SCHMIGADOON!'s Cinco Paul Picks Favorite Golden Age Love Songs

To celebrate Valentine's Day, BroadwayWorld asked Schmigadoon! Composer/Bookwriter/Lyricist Cinco Paul to share his ultimate Golden Age love song playlist. See his picks, read why they were chosen, and save the full playlist.

I think it’s truly through Golden Age musicals that I first learned about romance. Which is why I think later in life my first move when I fell for a girl was always to write a song and sing it to her (with mixed results!).

Obviously, Rodgers and Hammerstein were (and still are, in my opinion) The Kings Of musical theatre love songs. They had such a magic way of combining the earnestness of romance with enough gentle humor that it never felt overblown. But if you like your romance with a little more of a lemon twist, no one in the Golden Age did it better than Frank Loesser. And he wrote both music and lyrics! To me he’s always been the gold standard. 

And here’s my playlist (in chronological order): 

Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered) from PAL JOEY

People We’ll Say We’re in Love from OKLAHOMA!

If I Loved You from CAROUSEL

The granddaddy of all conditional love songs, and still the reigning champ. There are definitely bits of this in “You Can’t Tame Me.”

Old Devil Moon from FINIAN’S RAINBOW

Once in Love with Amy from WHERE’S CHARLEY?

My wife’s name is Amy, so this sweet Loesser tune has always been a favorite. It definitely helped me win over her dad.

Some Enchanted Evening from SOUTH PACIFIC

One of the main inspirations for “Suddenly” from Schmigadoon! This may be Rodgers’ most beautiful melody, paired with another exquisitely simple lyric from Hammerstein. “Once you have found her, never let her go…” 

If I Were a Bell from GUYS AND DOLLS

I was definitely paying homage to this tipsy Loesser classic in “Enjoy the Ride,” which I think perfectly captures the joy of a first crush. Extra points for rhyming “caressing” with “dressing.” 

Sue Me from GUYS AND DOLLS

I Wonder Why (You’re Just In Love) from CALL ME MADAM

I love a good counterpoint song, and this Irving Berlin charmer is my all-time favorite. When Donald O’Connor and Ethel Merman’s parts come together? Pure magic.

Something Wonderful from THE KING AND I

I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face from MY FAIR LADY

Till There Was You from THE MUSIC MAN

Tonight from WEST SIDE STORY

I Love a Cop from FIORELLO!

This little Harnick & Bock gem has always been a favorite. An activist falls for a cop - what could go wrong? 

Something Good from THE SOUND OF MUSIC

The other inspiration for “Suddenly.” I think watching Julie Andrews sing this to Christopher Plummer in that gazebo at night was little Cinco’s first inkling of what romance felt like. 

This feature is sponsored by Schmigadoon! - a love letter to Broadway’s Golden Age wrapped in a modern musical comedy that will leave you with a “song in your heart” (The New York Times)…if you manage to get out.

New York doctors Josh (Alex Brightman) and Melissa (Sara Chase) set out on a couples’ backpacking retreat to rekindle the flame, but instead find themselves in Schmigadoon, a magical town that’s a Golden Age musical come to life. The townspeople won’t stop singing, the bridge out leads nowhere, and the only way to escape is by finding true love—which may or may not be with each other.

From Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels and based on the Universal Television and Apple Original award-winning series, this delightfully hilarious musical is directed by Christopher Gattelli (Death Becomes Her, Newsies) with a book and Emmy® Award-winning score by Cinco Paul (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets). Get tickets today!