Bawdy alternative "You're the Top" Lyrics: Don't Miss Today's Weekly BlastDid Cole Porter write "You're King Kong's penis"?
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This week, The Broadway Maven looks at Cole Porter’s 1930s classic Anything Goes and the beloved movie musical The Wizard of Oz.• On Sunday, September 11 at Noon ET and Monday, September 12 at Noon and 7 pm ET there will be a FREE class on Anything Goes, Porter’s madcap romp-at-sea musical comedy. Register here.• On Thursday, September 15 at Noon and 7 pm ET we’ll examine what explains the phenomenal success of The Wizard of Oz. $5. Register here.• This Weekly Blast includes:A) an ESSAY about alternative lyrics to Cole Porter’s “You’re the Top” (included here FREE in this preview issue);B) a YouTube GEM about “I Want” songs in The Wizard of Oz;C) a student RAVE about Thoroughly Modern Millie;D) a YouTube GEM explaining the pop/rock origins of Little Shop of Horrors (included here FREE in this preview issue);E) a POLL about new work by successful Broadway composer-lyricists; andF) LAST BLASTS about Grease and Next to Normal.(Last Blasts are a new FREE Weekly Blast feature: quick witty, thought-provoking, or challenging thoughts about Broadway shows.)
Few songs are as easy to parody as Cole Porter’s “You’’re the Top.” As a list song, it can host a near-unlimited number of lyric variations, some pretty bawdy. The most famous alternative lyrics are below, and they’ve been variously attributed to Irving Berlin, P.G. Wodehouse, and Porter himself. What do you think? Could you write better ones? You’re The Top! YouTube GEM: Here’s course co-host Mateo Chavez Lewis presenting a novel and compelling thesis: that Howard Ashman and Alan Menken structured the songs of their first breakout hit, Little Shop of Horrors, in a way that traces the history of popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. 
Cole Porter's Anything Goes is one of the best-known, and most important, musicals of the 1930s. Set on a ship filled with vividly drawn characters, the show is riotously funny, with classic Cole Porter numbers like "You're the Top," “De-Lovely”; "Friendship"; "Blow, Gabriel Blow"; “I Get a Kick Out of You”; and the infectious title number. The Broadway Maven will take a careful look at each of those songs and how they are structured, as well as the history of the musical and its structure. This FREE class meets Sunday, September 11 at Noon ET and Monday, September 12 at Noon and 7 pm ET. ALL ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up.
For decades, The Wizard of Oz was a beloved family television tradition. But it's also a brilliantly constructed and executed musical. We'll break down the score and look at aspects of the show like feminism, symbolism, and special effects. Is the tale an allegory for American politics? Who's the real villain? The class meets Thursday, September 15 at Noon and 7 pm ET. Tuition $5. ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay.
For your Anything Goes homework, watch this video explaining what a list song is. Name another musical theater list song in the comments, and explain why you chose it. For your Wizard of Oz class, watch (or re-watch) the brief video below arguing that Star Wars appears to have ripped off key elements of the 1939 classic MGM cinematic landmark. Are you convinced? Explain your answer in the comment.
LAST BLAST: The title of the Broadway show Grease has four meanings: it’s something the characters were combing with, driving with, eating with, and f*cking with. LAST BLAST: In the title song of the musical Next to Normal, the word “normal” is sung on a Perfect 5th, a very common interval: one might say a “normal” interval. And the words “next to”? Well, they are set to two notes which are right next to each other! —Mateo Chavez Lewis
Note: links to register for ALL classes are ALWAYS available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.• Sunday, September 11 Anything Goes (Noon ET, FREE) • Sunday, September 11 WATCH PARTY: The Rocky Horror Show (7 pm ET, ALL-ACCESS Only) • Monday, September 12 Anything Goes (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE) • Tuesday, September 13 The Rocky Horror Show (Noon and 7 pm ET, ALL-ACCESS Only) • Thursday, September 15 The Wizard of Oz (Noon and 7 pm ET, $5) • Sunday, September 18 Wicked (Noon ET, FREE) • Monday, September 19 Wicked (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE) • Sunday, October 2 “Grease: Tell Me More” guest speaker Tom Moore (Noon ET ONLY, ALL-ACCESS Only) • Sunday, October 30 Mamma Mia! watch party (Noon ET ONLY, ALL-ACCESS Only) Reminder: ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube Channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.
© 2022 David Benkof
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