Get ready for a romantic Broadway journey! We're diving into the most heartwarming, passionate, and unforgettable love songs from the world of musical theater. From classic ballads to modern showstoppers, these tunes will make your Valentine's Day playlist absolutely magical!
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00:00Suddenly Seymour! Suddenly Seymour!
00:04Show me right now! Yes, you can!
00:09Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the show tunes that are peak romance.
00:15Take this sinking boat, and point it home.
00:24Number 10. So In Love, Kiss Me Kate
00:27Even without you, my arms fold about you.
00:39On stage, actress Lily Vanessie in the role of Kate may hate men.
00:43But don't forget, tis he who'll have the fun, and thee the baby. Oh, I hate men!
00:56Backstage, it's a whole different story. This backstage musical about a madcap production
01:02of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew finds Lily still in love with her ex.
01:06This is complicated for many, many reasons.
01:09So in love with you am I. In love with the night mysterious.
01:21The least of these reasons is he just happens to be her director and co-star in the show.
01:26In So In Love, Lily tells us how she's still in deep anguished love with him.
01:31You want drama? You want passion? You want undying devotion?
01:44Here it is. The great thing about adding this to your Valentine's playlist is that it works
01:48whether you're coupled or single. So that's something at least.
01:52Broadway musicals are big fans of love at first sight. After all, there's only so much time and
02:12only so much you can communicate from a distance. My Fair Lady has one of the best tunes about that
02:18very thing. People stop and stare, they don't bother me. Oh, there's no wealth on earth that
02:30I would rather be. The wealthy Freddie Einsford Hill is so enamored with Eliza Doolittle,
02:36he's just thrilled to be on the sidewalk outside the house where she's staying.
02:40It's less stalkerish than it sounds. Actually, there's something incredibly adorable and goofy
02:45about the character's innocence. On the street where you live is a testament to the timelessness
02:49of meeting someone and instantly feeling like you're meant to be with them. Let the time go by,
02:57I won't care if I... Number eight, As Long As You're Mine, Wicked. My wildest dreams could not
03:10foresee lying beside you. For those couples who like their romance with a dash of gloom,
03:19this one's for you. From its foreboding opening notes, you know this isn't your average romantic
03:24duet. If you go into the show knowing anything about The Wizard of Oz, you know Elphaba and
03:29Fiyero's pairing is the definition of doomed. As Long As You're Mine is when they finally connect.
03:34Somehow I fall in under your spell, and somehow I'm feeling the same that I have found.
03:49Though it's touching, it's also got a touch of darkness. This is a song about two lost people
03:54expressing their love even though it might be over before it begins. Their connection is
03:59undeniable. That's also what makes it passionate, raw, and dramatic.
04:09As Long As You're Mine.
04:21Number seven, If I Loved You, Carousel. If I loved you time and again I would try to stay.
04:34In one of the defining duets of Rodgers and Hammerstein's legendary catalog,
04:38Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan contemplate what it might be like if they loved each other.
04:42But of course, they do. They're just the last to know.
05:02If I Loved You is a long, somewhat meandering song that follows them through that realization,
05:06and only when they confront their feelings does the song's melody kick in for real.
05:22It's a sweeping and deeply heartfelt classic from the early days of Broadway,
05:26and when you hear a truly gifted singer take it on,
05:28it's a haunting and beautiful addition to any romantic playlist.
05:37If I Loved You.
05:44Number six, Somewhere, West Side Story. Peace and quiet and open air, wait for us somewhere.
05:59Tony and Maria are lovers from two different worlds, so naturally there's always an extra
06:03element of longing in the songs they share. Somewhere is the big tearjerker. Although its
06:08placement in the score of the show has shifted over the years, it's a powerful distillation
06:12of West Side Story's themes. If only there were a place where their ethnicities and
06:17social positions didn't matter. Somewhere has been covered by many
06:33artists of many different genres and eras. Barbara Streisand, the Supremes,
06:38and even the Pet Shop Boys have recorded it. It really just depends on what kind of
06:47Valentine's Day vibes you're going for.
06:49Number five, Suddenly Seymour, Little Shop of Horrors.
07:13You might not expect a science fiction monster flick about a human eating plant to have one of
07:18the most touching love stories ever featured in a musical, but fans of Little Shop of Horrors
07:22have been pounding that drum for over four decades. During Suddenly Seymour, Seymour
07:38Crawlbourne declares his love to the beautiful, mistreated Audrey, and we see them truly connect
07:43for the first time. Full of glorious belting and rock and roll orchestrations, the beauty
07:48in this track can catch you off guard. If you're not careful, this one might get you all choked up.
08:13Number four, I'll Cover You, Rent.
08:33Of all the tragic love stories in the blockbusting musical, the relationship
08:36between Collins and Angel is the one with the highest highs and lowest lows.
08:41I'll Cover You isn't just their duet, it's their shared vow to love,
08:45protect, and support each other no matter what happens.
09:01But like any strong couple, the song showcases their ability to have fun and laugh with each
09:05other. It's a moment of lightness that captures what's really important when two people decide
09:10to share a life together. Don't talk to us about the reprise in the second act though,
09:25we are still not over it. Number three, You Matter to Me, Waitress.
09:40Sarah Bareilles composed the score to the heartbreaking show based on a 2007 film.
09:48Jenna is a diner waitress and accomplished baker of pies who finds out she's pregnant by a husband
09:53who mistreats her. Things get even more complicated when she falls in love with
09:57her caring and supportive ob-gyn. You Matter to Me sees Jenna and the doctor affirming their
10:15commitment to each other. Out of context, it's a sweet, tender, and plaintive love song that
10:20perfectly marries musical theater storytelling with Bareilles' pop sensibility.
10:36This is a duet just begging to be slow danced to. Number two, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,
10:43Pal Joey. He's a fool, and don't I know it, but a fool can have his charm.
10:53Sung by socialite Vera Simpson in the show, the song tells of a woman who's suddenly entranced
10:57by a new romance, despite her own wealth of experience in life and love. Its tongue-in-cheek
11:02lyrics spell out her utter devotion to, and maybe even her obsession with, her new younger lover.
11:08But I'm wild again, beguiled again, a simpering, whimpering child again,
11:17bewitched, bothered, and bewildered. I know you like this one.
11:22Written by Lawrence Hart and Richard Rogers, the song is considered a staple of the Great
11:26American Songbook, and has been recorded and referenced dozens of times since the 1940s.
11:32This is one of those compositions that's taken on a life of its own outside the Broadway score
11:36it's from.
11:37I lost my heart, but what of it? My mistake, I agree. He's a laugh, but I love it,
11:48because the laugh's on me.
11:54Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:58Till There Was You, The Music Man. A love song so good, the Beatles had to record it too.
12:03There was love all around, but I never heard it singing.
12:16All I Ask of You, The Phantom of the Opera.
12:18Andrew Lloyd Webber's sweeping duet might be its very best song.
12:22Thank you, love me. No, I do.
12:30Love me. That's all I ask of you.
12:38What About Love, The Color Purple. This one's all about those harmonies.
12:43That I can believe it forever. And what about, what about, what about love?
12:57It takes two. Into the Woods. The baker and his wife get to know each other again in the woods.
13:02Once we're past, let's hope the change is last.
13:08Beyond woods, beyond witches and slippers and hoods, just the two of us.
13:15Helpless, Hamilton. Love at first sight between a founding father and his future wife.
13:29Helpless.
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13:51Number 1. Some Enchanted Evening, South Pacific.
14:00You may see a stranger.
14:05Sometimes you just can't beat a classic. When it comes to romance,
14:09Rodgers and Hammerstein have the sauce, and Some Enchanted Evening is the height
14:13of musical theater love songs. Sung by Emile Debeck to Ensign Nellie Forbush,
14:18he sings of meeting a stranger that he immediately falls in love with.
14:22It's a spellbinding, lingering song about answering the door when fate knocks.
14:26As strange as it seems, the sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams.
14:40Some of the greatest singers of all time have been drawn to the song's greatness.
14:44Its most famous interpreters include Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Barbara Streisand,
14:49and famed bass Ezio Pinza, who originated the role of Emile on Broadway.
14:56What musical song is at the top of your Valentine's playlist? Sound off in the comments.
15:22Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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