Seasons of Love
| "Seasons of Love" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Seasons of Love" is a song from the Broadway musical Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. The song starts with an ostinato piano motif, which provides the harmonic framework for the cast to sing "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes" (the number of minutes in a non-leap Gregorian calendar year). The main instruments used throughout the song are piano, vocals, guitar, organ, bass and drums.[citation needed]
The song is performed by the entire cast in the musical and in the 2005 film of the same name. The main question asked is, "How do you measure a year?" Various answers are suggested, from points of the day ("Daylights," "Sunsets," "Midnights") to units of measure ("inches", "miles"), to everyday events ("cups of coffee") to more symbolic concepts ("laughter", "strife"). In the chorus, the song reaches the conclusion that love is the only proper measure of a year in a human life. Since four of the lead characters of Rent have HIV or AIDS, the song is often associated with World AIDS Day and AIDS awareness.[citation needed]
Songwriter
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Jonathan Larson actually intended for Seasons of Love to be performed symbolically as a song at Angel's funeral. When Larson died the night before the opening of the show on Broadway, the cast sang it at the beginning to pay their respects to the composer.[citation needed] It is performed at the beginning of the second act, referencing recent past events or the events to come. The song is heard twice throughout the second act (once as the opener, before Happy New Year A and the reprise is heard after "Take Me Or Leave Me," before "Without You") before hearing it in its last incarnation as background to I'll Cover You: Reprise and Angel's eulogy. However, the night the show debuted, which was the day of Larson's death, the cast sang it at the start of the show in honor of him.
Stage productions
In the stage production, the song is sung at the opening of the second act. The cast stands downstage in a straight line facing the audience. The entire cast performs the song, and the solos are normally performed by two cast members who play several minor roles each (namely Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson). "Seasons of Love" is performed in two parts, the first at the beginning of Act II with the reprise following a few numbers later, following "Take Me Or Leave Me".
The song has been translated into multiple languages for the international productions of the musical ("Tiempos de amor" in Spanish, "Nur Liebe Bleibt" in German, "Sígræni Ást" in Icelandic and "A szerelem évszakai" in Hungarian).
Film adaptation
In the 2005 film version of Rent, "Seasons of Love" is performed in the opening scene. Only the eight principal characters perform the song, and the two solos are performed by Joanne (Tracie Thoms) and Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin). "Seasons of Love" is performed in two parts, but features at the start of the film with the cast performing it on a theater stage. In the reprise the song plays as a backdrop to a documentary style film about New York life made by the character Mark.[citation needed] Selections from "Seasons of Love" were also used in several of the film's trailers and other promotional material.[citation needed]
Alternate versions
In addition to the 1996 Original Cast Recording (OCR) a number of different versions have been recorded.[3] Along with the OCR soundtrack is an alternate versions of Seasons of Love featuring Stevie Wonder who sings (and improvises upon) the part usually sung by "Soloist #1".[citation needed]
In the 2009 production of the University of West Georgia Theatre Company's Episodes in Sexuality, a parody of the song was performed as the last scene.[citation needed]
Television performances
The Philippine Idol Top 6 performed the song as the opening number to the show's movie/musical themed performance night on November 19, 2006. During the 7th season of American Idol, the song was sung by the eight finalists during the "Idol Gives Back" special, which first aired April 9, 2008.
The song was used in the Office episode "Michael's Last Dundies", in which Andy Bernard leads most of the cast in serenading the soon-to-depart Michael Scott in a piano-backed version with altered lyrics.[4] On the last episode of Live with Regis and Kelly, the off-Broadway cast of Rent performed a personalized version of the song in recognition of Regis Philbin's departure.[5]
A variant of the song was also featured in a 2010 Macy's jewelry commercial that sparked heated online debates.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Rent (Original Broadway Cast Recording) from Allmusic
- ^ Rent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) from Allmusic
- ^ Albums containing a track with the title: Seasons of Love from Allmusic
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (2011-04-22). "'The Office': Seasons of Michael". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ^ Regis Philbin: 'I'm Going Out a Pretty Proud and Happy Guy', a November 18, 2011 article from People.com