Ever since I fell in love with "Another Winter in a Summer Town" from Grey Gardens, I've been thinking about which theater songs are the most beautiful. Not necessarily the best, or else I'd simply be listing Stephen Sondheim's entire catalog. No, the most beautiful. The ones that, when you hear the first notes, you melt. The ones that murder you each time you hear them because they're just so frickin'...well, beautiful.
So, I've been keeping a running list. For many of these songs, their beauty hinges on their emotional context within the show. For others, it's simply the songs themselves. But one of the things I've always loved about theater music is that you're not just listening to music, you're learning something about the singer, you're following that character's growth, or lack thereof.
So, here's my list. A living document, to be sure. Feel free to submit your candidates.
"All the Things You Are," Very Warm for May
"Another Winter in a Summer Town," Grey Gardens
"Anthem," Chess
"Anytime (I Am There)," Elegies
"Back to Before," Ragtime
"But Not For Me," Girl Crazy
"Chanson," The Baker's Wife
"Children of the Wind," Rags
"Coney Island," A Catered Affair
"Dear Friend," She Loves Me
"Dividing Day," The Light in the Piazza
"Every Time We Say Goodbye," Seven Lively Arts
"Far From the Home I Love," Fiddler on the Roof
"Here's to Your Illusions," Flahooley
"Her Face," Carnival
"How Are Things in Glocca Morra," Finian's Rainbow
"How Could I Ever Know," The Secret Garden
"How Glory Goes," Floyd Collins
"I Dreamed a Dance," Next To Normal
"If I Loved You," Carousel
"If Love Were All," Bitter Sweet
"I'll Cover You," Rent
"I Loved You Once in Silence," Camelot
"I Say Hello," Destry Rides Again
"Is It Really Me," 110 in the Shade
"It Never Was You," Knickerbocker Holiday
"I Was Here," The Glorious Ones"I Wish It So," Juno
"Long Before I Knew You," Bells Are Ringing
"Losing My Mind," Follies
"Lost in the Stars," Lost in the Stars
"Love Is Only Love," Hello, Dolly (film)
"Love, Look Away," Flower Drum Song
"Love Me for What I Am," In Trousers
"Love to Me," The Light in the Piazza
"Loving You," Passion
"Make Believe," Show Boat
"Make Our Garden Grow," Candide
"My Funny Valentine," Babes in Arms
"My Heart Is So Full of You," The Most Happy Fella
"My Ship," Lady in the Dark
"New Music," Ragtime
"Nothing Like You've Ever Known," Song and Dance
"One More Walk Around the Garden," Carmelina
"Sailing," A New Brain
"Say It Somehow," The Light in the Piazza
"Send in the Clowns," A Little Night Music
"Serenity," Triumph of Love
"She Touched Me," Drat, the Cat
"So Far," Allegro
"So in Love," Kiss Me Kate
"Someone to Watch Over Me," Oh, Kay!
"Something You Never Had Before," The Gay Life
"Song for Old Lovers," Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
"That Something Extra Special," Darling of the Day
"The Land of Might-Have-Been," Our Nell
"There But for You Go I," Brigadoon
"The Sun Whose Ray Are All Ablaze," The Mikado
"They Were You," The Fantasticks
"This Is All Very New to Me," Plain and Fancy
"'Til Tomorrow," Fiorello
"Time Heals Everything," Mack and Mabel
"Too Beautiful for Words," The Color Purple
"Unusual Way," Nine
"What More Can I Say," Falsettos
"What Would I Do," Falsettos
"When Did I Fall in Love," Fiorello
"When There's No One," Carrie
"Where or When," Babes in Arms
"Will He Like Me," She Loves Me
"You and I," Chess
"You Are Love," Show Boat
