The Six Different Types of Music Theatre Songs
This blog is my breakdown of the six most common types of songs you can expect in your favourite musical. From the beginning of music theatre writing, composers and lyricists discovered that some song types proved quite useful for particular places in a production to shape and round the story and plot. As the years have gone by, contemporary music theatre writers have left the “standard” format and explored other, flexible song forms. However, these types of songs have proved continually useful because they are so entrenched in the audiences perception and as such have become important parts of most musicals.
“I WISH” or “I WANT” SONGS
The "I Wish" song (also called an "I Want" song) is a popular type of song featured in musical theatre, and has become a particularly popular term through its use to describe a series of songs that have the main character singing about how they are unsatisfied with their current life, and what they are searching for. Every successful musical you can name has an 'I Want' song for its main character within the first fifteen or so minutes of the show. This is the one song type that even the most experimental musicals still embrace, because writers use it to connect audiences with the protagonist and get them rooting for the character's journey right away. A good "I Want" song lays the foundation for strong character development and sets the audience's expectations for where the show might be headed
These songs are usually full-blown ballads where the main character bursts into song revealing their innermost desires. It is not surprising that "I Want" songs tend to be among the most recorded as they are often somewhat more liftable than other songs in the show. These songs make sense outside the framework of the show and they give the singer something to act.
Join me in January for the “ I WISH” Masterclass
Here’s a list of some of the greatest “ I WISH/WANT SONGS” from musicals
OUT THERE - THE HUNCHBACK OF Notre Dame
OVER THE RAINBOW- THE WIZARD OF OZ
HELLFIRE- HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
DUST AND ASHES- GREAT COMET
TEMPORARILY LOST-BRIDGES OF MADISON
GUIDOS SONG- NINE
WHERE I WANT TO BE- CHESS
SOMETHINGS COMING- WEST SIDE STORY
WHO I’D BE - SHREK
FALCON IN THE DIVE- SCARLET PIMPERNEL
HALF AS BIG AS LIFE - PROMISES PROMISES
WOULDNT IT BE LOVERLy- MY FAIR LADY
I HAVE CONFIDENCE- THE SOUND OF MUSIC
IF I WERE A RICH MAN- FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
THE WIZARD AND I - WICKED
HAMILTON- MY SHOT
I WANT TO GO HOME- BIG
I WANT TO GO TO HOLLYWOOD - GRAND HOTEL
I WANT TO BE A PRODUCER- THE PRODUCERS
LIONTAMER - MAGIC SHOW
ONE PERFECT MOMENT- BRING IT ON
WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW - DEAR Evan Hansen
SOMEWHERE THATS GREEN-LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
CORNER OF THE SKY- PIPPIN
KING OF THE WORLD- SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
THE MOVIE IN MY MIND MISS SAIGON
NO ONE ELSE- NATASHA PIERR AND THE GREAT COMET of 1812
GREEN FINCH AND LINNET BIRD- SWEENEY TODD
IN MY OWN LITTLE CORNER - CINDERELLA
JOHANNA- SWEENEY TODD
HOW FAR I’LL GO - MOANA
DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN - FROZEN
WHEN WILL MY LIFE BEGIN - TANGLED
ALMOST THERE - FROG and the PRINCE
JUST AROUND THE RIVER BEND - POCOHONTAS
REFLECTION -MULAN
GO THE DISTANCE - HERCULES
I JUST CANT WAIT TO BE KING - THE LION KING
PART OF YOUR WORLD - LITTLE MERMAID
A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES- CINDERELLA
JOURNEY TO THE PAST - ANASTASIA
Please find here a spotify play list of some of these “ I want songs”
CONDITIONAL LOVE SONGS
The conditional love song was invented by Oscar Hammerstein II. Love at first sight is often played in romantic musicals but adding a little dramatic irony in the plot by making the characters unaware that they are indeed “in love” guarantees an excited audience because they know what happens next! Contemporary musicals have explored different variations on this song type, from making it more cynical by making friend duet instead of a romantic one.
Examples:
"Falling Slowly" - Once
"Perfect For You" - Next To Normal
"Make Believe" - Show Boat
"If I Loved You" - Carousel
"People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma!
"I'll Know" - Guys and Dolls
COMIC SONGS
Historically, comic songs have been an essential element of musicals giving writers a chance show off their comedic rhyming skills. Often these songs have current news references that don’t age well, but fun to perform with great wordplay. The best writers for this were Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin and Lorenz Hart. Contemporay composers often cant resist the urge to try show off their skills as well.
Examples:
"La Vie Boheme" - Rent
"A Musical" - Something Rotten!
"You're the Top" - Anything Goes
"Friendship" - DuBarry Was a Lady
"To Keep My Love Alive" - A Connecticut Yankee
"Zip" - Pal Joey
ACT TWO OPENERS
We all have experience how difficult it is to get audiences back to their seats on time from intermission. The writers therefore, added a bonus number at the start of the second act. These songs often have very little to do with the plot. Often they involve secondary characters, and are are usually dance-heavy numbers to ease audiences back in.
Examples are:
"Fidgety Feet" - An American In Paris
"One By One" - The Lion King
"Take Back Your Mink" - Guys and Dolls
"Masquerade" -The Phantom of the Opera
"It's You" - The Music Man
"Try Me" - She Loves Me
11 O’CLOCK NUMBERS
When Broadway shows first began, the curtain time was 8:45pm. Most shows would be wrapping things up at around 11 pm, and which made composers write a penultimate number that would really be a showstopper and give the lead a chance to show all their talents.. In many cases, these are emotionally rich moments, often at a character's lowest or most deeply-felt point in their arc, and so this is a song type that has endured across all eras and subgenres.
Examples:
"It All Fades Away" - The Bridges of Madison County
"Gimme Gimme" - Thoroughly Modern Millie
"She Used To Be Mine" - Waitress
"Send in the Clowns" - A Little Night Music
"Lot's Wife" - Caroline, or Change
"Being Alive" - Company
"Rose's Turn" - Gypsy
"What You Own" - Rent
“I AM” SONGS
An “I am” song is when a character breaks the fourth wall and introduces themselves directly to the audience through an “I am” songs. In “I am” songs, characters express freely how they feel at the moment.
Examples:
“I am a Pirate King” and “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from The Pirates of Penzance
I am I, Don Quixote, -Man of La Mancha
I am your Dentist.” Little Shop of Horrors
“I Feel Pretty” - West Side Story.
“Before the Parade Passes By” - Hello, Dolly!
Come and sing some of these songs for me. I’d love to work with you.
