Broadway Songs that are controversial?

[bundy5000]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:12pm

I have an essay coming up that analyzes songs. The songs need to have some sort of message that is stereotypical. Such as demeaning to women, against homo-sexuality, or ethically or morally wrong. So far I could come up is the STRIP from Gypsy, I was going to write about how women were only talented by there looks and by stripping. But I found the song to be dated. Any other opinions? I need to actually read the lyrics of Spring Awakening and Ave. Q to see if there is anything I can salvage.

thx

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:17pm

Ummm, THE ENTIRE SCORE OF AVENUE Q.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:24pm

How about you do your own homework.

thx

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:24pm

"Dumb Luck" from THOU SHALT NOT absolutely OWNS this.

A dreary morgue song where the protagonist drunkenly dances with gurneys and eventually lifts the sheet up on one of them (with Rachelle Rak's nude "corpse" underneath) and proceeds to... ahem... pleasure it.

This song was only in the first preview performance and considering the show started previews a mere 2 weeks after 9/11 certainly added another layer of tastelessness to the proceedings.

The music from the song shows up on Connick's OTHER HOURS cd.

Top THAT! And DOTV doesn't count!

P

Updated On: 11/16/09 at 11:24 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:25pm

I don't think the strip from GYPSY really qualifies for what you are looking for. Yes, its a strip but its a smart song about women who have found a way to survive and find success by using their brains to get a gimmick that puts them on top. Its also comedic and hardly controversial.

I would imagine you are looking at songs that are controversial because of the straightforward context in which they were originally presented. AVENUE Q is a satire. Its meant to be offensive.

Its not controversial like say, the opening number of SHOWBOAT in 1927 that started with "N-word Folk Work on the Mississippi. N-word Folk Work while the white man play..."

Even though it was pointed satire when it came out, I suppose you could analyze out of context the lyrics to "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" from HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS as being incredibly sexist towards women.
 

Updated On: 5/7/19 at 11:25 PM

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:27pm

Try CAREFULLY TAUGHT from Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:40pm

"I Enjoy Being a Girl" from Flower Drum Song comes to mind as a song that's somewhat stereotypical.

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:44pm

I had no idea Thou Shall Not had necrophilia -- the more I hear about this show the more I wanna hear :P

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 11/16/09 at 11:49pm

I agree with Ashley (and Ashley; obsessed with that pic of the actor who plays Arizona - she's BEAUTIFUL. and is going to sing a duet, in an upcoming episode... by the way).

Do your own homework! The fact that kids turn to message boards these days is pretty sad. Sorry.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:03am

That raped by a squid song from the Addams Family musical sounds promising.
Updated On: 11/17/09 at 12:03 AM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:30am

MusicSnob (or is it TooDarnHot or TheCharleston?), a board like this is a sensible place to start to research something like that. Plus, I have a very hard time taking seriously anyone who starts a sentence with "Ummm". It's simultaneously so very childish and dismissive.

On topic - "Two Ladies". "Can't Stop Loving That Man of Mine".

Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:36am

I agree, I think it makes sense to look for suggestions on here--it's not like he asked for someone to write the paper.

How Lovely to be a Woman from Bye Bye Birdie would count except I know Gower Champion (and maybe Longbottom in the new one too?) staged it to be ironic with her putting on boys clothes, etc.

As Long as He Needs Me from Oliver.

[dry2olives]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 12:52am

About thirty years into the original Off-Broadway run of The Fantasticks Tom Jones thought that the changing times had people misinterpreting the meaning of his lyric for "It Depends on What You Pay" so he did a rewrite replacing the word "rape" with abduction whenever possible. He also revised the dialogue leading up to the song in order to very clearly explain that El Gallo was refering to a "romantic" literary rape and not an act of sexual violence.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 1:06am

Wait, is this controversial lyrically, or controversial in portrayal?

Updated On: 11/17/09 at 01:06 AM

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 6:08am

Ugg-A-Wug from Peter Pan and
I'm An Indian Too from Annie Get Your Gun

[ggersten]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 9:37am

Much of Damn Yankees:
Six Months
A Little Brains, A Little Talent
The Game

If you want songs that sound sexist but are actually commentary, then I second "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" and raise you a "somewhere That's Green"

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 11:27am

Going back aways, you can examine the lyrics to "Homework" from "Miss Liberty." It's a song about a woman who just wants to stay at home and crochet, bake pies, etc. to cater to her man.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 11:35am

I will say this. When I took chorus senior year in high school, our "teacher" (I've put it in quotation marks for a multitude of reasons) wanted us to sing There Is Nothing Like A Dame from South Pacific and I know that the girls made quite a fuss about the lyrics (I myself had reservations about the song but not as much as when we ended up singing "Jump Down, Turn Around" for a contest...but that's another story. For full details, PM me).

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 3:54pm

I'm not sure if you mean to take the songs out of context or not. Some songs require offense lyrics based on the opinions and expressions of the character. At any rate...

The Very Next Man - Fiorello
Spanglish - Seesaw
Spanish Rose - Bye Bye Birdie
I Hate Men - Kiss Me, Kate
I am Ashamed That Women are So Simple - Kiss Me, Kate
In Praise of Women - A Little Night Music
My Strongest Suit - Aida
Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm - How to Succeed
Hymn to Him - My Fair Lady

[temms]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 4:11pm

"What's The Use Of Wonderin'" from "Carousel" rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and it can seem like an apology for wife-beating.

I totally don't agree, but louder people than me have claimed that the song is reprehensible and no self-respecting woman would sing it.

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 4:50pm

I would say the most controversial song I could think of is "Joanna, Joanna" from Sweeney Todd. It's always cut from the show in many productions because of its content. The Judge sings it about loving his 'ward' Joanna as a daughter, But he sings about fantasizing about her, and peeping at her in her see-through nightgown. While he does this, he gets aroused and he starts flagellating (whipping) himself, for the inpure thoughts. In the end of the song he starts singing about how he used to lover her as a daughter and now he will lover her as a woman and marry her. The song is very pediphilic. YOU WANT CONTROVERSY, THERE IT IS.

Updated On: 2/23/22 at 04:50 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 5:52pm

I think Nothing Like a Dame is nothing in comparison to Happy Talk.
The lyrics read harmlessly enough, but the perception is much different when it's a strongly-accented minority woman making finger puppets to get her point across.

mybigsplash, the song title is just "Johanna". I've never heard of it being cut from productions.

[commasplice]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 6:14pm

The Judge's "Johanna" was cut from the original Broadway production during previews.

The only "controversial" songs I can think of at the moment are ones that are actually commentary (like "We All George" from Grind). Updated On: 11/17/09 at 06:14 PM

[brandonm2]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 6:56pm

Terminal Illness from 13? That was somewhat controversial on these boards when it first came out.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 11/17/09 at 7:02pm

"Have a Nice Day" which was cut from La Cage is pretty offensive.