John Robert Hoffman, the creator of Only Murders in the Building alongside lead actor Steve Martin, had previously hired Benj Pasek and Justin Paul to compose the songs for the third season of the show. Pasek and Paul signed on the condition that they would be able to work with Broadway songwriters.[3] Pasek and Paul decided to collaborate with Into The Woods stage lyricist Sara Bareilles to write "Look for the Light".[2] This collaboration was mutually desirable for the three songwriters.[4]"Look for the Light" was composed specifically for Meryl Streep's voice, who was first shown the song over a video call on Zoom.[2][5]
A counter-melody was developed later for co-star Ashley Park,[2] with both Park and Streep reportedly continuing to sing the melody so that the reactions of the cast could be captured in response to their actual in-show performance.[6] Streep had felt intimidated by the melody of the song, with only two days for preparation before performing in front of a group of twenty people to new orchestration.[7]
In Only Murders in the Building
"Look for the Light" debuts in the third episode "Grab Your Hankies" of the third season of Only Murders in the Building.[2] Oliver Putnam, portrayed by Martin Short, has written a Broadway musical theatre production called "Death Rattle Dazzle", an Agatha Christie inspired murder-mystery about a young mother who is found deceased at the base of a lighthouse—apparently choked to death by a baby's rattle. A detective, originally played by Paul Rudd's in-universe character Ben Glenroy, is contacted to try and solve the murder.[8] By the time of "Grab Your Hankies", the musical has not gone to plan, due to the murder of Ben Glenroy and the musical not having a "showstopper".[9] Putnam works through the night in an attempt to convince the producers that the musical is worth funding.[10] Donna and Cliff DeMeo, the lead producers of the production, portrayed by Linda Emond and Wesley Taylor respectively, inform Putnam that '"Death Rattle Dazzle" needs a showstopper, giving him three days to complete this task or risk not receiving funding which the musical desperately requires.[9]
Against the wishes of the rest of the cast members, Putnam, with the support of the show's nanny and love interest Loretta Durkin, portrayed by Meryl Streep, continue to work on a lullaby using Putnam's piano.[11] After the three days have elapsed, the DeMeos return to see if Putnam has a showstopper for his musical. Putnam requests Durkin to sing the lullaby, "Look for the Light", for the DeMeos and the rest of the cast who are also watching. Although she has not rehearsed, Durkin agrees to perform the song.[11] With Kimber Min, portrayed by Ashley Park, providing a counter-melody,[2] the pair perform "Look for the Light" to the cast of the musical, the DeMeos and three bassinettes. Once the performance is finished, Putnam successfully convinces the DeMeos that "Death Rattle Dazzle" is worth funding.[8][11]
"Look for the Light" is performed again in the tenth and final episode of the series, "Opening Night".[12]
Following the debut of the song in the show, "Look for the Light" was released on all streaming platforms.[13] Bobby Patrick, writing for BroadwayWorld, described Streep's singing, saying "her hushed, almost whispered, vocal production in the song gives it a dreamy, plaintive quality that calls the listener forward toward her."[14] Commenting on Streep's chemistry with Short, Jo Elliott for The Indiependent described it as "brilliant" and praised the "beautifully written lyrics of songs like "Look for the Light" and "For The Sake of A Child"" (also performed by Streep alongside co-star Paul Rudd).[15][16] Surprised by Streep's character and performance, The Daily Beast editor Kevin Fallon said "she's more of a spark plug than I expected, which makes the swoon-worthy beauty of her performance of "Look for the Light" that much more mesmerizing."[17]
Review aggregators
"Grab Your Hankies", the episode in which "Look for the Light" debuted, reported a 100% approval rating from 5 reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The critic consensus is complimentary, "Loretta proving her voice is invaluable."[18]
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