Well hello my patient followers! It has been quite awhile since my last post. Life became very busy after my wedding, traveling and then the holidays. And since this is the last day of the year (have a happy New Year!) this will be my final post. I hope you have enjoyed Sing to Me! and that you will continue to further your musical education on your own.
Since this is to be the last song choice, I have decided to use one of the best songs I know. "Seasons of Love" from the award winning musical "RENT" is not only beautiful to listen to musically, but sung in a chorus with bittersweet haunting lyrics makes this song a must hear! (And if you haven't seen RENT, a must see!) So now, here is a little about RENT from Wikipedia:
"Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of AIDS.
The musical was first seen in a limited three-week Workshop production at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994. This same New York City off-Broadway theatre was also the musical's initial home following its official January 25, 1996, opening. The show's creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before the off-Broadway premiere. The show won a Pulitzer Prize, and the production was a hit. The musical moved to Broadway's larger Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996.
On Broadway, Rent gained critical acclaim and won a Tony Award for Best Musical among other awards. The musical is largely responsible for helping to increase the popularity of musical theater amongst the younger generation."
Jonathan Larson was truly a man ahead of his time, which shows not only in RENT but in other shows he wrote and composed. This show is about so many things including the lives of a starving artists, poverty, AIDS, love. There are so many stories to tell in this show, that I dare not try to scrape the surface. But this is a musical that has touched so many hearts, including mine, and put words and sounds to emotions that aren't always easily understood or expressed. Larson didn't get to see RENT rise to fame, he died the night of the final dress rehearsal after the show, but his words and stories will be shared for years to come.
I first learned about RENT when we sang "Seasons of Love" and other RENT songs in my high school showchoir. I became instantly infatuated and my love and respect for this show has continued. I even had "Seasons of Love" played in my wedding!
RENT is not only my favorite musical, but was also turned into a fantastic motion picture film. I have seen RENT on stage, in a movie theater, and at home on my television screen. I simply can't get enough of it.
So now you see, this song is only fitting to be the last song that I showcase. I hope you enjoy it, listen to it more than once, and see the show if you haven't already.
And here are the lyrics, in all their glory. Enjoy.
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Seasons of Love
“525,600 minutes,
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes,
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights,
in sunsets,
in midnights,
in cups of coffee?
In inches,
in miles,
in laughter,
in strife?
In 525,600 minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love!
How about love!
How about love!
Measure in love!
Seasons of love.
525,600 minutes!
525,000 journeys to plan.
525,600 minutes!
How can you measure the life of a woman or man?
In truths that she learned,
or in times that he cried?
In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died?
It’s time now to sing out, though the story never ends
Let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends!
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Measure in love.
Seasons of love!
Seasons of love.”
*Lyrics provided by www.stlyrics.com
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What do you think? Did you like the words?
Did the song speak to you?
What does the line "measure your life in love" actually mean?
How do YOU measure your life?
Thank you all for taking the time to read my posts. I hope you have enjoyed the journey. And now on to the next!
To hear "Seasons of Love" click on the youtube.com link below:
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Stephanie
1 comment:
A) What wedding!?
2) Jonathon Larsen was amazing and so is Rent!
C) This is a great final song choice for many reasons. First, it's practically your theme song...OK, Finale B is your theme son, but this is a close second! Second, it makes perfect sense for your last post on New Year's Eve to reflect on the past year and on the relationships in your life and which have mattered to you, which ones have maybe mattered more or less than you expected, etc. Lastly, it's simply just a brilliant song that really does capture what it means to love and to have friendships...to really be involved in the human race.
The lyrics alone, of course, cannot get across the emotion that singers muster here, especially the two soloists. I challenge anyone to listen to this song and not start clapping their hands about halfway through!
This is a brilliant song from a brilliant musical written by a man who left us too soon (but at least he gave us his masterpiece first).
Thank you for this blog, I've enjoyed reading and thinking about these songs. Thinking about music in general. It's been a fun, worthy exercise, and one I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Viva la vie boheme!
;-)
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