"I'd Sooner Buy, Defying Gravity..." What does that line mean?- Page 3

[EugLoven]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 3:36am

You're exactly right, BroadwayGirl107

"Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a COST
I'd sooner BUY defying gravity."

DOUBLE MEANING!
Cost/Buy relationship (literal meaning)
Buy/Ambition relationship (metaphoric meaning)

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 6:37am

You put in a comma that doesn't be long. It's referring to the line before "Well if that's love, it comes at much to high a cost. I'd sooner buy defying gravity". Elphaba would rather take on the wizard and her own efforts than dealing with painful love.

[AlexL]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 9:44am

I know I'm late, but;

"I don't like the musical." is a statement--it is not an opinion that you don't like it, it's a statement.

"The musical is bad/poorly written." is an opinion, because people think differently about it. People will say that it's false. No one's arguing that "I like the musical." Everyone believes you when you say "I don't like the musical." Statement.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 9:56am

God bless you all... Another 3-page "Wicked" thread over a simple question about a lyric!

It seems the "snarks" and the "smarts" have turned out in droves yet again.

No other show on Broadway pushes buttons the way this one does. Maybe that's why it's so popular.

[mikewood]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 10:02am

Wow - I thought the line was "And now I'll try defying gravity" - which makes more sense anyway.... >>>

I thought it was just me....

[jasonf]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 11:32am

Thank you, Mike!

I'd sooner buy? -- that's just dumb.

And I'm not a Wicked basher - I LIKE the show, hell, I like Dancing Through Life which seems to be hated, but "I'd sooner buy?" That doesn't MAKE SENSE!
It's not a double meaning at all - it's a phrase that sort of goes along with "comes at much too high a cost," which in itself makes little sense in context. There's no mention of lost love anywhere else in the song, nor is there another comparison between her love for Fiyero (which I assume she's talking about, though at that point in the show they were nothing more than friends with her crushing on him) and defying the wizard. So what price did she pay in terms of Fiyero at this point? Did she love the wizard? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense either at this point in the show - she would have no reason to have loved him except as a distant celebrity, and she has been established as a character who is not shallow enough to have that kind of worshipful love mean so much to her (maybe to Glinda, but not Elphaba).

I think the line before the "Sooner buy" line is faulty enough - following that logic, "I'll sooner buy" really makes very little sense at all.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 11:46am

Boy, I'd love to see some of you take on Sondheim the same way...

"A Little Night Music" --
Every Day a Little Death, I mean, WTF? Nobody's dying or anything in that song. It makes no sense at all. Death in the parlor? In the bed? Did I miss something? Did someone die in a bed? What a crappy lyric!

"Sweeney Todd" --
These Are My Friends, I mean, come on! He's talking about razor blades. They're not people or anything, so how could they actually be his friends? A terrible lyric.

"Into the Woods" ---
It Takes Two -- We had 4, we have 1, we had 3, it takes 2, or something totally stupid. This guy can't write anything. Who likes this crud anyway!

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 11:58am

Best12bars, what is wrong with a little discussion. It seems there were many "smarts" on the side of Wicked anyway.

There are also at least 3 ongoing threads in which people, on both sides of the issue, are discussing Sweeny Todd perhaps you would like to bring a criticism there and discuss it.

Wicked pushes buttons mainly because for some odd reason people usually either love it or hate it and rarely can accept a sensible discussion, on either side. It also helps that almost everyone has at least heard it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:01pm

Because I find it mind-numbing, smartpenguin78. That happens to be my opinion on this subject, and I'm posting it here.

I do hope that's okay with you.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:06pm

I am fine with your opinion, you can think any type of intellectualism is disgusting and that is great. It is likely to get a response, as a message board exists for the give and take of various opinions.
Obviously a large number of people have a different opinion and wish to express them here.
It seems snarky commentary can come from all sides of the debate.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:12pm

I think you totally missed my point, smartpenguin78.

I LOVE Sondheim and think his lyrics are incredible and some of the best Broadway has ever seen. I just think that sometimes people just don't get it, when they try to take Schwartz's lyrics literally word-for-word.

It's not meant to be taken literally... and neither was my posted comparison. I hope that's clear now.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:17pm

I was talking about your first post. About finding the discussion here mindnumbing, not the second one I thought it was very funny. Although I still contend that those posts, less obviously said as a joke would get a very similar reaction of Sondheim haters verses Sondheim lovers.

The "large number of people with a differing opinion" actually referred to people who want to pointlessly fight about Wicked.

I hope that clears up my point a little.

[AndiV]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:33pm

i think that the love that "comes at much to high a cost" is the love and accepance first of her father and sister, and then anyone for whom she has tried to be something she is not, in order to win their approval. she's tried to control this power within her and in doing so has not been true to herself. so when the one person she thought would see how amazing she is (the Wizard--which you get from the Wizzard and I) asks her to compromise herself for his approval...she snaps and decides to "Defy Gravity."

so, i think both understandings of these lyrics are correct.

and i think Stephen Swartz is a clever lyricist.

and i think that opinions are best distinguished by "i think," "i believe," "in my opinion" or something like that. :)

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 12:38pm

Again though, obviously if you are posting something that has no factual basis it is what you believe, it seems unecessary to constantly be couching your statements in "I think and I believe" since that is obviously what you think since you posted it.

I think your analysis of the lyric is very right, and I also believe Schwartz is actually a clever lyricist. Although he is not a lyrical genius.- (See still quite obviously just my opinion, even without an "I think.")

[AndiV]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 1:01pm

i think that you say obviously too much.

much less offensive than...you say obviously too much.

but to each his own.

glad you agree about Schwartz lyrics! :)

[jasonf]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 1:39pm

Just to clear it up - I actually do think Schwartz is a pretty good lyricist. I just have a problem with this particular lyric, though Andi your point is well taken.

I have to say though, someone said that SOndheim's written some really bad lyrics - I know I'm opening a huge can of worms, but someone give me a real example of a true clunker lyric (I don't mean a song out of place or whatever, because I think he does have a couple of songs in shows that aren't necessary, ie "Green Finch and Linnet Bird," but rather an actual lyric that you consider to just be nonsensical or poorly worded...

Let the worms run free!

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 4:24pm

"i think that you say obviously too much.

much less offensive than...you say obviously too much."

But still both are obviously opinions, and are in fact quite valid and contain a great deal of truth.