Bway songs that sound blantantly like other songs!

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 2:05am

Anyone know of Bway tunes that sound very similar (in some part atleast) to other songs (bway or not)?

Here are ones I found:

"I'm All Alone"(Spamalot) = My Own True Love(Gone w/the Wind)
"The Last Midnight" (Into the Woods) = Bali Hai (South Pacific)
"His Name is Lancelot" (spam) = Copa Cobana
"Man" (Full Monty) = Magnificent Seven theme (was that on purpose?)

The Finale of Wicked ends like the finale of West Side Story (WICKED!!...low rumbling chord...WICKED!!...low rumbling chord...in WSS, 'doo da'....lrc...'doo da'...lrc)

yes, doo da.
beat in Santa Fe (Rent) = Marian the Librarian (Music Man)...kinda



Updated On: 12/28/05 at 02:05 AM

[Mythus]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 2:13am

His Name Is Lancelot is supposed to sound like that. It's a parody.

Anyway. No One Is Alone from ITW sounds like The Candyman from Willy Wonka.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 2:19am

yeah, I know, I'm just pointing things out :)

edit: and you're right, No One is Alone sounds a LOT like The Candyman Can!! good work, you get a gold star. Updated On: 12/28/05 at 02:19 AM

[lfae]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 5:18am

Wicked - there's a few bars of instrumental (that I THINK are just before the Wizard's first appearance) that incredibly remind me of the "and it's beginning to snow" line from Christmas Bells in Rent. It's creepy and no one else ever seems to hear it, hah.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 6:15am

take a listen to your fault from into the woods and the begining of la vie boheme (no please no not tonite etc..). They're very simular. Given that Larson worked closely with Sondheim on ITW, it doesnt surprise me.

[SNLMedia]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 8:25am

In Hairspray, the music played after Tracy says "You have acne of the soul!" (before the scatter dodgeball game starts) sounds very similar to the beginning of the overture from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

[Sant]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 9:15am

AIDA: "Fortune Favors The Brave" verse sounds exactly like Elton John's hit "I'm Still Standing".

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 9:48am

I always thought the rhythmic structurs of much of Barcelona from Company and Next from Pacific Overtures were similar. I've been told I'm wrong - I stillllll hear it.

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 11:04am

I'm 99% sure the Magnificent Seven theme sample in "Man" from Full Monty is intentional - if there was ever a stereotypical male THING, wouldn't it be a western? Its definitely the theme to Magnificent Seven.

[peach]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:29pm

There's a bittersweet evocative love song in RENT that bears an uncanny resamblance to Musetta's Waltz from La Boheme...

(Yes, I'm being silly).

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:32pm

yeah, i thought the Mag 7 thing was too obviously the same to be an accident.

[peach]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:36pm

"War Is A Science" from Pippin always reminds me of part of "Dance at the Gym" from West Side Story (when they are in the circle).

Also, "Finale B" from Rent sounds very similar to "Prepare Ye" from Godspell .

Updated On: 12/28/05 at 12:36 PM

[ALWrules]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:36pm

I don't know how many of you are familiar with aspects of love, but the common dialogue melodic method in the show (which moves in a step pattern up the scale) is dreadfully similar to " The Lady's Paying" from Sunset. a

[Craig]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:40pm

Peach..

"Also, "Prepare Ye" from Godspell sounds very similar to "Finale B" from Rent. "

I think you mean the other way around


There's a song sung by Sammy Davis (can't remember it offhand) that sounds exactly like Run Freedom Run from Urinetown..

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:41pm

The snippet of music following "I can't believe this is good-bye" from the Rent soundtrack's "Goodbye Love" sounds like "Lean on Me."

[peach]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:42pm

Yes, Craig, I do. Good catch.

I was listening to the two in succession comparing, and alas, they were written down that way.

(Goes back to edit.)

[Nothatsmrt]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:45pm

Ok, I'm a big nerd...

There's a line from Joseph, in "Storm the Crows":

"Anyone from anywhere can make it if they get a lucky break"!!

which sounds exactly like a musical line that Firmin and Andre sing in Phantom...both in the key of Eb major...the first apperance of the melody, the lyrics are:

"To hell with Gluck and Handel --
have a scandal and you're sure to have a hit!"

This is the prime example of why I insist that so much of ALW sounds the same...everything is in Eb or Bb, and he uses motives over and over again.

Like I said, I'm a big nerd.

[JACXR71]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:51pm

In "Ever After" in Bare, Peter sings "I'm left with my courage alo-ooooooone" EXACTLY the same way "alone" is sung in the first verse of "I'd Give it all for You" from JRB's SFANW.

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:52pm

I remember seeing ALW say in an interview that's he's only knowingly plagiarized himself once (or that he's only noticed one instance where he plagiarized himself. It's been a while since I saw it, so the details are fuzzy). I wonder if that's the instance to which he was referring.

[Kevo711]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:53pm

This could quite possibly have been intentional but...
The words "Couldn't be happier" from Wicked sound just like "Follow the yellow brick" from Wizard of OZ.

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:55pm

Himself, Puccini, Prokofiev... It's all pretty blatant

[Kgshrauder]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:57pm

Wonderful from Wicked (at least when he sings that word) reminds me of Normandy from Once Upon a Mattress.

[Pippin]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 12:58pm

a section from could I leave you sounds just like a section from last midnight.

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 1:04pm

Himself, Puccini, Prokofiev... It's all pretty blatant

Oh, I know. I've just always been curious as to which he was actually referring.

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 1:17pm

Somewhere That's Green from LSOH sounds like Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid.