@@TokyoIceBox uhhh why didnt you just look it up before commenting? Its so funny that back in the day people came to your door so your family could purchase encyclopedias(knowledge) and it was seen as an investment for your childs future.We have knowledge at our friggin fingertips, summoning by voice, or typing into a pre-positioned search box directly on your front screen and weve(you and plenty other) become to lazy to seek knowledge for ourselves. I typed in Bertrice lil shop n all the info popped right up. DF--Im tired of this push to make dumb cute. dumb is not cute its-just dumb. Its time to start making people feel dumb for being dumb again!
Rick Moranis absolutely *killed it* on this soundtrack. He reminds me of Phil Collins - you see how he looks on the outside, you catch yourself snickering in spite of yourself... and then he starts singing 🤯
This is a pretty great part of the film. It introduces us to the charcters and the environment they live in. Its a solid song as well. Its catchy, and it explains so much in just minutes perfectly.
Honestly. I think its the best choreographed, costumed and sung part in the whole film...that wide shot where there all stomping their feet....those close up shots...of normal looking people. Not some stupid models...just exceptional....
Bertice Reading was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her performing career started at the age of 3, when she was talent-spotted by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. She appeared in the all-black revue The Jazz Train, in Paris in the spring of 1955 and at the Piccadilly Theatre in London.[2] In this show she had notable success playing the great blues singer Bessie Smith. Adept at a whole range of musical styles, from gospel to blues to musical comedy, in addition to her talent, Reading also had a striking appearance and a renowned sense of humour. Her straight-acting performance as a nurse in William Faulkner's play Requiem for a Nun in 1957 earned her a nomination for a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway. She also appeared in the 1958 musical Valmouth, adapted from a Ronald Firbank novel of the same name. The next years saw Reading spending time abroad in cabaret, as well as having two marriages. In 1979 she appeared at the Roundhouse in London in Only In America, a tribute show to the musical composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. In the 1980s she presented many one-woman shows, usually debuting at the Kings Head Theatre Club in Islington, London. Reading appeared but did not sing in a 1981 music video by UK soul/funk band Linx for their album's title track Intuition. In 1982 she appeared in the Sandy Wilson musical Valmouth at the Chichester Festival theatre playing Mrs Yajñavalkya. It was in 1982 that Reading married Thomas R.V. Blake with a ceremony held in Chichester. In the 1985 solo show Every Inch a Lady, she donned a pink satin tutu and danced to a version of The Sugar Plum Fairy, which had been choreographed by the dancer Wayne Sleep. She appeared in the 1986 movie version of Little Shop of Horrors, as the "Downtown" older woman, who sings the beginning words to the song "Skid Row (Downtown)". In the Summer of 1986 she recorded a disco album with producer Ian Levine, which she appeared on TV-AM's Good Morning Britain to promote. She also appeared in South Pacific as Bloody Mary in Bournemouth in 1987. Death Reading died at the age of 57 in London, following a stroke, although her age was initially misreported as 54
I can't get her beautiful voice out of my head. when i first heard her sing the 1st verse, i was hooked. Nobody in this entire movie can sing better than Bertice Reading. Period!
I Love Reading. I had heard that’s not actually her sinking but rather Week’s pulling double duty. Any truth to that? I’d be shocked Reading would need such help but I figured I would ask.
@@brianriback6285 So that's all it takes for white people to put doubt on black people's accomplishments is, "I've heard". it's a typical tactic to diminish black people's legacy. You could have left it at a compliment but no, white people just can't help themselves, when it comes to black people! If she was white, there would have been talk of questioning if it were her singing!
This song was one of the first songs to break open my love of songwriting and musicals! Just as a kid, it made my heart soar! The rhythm, the variety, the intensity, the whimsy...it has so much packed into one song. I remember to this day the line "someone give me my shot or I'll rot here!" being like a revelation in my little brain about rhyming and writing 😊 And "where depression's just status quo" probably didn't make total sense to me but I remember loving how the melody lifted and the sound and flow of the words. Now that I'm older and can understand more from the lyrics I love it even more!
I can't help but think the muses from Disney's Hercules are inspired by Little Shop of Horrors. Megara's song in particular reminds me of this in rythm and pacing.
That is Levi Stubbs, the voice of the plant. I only just discovered this today. I always remember the movements of the guy, but today that voice caught me, all 1 second of it.
Someone show me a way to get out of here cus I constantly pray I'll get out of here ....... Someone tell s me good luck cuz I'm stuck here!! Realistically saying in my own skid row
@DaveFisher-cq2dr No, you wouldn't. You'd go from having a home in the slums, to being homeless, likely someplace worse, in a tine where homeless people were treated like vermin. Get a dose of reality
@DaveFisher-cq2dr To clarify: Skid row is the absolute worst step on the social ladder above actually being homeless. No one who can get out of skid row stays in skid row. That's literally the point of the song, one line is "people tell me there's not a way out of skud row". Another line is "someone gimme my shot or I'll rot here", as in 'If I don't pull of a miracle, I'll live and die here'
Her voice in the beginning! Heaven
I swear it touches ur heart
That my dear is the great Bertice Reading
Yes young lady it isp🙏
@@martelliross2504 I believe that was actually Michelle Weeks
@@TokyoIceBox uhhh why didnt you just look it up before commenting?
Its so funny that back in the day people came to your door so your family could purchase encyclopedias(knowledge) and it was seen as an investment for your childs future.We have knowledge at our friggin fingertips, summoning by voice, or typing into a pre-positioned search box directly on your front screen and weve(you and plenty other) become to lazy to seek knowledge for ourselves. I typed in Bertrice lil shop n all the info popped right up. DF--Im tired of this push to make dumb cute. dumb is not cute its-just dumb. Its time to start making people feel dumb for being dumb again!
The guy that belts out "DOWN ON SKID!!" I've always wanted to hear him sing more.
That's easy to do. That was Levi Stubbs. He does the voice for Audrey II in the movie, and he was a member of the Four Tops.
He took it down didn't he girl.😂
My favorite part. I feel it deep in my soul.
I think of this man. His voice will always remain in my head. Amazing addition to the song. Great to hear others appreciating it.
Amazing. The lady at the beginning….. just amazing
Rick Moranis absolutely *killed it* on this soundtrack. He reminds me of Phil Collins - you see how he looks on the outside, you catch yourself snickering in spite of yourself... and then he starts singing 🤯
This is a pretty great part of the film. It introduces us to the charcters and the environment they live in. Its a solid song as well. Its catchy, and it explains so much in just minutes perfectly.
it really does introduce the characters pretty well!
and its sounds great.
i agree with your comment
Definitely best directed scene of the film. Frank Oz is a fucking genius.
Yeah it fits all of the checks for an intro (the I want song, world building, plot, etc)
Honestly. I think its the best choreographed, costumed and sung part in the whole film...that wide shot where there all stomping their feet....those close up shots...of normal looking people.
Not some stupid models...just exceptional....
@@boppob1343 exceptional
Me and my mother used to watch this when I was a little kid. So many awesome talents here. I was blessed
Bertice Reading was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her performing career started at the age of 3, when she was talent-spotted by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
She appeared in the all-black revue The Jazz Train, in Paris in the spring of 1955 and at the Piccadilly Theatre in London.[2] In this show she had notable success playing the great blues singer Bessie Smith. Adept at a whole range of musical styles, from gospel to blues to musical comedy, in addition to her talent, Reading also had a striking appearance and a renowned sense of humour.
Her straight-acting performance as a nurse in William Faulkner's play Requiem for a Nun in 1957 earned her a nomination for a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway. She also appeared in the 1958 musical Valmouth, adapted from a Ronald Firbank novel of the same name. The next years saw Reading spending time abroad in cabaret, as well as having two marriages.
In 1979 she appeared at the Roundhouse in London in Only In America, a tribute show to the musical composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. In the 1980s she presented many one-woman shows, usually debuting at the Kings Head Theatre Club in Islington, London.
Reading appeared but did not sing in a 1981 music video by UK soul/funk band Linx for their album's title track Intuition.
In 1982 she appeared in the Sandy Wilson musical Valmouth at the Chichester Festival theatre playing Mrs Yajñavalkya. It was in 1982 that Reading married Thomas R.V. Blake with a ceremony held in Chichester.
In the 1985 solo show Every Inch a Lady, she donned a pink satin tutu and danced to a version of The Sugar Plum Fairy, which had been choreographed by the dancer Wayne Sleep.
She appeared in the 1986 movie version of Little Shop of Horrors, as the "Downtown" older woman, who sings the beginning words to the song "Skid Row (Downtown)". In the Summer of 1986 she recorded a disco album with producer Ian Levine, which she appeared on TV-AM's Good Morning Britain to promote.
She also appeared in South Pacific as Bloody Mary in Bournemouth in 1987.
Death
Reading died at the age of 57 in London, following a stroke, although her age was initially misreported as 54
I can't get her beautiful voice out of my head. when i first heard her sing the 1st verse, i was hooked. Nobody in this entire movie can sing better than Bertice Reading. Period!
Thank you
I Love Reading. I had heard that’s not actually her sinking but rather Week’s pulling double duty. Any truth to that? I’d be shocked Reading would need such help but I figured I would ask.
@@brianriback6285 So that's all it takes for white people to put doubt on black people's accomplishments is, "I've heard". it's a typical tactic to diminish black people's legacy.
You could have left it at a compliment but no, white people just can't help themselves, when it comes to black people! If she was white, there would have been talk of questioning if it were her singing!
Wow thanks for this
This song was one of the first songs to break open my love of songwriting and musicals! Just as a kid, it made my heart soar! The rhythm, the variety, the intensity, the whimsy...it has so much packed into one song. I remember to this day the line "someone give me my shot or I'll rot here!" being like a revelation in my little brain about rhyming and writing 😊 And "where depression's just status quo" probably didn't make total sense to me but I remember loving how the melody lifted and the sound and flow of the words. Now that I'm older and can understand more from the lyrics I love it even more!
I can't help but think the muses from Disney's Hercules are inspired by Little Shop of Horrors. Megara's song in particular reminds me of this in rythm and pacing.
Plus, Alan Menken was the composer for that Disney film too.
Well, the muses are informed by the Greek Chorus from Greek drama, and Little Shop is inspired by the same, and same with the group in Hairspray.
this part with all the people going through their motions, hating where they live and are just simply stuck, is actually pretty incredible. cheers
The dark subject matter is constantly made fun rather than dreary in this movie. The emotions literally sing
1:56 He sold the hell out of that one line
yes!
He down on skidded all of us…. Bravo!
There isn’t a song that describes how I feel everyday more than this. Gotta get outta here.
This was always one of my favorite musical movies since I was a kid in the early 90's.
This song really hits your soul, if you are or have ever been POOR!
Which is more and more people every day. Gotta stop feeding those plants!
Which is more and more people every day. Gotta stop feeding those plants!
my goodness this movie is a masterpiece
At 1:56
You can tell that black dude's had it up to here! lol
Ol "taking back our streets" looking dude 😂😂😂😂
That is Levi Stubbs, the voice of the plant. I only just discovered this today. I always remember the movements of the guy, but today that voice caught me, all 1 second of it.
This song is so great and so true coming from NYC myself
there are definitely still places like this in NYC, but not even close to how far it spanned pre-90s tho
Kinda the perfect "musical" song.
Fantastic, terrific, simply divine.
I love the fly girls singing in this movie 💃💃💃
Tichina Arnold (Crystal), Tisha Campbell (Chiffon), and Michelle Weeks (Ronette). All so young in this movie!💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
Ellen greene... my god what a set of pipes, when she belts out "undergo"
This rousing opening number set the pace of this fun production. I performed the role of Audrey twice... twenty years apart!
Saw this movie in a theatre years ago. Really enjoyed it.
Alan Menken Is A Genius
Awesome. Loved working the musical in college.
Love it, who don’t love a musical. 😉
🗣DOWN ON SKID
Magic of plants . Grrrrreat film greatest actors!
Love this movie its amazing
Whos the singer in the intro. Her voice us heaven
Her name is Bertice Reading :)
tRUE LOVE WILL LIVE IN A TENT AND BE HAPPY WITH THE ONE THEY LOVE. NO MATTER WHAT BECAUSE THEY CANT LIVE WITHOUT EACH OTHER
DOWN ON SKID!!!
Rest in peace and power Bertice Reading ❤
The multiple instrumental beat shifts on Seymour's part 🔥👌
What is that even called?
How funny this describes so many New Yorkers now.
Brilliant. Thank you.
Someone show me a way to get out of here cus I constantly pray I'll get out of here ....... Someone tell s me good luck cuz I'm stuck here!! Realistically saying in my own skid row
epic!!
I saw this movie
"treats me like dirt" THEN WHY DON'T YOU MOVE OUT? RUN AWAY? I WOULD IF I WERE YOU
The whole song is about why he literally can't...
@@TheKyrix82 guess it's not that easy for someone like him to just move out or run away, I would if I were him
@DaveFisher-cq2dr No, you wouldn't. You'd go from having a home in the slums, to being homeless, likely someplace worse, in a tine where homeless people were treated like vermin. Get a dose of reality
@DaveFisher-cq2dr To clarify: Skid row is the absolute worst step on the social ladder above actually being homeless. No one who can get out of skid row stays in skid row. That's literally the point of the song, one line is "people tell me there's not a way out of skud row". Another line is "someone gimme my shot or I'll rot here", as in 'If I don't pull of a miracle, I'll live and die here'
@@TheKyrix82 haven't you ever heard of adoption centers?
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
My music teacher sounded like the woman in the beginning RIP to Mrs Bethune she was wonderful
Fellow New Yorkers, do we think this is supposed to be the Bowery back in the day? These people would be very surprised to see it now
What’s the line before the wino says by subway?
🎶 till it’s fiiiive P eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh emmm
Filmed this bit in Liverpool, I expect......
Red Letter Media fans, Roll Call
👇
3:36
1:55. You're welcome
Rick Moranis just got punched in the face, down on skid row -_-
That's fuck up smh