BBC - Your Top 20 Greatest Songs From a Musical Revealed! (2024)

Drawing upon almost a century of song, and as part of Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals, we asked you to vote for the greatest ever song from a musical. You did so in your thousands and after totting up the results - and trying not break out into too many singalongs along the way - we can now reveal the Top 20, taken from a brilliant mix of stage and screen sensations.

Read on to find out what made the grade and which tune takes the Number 1 spot, and listen to the songs in a special edition of Elaine Paige on Sunday!

One of the most powerful songs of all the 1990s musicals, Rent’s ‘Seasons of Love’ has long been linked to AIDS awareness, coming as it does from a show that puts the lives of those dying from the disease front and foremost at its compelling story.

Performed by the entire cast, the song itself is an uplifting piano-driven musing on the best way to measure a year of human existence, with the chorus realising that doing so with love is the only answer.

Proof of the song’s quality came when Stevie Wonder performed his own version of the song on the original cast recording soundtrack.

Performed by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Judi Dench to Judy Collins and Sarah Vaughn, Stephen Sondheim’s classic found its feet as a jazz standard as soon as it was introduced to the world in 1973’s Broadway debut of A Little Night Music.

A mournful, softly swinging ode, ‘Send In The Clowns’ is sung by the character of Desirée as she looks back over her life and her choices. Originally sung by British stage and screen actor Glynis Johns, Sondheim wrote the song for the Mary Poppins star in just two days during rehearsals.

"'Send in the Clowns'" was never meant to be a soaring ballad,” explained Sondheim. “It's a song of regret. And it's a song of a lady who is too upset and too angry to speak.”

Hamilton’s writer and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda has called 'The Room Where It Happens’ one of the best songs he’s ever written. Performed by Aaron Burr – the American politician who would go on to slay US founding father, the eponymous Alexander Hamilton – it centres around the secret talks made behind closed doors that would come to be known as the Compromise of 1790.

It’s a propulsive hip-hop rooted tune, which surprisingly, features a banjo. Hamilton’s musical director Alex Lacamoire said the song "cried for it", adding a thrilling Dixeland jazz element.

“It invokes the feel of the song and I think it really fits in the world of it, but it's also so left of center and not what you would expect,” explained Lacamoire.

A heartstring-tugging piano ballad, ‘You Will Be Found’ is Dear Evan Hansen’s pivotal tune, ending Act 1 of the moving musical about mental health, loneliness and teenage anxiety with a burst of hope and harmony.

Written by young composing and songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul – based on a book by Steven Levenson – its lyrics are empowering without being patronising: “So let the sun come streaming in/'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again/Lift your head and look around/You will be found.”

Since the musical debuted in 2016, ‘You Will Be Found’ has been turned into its very own illustrated book. “We wanted to adapt the message into a token that people could share with their loved ones to remind them that they’re not alone,” said Pasek.

Based on the last week of the life of Jesus Christ, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1970 rock opera is full of big, belting tunes, but none quite as foreboding and soul-searching as ‘Gethsemane’ – or featuring such an epic octave leap.

Sung by Christ himself – portrayed by real rock god Ian Gillan of Deep Purple on the original cast recording – it sees him all alone, questioning God about his fate and imminent death.

Though his version is powerfully charged with emotion, Gillan turned down the role of Jesus in the musical’s 1971 Broadway debut as well as in the 1973 film. “I have never had any interest in acting at all,” he said. “I am not an actor, I am a musician.”

The song that the concept of ‘jazz hands’ was invented for, Chicago’s signature song is a razzle-dazzle triumph.

Taken from John Kander and Fred Ebb’s 1975 depiction of the more debauched side of the 1920s, it opens the legendary musical with so much flair that it’s almost impossible to stay in your seat.

Performed by Catherine Zeta Jones’ showgirl Velma Kelly in the 2002 film, there are various versions of the song out there, including a glitzy Liza Minnelli rendition as well as the queen of the divas herself, Dame Shirley Bassey.

The second entry for Hamilton in our Top 20, ‘Alexander Hamilton’ is the powerful opening number of the 21st century’s most successful musical, turning a potted version of Founding Father of the United States Alexander Hamilton’s early years into a punchy prologue.

A deft weaving together of hip-hop with the classic show-tune style, it pushes the medium bracingly into the present day while still paying tribute to the vast heritage of musical theatre.

One of the very earliest versions of the song was performed by Lin-Manuel Miranda at a spoken word evening at The White House in 2009, as part of what was then known as The Hamilton Mixtape. “To hear that the President enjoyed the song was a real dream come true,” said Miranda after Barack Obama admitted to be dazzled by the performance.

Not just one of the finest songs from a musical, but one of the finest songs of the 21st century full stop, ‘Summertime’ is George Gershwin at his best.

A gloriously fluid piece of music, the roots of ‘Summertime’ come from Gershwin’s research into African American spirituals and folk music, with lyrics from DuBose Heyward, who adapted his 1925 novel Porgy into the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess.

One of the most covered songs in the world, everyone from Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke to Janis Joplin and Fun Boy Three has recorded versions of this iconic jazz standard.

While a movie by king of high camp John Waters might seem unlikely fodder for a musical, in 2002 Waters’ 1988 film about segregation, R&B and massive bouffants was adapted for the stage. It was an instant hit, scoring eight Tony awards including Best Musical.

Five years later it hit the big screen with John Travolta taking on the role of fussy but fabulous mum Edna Turnblad – which was played to perfection by legendary drag queen Divine in the original movie.

The joyful ‘You Can't Stop The Beat’ acts as the finale to both the 2007 film and the stage version, a big and beautiful 1960s soul-inspired anthem that every cast member gets to shake their tail feather along with.

Is there a more mournful sound than that of faded glamourpuss Grizabella looking back over her life in the haunting ‘Memory’?

A stand-out from 1982’s Cats – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn’s super successful interpretation of TS Eliot’s feline-focussed poetry – the Ivor Novello Award winning song was made famous by Radio 2’s own Elaine Paige, who was the first to sing it on the West End stage.

Other versions of the song include a graceful interpretation by Barbra Streisand as well as by Jennifer Hudson, who played Grizabella in the CGI-packed 2019 Cats movie.

Perhaps one of the most political songs to feature in a mainstream musical, at first glance ‘America’ might have been a fun flamenco-inspired party song, but the lyrics are much deeper, discussing the difficulties of immigration and assimilation into the United States by Puerto Ricans in the mid 20th century.

A tale of pride in the face of prejudice by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘America’ is carried by the character of Antia – played to perfection by Rita Moreno in the 1961 movie – whose memorable line “Life is alright in America/If you're all White in America” still resonates today.

Expect new life to be breathed into the song when Stephen Speilburg’s film version comes out at the end of 2021, which will see Rita Moreno, now in her late 80s, appearing in a supporting role.

West Side Story’s big ballad lifts from both Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to create a stirring starring role for a soprano in this New York City retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

Natalie Wood played the character of Maria who sings the song in the 1961 movie, but all of her singing parts were actually dubbed by vocalist Marni Nixon, who leant her vocal chords to many famous actors, including Deborah Kerr in The King and I and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

Versions of ‘Somewhere’ by everyone from Tom Waits and The Supremes to Pet Shop Boys and Aretha Franklin show how adaptable this classic tune is.

Based on the life of Argentina’s First Lady Eva Peron – who died at the age of 33 in 1952 – Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1978 musical was, like Jesus Christ Superstar before it, first conceived as a concept album.

Londoner Julie Covington took lead vocals on the rousing ‘Don't Cry For Me Argentina’, helping the single to hit Number 1 in the UK charts, selling over a million copies.

When it came to the stage, Elaine Paige played Peron in the West End and Patti Lupone on Broadway, but perhaps the most well known portrayal came in 1996, when Madonna headed up a movie version of Evita, directed by Alan Parker.

With lyrics by Tim Rice and a powerful composition from Elton John, ‘Circle Of Life’ from the 1994 animation which later ended up on the stage – and then back on the screen again in 2019’s Beyonce-starring version – is one of Disney’s most-loved songs.

Opening in the Zulu language, it was one of three Lion King songs nominated for an Academy Award and though ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ would eventually take home the Oscar, the rousing ‘Circle Of Life’ has stood the test of time, referenced by everyone from Barack Obama and Doctor Who to South Park.

Written in 1929, it made sense that the 1952 classic MGM jukebox musical about the birth of the talkies would feature a song from the year that silent movies were made all but obsolete.

Yet the jaunty ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ has little to do with the plot of the movie of the same name, which also features the buoyant ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ and ‘Good Morning’.

Even so, it’s the best excuse we can think of for a loved-up Gene Kelly’s Don Lockwood to splash about in some sound stage puddles, not minding the drizzle because he’s just realised he’s in love with Debbie Reynolds’ chorus girl Kathy.

With Dorothy’s family farm cast in moody monochrome, Judy Garland sits near a hay bale and dreams of what could be. ‘Over The Rainbow’ is the stunning ballad that she sings, embodying a young woman looking for a little colour in her life.

She soon finds it when, via the medium of a hurricane, Dorothy and her loyal hound Toto are transported to the world of glorious Technicolor that is Oz. But despite the excitement of this magical land, she quickly finds that there’s no place like home.

Elaine Paige says: “An iconic song, as we all know – and hasn’t it stood the test of time since Dorothy searched for a place where there isn’t any trouble? It’s one that everyone knows, even if they’ve never seen the film – although if that is the case, they need to sort that out immediately!”

Written by Dear Evan Hansen creators Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the empowering ‘This Is Me’ has become a byword for acceptance since it debuted in 2017.

The stand-out song from The Greatest Showman’s retelling of the story of Victorian-era entrepreneur PT Barnum and his lavish plans for a fantastical circus, in the movie it’s sung by Keala Settle – who plays bearded lady Lettie Lutz – but there’s also a version by US popstar Kesha and a remix with features rapper Missy Elliott.

Elaine Paige says: “There’s something for everyone in ‘The Greatest Showman’, and this one is a real anthem for anyone who is considered to be ‘different’ for whatever reason. It’s all about loving yourself, standing together, and realising that other people can relate to how you feel.”

The biggest and best tune from Wizard Of Oz spin-off Wicked, ‘Defying Gravity’ bought the voices of stage stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth together, the former making waves on Broadway when the show debuted in 2003 with her impassioned, all-too human portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West, otherwise known Elphaba.

Composed by Stephen Schwartz – who kicked off a life-long career in musicals with 1971’s Godspell – ‘Defying Gravity’ is a dazzling outsider epic, full of fabulous flourishes and showbiz glitz.

Elaine Paige says: “This spectacular female empowerment song soars almost as high as Elphaba does on stage, as she decides to go it alone and escape the clutches of the Wizard. It’s full of heart and the wow-factor to end the first act.”

A touching ballad from the seminal 1980 musical based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, ‘Bring Him Home’ is more prayer than song, delivered tenderly by protagonist Jean Valjean about young revolutionary Marius at the barricade.

Since its debut, the song has been adopted by those connected to the armed forces as a message of hope for loved ones stationed abroad or injured in combat.

Elaine Paige says: “I challenge anyone not to shed a tear during ‘Bring Him Home’, as Jean Valjean prays for Marius to come back to Cosette in an outpour of emotion. This is Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer at their absolute best.”

Les Misérables stakes its claim as the most loved musical by scoring both first and second place in our vote.

The iconic ‘One Day More’ brings together the whole of the cast in a rousing celebration packed with sensational solos. With its irresistible message of hope (“One day to a new beginning/Raise the flag of freedom high/Every man will be a king”), the song is a worthy winner.

Elaine Paige says: “I wasn’t at all surprised to see ‘One Day More’ take the top spot. It’s the ultimate, ultimate Les Misérables show tune; a superb ensemble number that leaves you with goosebumps because you get to hear so many refrains from the show in this one song.”

Alfie Boe, who has played the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, says: "One Day More is probably one of the biggest highlights of the show and it resonates to everybody who sings it on stage as a unified piece of music; and in this present day that we’re living during this pandemic we are unified as a nation, we are unified as a world, we are adapting as a world, we are adapting as human beings, and this song resonates so much with the present situation that we’re in. Hopefully we’ll see theatres back open really soon and we’ll all be able to enjoy live music, live performances once again.”

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