Video

A narrative form. It tells a story.

While A Little Night Music is written all in waltz meter, not everthing is in 3:4, for example I believe "Send in the clowns" is in 12:8

I think the point has been totally lost. Please guys read the diaries.and the history. Isherwood was not writing musicals..

I’d switch places for #1 and #2. “Not Getting Married” is not only notoriously difficult to sing, it’s also freaking hilarious.

This is truly, an underrated video on youtube.

Without 'Not a Day Goes By' this is a misguided list!

Too bad he did this before Daniel Radcliffe NAILED Franklin Shephard Inc.

Going going gone Not While I’m Around Joanna As the Days go by Your choices are pedestrian

Rent was revolutionary for IT'S TIME. I think that is a lot of context that is lost here. I'm not going to keep going ..I was an OBC Renthead soooo. Thank you Jonathon Larson.

I know Les Miz pretty darn well and I could not even tell which songs they were singing.

Based choice in Unworthy of your love. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and disturbing at the same time, really forcing you into the headspace of these characters and making you empathize with them in a powerful but uncomfortable way, which is essentially what the whole show is about, and why it’s one of my all time favorite musicals!

Great choices! I'm not sure if I'd put Losing My Mind at #1, but can't think of another contender. SO glad you put Finishing the Hat at #2; being a musician, son of a musician and an artist, it's right on!

Agree with some of these. My list: Fishing The Hat (a contender for best song ever written, IMO) Losing My Mind Being Alive Send In The Clowns Not A Day Goes By

"Buddy's Blues" really needs to be on this list- a borderline criminal exclusion. Actually, I really only agree with "Getting Married Today" from your list, and would also have included "Giants in the Sky", "Everybody Says Don't", and "Opening Doors". I'm confused as to how anyone would put "Worst Pies in London" on a list like this, tbh.

27:54 don’t feel too bad about the fact that Tomorrow Belongs To Me being used by right wing extremists, that’s kinda one of the themes of the song is that it’s funny seeing Nazis singing a song that was written for an anti-fascist show, written by two Jewish, both of whom were allegedly queer men, it shows just *how* stupid the Nazis are, not realizing that the song they’re using as an anthem was not a real nationalist song and was actually made by the supposed “enemy”, the song was often confused for being a real Nazi propaganda sadly

The Road You Didn't Take from Follies, Being Alive from Company, Ladies Who Lunch from Company, Any One Can Whistle from Anyone Can Whistle (a simple but beautiful sone), Could I Leave You from Follies, I'm Still Here from Follies. I saw the original touring companies of these for which I am more grateful than I could ever express.

This is so beautiful

Being Alive is my #]

Oh HELL no!! Under no sane universe is "Your Fault" from "Into the Woods" NOT number ONE!! It's a patter song using 5 characters singing it!! How could you...

I just finished reading “Goodbye to Berlin” yesterday. The book itself really rarely mentions Nazism until the last few pages where it’s the main focus. The 1972 movie tried to merge the original book and the musical into one. I found many similarities and nods to the book in this movie, which is probably why it seems like the “Nazi thing” is an afterthought. It’s not meant to be. It’s just that you’re supposed to see how things are slowly progressing. I think the movie did well at showing that.

1. Not Getting Married Today 2. Putting It Together 3. Giants In The Sky 4. Another 100 People 5. Worst Pies In London

Your Fault Into the Woods

Typical self centered millennial know it alls, I guess you're overrated as well with no background or understanding of the previous generations struggles and crisis. Unsubbed and you had such promise and potential and then you just pissed it all away.

I disagree with Another Hundred People. If a song has some patter elements, but also plenty of melisma and sustained notes, I don't know that I'd call it a patter song.

Not the musical taste of someone I would pay attention to but I appreciate individualism and 2 of the 5 belong on the list IMHO.

The original 90s score and songs were much more on point, funny and interesting - Bring on the Men was wonderful and they cut it to make it more family friendly.

So........ the Balladeer isn't always turned into LHO. That's something introduced in the Broadway production.

I vote for "Your Fault" from Into the Woods.

Chaotic bisexuals exist. Maureen is flawed; but aren’t we all when we’re that young?

There's a video of various artists doing "(Not) Getting Married". Well worth checking out...

You seem to have a very broad definition of "ballad" but it's your channel and who am I to quibble. I will add to the list of songs others have mentioned : "Anyone Can Whistle" from the show of the same name. It's beautiful.

Lin-Manuel Miranda also said that he borrowed the reverse word-painting in "You'll Be Back" (oceans rise, empires fall - the music goes down on the word rise and up on the word fall) from "A Spoonful of Sugar helps the medicine go down" - the song goes up on the word down.

Kiss Me from Sweeney Todd

11:10 Soooo.... ya slipped in a rolled Spanish "R" in Lin Manuel Miranda but not in any of the other Spanish words. Why not? Is it pretentious to roll an R if it's not part of your native tongue? You'll notice French speakers, for example, make no attempt at all to recreate more or less authentic sounds from other languages. I even heard a few comments about this on NPR: How Spanish is the ONLY non-English language on NPR where they try to imitate the accent, but you'll never hear them using a "Russian" R, for example. What gives?

I love this rating. You all are spot on.

One of my all time favorite Sondheim song is Last Midnight from Into the Woods. And the best version that I’ve heard of that song is by the one & only Ms. Bernadette Peters- who I totally love!)

My all time favorite Sondheim song is I Remember Sky from Evening Primrose. And the best version that I’ve heard of that song is by the Jazz singer Dianne Reeves (so much so that I don’t really even like the version by Bernadette Peters- who otherwise I love!)

Losing My Mind from Follies!!! ❤❤❤

Loving You from Passions!

I would not classify " Woest pies in London" as a patter song.

Not a Day Goes By is a great song!!!

Too bad Mandy’s voice is so unappealing!!

No fuckn way we could've had Raul Esparza for the Phantom WE WERE ROBBED

Totally agree qith your #1!

Hate hate hate Mandy’s singing voice!!!

I'm really fascinated by how some people try to indulge in quasi-analytical videos on Sondheim when there's so little substance to deal with. His so-called patter songs are really babble over music and way beneath Arthur Sullivan's brilliant examples of the art form.

I heard an interview with Maria Friedman who describe Franklin Sheppard Inc. as a love song. Such a powerful interpretation.

EVIL EIDELWEISS

Billy is problematic. But it's rather amazing you had no knowledge of one of the great works of American musical theater.

I’m sorry, I have to disagree. While I do love Franklin Sheppard Inc, I PLAYED AMY, and Getting Married Today is a FAR MORE DIFFICULT song to sing. I did it going up and down platforms in a gymnasium without a mic. Franklin Sheppard does give you room to breathe, Getting Married Today does not. Sing both and THEN tell me which you think Is the harder/better song.