I love music so much because of the power it holds to help you escape reality, even if it is only for a little while. A brief relief of stress and a release of endorphins can improve anyone's day. By balancing music with visual effects, entertainment can be brought to an even higher level.
I'm sure all of us have a favorite TV show from childhood, that as soon as you heard the theme song, you were instantly filled with excitement and joy! It is the same thing for some musical numbers in our favorite kid's movies. Growing up in my family home, every person, child, or adult knew every lyric to any song within a Disney movie! So it's no surprise that I have a special place in my heart for movies that have a high musical presence.
In 2018, I found myself traveling to the lower 48 and had one of the worst travel trips in my life. Murphy's law was heavily at work during this trip, anything that could go wrong did go wrong. After a miserable week, I was finally headed home on an airplane, not in the greatest of mindsets, when I decided to watch a movie I'd never seen before.
"The Greatest Showman"
Movie Title: The Greatest Showman
Directed By: Michael Gracey
Written By: Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon
Release Date: December 20th, 2017
Country of Origin: United States
This 2017 movie has an all-star cast with the lead being played by Hugh Jackman and co-stars Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. Altogether, these talented actors, singers, and dancers put on an amazing feel-good performance!
It is a story about the legend of P.T. Barnum, the founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. This film, it tells Barnum's inspirational rags-to-riches story of how he started with nothing but with passion, determination, and creativity, he accomplished all his wildest dreams. It shows Barnums struggles while working his way up the social ladder, but also his mistakes once he reached a certain level of fame and power. Barnum's trials and tribulations tell a great story of fighting against diversity, being true to one's true self, and experiencing life to the fullest.
This film does a fantastic job bringing more life into the plotline with the use of all, not just one musical number. The music, the visual dancing, and the great acting give the viewer a warm and energized feeling throughout the film. I love all of the musical works in this movie, but one, in particular, stood out from the very first time I watched this motion picture.
Song Title: The Other Side
Composers: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Date of Release: December 8th, 2017
Country of Origin: United States
Right before this song takes place in the movie, Barnum (Jackman) has just met Phillip Carlyle (Efron) who is a successful screen wright for plays in the area. Barnum sees that Carlyle is unhappy with his position in life, and is just 'playing the part' to satisfy others on the social ladder.
So, Barnum sees this as an opportunity and tries to convince young Carlyle to break free from the cage of society's expectations and join him at the circus. The song is essentially an enthusiastic business meeting. Barnum and Carlyle drink whiskey in a bar while Barnum tries to make his case and tells Carlyle that he sees his potential. However, Carlyle is resistant to changing his ways, because he is worried about his high society family's reaction, that and Carlyle clearly thinks he is too good for this type of lifestyle.
Yet, Barnum can see Carlyle's hesitation, so he presses on. He sympathizes with Carlyle, appealing to the sad, lonely side of his high society lifestyle, which brings up the confirmation of Carlyle's fears of being disgraced, disowned, and labeled as a clown if he took Barnum's offer. Again, Barnum pressures on, enticing Carlyle, telling him of the freedom to do as he would like, to live, laugh and have fun on 'the other side' without any judgment.
After a moment of suspense, Carlyle finally turns to accept the offer and to discuss the rate of pay. In a fun banter of back and forth between the actors, they come to an agreement to pay Mr. Carlyle for his services. After the deal is done, the actors join together and sing about playing a whole new part in their life, and the freedom they have to fly to the other side!
This musical number may seem like a business exchange for the context of the story but it has a much deeper message than what it appears to be on the surface. The message this song tries to relay is that a person doesn't have to fit the script to be what society considers 'normal' to be happy. Don't be afraid to change your point of view to see what life can be like on the other side. Everyone should embrace their true selfs, even if it's consider weird or unusual. My favorite lyric emphases this sentiment with,
"So, trade your typical for something colorful, and if it's crazy, live a little crazy!"
The energy perceived from the combination of beat, tempo, and rhythms within this song is fantastic and keeps the listener wanting more. The beat and tempo for this number are very fast, strong, and upbeat, it does slow for some of the bridges within the track but always returns to the fast-paced beat from the start of the song. The rhythm uses a variety of notes and it plays a lot with suspended notes, sustained notes with silence to keep the audience excited for more of the song. The composers for this number did an amazing job balancing these musical elements to create this exciting bridge to the storyline for the movie.
Closing Statement:
If you haven't watched this film yet, it is highly recommended! In my opinion, it is one of Hugh Jackman's greatest works. He is more known for his role as Wolverine in the X-men series but in this role as P.T. Barnum, you can not only see but feel how connected Jackman feels to the role. Jackman embodied this character and I feel he truly enjoyed this role and with every musical and dance number you can feel the energy Jackman brings to the stage.
The music was so amazing that several musicians decided to make covers of the soundtrack. It's called the Greatest Showman: Reimagined. Some big names like Panic! at the Disco, Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Pentatonix have covered a song from the soundtrack and made it with their own flare!
Here is the cover for The Other Side by MAX & Ty Dolla $ign:
I totally agree that the beat and tempo are fast in this song, it almost has me on edge which was maybe the point? You're supposed to wait in anticipation of the decision of whether or not to take a leap. I've never actually seen the movie, but you've inspired me to! I'm looking forward to hearing the other songs featured on the soundtrack. Beautiful blog!
Hi Crystal, I truly enjoy the way you describe the movie and the song. We watched the Greatest Showman as a family about two years ago, and all of us were amazed by the performance of the circus and the music. The Other Side is our favorite, too, especially while watching the two men’s unique conversation (negotiation) in a bar through singing and skillful dancing. I found the video clip for this song on YouTube, which will give those who haven’t watched the movie a better idea of their performance. The fast tempo and rhythm go so well with the quick-thinking and fast action of these two talented men. (The Greatest Showman – The other side [1080p] Subtitled) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GimrxP2U0ZE Nice choice and great post! Robin
Hello everyone! My name is Crystal Poulsen, I live in Fairbanks, Alaska with my husband, Terry and our two pug mix breeds, Luna and Rocco. I am working towards achieving an associates of applied science in business management at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska. My interests vary from snowboarding when its warm outside to curling up with a blanket and watching the whole Harry Potter series again, when it's too below zero for my liking. I also enjoy traveling (pre-covid), playing video games, watching and/or drawing anime, and lots of different kinds of arts and crafts/DIY projects. Music has always been one of my biggest passions throughout my life. I would say my taste of music is quite open to almost anything, but if I had to choose my favorite genres I would narrow it down to alternative/rock/rap. I was lucky enough to have been able to attend several "Road to Van's Warped Tour" (Huge tour that traveled across North America every summer since 1995) tours in A...
Growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska was not the ideal situation for my teenage years. There isn't much that goes on in this town that is classified as 'exciting'. However, I was lucky enough to know a family that was heavily into the electronic music scene, and happily put together a weekly event for the town's underage crowd. Rave Parties. I am talking about an organized dance party in a warehouse, abandoned building, or private property, typically featuring performances by DJs, playing endless tracks of electronic dance music. It's a flurry of light beams, glow sticks, high energy, and fun! This helped not only feed my passion for music but showed me a completely new genre of music that has spread into most common day sounds. And it got me thinking, where did it all begin? History of Electronic Music: Point A 1970-1999 It may surprise you to find out that electronic music has been around a lot longer than you expected. The inventions of electronic instruments date ...
" Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond. " -Ray Charles I for one, whole heartily believe this to be true. Music can help a person healthily express their emotions. Whether it be happiness, anger, sadness, or a mix of all these emotions there is a song somewhere in the world, that can help you cope with those emotions. When a person is at the worst point in their life, the right song can help bring that person's spirits up. Life is full of hardships that we all have to deal with, during these hard times, it's nice to feel supported by someone that feels the same way. With the words and structure of their music works, musicians and composers can convey emotions through the music they have created. Although the listener and the artists have never met it feels as if the artists are there with the listener, giving them a shoulder to lean on, telling the listener, you're not alone with these feelings and that it is okay to feel...
I totally agree that the beat and tempo are fast in this song, it almost has me on edge which was maybe the point? You're supposed to wait in anticipation of the decision of whether or not to take a leap. I've never actually seen the movie, but you've inspired me to! I'm looking forward to hearing the other songs featured on the soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog!
Hi Crystal,
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoy the way you describe the movie and the song. We watched the Greatest Showman as a family about two years ago, and all of us were amazed by the performance of the circus and the music. The Other Side is our favorite, too, especially while watching the two men’s unique conversation (negotiation) in a bar through singing and skillful dancing. I found the video clip for this song on YouTube, which will give those who haven’t watched the movie a better idea of their performance. The fast tempo and rhythm go so well with the quick-thinking and fast action of these two talented men.
(The Greatest Showman – The other side [1080p] Subtitled) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GimrxP2U0ZE
Nice choice and great post!
Robin