Help! What are Your Favorite Opening Songs From Musicals?

[broadwaysfguy]

Hi musicals lover:

Building a playlist of the best opening songs ever from musicals...

You've sat in that darkened theatre, excited to see a show for the first time, and that first song reaches out and just grabs you!

A great opener can set the tone for the entire show, and suprisingly lots of really popular and famous musicals DON'T have crushing opener....

Know you have your favorite openers, and want to know what they are!

Mine include:

Wilkommen-Cabaret
Just Another Day-Next To Normal
Company- Company
Hello- Book of Mormon
Some People-Gypsy
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning-Oklahoma
We Are What We Are-La Cage
How to Succeed-How to Succeed
All that Jazz-Chicago

Thanks in advance for sharing, and trust this will bring back some incredible opener memories....

[FishermanBob]

Not counting the Overture or Runyonland as an opening song, I would vote for Fugue for Tinhorns from Guys and Dolls.

[Fantod]

Oh What a Beautiful Morning is the opening number for Oklahoma!, not the title song.

With that in mind:

Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma!
The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music
All That Jazz from Chicago
Wilkommen from Cabaret
Try to Remember from The Fantasticks
Bidin' My Time from Girl Crazy
Die Moritat Von Mackie Messer from Die Dreigroschenoper
Summertime from Porgy and Bess
Cotton Blossom from Show Boat
I Get a Kick Out of You from Anything Goes
It's Today from Mame
We're On Our Way from Very Good Eddie

I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

[broadwaysfguy]

thanks for the correction on oklahoma(its late and that one slipped by the mental goalie as I was making my list) and the other suggestions-

Oh what a beautiful morning IS a great opening song

[NoName3]

Carousel Waltz
Ragtime
I Hope I Get It

[Fantod]

Forgot Ragtime. Yes that is the only good part of what I feel is a colossal disaster of a show. Would the Carousel Waltz really be considered the opening number for that show?

[NoName3]

Of course, why not, Fantod?

[Fantod]

Well just because it's instrumental. Then again, I suppose the audition is the first song in 42nd street. Carry on.

[broadwaysfguy]

its today! from Mame

what a gem of a song....

Mame has so many great songs (yay Jerry Herman)

Wonder how it would hold up in a revival, been nine years since kennedy center with Christine Baranski...

[Fantod]

The show is just great. The movie is terrible, but the movie based on the play is still wonderful and hilarious today. Funny how despite how many wonder (and boy do I mean wonderful) Jerry Herman production numbers we have, most of his opening songs do not fall under the category of big splashy openings.

And yes, Mame is chock full of amazing songs. I particularly like Bosom Buddies and the title song.

[NoName3]

Mame's opening number is St. Bridget. It's Today is a good song; Herman lifted the melody from Show Tune, the opening number from his 1960 revue Parade.

"There is no tune
Like a show tune...."

or something along those lines. I haven't listened to it in a long time.

[ggersten]

I would add:
Tradition: Fiddler on the Roof
It's Your Wedding Day: The Wedding Singer

[gypsy101]

The opening number of Gypsy is Let Me Entertain You, not Some People.
I have always loved Call on Dolly from Hello, Dolly! for some reason that I have never specified.
Circle of Life is also a pretty spectacular opening.

[NoName3]

Fantod, you're right. Carousel Waltz is certainly not an opening song. I thought the thread title was favorite opening number. Usually it's the same thing but not in Carousel's case.

[Mr. Nowack]

Few can beat "God I Hope I Get It" from A CHORUS LINE in my book. There are simply too many others to list but I'll also throw in the title song from SEESAW since I don't think that score gets as much talk as it ought to.

[A Director]

Favorite Openings In Musicals (Instrumental or Vocal)

Wintergreen For President - OF THEE I SING
Carousel Waltz - Carousel (It sets up the story.)
This Time of The Year - FINIAN'S RAINBOW
Fugue For Tinhorns - GUYS & DOLLS
Another Op'nin', Another Show - KISS ME, KATE
Rock Island - THE MUSIC MAN
Comedy Tonight - A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
Good Morning, Good Day - She Loves Me
I Put My Hand In - Hello, Dolly!
Tradition - FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Aquarius - HAIR
Walk Him Up The Stairs - PURLIE
Sit Down, John - 1776
Company - COMPANY
The Opening Music and Beautiful Girls - FOLLIES
In The Middle of The Sea We Float - PACIFIC OVERTURES
Sunday in the Park With George - SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Prologue:Into The Woods - INTO THE WOODS
Invocation and Instructions To The Audience - THE FROGS
THe Old Red Hills of Home - PARADE
Hold Me, Bat Boy - BATBOY THE MUSICAL
A Year With Frog and Toad - A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD
What Do You Do With A B.A. in English - Avenue Q
Statues and Stories - THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
In The Heights - IN THE HEIGHTS
Populism Yea Yea - BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON
American Idiot -AMERICAN IDIOT

It's not a musical, but Summertime from the opera PORGY AND BESS.

[Keiichi2]

Although it's not a great musical, The Wedding Singer has an absolutely energetic and vibrant opening number called "It's Your Wedding Day" that really kicks things off to a great start. Too bad the rest of the show couldn't live up to it, but it's still a great opening song.

[frontrowcentre2]

One I was recently reminded of (because a local production is getting ready to open here) is "Scrap" from THE FULL MONT. It really establishes the characters and sets up the situation.

Among my other favorites:

Ragtime - RAGTIME
The Ballad of Sweeney Todd - SWEENEY TODD
Good Mourning Baltimore - HAIRSPRAY
Aquarius - HAIR
6 months out of Every Year - DAMN YANKEES!

[A Director]

I agree with "Scrap" and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd."

frontrowcentre2 - "Good Mourning Baltimore" I hope no one is mourning in Hairspray's opening number.

[Bwaydide92]

"Good Mourning Baltimore!
Everyday there's a funereal,
Every night there's a robbery
Every sound is of anarchy!"


I would pay to see the sad version of Hairspray.

[Natto]

mamma who bore me spring awakening

[Charley Kringas Inc]

"Miracle" from Matilda, specifically the "party" sequences at the beginning and end. The choreography is stunning, the lyrics are sharp, and it's got such a cynical bent. It sweeps me away every time I listen to it and perfectly sets the anarchic, (relatively-)edgy tone of the show.

[After Eight]

Run, Run, Run (Let It Ride!)
That Naughty Show From Gay Paree (The Girl in Pink Tights)
Christopher Street (Wonderful Town)
The Tour Must Go On (Make a Wish)

[tazber]

I really love A Director's list.

I would add:

Twenty Million People - My Favorite Year
All That Jazz - Chicago
Magic to Do - Pippin
The Old Red Hills of Home - Parade

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

i too love MAGIC TO DO from PIPPIN
COMPANY from COMPANY
TRADITION from FIDDLER
OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING from OKLAHOMA
PROLOGUE from INTO THE WOODS