Hello, friends!
Who's in the mood to listen to musical songs? If you know me, I'm always in the mood. Though it has to be the right kind of musical, as the standard "musical theater" formula bothers me. Someone who was a genius at writing musicals in a meaningful and dynamic way was the one and only Stephen Sondheim, who passed away last year. He wrote the absolutely fabulous Into the Woods. If you have no idea what that is, then I am thrilled to be able to enlighten you because fairy tales are the absolute best. They are my favorite storytelling formula. But what does Into the Woods have to do with fairy tales? Everything.
Originally premiering in 1987, Into The Woods is a connection and mix of classic fairy tales. The Woods are not the safest place, as there are wolves and giants about. But, a Baker and his wife have to go because they are sent there by a Witch to break a curse. They have three nights to find four ingredients, or they will never have a child, and the Witch will never be beautiful again. Surrounded by fairytale characters it shouldn't be too hard to find a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Right? Well, as each story crosses the paths of others, they get mixed up and realize what their wishes will cost.
This story beautifully mixes magic, self-discovery, wonder, wishes, and consequences.
But, now that you know what it is, you should go watch it. At least, you should stop reading this post at once because SPOILER ALERT. I will be talking about all of the songs in this story and why I love each of them, which will lead to details about what I like about each one and its vital placement in the story. I know you don't want to go, but you have to though. And then you'll understand why want to rhyme everything now.
Hello little friends who stayed.
I should give you some background on my experience with Into the Woods. It is one of my mom's favorite musicals (she loves Sondheim and does not like Andrew Lloyd Webber or Oscar and Hammerstein). When our library got the 2014 version, she plopped us down and had us watch it. My sisters and I were obsessed. I love it tremendously. I've also seen a live production of Into the Woods, and I LOVED it, but it was very different. For the movie, they cut the "Agony Reprise" and the character The Mysterious Man, and I'm not mad about it. It helps distinguish each one for me, because those changes make it very different. Today I'll just be talking about the movie. I always forget how much I love it until I watch it, then, WOW do I love this movie. It's stunning visually in addition to everything else, so get ready for a burst of photos and gifs. As usual, I went overkill and downloaded 33 pictures. And then I had to chose. Which gave me a lot of torment especially for one song. You'll see.
The track I'm listening to on Spotify mixes the soundtrack and score, so it's hard to sort out the two. I officially count 16 songs on the soundtrack. But, some of them are very close together, so I'm combining them, and therefore am ranking 13. This isn't to say the songs aren't original--far from it!--but to say that some of them go so well together that you can't separate them for any reason. Especially when they flow nicely into each other. I don't want to break my own heart by going between them. Let's get into it!
13. Any Moment/Moments in the Wood
This is last because I hate Cinderella's Prince so much. Which, you're supposed to. He's a very well written character. I mean, the line "I was raised to be charming, not sincere" is reverberated in society so much, that every time I hear it, it hurts. Still, he goes last. "Moments in the Wood" has a good lesson, but at this point in the musical I am very sad and I just can't deal with it.
"This is ridiculous! / What am I doing here / I'm in the wrong story!"
Anyway, it's about realizing what you have and stopping "wishing"--a huge theme of the musical. One should look for the best and can wish and dream, but realize what your wishes take.
"Just remembering you've had an "and" / When you're back to "or" / Makes the "or" mean more / Than it did before"
It's about how making decisions gives things value.
12. I Know Things Now
Starting now, I love all of these, so having them ranked high vs. low speaks nothing of their quality. They are all so well done! Only my personal preference.
This song speaks so much to growing up. Life is exciting, but scary. Don't fear it or be foolish with it, but be prepared.
"Isn't it nice to know a lot! / And a little bit not"
I also love the way it is filmed, because compared to the elaborate set pieces for everything else, it speaks to a childlike imagination. Shadows are a big part of stage productions, so I like how they worked it in while going on a new route.
11. Stay With Me/The Witch's Lament
This one is heartbreaking. Don't get me wrong--Rapunzel makes the right decisions for her safety. I just pity the Witch because she's doing everything wrong. You can see how much she thinks she loves her "daughter", she is struggling with letting her go, something every parent needs to do. I would love to read or watch a story about more of her backstory, because there is a lot there!
She's so wrapped up in her appearance, she doesn't even consider her actions as being harmful. It is her downfall. Love is not always protection, but freedom. There is a middle ground between isolation and banishment when it comes to how you connect with your children. Don't do either of those.
"Children can only grow / From something you love to something you lose"
This is partially true, but not something to despair about. This is the end goal! To release them into the world! It can be hard, but it is a moment of celebration! That's the beauty of a good musical, where the themes are so written in that they set up perfectly to be resolved. Which is just the case here.
10. Finale/Children Will Listen (pt. 2)
Part 2, MC? Why are you combining so many songs, but splitting this up from whatever part 1 is? I didn't chose the titles, okay? I just think these two are very, very, very different. This is more akin to the opening, but with a different vibe. I mean, I don't know if others even consider this a song because we never see anyone sing it, it is just there for the credits. But, I'm not anyone, and as the author of this blog I am deciding on this.
The whispering nature give such a theater ambience, I love it. I get shivers from it! It perfectly wraps up and encompasses the whole story.
9. Finale/Children Will Listen (pt. 1)
As I talked about before, should I separate this from the previous one? Probably not, based on how I'm combining so many others. But, to me, they are very different.
"Sometimes people leave you / Halfway through the woods"
Sometimes songs break me. Frequently.
As a writer especially, the idea of capturing everything in story speaks to my soul. It is nurturing the future. You don't have to be good or bad, but just calm. That can be enough for the people you are taking care of.
"Careful the wish you make, / Wishes are children / Careful the path you take, / Wishes come true. / Not free."
This is my opinion for all the songs, but this one especially makes me vote this as James Corden's best role. Because he makes me cry.
I don't know what to say besides that it is magnificent.
8. Hello, Little Girl
I love how differently it is from what you think when it starts. It's so jazzy! Peppy flutes and frivolous things compared to the warbling melody Little Red Riding Hood sings while she's struggling with following rules. It's almost a parody or satire? Look at these lines:
"There's no possible way / To describe what you feel / When you're talking to your meal!"
Out of context that would be horrifying. And it is, but in rich layers of metaphors for life. Who are the wolves? There is so much to this song, I love it.
7. Prologue: Into the Woods
Someone who stumbled across this on Spotify would probably be terrified and run for their life. Purely because it is 14 minutes long. Yes, sometimes setups take awhile. Plus, there's a lot of narration here.
The way each of the characters are introduced with their desire and obstacles is writing 101. For some, it gives glimpses into something, leaving us eager for more. Like:
"When bang! Crash! A lightning flash! / Well, that's another story, never mind, anyway"
Wait, what? I want to know more about the Witch! She's also talked before kings and queens? What are the other ways she's tried to break the curse? Tell me all of it!
I love that Jack's Mother is the one who starts us on the classic line explaining the title of the musical itself. Then, everyone proceeds "Into the Woods", and it is fantastic.
That's the word you can think of after 14 minutes, MC? Fantastic? Yes. It describes it perfectly, okay?
6. It Takes Two
I think this song is really sweet. It talks about balance and partnership and equality and care. And it's that time of night where I can only think of adjectives and the word "and" instead of writing actual descriptions. It's just what we need at this point of the movie, and I think it's darling.
"It takes care / It takes patience and fear and despair / To change"
One has to have a goal and work towards it, and through that work our lives rotate and change. It is quite beautiful, because we are always ourselves, but stronger.
5. On the Steps of the Palace
In the dressing room of the show I am in (read to the end to hear more about that), some people were listening to musical songs (as one does) and this came on. Someone asked, "What's this from?" and I basically shrieked "INTO THE WOODS".
Do you guys have "driving songs"? Like, often when you're driving a long distance a specific song will come into your head? For example, mine are "Lane Boy" by Twenty One Pilots (are we surprised? No) and "Bad Liar" by Imagine Dragons (which I always turn into "Bad Driver" accidentally.) Anyway, the point is that this song is my mom's "driving song". Which, since my sisters and I learned about this, we have loved to "turn on". When there is silence in the car for a while one of us will start singing, "He's a very nice prince". We think we're hilarious.
This song is so high because besides being a great ear worm, it is so relatable.
"I know what my decision is / Which is not to decide"
Honestly, same. I do not like making decisions, so I would probably do the exact same thing. All of these stories are about discovering oneself, but I feel like Cinderella takes especially big strides. And I look up to her for it.
4. Your Fault/Last Midnight
I'm not going to say too much about this one, because I actually want to write a whole blog post about it. Yes, a blog post about a song. And how incredible the writing and storytelling are shown through it. Stay tuned.
Meryl Streep's voice is incredible here. That is all (for now).
3. Giants in the Sky
This song is probably one of the most vocally amazing. It expresses such a sense of awe and wonder and is different than any others. It gives me a rush of emotions: homesickness while being welcomed and nostalgic, the thrill of adventure, loneliness, relief, and joy.
"The roof, the house and your / Mother at the door. / The roof, the house and the world you never thought to explore"
It's this kind of writing that makes me wordless. I get a physical heartache that simultaneously empties and fills me while listening to this song. It's truly gorgeous, and I don't know a single other song that does that to me.
2. Agony
Seriously, MC? This is at this place because it is so funny. It is one of my absolute favorite scenes in the whole movie because they went 200%. The cinematography only heightens the hilarity.The whole competition nature of it makes me die of laughter as each brother tries to best the other.
This is one of my favorite lines:
"You know nothing of madness until you're climbing her hair."
Can't deny that.
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| This sums up the scene perfectly. |
This is not technically canon, but I believe Rapunzel's Prince is so much better than Cinderella's Prince. If you watch, I think he is trying to keep up with his brother, but his heart is different. I love him a lot and will not be taking comments and criticism at this time (actually, please, tell me all the thoughts). I love seeing this song performed because the audience cannot help but be into it.
I can't fight it and I don't want to.
But most importantly:
1. No One is Alone
Guys. This stinking song makes me cry every single time. It is such a comforting song and at the same time gives you so much perspective.
""I wish..." /"I know""
You are not alone and neither are the people around you. Your opinion is shared. Everyone is trying to do their best. Sometimes we, or the people we love, fall short. We should not discard them, but recognize them. Recognize the life that brings and takes away. We learn from them, and are formed them, so we should honor them, even when--and especially if--we are different.
"While we're seeing our side / Our side / Our side / Maybe we forgot / They are not alone"
This is my contribution to Rebecca of Taking Up Room's Broadway Bound Blogathon: Fabulous Five Edition.
She's been hosting this for five years! And it's my first time joining in! Unbelievable! And I'm late! Even with my best time management and planning skills being put into place, I couldn't fight it.
I had planned to write a review of this instead of talking about the songs, but...time this fall has been very rare. I'm in a student production at my college of a musical that was on Broadway and it is exhausting. I'm only in ensemble, so I can only imagine how all the leads feel. It is super fun, and would definitely recommend, but know that blogging diminishes to the way side. Maybe next year I'll write about what I'm in now...
Because of this milestone of five years, I would like to mention my five favorite characters in the musical. At first I was only going to talk about my five favorite songs, but I thought it would be more fun for you guys to get a ranking of all of them.
Anyway, the top five characters:
The Baker
Jack
Little Red Riding Hood
Cinderella
The Baker's Wife
Reading through my rankings, I think you guys can guess why I love these characters the most. If not, please ask, as I will love to tell you all about it!
Remember, this is just my opinion, so please tell me all your own thoughts below! Do you guys love "Agony" as much as I do? Can you describe how "Giants in the Sky" makes you feel?
Thanks to all of you for reading! What are some of your favorite musicals? Have you ever been in one?
Chloe the MovieCritic
