Top Five Songs: Jane Eyre

This musical’s score floors me.  I think it’s gorgeous, and the way it adds melody and rhyme to the themes, and even some of the words, of the book might make it my favorite Jane Eyre adaptation I’ve encountered.  My favorite songs from the show are as follows (some spoilers.)

(Also, side note: I’ll admit that, when I was younger, I didn’t put much stock in the allegations against actor James Barbour, so it didn’t affect my love for the cast recording for quite a long time. In recent years, though, I’ve soured more on Barbour, which has turned me off listening to many songs featuring Rochester, but I’ll still sing them on my own regularly. I wish someone would revive this show so I could get a recording with a different cast.)

“The Orphan” – While “Sweet Liberty” later takes the same melody and turns it into a more triumphant number, this, at the opening of the show, introduces us to Jane as a character.  The lyrics splendidly paint a picture of all the anger inside Jane at the injustices she’s suffered, all the crimes of circumstance that conspire against her.  It’s just so badass – I love it.

Best lyric:  “And the lightning strikes inside her / As she looks to the sky. / And she pledges to spread her wings - / Through a hurricane she’ll fly.”

“As Good As You” – In this beautiful solo, Rochester tells Jane of his history with Adele’s mother, both his wild days and his heartbreak.  The nonchalance with which she passes Adele off to him is just staggering, and I love the final verse, with Rochester imagining how his life might have gone differently.  The melody is so perfect.

Best lyric:  “‘Nothing lasts forever,’ she said. / ‘Find the door yourself, dear, won’t you? / Think me still your flower. / I’ve treasured every hour, it’s true. / And if I had loved you, too, / I might have been as good as you.’”

“Painting Her Portrait” – This is such a heartbreaking song, Jane giving herself a wakeup call by painting, first a portrait of herself, then one of Blanche, to remind herself that Rochester could never love her.  She’s so utterly brutal to herself, and it’s just devastating to listen to.

Best lyric:  “I’m mastering detail, / Highlighting defects, / Making a permanent mirror to see / All of the faults that lie hidden in me.”

“In the Light of the Virgin Morning” – A really nice duet for Jane and Blanche.  Although each is lost in her own separate thoughts – Blanche with the preparations for marrying Rochester, Jane with the prospect of leaving Thornfield – their melodies and the themes they sing about intertwine them.  The overlapping bridge is especially lovely, and I like that this song humanizes Blanche a little, letting her worry about whether or not she’ll be able to love Rochester.

Best lyric:  “In the light of the virgin morning, / In the shade of the chestnut tree, / If I leave this unhappy bliss, / Where will my Eden be?”

“Sirens (Reprise)” – I love the initial version of “Sirens” too, but the Act II version is even better.  In it, Jane wrestles with her struggle of loving Rochester but being unable to marry him, and despite her longing to simply give in to his siren call, she cannot break with her principles.  Absolutely beautiful, and the lyrics take Jane through her dilemma stunningly.

Best lyric:  “Curse the passion, dim the flame. / If I cannot take his name, / I cannot take anything at all.”