CHESS Lyrics

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:36am

I realize that some people feel that the show can never be successfully staged, and that's fine. However, after listening to the score again this weekend after quite a long break, I think it's most definitely Rice's best lyrical work to date. Although shows like Aida and even something like Joseph are guilty pleasures of mine, I think Chess's lyrical brilliance is so far and beyond anything else he's worked on - Evita's lyrics are great, but I don't think they touch the emotional depth of what is in Chess.

If the show is ever to be revived successfully and taken seriously, I think all the "cheesier" songs need to go, fun as some of them are - Embassy Lament, The Arbiter's Song, Merchandisers, The Soviet Machine... I'd say even One Night in Bangkok, but that's far too much of a selling point to remove. And Heaven Help My Heart isn't cheesy as much as annoyingly earnest, cliche, and out of Florence's character.

Minus these songs, I think it's hard to touch how beautiful some of the lyrics are in the show. They're often able to get across such emotion with minimal lines:

From "Where I Want to Be":
Who needs a dream / Who needs ambition / Who'd be the fool in my position / Once I had dreams / Now they're obsessions / Hopes became needs / Lovers possessions

Now I'm where I want to be and who I want to be / And doing what I always said I would / And yet I feel I haven't won at all / Running for my life and never looking back in case there's someone right behind to shoot me down and say he always knew I'd fall

Quartet:
It's very sad to see / The ancient and distinguished game that used to be / A model of decorum and tranquility become like any other sport / A battleground for rival ideologies / To slug it out with glee

Mountain Duet:
You should be scheming, intriguing, too clever by half

A Taste of Pity:
I'm not the kind to be vindictive / Holding some childish grudge / how can I be, I'm in the spotlight, half of the world's my judge / All that I demand is those I work for / Those I give all my skills, my time and pain / those that I entertain / give me the same compassion in return...

Anthem:
And you ask me why I love her / Through wars, death, and despair / She is the constant / We who don't care / And you wonder will I leave her, but how? / I cross over borders but I'm still there now

Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart / My land's only borders lie around my heart

You and I:
This is an all too familiar scene / Life imperceptibly coming between / Those whose love is as strong as it could or should be

You knew better than me / Where your ambitions would take us / I knew sooner than you / Those ambitions would break us / You would not believe me / Why should you believe me? / I held you back / You and your dreams

Someone Else's Story:
It's all very well to say you fool it's now or never / I could be choosing / No choices whatsoever!

Anyone else have any thoughts on the lyrics of Chess? Or any thoughts in general? I know it's not an oft-discussed musical on these boards, and probably rightfully so, but I know (hope?) there are some fellow fans out there.
Updated On: 2/12/07 at 12:36 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:39am

SOVIET MACHINE is a guilty pleasure of mine. I guess I like it because it's a bunch of drunk Russians singing.

They wouldn't get rid of Arbiter's Song now, either. I think if it is integrated into the play more (verses broken up), it could work better.

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:41am

I love The Soviet Machine strictly as a guilty pleasure, but I would not want to see it in any legitimate production of Chess.

I think The Arbiter's Song is essentially pointless and does nothing in terms of plot development - it's not an awful song, but it's unnecessary and weak. Why not just replace it with (good) dialogue?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:45am

I do agree about HEAVEN HELP MY HEART.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 1:02am

OMG Embassy Lament and the Arbiter's Song are my favorites. (ok thats not ture, but i love them.)

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 1:02am

I unfortunately (?) love this show. It breaks my heart. I would love to see a revival of this hopefully done well. I, however, cannot stand One Night in Bangkok and love Heaven Help My Heart.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 1:29am

I agree that some of the lyrics in this show are absolutely gorgeous (and love a large portion of the score, too). You've listed some of my favorite lyrical examples already, but I think that, scattered throughout the show, there are moments of sheer brilliance in Rice's lyrics and that even taken as a whole, the lyrics are quite strong. They range from clever ("But enough of all this beating / 'round the bushes of détente"; "Listen, you plutocratic throwback / You and your cronies want to go back / Home to your dachas, not the salt mines, / We'd better talk.") and story-serving to depictions of romance and heartbreak that generally escape clichés ("Who'd ever guess it? / Such a squalid little ending, / Watching you descending, / Just as far as you can go"). Chess and the surrounding politics strike me as something that would normally be difficult to dramatize, but in that aspect especially, the lyrics succeed well.

There's also a sense of heightened tension created by the strength of the lyrics, particularly in the climactic "Endgame." All of the characters' feelings in that moment of greatest conflict are clearly articulated, and the stakes seem so high for all involved (although theactual stakes of the game are subject to debate, particularly depending upon which version of the show one is considering). We hear from Anatoly, who has to make his final choice ("They all think they see a man / Who doesn't know / Which move to make / Which way to go / Whose private life / Caused his decline / Wrecked his grand design."), Florence and Svetlana ("Here we see a man caring / About a minor sporting triumph / Sharing his win with esoterics, paranoids, hysterics / Who don't pay attention to what goes on around them. / They leave the ones they love the way they found them"), and in some versions, opponent Freddie or the crowd. It's interesting to get so many perspectives on this final game, and I love how only bits and pieces of everyone's motivations are seen -- as seems appropriate to the game of chess itself.

I have a guilty pleasure spot in my heart for songs like Soviet Machine and Embassy Lament, the latter of which I actually love in the context of the show. I also can't stand Heaven Help My Heart, which actually isn't even that weak lyrically, but is unnecessary and cloying, not to mention slows down the already ballad-heavy second act. Updated On: 2/12/07 at 01:29 AM

[alastor]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 1:51am

I LOVED when Raul Esparza sang "The Story of Chess." It was so awesome! Did anyone else see this concert performance of Chess? I think it was in 2003. If you did, what did you think of Josh Groban's version of 'Anthem?' I mean, if you don't like him that's okay, but I thought his take on it was really powerful. And Julia Murney was so good as Florence! Finally, Sutton Foster's rendition of "Someone Else's Story" was just beautiful!

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 2:49am

I also love for Soviet Machine more than I can justify. It's too late to get into the various aspects of Chess that I love (and feel are tragically missing from most musicals these days) but I just had to share that.

Posted: 2/12/07 at 2:38pm

I don't think One Night in Bangkok is a quality song, but even it has its witty lyrical moments.

I don't see you guys rating / The kind of mate I'm contemplating /I'd let you watch, I would invite you / But the queens we use would not excite you

The lyrics are just cheesy after you've been subjected to them over and over, but kind of fun in themselves. And it's not even that I dislike some of the "cheesier" songs (Arbiter's Song, Embassy Lament, Merchandisers, etc.) as much as I think they'd need to go in a truly quality production of this show. They scream outdated 80s music.

Another thing I find that draws me back to the music all the time is the repeating "who'd ever think it?" and "where I want to be" melodies. Brilliant.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 2:43pm

If you did, what did you think of Josh Groban's version of 'Anthem?' I mean, if you don't like him that's okay, but I thought his take on it was really powerful.

I did not like Josh Groban until that moment. His Anthem was really really incredible. Also, the end with him and Julia harmonizing. Gives me chills.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 2:43pm

I think "Anthem" is a beautiful song (though easily overplayed,) and I love the "Epilogue" as well. "Mountain Duet" is pretty, but has some pretty lame lyrics IMO.

Posted: 2/12/07 at 2:56pm

The Epilogue? Are you referring to the Anthem reprise ending? (You might be totally right in calling it the Epilogue - there are so many different names for these songs that I can't keep them straight)

Mountain Duet's lyrics are pretty banal, but I think that was the goal. The two of them are awkwardly flirting while attempting not to do so at the same time.

[chernjam]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 2:58pm

Papermill Playhouse (NJ) in (I think it was -- )1995 revived it with Judy Kuhn as Florence in it - It was the first time I had ever seen it and heard the entire score. Thoroughly enjoyed it - went to see it 3 times. They had done some work on the storyline and some lyric/music changes. But I really thought it worked and was very effective.

I liked the Arbiters Song - the reporters song - "Smile you got your first exclusive story..." - cool choreography - great energy.

Not groundbreaking theatre or anything like that - but it was a good, entertaining evening all around

Jim

Posted: 2/12/07 at 3:05pm

Kuhn chose to play Florence again after her original stint on Broadway? I would have absolutely loved to have seen that. She and Elaine Paige are just made for the part.

I don't think the Smile, you got your first exclusive story / Now you can bask in his reflected glory lines are included in productions other than the original Broadway one (other than some regional ones, obviously), but I do agree that Kuhn spitting those words at the reporters is a great moment.

Unfortunately I think that a hell of a lot of work needs to be done on the book, regardless of what version one loves the most. It's not even so much that I mind it - it's just not marketable.
Updated On: 2/12/07 at 03:05 PM

[chernjam]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 3:13pm

Siamise Dream - MY BAD - Judy McLune played Florence in the Papermill Playhouse production.

I think she was in the Broadway company and might have been an understudy for Kuhn.

Those lyrics were definitely in the Papermill production - I remember that scene and the Arbiters song and thinking "this isnt on the Broadway cast recording" -

It was early in my theatre experiences and I didn't realize how different show could become from when they were recorded to revivals, reconceptions, etc.

[alastor]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 4:08pm

"I did not like Josh Groban until that moment. His Anthem was really really incredible. Also, the end with him and Julia harmonizing. Gives me chills."

I agree, my respect for him went up so much after that. Although his acting is a different story.

[RainbowHigh2]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 4:27pm

"Nobody's Side" is my favorite - the vocal arrangements are so captivating.

Posted: 2/12/07 at 5:08pm

I don't think it's really fair to fault Groban for his acting, though. It was a concert version of the show. Any exceptional acting was just a bonus, really.

While I like Groban's rendition of Anthem, his Where I Want to Be tops all others for me. Amazing, and the faster tempo suits the song well.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 5:26pm

I agree. Körberg's "Anthem" is the definitive for me, but Josh Groban's "Where I Want to Be" might well be my favorite rendition of that song.
Updated On: 2/12/07 at 05:26 PM

[alastor]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 9:17pm

You're right. And I agree that the faster tempo of the songs in the concert version seemed a lot better than some of the cd's i've heard. Some of the songs are at such a slow tempo it seems to drag.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 10:29pm

SOVIET MACHINE (on the Danish Tour Recording) has such perfect orchestrations and Simon Clark does a great job with it all.

Simon Clark also won the Bram Stoker Award for First Novel!

[Holly Therese]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 10:44pm

"I did not like Josh Groban until that moment. His Anthem was really really incredible. Also, the end with him and Julia harmonizing. Gives me chills."

I have always liked Josh Groban, but I have to agree, the end harmony is amazing.

I also love Julia and Sutton during "I Know Him so Well." I would have thought of them to be an unlikely pair but it is gorgeous.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 11:05pm

I love Chess, I only have the London CD. I just listened to the Josh Anthem on that site, pretty nice.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 2/12/07 at 11:24pm

I have only heard the concert version, but I absolutely adore it! I have the original recording on my amazon wish list. I was not a fan of Josh beforehand, and still technically am not, but he did do a good job at the concert.