I enjoy winter. I really do. It's not my favorite, but it has it's charms. However, I have decided that I need to take a few preemptive measures to ensure that I can stay happy and upbeat throughout the long, sunless months ahead. (Did you catch all the clever music references in that sentence?)
I hereby declare today and every future Monday to be "Musical Monday"! Because, honestly, how can you not feel smiley inside when people are singing and dancing around in front of you?
This first selection is "I'll Cover You" from the movie version of "Rent". Todd and I briefly considered it as our wedding song, but went with something a little more traditional instead. ("I Could Write a Book")
As for this song, it makes me happy, if not a little nostalgiac for NYC. And check out what that guy can do in heels!! Truly Amazing.
"Rent" opened when I was in college as a music major. It became almost compulsory to immediately memorize all the music and lyrics, but I didn't get to see the show until Todd took me for my birthday after we were married. (He was so excited, he couldn't keep it a secret.)
The summer after I graduated college, I drove from western Wyoming to southern Illinois all by myself. I listened to Rent the ENTIRE time. And I don't think Todd and I have ever painted a room without listening to at least a few songs from it.
Todd and I even considered having "I'll Cover You" as our wedding song. (For those of you who don't know the show, it's a lovely love song, but sung by two men...not that you can tell they're both men if you're just listening. We thought it might be pushing things a bit to do that to all of our LDS family and friends in attendance.)
My first year of teaching I had the kids sing "Seasons of Love" at one of my first concerts as their director.
If you've ever said any of the following things to me and I zoned out it's because I was using the lyrics from Rent to complete the sentance in my head. My apologies.
- "You look familiar." (like your dead girlfriend)
- "Ew" (It tastes the same. If you close your eyes. And thirteen orders of fries. Is that it here? Wine and beer!)
- "Yoga." (To yogurt! To rice and beans and cheese!...)
-"Langston Hughs." (To the stage!)
- "Mark." (Mark! Mark! I'm Mark!)
- "Doc Martins." (I'll kiss your Doc Martins. Let me kiss your Doc Martins! Your every wish I will obey!)
- "We're okay." (We're. O. K.)
- "Just wanted to call." (and say 'we love you' and we'll miss you tomorrow. Cindy and the kids are here, send their love-Oh! I hope you like the hotplate. Just don't leave it on, dear when you leave the house. And Mark, we're sorry to hear that Maureen left you, I say 'C'est la vie'. So let her be a lesbian. There are other fishies in the sea. Love, Mo-om!)
- "Angel." (I'm Angel. Aaaaaangel. Indeed.)
-"Nice tree." (Let's get a band-aid for your knee.)
The list goes on and on and on. But twelve years after the show opened on Broadway, it's still in my head in full force. It is full of clever twists and double meanings which is my favorite type of show. It's the same reason I love Sondheim's stuff. I love composers/lyricists who can provide singable tunes with quick wit. Jonathon Larson certainly did that and it's so sad that he wasn't able to see the fruits of his labor. (He died of an aortic aneurism after a final dress rehearsal in 1996.)
