Many a New Day

Last updated
"Many a New Day"
Song
Published1943
Songwriter(s) Oscar Hammerstein II
Composer(s) Richard Rodgers

"Many a New Day" is a song from the 1943 musical Oklahoma! , written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was introduced by Joan Roberts in the original Broadway production. In the 1955 film, the song is performed by Shirley Jones and appears on the soundtrack album.

"Many a New Day" is sung by Laurey [1] immediately after Curly McLain leaves the scene with Gertie Cummings. Laurey ostensibly does not care that Curly is with a new girl, though it is obvious she is hurt, especially as shown by the slow restatement of the final lines at the end.

The song, like many of its era and like many others by Rodgers and Hammerstein, follows some variant of the Verse + AABA structure, a traditional song layout from the Tin Pan Alley era. Also true to form, the economically constructed melody spans only a ninth. The sequence-driven B section ("Never have I wept into my tea," etc.) is exemplary of Rodgers' writing, and similar progressions can be found in songs such as "I Cain't Say No”.

In the intro verse, Laurey sings about what she does after a romance, to prove that she is not upset. [2]

"I'll snap my fingers to show I don't care,
I'll buy me a brand-new dress to wear.
I'll scrub my neck and I'll brush my hair,
And start all over again."

Related Research Articles

<i>Carousel</i> (musical) 1945 musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein

Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II. The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The story revolves around carousel barker Billy Bigelow, whose romance with millworker Julie Jordan comes at the price of both their jobs. He participates in a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child; after it goes tragically wrong, he is given a chance to make things right. A secondary plot line deals with millworker Carrie Pipperidge and her romance with ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow. The show includes the well-known songs "If I Loved You", "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his favorite of all his musicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Hammerstein II</span> American librettist, lyricist, theatrical producer, and director of musicals (1895–1960)

Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and jazz musicians. He co-wrote 850 songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Rodgers</span> American composer of songs and Broadway musicals (1902–1979)

Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century, and his compositions had a significant influence on popular music.

<i>Oklahoma!</i> Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein

Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie.

<i>South Pacific</i> (musical) 1949 Broadway musical

South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize–winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, send a strong progressive message on racism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Jones</span> American actress and singer

Shirley Mae Jones is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as Oklahoma! (1955), Carousel (1956), and The Music Man (1962). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a vengeful prostitute in Elmer Gantry (1960). She played the lead role of Shirley Partridge, the widowed mother of five children, in the musical situation-comedy television series The Partridge Family (1970–1974), which co-starred her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, son of Jack Cassidy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodgers and Hammerstein</span> 20th-century American songwriting team

Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical theater writing partnership has been called the greatest of the 20th century.

<i>Flower Drum Song</i> Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein premiered in 1958

Flower Drum Song was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the West End and on tour. It was adapted for a 1961 musical film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream ballet</span>

A dream ballet, in musical theater, is an all-dance, no-singing production number that reflects the themes of the production. The plot, themes, and characters are typically the same—although the people playing the characters may be different, as the roles of the dream ballet are usually filled by well-trained dancers rather than actual actors.

<i>Me and Juliet</i> 1953 musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein

Me and Juliet is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The sixth stage collaboration by Rodgers & Hammerstein, it tells a story of romance backstage at a long-running musical: assistant stage manager Larry woos chorus girl Jeanie behind the back of her electrician boyfriend, Bob. Me and Juliet premiered in 1953 and was considered a modest success — it ran for much of a year on Broadway and had a limited run in Chicago, and returned a small profit to its backers.

"People Will Say We're In Love" is a show tune from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma! (1943). In the original Broadway production, the song was introduced by Alfred Drake and Joan Roberts.

"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" is the opening song from the musical Oklahoma!, which premiered on Broadway in 1943. It was written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The leading male character in Oklahoma!, Curly McLain, sings the song at the beginning of the first scene of the musical. The refrain runs: "Oh, what a beautiful mornin'! / Oh, what a beautiful day! / I've got a beautiful feelin' / Ev'rythin's goin' my way." Curly's "brimming optimism is perfectly captured by Rodgers' ebullient music and Hammerstein's buoyant pastoral lyrics."

"Oklahoma" is the title song from the 1943 Broadway musical Oklahoma!, named for the setting of the musical play. The music and lyrics were written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The melody is reprised in the main title of the 1955 film version and in the overtures of both film and musical productions.

<i>I Have Dreamed</i> (Doris Day album) 1961 studio album by Doris Day

I Have Dreamed is an album recorded by Doris Day in May 1961 and issued by Columbia Records on August 14, 1961 as catalog number CS 8460. Doris Day was backed by Jim Harbert's Orchestra and the cover photography was by Leo Fuchs.

"The Farmer and the Cowman" is a song composed by Richard Rodgers and with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for their 1943 musical Oklahoma!. It is sung primarily by Andrew Carnes, Aunt Eller, and Ike Skidmore. In various versions of Oklahoma!, the singing parts for Ike, Andrew, and Aunt Eller have been swapped. Lines for Will Parker, Ado Annie, and Curly McLain are also included. Repetition of the refrain is sung by the entire company.

<i>Pipe Dream</i> (musical) 1955 musical

Pipe Dream is the seventh musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; it premiered on Broadway on November 30, 1955. The work is based on John Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday—Steinbeck wrote the novel, a sequel to Cannery Row, in the hope of having it adapted into a musical. Set in Monterey, California, the musical tells the story of the romance between Doc, a marine biologist, and Suzy, who in the novel is a prostitute; her profession is only alluded to in the stage work. Pipe Dream was not an outright flop but was a financial disaster for Rodgers and Hammerstein.

<i>Oklahoma!</i> (1955 film) 1955 American musical film directed by Fred Zinnemann

Oklahoma! is a 1955 American musical film based on the 1943 musical of the same name by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, which in turn was based on the 1931 play Green Grow The Lilacs written by Lynn Riggs. It stars Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore, and Eddie Albert. The production was the only musical directed by Fred Zinnemann. Oklahoma! was the first feature film photographed in the Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen process.

<i>Oklahoma!</i> (soundtrack) 1955 soundtrack album by cast

Oklahoma! is the original soundtrack album of the 1955 film Oklahoma!, an adaptation of the musical Broadway play of the same name. The soundtrack charted No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart in 1956 and has been in continual print. On July 8, 1958, it became the first album to be certified "gold" by the RIAA, and was later certified "2x multi-platinum" on April 1, 1992.

Josefina Gabrielle Holmes, professionally known as Josefina Gabrielle, is a British actress, and former ballet dancer, best known for her performances in West End musicals and plays.

<i>Green Grow the Lilacs</i> (play)

Green Grow the Lilacs is a play by Lynn Riggs. It was performed 64 times on Broadway, opening at the Guild Theatre on January 26, 1931, and closing March 21, 1931. It had had an out-of-town tryout, running January 19–24, 1931, at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. It is the basis of the 1943 musical Oklahoma!, which had a 1955 film adaptation.

References

  1. "Many A New Day by Cast of Oklahoma!". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. "Many a New Day from Oklahoma!". StageAgent. Retrieved 7 April 2021.

Oklahoma! on IMDb