Tuesday, July 22, 2008

20 Great Broadway Songs of the Past 10 Years: “My New Philosophy”

Yes, the show was old, but the song was entirely new. The show was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the composer and lyricist was Andrew Lippa, writing for the talented Kristin Chenoweth.

I’m not yet familiar with Lippa’s other work, but I greatly admire his versatility in being able to write two new songs for an old score, effortlessly creating something that matches in tone and style the songs composed by the show’s original writer, Clark Gesner. If I had not listened to the OBCR without knowing this, I never would have guessed Lippa’s work was entirely new.

Built with simple but flowing rhymes and a catchy melody stuffed with old Broadway razzmatazz, “My New Philosophy” is a gem of character expression through song. It’s catchy, fun, and funny.

Hooray, Andrew Lippa, Hooray.

the Broadway Mouth
July 22, 2008

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