"Soliloquy" from Carousel

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 9:16pm

I was discussing “Carousel” with a friend last night, and when we were talking about “Soliloquy” she mentioned she even knew the story about why the girls verse was added to the song.

I have to admit, I thought I knew my R&H, but if there’s a story there about Soliloquy, I’ve never heard it. I know I should have asked this friend just what she meant by that, but I’m supposed to be the one who Knows All about theatre. So I didn’t (I know, very very lame).

I know there are some extra verses that sometimes aren’t performed, but I would have thought the basic format of the song (boy vs. girl) was the way it is from the beginning.

So….anyone? IS there a story like that about Soliloquy? (and in this case, Google is NOT my friend. )

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/29/08 at 11:17pm

I've never heard any back story to the girl's verses. They are necessary to motivate Billy to try a life of crime to buy his daughter what she needs to have a better life, so they are hardly an after thought. But I, too, would love to know if there is more to it than that.

[dented146]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 1:20am

This is very interesting but of all the songs ever written by R&H this one foreshadows the subsequent events more than any other. It is incomprehensible to me that those two geniuses would not have made the female verse part of the original song from the very beginning.

If I'm wrong, I'd also love to know.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 3:11am

dented146, I tend to agree with you on this one. And I have never heard otherwise.
My "inquiring mind" would also like to know, if we are wrong ;I

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 4:07am

It's true. Early in the writing proceedure Hammerstein wrote the lyric "My Boy Bill" but Rodgers, a proud father of two daughters asked Hammerstein to expand it to include the possibility that Julie might give birth to a girl. So, a 3 minute song grew into the famous 7-minute Soliloquy.

The missing verse ("When I Have a Daughter...") was cut prior to Broadway but restored for the original cast recording (the Soliloquy was given two 78-Rpm sides and with the extra time available, Rodgers restored the section.) As far as I know it is not in the published score nor has it ever been performed in any of the Broadway revivals.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 4:12am

frontrow...cool. Thanks for the info :) ...and, stand corrected... ;]

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 10:21am

Wow, that's fascinating to know.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 11:13am

Well. So basically the story is about the verse you hear John Raitt sing on the recording, something about bragging about his little girl in a bar and all his friends tired of hearing about it, but the verse is not actually part of the score and is not performed?

Interesting. Odd, but interesting.

Thank you so much for your help! I knew SOMEONE on BWW would know!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/30/08 at 12:02pm

Yes, the lyric (which follows the line "A kind o' sweet and petite little tintype of her mother, what a pair!) is :

When I have a daughter
I'll Stand around in Barrooms
Oh! How I'll boast and Blow!

Friends'll see me comin'
And empty all the barrooms
Through ev'ry door they'll go.

Weary of hearin'
Day after day
The same old things that I always say.

My Little girl... (ETC)

(This was replaced by the spoken line: "I Can just hear myself braggin' about her!")

On the original recording, the first side of the record ended with the line "My Kid ain't even been born yet!" Then you had to flip it to get the rest of the number. A 12-inch 78-rpm record could only hold about 5 minutes per side. CAROUSEL was originally issued as a set of five 12-inch records. This is why the middle section of The Carousel Waltz is missing and why the famous bench scene is reduced to just the main "If I Loved You" section. This album is out on CD on the Decca Broadway label.

Noice how most of the songs arearound 4 1/2 minutes.

Originally "Blow High Blow Low" (1:25) and "A Real Nice Clambake" (2:25) were together on one side. Decca Broadway put the numbers back in show order for the CD.


CAROUSEL OBCR

Updated On: 5/30/08 at 12:02 PM

[fosca3]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 6:14pm

Thank you so much for sharing that

I always learn something new and wonderful here

[thatgirl712]

Posted: 6/4/08 at 11:33pm

Yes, thanks for sharing

[Neverandy]

Posted: 6/5/08 at 12:17am

FYI-there is sheet music to this song that has this verse in it.