Songs That Could Pass For 'Non-Show Tunes'

[thevolleyballer]

So when I'm driving someone else in my car, I know they probably hate listening to the Broadway CD's that are in my car. However, when The Wedding Singer is in, I quickly switch to "Casualty of Love" and "Saturday Night in the City." They're enjoyable show tunes for me, and I don't think my friends mind them. I'm thinking of doing a CD just for those occasions, then, which are quite often. What songs could I possibly use that would pass for being both Broadway and non-Broadway?

[Yero]

I could picture As Long As You're Mine from Wicked as a type of duet on the radio... bad example, I know, but that was all I could think of.

[Katurian2]

Quite a few from RENT, it being a rock musical- "What You Own", "Seasons of Love" and "Out Tonight" being the standouts. Hair as well.

[ChrisLK]

Well, of course, there are those that ARE non-show tunes, Aretha Franklin's cover of Somewhere, for example.

Besides that, a good deal of MJL could pass for non-show tunes (I suppose some could be confused with non-theatrical art songs), though I'm not sure your friends would like those any better if they don't like theater music in general. Some pieces from Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns, "Icarus" in particular, are a goood example of a little bit of both words.

Other musicals like Hair and Rent that are based on other styles would be good. Dreamgirls and The Wiz, if your friends like R&B, or the jazz influence in Chicago could make it a good pick.

[jasonf]

Seasons of Love is clearly a showtune.
As rock songs --
Maybe "Tear Me Down" from Hedwig
"Just For Tonight" from They're Playing Our Song as a cheesy 70s love song


There are a couple of non-rock songs that could pass -
"Who'll be the One" from Violet as a country song
"With Every Breath I Take" from City of Angels as a jazz song

[Michael Bennett]

BUS FROM AMARILLO from WHOREHOUSE could easily get play on country radio.

[jasonf]

Thank you Michael Bennet - I knoew there was a song from that show that would work and I coudn't for the life of me remember the name - that was it.

[thejcm]

"Out Tonight" from RENT.
Pretty much anything from Tommy (for obvious reasons).
If you omit the very beginning dialogue of "Streetsinger" in Brooklyn, that could get played on the radio.
"Home" from the Wiz
"Come to Your Senses" from tick, tick...BOOM!


Didn't some songs from Dreamgirls make it to the airwaves?

[spiderdj82]

"One Night Only"--Effie's version

[Katurian2]

Most of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" - But were those songs in existence before the show? I'm not really familiar with the material.

[Michael Bennett]

When the OBC RENT cast recording came out, there was an interesting interview with the head of a music corporation in which he explained exactly why no song from RENT would ever get radio play.

His basic answer was that the lyrics/rhymes/ideas were too sophisticated. They are too obviously character/plot based.

I think some of the music from SPRING AWAKENING could pass as non-show tunes, particularly as Duncan Shiek is a mainstream pop composer.

But in terms of what you are talking about; I think most cast recordings sound like cast recordings. They are arranged and orchestrated differently than anything on the radio. There isn't much you could play from a cast recording that would fool your friends into thinking its actually from the radio.

[MrSweetNAwful]

No, Katurian, the songs of Hedwig weren't written before the show, except maybe Random Number Generation (which isn't in the show and is only on the OCR).

Now and then I think Long Grift might be adapted from a song Stephen Trask wrote when he was young-and-broken-up-with.

[ComingUpRoses]

One that comes to immediate mind, "Something Wonderful I Missed" from Cy Coleman's "I Love My Wife" score.

[muscle23ftl]

Taboo has a couple of songs too, that can pass for pop songs.

[sidneybruhl]

I think that Julia Murney shows that "I'm Not That Girl" has top 40 potential on her CD "I'm Not Waiting." The arrangement of the song is not "show-tuney" at all--very heavy on the acoustic guitar and the piano.

[mustard]

I always thought that Forever Yours from Once on This Island could be on the radio (except for the end when Papa Ge comes in).

[neomystyk29]

Songs For A New World Songs:
I'm Not Afraid Of Anything
I'd Give It All For You (kind of)

The Color Purple:
What About Love

Avenue Q:
There's A Fine Fine Line

Bye Bye Birdie:
Put On A Happy Face
The Conrad Songs from this show

Man Of La Mancha:
The Impossible Dream

Parade:
In some ways- Old Red Hills Of Home

Pippin:
I Guess I'll Miss The Man
Corner Of The Sky
even With You

Several songs from RENT

Tick Tick Boom:
30/90
Come To Your Senses

Wicked:
I'm Not That Girl

[sidneybruhl]

Isn't Beyonce including "One Night Only" as a bonus track on her new CD? I see a video and massive radio airplay in this song's future.

[ljay889]

His basic answer was that the lyrics/rhymes/ideas were too sophisticated. They are too obviously character/plot based.


- RENT's lyrics and rhymes are sophisticated? Maybe for mainstream radio. Otherwise - no way.

[Michael Bennett]

Yes: too sophisticated for radio.

[sondheimboy2]

At least half of the score of "Chess": "Nobody's Side", "Someone Elses Story", "Pity the Child"

"Just One Night" by Elizabeth Swados and Gary Trudeau from "Doonesbury"

"Going, Going Gone" from "Merrily We Roll Along." Frank Sinatra recorded it on one of his albums.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

I never thought anyone would describe the Rent lyrics as sophisticated, interesting...
Here's a list of songs that some of my friends who are not into showtunes actually have told me they enjoy:
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"-Dreamgirls
"One Night Only"-Dreamgirls
"On My Own"-Les Miserables
"I Dreamed A Dream"-Les Miserables
"The Last Night of the World"-Miss Saigon
"Sooner or Later"-Putting It Together (OK, not a showtune but it was written by Sondheim and it was on a Broadway revue)
"All That Jazz"-Chicago
"Nowadays"-Chicago
"Maybe This Time"-Cabaret
"I Know the Truth"-Aida
"Written In the Stars"-Aida
"Be On Your Own"-Nine
"Unusual Way"-Nine
"Love Can't Happen"-Grand Hotel
"There's a Fine,Fine Line"-Avenue Q
"Not A Day Goes By"-Merrily We Roll Along
"With So Little To Be Sure Of"-Anyone Can Whistle
"Anyone Can Whistle"-Anyone Can Whistle
"Dividing Day"-The Light in the Piazza

[MargoChanning]

Jennifer Holliday's "And I am Telling You" topped the R&B charts for 4 weeks and even hit #22 on the pop charts, so obviously it had great mainstream appeal. "When I First Saw You" also charted in the Top 40 of the R&B chart.

Most of Hedwig also works -- it's the only cast album I can remember that made and stayed on the jukeboxes of several "alt rock only" East Village bars (even Rent was banned from those places).

[SDav 10495]

When the OBC RENT cast recording came out, there was an interesting interview with the head of a music corporation in which he explained exactly why no song from RENT would ever get radio play.

I was just thinking about this the other day--I didn't know there had been an actual explanation for the fact that none of the songs ever get radio play (I really don't think most of them should, for the reasons he gave, but the one song I can see being popular on the radio in the 90s would be "Out Tonight").

Interesting note though, I did hear the movie cast's "Seasons of Love" on the radio this past December. That was cool, although at the end the DJ remarked "That has to be one of my favorite holiday songs." (???)

[GodIHopeIGetIt]

Holiday songs?!?!? Though I think that some of the Rent soundtrack got some airplay before the movie came out.