Worst Broadway Lyric ever? — Page 15

Someone also said that Miss Saigon was not made out of inspiration, just to please crowds. Uh, yes, it was inspired. Haven't you ever heard the story about the photo? That's what brought them back to the Madama Butterfly story, the "Ultimate Sacrifice" which is the central focal point of the musical.

Anyway, this thread absolutely cracked me up. I agree with most of the choices, but here are some of my own selections:

All of "Dancing Through Life." Ughhh. And "As Long as You're Mine," which is so forced. Maybe all of Wicked, actually. All of "The Music of the Night." I'm sorry, but I detest that song. Actually, come to think of it, all of Phantom.

I agree with "I Should Tell You" as well. I still to this day don't know what they're singing about! "Seasons of Love" from RENT as well.

Oh oh oh, from "Lisa Carrew" in JaH: "Simon, there's nothing more, don't be a boor!"

All of the lyrics to "The Crimson Kiss" from Lestat. Blegh. But I still like the song only because Carolee Carmello.

I love Side Show and most of its lyrics ("You Should Be Loved" is beautifully written,) but it has some very regrettable lyrics as well.

Nobody's mentioned this so far, but Blood Brothers has some awful lyrics. Particularly "Madman," which is ridiculously cheesy.

And I'm sorry, but I hate "Send in the Clowns."

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RE: real edierdown lyric from EVITA

I know what the lyric means - come on - it's not that difficult. And I like CV's take on the foreshadowing of the coffin although I can't find it anywhere that the coffin was truly lined with eiderdown. Perhaps it was.

But in each recording and in every production I have seen, the line gets lost. Why would an uneducated girl from the sticks even know what eiderdown was? It seems too big a word for a 16-year old and it always irks me.

Updated On: 5/24/06 at 05:00 PM

But in each recording and in every production I have seen, the line gets lost. Why would an uneducated girl from the sticks even know what eiderdown was? It seems too big a word for a 16-year old and it always irks me.

I think the lyric gets lost because of the rhyme scheme of the bridge -- your ear is expecting a rhyme for "I love you" and instead you get "silence". However, I think it's very intentional on Rice's part, as the breaking of the rhyme scheme makes the word stand out.

As far as a 16-year old girl from the sticks using the word "eiderdown," you have a point. It also sounds like a scanning error, as I've always heard the word pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, but according to The American Heritage Dictionary it can be correctly pronounced with equal emphasis on both the first and the last syllables (as Rice does here).

Pippin:

"What I've left behind looks trifling
What's ahead looks black
Am I doomed to spend my life-a-ling...
ering on the right track?"

I can deal with the majority of Schwartz's split word rhymes but TRIFILING and LIFE-A-LING? Come ON.

As much as I hate to admit this, "Think of Me" from Phantom "boasts" some of the dumbest lyrics. It could have been so beautiful too, but the line "think of me" is repeated like a million times, with stupid filling-in phrases connecting them.

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I think I've posted this before (maybe in this thread)

"Why you, are goin' to the bayou, she don't wanna be by you, if you're gonna waste the day" -Thou Shalt Not

It's not the worst lyric ever, but I cringe every time I hear Logainne sing "And I've heard that she's pro-choice, but still a vir-ir-gin."

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Some of these lyrics are stupid when taken outta context, but they work in the show.

"So you're back in the dumpster... " How is that a bad lyric? It works in the show? He IS back in the dumpster? It's meant to be funny.

"You're perfect, You're Perfect, So We're Perfect together"
When this lyric is heard in the show, it by two rather shallow characters, so I think the lyric works fine.

From MISS SAIGON comes this li'l gem -

"With these two little diamonds to bait my hooks
I'll book us on a cruise; boat people deluxe"

Dreck! This and all of the lyrics for MARTIN GUERRE. I'm actually looking forward to PIRATE QUEEN (love Shonberg's music and I'm a fan of epic musicals), but I sure ain't looking forward to the lyrics...

TT

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Falsettos:

"Gee we love to eat and we need something sweet to love."

"The Food is Really Yummy...Oh Mummy"

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So many possibilities.

I think that it's almost pointless to cite shows like Brooklyn, shows where you expect the lyrics to be bad. It's when a good lyricist goes horribly wrong that it becomes special.

So my choice would have to be "There were gazebos, and there were no negroes."

Updated On: 5/27/06 at 07:54 PM

"Swing your razor high Sweeney hear it singing yes!"

There are 50 better different rhymes for that than "yes"