Top 10 Best Man Ballads in Musicals
#10: “Johanna”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“I feel you, Johanna?” More like, we feel YOU, Stephen Sondheim. Particularly the way you wrote this gorgeous ballad for the musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The song “Johanna” is sung by a young sailor named Anthony who falls in love with the titular girl. Johanna, like Rapunzel, is locked away in a tower. The song conveys Anthony’s infatuation with the beautiful girl, but Sondheim’s soaring melody betrays a real sense of love at first sight. It’s naive, perhaps, but lovely in its execution. And when it’s sung well, it’s one of the best numbers in the show.
#9: “Santa Fe”
“Newsies”
From Christian Bale to Jeremy Jordan, we can’t get enough of this ballad! But as much nostalgia as we have for Bale’s performance of the song in the 1992 Disney film “Newsies,” Jordan really brought this ballad to life on the stage. “Santa Fe” serves as the Act I closer for “Newsies.” Although it’s just a solo number, it never fails to bring down the house. The character of Jack sings the song at his lowest point as he dreams of a better life out west. Because he’s been brought so low, the song requires a great deal of strength. This is a ballad that needs to be sung with real force.
#8: “If Ever I Would Leave You”
“Camelot”
Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. What can’t they do? We’re not sure of the answer to that question, but it’s definitely not “write a beautiful ballad.” “Camelot” is a musical that came out in 1960, but that gorgeous Lerner and Loewe score still holds strong today. In particular, the ballad “If Ever I Would Leave You” is regarded as one of the best. Robert Goulet starred in the original Broadway production of the show as Lancelot, and his version of the ballad quickly put him on the map. When sung like Goulet did it, the ballad has the chance to be a real showstopper.
#7: “It All Fades Away”
“The Bridges of Madison County”
We could listen to Steven Pasquale sing anything. But we have to admit, when it comes to ballads? That man sings them better than most. He proved that once again in 2014’s “The Bridges of Madison County,” with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. There are so many stunning tunes in the show, but the best is “It All Fades Away.” The song comes toward the end of the show, as the character Robert reminisces about his one true love, Francesca. All these years later, he’s still in love with her. It’s hard to convey that depth of emotion with just one song, but Brown’s composition does it well.
#6: “Maria”
“West Side Story”
When you pair Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics with Leonard Bernstein’s music, you’re bound to get something unstoppable. In 1957, “West Side Story” became that unstoppable force. All these years later, the musical’s score is still timeless, particularly the ballad “Maria.” The character Tony sings the song after he learns the name of the girl he’s fallen in love with. It’s not a particularly complex song lyrically, but the way the music supports those lyrics give the song such emotional heft. The performer has to keep up with that soaring feeling, and when they’re able to, the end product is magical.
#5: “Bring Him Home”
“Les Misérables”
One of the slowest entries on our list, but also one of the most powerful - and one of the hardest to sing. “Les Misérables” is filled with grandiose, powerful songs from top to bottom. “Bring Him Home,” however, is a bit different. The song functions as a prayer that Jean Valjean sings, wishing for his daughter’s love Marius to make it out of the revolution safely. It’s a plaintive ballad that stays quiet for the most part, sometimes bursting into gorgeous moments of desperation. It stands out from the crowd of the songs in the show, which in a musical like “Les Misérables, is hard to do.
#4: “Being Alive”
“Company”
“Company” is a funny show, poking and prodding at marriage, dating and divorce with a keen and sometimes jaundiced eye. But for a show that makes fun of all this with such gusto, it sure ends on a devastatingly honest note. Bobby, the main character of the musical and the only one of his close friends who is single, sings “Being Alive” at the show’s finale. The lyrics are heartbreaking, filled with longing at the idea of having someone who knows you too well and holds you too close. It takes a strong singer to convey such yearning.
#3: “The Impossible Dream”
“Man of La Mancha”
Don Quixote is a comical figure in our culture, a silly man with delusions of grandeur about being a knight. But in the musical spawned by his story, “Man of La Mancha,” he sings an inspiring song filled with earnest hope. “The Impossible Dream” works perfectly for a character like Don Quixote. It’s silly in a way, much like he is, filled with a starry-eyed optimism the world doesn’t always match. But in a lot of ways, you can’t help but admire Don Quixote’s commitment to his dream, no matter how impossible it may be.
#2: “The Music of the Night”
“The Phantom of the Opera”
Andrew Lloyd Webber has written a LOT of ballads over the years. But even with all that output, our favorite has to be “The Music of the Night” from “The Phantom of the Opera.” In the show, the song is used by the Phantom to lure the object of his affections to his lair. But in real life, the first version of the song was reportedly written for Webber’s then wife, Sarah Brightman. That romantic quality carries over into the song in the show, no matter how creepy the Phantom’s intentions might be. It’s a testament to the beauty of the song that, you don’t really think about the bad that’s going on at all. You’re lulled into its trance.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Wait For It,” “Hamilton”
We Don’t Want to Wait to Hear This One
“One Song Glory,” “Rent”
A Rock & Roll Ballad for the Ages
“What Would I Do?”, “Falsettos”
What Would We Do If This Song Didn’t Exist?
“Run Away With Me,” “The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown”
A Gorgeous Plea for Romance
“Anthem,” “Chess”
Josh Groban Gives Us Goosebumps With This One
#1: “Finishing the Hat”
“Sunday in the Park with George”
“Sunday in the Park with George” might be one of our favorite Stephen Sondheim musicals of all time. And so much of that has to do with the show’s stunning score. “Sunday” is filled with some of Sondheim’s best work, including “Finishing the Hat. The song is sung by the main character, the artist, and explores the tension in his life between work and love. It’s a perfect fit for artists to sing, really, as that conflict might be present in their real lives as well. There have been so many lovely performances of this song, but no one will ever get us in the feels quite like Mandy Patinkin with his original work.
If we missed any of your favorite ballads for male voices, let us know in the comments below!
TRIVIA:
Who wrote the music for Man of La Mancha?
T.H. White
Alan Jay Lerner
George Furth
Mitch Leigh [correct]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_La_Mancha
How old is Bobby turning in Company?
30
35 [correct]
40
45
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_(musical)
Tim Rice helped write the lyrics for Chess.
[TRUE]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_(musical)
The musical Les Misérables originally premiered in the French language.
[TRUE]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables_(musical)
The musical Camelot is based on a film.
[FALSE]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelot_(musical)
