Most Difficult Broadway Song To Sing? — Page 2

For me two of the hardest were "Later" from A Little Night Music (while playing the cello), and "Molases To Rum" from 1776 for sheer stamina.

I would also add (not from experience):

Glitter and Be Gay
And I'm Tellin' You I'm Not Goin'

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Sorry let me clarify. I think that Shiksa Goddess is hard, but it isn't "The most difficult Broadway song" as per the title of this thread

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I DEFINITELY agree with your daddy's son. that song is HARD. vocally and especially emotionally.

and flying home is definitely challenging too.

"Your Name" from Marie Christine is SO HARD.
From LaChiusa's Wild Party, "Gin" is also very difficult.
And, of course I agree with Not Getting Married Today.

And anyone who says Defying Gravity is the hardest song is high.
Along with Think of Me.

I guess that's just my opinion, but I think it's pretty right...

"I Read" from Passion is very difficult as the accompment offers no help melodically and the tempo frequently changes. Also very difficult to nail acting wise. If the actor isn't fully committed to the character, Fosca doesn't work, and the whole show is ruined and that's her intro. Donna Murphy mastered it.

I'd imagine Sunday pretty difficult to sing as well. Of course, Sondheim is seldom easy.

I can't seem to think of any songs that seem horribly difficult range wise.

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"Glitter and be Gay" unless you're barbara cook or cheno
"And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going"self explanatory
"Women Are We" candide concert, not sung often
"Not Getting Married Today" long,fast
"Giants in the Sky"hardest sondheim i ever did,lol
"A Little Bit of Good" for a guy anyway...

Updated On: 11/22/06 at 09:38 PM

lol, SO TRUE!

I think that "I Am What I Am" could be constituted as a hard song to sing because of the feeling and power behind it. Many singers oculd sing it but it would kind of vacant to me. I mean I've only heard three men do that song justice: Hearn, Engel, and Beach.

I also think that "And I Am Telling You" from DG is extremely hard. Not that no one can hit the notes. But to be able to belt it (without killing ur voice) and really blow the audience away with compassion and debth is pretty challenging.

speaking of patter songs: The Miller's Son.

Actually I think Giants in the Sky ends on an F#, but I've sung it and if you are really careful of where you breathe I don't think it's too difficult. Also, in my opinion Shiksa Goddess is easier to sing than a lot of other songs in TL5Y, especially since it's at the beginning of the show before you're worn out.

I agree with Pity The Child, and maybe Lost In The Wilderness from Children of Eden.

I would disagree with Glitter and Be Gay-it all sits in the same range, and if you've got those notes, it's really not THAT hard to sing once you get all the rhythms and pitches settled...

To belt "Once Upon A Time" at the end there is fairly difficult...

"The Worst Pies in London" can be hard to switch from chesty/mix to head or to keep it in a mix...

in general I think songs that switch registers regularly can be difficult to master...

I don't know...I feel like if you work on anything for a while, it's going to sound just fine (assuming you've got talent and training and all that)...so I don't really know how to categorize what's "difficult"...what is? how much time you spend on it? haha.
hm.

Updated On: 11/23/06 at 02:21 AM

Many people have already hit on the obvious super difficult songs (and I'm telling you.., Glitter and be Gay), but there are other songs that are deceptively difficult. "I Cain't Say No" constantly switches over what normally constitues the "break" in the female voice, making it very tricky to manuver. Also, I've always thought "Ya Got Trouble" to be very difficult out of stamina issues, and "Your Fault" due to wildly tricky rhythms. I've also found "Say it Somehow" to be really tough - the harmony is tricky. Lots of stuff in "The Light in the Piazza" is a bitch - "Aiutami" comes to mind.

Ensemble singing can also be difficult when there are tricky rhythms and harmonies. "Atlantic City" from Ragtime is deceptively difficult, as is the title song to "Company", "Hymn to Dionysus", and other Sondheim stuff.

Really, this is a tough question to answer. A lot of things can make a song difficult, and sometimes, you don't realize how difficult it is until you're actually singing it alone. I think certain songs may be difficult for some, but not for others, so this is a very subjective topic.

""Kiss Me" from Sweeney Todd is a mouthful, mainly because both parts are intricate and then putting them together. And Johanna's is all over the place in terms of range."

I adore that song. I love how it takes place as though it were a real conversation... it's just brilliant.


Re: "Ya Got Trouble"

That is a difficult song as far as stamina goes...especially when you have to keep rehearsing it over and over again. Another song from The Music Man that is also stamina demanding is "Wells Fargo Wagon"... though it's not that different (singing wise).

Oh...I just thought of a song... oh! "Quintet" from West Side Story. That one can get a bit tricky.

But...going back to what Rath said... it highly depends on the person. Obviously, a person with opera training will have no issues in handling a song spefically written for that genre. (well, you know what I mean. )

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