Have you ever woken up with a song playing in your head? A very random song that you have no idea how it got there?
For me, when this happens the refrain that keeps playing like a broken record is usually part of a lyric from the third verse or something well buried deep in the nether parts of the song.
This song was from the musical Peter Pan produced on Broadway in the mid 1950s. It starred Mary Martin as Peter Pan, and when I was young, I never quite fathomed how a grown woman could play the part of a young boy. My mother had the Vocal/Piano folio of the songs that had the picture of Mary Martin as Peter Pan on the cover. I also wondered if my mother gravitated towards this show because the composer was named Carolyn Leigh. My mother's name was Carolyn Lee (pronounced the same.) I had so many questions.
Anyway, the real interesting fact is that in those days, we didn't need to have seen the show or heard a recording of the songs to learn the music. We just needed access to the score. I remember sitting at the piano plunking out the parts and singing the songs in my own fashion until my mother couldn't stand it anymore. Then she would kick me off the piano, slide herself onto the bench, and command, "I play better than you, you just sing." In this way, I think I learned every song from that score.
So why did I wake up this morning with this running through my head?
"I've gotta crow, (crow),
I'm just the cleverest fellow 'twas ever my fortune to know (crow),
I can climb trees and play tag with the breeze in the meadows below,
I've gotta crow."
I'm pretty sure that I could still sing the entire song from beginning to end complete with all of the lyrics in the right order. (This is remarkable because I can't seem to remember the songs I wrote for my new show just weeks ago, and keep the melodies and lyrics in the right order.)
Is it because I learned that song in my youth with a fresh brain?
I guess it's true. That what you learn in your youth has the power to stick with you throughout your life. That's why it is especially important to learn positive songs in your youth. Those songs, if they teach or reiterate sound principles, can be so important to help guide people throughout their lives.
This is the reason I write Children's Theater Musicals that showcase good character values. My hope is that those songs might be a comfort and guide to the children as they go through life. Whether just fun or explaining a true principle, songs have power for good!
For me, when this happens the refrain that keeps playing like a broken record is usually part of a lyric from the third verse or something well buried deep in the nether parts of the song.
This song was from the musical Peter Pan produced on Broadway in the mid 1950s. It starred Mary Martin as Peter Pan, and when I was young, I never quite fathomed how a grown woman could play the part of a young boy. My mother had the Vocal/Piano folio of the songs that had the picture of Mary Martin as Peter Pan on the cover. I also wondered if my mother gravitated towards this show because the composer was named Carolyn Leigh. My mother's name was Carolyn Lee (pronounced the same.) I had so many questions.
Anyway, the real interesting fact is that in those days, we didn't need to have seen the show or heard a recording of the songs to learn the music. We just needed access to the score. I remember sitting at the piano plunking out the parts and singing the songs in my own fashion until my mother couldn't stand it anymore. Then she would kick me off the piano, slide herself onto the bench, and command, "I play better than you, you just sing." In this way, I think I learned every song from that score.
So why did I wake up this morning with this running through my head?
"I've gotta crow, (crow),
I'm just the cleverest fellow 'twas ever my fortune to know (crow),
I can climb trees and play tag with the breeze in the meadows below,
I've gotta crow."
I'm pretty sure that I could still sing the entire song from beginning to end complete with all of the lyrics in the right order. (This is remarkable because I can't seem to remember the songs I wrote for my new show just weeks ago, and keep the melodies and lyrics in the right order.)
Is it because I learned that song in my youth with a fresh brain?
I guess it's true. That what you learn in your youth has the power to stick with you throughout your life. That's why it is especially important to learn positive songs in your youth. Those songs, if they teach or reiterate sound principles, can be so important to help guide people throughout their lives.
This is the reason I write Children's Theater Musicals that showcase good character values. My hope is that those songs might be a comfort and guide to the children as they go through life. Whether just fun or explaining a true principle, songs have power for good!
Here's "Being Sincere" from Never Cry Wolf
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