When people get the song title wrong

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 11:14am

I'm sure it bothers more than just me when people often refer to show songs by incorrect titles. I'm trying to think of a few good examples.

For lack of a better one, when people call the song "Loathing" instead of "What is this Feeling"

I have a friend who consistently refers to "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" as "Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd"

Common mistakes, but a pet peeve of mine. Are there others that you hear often?

[Millie Lammoreaux]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 12:30pm

I saw "A Conversation with Stephen Sondheim" a few years ago in West Palm Beach and cringed when a man in the audience told the composer that his favorite Sondheim song was "There's A Place for Us" from "West Side Story."

Sondheim responded graciously, but I had to restrain myself from leaping up and apologizing profusely on behalf of all South Florida theatergoers.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 12:42pm

Referring to "The Phantom of the Opera" as "Phantom of the Opera"

[Gothampc]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 12:42pm

Ben Brantley in the New York Times commented on the Bernadette Peters Gypsy and said the last song in the show was "Momma's Turn".

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 12:56pm

Just the other day there was a thread here about "Everything's As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard, but the song is actually called "As If We Never Said Goodbye"

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 1:00pm

"The hills are alive" instead of "The Sound of Music" is one, and from the same show "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" instead of "Maria".

Two from Les Misérables, not necessarily wrong, but debatable.

In the score, "Do You Hear The People Sing?" is titled as "The People's Song" it gets called both, I normally favour the former, and the programme of the West End production lists "Drink with me to days gone by" whereas I've always known it as simply "Drink with me".

[morosco]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 1:11pm

When people refer to Memory from CATS as "Memories" I go a little crazy.

[JRybka]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 1:16pm

Not from a musical but after all these years my mother still calls Wind Beneath My Wings... The Fly Away Song, the one sung in that movie with Betty Davis called Dunes.

[Jon]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 1:27pm

if you want to get technical, almost everyone uses wrong titles for almost every Gilbert & Sullivan song. The official "titles" of their songs are always the first line of lyrics. Thus, the song from Mikado that everyone calls "Tit-willow", is actually titled "On a Tree by a River". "I've Got a Little List" is actually "As Some Day it Should Happen", and "Derry Down Derry" is "There is Beauty".

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 1:49pm

I can't stand it when people can't get the name of a show right, much less the songs.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 2:00pm

but I loved Priscilla Queen of the Ocean and
loathed The Nun's Act.
The Book of Norman was a blast!
Wunderbar-- the Alice In Wunderland Muscical was far from Wunderbar.
Catch Me If you will- was okay.

[dreaming]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 2:25pm

"How do you solve a problem like Maria?" instead of "Maria":

True story:

I had a CD when I was probably eleven filled with 'covers' of Broadway songs (it was a 2 disc set that I was given for Christmas). Well, there's a track from "West Side Story" called "Maria" and the track was actually the song "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?". I got a kick out of it (that, along with the disco version of "Tonight"). It's a rather glaring mistake. (Oddly enough, no one is singing this particular track-but the unmistakable melody of "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" is whistled for half the song.

I'm guessing whoever compiled this had no clue what they were doing.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 2:33pm

These are for obvious reasons, but still drive me nuts: "Tits and Ass" instead of "Dance, Ten; Looks, Three" and "Gay or European" instead of "There! Right There!".

[threetwoone]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 2:40pm

What's the proper title of the song Janet sings in The Rock Horror Show about wanting someone to touch her? I see it written differently EVERYWHERE. I honestly don't know what the proper title is.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 3:20pm

Though if you saw A Chorus Line early enough in its run at the Public then "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" was listed in the program as "Tits and Ass." It was changed because they realized that the title in the program was giving away the punchline of the song and lessening the comedic impact.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 3:23pm

Oh, and I have always seen Janet's song in The Rocky Horror Show listed as "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" on every recording and in every program. I've honestly not seen it discussed much. What other titles for it have people used?

[threetwoone]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 3:45pm

There are all just on the iTunes store:

Movie Soundtrack: "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me"
New Broadway Cast 2001: "Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me"
Original London Cast: "Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch Me"
Original Roxy Cast: "Toucha, Toucha, Touch Me"
Glee Version: "Touch a Touch a Touch a Touch Me"

They all vary in the amount of hyphens, the amount and spellings of "Touch-a" and capitalization...which is correct? Oh, and they're all different from your's AEA....

Sidenote, I now can't look at the word "touch" without thinking "wtf?". I've typed it too much it has lost its meaning,
Updated On: 4/26/11 at 03:45 PM

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 4:28pm

My band teacher had us playing a medley from The Sound of Music. First up: "Do A Deer"

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 4:52pm

I'm gonna anticipate one now:

"Pig No Pig" from Betty Blue Eyes will be repeatedly called "There's a pig in the house" no doubt.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 9:03pm

iTunes lists a lot of things wrong, funnily enough..."As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked is "As Long As Your Mine," which makes me nuts. As long as your mine what?

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/26/11 at 9:19pm

"Though if you saw A Chorus Line early enough in its run at the Public then "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" was listed in the program as "Tits and Ass." It was changed because they realized that the title in the program was giving away the punchline of the song and lessening the comedic impact."

That's why I said that I understand why. But, still, "Tits and Ass" isn't the proper title anymore.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/27/11 at 2:43am

And there is no "Somewhere" in the title of "Over the Rainbow."

[Weez]

Posted: 4/27/11 at 5:26am

"Pig No Pig" from Betty Blue Eyes will be repeatedly called "There's a pig in the house" no doubt.

Not as long as Ann Emery is playing Mother Dear.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/11 at 6:01am

I have to admit: it doesn't bother me at all. Probably because I'm one of those people that can never remember precise titles of songs, either.

SINGING the wrong lyrics, at the top of one's lungs, however, makes me cringe.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/27/11 at 7:10am

Funny threetwoone should bring up THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW because there is one other song that has multiple titles.

Is it "Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul" or "Whatever Happened To Saturday Night"?

The original 1973 lists the song as "Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)". The 1974 Roxy Cast lists it as "Whatever Happened To Saturday Night?. The 1975 Motion Picture Soundtrack lists it as "Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul". The 1990 London Recording lists it as "Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul. The 2001 B'way Revival lists it as "Hot Patootie".

"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" goes thru many changes as was already mentioned ranging from "Toucha, Toucha, Touch Me" to "Touch-a Touch Me".

The same thing happens to the song "I Can Make You A Man". There are some recordings that list this song as "The Charles Atlas Song".

I think it's a safe bet to say that the correct titles of these songs are the ones listed on the first 1973 London recording.

But don't blame anyone for calling any one of these songs by any one of their given titles.
Updated On: 4/27/11 at 07:10 AM