Lyrics That Sound Nice, but make no sense — Page 4

Going back to the start of the thread, I don't see what's so confusing about Elaborate Lives. Radames wishes that life wasn't so complicated and that circumstances didn't conspire against him and Aida hooking up, Aida thinks the same, let the kissing commence. The verses refer to Radames' pretence in stringing Amneris along, IMHO.

Any Dream Will Do comes at the end of the show (at least in the UK it does!), and I see it as a recap of Joseph's "journey" and the fact that the whole show is told as a story. Life was a bit dull and sheltered, then he got his coat and it was awesome, he lost the coat and it sucked again (being thrown in jail and all), and now the show's about to finish and he's stepping into an unknown future as chief dream interpreter for the Pharaoh not knowing what's coming.

Interesting that both of these lyrics are by Tim Rice, who also wrote the Evita lyrics people are complaining about (which have always seemed crystal clear to me).

DeNada, in all productions of the show I've seen/done, ADWD is right after the prologue, and is reprised in the finale.

Perhaps Hammerstein meant for the character to sound like a dumbass and say "roof". I mean, she's not the brightest bulb on the midway. Technically, a roof is just an overhead cover on a structure. Who's to say the mill wasn't one of those barnlike structures where the roof actually was the ceiling, very high with exposed support beams? Given the period, it would make sense. Looking at this picture of a 19th century textile mill in Maine puts a little perspective on it.

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I never thought I'd start something so huge with this!

I'll concede the possibility of a ceiling being a roof under MisterMatt's conditions of beams that act as both - but in a traditional, modern room they are two different things.

While some posters do seem to be struggling with literary devices, it is possible for some devices to simply not be effective as well...

And to add to the thread, though it's technically not a theater related lyric (though it is in We Will Rock You) what's with Freddie Mercury singing "Fried chicken" at the end of One Vision?

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Some of these debates are absolutely stupid.

"And in general, its kinda funny that all these "theater buffs" have no idea what the hell it is they are appreciating."

That's why we're all so very, very grateful to have you around to condescend to us, "Ole Chum".

Fair enough. I don't use them interchangeably and have never heard it as it's used in Wicked. Perhaps that's why it doesn't make sense to me.

~Steven

Anyone else see the scalped woman (per above)? lol

So, when all is said and done here, it seems like we've learned that rock-genre lyrics, as exemplified in the writings of Stephen Schwartz and Tim Rice, frequently don't make a lot of sense in the musical theater.

This is not news, people! lol

Rice CAN write really rather incisive lyrics at times. "Running Back For More" from Blondel or "Nobody's Side" from Chess are brilliant, for instance. He's just not very good at writing shmoop, and Joseph was written in the 60s when he had long flowing hair and probably rather too much of a good time...

On a Rice note, Eva's final lines in Evita make absolutely no sense at all without thinking about them. When she cries out

"Oh my daughter, oh my son
Understand what I have done"

Moving (with Elaine Paige's melodramatic wail in mind!) but it's a bit out of nowhere. She's got no kids, after all. There's a verse missing from the Lament in the stage show that was on the original album all about why she didn't have children, though, which would make this less of a non-sequitur.

I keep trying to think of good examples, but every time I do I think about the lyrics a bit and suddenly they become crystal clear. I've finally realised how the final verse of Still Hurting from The Last Five Years fits together, for instance (I got so hung up on the ridiculous "speed the time" lyric...).

How about this:

Hosanna
Hey zanna
Zanna Zanna Ho
Zanna Hey Zanna
Hosanna!
Hey JC, JC, you're all right with me
Zanna Hey Zanna Ho Superstar

I mean, really - what the heck IS that??

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Rice's Nobody's Side has a stinker of a "never waste a hot afternoon" line.

What I want to ask if, not sure if I'm gg a tad off topic here is:

What makes you enjoy a cast recording - score or lyrics? Does a good score suffice, even if it's chockful with stinker lyrics? Or do lyrics matter more?

I have to say, for my own part - I think score matters more to me than lyrics. And I say this because I think Sondheim's lyrics are wonderful but I think his style in terms of score does not suit my tastes at all.

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