3 GREATEST SONGS IN BROADWAY HISTORY- Page 2

[TheatreRatinBlue]

Posted: 11/21/04 at 11:24pm

three??!! ::sigh:: okay,

The Ballad of Sweeney Todd-Sweeney Todd

Lullaby of Broadway-42nd Street

Tradition-Fiddler on the Roof

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:20am

The GYPSY Overture

"One" CHORUSL LINE

"One Day More" Lez Miz

"Sunday" SIPWG

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:23am

Because I love threads like this and because I have WAY too much time on my hands, I actually thought about this really long and hard and looked through each and every musical. Despite the fact that most of the songs on my list many people are sick of by now, it's undeniable that Broadway would not be Broadway without these perfectly written and amazingly crafted songs. They're not necessarily my favorites, but here they are,

In order:

13. Somewhere - WEST SIDE STORY
12. Seventy-Six Trombones - THE MUSIC MAN
11. Seasons of Love - RENT
10. Send in the Clowns - A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
9. As Long as He Needs Me - OLIVER!
8. Everything's Coming up Roses - GYPSY
7. The Impossible Dream - MAN OF LA MANCHA
6. Hello, Dolly! - HELLO, DOLLY!
5. Something Wonderful - THE KING AND I
4. Tomorrow - ANNIE
3. Don't Rain on my Parade - FUNNY GIRL
2. Cabaret - CABARET


and finally!!!!!!


1. Climb Every Mountain - THE SOUND OF MUSIC


I can't imagine Defying Gravity even being in my top 100 greatest songs...

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:32am

I know that because my top three songs were written in the last 30 years, they probably don't carry as much weight as you intellectual smartypants who quote the classics, but at least I'm not listing Defying Gravity! (No offense to those who think it's fabu - it's not even my favorite song in the show!)

1. On My Own - Les Miserables
2. Heaven On Their Minds - JCS
3. I want to list a Rent song here but I can't think of just ONE that stands out - the sum of its parts is what makes it so great...plus there are other great songs...so I'm going to leave this one _______.




Also, will I get stoned if I admit that I am totally unfamiliar with anything from Pippin, Sweeneythe storylines and I couldn't list a single song. (Please PM me your flames.) Anyone else?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:35am

Me thinking about what songs to put on my list and actually flipping through every single show is the most amount of "work" I've done in such a long time. I'm pooped! I'm kind of torn about the DEFYING GRAVITY thing. People who list it as one of the top 3 greatest songs in Broadway history clearly don't know any other shows, or they just have really awful taste. And that's sad. If I absolutely HAD to pick one song from WICKED to be somewhere among my list, it would have to be "For Good." Defying Gravity is just blah.

Ps - I'm not bitching to anyone or being irritating I'm just really f*uckin bored.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:45am

I'm not huge on For Good either. The melody is alright, but the lyrics are kind of silly. My favorite Wicked songs are probably the other "fluff" songs, like Popular, What Is This Feeling and As Long As You're Mine - none of which would really qualify on a Top 3 list. Defying Gravity is a good belting song to show range, but not much more. I'm just glad no one said Something Bad or Wonderful.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:47am

The lyrics to "For Good" are a lot less silly than your "What Is This Feeling" and "Popular." The music in that show is so sadly weak and the only strong songs, for me, are "For Good" and "I'm Not that Girl."

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 2:57am

"The lyrics to "For Good" are a lot less silly than your "What Is This Feeling" and "Popular.""

Agreed. That's why I categorized all of them as "fluff" songs. I never said I was proud of my preferences here, did I? heh. I'm Not That Girl isn't bad. But the music in general is less than impressive. Ditto with the song writing.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 3:05am

Tiff, if you had to pick the top three songs on broadway right now, what would they be?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 3:13am

Pre-note - This post took me about 5 or 6 minutes to construct because I had to really think about it. It's harder than I thought!



On Broadway right now as in the shows are still open? (Do tours count?) Oh god...I know if I list this I'm going to be written off as an ignorant teeny-bopper but what the hell. I'm procrastinating, hopped up on caffeine and it's too late to think properly.

So, in no particular order...
1. Dancing Queen - Mamma Mia! -----kidding! Pull out that wedgie.


1. All That Jazz or Mister Cellophane from Chicago. Or Tango because I'm in a bitter, single, man-hating mood right now.
2. If I Were a Rich Man from Fiddler
3. Finally, I'd have to say something from RENT, but I can't choose what song, so thank you for forcing me to lose sleep over this tonight.

I think if I see Hairspray or La Cage, this might change. But for now...that's all I can come up with. I don't despise POTO (I actually quite like it), but since it seems like ALW never really wrote a lot of the music, I'm loathe to list anything from there as the "greatest song on Bway".

Edit for the sake of conversation and the fact that I will seriously be losing sleep thinking about this tonight: I love RENT songs and I know Seasons of Love is its signature song, but for some reason it just doesn't appeal to me as much as some of the others, even though the lyrics and music are great. It's just personal taste, I guess. I've "narrowed" down my RENT choices to OSG, LVB, Your Eyes (as a personal preference, even though it's fairly simple), ICY:R, Without You (eehhhhh...sort of barely on there) and I really like Finale B. Go figure.

Updated On: 11/22/04 at 03:13 AM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 3:25am

Ah, good point. IT is really hard, I've been thinking about it. These would be my top 3, in order:

3. Nowadays - CHICAGO
2. I Know Where I've Been - HAIRSPRAY
1. Far From the Home I Love - FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

An of course, since it's so hard, honorable mentions would have to go to:

Without You - RENT
The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea - PACIFC OVERTURES

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 3:29am

(PS I just added to my other post re: Rent.) SH*T, you reminded me of Nowadays. Hmm...

Okay, topic of conversation for tomorrow (I've got some papers to write for...today.)...what are the top 3 songs for *now-defunct* shows that closed within the last 10 years? (And tours don't count.) I have yet to see Taboo or Assassins Revival (although I will be soon ) but I think I'll have more insight once I've seen the stuff that's closed.

Plus I want an excuse to put something from RHS on a list. heh.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 3:33am

I'm too bored, I'm just going to do it now. The 3 greatest songs from shows that closed within the last 10 years?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 3:42am

Yup. I'll post mine tomorrow, as well as my possibly revised list of 3 greatest songs on Bway right now. (I listened to the Hairspray recording last year and wasn't overwhelmed - sorry Marc S - but I'll give it another shot since it seems to be everyone's favorite.

[BlueEyedKate]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:39am

"I'm not huge on For Good either. The melody is alright, but the lyrics are kind of silly. My favorite Wicked songs are probably the other "fluff" songs, like Popular, What Is This Feeling and As Long As You're Mine - none of which would really qualify on a Top 3 list. Defying Gravity is a good belting song to show range, but not much more. I'm just glad no one said Something Bad or Wonderful. "

I completely agree (with everything - down to your choice in songs). Don't get me wrong, Defying Gravity isn't horrible; but ehhh...I'm not moved to tears by it...

Some other songs that I forgot..."Stars" (Les Miserables); "Somewhere" (West Side Story); "Another Suitcase, Another Hall" (Evita)

[DancerGirl16]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 1:45pm

Some of mine are

Epiphany and Little Priest: Sweeney Todd
Corner of the Sky: Pippin
Brother can you Spare a Dime: (Not sure what it is from but I heard it in a review once)
Lucky be a Lady: Guys and Dolls
Roses Turn: Gypsy
One Day More: Les Miserables
Hello 12 Hello 13 Hello Love: A Chours Line
Heart and Music, The Spring Song: A New Brain
I'd Give it All for you: Songs From A New World

And lastly kind of random and kind of failed:

Confessions of a Vampire (I think that was the title): Dance of the Vampires
We're Gonna Make it After All: Leader of the Pack - the Ellie Greenwich review.

[Skempp]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 6:21pm

Can't really just do 3...


1. No Business Like Show Business - Annie Get Your Gun
2. What I Did For Love - A Chorus Line
3. Overture/Finale - ALNM
4. Hello Dolly - Hello Dolly
5. Don't Cry for Me, Argentina - Evita
6. Oklahoma - Oklahoma
7. Ladies Who Lunch - Company
8. Everything's Coming Up Roses - Gypsy
9. Send in the Clowns - ALNM
10.Tonight - West Side Story

[nztheatreluva]

Posted: 11/22/04 at 10:21pm

One Day More,
Bui Doi,
On my Own,
Lily's Eyes,
Seasons of Love