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Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
#1Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:10am
Loving the thread about immigration showtunes, and I grew curious about the extensiveness of musical theatre songs that deal strictly with "Americanness," what characters feel it means to be American, or visions for America... things along those lines.
#2Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:14am
"Another National Anthem" - Assassins
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#3Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:17am
Kad said: ""Another National Anthem" - Assassins
"
I was just going to mention Something Just Broke.
....but the world goes 'round
#4Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:24am
I actually find it rather difficult to think of showtunes specifically about being American.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#5Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:26am
For some reason the first thing in my head was "The House We Live In". Just the image of Edie marching with that flag.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
#6Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:29am
Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Oak2
Leading Actor Joined: 8/11/16
#7Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:33am
Pretty much anything by George M. Cohan.
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#8Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 11:02am
How Can You Tell An American? KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY
#9Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 11:26am
"American Idiot"
"What You Own"
#10Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 1:25pmmadbrian said: "Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve
"
I was thinking "Cool, Considerate Men" or "Egg" as well.
Also second anything from George M.
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#11Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 2:29pm
At least half of the songs in Ragtine deal with one aspect of another in American history - sung from various perspectives.
Updated On: 8/19/16 at 02:29 PM
jessepp
Chorus Member Joined: 11/28/11
#12Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 3:18pm
"Stars of Glory" from The Selling of the President
...is a puzzlement.
philly03
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/07
#13Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 3:21pm
"Wheels of a Dream" - Ragtime
"The Honor of Your Name" - Civil War
"Virginia" - Civil War
bryan2
Broadway Star Joined: 12/19/06
Shaunthedog
Understudy Joined: 8/6/16
#15Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 7:09pm
delete
Updated On: 8/19/16 at 07:09 PM
pushdabutton
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/05
#16Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 8:43pm
Ragtime is the first that came to mind. I still love that cast recording and listen to it occasionally.
sng
Featured Actor Joined: 6/7/15
#18Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 9:46pm
Well, I remember going to the Gershwin, late winter of 2002, to see the revival of "Oklahoma!"... The show was great and it was about as American as Apple pie.
What struck and hit me the hardest was something that happened as I was leaving the theater. I remember coming down the escalator and seeing the following emblazoned atop the exit doors for the entire width of the lobby: "We Know We Belong to the Land, and the Land We Belong To is Grand!"
This was less than six months after 9/11 and I saw that I was far from the only person that experienced a gut-punch right then and there. I will never forget it.
Alexander Lamar
Broadway Star Joined: 2/16/16
#19Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/19/16 at 10:07pm
re: 2016 Election - "Totally F*CKed"
#20Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/20/16 at 1:06am
Michelle- Thanks for sharing that. What a great, poignant image.
"...and in a bed."
John Adams
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/1/13
#21Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/20/16 at 2:41am
Kad said: "I actually find it rather difficult to think of showtunes specifically about being American."
I think I understand what you mean (i.e., a showtune with lyrics that specifically indicate, "I am an American" and "I feel... [fill in the blank] about it!"
. Songs from historical shows like 1776 might be obvious first choices, but I prefer the direction you went with "Another National Anthem".
The subject line and description, "Americanness" are pretty open-ended. My litmus test is that if another country/culture can't relate, or relates to a lesser degree - it must be an example of "Americannness".
I think all of American Psycho is very representational - especially in regards to that time period.
I think songs from Altar Boyz and The Book of Morman are representational of specifically American views regarding religious beliefs.
Avenue Q is VERY American to my mind. When it was first announced that it was going to the West End, I was skeptical that it would play well because it IS so American. So... (as previously mentioned) I think "What Do You Do With a B.A. in Engiish/It Sucks To Be Me" definitely fits the topic of what it means to be American.
Also, "Great Big Stuff" from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, "Much More" from The Fantasticks, most of the songs from Grease.
#22Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/20/16 at 6:31pm
"I Want to Be a Lady's Maid" from TITANIC is spot on.
"American Dream" from MISS SAIGON.
How about "Ballad of Czolgosz" from ASSASSINS?
(and yeah, I had to look that up)
In the U.S.A.
You can have your say,
You can set you goals
And seize the day,
You've been given the freedom
To work your way
To the head of the line-
To the head of the line!"
#23Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/20/16 at 7:33pm
One more favorite-- "Momma Look Sharp" from 1776.
Oak2
Leading Actor Joined: 8/11/16
#24Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/20/16 at 7:36pm
To go along with what Someone in a Tree said with Czolgosz and others with "Another National Anthem", while those two are the most clear, really Assassins as a whole is a good pick for this. The whole show's point seems to be deconstructing the idea of the American Dream.
Fan123
Broadway Star Joined: 8/30/08
#25Showtunes About What It Means to Be American
Posted: 8/20/16 at 8:08pm
Some of the less serious ones out there include:
'Typical Self-Made American' - Strike Up The Band
'America, F*ck Yeah' - Team America: World Police (well, it's a movie musical, sort of)
These ones are more sincere and positive:
'My Shot' - Hamilton
'There is a Child' - Giant
And depending on how vague you want to get with 'American-ness', songs which focus on stereotypical American characteristics such as being a go-getter could be included, such as 'Jump' (Giant again), 'Some People' (Gypsy), 'There's gotta be something better than this' (Sweet Charity), etc.
