| ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | WaymanWong 01:03 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I love ''Something Good'' (especially the melody), which Richard Rodgers wrote for the film of ''Sound of Music.'' But I've always wondered about the opening lyric: ''Perhaps I had a wicked childhood, Perhaps I had a mis'rable youth, But somewhere in my wicked, mis'rable past, There must have been a moment of truth.'' Maria's presented as such a sweet, innocent soul. Is there anything about her that would even suggest she might've had a ''wicked childhood''? I imagine the reference to ''my wicked, mis'rable past'' is tongue-in-cheek. Still, it seems like an odd sentiment for Maria. Why isn't she singing about falling in love for the first time, or realizing what that means? Instead, the lyric suggests someone being coy about a naughty past. What am I missing? And does anyone know why ''An Ordinary Couple'' was replaced in the movie? Was it to have an Oscar-eligible tune? | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - WaymanWong 01:03 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Well, if you're looking for a rationale, the Wikipedia entry on Maria Rainer quotes her as saying she had a bad temper, so much so that she spent her wedding day angry at the Captain and God Himself for getting her into this situation when her real desire in life was to be a nun. And, by the very high standards of a religious, Maria does have her flaws: she's disobedient and headstrong. She's been at the Trapp house barely five minutes before starting an argument with her employer. It's not unreasonable to think that these traits were part of Maria's personality as a child, and she's remembering, say, getting in fights with other children, disobeying at school, that sort of thing. Again, by the standards a nun holds herself to, these things might seem "wicked." | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | andrea 10:05 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - LegitOnce 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Wikipedia also says that she was an orphan by the age 7, which may have something to do with her "wicked childhood" and headstrong traits. | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | TheOtherOne 10:28 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - andrea 10:05 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| You think she killed her parents? ;-) | |
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| The Sound of Music: Ruthless! nmi | |
| Posted by: | Ann 06:00 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - TheOtherOne 10:28 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 10:44 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - TheOtherOne 10:28 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Well, there was that one time she didn't win the penmanship medal... | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | mikem 09:21 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - LegitOnce 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| With Catholic guilt and all, Maria probably thinks she was wicked at the convent, too. She knows that she is often late (and therefore disobedient) and that some of the other nuns don't think much of her. I find it interesting that the lyric is, "I had a miserable youth" (things happened to me that were terrible) as opposed to "I was a miserable youth" (I was a bad kid). I find it easy to imagine that Maria had a miserable youth. As far as we know, she has no family at all (no one walks her down the aisle), she seems like someone who could get picked on a lot by authority figures (like the nuns at the abbey do), and she may have entered the convent because the church took her out of miserable surroundings. | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 08:59 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - mikem 09:21 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I find it interesting that the lyric is, "I had a miserable youth" (things happened to me that were terrible) as opposed to "I was a miserable youth" (I was a bad kid). "kid" would likely describe her "childhood" rather than her "youth," yes? ;-) | |
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| That is interesting .... | |
| Posted by: | jdm 08:45 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - LegitOnce 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| about the Wikipedia entry. I recall reading somewhere that Maria before entering the convent was practically an atheist, she really was drawn to the glorious music that she heard in churches. So getting angry at God seems to be at odds with other reports. Jim | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - WaymanWong 01:03 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| There are (at least) two problems with Rodgers' lyrics here. One concerns everything you just pointed out. Obviously the point Rodgers is hoping to make is a twist on "I can't possibly deserve you" etc - that the character feels she must have done something good enough in her life worthy enough to deserve such a wonderful "prize." But yes, he dwells so much on the "wicked" aspect of things that I think the point he wants to make gets (more than) a bit lost. Even if the whole wicked/good idea can be seen as relating to her Catholicism (original sin, etc), it's still a rather odd lyric. The other problem is the whole "youth/childhood" thing. First of all, I do think Rodgers is trying to make too much of the distinction. To paraphrase what you said above, isn't Maria at this moment just a bit too smitten with the Captain to be giving a discourse on the difference between youth and childhood, lol? It might not be so bad if she didn't keep coming back to reference that. But for me, and because of that repetition of something that seems a bit odd to be bringing up in the first place, I find that's what stands out to me in the song. The idea of "Something Good" takes second place to the idea of "Youth Or Childhood," which might have been a much more apropos title, IMO. I'm sure you will get some snarky responses as to why "An Ordinary Couple" was cut - as in, "it's just an f-ing lousy song, that's why." ;-) But - and I don't just say this because I happen to like the song - I think they lyrics fit the situation at hand much more appropriately. Issues of love and family, and of the fact that they really will just be an "ordinary couple" (to contrast with the more posh life the Captain might have had with Elsa...and hey, maybe Elsa and Max were right all along that THAT love could not survive, lol.) I don't know if it was cut in order to get an Oscar qualifier in there, but it's a possibility. | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 09:40 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - Chromolume 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| In regard to the appropriateness of the lyric, I will again post the notes on the staging of the song in the original production, taken from the notes that the R and H Org send to companies performing the show. For "Ordinary Couple," those notes read: "'An Ordinary Couple' presents the problem of the love affair culminating after the song, though it is understood that they will get together before it begins. Never having been romantically involved with a man before, Maria shows a bit of embarrassment and awkwardness during the song. This is eliminated at the end with a kiss. In this way we keep a dramatic tension alive during the song. While the song is in progress, have the Captain gently romance Maria until she accepts his embraces warmly." This makes a lot of sense with the dialogue that leads into the song, some of which may have been cut in the television production. I didn't record it so I can't watch it again to check exactly what was left in. Like you, I like the song, including the somewhat unsettled quality of the accompaniment, which can be heard more clearly on the original London cast recording than on the Broadway recording. | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | mikem 09:49 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - AlanScott 09:40 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Is it common for directing suggestions to be distributed like that? I was not aware that was done. | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 10:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - mikem 09:49 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Not common at all. The only similar example I can think of are Christopher Durang's notes on The Marriage of Bette and Boo that are in the published script. | |
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| The Maria of Lehman's screenplay and Andrews's performance is pretty neurotic and down on herself | |
| Posted by: | BrianJ 05:17 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - Chromolume 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| "I'm far too outspoken - it's one of my worst faults!", etc. I have no problem buying that the Lehman/Andrews Maria feels she had a wicked childhood. Likewise, I don't really believe that the Lehman/Andrews Maria would at that moment be projecting the placid vision of the future embodied in "An Ordinary Couple". I think she'd be stirred up and neurotically emotional and "What did I do to deserve this?" | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | kieran 01:52 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - Chromolume 01:19 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| And neither new song got an Oscar nomination although the film went on to win the "Best Picture' award. | |
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| re: ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 01:17 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | ''Something'' I've wondered about, lyrically - WaymanWong 01:03 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| >> I imagine the reference to ''my wicked, mis'rable past'' is tongue-in-cheek. Oh I don't think so. Catholic authority can work a real number even on the laity in relation to original sin. God only knows what they do with the religious. She's a novice receiving instruction. No dissenting opinion. An entirely controlled environment. I bet she's dead serious. Wrong, no doubt, but serious. | |
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