The Music Man Video Festival -- part five
Okay, we're coming towards the end of our The Music Man 2000 revival video festival. Just one more to go after this, I think. And this, once again, is the ethereal Rebecca Luker (I believe that that's her official name and "ethereal" is on her birth certificate) singing "My White Knight" live onstage during a performance.
The song wasn't used in the film version -- though the middle bridge was. But Meredith Willson wrote a new song, "Being in Love," to go around it. It's a bit more of a pop song, and I've always suspected that the filmmakers wanted an original song in the show in order to hopefully get a Best Song Oscar nomination. It didn't get one, though it's a very good song. And I've spoken to people who saw the movie first, before ever seeing the stage show, in fact some haven't even seen the stage show, and prefer the new song to when they finally hear this. And I understand preferring what you heard first, indeed thinking it's the original. And I also can understand anyone preferring the new song, because it's lively and "snappy." But not only do I fall in that same category of liking what I heard first, but I like it for being the original -- but almost, perhaps most importantly, enjoyable as the new song is, I think My White Knight fits Marian's character better, as a soaring romantic ballad, looking back to a long-past time where pure, noble love existed, yet grounded in the firmness of reality. I never get the sense that "being in love" is all that Marian merely wants, but has held out her whole life for a knight in shining armor.
Again, both songs are wonderful. But this one, I think, is special. Here's why --
Bonus note: after posting a video the other day of Rebecca Luker singing "Goodnight My Someone" on the Boston Pops TV program, last night I came across her singing the same song onstage during a live Broadway performance. I've added the link to the earlier posting, but if you want to see the video, just click here.
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