Monday 8 May 2017

MUSICAL SOUNDTRACKS

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And I'm sorry I haven't been posting as frequently as I used to. I mean, it seems that I've been missing Fridays in particular...
But sometimes responsibilities kind of get in the way, which is why I haven't been posting as much!
But it still means a lot to me that you guys are still sticking around to read what I post!
Now, enough of the sensible part, on to the post!

MUSICAL SOUNDTRACKS
This post is going to be a bit different than what I normally post, but musicals have always been a big part of my life, (even before books at one point!)
And there's nothing better than hearing about a new musical that you knew nothing about, checking out the story and the soundtrack, and (inevitably) falling in love with it!
There's just something about musicals that makes it so easy to relate to a character, to a journey, the world that they're trying to convey and show you.
And a big part of what makes musicals so good and relatable is the music, which is the soundtrack.
There might be a little melody in the chorus, or a chord, or the lyrics that just seems to suit you, to the point where the song could actually be your song, your story. (Or they could just be the big show-stoppers that everybody loves to listen to).
(Or just my random favourites).
So this is why I am going to be listing my favourite songs from the specific musicals that I am just crazy about at the moment. And if you guys have any specific songs that you feel could be your song, let me know about them in the comments!

1. Waving Through A Window- Dear Even Hansen the Muscial
This song has been playing constantly in my headphones ever since I heard the soundtrack about a week ago. (I'm actually listening to it now on repeat). This song is by far the best in the soundtrack, and the lyrics are so easily relatable. I can't say anymore, but show you the lyrics that I feel perfectly represent this song, and the entire character that is Evan Hansen. This is his introductory song, and it's the perfect introduction to the main character: 
On the outside, always looking in
Will I ever be mire than I've always been?
Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping' on the glass
I'm waving through a window
I try to speak, but nobody can hear
So I wait around for an answer to appear
While I'm watch, watch, watching people pass
I'm waving through a window, oh
Can anybody see, is anybody waving back at me?
These lyrics perfectly symbolise what sort of character Evan Hansen is: introverted, lonely, hoping against hope that he'll become who he's always been. Just wants to be noticed. I love this soundtrack, and the story, it's officially one of my favourites. Oh, and Evan Hansen is currently being portrayed by Ben Platt, who played Benji in Pitch Perfect 1 & 2.

2. THE ENTIRE RENT SOUNDTRACK (specifically Halloween- Goodbye Love, Out Tonight, La Vie Boheme, I Should Tell You, Seasons of Love, Will I?, I'll Cover You (Reprise), TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME... so pretty much all of them).
Okay, so I went to see this like a month or so ago, and again, I have no control, somehow I keep finding my way to the soundtrack. I'm serious, every time I relive the soundtrack, I get so close to excusing myself to the bathroom because the soundtrack is so much of why I love the story, that the pain and suffering that the characters went through all comes flooding back. I'm so close to losing all chill and following them to wherever they are now, because I loved the show that much. And if you call yourself a Musical Geek and have yet to hear the RENT soundtrack... you're not one. Sorry.

3. No Good Deed, Wicked
Okay, I listed No Good Deed, but I may as well add Defying Gravity and For Good too, as it hurts me not to. And of course I had to add something from Wicked, because Wicked. But the reason that I put No Good Deed, is because you really get to see how Elphaba has changed throughout the musical. Like at the start, for example The Wizard and I, Elphaba is ready to take on the world, she's ready to work her way up to the top, where she'll finally be respected by the people around her. But by the time she gets to No Good Deed, she has changed and seen so much, that she no longer feels hopeful, and like she'll be respected. And after only being seen as the Green Girl, she kind of finds a darker side, and becomes the girl (still the misunderstood girl) that people think she has been this whole time. We get to see a darker side, that is trying anything she can to save the man she loves, and that is why I put this song on my list.

4. Congratulations, Hamilton
I've kind of begrudgingly ignored this musical- until I found out Renee Elise Goldsberry was the original Angelica, (she played Mimi in Rent: Filmed on Broadway), so then after searching the two together, I found Congratulations- and I cannot stop listening to it. It's a sort of sarcastic congratulations, and I love that it's a song congratulating a character on doing something incredibly stupid- I just love it. So that is why it's on this list!
5. Candy Store, Freeze My Brain, Dead Girl Walking, Seventeen, Lifeboat, Kindergarten Boyfriend, Dead Girl Walking (Reprise)- Heathers
These songs are kind of on a loop for me. I like most of them, but these are pretty much the ones that I listen to day-to-day. Some of them are sad, and are songs that I love to sing in my bedroom when I'm bored. Others are the songs that I listen to when I want to feel killer and confident (candy store!) But this is the musical of the 80s classic movie, and even though I am yet to watch it, I still feel like I know the characters, and the general story. The musical is everything that is in the movie: the humour, the darkness, except with the musical, the songs are just as dark and twisted!
6. Pulled- The Addams Family
Okay, I'll admit it... never seen a single Addams Family episode... but when I heard that Carrie Hope Fletcher (author of On The Other Side, check out my review here!, but also played Eponine for two years in the West End) was going to be playing Wednesday Addams in the musical version, I downloaded her cover onto my phone that minute, and I just love it. What's funny about her character in the musical is that Wednesday is now all grown up, and get this: she's fallen in love... with a human boy! This solo (Pulled) is quirky, dark, and I just love the contrast of her character now, side by side with the Wednesday we've all grown to love from the tv show!

So that was my post on Musical Soundtracks! I may have gotten a bit distracted about talking about these songs, but they are such a passion of mine I couldn't help it- sorry!
But maybe I'm not alone in this love of musical soundtracks? Comment down below some of your favourites- whether they be about the characters, the music, or because they're just a big showstopper!
So that's all I have for you guys today, I hope you enjoyed the post, and I will see you all on Wednesday!
Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxxx







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