Feature: Sondheim's Most Hummable Songs
By: Matt Tamanini Jan. 25, 2015
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After seeing the new INTO THE WOODS movie twice over the holidays, I posted on Twitter about how two of the songs had stuck with me:
They say Sondheim isn't hummable, but I've had "Steps of Palace" & "Moments in Woods" in my head since I saw #IntoTheWoods again on Saturday.
- BroadwayWorld Matt (@BWWMatt) December 31, 2014
After a tweet conversation, my BWW colleague Jeff Walker and I decided to put our heads together to try and come up with a list of Sondheim's most hummable tunes. Despite not discussing it beforehand, Jeff ended up picking songs from the 1960s and 70s, and I filled in the gaps with numbers from the 80s and 90s.
Our list consists only of songs for which Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics; so there's no WEST SIDE STORY, no GYPSY, and no DO I HEAR A WALTZ?. Also, remember, these are our picks for the most hummable songs, not necessarily the best songs. Finally, the 10 songs listed below are in chronological order, so don't take them as any type of ranking.
As with any collection of anything Sondheim songs, there will undoubtedly be tunes that get left out. So, feel free to chime in with your thoughts and additions in the comments below, or by using the Twitter hashtag #HummableSondheim.
"Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" | A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM | 1962
by: Jeff Walker | @jeffwalker66
FORUM, based on the ribald Roman comedies of Plautus, is a farcical lark filled with gags, low comedy and a dash of romance. It is interesting to note, FORUM won the Tony for Best Book and Best Musical - which included Sondheim's score and lyrics - but his songs were not singled out for nomination on their own. Several tunes come to mind as hummable from the FORUM score, but few are as wink-wink-naughty and infectious as "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid."
Video: Dean Martin, Jack Gilford, Orson Welles, and Pat Crowley (with chorus) on THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW
"A Parade in Town" | ANYONE CAN WHISTLE | 1964
by: Jeff Walker | @jeffwalker66
After nine performances on Broadway, Sondheim's score for ANYONE CAN WHISTLE was luckily preserved on disc. Even with a miniscule original run, the show has had quite a life in the last 50 years. Songs from the show have been recorded, performed and kept alive in the ears of discerning listeners. The show itself has been revived as a one night only Carnegie Hall event, and brought back to life by Encores in Manhattan and major cities in the U.S. and abroad. The title song is certainly lovely, but for my money "A Parade in Town" captures the Broadway razzmatazz of a song by Kander and Ebb or even Jerry Herman.
Video: Donna Murphy from the 2010 New York City Center Encores production.
"You Could Drive a Person Crazy" | COMPANY | 1970
by: Jeff Walker | @jeffwalker66
Video: Original cast members Donna McKechnie, Pamela Myers and Susan Browning on THAT'S SINGING: THE BEST OF BROADWAY
"Too Many Mornings" | FOLLIES | 1971
by: Jeff Walker | @jeffwalker66
Among my personal favorite Sondheim scores, FOLLIES may edge out SWEENEY TODD by a mere hair's breadth. Let's just call it a tie. The bittersweet story of a showgirl reunion and fractured middle-age relationships are all well and good, but the songs of FOLLIES are a blend of the character-driven confessionals and soul-bearing arias he is known for, and a selection of pastiche numbers that echo Tin Pan Alley and Broadway of yesteryear. In recreating a Ziegfeld Follies tune-stack, Sondheim paid homage to the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and other musical giants. As tough as it is to pick only one song from the FOLLIES score, my pick is "Too Many Mornings," sung by the unrequited lovers Ben and Sally, both stuck in dead-end marriages. Once again, melody and lyrics perfectly meld to reveal the innermost longings of two characters. It is certainly a hummable tune, and so much more.
Video: Maria Friedman and Julian Ovenden on BBC PROMS: SONDHEIM AT 80.
"A Weekend in the Country" | A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC | 1973
by: Jeff Walker | @jeffwalker66
A romantic romp in three quarter time, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC placed very elegant people in a very elegant European setting. Based on the Ingmar Bergman film SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, Sondheim chose to write a lush score entirely based on the time signature of the waltz - three-quarter time, six-eight time, etc. Filled with musical gems. The first act finale, "A Weekend in the Country," works to propel the story forward while unfurling a memorable melody.
Video: Beverly Lambert, Michel Maguire, Maureen Moore, Regina Resnik, Kevin Anderson, Susan Terry, Danielle Ferland, and ensemble from the 1990 Lincoln Center production.
"Pretty Women" | SWEENEY TODD | 1979
by: Jeff Walker | @jeffwalker66
Skullduggery in song! Subtitled "A Musical Thriller," Sondheim's score and lyrics for SWEENEY TODD are devilishly clever, fiendishly delightful, and have to rank among his greatest achievements. Containing nearly wall-to-wall music (including underscoring), SWEENEY TODD has been performed around the world on stages large and small. One thing remains the same: Sondheim's music and lyrics, of which "Pretty Women" makes for a prime example.
Video: George Hearn and Edmund Lyndeck from the original touring production.
"Opening Doors" | MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG | 1981
by: Matt Tamanini | @BWWMatt
Though the musical was based on a 1934 Kaufman and Hart play of the same name, Sondheim claims that "Opening Doors" is the "only autobiographical song I've ever written. It's about all of us in the 50s knocking on the doors of producers and trying to get heard." While there is a lot of the signature Sondheim patter, the central chorus in this song is one that can get stuck in your head for days on end.
Coincidently, the song also echoes a refrain that the writer had been hearing for decades (and that this article is hoping to help dispell); that his songs just aren't hummable. Non-coincidently, that section of the song is concluded with a producer humming the melody of "Some Enchanted Evening," which, of course, had lyrics by Sondheim's mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II.
In the video, a special guest takes on the role of that Broadway producer, originally played by Jason Alexander on Broadway
Video: Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes and America Ferrera from HBO's SIX BY SONDHEIM.
"Move On" | SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE | 1984
by: Matt Tamanini | @BWWMatt
While Sondheim says that "Opening Doors" was the only autobiographical song that he ever wrote, for many artists of all stripes, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is exceptionally personal. The show chronicles the difficult choices and sacrifices that two artists make in pursuit of perfecting their art.
In the song "Move On," George, an experimental artist in the 1980s, is speaking to his late great-grandmother Dot, whom he only recently discovered might have been the lover and muse of famed French painter Georges Seurat. George is telling Dot that he doesn't feel like he has anything left to say that can leave a mark on those that doubt him; while Dot, who believes that he is in fact Georges, tells him to ignore those that doubt him and "Move On."
The video is of the song "Lesson #8" and "Move On;" like most of these entries, there is a lot of the Master's non-melodic interstitial music, but when Bernadette Peters opens up with the chorus, go ahead and try to not be instantly moved.
Video: Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters in the original Broadway production.
"It Takes Two" | INTO THE WOODS | 1987
by: Matt Tamanini | @BWWMatt
As I mentioned above, the idea for this article came from two songs in the INTO THE WOODS movie being stuck in my head for weeks after seeing it. However, when I sat down to make my picks for this list, "It Takes Two" was the INTO THE WOODS song constantly on my lips.
By now anyone who cares enough to read this article knows the story of INTO THE WOODS; in this song, the Baker finally admits to his wife that it just might take both of them to eliminate The Witch's curse. This bouncy song of love and companionship is a perfect fit for the traditional fairy tale feel of the first act.
Extra Trivia: Tony-winner Joanna Gleason is the daughter of legendary LET'S MAKE A DEAL host, Monty Hall.
Video: Chip Zein and Joanna Gleason from the original Broadway cast.
"Unworthy of Your Love" | ASSASSINS | 1990
by: Matt Tamanini | @BWWMatt
For my money, Sondheim might never have written a more beautiful tune. "Unworthy of Your Love" is as romantic a melody as you can imagine... until you start to notice the lyrics about a third of the way in. ASSASSINS is Sondheim's controversial musical about the men and women who have both failed and succeeded in killing Presidents of the United States.
This love ballad is sung by John Hinkley, who shot President Reagan because of his infatuation with a young Jodie Foster, and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme who tried to kill President Ford at the urging of Charles Manson. While not the traditional topic for a musical, let alone a love song, the melody itself will sweep you away; just try not to shoot anyone because of it.
Video: Greg Germann and Annie Golden from the original Off-Broadway production.
Honorable Mention:
"So Many People" from SATURDAY NIGHT; "I Remember" from Evening Primrose; "Pretty Lady" from PACIFIC OVERTURES; "Broadway Baby" from FOLLIES; "Johanna" from SWEENEY TODD; "Everybody Loves Louie" from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE; "On the Steps of the Palace" and "Stay with Me" from INTO THE WOODS; "Everybody's Got the Right" from ASSASSINS.
Remember, if your favorite Sondheim tune to hum along with isn't on the list, let us know in the comments below, and/or on Twitter, using the hashtag #HummableSondheim.
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