They're the catchiest songs ever to grace Broadway. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most memorable and hummable tunes from Broadway musicals that premiered before 1980.
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00:00 [Singing]
00:06 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the most memorable and hummable tunes from
00:11 Broadway musicals that premiered before 1980.
00:14 [Singing]
00:21 Number 10. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Gentlemen prefer blondes.
00:27 [Singing]
00:37 Lorelei Lee is an icon. Whether played by movie legend Marilyn Monroe or the originator of the
00:42 role, Broadway legend Carol Channing, she is a woman who is not afraid to tell people what she
00:47 wants out of life.
00:48 [Singing]
00:56 Her philosophies about men, romance, and jewelry make up a lot of the humor in Gentlemen Prefer
01:01 Blondes. Men can be unpredictable and disappointing, but diamonds are forever. The sexy and
01:07 brutally honest lyrics of Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend vary between its stage and screen
01:11 versions, but the singer's point is blazingly clear each time.
01:15 [Singing]
01:21 Number 9. Don't rain on my parade. Funny Girl.
01:24 [Singing]
01:35 Introduced by Barbara Streisand in the original Broadway production and made famous in the
01:39 Oscar-winning movie, this song became the calling card of every person who ever felt counted out.
01:44 It's a big, bold, and driving number that occurs at the end of the first act of Funny Girl.
01:50 [Singing]
02:02 Fanny Brice is determined to defy advice to the contrary and go after the man she wants,
02:07 no matter what stands in their way. Streisand made it a classic, but its timeless themes of
02:11 perseverance and positivity against all odds have made it a favorite of many performers and
02:16 Broadway fans alike.
02:18 [Singing]
02:30 Number 8. If I were a rich man. Fiddler on the Roof.
02:34 [Singing]
02:49 Tevye the milkman has a few questions for God. He delivers his milk, he raises his daughters,
02:54 and lives virtuously. But who would it hurt if he was rich? Tevye daydreams of an easier life,
03:00 where he has a huge house, all the material comforts of wealth, and the respect of his
03:05 fellow citizens. Original actor Zero Mostel's improvised chanting may be one of the most
03:10 notable features of the song.
03:11 [Singing]
03:25 Even if you think you haven't heard anything from Fiddler on the Roof,
03:28 you've probably heard If I Were a Rich Man, when Stefani's 2004 reinterpretation of the song
03:33 became a top 40 hit.
03:35 [Singing]
03:39 Number 7. America. West Side Story.
03:42 [Singing]
03:54 With its complex rhythm and sometimes biting lyrics, this song is a distillation of everything
03:59 West Side Story's about. Presented as an infectious number with eye-popping choreography and hilarious
04:05 back-and-forth between the characters, America captures the dissonance at the heart of the story.
04:10 [Singing]
04:20 The song portrays a difference of opinion about life in America among the show's Puerto Rican
04:25 characters. While the song was originally introduced as an unequivocally pro-America
04:29 number, the lyrics have undergone rewrites since its original Broadway premiere.
04:33 [Singing]
04:39 What has remained is its clear musical and rhythmic inspirations from Latin music,
04:43 its boundless energy, and its toe-tapping catchiness.
04:47 [Singing]
04:57 Number 6. Ease On Down the Road. The Wiz.
05:00 [Singing]
05:09 Another way to make sure no one forgets your song? Keep singing it over and over again.
05:13 Ease On Down the Road is The Wiz's answer to "We're Off to See the Wizard" from the original
05:17 Wizard of Oz.
05:18 [Singing]
05:26 Dorothy and her magical friends launch into it every time they set off on the yellow brick road
05:31 once again.
05:32 [Singing]
05:44 It's a driving and energetic song, with a memorable chorus and a danceable beat.
05:48 This R&B/Broadway classic has been reinterpreted by many, but probably most famously by Diana Ross
05:54 and Michael Jackson in the 1978 film version of the show.
05:58 Number 5. Let the Sunshine In. Hair.
06:01 [Singing]
06:12 When this counterculture musical premiered on Broadway in 1968, it alienated many Broadway
06:18 stalwarts. However, several of its songs entered the pop lexicon. One of the biggest was the
06:23 dual track "Aquarius Let the Sunshine In" recorded by The Fifth Dimension.
06:27 [Singing]
06:31 Aquarius is the show's big opener, a slow, funky introduction to the show's peace, love,
06:37 and understanding ethos. But Let the Sunshine In is the real star of the score.
06:41 [Singing]
06:55 Although in the show it's a sad counterpoint to the cost of the Vietnam War, in context
06:59 or out, it's a song that never fails to rouse an audience and get them singing along.
07:04 [Singing]
07:17 Number 4. You Got Trouble. The Music Man.
07:20 "Well, you got trouble my friend. Right here, I say trouble right here in River City. Why sure,
07:25 I'm a billiard player. Certainly mighty proud to say I'm always mighty proud to say it."
07:28 When Professor Harold Hill, con man and musician, rolls into River City, Iowa,
07:33 he's got a mission to whip its citizens into a frenzy of puritanical hysteria.
07:37 You Got Trouble is the first step.
07:39 "And all week long your River City youth will be fritterin' away. I say your young man will be
07:43 fritterin'. Fritterin' away there. Noontime, suppertime, short time too. Get the ball in
07:48 the pocket, never mind gettin' dandelions pulled at the screen door, patched to the beach, steak
07:51 pounded."
07:52 Warning of the moral and spiritual disaster that's sure to come now that River City has a public
07:57 pool hall, Hill's rapid-fire siren song wraps everyone within earshot around his finger.
08:02 Despite its tongue-twisting landslide of dated and satirical lyrics,
08:07 You Got Trouble is such a fun song to try to sing.
08:10 And even if you don't catch every lyric, you can hum until you remember.
08:14 "Math stereo! The idle rain is the devil's playground. Trouble! Right here in River City."
08:20 Number 3. Do Re Mi. The Sound of Music.
08:24 "Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. When you read, you begin with..."
08:34 "A, B, C."
08:35 "When you sing, you begin with Do Re Mi."
08:39 No one could write an earworm quite like Rodgers and Hammerstein.
08:43 They knew the quickest way to make sure everyone walks out of the theater singing your song
08:47 is to make it as joyful and deceptively simple as possible.
08:50 "Sew a needle pulling thread. Love, a note to follow so. Tea, a drink with jam and bread."
09:02 Do Re Mi's repetitive lyrics and structure are perfectly suited to stick in your brain.
09:06 "That will bring us back to dawn."
09:11 "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Do."
09:14 Also, who can say no to a free singing lesson?
09:17 Seeing that Maria performs this song as a mnemonic device to teach the Von Trapp children
09:22 how to sing and hear music, it can be used to introduce kids to music theory in the real world
09:27 as well.
09:27 "Ti Do Do Do Do."
09:34 Number 2. It's the Hard Knock Life. Annie.
09:38 "It's the hard knock life for us. It's the hard knock life for us.
09:43 Stead of treat and we get treats. Stead of kisses, we get kicks."
09:49 The red-headed optimist and her fellow orphans have a roof over their head,
09:52 but that's about it.
09:54 Living under the thumb of the abusive Miss Hannigan,
09:57 the girls are tasked with back-breaking work to earn their keep.
10:00 "It's the hard knock life for us. It's the hard knock life for us.
10:05 No cares for you or us, Mitch, when you're hit and hurt, my Mitch."
10:11 They sing of their woes in the cutest way possible.
10:14 Despite the song's dark lyrics, like the rest of the show,
10:17 it's also a testament to Annie and her friends' ability to at least want something better.
10:22 "It's the hard knock life. It's the hard knock life. It's the hard knock life."
10:33 No wonder she's always singing about tomorrow. Today is terrible.
10:36 "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya. Tomorrow, you're always a day away."
10:45 It's the Hard Knock Life clearly resonated with a lot of people.
10:49 It even found new life when Jay-Z sampled the familiar tune in a 1998 track.
10:53 "It's the hard knock life. From standing on the corners bopping,
10:56 to driving some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen."
11:00 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:04 "I Hope I Get It." A chorus line. One of the most exciting opening numbers ever.
11:08 "Girl, I think I've got it. I think I've got it. I need me life me all the time."
11:14 "I Got Rhythm." "Girl Crazy."
11:16 This song has become a standard that far outlived its original show.
11:20 "I got rhythm. I got music. I got my man who could ask for anything more."
11:27 "I Could Have Danced All Night." "My Fair Lady."
11:30 A euphoric Eliza Doolittle realizes she's falling in love.
11:33 "I could have danced all night. I could have danced all night.
11:43 And still have been bored."
11:49 "Turkey Lurkey Time." "Promises Promises."
11:52 A quirky Burt Bacharach and Hal David-penned holiday number.
11:55 "Turkey, turkey, cruisy, cruisy. Some for Uncle Joe, some for Cousin Lucy.
12:03 Everybody gather 'round the table. Big and dinner's being served."
12:07 "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair." "South Pacific."
12:10 A fun and defiant song that's just perfect for singing in the shower.
12:14 "I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair. I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair.
12:20 I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair. And send him on his way."
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12:42 Number 1. Cell Block Tango - Chicago
12:44 The six merry murderesses of Cook County Jail are the Black Widow spiders of the Broadway stage.
12:59 Their repetitive chanting lulls you in and embeds itself into your brain.
13:03 Their zingers make you laugh, but they're just as deadly as the ladies delivering them.
13:07 Chicago is an explosive celebration of murder, justice, and general bad behavior.
13:13 "He had it coming. He had it coming. He only had himself to blame."
13:20 Its memorable opening number is a tribute to speakeasies,
13:23 booze, and every other jazz era vice. What makes Cell Block Tango so memorable is that
13:28 it strikes the right note of humor, horror, and good old-fashioned Broadway catchiness.
13:33 "I guess you could say we broke up because of artistic differences.
13:36 He saw himself as alive, and I saw him dead."
13:40 Every lyric hits, every joke lands, and every moment counts.
13:49 By the end of this one, not only are you singing along, you're cheering them on.
13:55 "I bet you you would have done the same."
14:00 Did any of our picks have you singing along? Let us know in the comments.
14:03 "With a T, gotta rhyme with P, and that stands for Pee."
14:16 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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14:25 [music]