The 87th Academy Awards will be taking place on Sunday, and I'm hugely excited to be once again having an Oscar Party with my best friends – unlike last year, now I've actually seen some of the nominated films: Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything,The Imitation Game and the last Hobbit film.
However, none of those films are going to be the real subject of this post. Just like last year, I'm going to rank the nominees for Best Original Song and comment on them – again, without having seen the movies for which these songs were written. All in all, though, I have to say that the competition in this category is appallingly mediocre in my opinion. There is no Let It Go this year. Alright, let's take a look at the five nominees. Or a listen.
#5. 'I'm Not Gonna Miss You' from Glen Campbell... I'll Be Me
Music and lyrics by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
This melody and the instrumental background bore me so much that I could use this as a lullaby. Except that I've actually made a "go to sleep" playlist for myself and I tend to only include songs that I like in there. I don't like this song at all. I have no patience for the kind of break-up songs where they say "I don't need you in my life" but really they think the opposite and they're just desperate for attention.
#4. 'Everything Is Awesome' from The Lego Movie
Music and lyrics by Shawn Patterson
I still haven't figured out exactly what a song like this – with lyrics about as meaningful as an empty balloon and not even a decent dance beat to save it – is doing on a list of nominees for the Academy Awards. Seriously, try listening to this so that you actually concentrate on the lyrics. Did you? Yep, I know – that's a minute and a half that you'll never get back.
#3. 'Glory' from Selma
Music and lyrics by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
I liked how this song started off. The background instruments set the atmosphere very well and the chorus works. Then the rap verses kick in, with lyrics so overwhelmingly preachy that they must have been written while ticking off the "Most Clichéd Phrases for Freedom-fighting Songs" list. If you want to handle a theme like this with beauty and earnestness, try a little subtlety, please.
#2. 'Grateful' from Beyond the Lights
Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
Finally, moving up on the list to songs that do not annoy me in almost every possible way. "Grateful" is very listenable indeed. Too bad that practically every female pop singer does a variation of the "I endured hardships but I'm glad about it because it made me a stronger person" ballad and this song doesn't have anything terribly interesting or creative to say on the subject.
And the Oscar should go to... 'Lost Stars' from Begin Again
Music and lyrics by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois
I wouldn't say this is a great song, but it's the only one out of these nominees that doesn't feel pretentious, boring or meaningless to me. It has a nice, relaxed feel about it, but if you listen to the lyrics properly it is actually quite thoughtful. I will of course always appreciate a touch of the piano and the guitar on the background, and the chorus has a good beat about it.
Are you going to watch the award show this year? How much do you usually care about the Original Song category? I'm off to do some more Oscar blogging!
When a singer covers another one's song, does it mean they are running out of ideas of their own? I think not. Is it an insult to the original version if someone makes a re-imagined cover? Again, I think not – as long as the original artist is credited alongside the new one.
In my opinion, a song has to be great in some respect to begin with, in order to inspire a good cover version. Very often, another artist's take on a song highlights some great quality that you never really paid attention to while listening to the original. So in this way, covers can definitely be regarded as a nod of respect to the original version, rather than a slander.
I've listed here seven cover songs that, in my opinion, are better than their originals. Some of them have become so iconic that they are often associated with the cover artist rather than the original, but others just show my personal preferences. A couple of these songs are popular enough to have been covered by several artists, but I have only listed my favourite ones. Have fun listening and comparing! Crazy In Love –originally by Beyoncé, covered by Emeli Sandé
I always thought this song was restless to the point that I swear it makes my blood pressure climb up, so the re-imagined background on the Emeli Sandé cover is a very welcome change. Unlike with the other songs on my list, I don't think the cover version really unearthed any hidden qualities about the original song, but it sure is much more listenable.
Make You Feel My Love – originally by Bob Dylan, covered by Adele
Now, this melody was great already when Bob Dylan wrote it. I'm just not at all a fan of his voice, and his version sounds very monotonous to me. It takes Adele to make this song a real emotion-booster that it has the capacity to be. Just listen to that heart-breaking tone that she puts into each and every syllable.
Unchained Melody – originally by Todd Duncan, covered by The Righteous Brothers
Unchained Melody was originally composed for a prison film called, you guessed it, Unchained. The famous Righteous Brothers cover was also used in a film, Ghost. The original Todd Duncan version is quite beautiful in its simplicity, but I happen to be head over heels in love with Bobby Hatfield's voice – how he manages to use his voice like that is subject of constant awe for me. (This song is actually a Bobby Hatfield solo although it's usually credited to The Righteous Brothers duo.) I also love the way the cover version starts off very quiet and mellow, and then soars higher and higher as it goes on.
Yesterday – originally by The Beatles, covered by Ray Charles
Right, supposedly nobody is allowed to say that someone did a Paul McCartney song better than Paul McCartney – but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't mean to say I dislike the Beatles original, but only Ray Charles can really make me feel for this song. This is a most definite case of "a great song making great covers happen".
Run – originally by Snow Patrol, covered by Leona Lewis
I found Leona Lewis' cover before the original and was quite surprised when I discovered where this great, emotional ballad had its roots. Somehow, the Snow Patrol lyrics gain a whole new level of meaning when they have the benefit of Lewis' powerful voice.
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – originally by Cher, covered by Nancy Sinatra
I'm sorry, but I think the whole point of this song is lost under the distracting arrangement of the Cher version. Therefore, it baffles me to no end how Nancy Sinatra managed to turn it into such a captivating melody, with its beautiful, toned-down backgrounds. In this case, less is definitely more.
I Will Always Love You – originally by Dolly Parton, covered by Whitney Houston
Last on my list, the epitome of epic covers. I mean, is there anybody out there who doesn't immediately think Whitney Houston when this song is mentioned? Thank you Dolly Parton for writing such a powerful song, and thank you Whitney Houston for making it immortal with her sensational vocal chords. Isn't it intriguing how a country song is transformed into a power ballad by just tweaking the instrumentals a bit and adding some soulful saxophone?
What do you think about my list – do you prefer the originals or the covers? Would you like to mention some other successful cover songs? How do you feel about singers covering each others' songs in general?
I have to say I know very little about the films competing for the Academy Awards this year. Last year was very exciting because Les Misérables was nominated in so many categories, and I even watched the whole awards show for the first time in my life. I haven't seen any of the mega-awards-nominated movies from this year (such as 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle), but I decided to do my research in at least one category: the Best Original Song nominees.
So now I'm going to list all the five Original Song nominees from my least favourite choice to the one I would want to win the award – with comments that justify their placement in that order, of course. I haven't seen any of the films where these songs appear so I will judge their qualities as individual songs only, not taking into account how they function in their respective films. If you've already done your research and made your pick, see if your opinion agrees with mine! And if you haven't I'll embed videos of all the songs so you can choose your favourite now.
#5 The Moon Song from Her
The Moon Song gets the last place in my ranking because that kind of guitar-plucking, wheezy-voiced style of music never resonates with me. I'm surely not the only one who can't make anything out of half of the lyrics because they just get blurred into oblivion? And because of that, I have completely no idea what this song is even supposed to be about!
#4 Alone Yet Not Alone from Alone Yet Not Alone
Every time this song begins, I think "It's actually quite a beautiful melody." But by the time the tune rolls halfway through, I'm bored. I don't know if it's because of the lullaby-esque rendition or the fact that I can't relate to the lyrics at all, but I. Get. Bored. It's by no means a bad song, just not at all Oscar material. (and even though it has nothing to do with the song itself, I just have to wonder who on Earth, in the 21st century, makes a film that has Native American characters without hiring actual Native Americans... Seriously, the black wigs and the feathers don't trick anyone anymore) EDIT// As of January 29th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has disqualified "Alone Yet Not Alone" as a nominee. Composer Bruce Broughton personally contacted some members of the Academy music branch (of which he used to be the governor) during the voting period in order to get more attention for his song, which the Academy considered unethical. A replacing nominee has not been chosen.
#3 Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
This song, by the U2, doesn't awaken any thoughts in me, either positive or negative, so the middle is a good place for it. Because of this lack of feeling, I find it hard to say anything about it. I just don't quite grasp what the lyrics are trying to say. What is the definition of "ordinary love" and why is it better than "extraordinary love"?
#2 Happy from Despicable Me 2
Finally this list gets to the songs that make me say "Yeah, this is awesome!" I dare you not to tap your foot to this one. There's never too many happy songs on this planet, and Pharrell Williams has something really cool going on here. The song might be a bit too long and the lyrics get somewhat repetitive, but that instrumental background is just too infectious to resist!
And the winner should be... Let It Go from Frozen
Alright, before I say anything else I have to admit that I might have been a little biased in this song's favour from the start. I heard and fell in love with Let It Go weeks before I knew anything about the other ones. Besides, I just happen to be in a situation in my life right now where inspirational songs like this are like chocolate. Oh, and I've been a huge fan of Idina Menzel for years. But well, no matter how many times I listen to all the Oscar nominees in different order, this one always wins. None of the others have those amazing piano runs in the gaps between the verses, and as a Finn who knows everything about the combination of cold and dark I wholeheartedly congratulate Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (the husband-and-wife team behind this song) on managing to create the winter night atmosphere right in the first few bars of the song. A great song, there's no getting over it, and it should definitely win the award. And they should definitely get Idina Menzel to sing it at the gala, that would be one bullet-proof way to bring some quality into that show. If she doesn't, I'll be sad. If they get Demi Lovato to sing her version of it, I'll roll my eyes.
What's your pick for the award winner? Are you going to watch the gala, and if so what are you most expecting to see? I'm really excited to see Ellen DeGeneres hosting the show! I know she's done it once before, but I didn't watch that year. However, I've come to realize that the clips from her show are one of the best and funniest things on Youtube, which is why I think she'll make a very entertaining hostess.
There's no other way to say it: I HATE Autumn from the bottom of my heart. I find absolutely nothing to celebrate about the fact that the days get shorter, everything outside is grey and ugly and the weather sucks. Probably the main reason to my passionate hate of this season is the fact that I'm one of those people whose energy level is immensely dependent on the amount of sunlight – in the summer, when the sun is up nearly all the time here in the North, I don't feel like sleeping at all, and now that it's getting darker and darker until there's just a couple of hours of daylight left in December, I feel like sleeping all the time! I found out that the only way to survive October and November was eating chocolate and getting into Christmas mode. Oh, and taking Vitamin D.
I also dug out this 30 Days of Music tag from Kristallikettu's blog to add some fun to this depressing month called October. What it means is that for each day this month I choose one song according to the directions of this tag. It would be pointless to create separate posts to all 30 song choices so I'll just edit them all into this same post.
Let's get started...
Day 1: My Favourite Song
It annoys me immensely when this question pops up... I mean, how is it possible for any person to have just ONE favourite song?! I know I have at least a hundred! Okay if I have to pick one... I guess it could be Stand By Me by Ben E. King. I adore the double bass intro and the video is somehow really cute. And, of course Mr King's voice, like no other on the planet. I even feel a tiny bit more positive about facing the horrors of October after listening through this song.
Day 2: My Least Favourite Song
This is a tricky one as well, because whenever I come across an atrocious song I like to avoid it, so it doesn't really stick in my mind. I'm going to go with Nicki Minaj's Stupid Hoe because no matter which way I try to listen to it, even given the option that Minaj isn't even taking herself seriously here, I can't think of it as anything else but an unbelievable waste of time, energy, vocal chords and Youtube space. Sorry Minaj fans...
Day 3: A Song That Makes Me Happy
There's something irresistibly positive about Ain't No Mountain High Enough, sung by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
Day 4: A Song That Makes Me Sad
Garou's Que l'Amour Est Violent was playing at our house after our family's first dog was put to sleep and even after five years I always remember that day when I listen to this. Hear it out even if you can't understand a word of French, it's really beautiful and that man has a voice like no one else.
Day 5: A Song That Reminds Me Of Someone
Ever since Midsummer celebrations of 2013, Psy's Gentleman reminds me of one of my lovely cousins who wore a hilarious costume. Oh my that was so much fun...
Day 6: A Song That Reminds Me Of Somewhere We Are Young by fun. reminds me of the wonderful week I spent in Glasgow visiting a friend.
Day 7: A Song That Reminds Me Of An Event
This one reminds me of another cousin's wedding: Tapani Kansa's R-A-K-A-S which you hear all the time unless you know how to avoid certain radio stations and dance events. For those of you who don't know Finnish, it's basically about wanting to marry your L-O-V-E in the countryside.
Day 8: A Song That I Know All Of The Words To
Learning song lyrics has sort of become a new hobby of mine so Somewhere from the musical West Side Story is just one example.
Day 9: A Song I Can Dance To
In Finnish high schools there's an optional dance course (mostly to get ready for the school dance called "Wanhojen tanssit") and we did salsa with Juanes' La Camisa Negra :D
Day 10: A Song I Fall Asleep To
I'm a really picky sleeper. One thing that I absolutely require in order to fall asleep is that everything must be QUIET. If there's a loud concert at the indoor ice rink some hundreds of meters away, my sleep is ruined. So yeah, I don't really play music when I want to sleep. But... there's one song that I play in my head when I feel too restless to sleep, and it always works! It's A Little Fall of Rain from, of course, Les Misérables. Is it weird that I use a death song as a lullaby?
Day 11: A Song From My Favourite Band
Just like I don't have one favourite song, I don't have one favourite band. But I have been a tiny bit obsessed with Fleetwood Mac for quite a long time now. Here's some Second Hand News for ya.
Day 12: A Song From A Band I Hate
What's with all the "hate" questions here? I don't want to share things I dislike to my readers! Not to mention I have to rummage my head for all my worst music-related memories which I've been doing my best to forget. Alright, here's a song that was constantly playing in the radio for a while and it drove me insane: Suudellaan (= Let's kiss) by the Finnish band Lauri Tähkä & Elonkerjuu (nowadays just Elonkerjuu). I don't know exactly what annoys me so much about this band!
Day 13: A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure
As I explained in this post, I don't really have any "guilty pleasures" in music because I don't have a problem telling people what I like. But if I did believe in the idea, I think this recent find would fit the description. Some weeks ago I listened to One Night In Bangkok from the musical Chess (composed, by the way, by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus aka the ABBA guys) and now I can't stop... It's so ridiculous and SO AWESOME.
Day 14: A Song That No-one Would Expect Me To Like
What an interesting question. I actually have no idea what other people think about my taste in music! I like so many different types of music that I don't know if I could really surprise people with anything. I guess, maybe those people who know I'm not religious at all could be surprised to know that I adore Amazing Grace. This version is by Celtic Woman.
Day 15: A Song That Describes Me
That would have to be Paloma Faith's Upside Down, there is no other option!
Day 16: A Song I Used To Like But Now Hate
I generally don't change my opinions about music. If I start to like a song, I'll like it forever, no matter how much other people think it's "overplayed"! But if I think really hard, there's this one song that I, for some mysterious reason, listened to a lot when I was smaller (like ten, maybe) – Try To Say I'm Sorry by Princessa. WHY? That voice is terriblyannoying and the singer looks like an emaciated Kristen Stewart.
Day 17: A Song I Always Hear On The Radio
I never listen to the radio at home, but it's nice to put it on in the car. My mum and I usually choose Groove FM, and that channel likes to play Adele's Set Fire To The Rain
Day 18: A Song I Wish I Heard On The Radio
As I'm usually in the car when I listen to the radio, I would love to hear Michael Jackson's Speed Demon! Isn't that just a perfect car driving song?
Day 19: A Song From My Favourite Album
The Dreamgirls film soundtrack is definitely one of my favourite albums. It's the perfect mix of great, groovy tunes and character-building ballads bursting with soul and emotion. Steppin' To The Bad Side is on the groovy side, I simply can't stay still when they get the saxophones going there.
Day 20: A Song I Listen To When I'm Angry
I do realize I already featured Michael Jackson a short while ago, but there just isn't a more ideal anger song for me than They Don't Care About Us.
Day 21: A Song I Listen To When I'm Happy Today 4 U from the musical RENT, because Angel is awesome.
Day 22: A Song I Listen To When I'm Sad
There's a LOT of songs I could choose from, but I'll pick Madonna's The Power Of Good-Bye.
Day 23: A Song To Play At My Wedding Seasons of Love, a.k.a the most moving anthem about life, from the wonderful musical RENT!
Day 24: A Song To Play At My Funeral
Wow, I haven't really thought about this... Seasons of Love would suit this occasion perfectly as well, but it would be lame to use the same song twice. Madonna's I'll Remember would be a possibility. Glee's Chris Colfer introduced me to this song and I've loved loved loved it ever since – specifically, his version of it.
Day 25: A Song That Makes Me Laugh
I'm glad there's something cheerful here after those funeral contemplations! I know I shared this song in my Mary Poppins post already, but there is no other song in the world that makes me laugh out loud like I Love To Laugh from Mary Poppins! I've never managed to listen through it silently!
Day 26: A Song I Can Play On An Instrument
I played the flute for seven years so I can play a fair amount of stuff on it, but my favourite song to play is Danny Boy. (Actually, the melody is called Londonderry Air in my music books, the Danny Boy lyrics were made later.) I want to present this version sung by the wonderful Celtic Thunder.
PS there's an other video in Youtube where these same guys sing this same song in the open air wearing kilts and it's even more awesome, but Blogger won't let me add it here for some reason...
Day 27: A Song I Wish I Could Play
One of these days I'm seriously going to dig out the sheet music for I'm A Doun For Lack O'Johnnie (there's about 11 different ways to spell the song title and none of them seems to be the official, "right" one...). It's a part of the Scottish Fantasy composition by Max Bruch, made famous by the violinist Vanessa Mae. This melody is usually played with the violin, but no doubt it would sound great with the flute as well!
Day 28: A Song That Makes Me Feel Guilty
I don't exactly know what this question is about because songs rarely make me feel guilty, but I guess the nearest hit would be Whistle While You Work from Disney's Snow White. It might disturb me a little when it happens to pop into my head and my apartment is looking like a hurricane went through... I'm going to present the Finnish version Ain laulain työtäs tee, because of course I watched all the Disney films dubbed in Finnish when I was a kid (and even as a grown-up I swear the Finnish voices suit the characters much better than the original ones). And it will be a fun listen to all the non-Finns.
Day 29: A Song From My Childhood
Yep, Disney films belonged to my childhood as they do to practically everyone's, but I bet not everyone can say they knew the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein songs in The Sound Of Music at age five. My absolute favourite scene in the film was Liesl and Rolf's duet Sixteen Going On Seventeen. Liesl was my number one childhood heroine – she had such a pretty pink dress and a boy who sang with her. Plus, when my sister and I were smaller our mum would always stop the film right after Maria and Georg got married, and it came as a complete surprise to me later that the film actually continued from there. So for many years I didn't know that Rolf would become a bad guy!
Day 30: My Favourite Song Last Year
Okay this is hard, because like I said on Day 1 I have tons of favourite songs and I can't possibly keep track exactly when I started liking all of them. I recall listening to Lady Gaga's Born This Way a lot, and I still do – especially on the rare occasion when I make myself do work-out at home. I need a good beat for that, and Gaga has it.
BONUS Day 31: A Song That Is Really Insane
The original tag only covers 30 days but I made up this tiny addition myself because, as we all know, there are 31 days in October. There's always some sort of a "crazy, funny song" phenomenon going on in the wide world of the Internet. Stuff like Gangnam Style, Harlem Shake or... What Does The Fox Say by Ylvis! My apologies if you're already sick of this insanity... And this is officially the end of the 30 Days of Music challenge! Feel free to take up this tag on your blog!
Miss Saigon is full of wonderful music and moving lyrics, but on today's post I will share my absolute favourite songs and try to explain why I like them so much. I didn't put them in order of preference because it would be impossible for me to rank them – they are listed in the order where they appear in the show. Please remember what I said about the questionable language in the Miss Saigon lyrics!
The Movie In My Mind
This song takes place near the beginning of the show at the Dreamland club. Gigi, one of the bar girls, starts to sing about her impossible dream of escaping Vietnam and living the American Dream. Kim joins in, making it a wonderful female duet where Gigi's deep, dark voice contrasts with Kim's bright, youthful one. Female duets are much rarer in musical theatre than the traditional male-female ones, and I tend to like them as a rule.
Why God Why?
Chris has just realized he's in love with Kim and boy does he sing a beautiful song about his overpowering feelings! I chose to present a video with Gareth Gates singing, because I did mention how much I would love him to play Chris' part! I think his voice was made to sing this song. Blogger wouldn't let me put the video in like I did with the other songs, but I'll give you a link:
This Money Is Yours
Chris asks Kim to tell him more about herself. While it's terrible to hear what happened to Kim's parents, I like this song because Lea Salonga delivers it with such deep emotion and maturity of voice that it's impossible to believe she is just 17 years old here.
Sun and Moon
This is Kim and Chris' first love duet (yes, they have two of those). I love the imagery in the lyrics, how it compares Kim and Chris' unlikely romance to the sun and the moon meeting in the sky.
Dju Vui Vai
I've cried at every real wedding I've attended, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry when I get to see this performance on stage. The girls' chorus is like from another world, and the atmosphere of hope and promise really reaches your heart, which is much more important than having an authority figure to make the marriage official.
The Last Night of the World
Chris and Kim sing another duet after their unofficial wedding, and this is my favourite out of the two. The arrangements for the two voices are wonderful and the melody is so memorable it's constantly playing in head.
The Morning of the Dragon
One of the many ensemble numbers in this musical which correspond to the word EPIC. The Viet-Cong takes over in determined song. The harmonica is quite interesting here, but I actually think it sounds good.
You Will Not Touch Him/Thuy's Death/This Is The Hour
These three are always grouped a little differently depending on which album they're in – sometimes This Is The Hour is a separate track, sometimes it's put together with Thuy's Death and isn't mentioned by name at all. Anyway, they happen one right after the other, I think they're all great and clumping them all together means I've got more room in my Top 10 list, so they're going to be one item in this list. The story gets to one of its highest points here when Kim shows that she really will do anything to protect her little boy when Thuy comes back and threatens him. After this comes This Is The Hour, another ensemble number that sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it, and features what I think are honestly the best harmonies in the universe of musical theatre. Yes, I'm really going to make such a huge statement!
Bui-Doi
The ensemble sings again, led by John. John has become such a different person than what he was in Act I – in a positive sense! Once again, I love the melody and the harmonies...
Now That I've Seen Her
This is Ellen's solo which will no longer be heard in the revival. Ellen gets a lot of dirty looks from fans because of how they interpret these lyrics, but like I stated in my earlier post, I can't see what there is to hate about her. She has to go through a lot emotionally, suddenly hearing that her husband basically has another family in Vietnam!
Time to start off Miss Dashwood's Celebrate Musicals Week – or, in my case, Miss Saigon Week! I'm really excited about this week, because I obviously love musicals a lot and I got to pick a really great musical to write about. So I would like to thank Miss Dashwood for hosting this blog party, and for providing the tag for this post. I will respect her wish of keeping the content of all my Miss Saigon related posts family-friendly. Please read the following about the content of Miss Saigon before proceeding: Miss Saigon is by no means a light and fun play, I have to say. For those of you who don't know the plot I'll be giving a short synopsis in a minute, but first let's give the warnings of any content that some readers may find inappropriate. My language, as always in my blog, will be clean and I will not use any swear words or offensive language, but the lyrics and the plot of Miss Saigon include some very unpleasant words and references, including: extremely derogatory references to women, swear words, some negative language about Asians (though it's nowhere near the ugliest I have heard), prostitution, two deaths by gunshot and general things to do with war. I hope I remembered everything noteworthy.
And now let's move on to Miss Dashwood's tag, there are some nice questions to answer! 1. What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why? I chose Miss Saigon by Boublil and Schönberg because I fell in love with most of its songs the minute I heard them (they are just as brilliantly composed as the score of Les Misérables!) and the story is extremely beautiful and tragic. I also liked the idea of spotlighting a musical that is currently under much discussion because Miss Saigon is returning to the West End and it's been very exciting hearing all the news regarding the new production! Just in case there are readers who don't know the story of Miss Saigon, here's a short plot synopsis: Chris is an American GI who fights in the Vietnam War, and Kim is a young Vietnamese woman whose family was killed in an attack. The two meet at a night club where Kim works as a bar girl and a prostitute. The owner of the night club is the Engineer, a slimy character who only wants to get an American visa so he can move there and live "the American Dream". Chris and Kim instantly fall in love and Chris promises to take her with him to America, but then the Fall of Saigon happens. The Viet-Cong invade Saigon and all the American soldiers, including Chris, are evacuated while Kim is left behind. Three years later, Kim is raising her and Chris' son Tam, while Chris has got married in America in an effort to get over his grief. The Engineer thinks up a plan to get into America – he thinks he will get the visa if he pretends to be the uncle of Kim's half-American child. Kim, Tam and the Engineer travel to Bangkok, where Chris also arrives with his wife Ellen after receiving news that Kim is alive and has had his son. Kim wants to send Tam to America with his father, but Chris and especially Ellen think it's a better idea if they support Kim and Tam financially in Bangkok. Kim is so desperate for her son to have a better life in America that she shoots herself. 2. How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")? I first got obsessed with Les Misérables and then found out that Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg had made other musicals too. I found the Original London Cast recording and fell in love. 3. If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be? Oh dear, only three songs from a score where at least every other song is my favourite? Okay, I'll try...
The Last Night of the World, a beautiful love duet by Kim and Chris
This Is The Hour, a stunning ensemble number, the harmonies give me chills every time
The Movie In My Mind, a duet by Kim and Gigi, another bar girl
I'll be discussing more of my favourite songs somewhere during the week...
4. What's your least favorite song from your musical? I don't think any of the songs are bad, but the one I definitely like the least is The American Dream, sung by the Engineer near the end of the show. He sings about how he's going to make a fortune in America, which he basically said already somewhere earlier. The way he talks about his mother and father's professions is really quite disgusting and the composition isn't as memorable as in the other songs.
5. Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)? Kim, because she is such a well-developed character and has so many great songs. It's probably one of the hardest musical roles to cast – the original London production's auditions went on for a long time before Lea Salonga was found, and even now they're still looking for a Kim for the London revival. Gigi, because she's an interesting character too even though she doesn't have much stage time. First she appears to be completely hardened by life, teasing Kim with the other girls. Then she starts singing The Movie In My Mind and reveals the hope she still has in her heart even though she knows it's foolish. Ellen, because she is in such a difficult position regarding Chris and Kim. It would be easy to hate her for "taking Chris away" from Kim, but I can't because Ellen suffers from the situation too. I think her solo Now That I've Seen Her is great. It has been replaced by a new song Maybe, and I can't wait to see if I can like that song too.
6. Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite? Unfortunately I haven't seen Miss Saigon on stage at all yet. There was a production in Finland in 2004, but I wasn't such a musical freak back then so I didn't know anything about it. Only two cast recordings exist: the Original London Cast recording and the Complete Symphonic Recording. I like the first one better, because Lea Salonga and Simon Bowman are so amazing as Kim and Chris. 7. Is this your favorite musical of all time? If not, what is? It's definitely in my Top Ten list, but not the ultimate favourite. That is... Les Misérables! 8. Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most? I haven't really kept track of that... Lately, I've been listening to the Miss Saigon OLC a lot to get inspired for this blog party. The Les Mis 25th Anniversary Tour recording is definitely one of my favourite cast recordings which I listen to a lot.
9. What is your favorite costume from your musical? Actually, Miss Saigon isn't filled with lovely costumes like The Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady and such. Most of the men wear army uniforms and most of the women wear, well, skimpy clothes. Kim wears something tattered and unattrctive most of the time. However, there is one scene where she gets to dress up nicely – the wedding scene. I couldn't find a better picture of it, but here you can see Kim, kneeling in that white dress:
10. If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change? I would want to make it clearer that Chris was just as devastated about being parted from his beloved as Kim was, and that he only married Ellen after losing all hope of being reunited with Kim. Chris gets a lot of hate from fans because people think he married Ellen without looking back and forgot all about Kim. I think it would be good for him to have a proper solo in the second act, either right after he finds out he has a son, or when he has arrived in Bangkok. He could sing about what his life was like after he left Kim behind, and what led to his marriage with Ellen. 11. Which role(s) would you most like to play inanymusical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage? I think Éponine is my number one dream role in a musical! She has great songs and gets to die on stage after singing a touching duet with Marius, and then gets carried off by singing young men. Not bad at all! And I really like that hat she wears. Another great role to play would be Eliza Doolittle. She's such a funny character, and quite demanding too as you'd have to portray both the Cockney-speaking flower seller and the "fair lady" she becomes. I love all the four solo songs she has! I've been planning a separate "My Dream Roles In Musicals" post so I won't go on about this forever, but other great roles to play would be Maureen Johnson in RENT, Nancy in Oliver! and Ilse in Spring Awakening. Just to name a few... 12. If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play? I really have just one wish about the upcoming West End revival: Please, please, please have Gareth Gates play Chris! I absolutely adored his voice as Marius on the Les Mis 25th Anniversary Tour recording, and I think he could express Chris perfectly! He's even sung Chris' solo Why God Why!
13. Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals? Musical theatre as a form of art is pure awesomeness! Alright there's bound to be some musicals that I don't like that much, but not very many! 14. Are you tired of the word "musical" yet? No I'm not, and I never will be!
15. Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating! How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?
The Bitch Of Living from Spring Awakening – I listen to Spring Awakening from time to time. It's not one of my absolute favourite musicals but there are some things I really like about it. This song is angsty in a really funny kind of way... Or maybe it's just my weird sense of humour.
Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – It's an OK song, nice and mellow. Again, this isn't on my favourite musicals list, I think it's weird though kind of fun too.
Sympathy, Tenderness from Jekyll & Hyde – I discovered this musical quite recently, haven't listened to the cast recording enough yet to really give my proper opinion about the songs. This one does have an interesting, eerie atmosphere.
So the blog party has begun... Have a great week with musicals everyone!
