People who get to see Broadway musicals are truly the luckiest people in the world. The Great White Way has given us unforgettable memories over the years, from the hopeful dancers belting out “One” in A Chorus Line to Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel delivering the ultimate empowerment anthem “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. While nothing can compare to watching a live musical, the next best thing is surely a compilation of some of the most enduring four decades, such as NOW That’s What I Call Broadway! This essential collection of Broadway’s biggest hits includes definitive performances from Rent, Phantom of the Opera, Dreamgirls, Evita and more.
Behold the incredible track listing for the album:
1. “Seasons of Love” from Rent featuring the original Broadway cast
2. “Defying Gravity” from Wicked featuring Kristen Chenoweth & Idina Menzel
3. “All That Jazz” from Chicago featuring Chita Rivera and cast
4. “On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada/Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita featuring Bob Gunton, Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin
5. “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera featuring Michael Crawford
6. “Memory” from Cats featuring Betty Buckley
7. “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Misérables featuring Randy Graff
8. “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls featuring Jennifer Holliday
9. “Ease On Down the Road” from The Wiz featuring Stephanie Mills and cast
10. “Sherry” from Jersey Boys featuring Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer and John Lloyd Young
11. “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now” from Hairspray featuring Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Harvey Fierstein, Linda Hart, Jackie Hoffman, Marissa Jaret Winokur and ensemble
12. “Mamma Mia” from Mamma Mia! featuring Siobhan McCarthy, Nicolas Colicos, Paul Clarkson, Hilton McRae and the original London cast
13. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” from Beautiful: The Carole King Musical featuring Jessie Mueller
14. “Tomorrow” from Annie featuring Andrea McArdle
15. “When I Grow Up” from Matilda featuring Lauren Ward, Bailey Ryon and the original Broadway cast
16. “Circle of Life” from The Lion King featuring Tsidii Le Loka and the original Broadway cast
17. “Finale: Children will Listen” from Into the Woods featuring Bernadette Peters
18. “One” from A Chorus Line featuring the original Broadway cast
To qualify for a chance to win a copy, simply tell us in the comments section which song on this album is your favorite. We’ll select three winners at random and notify them by email. The contest ends April 29.
jerzyguy
By far it has to be “On The Balcony of the Casa Rosada”!!! Bedsides the music from “Pippin”, “Evita” wad the first Broadway musical I saw that touched inner being. After seeing it I finally admitted that yeah, I’m gay.
jimmysam
Finale: Children will Listen for the win!!
virtuoso1980
I saw Jessie Mueller in Beautiful and “will you love me tomorrow” was very heartfelt.
joeyty
How about the brilliant “Musical Chairs” from the very successful 1980 play of the same name ? (Keep the prize).
joeyty
(BTW : like anyone wants to hear “Tomorrow” from Annie again).
zaneymcbanes
When I Grown Up from Matilda is such a fun/sad song.
DCguy
Mine is Defying Gravity for a weird reason. It is a great song, but only if the person singing it is a great singer. Some of the other ones sound good even if the singer is meh. But for some reason, Defying Gravity sounds like a trainwreck unless the singer is talented. Love that.
mauikamaaina
“Seasons of Love” – perfect song for Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking musical, Rent:
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love
joeyty
Can I add my alternate choice for “Wotta Night” from the wonderful musical/horror “Carrie” of 1988 ?
joeyty
(BTW : Like anyone wants to hear “Memory” from Cats again).
AtticusBennett
When I Grow Up from Matilda absolutely broke me. it’s incredible. Some Day & Colored Women from Memphis are gorgeous.
I’d Rather Be Sailing from A New Brain
but i think number one is a tie: how could i know, from the secret garden. and anyone can whistle, preferably barbara cook’s live version.
DCguy
@joeyty:
SO TRUE! Or “Tomorrow”.
Surprised they didn’t add in “What I did for Love” from Chorus line instead of every Loyd Weber song ever. 😉
capeguy
“Mamma Mia” from Mamma Mia
joeyty
@DCguy: Or “Mamma Mia” ?? Good heavens. In all seriousness, though, I wish “Side Show” had made it bigger on Broadway, and “I Will Never Leave You” sung by Ripley and Skinner (as the Siamese twins). Did you ever see that on YouTube or anything ? “Side show” didn’t last long because Broadway tickets are so expensive now that there’s no room for anything new, fresh or experimental. Only “sure thing” jukebox musicals and other junk.
joeyty
@capeguy: (agh….sorry)
canadalaw
Mine was all that jazz. We did the song in elementary school. If you knew my elementary school, you’d see how fitting that was. lol.
Bob LaBlah
@joeyty: Broadway tickets are CRIMINALLY expensive or I must be cheap (which I am but still). I think $350 is a lot of money for a seat, regardless of who is appearing. And lord forbid don’t even think of ordering breakfast or attending the buffets in any of the Times Square hotels. The price to eat is on the same level, criminal. I have never understood why Dallas Bar-B-Q down on 8th ave and 23rd street don’t have some one up in Times Square handing out flyers or with a bull horn.
Not to get off topic but here is a grand ol’ dame of the stage who is now in her nineties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5iCbEt6DJQ
dbmcvey
I Get A Kick Out Of You.
joeyty
@Bob LaBlah: Thanks for the link ! Great. Written by the very talented Jerry Herman, of course. Who also wrote “Hello, Dolly”. (He must be the gayest man on the planet). Sadly, with the insane expense of Broadway (as we’ve noted) who knows if Jerry Herman could have seen either of those shows even produced today. (My relatives, in NYC in the ’50s and ’60s, used to go to Broadway shows all the time…once a month at the very least. And they weren’t rich at all, it’s just that Broadway shows were so affordable then. And that’s when you had such great talent too, like Lansbury and Yul Brynner and Rogers and Hammerstein and Streisand and…oh, on and on…) A bit of trivia about Lansbury..she was also in one of the most notorious Broadway flops ever, with the equally awful title “Prettybelle”. But it has such a notorious reputation that now everyone wishes they could have seen it.
mcflyer54
@joeyty: “HELLO DOLLY” returns to Broadway April 17, 2017 starring Bette Midler. The Jerry Herman musical is alive and well. Herman wrote the only show to win the Best Musical Tony 3 times (once as best musical and twice a best revival) – “La Cage Aux Folles”. Now if someone would just bring back “Mame” (whose only revival was a short lived flop) and rewrite the book to better suit the wonderful score of “Mack & Mabel” I could die a happy man.
joeyty
@mcflyer54: I can see Bette Midler in that role. I hope Jerry Herman enjoys himself at the premiere. (I sure can’t afford to be there !) Maybe you’ll get your “Mame” wish too.
mcflyer54
@joeyty: Lansbury was also in “Anyone Can Whistle” which lasted only 21 performances (12 previews & 9 after opening) – it is Sondheim’s biggest flop. “Prettybelle” closed out of town (Boston) but many members of the cast, including Lansbury) did get together and recorded the cast album – the show was simply too dark for the time and the score, although somewhat interesting, doesn’t seem to stand well outside of the production. And don’t forget that following “Mame” Lansbury reunited with Jerry Herman on the short lived (139 performances) “Dear World”. Lansbury’s two biggest Broadway successes where “Mame” and “Sweeny Todd” although she has appears in a number of other shows.
joeyty
@mcflyer54: Thanks for the info. I’ll have to look up more on that. (Sometimes the history of the flops can be as interesting as the hits).
mcflyer54
@joeyty: Check out playbillvault.com there’s an amazing about of Broadway theatre history and it’s all free. I will be in NYC during April 2017 and have already planned to see Bette in “Hello Dolly” (assuming there are no delays) during my stay. There was a terrific production of “Mame” the Kennedy Center in DC in 2006 with Christine Baranski but she was committed to other projects (TV) and couldn’t take the show to Broadway so instead of recasting they closed after the run.
juststan
Hmm. Hard choice, but I’m going with “Seasons of Love”!
bucklebunnypc
Finale: Children will Listen” from Into the Woods featuring Bernadette Peters.
Such a great song. Meryl Streep did a great job in the movie version.
joeyty
@mcflyer54: (thnx again !)
Robear
Memory –Betty Buckley. Talk about a show stopper! I had to see Cats twice, because after Betty did this number the rest of the show was a blur.The song might be seen as a a bit dated now after 35 years ago, yet it can still bring a tear to this drama Queen’s eyes. Another song that should have made the cut– “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” from Les Miserable.
Memory
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember
A time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale, cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies in the cold air
Another night is over
Another day is dawning
joeyty
@Robear: Uhhhhhh…I dunno. I think “Unworthy Of Your Love” from Assassins was much more moving.
Dean0419
So hard to choose one from so many outstanding choices. I would have to choose Memory from Cats.
tmccloud1
Defying gravity….because there are no limits
mcflyer54
If I have to pick from this list I choose “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Holliday. It was the first time I had ever seen a standing ovation at the end of act one of any musical – and, to think, this song was originally going to be cut from the show. However, if I could go “off list” I’d choose “What I Did For Love” from “A Chorus Line”.
Doughosier
One from A Chorus Line
He BGB
One from A Chorus Line still gives me goosebumps at the end when they kick and the horns are blaring right at the crescendo. My stomach does a flip and I get very teary eyed.
m4same
And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going
OzJosh
@mcflyer54: Anyone Can Whistle might be Sondheim’s biggest flop, but it’s still infinitely superior to 95% of Broadway shows of the past two decades. Such a great score. My favourite Broadway Standard would have to be something from Follies, which, whatever it’s alleged faults, has to be the richest treasure trove of great songwriting in Broadway history… Losing My Mind, Could I Leave You?, I’m Still Here, Broadway Baby, Buddy’s Blues, Too Many Mornings… take your pick. Every song is a gem.
mcflyer54
@OzJosh: I totally agree with you concerning “Follies”. The most recent Broadway revival, with the star studded cast, was amazing and with the theatre itself being completely draped in black and wire-gaged industrial “workshop” lights adding to the feel of an antiquated theatre heading for the wrecking ball. And, while I love “Follies”I’m equally fond of the rarely performed “Merrily We Roll Along” – the reverse structure of the storyline makes the play difficult to perform (seems that it’s easier for actors to age rather than regress) but the score is amazing.
zipperzone
Not on the list, but my all time favourite has to be
Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music.
And I would also include
Don’t Cry For Me Argentina
and no matter how many times I hear it
I always get chills down my spine hearing
Dancing Queen
Dave in Northridge
If I have to pick from that list, it would be “And I am telling you I’m not going.” But really, it would be “Send in the Clowns,” a MUCH stronger Sondheim song than “Children will Listen”. Not the best put together album (but I’d love a copy anyway)>
martinbakman
Put on Your Sunday Clothes, from Hello Dolly
MacAdvisor
The album is missing some of the most important Broadway songs around, such as “The Rain in Spain” from My Fair Lady, “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof, “Cabaret” from “Cabaret”, and “Springtime for Hitler” from The Producers. How we can have an album about Broadway without “Hello Dolly,” “Mame,” or “42nd Street”?
Still, there is one song on the album that stands head and shoulders above the rest: “One” from A Chorus Line. Not only is A Chorus Line one of the greatest musicals ever written, the song itself is a the quintessential Broadway show-stopping finale. It embodies Broadway. As He BGB mentioned above, when the horns come up and, if one is watching the show, the mirrors turn around, the lights get bright, the show transforms into every Broadway show with a fabulous ending that sends the audience out humming the tune.
One singular sensation, every time your hear it.
One thrilling combination, every note that was written
One rendition and suddenly no other song will do
You know you’ll never be sad with you-know-what
joeyty
“All Micks Should Die” sung so joyously from “The Queerty Musical.”
MacAdvisor
@joeyty:
“A bit of trivia about Lansbury..she was also in one of the most notorious Broadway flops ever, with the equally awful title “Prettybelle”. (sic)
To the best of my knowledge, Prettybelle never got to Broadway, closing in Boston in 1971. Thus, it wasn’t a Broadway flop as it never opened on Broadway.
joeyty
@MacAdvisor: Thanks for the correction.
Tony G
#7 I Dreamed a Dream.
mcflyer54
While there is nothing “wrong” with this album it appears as though it suffers from the same problem as all of the “NOW That’s What I Call” albums … licensing rights. While the songs appearing my well be representative of the producer’s choice they are also restricted by the rights the label could acquire. Not to say it’s a bad album but a serious collector will own every one of these songs already. There were two earlier Broadway compilations (“The Only Broadway CD You Ever Need” and “The Only Other Broadway CD You’ll Ever Need”) both are several years old and, as best I can recall, don’t contain any (or at least very few) of the songs on this collection.
strix1
“The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera
I’ll take the digital version if it’s available…save you S&H!! 🙂
Realityis
Anything from Fosse…. Life is just a bowl of cherries.
vanfanusa
This is easy for me. Definitely “And I am Telling You I’m not going!”
MacAdvisor
@mcflyer54:
As a serious collector (how many of you have a copy of Oh, Captain! with that “rising start” Tony Randall in your collections?), I agree with mcflyer54 these collections are for serious Broadway collections. I have found them useful for car tips and the like. The miles can fly by as one sings along to one hit after another. Having the whole musical (and even copies for each cast) can be great for a serious night of listening (or hosting the Broadway channel on Sirius radio), but there are times one want to just let the hits roll on and not be serious. I think this album sounds like terrific fun.
BTW, does anyone agree with me that Chris Colfer’s “Defying Gravity” is the best cover?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31fAaBT8Vco
MacAdvisor
Opps, meant to write these collections NOT are for serious Broadway collections
stytlllr
I’m actually incredible disappointed but thoroughly unsurprised by the CD track list. My choice is All That Jazz. In the opening moments, this song sets the tone and vibe for the entire night.
Seasons of Love is a close runner up, but it’s not the best representative of the show, so I can’t choose it (the correct song to list would be La Vie Boheme; my personal fav is the reprise of I’ll Cover You).
But I’m disappointed that nothing from Next to Normal or Company is on this. I would love for the masses to appreciate Being Alive or So Anyways.
joeyty
Meanwhile, the WORST thing about seeing any Broadway show ? When people around you laugh in such a forced hard manner at the lamest jokes (that they’d never laugh at if they heard them on television) because they spent so much money for the tickets they have to convince themselves they’re having a great time.
Sluggo2007
“I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles. I can’t believe it wasn’t included in the album above. “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy as well.
joeyty
Would “Ol’ Man River” be considered the first of the Broadway standards ? Both on it’s own merits as well as for the esteem in which Show Boat (1927) is held ? (It was Judy Garland’s version of that song that made me realize…hey! those old gays are right ! She IS one of the best singers ever).
Big Head Baby
From the list “Finale : Children Will Listen” though I would’ve picked another song not on the album.
zipperzone
@joeyty:
As we seem to be delving into the past… how about
Pal Joey which gave us My Funny Valentine and The Lady is a Tramp
and then there is Oklahoma from the musical of the same name
mcflyer54
@zipperzone: Actually “Lady Is A Tramp” and “My Funny Valentine” were written by Rodgers & Hart for the 1937 musical “Babes In Arms” and added to the movie “Pal Joey” only so that Frank Sinatra could sing them. Neither were included in the original Broadway production but might have been used in stage productions after the success of the movie. The big song originating in “Pal Joey” was “Bewitched, Brothered & Bewiltered” (and to a lesser extent “There’s A Small Hotel”)
joeyty
@zipperzone: I’m not familiar with “Pal Joey” (I’ll look all that up, of course. I’m not a total expert) but “Oklahoma” is, of course, pretty damn cool. (Patty Duke played Aunt Eller in its last revival !) And while we’re talking those writers…”Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific ? Such a great unashamedly-mushy song. (The music that plays at the end of the film version when they clasp hands is too great).
zipperzone
Oklahoma also gave us “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” and “Surrey With The Fringe on Top”
And then there is “The King & I” with “Getting to Know You” and the boisterous “Shall We Dance?”
So glad we seem to have skipped the mush of “The Sound of Music”
mcflyer54
@mcflyer54: oops, “There’s A Small Hotel” was also a movie added song. The only hit written for “Pal Joey” was “(If They Asked Me) I Could Write A Book”. Sorry, sometimes the fingers work faster than the brain.
strix1
@zipperzone: The Sound of Music will be on NOW That’s What I Call Broadway! Volume 2
strix1
BTW…IDK about a second release…just figure the “Now” franchise has a history of releasing new ones every 6-10 months…they are at #57 in the US and I think #92 in the UK for Now-Music.
mcflyer54
@strix1: Right on the mark about frequency and #58 is set for release April 29th. There have also been a number of “NOW…Christmas”, “NOW…Country” and a “NOW …Musicals” with songs from the movies. A 2nd “NOW … Broadway” CD will certainly follow if this one (which I’ve seen highly promoted on Broadway connected sites) is successful. Also, the older 2 disc set “Ultimate Broadway” contains more than half the song on the “NOW” compilation as well as many of the songs posters have mentioned here (and a good used copy can be picked up at Amazon or eBay usually for $2 or $3).
Also, a song way ahead of its time “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” from “South Pacific” resulted in the show not touring many southern cities because of Richard Rodgers unwillingness to allow the song about racism to be excluded from southern performances.
joeyty
@mcflyer54: “Also, a song way ahead of its time “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” from “South Pacific” resulted in the show not touring many southern cities because of Richard Rodgers unwillingness to allow the song about racism to be excluded from southern performances.” Well, that song SHOULD have been dropped, because it’s so awful in so many ways. Besides, Richard Rodgers was such a homophobe it’s hard to listen to his know-it-all preaching on any type of bigotry. (Very very talented man, though).
jorgecruz
When I think of a showstopper on Broadway I think the song has to have a strong sense of life or death, desperation. From the list i would pick I’m not going from Dreamgirls.
From all the shows I can think of, Roses Turn from Gypsy is probably as good as it gets for show stopping numbers.
TheBippi
Seasons of Love has to be my favorite as I still get choked up by the album and the story of how the show evolved for Jonathan Larson and his untimely death before the show opened on Broadway; it’s my generation’s Sunset Boulevard.