Inside Information on Hit Songs From Musicals Quiz

Answer: "There's No Business Like Show Business"

Yes, the anthem of musical theatre was originally written merely to be performed in front of the curtain while the scenery was changed for the musical "Annie Get Your Gun." By the way, when somebody referred to "Annie Get Your Gun" as old-fashioned, Composer-Lyricist Irving Berlin replied, "Yes, an old-fashioned smash."

Answer: "Tea for Two"

Yes, "Tea for Two" begins "picture you/upon my knee/just tea for two/and two for tea."

That was a 'dummy lyric,' which was used to figure out the rhyme scheme for the song. Lyricist Irving Caesar said it made no sense: "How can they be having tea if she's sitting on the guy's lap?" But the producer of "No, No, Nanette" loved the lyrics as is, and it was sung just that way in the show, and out as well, ever since.

By the way, "No, No, Nanette" is one of the few Broadway shows that lasted longer in its revival (1971) then its original production (1925).

Answer: "I Feel Pretty"

Stephen Sondheim, the lyricist of "I Feel Pretty" regretted the internal rhyming scheme in the song: "It's Alarming/How Charming/I Feel." He decided that Maria, a non-native speaker, wouldn't be able to talk that way. But the song had already been inserted into "West Side Story", so it was too late to change it.

By the way, "West Side Story" was not the immediate hit on Broadway many assumed it was. It opened to mixed reviews and in fact lost the Tony for Best Musical that year to "The Music Man".

Answer: One of his own songs

In 1950, Irving Berlin was trying to come up a new idea for a song for "Call Me Madam."

Bing Crosby, and his son, Gary had just had a hit record with "Play a Simple Melody," an old Irving Berlin song with a counterpoint melody that is played and sung the same time as the main melody.

Therefore, Mr. Berlin created "You're Just in Love," another song with a counterpoint melody, and it became the smash of the show.

By the way, "Call Me Madam"'s playbill contained the following comment: "The play is laid in two mythical countries. One is called Lichtenburg, the other is the United States of America."

Answer: The audience didn't recognize the character singing

The character 'Freddy Eynsford-Hill' sang "On the Street Where You Live" about his love for Eliza Doolittle, and the song bombed!

Lerner and Loewe, the lyricist and composer of the song, realized it was because the character was still dressed in the formal clothes he had worn to Ascot. As all men at Ascot dress the same, the audience wasn't sure who he was.

So Lerner added an initial verse to the song which identified him as Freddy, who was mesmerized by Eliza at Ascot, and the song took off like a rocket.

By the way, Mary Martin rejected the role of Eliza in "My Fair Lady" because she thought the score was weak.

Answer: It was moved to a different place in the show

"Put on a Happy Face" was initially sung by the character of Albert late in the first act. Although everyone connected with the show thought it was going to be a show-stopper, it just laid there.

It was decided to make it up to an earlier scene, where Albert could sing and dance with two teenage girls. At this point, the song became the huge hit we know today.

By the way, the female lead character in "Bye Bye Birdie" was supposed to be Polish-American, until Chita Rivera was cast in the part. She then became a Latin-American.

Answer: It was Lucille Ball's first song on Broadway.

According to Carolyn Leigh, she and Cy Coleman had a lot of trouble coming up with "Hey, Look Me Over" because it was going to be Lucille Ball's first musical number on Broadway.

Aware of this, they came up with several overblown songs that didn't seem right for the part. Then, Miss Leigh turned to Mr. Coleman and said, "Cy, if this song wasn't going to be Lucille Ball's first song on Broadway, and you were just writing a song for the character, what kind of song would it be?

Mr. Coleman replied, "Oh, something like this," and played the opening bars of "Hey, Look Me Over."

By the way, "Wildcat" was totally financed by Desilu Productions, Lucille Ball's and Desi Arnaz's production company.

Answer: True

"The Man I Love" was written for the Gershwin musical "Strike Up The Band," which folded on the road in 1927. A year later, it was attempted to insert it into the musical "Rosalie," but it didn't fit the leading lady's voice.

At that point, "The Man I Love" became a popular recording with Helen Morgan, and is one of the few hits written by George and Ira Gershwin that was never sung in a Broadway show.

Answer: A society woman complained about a dripping faucet

A society matron friend of Porter's complained "That drip-drip-drip of the faucet is driving me Mad!" This lead Porter to write the opening lyrics of "Night and Day", which was the hit song of "Gay Divorce":

"Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops
When the summer shower is through
So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you"

By the way, "Gay Divorce" was Fred Astaire's first Broadway show without his sister, Adele, and his last show on Broadway.

Answer: written for a Broadway musical and was a hit song before the film

"As Time Goes By" was written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931 for the Broadway Musical, "Everybody's Welcome," where it was sung by Frances Williams. Rudy Valle had a hit recording with the song that same year.

Murray Bennett loved the song, and wore out the Valle recording. While vacationing on the French Rivera, he heard a black pianist play and sing the song in a nightclub. This inspired him to write the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's," which became the source of the film "Casablanca."

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