Your ten favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein songs

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 2:56pm

Hey, I thought this would be fun and inspire some good discussion. Tell everyone what your favorite ten Rodgers and Hammerstein songs are and why. They don't have to be in any order if you don't want them to be.

Later, we can have threads about top ten Sondheim, Lerner and Lowe, Kander and Ebb, etc. if this proves to be a good thread!

Here's mine (and this is HARD for me, i LOVE R&H):

10. "I Cain't Say No" - It's been over 50 years since this was written, and it's still funny and delightful today. The lyrics show how R&H were not afraid to push sexuality in their shows. ("Soon as I sit on their laps...something inside of me snaps!")
9. "Shall We Dance?" - A simple melody, a simple dance, simple everything - but it all comes together into one of the most sexually charged, epically romantic moments of the musical theatre.
8. "Honey Bun" - The most brassy, jazzy, fun, unapologetically "Broadway" song the duo ever wrote. Still today, it remains a showstopper and a great, catchy tune.
7. "What's the Use of Wondrin'?" - In my opinion, the most heartbreaking of all of the duo's songs. The melody is gorgeous, pining, and heart-aching. The lyrics are still disturbingly potent today. There will always be abuse and dysfunctional marraiges and this song shows R&H's uncanny ability to be ahead of their time.
6. "The Surrey With a Fringe On Top" - The very first musical scene. This song broke many a rule by using a song to competley move the action on stage forward. It didn't comment on the action in the book, in continued it, setting a standard for every musical theatre song afterwards to follow.
5. "Climb Every Mountain" - This forerunner to the power ballad says everything that R&H are about - hope, optimism, love, and gorgeously big, romantic melodies.
4. "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" - A song with a simple melody and a very short length that manages to speak volumes about racism - something we stil confront today. Arguably no other song in musical theatre has been more ahead of its time. Unafraid in its chiding of racism, ten years or more before the Civil Rights movement, in 1:13, R&H make a shocking social argument and reveal to the audience the central message and emotional core of an entire evening of theatre.
3. "Solilioquy" - This masterpiece of the musical scene is one of the greatest showcases for a leading man ever. Spanning over seven minutes and channeling at least three melodies, it uses music to completely delve into the psyche of a character, and document the most important moment of their life. We see Billy make several life-changing discoveries in this song, the melody changing each time. The song has been described as a one act opera - telling through music in seven minutes enough drama to fill an entire opera.
2. "Oklahoma!" - This song is the anthem of the Rodgers and Hammerstien catalogue, and with good reason. Arguably their most memorable song ever, it epitomizes hope, optimism, romanticism, and America - everything that the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical captures. This song is the core of Oklahoma!, which marks America's greatest contribution to drama, the musical theatre. therefore, it can be seen as the core of the musical theatre itself - a big, infectious melody, a message of hope and optimism, and a moment that brings the audience to its feet.
1. "If I Loved You" - This song, I feel, is the song that captures the musical theatre at its perfection. The perfect conditional ballad, This nine minute scene tells us everything we need to know about two characters afraid to express their love, and finally the power of that love that brings them together. Will we ever forget the beautiful melody of the song, or the cherry blossoms that just "come down by themselves" at the climax? I don't think so.

Honorable mentions:
"Lonely Room"
"Mister Snow"
"Wonderful Guy"
"Some Enchanted Evening"
"The Sound of Music"
"No Way to Stop It"
"Do Re Mi"

so, what are your favorites? lol...don't feel obligated to elaborate as much as I did.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 3:21pm

Hmm. Tough question, but I'll give it a shot. In no particular order, though. I'd be here all day if I tried to rank them.

My Favorite Things
Shall We Dance
I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy
There Is Nothing Like a Dame
Younger Than Springtime
If I Loved You
I Have Dreamed
The Sound of Music
Do Re Mi
Soliloquy

Honorable mention to the Carousel Waltz -- I'd have put it on the actual list, only you can't call it a Rodgers and Hammerstein piece, just a Rodgers piece.

Now that I'm done, I'll probably think of all kinds of other songs I should've included! :)

[jv92]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 3:37pm

1. Soliloquy
2. One Foot, Other Foot
3. You've Got to be Taught
4. Twin Soliloquies
5. Lonely Room
6. If I Loved You
7. You'll Never Walk Alone
8. The Gentleman is a Dope
9. No Way to Stop It
10. Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?

[MCfan2]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 3:48pm

"10. Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?"

Ooh, good choice! I forgot about that one.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 4:41pm

10) "This Nearly Was Mine" Imagine the hair that must have gone up on the back of people's necks when they first heard that haunting melody.

9) "March of The Siamese Children" simply because it is simply delightful.

8.) "Jud's Soliliquay" from Oklahoma because of the fact it's one of the first songs of menace in a musical.

7) "Poor Jud is Dead" becase it takes the mickey out of Jud's Soliliquay.

6) The opening of Allegro because they were trying SO HARD to do something unique (and basically failed).

5) "Mine Til Monday" from "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Okay I'm cheating here. R&H didn't write this song but I've been told they thought it was one of the closest things to a "Rodgers and Hammerstein song" And ya know? It is.

4) "I Could Have Danced All Night" from "My Fair Lady" Okay I'm cheating again. But we have this great song because R&H FAILED when they tried to adapt "Pygmalion" and they were in the unique position of just walking away when they couldn't solve a problem. Unlike so many others who would have tried to do the show anyway. So thanks, Dick and Oscar.

3) "Something Wonderful" When I die, I can only hope and dream that an etherial orchestra is playing something as wonderful for MY exit. Another hair-raiser.

2)"The Carousel Waltz" which I don't think for one second didn't have Hammerstein's contribution every inch of the way. He wrote the book and came up with the ideas that Rodgers illustrated.

1) The reprise of "Edelweiss" Because it was the very last thing Oscar ever wrote. He felt that there was a hole in the show and he dropped back stage to slip Mary Martin a note which read, “A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it. A song's not a song 'til you sing it. Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay. Love isn't love 'til you give it away!” Then, having finished all his work, he went back to his farm to die of cancer. You can begin crying....... now.

[Practically Perfect]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 4:48pm

If I Loved You
Hello, Young Lovers
Some Enchanted Evening
Honey Bun
The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
People Will Say We're In Love
My Lord And Master
Out Of My Dreams
Climb Every Mountain
You'll Never Walk Alone

These two men were just incredible, writing beautiful lyrics with some simple, yet effective, melodies.

Mary P x

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 4:55pm

Practically Perfect the first part of your comment is practically perf.... you get the idea. However, I think that Rodger's melodies are amazingly complex - because they seem so simple. He had an amazing ear and apparently could whip stuff up on demand but nobody else has been able to really copy him. It's very hard to write a "Richard Rodgers song" IMHO.

ps I loved your list.

[Practically Perfect]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 5:02pm

allofmylife - I understand what you're saying, and agree that no one has been able to copy him. When I say that they're simple I mean that they're easy for someone to pick up. I believe that it is much simpler for the average theatre-goer to remember a melody from Rodgers' shows than it is for them to remember, say, a Sondheim song, if you get my drift. Just my opinion.

Mary P x

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 5:13pm

I just want to say that there had been musical scenes before "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top." Look at the first-act finale of Of Thee I Sing or "I Had Twins" in The Boys From Syracuse.

Anyway, my choices:

Ev'rybody's Got a Home But Me
A Puzzlement
Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?
All er Nuthin'
What's the Use of Wond'rin'?
Suzy Is a Good Thing
Bali Ha'i
I Am Going to Like It Here
Soliloquy
Hello, Young Lovers

[OOTI2004]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 5:18pm

10) All 'er Nothin'-Oklahoma
I think its a very cute song, and very memorable

9) People Will Say We're in Love-Oklahoma
I love how these two characters obviously love each other, and then sing this song, which is perferct

Soliloquy-Carousel
It is just amazing how the charcter relates his thoughts to the audience through such a powerful song

7)This Nearly Was Mine-South Pacific
A very touching song about a man who has lost his chance of having "paradise", which many can relate to

6)Something Wonderful-The King and I
I remember hearing this song for the first time and just being amazed, also very touching.

5)We Kiss in a Shadow-The King and I
Amazing song about a forbidden love, that I have just always loved

4) If I Loved You-Carousel
I love this melody, and I also love how the song states "IF"

3)Edelweiss-The Sound of Music
I think the fact that this was Hammerstein's last song has a big impact on how emotional I find this song

2)Bali Hai-South Pacific
I find the song so beautiful and enchanting, almost intoxicating, just like the island which is the topic of the song

1)I Have Dreamed- The King and I
Beautiful song, with touching lyrics (One of the first musical songs I cried to)

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 5:22pm

Wow - at last a poll I can wholeheartedly endorse! (Bring on the others in this series.)

OK, my choices:

1. OKLAHOMA!: Oklahoma - The whole score is a series of endless delights, but this rousing choral showstopper puts the exclamation point on the show.

2. CAROUSEL: The Carousel Waltz (I Know, no lyrics so Hammerstein wasn't involved, and Rodgers had written the piece years earlier for Paul Whiteman who never played it. Nevertheless it is one of the most glorious compositions of the 20th century. If forced to pick a song with lyrics The Soliloquy would run this a very close second.

3. STATE FAIR: It Might as Well be Spring, an obvious choice perhaps but Rodgers' melody captures so much of the confused feelings of a romantic young girl and Hammerstein's straightforward lyric fills in the rest.

4. ALLEGRO: The Wedding sequence (What a Lovely Day for a Wedding, To have and To Hold, Wish Them Well.) You really have to see this on stage as there is a lot more going on than just the song, but the lively chorus sets it up nicely.

5. SOUTH PACIFIC: When a score is this wonderful it is so hard to choose one moment but the televised concert reminded me of a section that on the OCR was moved to the finale though it actually belongs in the middle of Act one: "Born on the opposite sides of the sea..." leading into a duet reprise of "Some Enchanted evening." Shear poetry.

6. KING AND I: "Shall We Dance" - the whole sequence is one of the finest the team ever created.

7. ME AND JULIET: Some of the score is pleasant, some it downright dull, but "Intermission Talk" has to be one of the most unusual songs the partners ever came up with.

8. PIPE DREAM: The least well known of the masters' shows (and currently unavailable for performance) this score has a number of great songs, though my favourite is "The Next Time it Happens" (which was later interpolated into the 1996 Broadway production of STATE FAIR.)

9. FLOWER DRUM SONG: I love this score even though the show can be a bit of a chore to sit through. My favourite number always has been "Love Look Away." Simple. Heartbreaking. Gorgeous.

10. SOUND OF MUSIC: With so many plums to choose from I'll go with the less well-known "How Can Love Survive?" A galloping tune set to a witty and brisk lyric. I grew up with the cast album and this song at the end of side one was always one of my favourites.


We could have a whole separate section on Rodgers & hart and Rodgers post-Hammerstein.

[jasonf]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 6:18pm

This is tough, there are a LOT of good ones!

1) This Nearly Was Mine
2) No Other Love
3) Soliloquy
4) If I Loved You
5) Climb Every Mountain
6) Younger than Springtime
7) I Have Dreamed
Lonely Room
9) When the Children are Asleep
10) Do I Love You Because Your Beautiful

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 7:10pm

I think it says a lot when so many have a tough time picking their ten favorite, myself included. I would say the following... for many reasons:

1- It Might As Well Be Spring
2- Edelweiss
3- My Favorite Things
4- When I Marry Mr. Snow
5- Love, Look Away
6- The Sound of Music
7- We Kiss in a Shadow
8- You've Got To Be Carefully Taught
9- Out of My Dreams
10- I'm In Love With a Wonderful Guy

Updated On: 5/1/06 at 07:10 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 2:58am

Practically Perfect

You are right, they are easy to remember, and yet... they are very complex musical pieces. Rodgers often surprises you, taking the melodies into keys and time signatures that you would never expect - and yet, yes, they seem to work so well, you tend to forget how tricky the path was to get there. Soliliquay from Carousel is a good example. This is masterclass composing, and yet anyone can whistle it. Wow.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 10:14am

in no particular order

Something Wonderful
Oklahoma!
This Nearly Was Mine
I enjoy being a girl
A hundred million miracles
Climb Every Mountain
June is bustin out all over.
We kiss in the shadow
Some enchanted evening

and of course You'll never walk alone (what HS choir has not sung this?)

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 10:40am

allofmylife---I didn't go into details with my list before, but "My Favorite Things" constantly surprises me, as you say. Rodgers shifts between minor and major keys throughout the song, taking the melody on a complex emotional journey. You wouldn't necessarily picture a character singing about favorite things passing in and out of minor keys. It's fascinating.

There is emotional "subtext" going on in this song, and I think it's absolutely brilliant. It adds a level of melancholy, almost as if some of these "favorite things" are lost now, or nearly forgotten. Then it shifts brightly into major keys, as if the character is cheering up at the thought of them. It's a rock-solid theatre song. Simple on the surface, but with "deep waters" underneath.

And then there's "It Might As Well Be Spring," showing the brilliance of Hammerstein...

I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented.

Talk about a complex emotional lyric. Such a perfect line in a perfect song.

[Sant]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 10:44am

10. OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING (Oklahoma!)
9. DO-RE-MI (The Sound Of Music)
8. WE KISS IN A SHADOW (The King And I)
7. I CAN'T SAY NO (Oklahoma!)
6. OKLAHOMA! (Oklahoma!)
5. EDELWEISS (The Sound Of Music)
4. SHALL WE DANCE (The King And I)
3. CLIMB EV'RY MOUNTAIN (The Sound Of Music)
2. YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE (Carousel)

And the most beautiful of them all:

1. SOMETHING WONDERFUL (The King And I)

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 10:50am

In random order...

Love, Look Away
So Far
I Enjoy Being A Girl
This Nearly Was Mine
Something Wonderful
Cockeyed Optimist
Wonderful Guy
You Never Had It So Good
That's The Way It Happens
Chop Suey

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 10:50am

If I Loved You
Something Wonderful
All at Once
It Might as Well Be Spring
I Cain't Say No
Edelweiss
I Have Confidence
A Cockeyed Optimist
I Enjoy Being a Girl
You'll Never Walk Alone

[tz0o]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 10:54am

Here they are in no particular order. Please note that I've never heard any music from "The King and I" before other than the obigatory "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance".

"What's The Use of Wondrin'" - Very heartbreaking, especially with the right singer.
"Some Enchanted Evening" - Call me a sucker for a deep baritone. . .
"Younger Than Springtime" - . . .or a fine tenor.
"People Will Say We're in Love" - I found this song to be a thousand times superior to "If I Loved You".
"Sixteen Going on Seventeen" - I find myself singing this alot (I'm seventeen, going on eighteen). I try to overlook the fact that Rolf is a shank.
"Edelweiss" - Father used to play this song on the piano alot, with sister accomaning on the flute. Very fond memories indeed.
"Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" - Very charming song. Deserves a mention.
"I Cain't Say No" - It's such a fun song to sing, even if I do loathe Ado Annie.
"Honey Bun" - Another spazzy song to sing.
"Mr. Snow" - Dunno. I just like it.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 11:00am

in no particular order:
1. Impossible
2. Sound Of Music
3. Climb every Mountain
4. You've Got to be Carefully Taught
5. You Are Beautiful
6. If I loved you
7. Something Wonderfull
8. I have Dreamed
Now For my two Favs

9. Oklahoma!
10. People Will Say Were In Love (my favorite traditional love song)

[Princeton78]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 11:03am

I don't have major reasons for why, but here's the list...

1. Carousel Waltz
2. When the Children Are Asleep
3. I cain't say 'No'
4. Bali Hai
5. Some Enchanted Evening
6. Shall We Dance?
7. Anna's Soliloquy
8. Edelweiss
9. The Lonely Goatherd
10. Something Wonderful

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 11:09am

Does the "Carousel Waltz" count since there are no lyrics?

[theatahguy]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 11:13am

10. The Lonely Goatherd...'cause it's just so darn fun.
9. Stepsister's Lament
8. What's the Use of Wonderin'
7. Impossible
6. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'
5. A Cock-eyed Optimist
4. My Lord and Master
3. If I Loved You
2. Something Wonderful
1. Oklahoma!

[DivaBrigader]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 11:23am

I couldn't do just ten but these are my all-time faves:

"I Cain't Say No"
"What's the Use of Wond'rin'"
"Soliloquy"
"If I Loved You"
"Some Enchanted Evening"
"Edelweiss"
"People Will Say We're In Love"
"Hello Young Lovers"
"Twin Soliloquies"
"It Might As Well Be Spring"
"Love Look Away"
"Shall We Dance?"
"I Enjoy Being a Girl"