Dear rockfenris2005,
What about Andrew Lloyd Webber? Why would you be under the impression that I would forget him? He was one of the first people I thought about.
Then why didn't you mention him? Am I supposed to read minds?
I'm not in the habit of knocking Andrew, but don't tell me he sets the pace for what appears on the pop charts in this day and age. Sure there were some songs he wrote, especially early in his career, which had a bit of currency outside the realm of musical theater and have become what are referred to as "standards." I'm not saying there aren't rare songs which occasionally may break out of a show and have some limited play because a pop performer or group covers it, but it is so rare nowadays as to be nearly non-existant.
Non-existent my bum. Everyone I've ever met, even non-theatre people know about these songs: This is the Moment, The Phantom of the Opera, Memory, Don't Cry for me Argentina, Any Dream Will do. They know about these songs just as much as they'd known about My Fair Lady and Camelot etc. etc.
And I'm saying this from experience
Most of the songs you mention are numbers WE are familiar with and may admire as musical theater fans, but they were not chart busters being played on top-40 radio. Talk to almost any kid or young adult today (and I don't mean musical theater geeks--I mean people out in the street) and run down your list of songs and they'll look at you like you're crazy. They won't know what the hell you're talking about and they won't give a damn about Andrew Lloyd Webber (if they even recognize the name).
I've talked to kids, plenty of them, they know these songs. They very much know these songs. What kids have you been speaking to? But the ones I speak to, who dislike or know nothing about musical theatre, know these songs. They know these songs so much they hate them and make fun of them
But at least they know them
Who can explain it, who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons, wise men never try
-South Pacific
