I am working on a book about the musicals of the 21st century. I am looking for memorable songs that came from an unsuccessful Broadway musical. By that I mean a song that was more than "serviceable," one that might someday be recognized as a musical standard or even one heard at auditions, familiar to a general audience outside of its connection to the show in which it originated.
Suggestions?
"How 'Bout a Dance?" from Bonnie and Clyde (2011) was the first one that popped into my mind.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
Fly Fly Away and Goodbye from Catch Me If You Can are already being used at auditions. How do you define flop? Model Behavior from Women on the Verge?
Personally, The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance, among others from The Last Ship as well.
Summer in Ohio from Last Five Years.
Gimmee Gimmee (Millie) and Astonishing (Little Women)
I Don't Need A Roof and Time Stops (Big Fish)
Llfe of the Party (Wild Party)
Second the songs from CMIYC. Also coming to mind are (and these are more artistic flops) "Pulled" from Addams Family and "Morning Person" from Shrek.
I could see "With You" from Ghost being recognized as a good stand-alone song in the future.
Featured Actor Joined: 3/18/15
Despite the Tony nomination, Catch Me If You Can just seemed to be a disappointment to many but I loved it and the score so I stand by most of the recording and still listen to it frequently.
I also second How Bout a Dance....when I first heard that song, I was floored and was also surprised it came from the arsenal of Wildhorn.
"First Impressions" from First Date is actually a very decent song.
Raining from Rocky.
"Wild Party"
"Best Friend"
"Lowdown-Down"
"People Like Us"
"When It Ends"
"This Is What It Is"
All from The Wild Party (The good one).
Stand-by Joined: 2/13/15
"Go Back Home" from "The Scottsboro Boys"
Broadway Star Joined: 8/5/14
"I could see "With You" from Ghost being recognized as a good stand-alone song in the future. "
It is! I have heard it as a stand-alone. I second this one. I'm also partial to anything from Wonderland (especially "I Will Prevail"), but that is probably just due to a personal relationship to the material.
"To Build a Home", and "Another Life", both from THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY.
In you can become a classic in a year and a half, these songs should be.
Embarrassed to say, but I enjoyed "Happy/Sad" from The Addams Family.
Other than that, the show was a complete disaster other than Nathan Lane doing his thing on stage.
Understudy Joined: 7/18/05
I Love Betsy from Honeymoon In Vegas. They play it quite a bit on Sirius radio.
"I'm Gone" and "Stronger" from Hands on a Hardbody. My personal favorite is "Used to Be," but those two are a little easier to take out of context.
"Rise Above" Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark
"Stranger in this World" Taboo
"Safer" First Date
"Stranger" Big Fish
"How 'Bout a Dance?" Bonnie & Clyde
"With You" Ghost
"Model Behavior" Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
"Raining" Rocky
"Once Upon a Time" Brooklyn
"Fly, Fly Away" Catch Me If You Can
"Once Second and a Million Miles" The Bridges of Madison County
"Stand Up" Scandalous
I love "When Your an Adams", "One Normal Night", & "Pulled" from The Adams Family.
Updated On: 5/29/15 at 11:52 PMBroadway Legend Joined: 5/11/04
"Invisible" from WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/2/14
^^Yes I love Invisible. I would count Always Starting Over from If/Then I don't count the show as a flop but it's a good song.
"I Have a Fire" - Scandalous
"What the F*ck" - If/Then
"Anywhere but Here" and "Never Get Married" - Honeymoon in Vegas
"When Words Fail" - Shrek
"Lovesick" - Women on the Verge
"Get Out and Stay Out" - 9 to 5
"In Love With You" - First Date
"Freeze Your Brain" and "Dead Girl Walking" - Heathers
"So Much Better", "Ireland", and "Legally Blonde" - Legally Blonde
"Listen to Your Heart" - Young Frankenstein
"The Stuff" and "Lonely Pew" - Reefer Madness
"Die! Vampire, Die!" and "A Way Back to Then" - [title of show]
"A Way Back to Then" from [Title of Show] and "Who Id Be" from Shrk
How it ends from big fish
Broadway Star Joined: 7/7/07
Well, nothing's ever going to be familiar to a "general audience" from most of these shows, but some could certainly become standards. I've tried to pare these down to "songs I think are good or excellent" and/or "songs which are already regarded as standards", although I'm undoubtedly being inconsistent with myself.
Trying to stick to Broadway only:
Sirens (JANE EYRE)
At the Fountain (SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS)
Lot's Wife (CAROLINE OR CHANGE)
Astonishing (LITTLE WOMEN)
Here I Am, Dirty Rotten Number (DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS)
A Way Back To Then (TITLE OF SHOW)
Sail Me Away (LESTAT)
Revolutionary Costume For Today, Another Winter in a Summer Town (GREY GARDENS)
I'll Be There (PIRATE QUEEN)
Who I'd Be (SHREK)
Model Behaviour, Invisible (WOMEN ON THE VERGE)
Fly Fly Away (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN)
With You (GHOST)
When It All Falls Down (CHAPLIN)
Raining (ROCKY)
I'm Gone (HANDS ON A HARDBODY)
To Build A Home, Another Life, Falling Into You, Before and After You/One Second and a Million Miles, It All Fades Away (BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY)
Always Starting Over (IF/THEN)
Anywhere But Here (HONEYMOON IN VEGAS)
Many of my favorites have already been mentioned, such as A Way Back To Then from [title of show] and everything in Bridges. I would also add What I Was Born To Do and I Got You from Bring it On, and Time Stops from Big Fish. Not sure if If/Then is truly considered a flop, but I love Always Starting Over and A Map Of New York from it.
Understudy Joined: 4/28/15
I'm a huge fan of the Big Fish score, but especially "Time Stops", "I Don't Need A Roof", and "Fight the Dragons".
"Time Stops" does sound a bit like "Stranger" though. And I agree "Be the Hero" is pretty good as well, and is a GREAT opener.
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