BMM 26 - Stepsisters Lament

Why should a fellow want a girl like her,
A frail and fluffy beauty?
Why can't a fellow ever once prefer
A solid girl like me?

 She's a frothy little bubble
With a flimsy kind of charm
And with very little trouble,
I could break her little arm!

Oh, why would a fellow want a girl like her,
So obviously unusual?
Why can't a fellow ever once prefer
A usual girl like me? 

Her cheeks are a pretty shade of pink
But not any pinker than a rose is
Her skin may be delicate and soft
But not any softer than a doe's is 

Her neck is no wider than a swan's
She's only as dainty as a daisy
She's only as graceful as a bird
So, why is the fellow going crazy? 

Oh, why would a fellow want a girl like her,
A girl who's merely lovely?
Why can't a fellow ever once prefer
A girl who's merely me? 

She's a frothy little bubble
With a frilly sort of air
And with very little trouble,
I could pull out all her hair! 

Oh, why would a fellow want a girl like her,
A girl who's merely lovely?
Why can't a fellow ever once prefer
A girl who's merely me?

What's the matter with the man?
What's the matter with the man?
What's the matter with the man? 

Once again, there's no Wikipedia bit on this song, so I'll skip to my own thoughts.

In hindsight, this is a surprisingly profound song despite its silly, petty tone. People do tend to favor those with a beautiful outward appearance; not that there's anything wrong with physical beauty, but sometimes the personality of that person gets overlooked, among other things.

In some works of fiction, like Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey, the guy does some pretty awful things to the girl, yet she not only puts up with it but embraces it and stays with him because he's just so hot. Of course, it works just as well (unfortunately) the other way around; a certain guy will do anything to keep a certain sexy girl by his side, no matter how horrible she is.

In my opinion, a pretty face is a pretty poor substitute for an ugly personality. I put that belief to excellent use in my own fictional work.

Adela only wants Romulus and Tallis because they're so handsome (and so important) and she assumes her own pretty face qualifies her as much as any other girl. Those who know the whole story can't blame Romulus or Tallis a single jot for avoiding her like the plague, including her parents.

But this song makes me think of Kaylee's sisters the most, when they're stewing in their own ridiculous envy of Sheena and feeling sorry for themselves when they're not trying so hard to make Troy reconsider. Of course, Lavinia and Daisy are nowhere near as bad as Catherine, and their own mother is plenty jealous in her own way. It's Catherine and Lottie who won't hesitate to break Sheena's little arm or pull out all her hair if they could get away with it. 

So, this song does a great job at adding more depth to Cinderella's stepsisters, even making them a bit more sympathetic, if only a tiny bit. 

BMM 25 - Impossible

 

Impossible

For a plain yellow pumpkin

To become a golden carriage 

Impossible

For a plain country bumpkin

And a prince to join in marriage

 

And four white mice

Will never be four white horses

 Such fol-de-rol and fiddle-dee-dee

Of course is

Impossible! 

 

But the world is full of zanies and fools 

Who don't believe in sensible rules

 And won't believe what sensible people say 

And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes

Keep building up impossible hopes 

Impossible things are happening every day!

 

Impossible! (Impossible!)

Impossible! (Impossible!)

 

Impossible

For a plain yellow pumpkin

To become a golden carriage

Impossible

For a plain country bumpkin

And a prince to join in marriage

 

And four white mice

Will never be four white horses

(They will!)

Such fol-de-rol and fiddle-dee-dee

Of course is

Impossible!

 

But the world is full of zanies and fools

Who don't believe in sensible rules

 And won't believe what sensible people say

And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes

Keep building up impossible hopes

Impossible things are happening every day!

 

Look!

 

It's possible

For a plain yellow pumpkin

To become a golden carriage

It's possible

For a plain country bumpkin

And a prince to join in marriage

 

And four white mice

Are easily turned to horses

Such fol-de-rol and fiddle-dee-dee 

Of course is 

Quite possible!

It's possible!

 

For the world is full of zanies and fools

Who don't believe in sensible rules 

And won't believe what sensible people say

And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes

Keep building up impossible hopes

Impossible things are happening every day!

 

It's possible! (It's possible!)

It's possible! (It's possible!)

It's possible! (It's possible!)

It's possible!

 

It's possible! 

 

Not really seeing anything on Wikipedia about this song in particular, so I'll just give you my own thoughts and keep them nice and short.

 

Cinderella is probably the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical I not only like but can actually sit all the way through...sort of. Either way, it's safe to say this one tops my list.

 

 

Not only do I love the songs and listen to them fairly often, but I got a lot of inspiration for Kaylee's story from both this version and the Disney version. Although "Impossible" is not quite my favorite song, it's a lot of fun to sing and it seemed one of the easiest to illustrate for Musical May. I'm a bit more partial to "In My Own Little Corner," "The Prince is Giving a Ball," "Ten Minutes Ago," and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful."

 

Disney Musical May 22 - Sweet Nightingale

The pear-shaped toad
Ohhhhh, sing, sweet nightingale
Sing, sweet nightingale
Hi-i-igh above me
Oh, sing, sweet nightingale
Sing, sweet nightingale
High above... 

Oh, sing, sweet nightingale
Sing, sweet nightingale, hi-i-igh
Oh, sing, sweet nightingale
Sing, sweet nightingale

Oh, sing, sweet nightingale
Sing, sweet...

Oh, sing, sweet nightingale, sing
Oh, sing, sweet nightingale
Oh, sing sweet
Oh, sing... 

Oh, sing sweet nightingale
Sing sweet nightingale
High-igh-igh-igh-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! 

As tempting as it was to draw something for "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" or "So This is Love," I settled for one of the lesser-known songs from Cinderella that I like a lot.

Not a long or very complex song, but something about it relaxes me so...and the way it ends never fails to get a laugh out of me!

Cinderella is a movie I liked well enough as a kid, even if my sister gushed more over it than I did, but now my appreciation for it has grown with me. When you think about it, it's a very beautiful and surprisingly profound story, and Cinderella herself is a much deeper, stronger character than modern audiences give her credit for.

In a way, Cinderella is like the nightingale. Even in her state of drudgery and abuse, she can still sing a sweet song and be just as sweet herself.

In another way, her kindness is her form of payback. She's showing her stepfamily they can't break her, even if they temporarily succeed a few times. 

Ironically enough, that's exactly why her stepmother hates her so much. Every time Lady Tremaine tries to land a blow, Cinderella (metaphorically speaking) hits back or deflects the blow like a tennis ball.

Granted, Cinderella is still human like everybody else and can only turn the other cheek so many times. But whenever she's inclined to stay on the ground, she finds some way (sometimes with a little help) to dust herself off and rise to her feet once again.

That's what I love about her. We need more role models like her, more than ever.

Another thing about this movie that further warms my heart is what it did for Ilene Woods, Cinderella's voice actress.

(All images property of their respective owners.)

When she was old, sick, and dying in a nursing home, something about "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" brought a smile to her face. She could no longer remember where the song came from, let alone the fact that she was listening to her younger voice. But it sounded so nice and made her feel so good that her medical aides played it for her over and over. It brought her wonderful comfort in her final hours.

That's as lovely as it gets. Sad, but lovely.