I actually thought this score was the second-best of the year, behind next to normal. I thought the music was fun and well-written, though still Dolly. The book, on the other hand, I totally agree with most of the criticism of it. And I happen to love the song Get Out and Stay Out. I also love Defying Gravity, but find most other songs from Wicked to be underwhelming.
"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim
And if you think that "Get Out and Stayed Out" doesn't sound like "Defyi8ng Gravity", give it another listen. I wonder how much the orchestrator had to do with this. I imagine that Dolly's original version was less bombastic on paper.
I think Shrek's score has a ton of clunkers. I love every song in 9 to 5, really, except Let Love Grow, which sounded far better on the demo. And I think the similarities between Get Out and Gravity come in the similar orchestral moments. For example, what follows "Take a message back from me" in Gravity is very similar to what follows "Now that I'm unfettered and unbound" in Get Out. Also, the endings sound the same. It's also probably because Get Out is sung by Block, a former Elphaba, who sort of brings that "persona" to the song.
"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim
I disagree, Sally. I love Billy Elliot, the final product show on stage. But the score, for as short as it is, is only about half good. And even in good songs, some of the lyrics stink. I thought Parton did a much better job on the score. However, I do wholeheartedly agree that as far as the shows themselves go, 9 to 5 can't hold a candle to Billy.
"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim
Oh, I think Elton John did a pretty good job at musicalizing BILLY ELLIOT. At least the music feels organic and it doesn't feel like it's there for absolutely no reason. I saw the movie after seeing the show and found myself missing some of the music at points (even if I still think the movie is brilliant in ways that the show quite isn't). However, with 9 TO 5 it feels like the songs have no reason to be there, and I re-visited the movie after listening to the score and it was so refreshing to see the story told without the distracting, generic, annoying songs.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"