BMM 18 - Hello Dolly

Hello, Dolly
This is Louis, Dolly
It's so nice to have you back
Where you belong
You're lookin' swell, Dolly
I can tell, Dolly
You're still glowin'
You're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong

 I feel the room swayin'
While the band's playin'
One of our old favorite songs
From way back when
So, take her wrap, fellas
Find her an empty lap, fellas
Dolly'll never go away again 

Hello, Dolly
Well, hello, Dolly
It's so nice to have you back
Where you belong
You're lookin' swell, Dolly
I can tell, Dolly
You're still glowin'
You're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong

 I feel the room swayin'
While the band keeps playin'
One of our old favorite songs
From way back when
So, golly-gee, fellas
Have a little faith in me, fellas
Dolly'll never go away
I said she'll never go away
Dolly'll never go away again 

From Wikipedia: "Hello, Dolly!" is the title song of the popular musical of the same name, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.

A recording by Louis Armstrong released in 1964 was a widely popular success, winning the Song of the Year and Male Vocal Performance awards at the 7th Annual Grammy Awards. Armstrong's rendition was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. 

My own thoughts: I know absolutely nothing about this musical, having never looked further into it with any real intent. I only ever heard the title and I more or less picked this song at random. 

But I did play the Louis Armstrong song just now, and I'll admit it's catchy if surprisingly short. The only other Louis Armstrong song I've listened to up till now is "What a Wonderful World," which is his true trademark. 

BMM 17 - Matchmaker

Tzeitel, you're the oldest! Yente has to make a match for you before she can make one for me!

Oh, Yente, Yente!

Well, somebody has to arrange the matches. Young people can't decide these things for themselves!

She might bring someone wonderful...

Someone interesting...

And well off...

And important!

 Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Make me a match
Find me a find
Catch me a catch
Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Look through your book
And make me a perfect match!

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
I'll bring the veil
You bring the groom
Slender and pale
Bring me a ring, for I'm longing to be
The envy of all I see!

For Papa, make him a scholar
For Mama, make him rich as a king!
Me, well, I wouldn't holler
If he were as handsome as anything!

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Make me a match
Find me a find
Catch me a catch
Night after night
In the dark I'm alone
So, find me a match
Of my own! 

Since when are you interested in a match, Chava? I thought you just had your eye on your books. And you have your eye on the rabbi's son. 

Well, why not? We only have one rabbi and he only has one son. Why shouldn't I want the best?

Because you're a girl from a poor family! So, whatever Yente brings, you'll take, right? Of course, right! 

Hodel, oh Hodel!
Have I made a match for you!
He's handsome, he's young
All right, he's 62
But he's a nice man, a good catch, true?
True!
I promise you'll be happy
And even if you're not,
There's more to life than that
Don't ask me what!

Chava, I found him!
Won't you be a lucky bride!
He's handsome, he's tall,
That is, from side to side
But he's a nice man, a good match, right?
Right!
You heard he has a temper
He'll beat you every night
But only when he's sober
So you're all right!

Did you think you'd get a prince?
Well, I'll find the best I can!
With no dowry, no money, no family background,
Be glad you got a man!

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
You know that I'm still very young
Please, take your time
Up to this minute I misunderstood
That I could get stuck for good!

Yente, see that he's gentle
Remember you were also a bride
It's not that I'm sentimental
It's just that I'm terrified!

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,
Plan me no plans
I'm in no rush
Maybe I've learned
Playing with matches
A girl can get burned

So, bring me no ring
Groom me no groom
Find me no find
Catch me no catch
Unless he's a matchless match! 

From Wikipedia: "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" is a song from the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof, with music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. It was later made into a film in 1971. The story revolves around a poor Jewish milkman, Tevye, and his five daughters, as he attempts to maintain his Jewish traditions. His three eldest daughters marry, but each daughter's choice of husband moves further and further away from their traditions. 

Tevye and Golde's daughters sing about a matchmaker choosing a partner for them. Hodel and Chava sing excitedly about their future marriages, arranged by the matchmaker, Yente. However, Tzeitel, the eldest daughter, warns the others that, as they are from a poor family, they'll have to marry whoever Yente brings for them, regardless if it's an unhappy marriage. Towards the end of the song, the sisters quickly realize that they might rather remain on their own than marry just anybody.

The blog Sermons From Seattle explains, "The story [of Fiddler] is that the matchmaker is to meet with the mother and father and match their three daughters to prospective husbands. But the girls want to choose their own partners and not use the matchmaker. Traditions are changing. Those old traditions are beginning to crumble." 

This song epitomizes the more traditional views regarding this issue that the daughters question at the very beginning. As time passes, they begin to think for themselves and change the tradition.

My own thoughts: This is probably my most favorite song from this musical. Not only is it fun to sing, not only do the lyrics roll off your tongue with relative ease, but it also poses a serious philosophical problem.

Today, we take it for granted that we may marry whomever we want. But back in the old days, most people didn't have that kind of freedom, especially the women. Some women had to take literally whatever they could get, so marriage was more of a public-approved form of slavery than anything else. 

This song is also a wonderful fit for Kaylee Drummond and her four sisters. Their mother is sort of their matchmaker, and at first, Faith, Lavinia, Daisy, and (to an extent) Catherine trust wholeheartedly that Mother knows what she's doing. Kaylee's not so sure, and the other girls start to see their mother in a less glamorous light when Lottie dismisses the idea of marrying for love to their faces. 

Lottie and Philip didn't get to marry for love (though they didn't totally hate each other at first), so why should it be any different for their daughters? That doesn't sit well with the girls at all, Faith especially. 

Philip wouldn't have been so flippant if he realized just how worried and scared his daughters were. And, of course, Lottie only wanted her daughters (except Kaylee) to marry into royalty so that she could take her dictatorship to the next level, the highest level of all. Becoming the puppet master of a Queen was her ultimate dream. 

Of course, that's not quite how it would have worked. But Lottie naturally assumes that being the Queen's mother makes her an exception to the rules; Ann's father was the exact same way, worse even. 

And that was one of the many reasons why Lottie despised Kaylee and tried to keep her away from Prince Troy, because she knew Kaylee would have resisted her a lot more. Kaylee is already a very fine woman by herself, and the only credit Lottie can claim is giving birth to her. Kaylee can already think for herself and Lottie knows it, as much as she resents it. 

Fortunately, Kaylee's sisters also break free from Lottie's control (except Catherine) and make up their own minds whom they want to marry as well as what kind of women they want to be. And Lottie gets a harsh reminder that her daughters are neither pawns nor tools, just as Philip gets a harsh reminder that his daughters deserve to be loved for who they are, not for what he or society expect them to be. 

Goes to show that, as important as tradition is, some traditions are meant to be broken. Someone has to be bold enough to challenge the old ideas and issue new ones. 

That's what I like about Fiddler on the Roof as a whole. It's not my most favorite musical but I can appreciate the overall message it conveys. So, you can probably tell that I borrowed bits and pieces of that story for my own story. 

BMM 16 - When I Grow Up

When I grow up,
I will be tall enough to reach the branches
That I need to reach to climb the trees
You get to climb when you're grown up  

And when I grow up,
I will be smart enough to answer
All the questions that you need to know
The answers to before you're grown up 

And when I grow up,
I will eat sweets every day
On the way to work
And I will go to bed late every night  

And I will wake up
When the sun comes up
And I will watch cartoons
Until my eyes go square
And I won't care
'Cause I'll be all grown up

When I grow up
When I grow up
When I grow up
When I grow up
I will be strong enough to carry
All the heavy things you have to haul around with you
When you're a grown-up 

And when I grow up,
When I grow up,
When I grow up,
I will be brave enough to fight the creatures
That you have to fight beneath the bed
Each night to be a grown-up 

And when I grow up
(When I grow up)
I will have treats every day
And I'll play with things that Mum pretends
That mums don't think are fun

And I will wake up
(I will wake up)
When the sun comes up
And I will spend all day just lying in the sun
And I won't burn
'Cause I'll be all grown-up
When I grow up

When I grow up
I will be brave enough to fight the creatures
That you have to fight beneath the bed
Each night to be a grown-up
When I grow up

Just because you find that life's not fair
It doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it
If you always take it on the chin and wear it,
Nothing will change
When I grow up

Just because I find myself in this story,
It doesn't mean that everything is written for me
If I think the ending is fixed already,
I might as well be saying
I think that it's okay
And that's not right!

From Wikipedia: "When I Grow Up" was the first song that Tim Minchin wrote for Matilda, attempting to find a tone for the entire musical, drawing inspiration from his child. He also drew inspiration from a childhood memory in which the adults on his grandfather's farm would fiddle with the padlock to a gate, whereas Minchin went out of his way to hurdle the gate, promising to himself to never open the farm gate. 

The song explains what it means to grow up. Even the adults feel they haven't yet grown up. New York Magazine notes that in the song, "they dream of being old enough to handle the burdens that life, with its rude sense of humor, has already given them."

The New York Times writes, "Matilda’s schoolmates sing of a time when they’ll be strong enough to carry the burdens forced upon them and to flush out monsters from under the bed. Grown-ups know that some burdens crush even the broadest shoulders, that there will always be some kind of monster to worry about, and that happy endings are at best only provisional. They say that they can do whatever they want when they are grown up."

My own thoughts: I've heard plenty about Matilda, though I've yet to see the musical, watch the movie, or even read the book.

I do like Roald Dahl, and I find the premise of Matilda's story quite intriguing. I appreciate the overall message, about how children are often smarter than they're given credit for, how a family is more about love than biological connections, and of course, it's mighty satisfying to see a truly despicable villain get their just rewards. 

I also like characters who manage to stay sweet and kind in times of hardship, how they have plenty of legitimate struggles but they always find some way to get back up. Matilda sounds a lot like James from James and the Giant Peach, and I definitely read and liked that story. 

Speaking of James, I sort of entertain the thought that he and Matilda end up marrying each other. They sound like they'd be a perfect fit.

So, what convinced me to illustrate a song for this musical? Well, I was browsing popular Broadway songs (I actually don't know that many, believe it or not) and this was included on the list. I decided to give it a try, and when I listened to it through Amazon Music, I liked it.

BMM 15 - The Impossible Dream

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
And to love, pure and chaste, from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
And to fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart
Will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest 

And the world will be better for this
That one man
Scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach
The unreachable
The unreachable
The unreachable stars

I'll always dream
(I'll always dream)
The impossible dream
(The impossible dream)
And yes, I will reach
(Yes, I will reach)
The unreachable stars

From Wikipedia: "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. The song is the most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and is also featured in the 1972 film of the same name starring Peter O'Toole. 

The complete song is first sung by Don Quixote as he stands vigil over his armor, in response to Aldonza (Dulcinea)'s question about what he means by "following the quest." It is reprised partially three more times: the last by prisoners in a dungeon as Miguel de Cervantes and his manservant mount the drawbridge-like prison staircase to face trial by the Spanish Inquisition.

A version recorded by Jack Jones peaked at No. 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Leigh received the Contemporary Classics Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame for the song. 

My own thoughts: Never saw the musical, don't know if I ever want to, and I've heard several nice versions of this particular song. By far, my most favorite version is sung by Rhydian Roberts. 

Years ago, I made a little video about Terence set to this song. You can check it out here, though be forewarned that it features some of my much older, more sucky art: Terence ~ The Impossible Dream 

This song would also be a perfect fit for Beowulf, Malachi, Reid, and even Jonathan.

BMM 14 - Luck Be a Lady

They call you "Lady Luck"
But there is room for doubt
At times you have a very unladylike way
Of running out 

You're on this date with me
The pickings have been lush
And yet, before this evening is over,
You might give me the brush 

You might forget your manners
You might refuse to stay
And so the best that I can do
Is pray 

Luck, be a lady tonight
Luck, be a lady tonight
Luck, if you've ever
Been a lady to begin with,
Luck, be a lady tonight 

Luck, let a gentleman see
How nice a dame you can be
I know the way you've treated
Other guys you've been with
Luck, be a lady with me 

A lady doesn't leave her escort
It isn't fair
It isn't nice
A lady doesn't wander all over the room
And blow on some other guy's dice 

Let's keep this party polite
Never get out of my sight
Stick with me, baby
I'm the fellow you came in with
Luck, be a lady tonight

 Luck, let a gentleman see
Just how nice,
How nice a dame you can be
I know the way you've treated
Other guys you've been with
Luck, be a lady with me 

A lady doesn't leave her escort
It isn't fair
And it's not nice
A lady doesn't wander all over the room
And blow on some other guy's dice 

So, let's keep the party polite
Never get out of my sight
Stick with me, baby
I'm the guy that you came in with
Luck, be a lady,
Luck, be a lady,
Luck, be a lady tonight 

From Wikipedia: "Luck Be a Lady" is a song written and composed by Frank Loesser in 1950 and first performed by Robert Alda. The song was featured in the musical Guys and Dolls. The lyrics relate the point of view of a gambler, Sky Masterson, who hopes that he will win a bet, the outcome of which will decide whether or not he is able to save his relationship with the girl of his dreams.

My own thoughts: Most people know this song from Mrs. Doubtfire, myself included. I've never seen Guys and Dolls, and I don't listen to Frank Sinatra all that much, though this is one of the few Sinatra songs I both listen to and enjoy.

It may come off as a tiny bit sexist, depending on your perspective. But it is quite catchy with a great rhyme scheme, and it helps that the "lady" being sung to is more of the figurative type.

BMM 13 - Pure Imagination

Hold your breath
Make a wish
Count to three

 Come with me
And you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look
And you'll see
Into your imagination 

We'll begin
With a spin
Traveling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy
Explanation

 If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world?
There's nothing to it 

There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly wish to be 

If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world?
There's nothing to it 

There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly wish to be

From Wikipedia: "Pure Imagination" is a song from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was written by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the movie. It was sung by Gene Wilder who played the character of Willy Wonka. Bricusse has stated that the song was written over the phone in one day. 

In the week following Wilder's death in 2016, the song rose in streams and sales by more than 1000%. The song was featured in television, radio, and social media tributes to Wilder. While it was not at all used for the 2005 film adaptation Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the song was featured in the 2023 prequel film Wonka, both in its promotional materials and the film itself, sung by Timothée Chalamet as Wonka.

My own thoughts: While I've always liked both movies (though I've yet to make up my mind about the 2023 movie), I must confess I'm a bit partial to the Gene Wilder version. It's a bit warmer and more charming, it's extremely quotable, and the songs are most definitely singable.

It's kind of a tie between this song, "The Candy Man Can," and "I've Got a Golden Ticket" for my most favorite song, but I've also learned to love "Cheer Up, Charlie."

BMM 12 - I Feel Pretty

I feel pretty
Oh, so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and gay
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me today

I feel charming
Oh, so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel
I'm so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real

See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face!
Such a pretty dress!
Such a pretty smile!
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy! 

Have you met my good friend, Maria,
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock!

She thinks she's in love
She thinks she's in Spain
(La-la-la!)
She isn't in love
She's merely insane

It must be the heat
Or some rare disease
(La-la-la!)
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas

Keep away from her!
Send for Chino!
This is not the Maria we know!

Modest and pure
Polite and refined
(La-la-la!)
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!

I feel pretty
Oh, so pretty
That the city should give me its key
A committee
Should be organized to honor me

I feel dizzy
I feel sunny
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
I'm so pretty
Miss America can just resign!

See the pretty girl in that mirror there
(What mirror? Where?)
Who can that attractive girl be?
(Which? What? Where? Whom?)
Such a pretty face!
Such a pretty dress!
Such a pretty smile!
Such a pretty me!

 I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy! 

From Wikipedia: "I Feel Pretty" is a song written by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein from the 1957 musical West Side Story. 

The New York Times explained that "Mr. Sondheim…has said he was never particularly fond of his lyrics in 'West Side Story,' especially 'I Feel Pretty'," later expressing that "The idea of the song is so simple."

In the musical and 2021 film version, Maria is not yet aware that her love, Tony, has just killed her brother Bernardo, while in the 1961 film version, the song occurs before Bernardo's death. In the bridal shop where she works (in the 1961 film; Gimbels in the 2021 film), Maria sings about being happy and feeling beautiful because she is "loved by a pretty wonderful boy", while her coworkers tease her about her silly behavior. Robert Cummings of AllMusic comments that the song "features one of Bernstein's more memorable melodies: its first four notes, deliciously rhythmic in their rising contour, repeat, then are reduced to three, then to two. …Bernstein's instrumentation colors the music with a Latin character…and so does the girls' chorus that enters midway through. Stephen Sondheim's lyrics deftly capture Maria's bliss and newfound sense of confidence." 

Birmingham Mail described the song as "delightful," while The Tab deemed it a "classic." Applause Meter called it "sweetly charming" and VCOnStage called it "operatic."

My own thoughts: My feelings for West Side Story are about the same as my feelings for Romeo and Juliet. Don't love it, don't despise it, can appreciate its influence, but won't really seek it out for personal enjoyment.

This is the only song I'll listen to of my own accord.