Song Selections

Selecting the songs was actually one of the more challenging aspects of the writing process. Some were very easy, some we mulled over for forever. The closing number in particular took a full three days to figure out and was not really decided on onto after the rest of the script was finished. The main problem was there was no set way for us to decide. Some of the parodies, like "Just Can't Wait To Be King" and "For Good", actually fit the original song's intentions. Others spit in the face of everything the original was even about.

The main thing that we wanted was for the mood of the music to fit what wanted to say. "Memories", for example, is a haunting song of remorse, regret, and almost lost memories. The music however is a slow build of heartache, almost like someone is listing everything they want to change about their life until they come to the absolute worst part. So we chose to use only the song's climax because it conveys a mood of this-is-the-worst-thing-that-could-happen-ever. That one's my favorite example because it's just so perfect for the situation and I feel that the lyrics actually are some of the best of the entire show.

The main thing is there are all kinds of different methods of parody. One is to mock what the original song is about or the artist who wrote it. A good example is ApologetiX parody of "Crazy Train" "Lazy Brain"; the opening line of which is "Ozzy shoves bats down his throat".

Another is using the original as a starting point and either changing the lyrics to make it about something else but from the same perspective or about the same thing with a different perspective. We did this with "Just Can't Wait To Be King". The original is about Simba wanting to be king as soon as possible. Our version is about Claire the understudy wanting to be the lead in a show as soon as possible. The reverse would be a parody about someone not wanting to be king anytime soon.

There's a couple of others but I won't bore you with them. I just wanted to give you an appreciation for how much thought we put into something as basic sounding as choosing the songs.

-T.J. Mercer