You are definitely correct re: lyrics. Interestingly the Jackson 5 cover of the song changes the lyrics to “cats SIT on the windowsill, children SIT in the SHOW”, which reportedly Stephen Schwartz was not happy about. Anyway, great video as always!
Thank you so much for analyzing this and explaining how it works. I"m mostly a lighting designer, and can't sing worth a darn, but there are three songs I will sing when I am alone in my car, Corner of the Sky and Extraordinary from Pippin and Once We were Kings from Billy Elliot.
i love how much harmonic wandering schwartz does in this score. one of my favorite songs in pippin, Finale, begins the main melody in Eb and wanders its way to Ab before snapping back to Eb at the beginning of the verse again. (similar to how pippin is so conflicted in that situation!) it's so cool to me how stephen schwartz writes harmony and melody.
What if Pippin doesn't want to fit in, he just wants to... sit in something? (I know, I know, it's a stretch 😂) Pippin and Jesus Christ Superstar (and especially Pippin) are two shows that I always want to see another production of, due to the "how are they going to stage it this time?" factor. When you have the contemporary music and ancient stories, it's like you get the license to place it anywhere in between. I love this show. I can so relate to Pippin's wandering around aimless in search of something more, possibly glamorous. I've heard "I don't get it" from some people tho... like, what's with this group of players, they are just... there? I really dig the metaphor tho. Thank you for another great analysis! I had no idea Pippin did so much wandering, harmony-wise, before finding home.
GREAT point about the staging! The audience already has to buy into the anachronism of the music, so they’ll readily buy into anachronism in the staging as well.
You are definitely correct re: lyrics. Interestingly the Jackson 5 cover of the song changes the lyrics to “cats SIT on the windowsill, children SIT in the SHOW”, which reportedly Stephen Schwartz was not happy about. Anyway, great video as always!
Thank you so much for analyzing this and explaining how it works. I"m mostly a lighting designer, and can't sing worth a darn, but there are three songs I will sing when I am alone in my car, Corner of the Sky and Extraordinary from Pippin and Once We were Kings from Billy Elliot.
i love how much harmonic wandering schwartz does in this score. one of my favorite songs in pippin, Finale, begins the main melody in Eb and wanders its way to Ab before snapping back to Eb at the beginning of the verse again. (similar to how pippin is so conflicted in that situation!) it's so cool to me how stephen schwartz writes harmony and melody.
What if Pippin doesn't want to fit in, he just wants to... sit in something? (I know, I know, it's a stretch 😂)
Pippin and Jesus Christ Superstar (and especially Pippin) are two shows that I always want to see another production of, due to the "how are they going to stage it this time?" factor. When you have the contemporary music and ancient stories, it's like you get the license to place it anywhere in between.
I love this show. I can so relate to Pippin's wandering around aimless in search of something more, possibly glamorous. I've heard "I don't get it" from some people tho... like, what's with this group of players, they are just... there? I really dig the metaphor tho.
Thank you for another great analysis! I had no idea Pippin did so much wandering, harmony-wise, before finding home.
GREAT point about the staging! The audience already has to buy into the anachronism of the music, so they’ll readily buy into anachronism in the staging as well.
LOVE pippin, has such a good story and a killer soundtrack!
Babe! Another music theatre theory just dropped! Drop everything!
Would love to hear your take on the songs in Schmigadoon/Schmicago.
Do you write lyrics as well?
Yes, I almost always write my own lyrics!