Little Known Facts

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"Little Known Facts" is a musical number in the Broadway musical comedy, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown . The music and lyrics were written by Clark Gesner in 1966. [1] The song was in the original Off-Broadway production of the show in 1967 and was also in the revival production in 1999, where it was added an extra stanza by Andrew Lippa. [2]

Comedy Genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous

In a modern sense, comedy is a genre of fiction that refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, stand-up comedy, or any other medium of entertainment. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece. In the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old." A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth is understood to be constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse in ruses which engender very dramatic irony which provokes laughter.

<i>Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown</i> musical comedy

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. The musical has been a popular choice for amateur theatre productions because of its small cast and simple staging.

Music form of art using sound and silence

Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. General definitions of music include common elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping; there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική . See glossary of musical terminology.

Contents

Basis

The song is based on several Peanuts comic strips written by Charles M. Schulz. The strips show Lucy van Pelt teaching her younger brother, Linus van Pelt childish facts, that are of course, false.

<i>Peanuts</i> Comic strip by Charles M. Schulz

Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz that ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. Peanuts is among the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all, making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being". At its peak in the mid to late 1960s, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of around 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages. It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States, and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion.

Charles M. Schulz American cartoonist

Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Peanuts. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists of all time, cited by cartoonists including Jim Davis, Bill Watterson, Matt Groening, Dav Pilkey, and Stephan Pastis.

Lucy van Pelt character in the Peanuts media franchise

Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a character in the syndicated comic strip Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is characterized as a "fussbudget", crabby, bossy and opinionated girl who bullies most other characters in the strip, particularly Linus and Charlie Brown.

Plot

During the scene of the show, the music begins as Charlie Brown is center stage as Linus and Lucy enter. Charlie Brown questions their doing, Linus replies that Lucy feels that as an older sister, she is responsible to teach Linus facts about nature. Linus finds Lucy very intelligent, for he is not aware the facts are incorrect. After each of most of Lucy's teachings, Linus agrees with Lucy and Charlie Brown tries to tell Lucy what she's telling Linus is not true. After Lucy explains about snow coming up, Charlie Brown objects, but then Lucy adds that when the snow comes up, it is blown around by wind, so it looks like it comes down. Charlie Brown, exasperated, exclaims "Oh good grief!", leaves and bangs his head on a tree, which Linus questions. Lucy explains about the bark, and, only in the revival, sings the ending line.

False facts

Throughout the number, Lucy teaches Linus the following facts: [3]

Wool Textile fibre from the hair of sheep or other mammals

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, from hide and fur clothing from bison, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camelids; additionally, the Highland and the Mangalica breeds of cattle and swine, respectively, possess wooly coats.

Wind Flow of gases or air on a large scale

Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On the surface of the Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the Sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space. Winds are commonly classified by their spatial scale, their speed, the types of forces that cause them, the regions in which they occur, and their effect. The strongest observed winds on a planet in the Solar System occur on Neptune and Saturn. Winds have various aspects: velocity ; the density of the gas involved; energy content or wind energy. Wind is also an important means of transportation for seeds and small birds; with time things can travel thousands of miles in the wind.

Fire hydrant connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply

A fire hydrant is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe and Asia since at least the 18th century. Above ground pillar-type hydrants are a 19th-century invention.

Resources

  1. ↑ 1967 Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording CD of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." (c 2000)
  2. ↑ 1999 New Broadway Cast Recording CD of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." (c 1999)
  3. ↑ 1985 Animated special "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown".

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