Really Fast Songs

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:08pm

Name either of these:

1) The songs that start out slow at first, and then as the song progresses ever-so-increasingly builds up to a frenetically FRANTIC speed.
2) Songs that are SO fast you wouldn't even believe it.
3) Any patter song that can be repeated twice as fast.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:10pm

Well, the obvious one is MODERN MAJOR GENERAL.

But I suppose G&S has a ton anyway.

[circusliz]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:13pm

"Song of Love" (aka "I'm in Love with a Girl Named Fred") from Once Upon a Matress. The tempo builds and builds as the verses pile up.

[MatthewAddison]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:13pm

The Museum Song from BARNUM

maybe Our Favorite Son from THE WILL RODGERS FOLLIES?

[Bohemian1232]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:16pm

"Both Sides of the Coin" from The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:21pm

Pixies' "Crackity Jones"
Deerhoofs' "Chatterboxes"
tomandandy's remix of "Holiday Road" from National Lampoon's Vacation

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:25pm

"I've Been Everywhere"

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:25pm

Has anyone ever heard "Modern Major General" being sung at LUDICROUS SPEED?
"What's the matter, Major-General Stanley, CHICKEN?!"

I heard it once, and I'm like WHOA.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:32pm

Wait I got another one...
Does anyone remember "BEEP BEEP" by the Playmates?
A really old song from the '50s...
The tempo speeds up with every verse. As soon as the race heats up to 120, the song gets absolutely RIDICULOUSLY fast as we finally get to the punchline!

[xoxRogue]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:37pm

Well...would "Therapy" from Tick, Tick...Boom fall into any catagory?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:39pm

"Getting Married Today" from Company

[liotte]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:45pm

"One Week" by Barenaked Ladies

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 10:31pm

"We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel

"It's the End of the World as we Know It" by R.E.M.

There are lots of Gilbert and Sullivan patter songs other than "Modern Major General". There is a patter song in the '80's version of Pirates of Penzance called "My Eyes are Fully Open" that I think was originally from Ruddigore. It contains the priceless phrase "this incredibly rapid unintelligable patter isn't generally heard and if it is it doesn't matter!" This tune is also the basis of "Speed Test" in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Updated On: 4/8/06 at 10:31 PM

[Jon]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 11:53pm

"Your Fault" from Into the Woods.

[j'aime_le_theatre]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 11:59pm

Speed Test- Thoroughly Modern Millie

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:00am

Well, "The Rumble" from West Side Story could really fit into either of the first 2. It's never actually slow, but between "keep out of this" and Riff's death, it starts from a little fast to extremely extremely fast and then just stays at the same fast pace, like it was in the beginning.

"Luck Be A Lady" from an instrumentalist's perspective is extremely fast.

Eh, but I really think the best example of this is Forbidden Broadway's "Into The Words"

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:00am

The Violent Femmes' American Music.

[Zyla]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:00am

There's the aptly titled "Fast" from Zanna, Don't!

[vbplayer]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:02am

"I Don't Want To Know" builds to speed, and "One Week" BNL, is just NUTS!

[guitargeek0624]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:19am

"9 mm And A Three Piece Suit" - Catch 22

I think that under the right circumstances, this song could give someone a heart attack.

[pab]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 12:40am

A Section of "Color and Light".

[jasonf]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 1:36am

The first one I thought of was The Museum Song from Barnum.

What about All For The Best from Godspell?

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 2:41am

The finale from HAIRSPRAY is damn fast on OCR.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 3:17am

That "funk soul brother" song...name and artist not coming to me.

And the "chicken cherry cola" song from Savage Garden.

"It's not always about you!!!" (But if you think I'm referring to you anyway, then I probably am.)

"Good luck returning my ass!" - Wilhemina Slater

"This is my breakfast, lunch and f***ing dinner right here. I'm not even f***in' joking." - Colin Farrell

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/8/06 at 9:11am

The name of the songs you're looking for are "Rockafella Skank" by Fatboy Slim, and "I Want You" by Savage Garden.

"Anytime I need to see your face
I just close my eyes
And I am taken to a place where your crystal mind and
Magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chic-a-cherry cola

I don't need to try to explain;
I just hold on tight
And If it happens again, I might move so slightly
To the arms and the lips and the face of the human cannonball
That I need to, I want to"