This was
my first Jason Robert Brown show, and every time I return to the cast album,
I’m reminded of how much I love the music.
The show’s nonlinear narrative is of course its most distinguishing
characteristic, and some of the songs take advantage of that device, but
they’re also just an excellent collection of melodic character pieces in their
own right. Although the musical only has
14 songs in it, I had a hard time narrowing it down to a Top Five – here’s what
I came up with (spoilers.)
“Shiksa Goddess” – This is a fun
introduction to Jamie, back at the beginning, on his first date with Cathy and
completely thrilled. His over-the-top
joy at being with a shiksa goddess is a hoot, contrasted with the many, many
things he’d overlook on behalf of that.
Best
lyric: “If you had a tattoo, that
wouldn’t matter. / If you had a shaved head, that’d be cool. / If you came from
Spain or Japan or the back of a van - / Just as long as you’re not from Hebrew
school.”
“A Miracle Would Happen / When You Come Home to
Me” – Jamie’s
newfound struggle after marriage, finding himself seemingly beset upon by
obliging women “who wouldn’t give [him] the time of day before.” It’s an interesting song, showing Jamie’s
temptation, frustration with the situation, and denial about his difficulties
in overcoming this “challenge.” The
repetitious “but it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine” is ironic when we already
know that he goes on to cheat on Cathy.
Best
lyric: “I will be there, ripe and
crawling, / If fucking Random House stops calling. / Don’t lose faith, / Don’t
get down, / Don’t despair - / I’ll be there.”
“Climbing Uphill” – Interspersed among
snippets of Cathy’s standard audition song is the litany of thoughts that race
through her head as she tries to convince casting directors she’s worth
hiring. From nitpicking her clothing
choices to planning the rest of her day to trying to will the directors to see
her potential, this is a number with a lot of personality and probably the
inner monologue of many a struggling actress.
Best
lyric: “I will not be the girl who gets
asked how it feels / To be trotting along in the genius’s heels. / I will not
be the girl who requires a man to get by.”
“I Can Do Better Than That” – This is a nice,
bouncy number in which Cathy reflects, first on the experiences of a friend,
and then on her own, thinking about her life and what she can make for
herself. I like that it’s optimistic
while recounting some less-than-sanguine stuff, and I love the recurrence of the “you and you and nothing but you”
sequence from “See I’m Smiling” – the melody and a number of the lyrics are the
same, but the meaning is completely different.
Best
lyric: “Think of what’s great about me
and you. / Think of the bullshit we’ve both been through. / Think of what’s
past / Because we can do / Better. / We can do better. / We can do better than
that.”
“Nobody Needs to Know” – What a gut-punch of
a song. Jamie, on the morning after with
a woman who isn’t his wife, tries to rationalize what he’s just done. As he prepares to return to Cathy and pretend
nothing has changed, he builds a box in which to put his infidelity. He starts measured and detached, but the song
grows to a gradual frenzy, slips back into gentleness, and then returns for one
more punch – ow…
Best
lyric: “All right – the panic recedes. /
All right – everyone bleeds. / All right – I get what I need. / And nobody
needs / To know…”
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