'Tween a Rock an' a Hard Place - FLOYD COLLINS

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 10:15pm

I was just reading that in later revisions of the show this song was replaced by a song called "Where a Man Belongs."

 

Does anyone know why this was? I've never seen the show but I've always enjoyed the song in the cast album.

[MDM2015]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 11:15pm

I did the show years ago and we did the new version.  Adam Guettel came to see it and said he changed it because he thought "Rock and a hard place" was too comic for the moment and the wrong tone.  I am guessing he felt there were too many ballads and needed an up-temp ensemble number.  I am not sure when he wrote the new song.  Our production was in 2000.

Hope that helps.

[HSky]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 11:35pm

The song was changed in April 1999 when the three city mini tour (San Diego, Philadelphia, Chicago) was in its last stop in Chicago. It still had "Tween a Rock and a Hard Place" here in Philly.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 11:59pm

I will agree that the song is very out of place in the score as a whole, but it seems like a fun song nonetheless.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 1:21am

I have at last seen his show and totally get why they wrote a new song. I actually couldn't imagine "Tween a Rock an' a Hard Place" at that point in the narrative.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:03am

Mr. Nowack said: "I will agree that the song is very out of place in the score as a whole, but it seems like a fun song nonetheless."

 

It may not be appropriately placed within the context of the show but I couldn't disagree more with your sentiment. As an uptempo comedic number, it fits perfectly within the confines and landscape of the score; especially when stacked up against the other handful of uptempo numbers (Ain't it remarkable, Git Comfortable, The Riddle Song, etc.). 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:08am

I stand by my original statement made one year ago.

I do still love the song and wish they could have placed it elsewhere in the show. At least we got a recording of it on the OCR.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:11am

Great. I stand by my disagreement, especially since you fail to offer anything of substance in support of such a statement. How is it "very out of place" with the rest of the score and, more specifically, its other uptempo numbers? 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:30am

Have you ever considered the notion that judgements on art may not be rooted to a single concrete fact?

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:38am

Absolutely. I just wish you'd provide some reasoning for your viewpoint. I'm genuinely curious to know why you feel it doesn't fit in with the landscape of the score.. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:46am

My feeling on the song remains the same, and I don't care to make up reasons to appease you, so I'm done feeding the troll.

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 9/2/16 at 11:56am

Well I'll make an actual argument for its placement in the show (not that anyone has to agree). I think that the comedic number must set the audience up for a happy ending. Even though they say in the opening number that Floyd dies, if you can somehow believe in some kind of happy ending, the actual tragedy hits the audience like it does the character.

Nobody takes Floyd's predicament seriously because everyone else has gotten out of similar situations.