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They say that falling in love is wonderful... and doesn't Broadway know it! Valentine's Day is here and love is all around us. At this most romantic time of the year, we can't help but wonder... what is the greatest Broadway love song ever?
BroadwayWorld continues our great tradition of finding that consensus- and this year we have more answers than ever! We've gathered responses from over 1500 performers, composers, industry professionals, and entertainment personalities from all over the world.
Performer
Dr | Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Dirty Dancing | Bare | Bat Boy
Wow, it is impossible to pick only one but here are my top picks. The lyrics to all these songs are sublime and one could do them as monologues without the music and they stand alone but then you add the music and well.... "When Did I Fall in Love?" from FIORELLO. "Vanilla Ice Cream" From SHE LOVES ME. "Soliloquy" and "If I Loved You" from CAROUSEL, "Maria" and "Somewhere" from WEST SIDE STORY. However, I can't not mention my favorite romantic song ever "Inside your Heart" from Bat Boy". Ah, the things we do for love.
Performer
Waitress
My favorite Broadway love song is "Gold" from Once. Everything about it is beautiful- the instrumentation, the lyrics, the passion, the Irish sound. The song as a whole is soulful, emotional, and moving. It's the song you wish was written about you.
Performer
Escape to Margaritaville | It Shoulda Been You | Priscilla Queen of the Desert | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
"One Hand, One Heart" from West Side Story
Performer
Motown | Leap of Faith | Memphis | Mary Poppins
I'm not sure this qualifies as a "Broadway" love song, but it's a song called "Home" written by musical theatre composer John Bucchino. I've always loved that song. So simple. Just describing how being with someone feels like "home." Makes me cry every time!
Performer
Hamilton
Mine is "Written in the Stars" from Aida, because it's put into perspective how difficult being in love can really be and how we can be confined to color and money over our hearts desires. I love anything that makes me think, and this song does that! Plus it's written and sang beautifully!
Performer
The Man Who Came to Dinner | The Producers | Will Rogers Follies
"One Hand, One Heart" from WEST SIDE STORY. Bernstein music, Sondheim lyrics, the perfection every heart longs to find, coupled with the surety of youth. The combination makes my heart actually hurt.
Performer
Beautiful | Ghost | The Book of Mormon | Ragtime
"On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady, "Come Rain or Come Shine" from St. Louis Woman, and "My Funny Valentine" from Babes in Arms
Performer
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Sweet Charity | 42nd Street
I like "Close As Pages In A Book." That Romberg melody is romantic in an old-fashioned way, but the Dorothy Fields lyric keeps it sly and sweet. I like it in a low, jazzed up version. It's about two people being so close they know exactly what the other is feeling, which is what I feel about my husband and myself, and that "like the closest book is bound, we're bound to last" . And it's kinda geeky.
Performer
Newsies | Mamma Mia!
One of my favorite traditional Broadway love songs is "It Never Was You" by Weill and Anderson. The lyrics, the accompaniment...it's beautiful music. I will never get tired of this song. One of my favorite contemporary Broadway love songs is "The Next Ten Minutes" by Jason Robert Brown. Ugghh this song makes me feel things. It makes my insides twist and turn. Seriously though, if it comes on in my headphones while I'm walking down the street you can bet on instant tears.
Performer
American Psycho | Doctor Zhivago | Rock of Ages
"Last Night Of The World" from Miss Saigon. So romantic.
Performer
Bad Cinderella | School of Rock | Disaster! | Spring Awakening | The Wedding Singer | Thoroughly Modern Millie
"A Quiet Thing” by Kander and Ebb. Even though contextually this song from Flora The Red Menace comes out of the main character getting a job for $30/week, I’d like to believe happiness or love can actually be born from the inside of one’s self.
Performer
A Beautiful Noise | Moulin Rouge! | Nice Work If You Can Get It | Anything Goes | Grease | Chicago
"Better Together" by Jack Johnson
Performer
Flash Dance | West Side Story
"Say it Somehow” from The Light in the Piazza.
Performer
Dancin' | King Kong
My favorite Broadway love song is “The Next Ten Minutes” from The Last Five Years. I love how realistic and honest love is described in this song. Let’s fall in love for the next ten minutes, and should “we make it ‘til then,” try for another until forever. Such a seemingly simple concept but a beautiful take on taking love day by day.
Performer
An Enemy of the People
My favorite Broadway love song is and will always be “Somewhere” from West Side Story. It is heartbreaking, it is beautiful, and it is timeless. Bernstein/Sondheim forever.
Performer
Kimberly Akimbo
My favorite Broadway love song is "Do You Love Me?" from Fiddler on the Roof. I love the whole show, but I think this song specifically embodies love that has endured many hardships. Love that had lasted a long time, and love that is real.
Performer
What the Constitution Means to Me
Truth be told, I am a complete sucker for "Unexpected Song" by Andrew Lloyd Webber from Song & Dance. I think most people, or most people I know anyway, want love to sneak up on them the way that this deceptively simple and casual melody suddenly grabs you by the glands.
Performer
MJ
My favorite Broadway love song is probably “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors. Two unlikely people finding true love despite their quirks. To me, true love is acceptance… loving the person as they are but in a way that inspires them to be even better. Seymour lets Audrey know he’s there to provide “sweet understanding”. To encounter your “person” who just GETS you and is willing to put in the effort to understand all of who you are… yeah, you won.
Performer
MJ
I would have to choose “In A Sentimental Mood” from Sophisticated Ladies. It just paints the picture of how falling in love feels, looks and sounds like. Fantasy mixes with reality, new heights of emotions are introduced to your soul and you simply feel like melted butter or a warm fireplace after a cold NY walk. Every time I listen to this song, whether single or taken, I just fall in love with being in love all over again.
Performer
Ain't Too Proud | Motown
My favorite Broadway love song is “My Funny Valentine” because it’s been covered so many times by different people and I just love the sentiment of it, it’s so great
Performer
Endlings
This is of course an impossibly hard question, but my gut reaction was “Talk to Me” from Bye Bye Birdie. I played Albert Peterson my senior year of high school and love how sweet and simple it is. It’s also a very emotionally healthy love song, which I think is rare. When I randomly saw Charles Strouse at a show years later, I ran up to him to tell him how underrated I thought that song was.
Performer
Tommy | Aladdin | Les Miserables | The Lion King
I love "Maria" from West Side Story. That music just sweeps you up and makes you feel like you’re flying. Thank you, Leonard Bernstein!
Performer
The Present
"Some Enchanted Evening” for its soaring romanticism, melody and wonder in that first magical moment, “If I Loved You" for its truthful perfection, and finally - I'm greedy but it’s love and the world is going to need it - "One Hand, One Heart” from the masterpiece that is West Side Story. It is quite simply pure and very beautiful - play it once a week for the next four years, America!
Performer
Funny Girl
The first musical I saw was a high school production of Brigadoon, and I was completely transported from the top of the show. Then, came the scene, when Charlie sings "Come to me, Bend to me", and the tenor playing him had one of those "spinning-sunshine" voices...and I just left the planet. It still kills me every time.
Performer
Hamilton | Matilda the Musica | Newsies
"Three Little Words" from Ghost. It's beautiful and not overdone....and maybe because I struggle myself with saying it at times :/ Granted... I haven't had someone to say it to in YEARS! #WhereAreYouSoulMate?
Performer
Barococo
"They Were You," from The Fantasticks; and "As Long as She Needs Me," from Oliver.
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