Bway songs that remind you of other Bway songs

[DoubleDown11]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 1:40pm

Ok...I've just finished my third listen of the Wicked CD. I noticed that a couple songs at one point or another reminded of melodies from other bway songs. In Wicked there are some parts of the opening that reminds me of melodies from Miss Saigon. And in the Loathing song (sorry...I don't have the titles memorized yet) at times it sounds like music from Chess. Now I can't think of the exact songs from Saigon or Chess but I'm just reminded at one point or another of some of their songs. So for discussion purposes are there any Bway songs that remind you of other Bway songs out there? Also...am I on crack for hearing a bit of Chess and Miss Saigon in these songs?

And...off the topic a bit...are Sean McCourt's characters always the "father" of freaks of nature? First he has a bat boy then his wife has a green baby! If Hunchback ever comes to Bway he could father him. Sean is typecasted as the father of the freak.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 1:46pm

I thought the opening of Wicked reminded me of the chorus segments of Jekyll & Hyde (Murder!Murder!)

If you want to hear the composer who "reminds" you the most, listen to all of Andrew Lloyd Weber back to back. There are parts of Song & Dance that sound like Cats and he steals from himself in several other musicals.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 1:58pm

This is not related to the topic, but I want to applaud Gothampc for the quote from "In Trousers" . I don't think I've ever seen anyone quote that show. Granted it's not a wonderful show, but I like it enough just because William Finn is such a genius and the other two shows in the trilogy (Falsettos) really blossomed out of that original production. So Bravo!

-------------------------------------------------
"Stay clear of love and jail. Nothing comes to nothing and a new land is a new land to explore." - In Trousers

[DoubleDown11]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 2:17pm

I also believe Bernstein stole from himself. West Side and Candide had a couple measures of almost exact music. Again I don't remember what songs but everytime I listen to it I think to myself..."man this part sounds just like Candide/West Side Story."

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 3:31pm

The Wicked music definitely has a familiar feel to it. Every time I listen to the songs I'm picturing different lyrics in my head until the real lyrics start.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 3:47pm

Thanks Broadway Matt. In Trousers has really grown on me. Every so often I find myself singing "Set Those Sails" or one of the other songs. In Trousers shows how long Mary Testa has been around.

Posted: 12/17/03 at 3:49pm

Yeah! In trousers! "Pass the Sugar Please" is the best!

[WillParker]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 3:59pm

glad someone mentioned this about Wicked--it doesnt exactly remind me of another show tune, but a Billy Joel song---in Defying Gravity...those lyrics, "De-fyyyyyyyyyyy-ing gra-vity"...if you slow it down and change one or two notes slighly, you get "we'd all go down together" from Goodnight Saigon. it freaks me out.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 4:14pm

Whoever mentioned Lloyd Webber, there's constant musical homage to Puccini, no less, in all his work. He has stolen so many Puccini motifs, and candidly admits same.

Speaking of Webber and this thread: At WONDERFUL TOWN, it dawned on me that Webber's "Boy Meets Girl" from SUNSET has a motif that's a lot like the verse of "What a Waste." "Came to New York, da da da da.." and "Boy meets girl, da da da da..." (Don't you love people who type da da da and expect it to mean something?) Some Bernstein expert out there -- MusicMan? I think I'm right -- ol Andrew was familiar with WT, too.

But in WT, there are orchestral interludes that forshadow WEST SIDE STORY, including "What a Waste."

Updated On: 12/17/03 at 04:14 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 4:17pm

The post on "What Is This Feeling?" in WICKED: I couldn't nail another song, but just felt it had a real brisk, zingy Charles Strouse flavor. The Strouse of SUPERMAN and even BIRDIE. It's the kind of ensemble number he does (well). It's damned catchy on the CD,and I think it would've been the better showcase for WICKED in the Macy's parade than "One Perfect Day," in that it lets the gals play stronger POV's/edge.

[dotmarie]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 5:00pm

My mom says that "A Moment With You" from Saturday Night reminds her of "Why Am I Me" from Shenandoah. Maybe because they are both duets?

[WindyCityActor]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 5:20pm

I was listening to "Parade" a couple of days ago and the song, "Come Up To My Office" sounds very similar to "He's the Wizard" from 'The Wiz."

Michael

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/17/03 at 5:31pm

WindyCityactor: great observation. That's so on the money.

[alterego]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 7:53am

Two that come to mind...

Galt Mc Dermot's Follow the Rainbow from Two Gentlemen of Verona sounds very much like Dick Rogers music for He and She from The Boys from Syracuse.

That song from Miss Saigon that starts of 'Why God Tell me Why'(?) sounds an awful lot like Rogers There's a Small Hotel from On Your Toes.

[magruder]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 8:22am

It's been cited many many times, but "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera and "Come to Me, Bend to Me" from Brigadoon.

[Cadriel]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 8:26am

In Wicked, during "No One Mourns the Wicked," the melody for the mother's lover always makes me think of "Roxie" from Chicago.

-Wayne

[CharityHope924]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 1:12pm

As far as composer's stealing from themselves, listen to "Somewhere that's Green" (Little Shop) and "Part of yOur World" (Little Mermaid). It's not terrible to steal from yourself, so long as the first idea was something worth revisiting

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 2:37pm

Actually "Music of the Night" is a direct ripoff from that school song "School Days, school days, good old fashioned rule days" My grandmother used to sing me that song and she had learned it in the 1920's.

Updated On: 12/18/03 at 02:37 PM

[CharityHope924]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 2:41pm

In the movie "Forget Paris" Billy Crystal demonstrates the School Days/ Music of the Night similarity to Deborah Winger--very funny stuff...

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 6:59pm

Gothampc and Charity: Interesting, I also always thought "Music of the Night" sounded like "Come to Me, Bend to Me" from BRIGADOON. What do you think? (Slowly, gently ... come to me,bend to me...)

Anyone know the "Whistle Down the Wind" music of Webber? It has a whole motif lifted from the John Williams' socre of JURASSIC PARK. ("Vaults of Heaven.")

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 7:24pm

There are some moments of "That Face" from THE PRODUCERS that are cribbed from "High and Low" from THE BANDWAGON - the Broadway vocal version even moreso (check out Mary Martin's version) than the brief instrumental version heard in the MGM film.

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 11:20pm

Musetta's Waltz from RENT and Make Up My Heart from Starlight Express sound a lot alike to me. Also, Facade from Jekyll and Hyde and this line in Les Mis sound alike to me: "For your prescence of mind/ for the deeds you have done/ I will thank you monsieur/ when our battle is won." Don't know why...

[AugustBurns2]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 11:28pm

Speaking of Alan Menken: "It's Just the Gas" from Little Shop was lifted for "The Mob Song" in Beauty and the Beast

With ALW: motifs from Aspects of Love are repeated in the re-write of Tell Me on a Sunday. It's amazing!

[Phantom2]

Posted: 12/18/03 at 11:33pm

Time Warp reminds me of Voulez Vous. And no Virginia, I have not been drinking.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 12/19/03 at 9:36pm

The entire score of Jane Eyre reminds me of the entire score from The Secret Garden.

And "For Good" totally sounds like "I Will Never Leave You."