Relationship: The Musical

Posted on | August 11, 2010 | 2 Comments

Shakespeare had it right: “if music be the food of love, play on.”

I love music. You probably love music too. I don’t really know anyone who doesn’t. Music has a way of saying everything you wanted to say, but couldn’t. For every moment big or small, happy or sad, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be able to find a song that perfectly sums up your mood at the moment. And if you give any stock to pop culture, musicals are on the rise. With the popularity of Glee and Billy Joel, ABBA and Green Day seeing their songs turned into Broadway hits, musicals aren’t just for your grandmother anymore.

Maybe I’ve just got relationships on the brain, but it occurred to me recently that you could take a bunch of pop songs and turn them into the soundtrack for an imaginary relationship. The world is already full of love songs; why not use them to tell a story? I seriously think this is a niche market someone is overlooking. So I humbly offer my own choices for what I’m calling Relationship: The Musical, coming soon to a Broadway theater (or, at the very least, an iPod) near you.

Act One – Why are You Still Single?

We open our story with the question every singleton dreads: “why are you still single?” or “how come you’re not married yet?” Though cornered by well-meaning family members, our hero and heroine quickly tire of having to offer up yet another excuse, because there is no easy answer. They don’t know why they’re still single, but maybe Michael Buble does:

I might have to wait, I’ll never give up / I guess it’s half timing, and the other half’s luck / Wherever you are, whenever it’s right / You’ll come out of nowhere and into my life …  I just haven’t met you yet

(Also for your consideration: Queen, Somebody to Love; The Supremes, You Can’t Hurry Love.)

Act Two – Meet-Cute

Just when our hero and heroine are ready to give up, fate steps in. Maybe it’s at a party or in a crowded marketplace. They bump into each other and lock eyes. Her heart starts to beat just a little bit faster. His palms get just a little bit sweaty. It feels like it might be love, but they’ve been burned before. So they hesitate, ever so slightly, and pause before moving forward. They wonder: how do we move from attraction to romance? How do I convince him/her to give me a chance? ABBA makes a pretty compelling argument:

Gonna do my very best and it ain’t no lie, If you put me to the test, if you let me try / Take a chance on me (That’s all I ask of you honey) Take a chance on me

(Also for your consideration: Madonna, Open Your Heart; Liz Phair, Extraordinary)

Act Three – True Looooooove

Ah, the honeymoon phase. Everything is right in the world. Birds are singing outside your window, the sun seems to shine just a little bit brighter and our romantic leads have that dopey smile across their faces that says, “I got lucky.” Yes, folks, it’s true love: she love him. He loves her. There’s a whole lot of love going around – a love that’s based on acceptance of the other person, flaws and all. She haven’t learned to hate his quirky habits yet, he’s still amusing by her nagging instead of annoyed. Ingrid Michaelson would be so pleased:

If you are chilly, here take my sweater. Your head is aching, I’ll make it better / Cause I love the way you call me baby. And you take me the way I am.

(Also for your consideration: Journey, Open Arms; Marvin Gaye, How Sweet It Is)

Act Four – The Tough Stuff

Remember what Diana said? Love don’t come easy. All the love in the world can’t save our hero and heroine from encountering some tough stuff. No one is perfect and sometimes life can really suck. It’s how they respond to those situations that determines whether or not they’ll make it. The key, as our good friends The Beatles remind us, is compromise:

Life is very short, And there’s no time – For fussing and fighting, my friend
I have always thought, that it’s a crime, so I will ask you once again
Try to see it my way, only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong

(Also for your consideration: Sheryl Crow, I Shall Believe; Fountains of Wayne, Troubled Times)

Act Five – Happily Ever After

And they all lived happily ever after. That’s how fairy tales end, because fairy tales are meant to be happy. Relationship: The Musical ends happily because, traditionally, all musicals ended happily. I mean, it’s hard enough to get people to sit through musicals as it is. Why add a depressing ending to the mix? Happy endings give us the promise of better things to come. We don’t know what will happen to our hero and heroine after the curtain falls; we only know that the possibilities are endless and, as Van Morrison knows, the best is yet to come:

But just lately I have realized the best is yet to come / Someone like you, makes it all worth while / Someone like you keeps me satisfied / Someone exactly like you.

(Also for your consideration: Anberlin, Inevitable; Ben Harper, Forever).

Your turn – what songs would you include in Relationship: The Musical?

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

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