This month I thought it would be interesting to look at music in a different way. I was listening to a song the other day and I thought to myself ‘if this was the first song I had heard of this band would I like them and be a fan or listen to more of their tracks?’

All this month we have been looking at different music genres and looking at a number of different bands and whether certain songs, if i had heard them first would of pulled me in to want to listen to more of that bands music. Well today I thought I would do something completely different and look at a completely different style of music – the musical.

I love musicals but I do sometimes prefer some tracks to others and it can also lead to me liking a film or disliking it. There have been so many songs that I have liked from the film but not liked the actual story itself SO I thought it would be an interesting end to look at what came first – the film or the music… 

Moulin Rouge – Saw The Film First

El Tango De Roxanne

I saw the film Moulin Rouge in the cinema, I think I was 12 or 13 and I went with a school friend and her mum. I had no idea what we were going to see, I remember I had heard of the name but had no idea what the film was about. I ended up loving it and falling in love with both the story and the music (and let’s be honest Ewan McGregor). There are some phenomenal songs so it is really hard to choose one so I am going to go with one of them that was really mind blowing the first time I saw it and even when I watch it these days. The version of Roxanne in the film is amazing and I love the emotion that it brings. The dancing in it is also brilliant and was something so unique! The other song I love is Your Song but when thinking about this in logical terms i think that Roxanne really deserves the love. 

Like A Virgin

Whilst this is a great cover of this song I am not really a fan of it and it is one of those tracks that if i heard this as the first track from this film, I do not think I would of liked it. This song is very comedic but I think that if you heard this track as the first film from Moulin Rouge you would not be reeled into the magic of the film. 

High School Musical Triology – Saw The Film First

I wasn’t sure whether to do all the High School Musicals as separate or whether to just include them all under the same category, I feel like by putting them all under the same title I can have three likes and one dislike. I was at University when the third film came out and my friend really wanted to go and see it at the cinema and I agreed to go with her. The only problem was, I had not seen the other films so I binged watched them the night before we went to the cinema. So here are a few songs that I like from the films. 

HSM 1 – Stick to the Status Quo

I love Zac Efron’s voice and you will notice in the next song lists they are all tracks relating to him but in the first film they did not use his voice and it makes me really angry, so I cannot choose a song specifically sung by him because it isn’t his voice. I remember that this particular song stuck with me when I first saw this film as it is really catchy and uplifting. I think this may be the point in the film when I first realised I was really enjoying it. 

HSM 2 – Bet On It

You can not like HSM 2 without liking the track Bet On It – the song is iconic so is the dance moves that go with it. The track is dramatic, hilarious because of how dramatic it is trying to be and just a whole lot of fun. Only High School Musical can get away with a dance routine on a golf course. It is a track that is catchy and I remember people going out of their way to learn it. There were a lot of memes about this dance – however if you listen to it away from the film you will notice how good this song is. 

HSM 3 – Just Wanna Be With You 

Out of all the HSM film I think that this is the hardest one to choose just one track as I feel this is the best film out of the trilogy. There are so many tracks that feel like they were sung on the set and not recorded although they probably were not. As you guessed it, i loved the Zac Efron track a lot of it was really hard to choose one to lead on this article. However I really like this song and it is a really catchy one that has a lovely chorus, it is uplifting, easy to listen to and to have on repeat. Also it really gives the real essence of what a high school musical can do and the uplifting sound that it can bring.

HSM 2 – HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA’A

When I saw this film for the first time it must of been the special edition because this track came on and right from the start I hated it with a passion. It is such a bad track and if i had heard this song as the first one from the franchise, I can guarantee now I would hate it and never watch it.

Singin’ In the Rain – Film First 

Make ’em Laugh

Out of all the songs in the film I think that this is my absolute favourite. I remember the first time I saw this film this song instantly stood out to me and the dancing and comedy that go with it makes it a great track as well. Singin’ In The Rain is one of my favourite films as it is such a good story and it has some fantastic sections to it. I think some of the dance routines and songs with Donald are the best.

Broadway Melody

Whilst this is clever song, when I first heard it I was not really a fan and felt it went on for ages. I was very young when I initially heard it so that may of been a reason why it seemed a bit boring as since I have got older I appreciate what it is trying to say and I understand it a lot more. I do think though, that if this was the first track that I heard from the film it would not be something that would stick in my head or have any impact on me like the rest of the film does.

…and sometimes it goes the other way

Sometimes you are not a fan of a musicians songs until you hear one track a lot later that changes your perspective.

La La Land – Music First

A Lovely Night

I was so excited when I initially heard about La La Land years in advance of it being released. I love musicals and was so excited for this particular film to arrive. I didn’t see the film for a long time but I heard a couple of the songs and this was the first one and I really liked it. However, then I saw the film eventually a few years later and I hated it. There was so much that angered me about it and one of the main things was you could always tell when Ryan and Emma were going to dance because they put on a certain shoe ( 2 min 37 they start to make an appearance) – it annoyed me so much. You do not get that in old Hollywood it felt so irritating. This song has a perfect example of it just before the dance sequence.

Summer Montage / Madeline

I heard this song when I saw the film and instantly hated it – it is very jazzy which may be one reason but also those shoes yet again made an appearance. I have a lot of issues with this film and too long to put in this article however this is one of the sections that really disappointed me and I don’t know why but as a musical fan, it is just not for me.

The Greatest Showman – Music First 

The Greatest Show

I heard this song originally on Spotify as I was curious to hear what the songs are as it was getting a lot of promotion on television, award shows and much more. I instantly loved this song and was very hopeful that the film was going to be as good as this track. It took me a long time to actually watch the film as I was really nervous it would be a La La Land effect and disappoint me but luckily when I did watch it, the film lived up to the hype and I loved it.

The Other Side

I would say that I found this track very addictive right from the start and the more I listen to it, the more I really like it. The track is just really fun and has so many elements to it and is so easy to listen to. I really like the mix of Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron’s voices together and there is a fun dance routine with drinks and a bar.