2006-09-12 16:23:15 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Performing Arts
A show tune is simply a song from a musical. Everyone will agree with that.
What makes them unique is that a character is describing his feelings within the context of a theater piece. So, we often get songs that are over-the-top or uniquely witty that can have great appeal but rarely can cross over into the mainstream.
I will name some songs that "crossed over" to the mainstream, covered by popular musicians.
Till There Was You -- From the Music Man, covered by John Lennon
Hello Dolly -- From Hello Dolly, covered by Louis Armstrong
My Favorite Things -- From Sound of Music, covered by Miles Davis
Somewhere -- From West Side Story, covered by Barbara Streisand (and Tom Waits)
Before television came along and throttled the Art Scene, the American Musical had a big impact on popular culture. It was very common for jazz musicians to make a cover of a show tune.
Also, the show tunes often reflected the trends in the music scene (like jazz) -- consider the work of Cole Porter, for example.
Musical Theater was impacted heavily by television and there was a rough dip in the late 60's and 70's. Basically, the genre had to "grow up" which it did, eventually offering such spectacle as Cats and Miss Saigon. Disney began converting it's movies into Musical Theater (the animated Disney movie carried the banner for musical theater for a long time) with hits like Beauty and the Beast and Lion King on Broadway.
Recovery complete with the 1976 Fosse musical "Chicago" winning a Best Oscar two years ago. A brilliant concept, because our audiences are skeptical about their fare, all the songs were presented from the demented (if you will) point of view of our heroine.
While show tunes either on Broadway or the silver screen will probably never get the respect they once had in jazz and popular music -- the genre is still thriving thanks to brilliant songwriters such as Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Rodgers and Hammerstein and the like, who's body of work over decades stands as a tribute and a testament to this crazy business we call Show!
2006-09-13 04:55:02 · answer #1 · answered by wrathofkublakhan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not plenty into something new, I do merely not hear them, yet I grew up in a house the place musicals have been a factor of what became listened to. Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific. the guy From l. a. Mancha, Annie Get Your Gun are in hassle-free terms some that I bear in ideas. I unquestionably have even been time-honored to belt out a tutor song or 2 (that quite scares the hell out of my spouse). i think of that one and all which stuff has helped to shape my distinctive musical tastes. From Bach to Wagner, from AC/DC to Zeppelin, i like all of it!
2016-10-14 22:55:47 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A song from a musical or play. Memories from Cats. Enough said.
2006-09-12 16:32:21 · answer #3 · answered by highergr0und 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
music from a musical such as
If I were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof.
OKLAHOMA from Oklahoma
Hello Dolly, La Cage Aux Folles
2006-09-12 16:35:40 · answer #4 · answered by sasors 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anything from a musical.... Cabaret (from Cabaret), America (West Side Story) Summer Nights (Grease), Luck be a Lady (Guys and Dolls), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus C S S)... there bajillions.
2006-09-12 16:37:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its a song from a Musical/show. Wow, lets see...any song from a musical would be great example.
2006-09-12 16:52:09 · answer #6 · answered by Norah 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋