Interestingly, I find myself somewhere between these two perspectives.
When I first saw the show (with no recollection of the story/plot), I remember feeling very engaged with the storyline and with Ponyboy as the narrator. I didn't have any trouble following what was happening due to not understanding Brody.
However, in the months since then, and especially with listening to the album, I have found that there was in fact a lot I missed from the lyrics. Now I just view it as adding more richness to the show.
Tulsa '67 is a great example — I got the key points (names, characters, Greasers and Socs) when hearing the song live for the first time. But it's only recently that I have really HEARD lyrics like these:
"The money went west, take the grease to the east
The train ran down the belly of the beast
[...]
In the town that's torn in two
What's a Greaser from the East Side supposed to do?"
If it's intentional (which may be generous), then I do think they did a great job of emphasizing the more important lines/lyrics.
I also feel like they are intentionally trying to lean into a more unique singing sound, rather than perfect musical theatre diction.
Updated On: 6/13/24 at 01:09 PM