Broadway's Greatest Love Song?

[devonian.t]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Exclusive-What-Is-the-Greatest-Broadway-Love-Song-Ever-Written-1200-Stars-Decide-20200214

So the answer for a worrying number of these stars is "the one I sang"

What is your greatest Broadway love song?

For me it's a toss-up between "Our Love Is here To Stay" and (agreeing with LMM for once) "So in Love"

[broadwaysfguy]

fully agree about the self serving nature of many of the article respondents

i go back to several bway love songs that always get me

1) so in love-kiss me kate
2) written in the stars-aida
3) on the street where you live-my fair lady

[broadwaysfguy]

[Highland Guy]

This......for so many reasons.

 

 

[Enjolras5]

I would argue that it's "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera!  Timeless.

[SporkGoddess]

I have my own favorites (e.g., "The Next Ten Minutes," "The Last Night of the World," "Falling Into You" but I think that the best ever written is "If I Loved You" from Carousel.

[VotePeron]

Satisfied.

[ggersten]

Till There Was You - even The Beatles covered it.

[Hot Pants]

Move on is simultaneously a love song from a romantic and paternal perspective (somehow without being creepy), and it also doubles as the greatest pep talk song of all time. I’d say that’s a pretty good pick.
I also find A Marriage Proposal from Falsettos pretty fantastic. Seeing a social anxiety ridden nerd work up his feelings while simultaneously helping his love’s confidence about her physical desirability is both adorable and hilarious.
Johanna has an amazing ability to have creepy lyrics, but music that is just so ravishingly beautiful that the song still feels romantic anyway.
I agree with the mentions of So in Love.
I’m pretty surprised that no one has mentioned Some Enchanted Evening. That song’s practically the definition of romantic.
I’m also surprised no one has mentioned If I Loved You. Another song that completely and totally defines love ballads.
Something Wonderful is another great one. Rogers and Hammerstein sure knew how to write love songs.
It Takes Two is another adorably charming example.

[poisonivy2]

Surprised people haven't mentioned: 

- Somewhere

- People Will Say We're In Love

- Wait For Me (Hadestown)

- Satisfied (Hamilton)

 

 

[Melissa25]

These two are very special to me:

Loving You

One Second and a Million Miles

[mamaleh]

“Almost Like Being in Love/Heather on the Hill”

[Skip23]

Maria.

Hands down

[markypoo]

Not the greatest, but very beautiful:

Song On The Sand, from La Cage.

[qolbinau]

Thank god Bernadette mentioned Some Enchanted Evening. As if I couldn’t respect her taste more.

[LoriBelle2]

Enjolras5 said: "I would argue that it's "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera! Timeless."

I agree wholeheartedly 

[Jarethan]

Sure that I am forgetting a biggie, but the following seem to be the best that I can think of.  

-- Embraceable You -- Girl Crazy

-- But Not For Me -- Girl Crazy

-- People Will Say We're In Love -- Oklahoma

-- I Have Dreamed -- The King and I 

-- Easy to Love -- Anything Goes

-- This Nearly Was Mine -- South Pacific

-- Somewhere -- West Side Story

-- Gigi -- Gigi

-- I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face -- My Fair Lady

-- Til There Was You -- The Music Man

-- The Party's Over -- Bells Are Ringing

If forced to pick one, I would probably pick Embraceable You or I Have Dreamed.

I am sure there must be some from the last 50 years.  I just can't think of one that compares to those above, all of which are IMO among the greatest songs ever written.  Period.

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Impossible, but fun task. Three oldies that have been covered by literally hundreds:

“Someone to Watch Over Me” George and Ira Gershwin, 1926

“All the Things You Are” Extraordinary melody by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 1942 flop Very Warm for May

“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”

From Pal Joey, Richard Rodgers and perhaps the peak of Larry Hart.
 

Romance, finis, your chance, finis 
Those ants that invaded my pants, finis 
Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered no more…

Most recently covered by Lady Gaga, sounding as if she had spent her life singing Broadway standards.

[David10086]

“The King and I” medley by Streisand. It doesn’t get better than that.

“ Send in the Clowns” rewritten song recorded by Streisand.

“I Have a Love /One Hand, One Heart” medley by Streisand and Mathis.

[CheapTrickInColor]

It's got to be 'If I Loved You', right? But 'Til There Was You' is really high up there as well, especially Shirley Jones' renditions in the movie. If you go to the pre-Oklahoma! days there's dozens of contenders from the Great American Songbook guys. I'd shout out 'Sorry-Grateful' from Company, too.

[cfbrrr]

Who knows what’s greatest?

But five unmentioned great ones are:

“I’ve Never Been in Love Before” (Guys & Dolls) “The I Love You Song” (Putnam County Spelling Bee) “True Love” (High Society) “Imagining You” (Birds of Paradise) “Once Upon a Time” (All-American)

[Soaring29]

Tonight or You Are Love.

[Fredrich Yeager]

For me it's definitely Origin of Love from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I think it's one of the most beautiful songs ever written, honestly.

(I linked to the OBC recording with Neil Patrick Harris since that's technically the "Broadway" one, but I personally prefer John Cameron Mitchell's performance in the off-Broadway and movie cast recordings)

[GF21]

"Maria," "On The Street Where You Live," and "Send In The Clowns." 

[bdn223]

I know many likely never have heard it, but whenever it comes onto my phone when listening to my music, I stop and get goosebumps. 

When She Smiles - Lysistrata Jones

Its honestly just a great modern pop musical theater love song, of the comedic male lead realizing he is in love, but not in the typical comedic musical comedy way. It simply an earnest song about the male lead noticing that his heart flutters when the "outcast" girl smiles, and that he isn't going to let his past mistakes in love stop him form pursing it.