"...songs in musicals are often stylized and have a feeling of heightened reality."
Agreed 100%, and that's why I personally have never had a problem with these lyrics. I know Sondheim isn't fond of "the world was just an address" either, but I think love songs are full of heightened lyrics that don't always need to speak to the reality of the character.
But hey, if Sondheim isn't happy with some of his work in WSS, he's entitled. Maybe we wish he'd let it go, but artists can often be too self-critical. I remember attending a Q&A with Bill Finn, after he had written Elegies, and in response to a question about Falsettos, he made a very dismissive comment about that being his "baby work." I can think of other instances where composers or writers have been too critical of especially of their early works. So it is. |
