My Five Favourite Romantic-ish Musical Songs

I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. We could put this down to resentment that my boyfriend lives elsewhere, disgust at the growing commercialisation of absolutely everything, or perhaps just a disregard for everybody else's happiness... No, it couldn't be that one. I too frequently put the happiness of every human, mouse and child above my own.

Anyway, it still stands that I dislike this day of the year but I do find musicals to be an absolute treasure-trove of odd little love songs. Since I adore delving into musical scores at the best of times I thought I'd share some of my favourites.

5. 'Baby, Dream Your Dream' from Sweet Charity

Sung by Charity's two friends, examining the realities of a happy-ever-after, the song tells of boredom, impossibly-gained credit and family quarrels. It concludes with a painful reminder that, even though it isn't perfect, it's what these women want:

Baby, dream your dream,

Close your eyes and try it,

Dream of three fat kids,

Brother would I buy it!

Life could be frozen peaches and cream,

If only I could, if only I could,

Dream, dream, dream our dream.

4. 'Hate Me Please' from Robert and Elizabeth

This delightful little song depicts the struggle of forcing yourself not to love when you quite plainly need to love. Interspersed with several drifts back into a poignant ballad, the singers try in vain to force their affections out of them. Some of my favourite lines:

There's just a slender chance a beautiful romance

Would not survive if you would bury me alive!

I'd count it as a favour if you'd shun me, shock me, tear my heart in two,

Halve it up and calve it up and serve it to the zoo.

Wound me, wing me, stab me, sting me,

Something's to be flung - then fling me!

Someone's to be clung to... cling me.

3. 'Love is Always Lovely in the End' from The Drowsy Chaperone

A rather dotty woman draws on some loved-up couples to illustrate how love endures: Samson and Delilah, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Romeo and Juliet.

2. 'Opposites' from Blitz

This takes up the old adage that opposites attract in a delightful way that promises an exciting life ahead. Lionel Bart was a genius in getting to the humour in things, especially love.

Two similar kinds of poodles

Bring up an upper-pedigree pup,

But two opposite kinds of mongrels

Produce a pooch you'd love.

Where I see black, you see white,

Wrong to me, to you seems right.

1. 'Losing my Mind' from Follies

This is just an outstanding song about love and longing. I don't think I've heard a better analysis of how it feels to lose your train of thought as you stand in the middle of a room and drift away to forbidden places. Of course, it's Sondheim, and he expresses almost anything better than anyone else.

All afternoon, doing every little chore,

The thought of you stays bright,

Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor,

Not going left, not going right.

I dim the lights and think about you,

Spend sleepless nights to think about you,

You said you loved me, or were you just being kind?

Or am I losing my mind?

The End. Or Alternatively...

Yesterday my seminar was focused on the role of editors in the production of texts. One interesting topic we touched upon was the notion of revised endings. The particular example used was the famous one of Dickens altering the ending of Great Expectations to a more positive one following advice.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that the ending we stick with for Great Expectations is the one we're familiar with. Dickens's original authorial intentions mean little when you take into consideration how popular the revised ending came to be. Yes, perhaps he bowed to pressure, but that pressure helped his commercial success. I think Dickens of all people would appreciate that argument.

The problem is, we live in a world of alternate endings. At the click of a button we can see the extended cuts of films and it's not unheard of for writers to publish alternate or additional scenes online as a way of both satisfying their reader and garnering publicity for their book. But, for me, this allows writers to play with both their intent and their reader. It's catering to everyone and ultimately that doesn't satisfy me as a member of the audience.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I detest the 'happy' ending that can replace the true finale of the musical, Sweet Charity. It is completely out of step with the rest of the film and although it provides the audience with a conventional end to a love story, it saps the impact from it. Charity's a loser: end of.

If you begin writing a novel I don't think it's helpful to know that you can alter your ending to suit your mood. We work towards things for a reason. I frequently provide happy endings when I know I shouldn't, just because I see it as my one shot to finish their story. If I wanted to be modern I could give them the tragic ending and make the happy alternative available online.

I don't want to do that. I owe my characters a real ending, not one dictated by something external to me. I wonder if Dickens ever had reservations on that score...

So Much For My Unhappy Ending

Way back when I formulated the idea for my current WIP I decided it wouldn’t be pretty. This, I told myself, would show the cruelties of life and demonstrate how people walk out on you when they really shouldn’t. It would show human weakness and be honest. So much for my big ideas.

35,000 words in and my intended ending is gnawing at me. I like my protagonist. I’ve spent a lot of time in her company now and the thought of leaving her shattered and alone doesn’t fill me with the same cruel glee it did a few weeks ago. I’ve even formulated an alternate ending, where Danni gets some hope in the final chapter. But, unfortunately, I’m still not sure if it’s the right course to take.

The movie Sweet Charity starring Shirley MacLaine is a good example of alternate endings in practice. The DVD contains one and it has been known for television broadcasters to show it in place of the dismal note the movie actually ends on. In the unhappy ending taxi-dancer Charity is deserted by her fiancé and can’t bring herself to return to her friends who think she’s now off living some wonderful life. She walks back into New York, alone and about to start a new life with all her dreams left in tatters.

No, it’s not the most optimistic finale on the planet but it is a tearjerker and, more than that, it’s true to the character. Charity Hope Valentine is a perennial loser. A film that started with her being robbed of her savings and tossed into a river by her boyfriend couldn’t possibly end with her settling down with a good quiet man like Oscar. Real life just isn’t like that. In reality, Charity is tainted by a past she can do nothing about and that’s ultimately what drives Oscar to flee from her. It’s heartbreaking, it’s painful… but it’s true.

The alternate ending is all too sugary. After abandoning her, Oscar abruptly has a change of heart and decides that he can marry her after all. Even just written down that feels wrong! It defiles character development; it abolishes the grasp on reality the film has striven to proffer. After watching it only once I decided I wouldn’t watch it again: Charity’s story ends with her walking back into the city and endeavouring to start again. However much that ending disappointed me the first time I saw it I can’t stomach the alternative.

So where does that leave Danni?

Does my hopeful ending demean her journey? Does it make the challenges she’s had to face any less important because she ends up with a chance of happiness? I don’t know yet. I do know that my first draft will probably have the sweet scene that’s been plaguing me with Danni getting a surprise visitor as she hides away from the world. It needs to be written, if only to get the whispering voice out of my head.

After that, who knows? Pain and devastation all the way perhaps.