To say that musical theatre has changed my life would be a massive understatement. I've been listening to Cole Porter and Stephen Schwartz since I was six years old. With almost every musical I've ever listened to, I learned something about myself and the world around me. There are old classics like The King and I that challenge our understanding of love, and new treasures like Fun Home that bring a new kind of family to the stage. Even though I've got a slew of musical theatre songs that are near and dear to my heart, these nine have changed the game for me. They stretched my understand of music and myself.
"Nothing Like A Dame"/"Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific
South Pacific was the show that started it all for me. I know that most people brush it over, thinking that it is just another Rogers and Hammerstein classic. But this show is so much more than that for me. It was the first musical I ever remember seeing, and it changed everything. The music is the best combination of loveable chorus numbers, love songs, and an important message. If I’m ever doubting myself, all I need to do is listen to this musical to remind myself what made me fall in love with musical theatre.
"Aquarius"/"Let the Sun Shine" from Hair
The first time I listened to any music from Hair was when my show choir did a crappy arrangement of “Let the Sun Shine In,” and I thought it was a fine song; it was fun, it let me belt my heart out, but it was nothing special. A few years later, I finally listened to the Broadway cast recording, and by the end I was sobbing listening to the same song that I used to think was just okay. Behind the fringe and fro’s, this show is about human spirit and how it adjusts to changing times. Every time I listen to it, I just want to become a bohemian and pass out flowers to everyone I see.
"Totally F*cked" from Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening changed everything for me. I first listened to it when I was just starting high school. Nothing I had ever listened to had ever really captured the anger and the fear and the bullshit that I was experiencing than “Totally F*cked.” It was the first time that a musical spoke to the emotions I was having right at that moment. Those characters let me know that all of my suburban teenage angst was valid and normal.
"The Next Ten Minutes" from The Last Five Years
There is so much music in The Last Five Years that I could have put on this list, but one of my very favorites is “The Next Ten Minutes.” It is the only moment of the show in which the two characters are in the same place at the same time. Jamie and Cathy’s love story made me laugh, cry, scream, and become a hopeless romantic. Jason Robert Brown has the incredible ability to write love songs that sound like what love actually feels like, and this is one of the best.
"Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I’m Falling" from Next to Normal
This show has a lot of emotions. That’s one of the things I love about it. Next to Normal doesn’t shy away from topics like mental health and dysfunctional families just because society doesn’t like to talk about them. Though this song isn’t one of the more famous in the show, I think it really captures the struggle that all of these characters are going through. They are all just begging to be helped, because they know they can’t do it all alone. I think that we’ve all been in the place at least once before, and this musical found me when I needed it most.
"How Glory Goes" from Floyd Collins
I’ll just be honest, this song is downright depressing. It is sung by a man named Floyd who is stuck in a mine and knows that he is going to die down there. But I find this song very relatable. It is a song about a man who is confused and lost. When at the cusp of the unknown, this song helps him come to terms with an uncertain future. I think that idea of needing something to hold on to is something we can all relate to.
"Gold (A Cappella)" from Once
This is to this day the most beautiful a cappella piece of music I’ve ever heard. The words and music meld together to create this warmth that radiates out and touches everyone in its path. When the original Broadway cast got together to record this song, they had to beg to be allowed to record in the same room. Normally, each singer will get their own little booth to record their voice in. But the cast knew that they needed to be together to create the loving atmosphere that you hear on the recording. This show reminds me that theatre is a group of people performing a piece of art together, and how much music can bring people together to heal them.
Every Song from RENT
RENT truly is one of a kind. No other show is able to reach into the hearts of millions and make them laugh and cry and love and marvel at the world around them. In a world where disease, poverty, and discrimination runs rampant, RENT reminds us to stand up for what we believe in, laugh a lot, and love as much as we can. I couldn’t pick just one song because all of them have changed me, and all of them continue to impact me every time I listen to them.
"Sunday" from Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a musical about a painter struggling to find balance in his life between who he loves and his true love: his art. I have never been able to listen to this song without crying. This song shows the culmination of all of George’s hard work and strife throughout the show. Not only is the swelling music stunning, but as an artist myself, this song helps me know that even though the work is difficult, it will create beauty. Then, Sondheim leaves us with a blank canvas and the reminder that our work is never done.
