Something Rotten Score Similarities

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 6/1/15 at 12:19pm

So I was driving in the car yesterday and this came on my Sirius radio.

Seeing as I had JUST turned off the Something Rotten OBC it was fresh in my mind and the similarity to "Will Power" was striking. 

What do you think? Am I crazy? 

 

Billy Squier - Everybody Wants You

[RingOfKeys2]

Posted: 6/1/15 at 2:01pm

"Right Hand Man" sounds dangerously close to a melody from "Fancy Nancy" - a Theatre for Young Audiences show through MTI.

[yknot]

Posted: 6/1/15 at 2:10pm

Which Fancy Nancy song?

[bpr515]

Posted: 6/1/15 at 3:06pm

Yup.  Very similar riff.  I also think the harmony in the chorus of It's Hard To Be The Bard is very reminiscent of Queen (I think it's Somebody To Love where they sing "Can anybody find me...")

[RingOfKeys2]

Posted: 6/1/15 at 4:17pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHyKOVT-Lpw

This is the song from Fancy Nancy that sounds like Right Hand Man. It's the same riff, as pointed out above, just set a different tempo. 

[rsaleh]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 12:23am

Parts of A Musical is exactly like Wondnderful from Wicked

[tazber]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 7:32am

 

 

 

WSJ link

 

[vfd88]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 10:38am

Thanks for that list! I just listened to the song with the list in front of me and still couldn't catch all the references.

[nxt2bridges]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 11:48am

The Kirkpatrick brothers in a "go behind the music" Broadway.com feature stated that queen was one of their influences for Hard to be the bard. They are also very interesting because they are from the entertainment industry. They've composed music for pop and country stars as well as like worked on films and such, which makes sense when trying to figure out the tone of this score. 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 12:26pm

@vfd88 Some of them are visual. Like "Avenue Q" for example.

[vfd88]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 4:19pm

Sorry, I should've specified that I have seen the show. Even after seeing it live and listening to it, I'm still missing some of the references (The Fantasticks, Jesus Christ Superstar, Drowsy Chaperone - anyone care to help?)

[ElphieZ]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 5:06pm

That list is just from the one song and not the entire musical right? Because there were more in other songs throughout the show right? Like Joseph and some others? Does anyone have a complete list of all of the references somewhere out there?

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 5:16pm

Listened to A Musical only once. Can definitely hear every single musical in there.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 5:21pm

What better tribute to musicals.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 5:31pm

The overall melody of "A Musical" reminds me very much of "Wonderful" from Wicked.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 5:44pm

Yea, that's just the one song.

The entire score is full of references and parodies of both musicals as well as pop.

 

This show is like the "Scary Movie" of Broadway.

It's silly but you laugh.

[HSky]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 6:59pm

The list is only from "A Musical." I'm pretty sure the JCS reference is an instrumental bit partway through the song (the references are listed in order). I knew it was familiar but couldn't place it until I listened to the song while looking at the list earlier.

 

ElphieZ, "Something Rotten/Make an Omelette" has most of the other references, although I think it's heavier on the visuals (Phantom, Fiddler on the Roof, etc.). There are a lot of dialogue bits, too, like the Cats references.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 7:06pm

And there's all kinds of bits like the Shylock character and the Romeo & Juliet subplot.

Also Brad Oscar has a joke about Chess and Little Shop of Horrors.

 

 

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 8:17pm

I believe Pippin and a few others were used in the encore of the song, which is, unfortunately, not featured on the cast album.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 8:19pm

I'm listening to the album now and I noticed that Lovely Love isn't on it.

I can see why it was cut, but I really wish they would have included it as a bonus track.

I think that was my favorite song.

 

[inception]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 9:42pm

"Listened to A Musical only once. Can definitely hear every single musical in there."

 Yeah, that's what happens when you slam crystal... really heightens your perception.  

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 10:07pm

I haven't been a meth head in years

[tazber]

Posted: 6/5/15 at 3:12pm

Here's a fantastic video of the Kirkpatricks breaking down every single reference from the song.

If you click on the name of the show being referenced you'll get a pop up in which you hear the original piece of music from that show.

 

Link

Updated On: 6/5/15 at 03:12 PM