No, he was a very immoral ungodly wicked human being. Just because someone is talented. Does it make him a good person. He was a sick human being and it's an abomination for a man to sleep with another man or woman to sleep with another woman. It is evil and wicked.
Sondheim’s primary signature move was the entire cast singing over top of one another at breakneck pace- and yet the chaos harmonizes perfectly. His second signature move was strong women singing heartbreaking emotional truths that don’t leave a single dry eye in the house.
Seeing Sondheim in the audience just taking in that performance of Sunday, reveling at its interpretation from a whole new generation of performers celebrating him for his work nearly made me cry. Rest In Peace Stephen Sondheim, one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived.
The best thing about Sondheim songs is you don’t need to context of the musical to know what the songs are about. His writing is just that throughout and magical
To sing “I’m not getting married today” ive just had a third lung installed and learned to breathe thru my ears 😂 and yet I still can’t keep up. Sondheim wrote for singers with Olympic lung capacity
That's what's so great about them. To sing a sondheim song the performer must be able to find something amidst the "chaos" and turn it into beautiful. His melodies aren't always pleasing, but they tell complex stories and are full of potential to have truly beautiful moments. Additionally the vocalist often gets no help from the piano so it's as if the melody is actually the piano and singer is the harmony.
@@alexmeyer5260 Except that it could be basically divided earlier than him in relation to Sondheim's mentor: before Rodgers and Hammerstein and after them -- with Oscar Hammerstein the innovator. And before Hammerstein it could be divided into before and after George M. Cohan. All were key innovators -- not alone, of course, because that isn't how change happens -- but they are towering figures, and it will be interesting to see how Sondheim's influence extends into the next couple of decades. More than a few contemporary theater composers have pushed against Sondheim's innovations, while others have clearly been heavily influenced by him. We live in interesting musical theatrical times . . .
I know "Not a Day Goes By" is about a couple breaking up, but I've always thought of it as a song sung by the surviving half of a couple. Bernadette Peters version was filmed not long after her husband died.
A common misconception, but not strictly true. She's sung this song with videoed recordings on multiple occasions. Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992), her Carnegie Hall concert (1996), Hollywood Bowl (1996) and the instance pictured here at the Royal Festival Musical Hall in London (1998). All of these were while her husband was still alive. It is only the version sung at Sondheim's 80th birthday concert in 2010 that was recorded after her husband's death. Yes the emotion brought on by such an event is certainly akin to that conveyed through 'Not A Day Goes By' - but she's proved herself a consummate actor capable of creating that emotion long before people attribute her of drawing on this trauma to do so
The fact that it's possible to make a top ten Sondheim songs list with only one duplicate show proves just how talented and prolific he was... truly, what an icon.
I raise a glass to you, Mr. Sondheim. What a magnificent force you were in the world of musical theater. You will be forever missed but not forgotten. Rest well, Stephen Sondheim.
It's the singular best version of that song. It's breathtaking. It's emotional. He literally gave every single ounce of passion he could muster up into that performance. True art.
Honestly, Sunday in the Park with George has a very underrated soundtrack. Not to mention, all of the casting choices for the productions are incredible.
Indeed. I really appreciated this when I saw the 2006 production (several times) in London. It was technically astounding, with the singing and voices really bringing out the class distinctions that are no so evident in American accents.
My top 10 in no particular order: Being Alive Move On I Read Another Hundred People Losing My Mind/In Buddy's Eyes The Miller's Son No One is alone Not a day goes by Not While I'm Around Our Time
Ephiphany always makes my breath catch in my throat. It is a perfect showing of a man shattering. Plus all of the technical musical pieces that go into is, such as Sweeney's madness motif, the Dies Irae, the combination of the instruments incorporated, the combination of Johanna's motif and Lucy's to create that slower section in the middle. It's just a masterful work of pure genius.
My_Friends_Are_Idiotas I saw Len Cariou do it and I was transfixed, it was an astonishing performance ! Some woman named " Lansbury" played Mrs Lovett, and she wasn't half-bad, either ! 🤩😍
It is my least favorite of all of his work. I think it was beneath him to be that preachy. I love that the film toned it down. When I saw the original show, I felt lectured by that moment, not entertained.
Jules Rules I was tempted to dislike immediately when I saw in the description that they were including at least one song from WSS. Sondheim isn’t complete unless it’s his music and lyrics.
The song from Sweeney Todd that makes me catch my breath when sung properly is Green Finch and Linnet Bird-that final note is simply gorgeous. Harolyn Blackwell’s performance of the song overall and that final note in particular in the 1993 Carnegie Hall celebration made the cost of the 2-disc cd worth it to nearly-broke me at the time.
Ephiphany always makes my breath catch in my throat. It is a perfect showing of a man shattering. Plus all of the technical musical pieces that go into is, such as Sweeney's madness motif, the Dies Irae, the combination of the instruments incorporated, the combination of Johanna's motif and Lucy's to create that slower section in the middle. It's just a masterful work of pure genius.
Sondheim was my idol; any list of his "ten best" will be arbitrary. "Little Things you do together", performed on the opening night of the UK's Channel 4, made me sit up and realise hey, so he wasn't just the guy who wrote the words for West Side Story. "Into the Woods" is only musical I've ever seen on stage twice (the film gets Act 2 just SO wrong I can't believe the great man let it pass.) The number I love to sing is "The Road You Didn't Take" from Follies, which would be my personal no.1, closely followed by The Miller's Son. RIP.
Mojo always shows her singing the final bit( 'or am i losing my mind' ), but the best part of that performance IMO is right before then, with the final 'you said you loved me, or were you just being kind'. While the final line is good and all, the aforementioned part is some of the most powerful singing I've ever heard.
I wish you had mentioned the gender swapped revival of Company from London, it completely turns the musical on its head and Sondheim himself said that he could never see Bobby as a man now and also Amy become Jamie (a gay couple) and Jonathan Bailey singing ‘Not getting married’ was incredible
4 года назад+28
"No One is Alone" seems like a perfect anthem for the times we're living in right now
My top 10 favorite songs 1. Getting Married Today Company 2.Somewhere West Side Story 3. No One Is Alone Into The Woods 4. Finishing The Hat Sunday In The Park With George 5. Agony Into The Woods 6. America West Side Story 7. Our Time Merrily We Roll Along 8. The Ladies Who Lunch Company 9. Comedy Tonight A Funny Thing Happened On The Way The Forum 10. Last Midnight Into The Woods Honorable Mentions 1. Not While I’m Around Sweeney Todd 2. On The Steps Of The Palace Into The Woods 3. Being Alive Company 4. I Feel Pretty West Side Story IDK how you do this Ms. Mojo! This is an especially difficult list to make since Sondheim has SO many great songs... I even had a hard time making my list. I applaud you! Thank you for all your hard work with compiling these top 10 list videos.
"Being Alive" is my #1 also, perfectly crafted and timeless piece. The orchestration of the original with Dean Jones makes that one a favorite by far. Thanks for this!
My favorite song! The look on Dean Jones' face the moment he finishes the final note, stunned, like he can't believe what he just did, is glorious. It's a truly moving performance!
As I do, I realise what I've always known - reducing a genius of Sondheim's stature to a list of ten is never going to do the body of his work justice. Do we want the clever and witty; the clever and dark; the haunting and moving. There truly needs to be more than one Sondheim top ten - his range is so extraordinary. Where is 'Johanna?' How did 'Loving You' only receive honourable mention? I rest my case, though I'd certainly put this number one as up there as one of my tops.
I was watching ‘Hello, Dolly’ a couple of years ago on Broadway and this one dude at the end started screaming and clapping louder than anyone else and I kid you not, this is what he said: ‘WHOO BERNIE! I LOVE YOU BERNIE! BERNIE!’ And my family makes fun of that to this day.
Today we lost a legend, a man who helped navigate the modern Broadway show. Stephen Sondheim solidified himself as one of the most renowned and highly respected songwriters and producers of not only Broadway but movies and popular music. He will forever be Broadway. RIP.
We sang a few songs from Stephen Sondheim (like giants in the sky, send in the clowns and broadway baby) for our opening house in performing arts. It kind of brought me deeper into the songs that he wrote
I recall hearing the now late Elaine Stritch sing 'The Ladies Who Lunch' in "Company", back in the early 1970's, possibly at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. She was terffic and spot on in her message at that time of social upheaval...Her's was the definitive interpretation of that song. Elaine was a real trooper and enjoyed a long successful career.
It's another one of those the singer has to dig something out of the chaos. When the vocalist gets it the magic happens. I love Sondheim for that. The vocal line is usually not obviously beautiful.
Sweeney Todd is my favorite Stephen Sondheim musical of all time, especially the movie version. Johnny Depp's voice fits so well with the lyrics, and the grittiness of his voice really captures the character's essence
So unappreciated in a world so blessed by his gifts. Why weren't you on every media's lips as a thank you for all the joy you brought? YOU deserved every honor, every accolade and every kind word. I'm sorry we didn't do this before you left life. Your gifts are eternal. THANK YOU. Just two words but, filled with heart. R.I.P.
I definitely agree with the number one! Being alive is the ultimate Sondheim's anthem! Although, I would put "It's your fault" from Into the wood somewhere in the list bc is the one of the most difficult songs for an ensemble to perform in a musical. And definitely "Somewhere" from Wes side story should be a little closer to the top, in my humble fan opinion.
For me, the most exquisite version of SOMEWHERE (melody by Bernstein) was Barbra Streisand's recording on THE BROADWAY ALBUM and also her version of I REMEMBER, which is one of Sondheim's wholly-created best songs.
Good list. I will add that when asked Sondheim noted that his favorite song he wrote was “Someone in a tree”...which coincidentally is one of the most difficult pieces in his lexicon to perform.
Pacific Overtures is his most trying work I think. He was even conscious to write using a culturally accurate scale. I can't just sit and listen to the album. I really have to focus in and dig to find the beauty. One of my favorite things of his actually is how much one needs to pay attention not miss the beauty
You're not the only one! I especially sang when Epiphany came on because that's one of my favorite songs from Sweeney Todd, which is what I always listen to around October!
Tbh I think that all his songs are top tier. I keep remembering some his work and thinking “that should have been on this list.” And then doing it over and over until I realize that all of them are just as beautiful and complex as the next.
Sondheim nailed the truth about relationships. He told us so much about ourselves that I sometimes thought he was talking directly to me. Wonderful selection of performance clips that got it right.
I honestly think that the beginning of “another national anthem” is beautiful work from Sondheim, the overlapping voices and orchestra, as well as Zangara screaming and Byck yelling about the prize, never fails to give me shivers when I listen to it
Unfortunately, while I'm delighted MsMojo focused on Sondheim, any list of 10 that includes Not a Day Goes By AND Send in the Clowns AND No One Is Alone AND Losing My Mind AND Being Alive is focused on the big ballads. Over a 70 year career, Sondheim has pushed forms and styles further than anyone ever. Having broader representation from some of the song/scenes or comedy numbers he's created over the years would have made this a fuller list. Leading off with "The Frogs" was a great call, but that was filler, not actually on the list, where one could argue that the Evoe: Hymn to Dionysus is as gorgeous a piece of choral writing as Sondheim ever did...Forgiveness though, in that there are so many amazing Sondheim songs, and in the course of the video, MsMojo probably touches on 40-50, not just 10. Still would have loved to have seen "Weekend in the Country" or "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" or "Simple" or "God That's Good" or "Opening Doors" included as an example of the broader understanding of integrated musicality that he's brought to the art form. But thank you for doing the list at all!!
They did say at the beginning the criteria was for the most emotional/passionate/cathartic songs, so that's why it's mostly ballads. If it were his entire repertoire this list would be impossible to narrow down
Completely agree! This list is fine, but I'm tired of seeing 'losing my mind' and 'send in the clowns' over and over. Hell, if you want to do big ballads, do some of the lesser known ones. I'd argue that 'In Buddy's Eyes' is just as good if not better than the previous two, despite not being mentioned as often.
"Rose's Turn" (#7) and "Somewhere" (#6) are indeed truly great songs, but they are not Sondheim songs, any more than "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin''" is a "Hammerstein song" -- it's a Rodgers and Hammerstein song. All of the songs from Gypsy were written by Jule Styne (music) and Sondheim (lyrics), and all of the songs from West Side Story were by Leonard Bernstein (music) and Sondheim (lyrics). Maybe they should get honorable mention (or something) on this list, but if you're making a list of SONDHEIM'S ten best songs, they they should be WHOLE songs by him. Please, Ms. Mojo, know what you're talking about: don't insult great theater composers like Styne and Bernstein by giving credit for their music to someone else -- even to Stephen Sondheim.
Great to see Kim Crosby. She was from Springfield Missouri. She went to Kickapoo High School. We are so proud of her. She was our first huge celebratory.
I can’t believe you left “Pretty Women” from Sweeney Todd off the list! It’s one of the most beautiful songs...certainly better than the other Sweeney songs you mentioned. Even Sinatra covered it!
Musical theater! Theres nothing like it. These songs are hard to sing and just comes out of no where. Some I know more than others. I'm not a big fan of Sondheim but he has made his mark on all of us.
Good choices! Some of my favorites that weren't mentioned are Lesson #8, Kiss Me, and Please Hello. (Also, I appreciate including the Neil Patrick Harris bit at the beginning of Being Alive. His "STOP!!" is my favorite.)
Please MsMojo, I know youve done plenty of times Sondheim's lists but could you do a TopTen best moments of his 90s birthday youtube livestream? I thnk we ALL will appreciate and love
Thank you for including Loving You from Passion in the Honorable Mentions. Donna Murphy is wonderful in Sondheim's complicated musical about love and beauty.
This is a good list. Anyone Can Whistle is another song that could be here, but he has so many classics, everyone would want something else on the list.
Be sure to also check out our video for the Top 10 Ultimate Stephen Sondheim Musicals here! ruclips.net/video/aXRivxyJhnU/видео.html!
I am really into Sweeney Todd, can you post a video on just that musical itself? It would really mean a lot!
@MsMojo
@@lauraodenwaldt8545 same
Msmojo can you do top 10 Sweeney Todd songs please
i know I'm kind of off topic but does anybody know a good website to stream newly released series online?
RIP Stephen Sondheim. You were a gift to the world.
Rip Stephen
RIP Stephen Sondheim, he needed to live at least another 100 years
A genuine treasure. RIP Mr Sonheim.
He was a true treasure. 😔
No, he was a very immoral ungodly wicked human being. Just because someone is talented. Does it make him a good person. He was a sick human being and it's an abomination for a man to sleep with another man or woman to sleep with another woman. It is evil and wicked.
I feel like this could have easily been a Top 20 list.
More like should of been a top 20
Just wait for Another Top 10
Agreed. What with all the honorable mentions.
Or a TOP 30 for that matter. Sondheim is a titan of song, something that can probably be agreed upon by anyone watching/listening to this clip.
Or a top 100 list...?
Sondheim’s primary signature move was the entire cast singing over top of one another at breakneck pace- and yet the chaos harmonizes perfectly. His second signature move was strong women singing heartbreaking emotional truths that don’t leave a single dry eye in the house.
Seeing Sondheim in the audience just taking in that performance of Sunday, reveling at its interpretation from a whole new generation of performers celebrating him for his work nearly made me cry. Rest In Peace Stephen Sondheim, one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived.
Beautifully said, Hank, I had exactly the same experience!
The best thing about Sondheim songs is you don’t need to context of the musical to know what the songs are about. His writing is just that throughout and magical
Yea.. but Andrew loyd Webber she’ll always be the king
Although, I didn't truly understand Send in the Clowns until I saw Judi Dench sing it at the National Theatre. She made me cry.
Bernadette Peters truly is the queen of Sondheim musicals
That she is!
Honestly
Bernadette Peters is sondheim's angel
Can't stand her voice or acting
@@AllisonLansberry why is that
RIP Stephen Sondheim. He leaves us a legacy of magic.
Anyone that can successfully pull off “I’m not getting married today” is officially a genius
Madeline Kahn did my favorite version ever
ive been learning it in the shower for the past few weeks lmao... slowly but surely I'm getting it haha
Jayma Mays did a decent version of that one in Glee
Jonathan Bailey did an outstanding job in the recent revival in London
To sing “I’m not getting married today” ive just had a third lung installed and learned to breathe thru my ears 😂 and yet I still can’t keep up. Sondheim wrote for singers with Olympic lung capacity
This man is brutal in his song writing
Indeed. Broadway can basically be divided into two eras: before Sondheim and after Sondheim.
Alex Meyer Jason Robert Brown and Adam Guettel definitely carried on his legacy well
That's what's so great about them. To sing a sondheim song the performer must be able to find something amidst the "chaos" and turn it into beautiful. His melodies aren't always pleasing, but they tell complex stories and are full of potential to have truly beautiful moments. Additionally the vocalist often gets no help from the piano so it's as if the melody is actually the piano and singer is the harmony.
@@alexmeyer5260 Except that it could be basically divided earlier than him in relation to Sondheim's mentor: before Rodgers and Hammerstein and after them -- with Oscar Hammerstein the innovator. And before Hammerstein it could be divided into before and after George M. Cohan. All were key innovators -- not alone, of course, because that isn't how change happens -- but they are towering figures, and it will be interesting to see how Sondheim's influence extends into the next couple of decades. More than a few contemporary theater composers have pushed against Sondheim's innovations, while others have clearly been heavily influenced by him. We live in interesting musical theatrical times . . .
meh
I know "Not a Day Goes By" is about a couple breaking up, but I've always thought of it as a song sung by the surviving half of a couple. Bernadette Peters version was filmed not long after her husband died.
A common misconception, but not strictly true. She's sung this song with videoed recordings on multiple occasions. Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992), her Carnegie Hall concert (1996), Hollywood Bowl (1996) and the instance pictured here at the Royal Festival Musical Hall in London (1998). All of these were while her husband was still alive. It is only the version sung at Sondheim's 80th birthday concert in 2010 that was recorded after her husband's death. Yes the emotion brought on by such an event is certainly akin to that conveyed through 'Not A Day Goes By' - but she's proved herself a consummate actor capable of creating that emotion long before people attribute her of drawing on this trauma to do so
The fact that it's possible to make a top ten Sondheim songs list with only one duplicate show proves just how talented and prolific he was... truly, what an icon.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
This. Send in the Clowns got me through a divorce I still regret.i love you Stephen
Oh Yeah
"No One Is Alone" is such a powerful song. Glad to see it made the list!!
I know
I raise a glass to you, Mr. Sondheim. What a magnificent force you were in the world of musical theater. You will be forever missed but not forgotten. Rest well, Stephen Sondheim.
I absolutely love Imelda Staunton, she is one of the most incredible actresses of our generation. Her performances are always so committed. I love her
I wish I'd seen her on stage in Gypsy!
Ellie Davy me too! My grandparents did, I’m so jealous!
Speak over Madame Bernadette Peters again and I swear to God 🙉
💯
The joy that fills Sondheim's face whenever someone absolutely kills a piece he's written is one of my favourite things in life
This needs to be at the very least three separate lists -- best solo, best duet, best ensemble.
That would be an excellent way to categorize his music.
Raul Esparza’s finish to Being Alive is one of the best in any song I’ve ever heard. Truly beautiful
Raul Esparza is a miracle, plain and simple.
It's the singular best version of that song. It's breathtaking. It's emotional. He literally gave every single ounce of passion he could muster up into that performance.
True art.
I saw him live on broadway in this show. He was great.
@KMCC no doubt. I’ve heard some great ones, but nothing will ever be as good
Nobody but Dean Jones did it better
Honestly, Sunday in the Park with George has a very underrated soundtrack. Not to mention, all of the casting choices for the productions are incredible.
I had tickets for the revival at The Savoy but it’s been cancelled due to covid 19 :( my favourite show
Since when is winning a Pulitzer, a Drama Desk Award, and an Olivier considered being underrated?
Love SITPWG. But stage musicals don't have "soundtrack". They have scores. Please.
I saw this video and immediately thought of the musical
Indeed. I really appreciated this when I saw the 2006 production (several times) in London. It was technically astounding, with the singing and voices really bringing out the class distinctions that are no so evident in American accents.
My top 10 in no particular order:
Being Alive
Move On
I Read
Another Hundred People
Losing My Mind/In Buddy's Eyes
The Miller's Son
No One is alone
Not a day goes by
Not While I'm Around
Our Time
Great stuff! It's impossible for me to pick just 10! 😊
Ephiphany always makes my breath catch in my throat. It is a perfect showing of a man shattering. Plus all of the technical musical pieces that go into is, such as Sweeney's madness motif, the Dies Irae, the combination of the instruments incorporated, the combination of Johanna's motif and Lucy's to create that slower section in the middle. It's just a masterful work of pure genius.
My_Friends_Are_Idiotas I saw Len Cariou do it and I was transfixed, it was an astonishing performance ! Some woman named " Lansbury" played Mrs Lovett, and she wasn't half-bad, either ! 🤩😍
"Art is infinite. It has no beginning and no end."
- Stephen Sondheim
Legends Never Die
I’m pissed last midnight didn’t even get an honorable mention
Jakob Innes Or Stay With Me like wtf
That's how amazing he is!!
I sang Somewhere at my grandma’s funeral, it was one of her favorite songs. It still makes me tear up.
My favorite song is Children will listen from into the woods
It is my least favorite of all of his work. I think it was beneath him to be that preachy. I love that the film toned it down. When I saw the original show, I felt lectured by that moment, not entertained.
@@richardmayora1289 that's the point of the show. It does not have a happy ending for all its characters. It's about morals.
One dislike 3 minutes after this was posted. Sondheim isn't the only one sending in the clowns.
Jules Rules I was tempted to dislike immediately when I saw in the description that they were including at least one song from WSS. Sondheim isn’t complete unless it’s his music and lyrics.
@@Setheth It's still a Sondheim song if he's a credited composer.
@@alexmeyer5260 But on that he is just a lyricist, who according to one of his own interviews was frequently over ruled by Bernstein.
Coming back after his passing. He really was a gift to Broadway.
My favorite has to be Johanna. It’s just so beautiful
The song from Sweeney Todd that makes me catch my breath when sung properly is Green Finch and Linnet Bird-that final note is simply gorgeous. Harolyn Blackwell’s performance of the song overall and that final note in particular in the 1993 Carnegie Hall celebration made the cost of the 2-disc cd worth it to nearly-broke me at the time.
Ephiphany always makes my breath catch in my throat. It is a perfect showing of a man shattering. Plus all of the technical musical pieces that go into is, such as Sweeney's madness motif, the Dies Irae, the combination of the instruments incorporated, the combination of Johanna's motif and Lucy's to create that slower section in the middle. It's just a masterful work of pure genius.
We all might as well keep going and list every song in that masterpiece.
agree!
I present : Not While I’m Around
Sondheim was my idol; any list of his "ten best" will be arbitrary. "Little Things you do together", performed on the opening night of the UK's Channel 4, made me sit up and realise hey, so he wasn't just the guy who wrote the words for West Side Story. "Into the Woods" is only musical I've ever seen on stage twice (the film gets Act 2 just SO wrong I can't believe the great man let it pass.) The number I love to sing is "The Road You Didn't Take" from Follies, which would be my personal no.1, closely followed by The Miller's Son. RIP.
Listening to Marin Mazzie singing ‘Losing My Mind’ is a religious experience.
Mojo always shows her singing the final bit( 'or am i losing my mind' ), but the best part of that performance IMO is right before then, with the final 'you said you loved me, or were you just being kind'. While the final line is good and all, the aforementioned part is some of the most powerful singing I've ever heard.
R.I.P. :'(
I wish you had mentioned the gender swapped revival of Company from London, it completely turns the musical on its head and Sondheim himself said that he could never see Bobby as a man now and also Amy become Jamie (a gay couple) and Jonathan Bailey singing ‘Not getting married’ was incredible
"No One is Alone" seems like a perfect anthem for the times we're living in right now
whoever did this list needs a raise the flavor is IMMACULATE
In memory of Sondheim, may we all celebrate our own lives and appreciate, Being Alive. Rest In Peace, To a Musical GOD.
thanks for including Raúl, he needs more appreciation than he gets :(
I know he’s one of the best broadway actors/singers out there but somehow everyone doesn’t seem to focus on him :(
Listen to Raul singing Cohen’s Hallelujah and tell me he is unsurpassed in talent.
My top 10 favorite songs
1. Getting Married Today Company
2.Somewhere West Side Story
3. No One Is Alone Into The Woods
4. Finishing The Hat Sunday In The Park With George
5. Agony Into The Woods
6. America West Side Story
7. Our Time Merrily We Roll Along
8. The Ladies Who Lunch Company
9. Comedy Tonight A Funny Thing Happened On The Way The Forum
10. Last Midnight Into The Woods
Honorable Mentions
1. Not While I’m Around Sweeney Todd
2. On The Steps Of The Palace Into The Woods
3. Being Alive Company
4. I Feel Pretty West Side Story
IDK how you do this Ms. Mojo! This is an especially difficult list to make since Sondheim has SO many great songs... I even had a hard time making my list. I applaud you! Thank you for all your hard work with compiling these top 10 list videos.
Here after the news of his death. He was a true genius.
"Being Alive" is my #1 also, perfectly crafted and timeless piece. The orchestration of the original with Dean Jones makes that one a favorite by far. Thanks for this!
My favorite song! The look on Dean Jones' face the moment he finishes the final note, stunned, like he can't believe what he just did, is glorious. It's a truly moving performance!
As I do, I realise what I've always known - reducing a genius of Sondheim's stature to a list of ten is never going to do the body of his work justice. Do we want the clever and witty; the clever and dark; the haunting and moving. There truly needs to be more than one Sondheim top ten - his range is so extraordinary. Where is 'Johanna?' How did 'Loving You' only receive honourable mention? I rest my case, though I'd certainly put this number one as up there as one of my tops.
And Bernadette Peters is the queen of Broadway 🎶🎼
Jessica Stephens god I love that woman....
Lea Salonga is the real queen.
I’d listen to her sing the phone book
Adriana S something about her heart that she puts into her performances gets me every time. When she does children don't listen, it makes me cry
@@thatguy8514 Bernadette could sing the phone book too.
I was watching ‘Hello, Dolly’ a couple of years ago on Broadway and this one dude at the end started screaming and clapping louder than anyone else and I kid you not, this is what he said: ‘WHOO BERNIE! I LOVE YOU BERNIE! BERNIE!’ And my family makes fun of that to this day.
Today we lost a legend, a man who helped navigate the modern Broadway show. Stephen Sondheim solidified himself as one of the most renowned and highly respected songwriters and producers of not only Broadway but movies and popular music. He will forever be Broadway. RIP.
Somewhere is so beautiful and heartbreaking. Wish this song has the recognition that it deserves.
Look up Charlotte Church's cover of that song. It is absolutely beautiful.
Spielberg's West Side Story is slated for a Christmas release, so there is that.
It has been an acclaimed song for 60 years...what r u talking about?
RIP to an amazingly gifted man who’s songs and musicals touched my heart as a child I still cry to “somewhere “ from west side story
Wow! 😮 I didn't know Adam Driver could sing!?! And he's good!
We sang a few songs from Stephen Sondheim (like giants in the sky, send in the clowns and broadway baby) for our opening house in performing arts. It kind of brought me deeper into the songs that he wrote
I recall hearing the now late Elaine Stritch sing 'The Ladies Who Lunch' in "Company", back in the early 1970's, possibly at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. She was terffic and spot on in her message at that time of social upheaval...Her's was the definitive interpretation of that song. Elaine was a real trooper and enjoyed a long successful career.
Can’t believe he’s gone, but look at all he left behind
It hurts so much to know he's gone. I can't wrap my head around the fact that he's not with us anymore. 💔
Rose’s turn is an awesome song. It has such a raw power but at the same time is so undeniably ugly in nature.
It's another one of those the singer has to dig something out of the chaos. When the vocalist gets it the magic happens. I love Sondheim for that. The vocal line is usually not obviously beautiful.
Has anyone been obsessed with Sondheim since the 90th Birthday Livestream?
I've been obsessed since being "Follies" on Broadway in 1971. :D
Me!
Welcome to the Sondhead family! We're happy to have you!
my top three will always be “finishing the hat”, “loving you” and “i remember”
I think Move On from Sunday in the Park with George should've been a clear #1 here.
I thought the same thing. Its such a beautiful song
I agree, But I also like Putting It Together from the second act.
RIP Stephen Sondheim. Broadway lights should be dimmed for a month!
Sweeney Todd is my favorite Stephen Sondheim musical of all time, especially the movie version. Johnny Depp's voice fits so well with the lyrics, and the grittiness of his voice really captures the character's essence
Order, Design, Tension, Balance, Harmony.
Thank you Sir
So unappreciated in a world so blessed by his gifts.
Why weren't you on every media's lips as a thank you for all the joy you brought?
YOU deserved every honor, every accolade and every kind word. I'm sorry we didn't do this before you left life. Your gifts are eternal.
THANK YOU. Just two words but, filled with heart. R.I.P.
I definitely agree with the number one! Being alive is the ultimate Sondheim's anthem! Although, I would put "It's your fault" from Into the wood somewhere in the list bc is the one of the most difficult songs for an ensemble to perform in a musical. And definitely "Somewhere" from Wes side story should be a little closer to the top, in my humble fan opinion.
He left us a treasure trove of beautiful music that will endure forever. RIP Mr. Sondheim.
Basically the starter pack for all of my Spotify playlists.
For me, the most exquisite version of SOMEWHERE (melody by Bernstein) was Barbra Streisand's recording on THE BROADWAY ALBUM and also her version of I REMEMBER, which is one of Sondheim's wholly-created best songs.
Good list. I will add that when asked Sondheim noted that his favorite song he wrote was “Someone in a tree”...which coincidentally is one of the most difficult pieces in his lexicon to perform.
Pacific Overtures is his most trying work I think. He was even conscious to write using a culturally accurate scale. I can't just sit and listen to the album. I really have to focus in and dig to find the beauty. One of my favorite things of his actually is how much one needs to pay attention not miss the beauty
Thanks for mentioning Take Me To the World. That song is just spectacular.
Genius, Artist, Creator. Sleep good man.
Am I the only one singing EVERY SONG as they came out?
You're not the only one! I especially sang when Epiphany came on because that's one of my favorite songs from Sweeney Todd, which is what I always listen to around October!
Even the frog one? Lol
Tbh I think that all his songs are top tier. I keep remembering some his work and thinking “that should have been on this list.” And then doing it over and over until I realize that all of them are just as beautiful and complex as the next.
This top 3 is definitely Sondheim’s best in my opinion, so I am PLEASED
RIP Stephen Sondheim! One of the greats
RIP, Stephen Sondheim. One-of-a-kind American musical genius. So many great years of wonderful and eternal music and words.
He's not dead?!?!?!?
@@Jay2k2323 he is
Yess “Sunday” is so underrated. It’s truly one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard
Sondheim nailed the truth about relationships. He told us so much about ourselves that I sometimes thought he was talking directly to me. Wonderful selection of performance clips that got it right.
How was agony not on this list, that is by far one of the most iconic songs by him.
Which version? Because there's "Agony I" and "Agony II."
@@alexmeyer5260 they're both sibling arguments...a practical dick measuring contest...does it matter?
Agony is a great song and all.... but top 10? No chance. It's not even a top 5 Into The Woods song.
But this was not how good it was, this list was to show his most popular. And agony is a very popular song.
@@matthewdean3339 The list literally says 'Top 10 BEST Stephen Sondheim songs'. Not sure where you got the notion of it being most popular.
The first video they show of Company is Glee I’m dead.
I am so glad Being Alive is on the top. It’s my favorite Sondheim’s song
Same 💙💙💙
I honestly think that the beginning of “another national anthem” is beautiful work from Sondheim, the overlapping voices and orchestra, as well as Zangara screaming and Byck yelling about the prize, never fails to give me shivers when I listen to it
Unfortunately, while I'm delighted MsMojo focused on Sondheim, any list of 10 that includes Not a Day Goes By AND Send in the Clowns AND No One Is Alone AND Losing My Mind AND Being Alive is focused on the big ballads. Over a 70 year career, Sondheim has pushed forms and styles further than anyone ever. Having broader representation from some of the song/scenes or comedy numbers he's created over the years would have made this a fuller list. Leading off with "The Frogs" was a great call, but that was filler, not actually on the list, where one could argue that the Evoe: Hymn to Dionysus is as gorgeous a piece of choral writing as Sondheim ever did...Forgiveness though, in that there are so many amazing Sondheim songs, and in the course of the video, MsMojo probably touches on 40-50, not just 10. Still would have loved to have seen "Weekend in the Country" or "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" or "Simple" or "God That's Good" or "Opening Doors" included as an example of the broader understanding of integrated musicality that he's brought to the art form. But thank you for doing the list at all!!
They did say at the beginning the criteria was for the most emotional/passionate/cathartic songs, so that's why it's mostly ballads. If it were his entire repertoire this list would be impossible to narrow down
Completely agree! This list is fine, but I'm tired of seeing 'losing my mind' and 'send in the clowns' over and over. Hell, if you want to do big ballads, do some of the lesser known ones. I'd argue that 'In Buddy's Eyes' is just as good if not better than the previous two, despite not being mentioned as often.
Watching this hits different, knowing that Sondheim has left us.
Especially "Being Alive" 😔
"Rose's Turn" (#7) and "Somewhere" (#6) are indeed truly great songs, but they are not Sondheim songs, any more than "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin''" is a "Hammerstein song" -- it's a Rodgers and Hammerstein song. All of the songs from Gypsy were written by Jule Styne (music) and Sondheim (lyrics), and all of the songs from West Side Story were by Leonard Bernstein (music) and Sondheim (lyrics). Maybe they should get honorable mention (or something) on this list, but if you're making a list of SONDHEIM'S ten best songs, they they should be WHOLE songs by him. Please, Ms. Mojo, know what you're talking about: don't insult great theater composers like Styne and Bernstein by giving credit for their music to someone else -- even to Stephen Sondheim.
Nonsense .
Great to see Kim Crosby. She was from Springfield Missouri. She went to Kickapoo High School. We are so proud of her. She was our first huge celebratory.
Rest in peace Stephen Sondheim, you will live on through your music.
RIP
Thank you for everything you gave us...your talent and contributions are immeasurable.
I can’t believe you left “Pretty Women” from Sweeney Todd off the list! It’s one of the most beautiful songs...certainly better than the other Sweeney songs you mentioned. Even Sinatra covered it!
It’s one of my favorites from the soundtrack!
Sinatra covered it? For real? Would be awesome to listen it. Do you know where to find that?
The first bars of "No One Is Alone" and "Not While I'm Around" and I'm an emotional puddle!!
Just learned in my theatre class today that he passed away on Friday. R.I.P Sondheim, one of my favorite composers.
Rest In Peace Stephen Sondhiem thank you for making me fall in love with musicals 🙏🌹❤
Thank you @MsMojo for taking up on my suggestion!
Next: Top 10 Best Stephen Schwartz Songs!
ESQUI better include Meadowlark too!
Watch MsMojo obsess over Wicked and overlook musicals like Pippin and Godspell.
@@thomashayes5597 I agree but still either way Wicked is a great show
@@thomashayes5597 Don't forget Children of Eden. I'll defend Lost in the Wilderness and Stranger to the Rain until I die.
@@thomashayes5597 Bless the Lord has such awesome energy if done correctly.
By far, my all-time favorite musical-theater composer. For me, "Somewhere" is the best, but totally agree with the #1 pick. They are all great!
He didn’t compose Somewhere. It doesn’t even belong on this list.
@@Sethethhe wrote the lyrics, as they said here... So, yes, this masterpiece belongs here
RIP Stephen Sondheim. We will forever enjoy your beautiful ballads. Thank you! 💙
Musical theater! Theres nothing like it. These songs are hard to sing and just comes out of no where. Some I know more than others. I'm not a big fan of Sondheim but he has made his mark on all of us.
So many genius Sondheim songs. Wanna give some love to Barcelona from Company.
Good choices! Some of my favorites that weren't mentioned are Lesson #8, Kiss Me, and Please Hello.
(Also, I appreciate including the Neil Patrick Harris bit at the beginning of Being Alive. His "STOP!!" is my favorite.)
Please MsMojo, I know youve done plenty of times Sondheim's lists but could you do a TopTen best moments of his 90s birthday youtube livestream? I thnk we ALL will appreciate and love
Just don't mention the technical difficulties 😂
One of my favorites is The Witch's Lament from Into The Woods. I also love Send in The Clowns.
I'd add Last Midnight from Into The Woods to that list
I needed this. Rest in peace, Stephen. Thank you for the music.
Coming here after Stephen's death, absolutely heartbroken RIP legend 🙏💔
Thank you for including Loving You from Passion in the Honorable Mentions. Donna Murphy is wonderful in Sondheim's complicated musical about love and beauty.
This is a good list. Anyone Can Whistle is another song that could be here, but he has so many classics, everyone would want something else on the list.
Absolute legend, Rest In Peace 💗
Some of his musicals are like operas with a very complex orchestation. Was one of the best composers of XX century