Lyrics for Larry Grossman's GRIND?

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 12:06am

Does anyone know where one might find lyrics for the songs in GRIND, the 1985 musical directed by Hal Prince with a score by Larry Grossman and Ellen Fitzhugh?

It's a difficult request, probably: I wouldn't be surprised if the libretto has never been published. Did the CD have lyrics in the booklet? (I got my copy of the cast album from iTunes.)

If anyone can help, I'd be extremely grateful :)

[cliffordbradshaw2]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 1:14am

The "Grind" script was published in 1986 by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.  It's a paperback, and the sticker on the back of my copy says that I paid $4.50 for it.

[Fan123]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 4:07am

I can't help with this unfortunately, but to add a specific lyric question: might anyone be able to advise what the final line of the song 'Why Mama Why' is? It sounds as though there's a sting/twist at the end of the song and I can never make out exactly what it is from listening to the cast recording. Maybe you need to see the staging to get it anyway. What I can discern is "'Cause there's a white man on that bike / And  [something]."

Anyway, there are some excellent songs and performances on that Broadway cast recording, for those who don't know it. I only have the highlights version, also available on Spotify here. Maybe I should consider an upgrade to the full version.

Updated On: 4/16/21 at 04:07 AM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 6:29am

Fan123, what happened at the end of "Why Mama Why" is that Timothy Nolen in the (completely crazy) role of Doyle rode in on the bike on "Cause there's a white man on that bike." The next line is "and he's here." 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 1:25pm

GroupA, Group1: For what it's worth, ''Grind'' put out a book of vocal selections, and if you Google, you can buy the sheet music online. 

[Fan123]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 5:33pm

Thank you, Smaxie. Somehow my mind was going everywhere but a literal interpretation of that line.

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/20/21 at 11:36pm

I saw GRIND. It was dreadful. A total bore. Had one interesting moment and it came in the opening. I don't remember the music being anything worth listening to again.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/21/21 at 6:12am

I also saw Grind. But the one thing I would not call it would be "a total bore." More of a fascinating car crash. Beautifully designed and produced. Lovingly performed. Some very good songs with absolutely sensational orchestrations. A very interesting premise. In Act 1, almost nothing happens. Then in Act 2, the show went completely out of its mind. I never regretted seeing it and found it quite unforgettable all these years later.

Updated On: 4/21/21 at 06:12 AM

[viagalactica6]

Posted: 4/24/21 at 11:28pm

Does anyone know the real reason Ben Vereen left the show? The NYPL Lincoln Center exhibit of Hal Prince places the the blame for the show's closing on Ben Vereen's exit. Yet there has never been a public statement from Ben Vereen himself.  I would like hear his side of the story.

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 5/9/21 at 10:40pm

Hey, this is great: the lyrics for GRIND are now on Genius.com! https://genius.com/albums/Larry-grossman/Grind-original-broadway-cast-album