Tag: soundtrack

Take Me As I Am (from “Jekyll & Hyde”)

“Take Me As I Am” is from the 1990 Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde, featuring a score by Frank Wildhord (music), Leslie Bricusse and Steve Cuden (lyrics). Wildhorn in particular is known for his ballads, most of which include a dramatic key change or two. This tune begins in Bb major and shifts up to B at 2:12.

Once Upon a Time (from “Brooklyn”)

“Once Upon a Time” is from the 2004 Broadway musical Brooklyn by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson. The story follows a group of five homeless musicians in New York City who put on a play about a singer named Brooklyn under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The original production ran for 284 performances.

The track, which features Eden Espinosa in the lead role, begins in Bb and shifts up a half step to B at 2:14.

At the Club Savoy (from “Panama Hattie”)

“Panama Hattie is a 1940 American musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva. The musical is about a nightclub owner, Hattie Maloney, who lives in the Panama Canal Zone and ends up dealing with both romantic and military intrigue. The title is a play on words, referring to the popular Panama hat,” (SondheimGuide.com).

The musical was adapted for a 1942 film of the same name. With World War II underway and recently augmented by the addition of US troops, Hollywood was honing the craft of releasing films which were often short on budgeting, plot, or both. It seems that Panama Hattie was lacking only in the latter of the two factors. The film’s script “was quite witty, full of sight gags, yes, but tasteful sight gags, the non-Porter songs were not crap; Ann Sothern is a competent vocalist (nothing compared to Merman, who originated the part, but really, who is anything compared to Merman?), and Lena Horne’s in it,” (IMDB). “… But I suggest watching this movie for more than just Lena Horne … Virginia O’Brian is rather fun to watch with her deadpan singing … the plot is slim to none, but the movie really wasn’t about plot, it was about fun and peddling war bonds.”

The tune runs in A major overall, with a few temporary diversions. But the most noticeable shift, up a half-step to Bb, hits at 2:13 in advance of the number’s final wind-up.

Thanks as always to regular contributor Jamie A. for this submission!

The Song That Goes Like This (from “Spamalot”)

“Would anyone have thought years ago that one of Broadway’s hits would be based on a wild and wacky Monty Python movie? Don’t be silly,” (TalkinBroadway). “On second thought, do. That’s what it’s all about … Certainly both fans and foes of big (meaning very big) Broadway musicals will relate to references to their excesses. ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ … mercilessly mock(s) de rigueur big, dare-I-say-pretentious, bombastic love ballads designed in their pre-fab way to press the emotional buttons and win applause … skewer(ing) the genre while illustrating and recreating every by-the-numbers recyclable cliche (‘I’ll sing it in your face/ While we both embrace/ And then we change the key’ … ).

Broadway can stand a self-inflicted piercing as sharp as one from the sword of a Round Table Arthurian … But just in case you’re distracted by just the jests and jousts, even in the CD’s lyric booklet it is pointed out that in the overblown key-changing ‘The Song That Goes Like This,’ there’s a character dramatically coming downstage on a boat and a chandelier descends! But it’s all for an evening’s amusement …” With music by John Du Prez and original Monty Python’s Flying Circus cast member Eric Idle, combined with lyrics by Idle, the musical debuted on Broadway in 2005 and saw a Broadway revival in 2023, with many national tours in the interim.

As the intro leads into the verse at 0:09, the first key change drops down two whole steps. At 1:20, we hear another modulation (this time up a whole step), duly announced beforehand in the lyrics. 2:02 and 2:24 continue the trend with more upward whole step shifts.

Andrea Bocelli | Mi Mancherai

“Mi Mancherai,” (which translates to “I’ll miss you”) is from the critically acclaimed 1994 Italian movie The Postman. Composer Luis Bacalov won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and the film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.

Italian singer Andrea Bocelli included the song on his 2015 album Cinema, which features classic film soundtracks and scores. The track starts in D and modulates briefly to Bb at 1:51 before returning to D at 2:28. After an instrumental interlude, the vocal returns at 2:56 again in Bb. There is a final modulation to Eb at 3:30.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | If You Leave

“When you hear the swirling synths and clattering beat that open ‘If You Leave’ by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD, for short), you just might be transported to some long-ago theater, or maybe back to nights at home with the VCR running,” (American Songwriter). “Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll recall the nervous excitement of a high school dance. This ‘80s anthem has a way of evoking nostalgia for that era like few other songs. In fact, the song is such a perfect example of desperate romanticism that you might imagine it to be one that was toiled over for weeks in an effort to make it the perfect fit for what would turn out to be an iconic movie scene. But what if we told you it actually was written and recorded in the span of an evening or so?

… Luckily, one of (OMD’s) U.S. fans was John Hughes, the noted writer and director … He contacted OMD to submit a track for his 1986 film Pretty in Pink … In around 14 hours, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys wrote ‘If You Leave’ and created a rough mix. Once Hughes heard it the next morning, he was blown away, which meant that OMD had to get back to the studio on just a few hours sleep to polish up the track for an official recording … Even though it was rushed and put together without any kind of forethought, ‘If You Leave’ delivered just what OMD wanted. The song went to the Top 5 in the U.S., and it hasn’t ever quite departed from the public consciousness since … they ended up with a stone-cold classic …”

The tune is built around such a simple melodic idea (re-mi-do) carried from the verses into the chorus, paired largely with a cliché chord progression (I-vi-IV-V or I-IV-V-IV), that it’s difficult to imagine how this tune could work without a key change. No need to worry — there are ten! Starting with a shift from F major to D major before the vocal even makes an appearance (0:17), various sections of the tune shift among the keys of F, D, G, and E major.

Moving Too Fast (from “The Last Five Years”)

Jason Robert Brown’s 2001 two-character musical The Last Five Years traces the disintegration of a five year relationship between Jamie, a novelist and Cathy, an aspiring actress. The story, inspired by Brown’s own failed marriage, is told from the perspectives of both characters even though they only interact once in the middle of the show, at their wedding. “Moving Too Fast” is sung by Jamie when everything in his professional life is going better than he ever dreamed it could, and Cathy feels left behind.

The song, performed here by Jeremy Jordan in the film adaptation, begins in A and modulates to F at 1:28 for the bridge, which quotes “Still Hurting,” the first song in the show. It then returns to A at 2:26 and dances around Bb, B and C before a final modulation to Bb at 3:38

Somebody’s Got Your Back (from “Aladdin”)

Last month the Broadway production of Aladdin celebrated its tenth anniversary on the Great White Way, with no signs of slowing down. It has played over 3,500 performances for 6 million audience members, and been one of the top 10 highest-grossing shows for nearly every week of its run. A successful national tour ran in the US, and 11 additional productions of Aladdin have opened on four continents.

“Somebody’s Got Your Back” comes near the end of Act 2 and was one of a few songs written specifically for the musical and not included in the original Disney movie. It begins in C and modulates to Db at 1:12. There are a number of brief key changes in the dance break starting at 1:35, and a return to C for the end at 2:30.

Maybe This Time (from “Cabaret”)

Though now almost exclusively associated with the musical Cabaret, Kander and Ebb’s iconic ballad “Maybe This Time” was not originally written for the show. The songwriting duo composed the song for cabaret singer Kaye Ballard in 1964, and later included it in the 1972 film adaptation of Cabaret. The tune was added to the stage musical for the 1998 revival and has been included in subsequent major productions.

A new revival of Cabaret began previews on Broadway last week after transferring from London’s West End. The track is performed here by Jessie Buckley, and modulates from Ab to A at 2:21.