Underrated Sondheim Songs

[BenKaye]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 10:44pm

Which Sondheim songs do you think are real gems, but are not as popular as his other songs?

Some that come to my mind are...

Invocation and Instructions to the Audience
Simple
Get Out of My Life

What are some others?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 10:47pm

Welcome to Kanagawa, Please, Hello (both from Pacific Overtures), and some of the Transition songs from Passion. the one right after Loving You, which reprises "how long were we apart?" in particular is STUNNING.

[binau]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 11:20pm

Anything from Pacific Overtures and a couple from Bounce.

[James2]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 11:26pm

People usually cite "Not a Day Goes By," "Good Thing Going," and "Franklin Shepard, Inc." as the best songs from Merrily, but I think the best one is "Opening Doors." A marvelous seven-minute piece that chronicles the characters' early years, with endlessly witty and telling lyrics ("I saw 'My Fair Lady'...I sorta enjoyed it").

[iamchanging9]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 11:48pm

talent from bounce, not sure if it's still in road show.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:27am

Can That Boy Foxtrot. Also, I think Our Time is just so magnificent.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:34am

See what it gets you
from anyone can whistle

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:47am

So Many People from Saturday NIght. I sing it in my cabaret show sometimes.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:49am

I think the three ballads in Assassins are wonderful. I could be biased since I've played the Balladeer, but each is witty, ironic, and emotional in their own way. Many, many layers in each.

Pretty much all of Pacific Overtures. Marvelous, well constructed, and a beautiful homage to traditional Japanese theatre.

Two others I enjoy are "If You Can Find Me, I'm Here" from Evening Primrose and "What Can You Lose?" from Dick Tracy.

~Steven

[into_the_woods2]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:53am

"Love is in the Air"

[Kad]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 1:36am

Chrysanthemum Tea and Please Hello! from Pacific Overtures. I cannot STAND the revival recording of these songs, but the original cast album is perfection.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 4:28am

"Unworthy of Your Love". I've only ever heard it sung outside of Assassins in Putting it Together. It's so beautiful it really should be in more cabarets and concerts and stuff.

[geekgirl06]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 4:43am

Well "Everyday a Little Death" is my favorite Sondheim song ever, so in my opinion it is very underrated. As well as "Kiss Me" from Sweeney Todd. I'd like to second "If You Can Find Me, I'm Here" from Evening Primrose and add "When". And of course the brilliance of the Assassins ballads... though my fav would have to be Czolgosz, and I LOVE "The Gun Song", so much so I used to get in trouble for singing it in 3rd grade... "Is This What You Call Love?" is really short, but brilliant. But in my opinion, anything Sondheim is underrated with the exception of the overdone "Send in the Clowns".

[dgjbear]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 5:42am

'Memory' from Cats

[alxscrz2]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 6:46am

'There won't be trumpets' from anyone can whistle.

'Kiss me' from sweeney todd

[dg22894]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 7:18am

Memory is Andrew Loyd Weber and it is not underrated by any means.

[TheBoyDownstairs]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 9:23am

"Me and My Town" from Anyone Can Whistle
"Chrysanthemum Tea" from Pacific Overtures
"We Do Not Belong Together" from Sunday In The Park With George

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 9:29am

I think Pacific Overtures in general is underrated. I was hesitant to include Someone in a Tree, which is my personal favorite, because I...well, I think in the realm of Pacific Overtures songs, it gets its due. maybe I should add it though.


EDIT: I was just informed that I had written that Pacific Overtures was overrated. it is very much not.

Updated On: 11/12/08 at 09:29 AM

[jasonf]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 9:46am

I actually think a couple of songs from Company often go underrated behind the behemoths of Being Alive, Marry Me a Little, Ladies Who Lunch and Getting Married Today: namely "Sorry-Grateful" and "Someone is Waiting."

I would say all four songs from Evening Primrose aren't nearly as well known as they should be, but I'd like to make especial mention of "I Remember" -- the lyrics are sheer poetry.

I also love "What Can You Lose" from Dick Tracy - beautiful melody.

Don't think it's been mentioned, but I LOVE on the London recording of Passion, Michael Ball's version of "No One Has Ever Loved Me" -- absolutely heartbreaking.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 9:51am

"There is No Other Way"

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 10:53am

My all-time favorite underrated Sondheim song is "Two Fairy Tales," which was cut from A Little NBight Music and first performed at the 1972 "Sondheim: A Musical Tribute" by Victoria Mallory and Mark Lambert. It was also included in Marry Me a Little.

I can listen to it over and over again, each time hearing things in it I didn't hear in the counterpoint before.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 11:05am

I love "What More Do I Need?" from Saturday Night
and though he didn't do the music, I love "Best of Possible Worlds" from Candide. Sondheim's lyrics are so clever and darn adorable.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 11:13am

I agree about "There Is No Other Way". Beautiful, haunting song. And like many others have said here, Pacific Overtures in general is underrated.

[BestOfBothWorlds]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 11:26am

Not sure if it's particularly underrated, but "Another Hundred People" never ever ever fails to make me smile, especially if it pops up on my shuffle when I'm on the subway, like it did yesterday!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 12:10pm

Love, I Hear (Forum)
Later (Night Music)
Bang! - (Night Music)
In Praise of Women (Night Music)
No One Has Ever Loved Me (Passion)
Happiness (Passion)
Loving You (Passion)
Someone in a Tree (Pacific Overtures)
Now You Know (Merrily)
On the Steps of the Palace (Into the Woods)
You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through (Follies)
The Little Things You Do Together (Company)
Marry Me a Little (Company)
Talent (Bounce)
Ballad of Czolgosz (Assassins)
See What It Gets You (Anyone Can Whistle)
What More Do I Need (Saturday Night)
Kiss Me/Ladies in Their Sensitivities (Sweeney)