Top 10 Hardest Modern Broadway Songs to Sing
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Anyone who masters the hardest modern Broadway songs deserves applause. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most difficult tunes Broadway has produced from 1980 until today. Our countdown includes "Cats," "Hamilton," "Into the Woods," and more! What do YOU think is the hardest Broadway song? Let us know in the comments!
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What do YOU think is the hardest modern Broadway song to sing? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Hardest Classic Broadway Songs to Sing - ruclips.net/video/om6W2uhrMLc/видео.html
I totally agree with your list, although I would’ve probably added a song from Next to Normal in the honorable mention section as well.
Memory isn't that hard, I memorized it, granted I may not hit all the correct notes, but you can't fault me for memorizing one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals.
Your fault isn’t hard to sing omg. If I can basically sing every single with no difficulty then it’s not hard at all. I’m not even a good singer and I can still do it. It’s the exact same with words fail. It isn’t hard to sing.
tbh satisfied isn't that hard, only the faster parts but most people sing that
@@noria5711 But it’s still super good amazing actually
The thing that people forget about Legally Blonde is the choreography! THAT'S what makes the vocals so difficult, especially for the role of Elle.
Also, she sings every song. She doesn’t get a break
Actually they forgot Whip into Shape. Singing while doing jump rope??? Now thats skill.
@@PopQuizPH whipped into shape more like whipped in my ass
@@andiotrebac6583 except blood in the water she speaks during that
not to mention Laura Bell Bundy legit had a hole in her heart while she was doing Legally Blonde
the fact Jennifer Hudson has sung so many of these songs on this list crazy she's extremely underrated
She’s good she won an Oscar..
I love Jennifer Hudson. I’m a huge fan of hers. She gave me 2 free CDs
She's an EGOT. I think that means she's rated.
Adore her but I wouldn’t say she’s underrated. With A Strange Loop’s win at the Tonys, JHud got her EGOT. She’s only the 17th person in history to ever get it.
@@TheKhaliente she has an EGOT
i feel like an honorable mention should be “all you wanna do” from six. the different emotions the actress must convey and the climax alone definitely makes it an incredibly difficult song to sing. Sam Pauly is perfection in the broadway adaptation
Yes it shoots she sings with such emotion just wow
Sam Pauly is my favorite K. Howard! The emotion she weaves through the song makes me have shivers, especially at the end when you can literally hear the character break. It makes you really feel for the real girl even though she's been dead since the 1500's.
@@BlazeDupree1525 yes mine too!!
I dunno, I have trouble considering Six to be an actual musical. It's more of a concert with historically-themed songs, and a really good concert at that, but there's no story in it and no meaningful interaction between the characters.
@@ms_scribbles what are you talking about K. Howard's roast on all the other queens is legendary. And the plot of it is that all of Henry's wives come together to compete over who had the worst life to realize there is no reason to be stooping so low at each other because they were all really just victims of circumstance and instead of fighting each other they embrace each other and dream of a life where things could have been different.
I 100% agree that Defying Gravity deserves to be on this list, but I definitely disagree on it's placement. If you think Defying Gravity is harder to sing than Phantom of the Opera then I have some questions for you.
If anything I think The Wizard And I is a little bit harder than Defying Gravity
@@emilied1543Yep, I have sung Defying Gravity(or tried to) before, I can hit the note. Just not in Phantom.
Yeah this whole list does seem a little odd, ESPECIALLY putting Defying Gravity above Bring Him Home and Phantom of the Opera which are all songs that are used by vocalists to show just how good they are :/
@@ElpheAzure I had to read that twice before I realized that you were referring to Bring Him Home.
@T in T.O. I'm actually stupid dude, I'll correct it
Satisfied is like the final boss of musical numbers…Sondheim like flood of words, ALW-style huge notes to hit and Lin’s rapping cadence all with big emotion…Just a monolithic performance by Renee Elise Goldsberry.
Satisfied is one of my favorite songs on Broadway ever!
I really liked Emmy Raver-Lampman’s take where the notes continue to climb and there’s a beautiful descending vibrato-heavy phrase at the end of the last “always… be satisfied”
lol I did the rap at my choir concert and I did soo bad
I did this song for karaoke at a friend’s birthday party. It was SOOOOOO hard. I’ve now made it my goal to learn it and rock it for my son’s upcoming Hamilton karaoke themed birthday party. 😅
@@avaverma6781 thank you, I needed this laughter 🤣🤣
I've been practicing singing "The Phantom of the Opera" for almost a year and I realize that when you practice the final notes individually, they're not too bad. It's when you try singing all of them back to back without taking a good breath that you realize how hard it is
Nothing but respect for people who can sing like that. It's truly an amazing skill :)
I've been practicing it too!!! And yeah, so far, I can only feel sorry for my neighbours who have to hear feline-like screeching almost everyday.
@@vanessasamad8286 I know the feeling 😂. My early practice was really bad but I find the most comfort singing in my car while driving. Sometimes the bumps in the road can help you reach those high notes 😂
Do you also find the finale of the song difficult or is it just me?
@@vanessasamad8286I've been practicing Gimme Gimme from TMM and it's pretty easy! If you can hit those babies then yes.
I was able to do it in high school choir, but I’ve been out of practice since then. So not as polished unfortunately.
I used to be able to hit those notes really well, but as a boy, that was definietly only when I was younger
"the ballad of jane doe" should be an honorable mention in here.
the actress* literally has to fly, and sing upside down. and emily rohm hits notes i didnt even think were possible while being in the air like that.
definitely deserves to be mentioned at least.
Yeah but she says on broadway also when this video released no one really knew ride the cyclone
YES I AGREE
@@Ms.fortune_cookie thats why they said HONORABLE mention. They listed some HONORABLE mentions at the start of the video of songs that didn’t make it to broadway
EXACTLY
that's exactly what I was thinking!!
The idea that anything from Dear Evan Hanson, a sort of standard Tenor part, is more difficult than an actor having to portray two completely different characters and voices AT THE SAME TIME is bonkers.
Yeah, kind of, but words fail is so hard to sing from all of the emotion put into it. I think they should be switched
I think it’s the ability to cry while singing. Ben Platt would cry so mush during that song that he would cry his makeup off.
As a tenor those songs aren't easy. Not the hardest maybe but they high notes and jumps definitely make it difficult
I honestly feel like Phantom is the #1 most impressive musical to ever be made. Mostly due to the sheer beauty and emotion of every single song in it. Nothing compares in my eyes.
I was just about to say this phantom should be number one defying gravity should be number two because I can sing to defying gravity in my sleep but phantom never in my wildest dreams unfortunately my voice does not go up to that high E6
It really isnt. Its the same four songs over amd over again.
@@Teladian2 Have you actually listened to the musical? It really isn’t, it has the same tone as other songs in the musical but they’re very different. :)
Overrated
Well said
Phantom of the Opera should be above Defying Gravity. The range for Christine's part spans 2 octaves and 7 semitones. The range and power needed in that song are insane
For trained classical singers its doable.
☆ Time Stamps! ☆
0:00 - 0:51 •Intro•
0:52 •Confrontation• ~ Jekyll and Hyde
2:17 •Words fail• ~ Dear Evan Hansen
3:40 •Your fault• ~ Into the woods
4:57 •Memory• ~ Cats
6:08 •I'm here• ~ The color purple
7:33 •Satisfied• ~ Hamilton
9:08 •Bring him home• ~ Les Misérables
10:50 •And I am telling you I'm not going• ~ Dreamgirls
12:18 •The phantom of the opera• ~The phantom of the opera
□ Honorable Mentions □
"El Tango De Roxanne" -"Moulin Rouge!"
"So much better" -"Legally Blonde"
"Finishing the hat" -"Sunday in the park with George"
"She Used to Be Mine" -"Waitress"
"I'll cover you (reprise)" -"Rent"
☆Number one☆
15:46 •Defying Gravity• ~ Wicked
"Finishing the hat" -"Sunday in the park with George"
"She Used to Be Mine" from Waitress also got an honorable mention. One of my favorite Broadway shows!
@@cassie1264 Oops, sorry! I'll fix that!
Me and the sky should’ve been an honorable mention. It can be pretty vocally difficult, and is a showstopper within itself
God El Tango de Roxanne is so good >
Come Back from Dogfight is pretty challenging
you can tell Sondheim’s influence on Lin Manuel… from In the Heights to Encanto…. the complexity of the songs etc
Jesus loves you! ❤
Also, fun fact of Satisfied; Renee nailed it every time, no re-runs needed, ever.
Also, with Defying Gravity…. “They can handle it”…. Despite the show being written for her, they didn’t take into account the demands regular shows would take on her, and managed to damage her voice; just listen to before, during and after.
Right but if you sing it healthily, you can performs ongoing and do no damage.
@@carolineforrester9625 …. Like I said, they literally wrote that song for her and her vocal range. If anyone had a chance of singing it for years with no damage, it was her.
@@kidragakas It’s the way she sang it. There are plenty of people who could sing it for years without any vocal damage.
@@kidragakas it was wrote for stephanie j block actually
@@carolineforrester9625 It's the fact that she belted that last verse instead of going to head voice, isn't it? "So if you care to find me/look to the Western sky" is just WAY high for a belt. Same with the high note in "Let It Go."
...Come to think of it, I don't think I've heard her use her head voice in anything she's sung...
amber riley performed “and i am telling you i’m not going” live on set that day of glee. i’ll be upset forever that they put the studio version over it.
STOP YES
Idina Menzel is from another planet.. the tone of her voice.. she makes it sound easy when others are clearly trying so hard
Too bad the role almost literally destroyed her voice
I like Willemijn Verkaik’s version better.
But I might be biased, because I am Dutch.
I would like to say everyone knows, at least I hope so, that the end of “The Phantom of the Opera” from Phantom is prerecorded from Christine Daae’s perspective. Singing that every night would kill most people’s voices, making it the hardest song on broadway.
I think most of the song is prerecorded, not just the ending, because the staging calls for two sets of doubles (possibly just one set since the show reopened after Covid, so I've read). Carlotta however, I believe, has to hit an E6 in "Prima Donna" though.
You're saying those high notes at the end, and maybe more of the song, is recorded and not live when being performed on Broadway? I didn't know this and want to make sure I'm understanding right
@@amymesserschmidt2044 yes, because of the use of doubles as well as how hard it is to sing that 8 times a week
Yep we did phantom at my university back in 2007 and we prerecorded the leads voices for that song during the journey to the lair
@@ProuvaireJean I think Carlotta's E6 is optional & wasn't in the original score?
Ballad of Jane Doe from Ride the Cyclone, the actress that plays Jane Doe has to have incredible range while floating and spinning upside down
Not Broadway but I agree. Insanely difficult and insanely impressive
i was gonna say that!! very impressive
Honestly, being able to sing the ballad of Jane doe is the single greatest thing I've achieved in my entire life, it's so difficult
YES! The high notes alone are difficult, plus the spinning.
YES
"Satisfied" has now become one of my go-to shower songs, and I like to think I sound good but just being able to hit a note (and optioning up sometimes, admit it you've done it too) is not the same as making it easy 😂 IT'S SO HARD!!!
I’m not a good singer but in the shower I sound better, satisfied makes me feel incredibly powerful when I’m singing it
No because this is me and my sister. She introduced me to the song now whenever she sings in her room I answered her every time XD
Yeah it’s way after practice but that last “to your union” will forever get me 😮💨
Same!! Start on key. End up in another melody, I try!
@@Aloe_Vera23 ii
I’m so glad to see J&H get recognition for Confrontation. It’s such an underrated musical
The “gothic musical thriller” version absolutely was hugely underappreciated. The instantly dated cringefest that was the generic R&B flavoured version (in my not-so-humble opinion 😉) should be allowed to crawl into a hole and pull the hole in after it 😅
@@allisonbergh4429 R&B? Never mind, I don’t want to know. (Actually I do, send me the link so I can die in pain)
I love Jekyll and Hyde so much, that when I pick a "creepy" musical my mind jumps to that one.
He runs the beach in Baywatch, but I have to say I was impressed watching David Hasselhoff doing Confrontation. I didn't think he had that in him. And that's a tough number. Tought it should be higher on the list.
J and H was so fantastic on Broadway! But WHY would they highlight David Hasselhoff? Robert Cuccioli was so much better. Even Jack Wagner and Sebastian Bach had better runs.
I used to do the casting for a college musical and some people would turn up with defying gravity as their casting song. And you'd know that 1% of the time it would be someone who was an incredible singer but 99% of the time people who didn't have much experience and vastly overestimated their own capabilities
"Confrontation" is insane. I've watched Russian production, and the lead male absolutely nailed it. It sends shivers down your spine.
I’m glad they mentioned “Made of Stone” when they said that it’s only shows that have been on Broadway. That song is insane.
The fact that they said no songs from movies and disclosed any song from heathers. If I remember correctly, the original Heathers movie wasn’t the musical, because the musical came out later. And by that logic, they shouldn’t count into the woods, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, Les Mis, or Legally Blonde (Which is, btw, iconic). And before anyone asks about Hamilton, I’m not talking about pro-shots, those are a different story
@@lavendar6434 Heathers has never been on Broadway.
i saw hunchback at papermill playhouse-its a shame they didnt transfer to broadway (rumor is due to them not allowed to have the full choir, only the ensemble). it was BEAUTIFUL! so happy it will live on thru the album at least.
@@lavendar6434 They were talking about shows that made it on Broadway. Heather was on OFF-broadway, therefore wasn’t included. Les Mis, Into the Woods, Cats, and DEH were BROADWAY musicals that turned into movie musicals. Legally Blonde was a movie turned into a BROADWAY musical. Thats why they made it on the list, cuz they were Broadway musicals at one point.
@@l.7282 ohhh
My toxic trait is thinking I could sing all of these easily 💀
😂You aren’t alone!
My toxic trait is screaming Words Fail thinking I can actually hit them notes.
Real
My toxic trait is thinking I could pull off satisfied
I can't really disagree with most of these picks, but no mention of Epiphany from Sweeney Todd? That is an absolute beast vocally and emotionally and at least deserved a mention.
I agree with you. This list covers shows from 1980 and later so Sweeney didn’t make it.
Or kiss me from sweeney Todd!
As someone who played Sweeney in her school musical (yes I'm a girl and yes I played a guy. Deal with it.) I can confidently agree as to how difficult Epiphany is!!!
Sondheim is in a class of his own.
@@orlacarolan6198 It's fine I'm a girl and I played Walter Hobbs in Elf jr
Heart Of Stone and All You Wanna Do from SIX gives me chills with the emotion and vocals
Oh my gosh yes "All you wanna do" specifically done by Samantha Pauly is so sad yet so great!
I know you guys want to see if you favorite musical is on here so here ya go
0:00- intro
0:53- Confrontation- Jekyll and Hyde
2:17- Words Fail- Dear Evan Hansen
3:40- Your Fault- Into the woods
4:57- memory- Cats
6:09- I’m here- The color purple
7:33- Satisfied- Hamilton (my personal favorite)
9:07- Bring him home- Les Misérables
10:50- And I’m telling you I’m not goin- Dreamgirls
12:18- The phantom of the opera- The phantom of the opera
Honorable mentions:
13:42- El Tango de Roxanne- Moulin Rouge
14:03- So much better- Legally blonde
14:23- Finishing the hat- Sunday in the park with George
14:42- She used to be mine- Waitress
15:10- I’ll cover you (reprise)- Rent
Number one
15:45- Defying Gravity- Wicked (Again one of my favorites)
That took forever
Thank you so much for the time stamps!
you're a star
@@audreyanderson5931 🫡
still disappointed pity the child wasn't on this list
THANK YOU :p
I feel like sondheims "Getting Married Today" from Company should've at least gotten an honorable mention since it combines insanely fast lyrics from Amy, incredably sharp notes and diction from the Choir Girl, and some impressive high notes from Paul, not to mention the insane emotions each actor must portray that come together at the end in a panicked beautiful mess, I love the video I just had to point that out lol
side note, "Worst Pies In London" and "By The Sea" from Sweeny Todd are crazy too, basically everything sondheim I guess-
Agreed! I expected to see that one here
Company came out in 1970. This list is from 1980 onwards
And modern major general (not modern I know) but still super fast
I feel like "Your Fault" should be higher on this list. I've been in that cast. There are some lines in that song where you get two words and you have to be perfectly in rhythm or someone will just sing over you. But all of these are incredibly difficult.
You're right. I'm glad it was included, but it deserved to be way higher.
I'm gonna be in into the woods but it's the jr version so no your fault :(
@@aidangarrett8170 same here!
I agree. One of my best friends played Jack in a high school production, and the parts are not also insanely fast but complicated. It is a very hard song.
I'm happy to report I was only one of the stepsisters in my college production. At the time, I'd been hoping to get cast as LRR, but these days my dream role is the Baker's Wife. I only had two weeks to learn the entire role because I'd initially been cast as Sleeping Beauty (*yawn*) but then Florinda got sick, so I got bumped up to actual ensemble member, not just a walk-on at the end. The timing wasn't as difficult as a member of the trio, so my challenge was learning the *middle* part when I was accustomed to always singing the high notes as a first soprano. Major credit to anyone who plays one of the roles singing "Your Fault"!
Love how they talked about how the speed of "Your Fault" is one of the biggest reasons it's so difficult, then cut to a clip of the VERY slowed down version of it they used in the movie😂
Aw, I'm glad The Color Purple is getting recognized. I'm Here is an incredible song, and Cynthia Erivo is amazing!
I have never seen it and honestly got a teary eye watching that 2 sec clip.
It’s highkey in the top 3 but I digress
"I Am Changing" is actually the hardest song from Dreamgirls. It involves a lot more precision and then going into a belt. There's nowhere to hide.
And that is my fave from the musical
@@jakubanterlope7432My fav is song "dream girls" btw
"Flowers" from Hadestown is one of my favs. It has such an intricate melody, broad range, and emotion
I was so glad to see "Confrontation" from Jekyll and Hyde make the list. I would have put it in the top five though!
I love any time people get to hear Anthony Warlow! I really preferred the “gothic musical thriller” version of the show, and Warlow’s performance is damn near flawless 😍
(Linda Eder ain’t bad either, and Bring On The Men is so much better than that stupid Good and Evil nonsense I’m embarrassed for the cast 😆)
I love Rob Evan's performance, his Jekyll and Hyde sound like two entirely different people.
One of my personal favorite shows :)
@@allisonbergh4429 THIS. The concept album is objectively the best form of the musical. I did get to see a touring cast where they did perform Bring on the Men instead of Good & Evil, so that was great. I will never be able to get Lucy's death scene out of my mind though... the actress's performance had me feeling like I was watching someone actually get murdered on stage.
@@redisthecoolestcolour This reminded me of one of my theater classmates talking about having two different people play Jekyll and Hyde, with Jekyll falling behind his counter/desk in Transformation, then Hyde stands up, sings his own lines, and leaves. This would not only save the actor quite a bit of whiplash, but also be closer to the source material; the two look WILDLY different in the original. In Confrontation, there would be a "mirror" (actually a sort of space for Hyde to stand) that's covered by a sheet. While Jekyll sings "between a good man and...", he slowly pulls off the sheet, revealing Hyde. Hyde steps out of the "mirror" to confront Jekyll and fight.
Just finally saw Hamilton on Broadway. Has always been one of my favorite musicals. Satisfied is easily in my top 3 Hamilton songs, and it's very difficult I would say as an opera singer. But Burn I find isn't that difficult.
I would also put Wait for it on there.
saw it on tour a month ago and I was in shock the entire time
How was it!?! Ahh
Wait for it is my favorite song in the show. It still gives me chills.
I second Wait For It. Having a character that’s usually super chill do something so emotional is rough. For the same reason I’d consider the Room Where it Happens to be hard. Especially with, again, burr being such a calm character in most of the play, but then he’s suddenly running around stage.
@grace5033 I did too!! And I also agree with the others wait for it is one of my favorite Broadway songs
Cynthia Erivo singing “I’m Here” makes so emotional every time I hear it, as if it’s the first time I’m hearing it.
“Satisfied” is all around amazing. Renee can belt so well!
I'm here was so emotional and well done I got goosebumps the whole time!!
Even the little bit of "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" shown got me teary-eyed.
I can't hear it without crying, and I can't count the number of times I saw Rent. ❤
Same. 🥺🥺🥺
Bring Him Home and She Used to Be Mine do that to me every time!
@@alimarie8291 She Used To Be Mine definitely makes me cry. Bring Him Home not so much.
I music directed RENT in late 2021, and every single time we got to that song, I’d be crying while playing piano and conducting the band.
Moulin Rouge interpretation of Roxanne is such a good song.
I like it better than the original tbh
@@meganhash7840 I hate to admit this but I think I do too. I haven’t had the chance to see it live yet. But I love the emotion that Aaron puts into the song. Now I love it even more after that clip of him doing the high note.
JHud really proved herself in the theatre industry. She deserve every recognition she’s receiving right now
Part of what makes Defying Gravity such a crazy number is that most singers who can hit those notes can hit them on solid ground with their cores supported. To perform Defying Gravity on stage, you have to be able to hit those notes while hanging from wires attached around your waist and shoulders, which means you don't have anywhere to support yourself. Basically, it's crazy.
The standard productions it’s a lift - not wires that takes them up. Still not a lot of support - but more than wires. At the Gershwin (Broadway theater) though I believe the actress as to go off stage, down stairs and then back up some stairs and get into the lift in time for the big “It’s Me” belt - which is insane!
Memory also has a WIDE range, it goes almost as low as it goes high. My vocal coach had me sing it in high school and there was an entire section I had to bring up an octave because I couldn't hit the lowest notes. (once upon that lifetime I was a 1st Soprano lol)
Sierra Boggess is the vocal queen of our generation. I will accept no feedback on this very correct statement.
I've watched high school productions of Phantom of the Opera and let me just say that they really go for it with the title song of the show. Seeing two high school students as Christine and Phantom and singing in duo means they've studied hard in order to get the vocals right on key. Especially with singing the high notes in both the title song and Music of the Night...
the female student must have a lot of rehearsal and voice lessons to nail an E6. Teenage voices, especially singers, have raw, undeveloped vocal chords.
@@amandawagner6099 That's right. Seeing them doing that high note towards the end of the song really has to strain their voices
I hate to say this but it’s not always real. Most of the time it’s just a recording
The Ballad of Jane Doe from Ride the Cyclone will forever be my favorite. Being strung up in the air and hitting the high notes, the belts, and such control of her voice while occasionally being spun around and upside down is absolutely breathtaking.
Ikr??? It should be number one in my opinion, like, the song is already insane on its own and she does while flying upside down too???? Emily Rohm's abilities are beyond words.
@@lilia3529 the emotion behind it and how she actually manages to sound “lost” is amazing! I would die to have that control over my voice but I don’t have the patience to learn XD
@@himikotoga1097 omg I just noticed your usernameeee you have to look for "the red means I love you" it's a musical like song written for Toga by a fan and it's awesome you'll love it if you love mha and you're a theater kid🤌🤌
@@lilia3529 I’ve heard the song! It’s in my playlist :D the song is so wonderful
FR
The thing that makes satisfied better beside Angelica's Heart Wretching Voice is the Choreography, Like Literally they are Re doing choreography of the previous 2 songs (Winter's Ball and Helpless) but in REVERSE. The Pov of Angelica Reversing and reminiscing is pure Genius, but everyone else Doing the same thing they do a minute ago but is Backward, Wow.
Yes I agree it is Wow
plus she portrays the emotion so strongly too
It was insanely breathtaking to watch that first time and still has a lot of power every time I watch it again!
I know!! I noticed the same thing! I love it so much!
The whole production and cast is mind blowing
I am so glad for Your Fault they acknowledged that the notes are difficult. Because of recordings it feels most people associate the difficulty with the speed but the notes are just mean.
It's at a general speaking range for most, but every character talks right through sudden key changes and/or has to enter on a new key with no warning. Even Little Red, who has one of the easier parts, is supposed to be hitting constant E5's every time she says Your or whatever pronoun proceeds Fault.
How is it that only a few seconds of I'll cover you reprise made me cry? Jonathan Larson created something special. I hope he knows his impact to this world
Bring Him Home always gives me the chills, but it *has* to be Colm Wilkinson as Valjean and Phillip Quast as Javert, who’s last song never fails to brings me to tears.
Alfie Boe kills me when he is in tears at the last notes.
Phillip Quast is probably my favorite Javert too. My fave Valjean is a tie between Colm and Alfie. No wrong choices here. :)
The "I Love You" Song from Putnam County Spelling is really really hard to pull off well. It has these incredibly precise harmonies between the three characters, not to mention the sheer number of belting notes. It's a very easy song to mess up and incredibly hard to do right.
I adore this song. Fell in love with the musical in high school, and that song just hits me with a sack of bricks every time, bro
That's exactly what I was about to comment. I love Putnam so much it hurts
Finally someone talks about spelling bee! It’s so good but so underated
Santa Fe at the end of Act one of Newsies. It has a ton of emotion, and Jeremy Jordan makes the last note sound easy, but it is not!
As someone who's currently in a production of Newsies, I think what a lot of people overlook is that the character playing Jack literally goes straight from Seize the Day, to the big fight scene, STRAIGHT to Santa Fe. It's insane!
@@TheBekahning I agree. The needed emotion to actually make it feel like a 17-year-old gasping for a chance to control his fate while having the conflict of leaving his friends and the cruelty of the NY society of the time is incredibly hard to show while belting your heart out. I love to sing Santa Fe whenever I feel bummed but it's a hard song to do at any time.
Santa Fe makes me cry fsm
I don't care how many actresses perform her, Elaine Paige will always be the voice of Grizabella for me.
Agreed
My bestie also played Grizabella but yeah no one will ever be better than Elaine Page
As weird as it might sound, I think it's more hard to do Defying Gravity as a soprano. Those higher notes toward the end aren't difficult to hit; it's well within our range. The hard part I have is mixing and using my chest, not to mention proper breathing techniques. I only had a few weeks of lessons way back in 2005. As a soprano I have a natural tendency to want to use my head voice for higher notes, besides. I do have a decent, nearly 2 octave range, so I can do most of the song well. What I have trouble with is the "Bring me down". Again, it's all in the correct breathing.
Oh absolutely, the high notes aren’t the impressive thing in my opinion, it’s that gorgeous chest voice that a lot of sopranos struggle with because we’re so used to using our head voice
I totally agree, if anything in order to get those gorgeous mixes you'd have to be more on the alto/mezzo side
@@theekaeltastrophy6902 even as a mezzo I struggle in switching from head voice to chest voice. And belting is not really possible for me 😅
I'm a mezzo but a classically trained one. I don't even remotely know how to belt or use anything other than head/mixed voice unless I'm in the 3rd octave (below middle c) the entire time which Defying Gravity obviously is not. So I feel you. The range is perfectly comfortable on both ends and matches a lot of what I sing, but I cannot belt for the life of me. I just sing belt-y songs in the way I can sing (head voice) for fun.
Totally agree. It is NOT for a soprano. For a well trained mezzo. Will ruin a soprano. They’ll have to modify.
"Your Daddy's Son" from Ragtime is genuinely the most impressive song I've ever heard
Audra McDonald's performance of that song makes you WEEP.
Same! It made me cry
I thinked Whipped Into Shape from Legally Blonde deserves at least an honorary mention, it's jump roping while singing and at one point Brooke holds a crunch for like 45 seconds?
To be fair, the pause bits don't quite count, since they're the choreo not the song, but they certainly don't HELP😅
Defying Gravity never fails to make me start crying. Heck, the introduction to the song gives me chills. The first time I saw it on stage I was a Senior in High School and I was so emotionally torn for Elfaba and how she was being treated. Perfect song.
Not the hardest but deserves an honorable mention, "Home" from Beetlejuice combines teenage angst with a breakdown of emotion that truly has some great belting moments.
YES!
The entire of The Whole Being Dead Thing after that is also insane.
yeah not exactly an easy shower song 😭
True! I can sing Dead Mom but not Home
I feel like “One Song Glory” from Rent should be an honorable mention. It is such a stunning mix of light notes and huge belts all tied together with so much emotion.
It's hard, but as a mezzo soprano who the song definitely wasn't written for, it's not at the same level as any of these other songs. I'm not sure if even "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" is the hardest song in RENT. "Out Tonight" is a real belter with octave jumps performed while doing high kicks in rubber pants...
Yesssss OSG is such a good song!!! If you wanna listen to my fav interpretation, I think it would be Aaron Tveit's recording from Rent Revival.
I have sat through countless productions of “Les Miz” excitedly anticipating Valjean’s hitting the note at the “bring him home”. It’s mt favorite moment in all musical theater. I remember one traveling production where the actor’s voice cracked when he went to reach for the note. If that wasn’t bad enough, he tried again only to crack again. I think every audience member was mortified for him. I swear I felt his embarrassment.
Oh god, that happen to me in my senior christmas concert in high school. I don't know how I managed to remain on stage
I'd like to throw out "Out Tonight" from Rent as an honorable mention. Not only is the song a KILLER on the lungs, but the actress has to pull off some INCREDIBLE choreography!
"I'll cover you" Reprise will always make me sob uncontrollably. it is such a gorgeously done song, with so much raw emotion behind it. While i know every word, i could only hope I can put as much sorrow into it as required to really hit the right spot.
Fun fac i Will play Tom Collins in december and yes that song makes me cry too
I’m always so shocked that Jesus Christ Superstar doesn’t get mentioned more. The lyrics are amazing and the range is crazy! By far my favorite musical!!
JC Super star came out in 1971 before 1980 which was the cutoff year for this grouping
Roxane deserves higher in the list. The way Aaron sings it is mesmerising and hypnotic you can’t help but look at him as he sing his vocals always changing in the sing from the soft beginning to the climatic ending. Pure magic.
He’s no Ewan
@@krystleboss8573Yeah, I like the original better, kinda dislike the stage show really
jamie muscato>
@@alyssiagartland7616 I saw Jamie Muscato when I was in London in June as Christian WOW pure perfection gave me chills and goosebumps. Especially after him singing Roxanne I was in row c I couldn't breath he was that beautiful 💗
@@erintilley6552 i saw him on saturday he’s amazing 🥲🥲
Me and the Sky from Come From Away
Telling THAT story
With THAT emotional tone shift
It’s challenging at every level without being flashy
Defying Gravity really is top tier, but I feel like the crazy high parts in Phantom of the Opera are even harder to sing
They are not. Coloratura sopranos can do them easily and they feel good. Not saying they aren’t talented but for those singers (and there are many of them, many) it is not difficult at all. Particularly with a mic. I can do those notes at 6am. This is a basic warm up. I’m not great, its a voice type. I’m here is the most difficult. Maybe the Jekyl and Hyde.
I definitely think the songs that belong on this list are:
Astonishing - Little Women
Out Tonight - RENT
The Lonely Goatherd - The sound of music
People always overlook the lovely goatherd but it’s one awfully hard song with all the voices and everything
“Out tonight” is not a difficult song to sing at all.
@@milliejay1451 That's my favorite song from sound of music! Also this is modern musicals. Ms Mojo already did one on classic musicals and there was a song from Sound of music. It was Do-Re-Mi though, not lonely goatheard.
The boundaries of this list are Broadway songs post 1980. 🐐 The Lonely Goatherd was in the the previous list of pre 1980 songs. 🙂
@@Jamieluv1000 i'll have to disagree with you on that one. personally i find belting the "oo" vowel at that pitch quite difficult; especially if you throw in all the kicks, dance moves etc mimi does during the song. not a lot of people can sing it, and even fewer people can sing it in a way that's pleasing to the ears :)
Honestly, as a previous Heather Chandler, Candy Store should be on here. That riff at the end is SO DAMN HARD to master. Took me weeks to get it good enough….
They specified only Broadway, Heathers was never on Broadway. They used it as an example at the beginning
@@marycrowley8428 Yeah they said that made of stone from hunchback doesn't count either because that musical is off broadway too
As a previous Veronica, Dead Girl Walking should have been mentioned. I still don't know how Barrett does it
honest question, did you watch the beginning? lol
@@destinydynamites Nah, I’m difficult like that lol. I like to get to the main premise, I’m VERY impatient
One of my favorite difficult numbers is I'm Breaking Down from Falsettos. The absolute rollercoaster of emotion Stephanie J Block takes us on during the song already makes it insanely difficult, but that final belt at the end.... and the fact that she actually has *food in her mouth* when she sings it and it STILL sounds like THAT.... fucking incredible
yessssss and not to mention how she manages to have equal parts comedical pain and real insights to her characters deep innate pain and how much it has taken a toll on her, she’s a phenomenal actress and singer
THIS
I’m quite shocked that they didn’t include Somebody Gets Hurt from Mean Girls The Musical- it’s a dramatic masterpiece with notes as high as defying gravity. It’s full of impossible riffs and is such a hard song to sing and act in.
Ngl its harder than Defying Gravity. Just because of the vocal agility and range you need to sing it, I feel like it’s harder than Defying Gravity.
Wicked is forever one of the most impressive broadway shows
Santa Fe from Newsies (reprise not prologue) absolutely deserves to be on this list. I was mad that Not Getting Married Today wasn’t too until I remembered Company is 1970.
Anthony Warlow’s J&H is simply amazing.
It sure is. That whole concept album is great!!!! He is amazing.
YES YES YES. I want to cry every time someone says they loved the Hasselhoff version, or even the one with the American Idol guy. From the cd cover design right through to the haunting ending, that album is gorgeous, lush, classic, and ageless. Even the few somewhat silly songs sound rich and sensual, and there are many moments of spine-tingling beauty. I saw the tour when it was in Seattle [redacted] years ago and was utterly blown away. (I won’t repeat what I said when I heard the updated version with its R&B influenced vocals)
Can we do some kind of petition to have everything but the Warlow version erased from history?
I really liked the Hoff's version, but no one will ever live up to Anthony Warlow. He's the best
Whipped Into Shape should be on here. Not only does the actress have to stay in tune, the choreo is always sooooo fast she has to do it without running out of breath.
Gethsemane is probably one of the hardest songs vocally in my opinion. Was very surprised not to see it on this list. The technique and skills required are insane.
Agreed! The range and depth of emotion required is like no other!
I had forgotten about Jesus Christ Superstar, but it was originally a 70s Andrew Lloyd piece. The original album version of Gethsemane sung by Ian Gillan, the lead singer of Deep Purple, was one of the most emotional songs ever recorded from a musical.
IMO
I don’t know all of these songs, but I’ve always tried to take on challenging songs. To me, “Bring Him Home”, “Defying Gravity” and “Memory” aren’t that hard. I was surprised “No Good Deed” wasn’t on this list, however.
exactly! defying gravity is constantly on this pedestal for being hard when it really isn’t, the people who think it’s hard just don’t know how to belt (be it the aspect of dynamics, accidental mixing, etc)
Memory is not hard. Definitely compared to “I’m here”. Nope.
@@sunnyisfictional it’s hard in the aspect that the person play elepheba has to sing it 8 days a week…THATS the hard part. idina proved this due to her crazy vocal damage by the end of her run.
Definitely add Let's Hear it for the Boy, Footloose. Her vocal range and control is unreal! Thanks for this video! Lots of wonderful memories brought back of seeing these on Broadway!
As a teenager, I taught myself Defying Gravity with with no vocal training and I preformed it for my schools choir concert and belted and preformed it perfectly.
i’m a simple person. i see hamilton, i click
am i the only person that finds guns and ships easier to rap than satisfied?
also happy that she used to be mine from waitress is getting some love! i remember listening to it for the first time and the whole song is just….wow.
I'm the opposite, I got the Satisfied rap down, I cannot for the life of me get Guns and Ships right. But you can bet I will keep trying.
A lot of it is the difference between a sprinter and a marathon runner; "Satisfied" needs you not just to have lingual dexterity near what's needed for "Guns and Ships," but to maintain it for much, much longer.
I don’t usually flex this but I can do both- it sounds horrible because my voice isn’t even pleasant enough for rapping but it’s within my capability
There's a certain "high" you get singing very technical songs. Once I got over a few years of shyness, I thought I'd introduce my church to my singing ability with a bang, and did the Phantom of the Opera with my brother for our church talent show. None of them but my family knew I could sing before that. The looks on people's faces. The choir director grabbed me after that. 😂
Then a few years later, I did the same "surprise" thing with another congregation with their church talent show but sang The Laughing Song from the opera Die Fledermaus. That is a really fun song to sing cuz it's so dynamic, silly, and joyous.
Really, feeling the moving of all that air, sound, and vibrations pouring out of your vocal chords and around you is a powerful feeling. Makes me feel like I can do magic or I'm a god of creation or projection. Like, you can move mountains with your voice alone. But oh, seeing people's faces while I'm doing it - priceless! Like, second best thing about singing is knowing people were wowed or moved. I definitely miss that. Man, some day I have to get back to it. Yes, I'm bragging - mostly cuz I miss all of it and have played myself down for years. I swear one day I'm gonna get back to it. But a regular job pays the bills right now. 😄
While I agree that high note in phantom is ridiculous, it’s usually pretty-recorded so they can save their vocal chords. Actually, most of that song is pre-recorded because of the staging. They only sing the last verse live(the boat). Still a very intense song to sing though.
The Ballad of Jane Doe from Ride the Cyclone is so beautiful and I was so blown away when I first heard it, the amount of pain I heard in that song along with the incredibly high notes, it’s a very powerful song
My biggest surprise was learning Grizabella is a alto part. Also, I won’t accept any cats slander. Most of the hate is honestly bandwagging
I LOVE Cats
The musical itself is amazing, but the movie was absolute garbage. However it wasn't because of the music, it was that horrifying CGI.
@@RyanS32 exactly
@@RyanS32 If there ever was a movie that needed a pretty immediate reboot I’d say within the next 5 to 15 years it be cats and I would recommend tutti or 3-D animation or do you like Disney blend them both in one
@@RyanS32 Honestly, I think the CGI is a problem but the directing is absolutely appalling and that's even worse for me. The CGI is just the easiest thing for everyone to focus on.
Cats is one of my absolute favorites, so I don't acknowledge the movie - except listening to The Railway Cat sometimes, to be honest, cause Steven McRae.
I think an honorable mention should have been the ballad of jane doe from Ride the cyclone. The singing is crazy! Plus she sings UPSIDE down which is incredible!
I agree with this list! (Despite the fact i don't know some of them)
Definitely with the Defying Gravity one as I couldn't belt that song, the impressive Phantom of the Opera with that ridiculously high note 😭, and with Satisfied being with a mix of rap and belting.
Although I would like to mention "No one Else" from The Great Comet of 1812 (one of my favorite broadway show which unfortunately closed back in 2019 before i was even into it). The emotions in that song together with the notes and belting is just really hard to sing 😭
The Opera from Great Comet might also be a contender...whatever the hell Gelsey Bell's doing in that one is not something I can ever hope to replicate.
@@asterismos5451 oh yeahh!! I don't listen to thay song often 😅 But yeah I remember 👌🏼
@@asterismos5451 i knew that those sounds in the opera were Gelsey, sounded like the shrieks from ghost quartet sjjsjskd
10. 0:54 Confrontation, Jekyll and Hyde
9. 2:18 Words Fail, Dear Evan Hansen
8. 3:41 Your Fault, Into The Woods
7. 4:59 Memory, Cats
6. 6:10 I'm Here, The Colour Purple
5. 7:39 Satisfied, Hamilton
4. 9:08 Bring Him Home, Les Miserables
3. 10:51 And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, Dreamgirls
2. 12:19 The Phantom of the Opera, The Phantom of the Opera
1. 15:45 Defying Gravity, Wicked
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- El Tango de Roxanne, Moulin Rouge
- So Much Better, Legally Blonde
- Finishing the Hat, Sunday in the Park with George
- She Used to be Mine, Waitress
- I'll Cover You (Reprise), Rent
MENTIONED BUT OFF BROADWAY:
- Dead Girl Walking, Heathers
For Jekyll and Hyde acting is the main challenge vocals itself in confrontation are tame all things considered (only a f, relatively simple for many bass and baritones, tenors might cut off on the beginning low notes or just opt up) the amount of pure singing itself with you physical acting will make it more challenging, trying to find breath spots and actually just breathing at least in my opinion.
The whole show requires some intense vocal strength and range. I absolutely love the full musical. I may try to sing along, but can never do it justice.
Though, I use Good and Evil as my audition song. I have been very successful with it.
I remember performing Your Fault with my theatre group for a summer camp. We didn't have it down until the opening show, but we did it nearly perfectly then!!
Okay but the emotion and range you need to pull off Heart Of Stone in Six??? It's HARD to get the emotion right and switch from belting to whistle notes cleanly. That song needs more love.
I was just about to comment this, although all you wanna do is a close(ish) second
That’s true but it’s not broadway right
Yeah it is..? It's been on Broadway for almost a year now
It makes sense that only broadway musicals were included but I was glad that Dead girl walking from heathers was mentioned because there are so many powerful notes in that song.
Gethsemane???? 3 and a half octaves and Jesus’ entire performance hinges on how they perform that insane song
It’s only modern Broadway, post 1980. Otherwise, HECK YEAH!
Yessss completely agree. Ted Neeley does it best imo
…
reneé is actually one of the best singers i know, satisfied is actually amazing. not just the voice, not just the choreography, but there are approximately 816 words in Satisfied.
Outstanding.
i think that “those you’ve known” from spring awakening should have at least an honorable mention purely because the actor playing melchior has to go from screaming and crying to singing clearly while still portraying that swell of emotions
May you do off Broadway? There is a musical called “Ride the cyclone” which has an entire song for a soprano. Who has to hold notes for a long time, then in the middle of the song she starts to fly, The character ( Jane Doe ) then has to sing, hold notes, and sing upside down. Then finishing the song with a 11 second note!
When I saw Defying Gravity, I grabbed the tissue box. Every time I hear that song, I just break down. Wicked was my first Broadway musical, and will always be my favorite.
Love that Into the Woods, Hamilton, and Moulin Rouge made it here! Not to mention Rent and Wicked. Love them all so much
I love Moulin Rouge and I've only ever seen the movie although Baz Lurhman was involved in the Broadway production so I whole heartedly believe it's amazing
It definitely was when I got to see in pre-Broadway in Boston
so glad i'm alive at the same time as cynthia so i can experience her "i'm here"... there's nothing like it
there should’ve been some Next To Normal in here. the show is as demanding emotionally as it is vocally
I really think the ballad of Jane doe should have been on here because hitting and Eb6 while flying through the air and spinning upside down is insane!!
I was thinking that too! My sibling introduced me to “Ride the Cyclone” yesterday and I was startled by how she was able to sing that high upside down.
I’d like to mention a song that wasn’t mentioned here, “the ballad of Jane doe” from ride the cyclone. There’s a lot of high notes in this song, not to mention in the original performance the performer had to belt some notes *UPSIDE DOWN FLOATING IN MID AIR*
and spinning! i wonder how much practice that took😭😭
I used to be part of a praise and worship team and just for fun myself and another member sang Defying Gravity in the parking lot after practice one night. Shocked it’s the #1