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re: When a musical is revived, should it be influenced by its film version?
Last Edit: Chromolume 07:41 am EDT 08/31/18
Posted by: Chromolume 07:30 am EDT 08/31/18
In reply to: re: When a musical is revived, should it be influenced by its film version? - Chazwaza 07:15 am EDT 08/31/18

but I cannot understand how you think that the film song's lyrics are repetitive but "Sitting Pretty"'s lyrics are not... have you looked at them recently? They are literally repetitive.

Have YOU looked at them recently? They're not - literally or otherwise.

The difference between a refrain that starts with:

"Money makes the world go around,
The world go around,
The world go around,
Money makes the world go around"

And the refrain for Sitting Pretty, that relies on a simpler (and very typical) standard "32-bar" AABA form (with the bridge to the end repeated after the dance sequence, plus a few repeated extensions along the way, in and out of the dance breaks)

Is huge.


There is *musical* repetition in the A sections of Sitting Pretty, (the A sections are built on a 3-time musical phrase followed by the "but me, I'm sitting pretty" part) but the only repetitive lyrics within any section are the "has money" in the first A, and that's only sung twice. (Yes, the "sitting pretty" part gets sung in each A section, but that's true of any number of songs that follow a standard pattern - that's much less about "repetition" for its own sake than it is about how song structure is built. Don't confuse song form with extra repetition. Look at, say, "Someone To Watch Over Me" or "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" etc. Or even other songs in this same show. That's a standard kind of repetition in most songs of this form. Nothing unique for the song.)

"The Money Song" is literally a much much much much more repetitive lyric than "Sitting Pretty" by any and all possible standards, no dispute possible. (And we haven't even talked about the endless chants of "money money money" in the Money song, etc.)

Sorry...


And for the record, I like both songs. But looking that the way the lyrics are built in both. "The Money Song" RELIES on repetition as one of its prime building blocks. much more than most songs. "Sitting Pretty" is as typically simple AABA and not any more repetitive than you'd expect with any other standard song of that form. I'm not sure how you can see it any differently.
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re: When a musical is revived, should it be influenced by its film version?
Last Edit: Chazwaza 03:19 pm EDT 08/31/18
Posted by: Chazwaza 03:08 pm EDT 08/31/18
In reply to: re: When a musical is revived, should it be influenced by its film version? - Chromolume 07:30 am EDT 08/31/18

Not only are you wrong in your assertion that Sitting Pretty doesn't have any repetitive lyrics, which was the point I was making, but the aggressive and dismissive tone of your post (not to mention to absurdity of stating that there's no other way to see something before you've even heard the other person's take - what kind of discussion could possibly come from that?) makes it not worth responding to thoughtfully... except to say that not only do lyrics in the song repeat but the entire song is one thought repeated over and over with mostly new and yes clever lyrics (WITH SOME REPETITION), whereas "Money, Money" builds and expands on the idea of poverty and life with money vs life without money. Yes the chorus is very repetitive by design it would seem, but the chorus is hardly the whole song. My point was that both songs have repetition in their lyrics. And I don't understand repetition being the criticism of "Money Money" (given how comparatively not repetitive it is in the verses) while the implication is that "Sitting Pretty" is not repetitive and that's one of its strengths. Not only do I not agree because it's literally not true that one is and one isn't repetitive, but I think the kind of repetition in Sitting Pretty outweighs, for me, the kind in Money Money. I think "Money Money" is a better song lyrically because of what I just said. I like Sitting Pretty and I like the concept of the selfish but happy view the Emcee has ("but me, I'm sitting pretty") but the song does nothing with that besides state it several times, it doesn't expand on it or twist it or do anything clever with it nor does it make any kind of relevant impact and outside of the Emcee's (mildly) relevant POV expressed in the song, ALL the rest of the lyrics are just quick cute examples of people he knows struggling financially. That is repetitive even beyond the actual section of repeated lyrics that come later in the song (if you don't believe me feel free to look it up). And that ridiculous musical break music also isn't helping the song's case.
And now I've gone and responded thoughtfully despite not even meaning to.
And YES I had looked at both songs before discussing them... did you? Never mind, don't answer, I'm not interested in debating this with you with that attitude.
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re: When a musical is revived, should it be influenced by its film version?
Last Edit: Chromolume 04:14 pm EDT 08/31/18
Posted by: Chromolume 04:14 pm EDT 08/31/18
In reply to: re: When a musical is revived, should it be influenced by its film version? - Chazwaza 03:08 pm EDT 08/31/18

Wow. :-(
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