night!

55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #3: All I Ask of You

From The Phantom of the Opera, which is my sister's Very Favorite musical, so we've been listening to it a bit lately.
I don't consider myself a romantic (at least not a very big one), but this might just be one of my favorite love duets. Evah. The music and orchestration is absolutely gorgeous and the Light/Day/Morning based lyrics that Raoul sings are in stark contrast to the Darkness/Nighttime based lyrics that the Phantom uses in his songs. Very interesting. And it's so dang sweet!

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime

Let me lead you from your solitude

Say you need me with you here beside you

Anywhere you go, let me go too.

Christine, that's all I ask of you.



55 Favorite Songs From Musicals #2: According to Plan

Today is my sister's first day of orchestra, so wish her luck!! She plays violin, and the song they're working on is something from a ballet by Schubert. Rosamunde, I think.
Ahem. XD
According to Plan is the opening number from Corpse Bride, and while it does have a good tune, interesting lyrics and all that, I think that a stronger opening number would be one that doesn't focus on the horrible parents. It does a good job establishing the setting of the story, but the people singing are not that pleasant.
That having been said, According to Plan is really fun to sing, and that's why it gets on the list. I know that the animation is a little strange, but I really like the look and feel of stop motion animation, and I think it looks really good in this movie.

 

It's a beautiful day! / It's a rather nice day.

A day for a glorious wedding!/  A rehearsal my dear, to be perfectly clear

A rehearsal for a glorious wedding!

 

Assuming nothing happens that we don't really know/ That nothing unexpected interferes with the show!

And that's why everything, every last little thing, every single tiny microscopic little thing must go according to plan!

55 Favorite Songs from Musicals #1: The ABC Cafe / Red And Black

I wanted to start this puppy up now, before my college classes (!!!!) start, because when they do I won't have much free time to write posts. XD
What a song to kick off the thing! Just a quick note. The songs in this little series are listed in alphabetical order, so they're not in order how much I like them. That would be way too hard for me to organize, since my favorite probably changes daily!

Anyhoo, this song is a number from Les Miserables (you'll be seeing a lot of that), and it's a scene where Marius goes to a meeting of the neighborhood revolutionary group, The Friends of the ABC. The leader, Enjolras is trying keep the focus on the upcoming Revolutionary Funtimes, but Marius keeps shifting the spotlight to his recently formed Love Life. I think that when played right, this song is both humorous and rather inspiring, and certainly one of the highlights.

It is time for us all to decide who we are

Do we fight for the right to a night at the opera, now?

Have you asked of yourself, what's the price you might pay?

Is this simply a game for rich, young boys to play?

The colors of the world are changing day by day.

Red! The blood of angry men!

Black! The dark of ages past!

Red! A world about to dawn!

Black! The night that ends at last!

Cuz' It's a Mu-si-caaaal!

Sorry for the random reference in the title, I grew up watching Veggie Tales.
Well, Veggie Tales and Mystery Science Theater 3000, which explains a lot about me. XD
I've been on kind of a Musical buzz lately (aka, most of this year. Help.), and I suppose that I just like musicals. Don't get me wrong, there are things that I hate about the genre. Like song and dance numbers that just keep going. And going. And going and going and going. And really, some (read: a lot) of musicals are just cheesy in a not so good way. They also have a tendency to be about rather unsavory subjects and get really steamy.
But I also find it very appealing, because of the way stories can be told. I like a good story that's told through music, and it's easier to explore the inner thoughts of the characters than if there was regular dialogue. So while I wouldn't call myself a die-hard theatre fan, there are a lot of musicals that I really like.
It's a very versatile genre, and you have plays ranging from light-hearted and comedic (Aladdin) to dark and dramatic (A Tale of Two Cities). And of course, there's also room for irritating nonsense, like Cats. Or Chicago. Sorry, I've got... issues with Chicago. [eye twitch]
Anyway, I thought that it would be fun* to do kind of a blog series on various songs from musicals that I like. I've got 55 of my favorite songs summed up, and I think that I'll post them on Mondays and maybe on Wednesday too. :) That'll take a little while to get through, and should be a lot of fun! It'll give me a vent for my random thoughts that I have to put somewhere, anyways. XD
Stay Frosty, my friends.

* "I thought it would be fun to..." It just occurred to me that that is a sentence that begins a lot of cautionary tales. XD