Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Don't Forget The Lyrics

Not sure why, but the other day, I had "Part of Your World," from The Little Mermaid, stuck in my head. I never really liked the tune, and always thought it was a bit too similar to "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors (even if both were written by the same team). But when a song bounces around my brain, I tend to concentrate on the lyrics... and wow, what lyrics!
Check out this one stanza:

What would I give if I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Betcha on land they understand, bet they don't reprimand their daughters
Bright young women, sick of swimmin', ready to stand!

Eight rhymes -- eight really good rhymes -- within four lines, all while advancing the main character. Pretty impressive.

And here's the recent Broadway version of the Oscar-winning "Under the Sea." Without the colorful animation, the words stand out even more. How many fish puns can one song contain?


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