Composers who copy melodies they had already written before

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 9:09am

And I mean NOTE for NOTE, not in the same style.

Two that came to mind are Shaiman and Wittman. The first part of "Mama I'm A Big Girl Now" from "Stop telling me" to "give it a rest" was actually the intro to a song from "Get Over It." And it works, too, because it's supposed to be a spoof on campy pop songs.

And something that pops up in nearly every Shaiman and Wittman song is THEY ALWAYS MODULATE UP A HALF STEP MORE THAN ONCE. Weird.

[knows_too_much]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 9:16am

Somwhere Thats Green(little shop of horrors) and Part of your World(Little Mermaid) are the same song.

[bdwybug55]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 9:35am

Seriously...I think many composers do this...sometimes by choice and sometimes by chance. I think it is very common and perhaps adds to the way a composer has a "style" with the listening audience. Even great classical masters did the same thing.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 9:39am

Wow, you're so right about the Little Shop thing! THat's why it always sounded familiar to me.

Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:22am

I do love me some Andrew Lloyd Webber, but I have to say he's the king of this, though you wouldn't really know unless you're familiar with some of his more obscure stuff.

"The Heart Is Slow To Learn" from his Phantom of the Opera sequel became "Our Kind Of Love" from The Beautiful Game...the bridge from "Half a Moment" (By Jeeves) became the bridge to "As If We Never Said Goodbye" (Sunset Boulevard)...there's also some distinct motifs from Whistle Down The Wind (such as "Safe Haven") that became motifs in Woman In White.

Ahrens/Flaherty: In A Man Of No Importance, the tap break in "Art" is exactly the same music for "Havin' a Hunch" from Seussical.

Wildhorn: ...yeah.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:29am

SOMEWHERE THAT'S GREEN and PART OF YOUR WORLD are not exactly the same song, if we're talking note for note.

I believe Cy Coleman recycled the Coney Island music from SWEET CHARITY to use as "Love Makes Such Fools" in BARNUM.

When I saw THE RED SHOES, I noticed Jule Styne recycled "I, Yes, Me. That's Who" from LOOK TO THE LILLIES in the entr'act for Act 2.

[Songsstresss]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:44am

Josh... Get Over It is one of my favorite movies. Which song are you talking about?

[knows_too_much]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:45am

They're not note for note the same throughout, but the actual phrase Somewhere thats green and Part of your world are the same and I believe it was done intentionally.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:46am

Its pretty common for composers to steal from themselves. If anyone is a fan of Ahrens and Flaherty teh song "Gliding" from Ragtime is almost identical to "Opposite You" found on Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley's CD.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 10:59am

Stephen Schwartz

Children of Eden and Wicked

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:02am

How can we forget the ultimate...

parts of "Could I Leave You" from FOLLIES and "The Last Midnight" from INTO THE WOODS

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:03am

I can't hear Part Of Your World and Somewhere that's Green as the same, even in just those phrases. I think sort of similar but not the same.

Updated On: 4/13/06 at 11:03 AM

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:04am

Munk, add "Is this what you call love" to that:)

[Caleb]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:07am

This is a stupid thread, because it leads to people listing songs that souns similar but AREN'T. Somewhere That's Green and Part of Your World are not the same, and they're not even really very close. The end of the phrase in Somwhere That's Green, in terms of solfege, is "re-do-ti-do." Part of Your World is "sol-do-ti-do." This is closest part between the songs, but it's the resolution of the melody, and you'll find thousands of songs that end the same.

This also ignores how different songs feel different, even if their melodies are the same. For instance, the notes on the words "You are complete, George" from We Do Not Belong Together are exactly the same as The Ladies Who Lunch, but I would never claim that Sondheim had ripped himself off. These songs are light years apart, and Sondheim uses that little melodic motif to brilliant effect in both of them. There are other times when the feel is less different (like Our Little World and No More, on the lyrics "Our little world is perfect" and "Running away, let's do it) but the similarities are, in my opinion, irrelevant.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:10am

No one said they were bad, no one said they were good, no one said they were relevant, no one said they were irrelevant. Just pointing things out. Nothing threatening.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:12am

Funny thing is I have always noticed that the vamp at the begining of All That Jazz and the opening to the Manson Trio in Pippin sound very similar even though they are obviously by different men.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:16am

The opening vamp of ROXIE is the same as MAYBE THIS TIME.

And, at the end of THIS IS THE MOMENT on the studio CR (Anthony Warlow), while he holds the last note you can hear the opening of "At the End of the Day" from Les Mis. On Broadway, it seems, that was changed to another Les Mis musical theme.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:17am

The vamp of ROXIE is absolutely nothing like anything from CABARET, let alone "Maybe This Time"...

[MisterRussell]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:23am

Actually, the bridge from "Half a Moment" from JEEVES was written before the bridge from "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from POTO, which was written before the bridge from "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Nonetheless, they are all the same notes...or at least the same intervals.
Updated On: 4/13/06 at 11:23 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:27am

MUNK - I dunno why I wrote Roxie. Actually, I do. Because Anne Mandrella has been on my mind.

But I meant ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE (MAYZIE'S REPRISE) from Seussical. For about 2 seconds (on the CR).

(Though it seems the revival Maybe This Time is a little different...the opening vamp. Meh.) Updated On: 4/13/06 at 11:27 AM

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:36am

I love that cut song, A Man With a Plan, from Subways are for Sleeping that goes:
"Buy her a shoe- maybe two!
Buy her a roof, showerproof!
Buy her a floor and a door!
Buy her a rose- twelve of those!
Buy her a ring, simple thing!
Buy her a bed when we're wed!"

that became the really enthralling part of Don't Rain on My Parade:
"..I'm gonna live and live now!
Get what I want, I know how!
One roll for the whole shebang,
One throw, that bell will go clang,
Eye on the target--and wham--
One shot, one gun shot, and bam!"

Posted: 4/13/06 at 11:52am

Another ALW - The song "English Girls" from "Song and Dance" is oh so similar to "Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts" from "Whistle Down The Wind." They have very different tones, but if you listen to both themes, you can immediately pick up on the same melodies often.

Posted: 4/13/06 at 12:06pm

Jule Styne used the same melody for a song from the TV musical, RUGGLES OF RED GAP and then again in GYPSY. A tune from Styne's FADE OUT-FADE was repeated in HALLELUJAH, BABY and Styne's RED SHOES re-used dance music from GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES. You name the selections
Updated On: 4/13/06 at 12:06 PM

[dutch46mill2]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 12:30pm

Its Ok to do Josh . My favorite Beethoven did it all the time. Mozart etc.

[kaboodles041]

Posted: 4/13/06 at 12:48pm

"Musicals are not written, they're re-written"
-Great quote, unfortunately I don't remember who said it.