Take Me or Leave Me

Last updated
"Take Me or Leave Me"
Song by Idina Menzel and Fredi Walker
from the album Rent (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Genre Show tune
Length3:43
Songwriter(s) Jonathan Larson
Producer(s)

"Take Me or Leave Me" is a song from the musical Rent , written by American composer Jonathan Larson. In the original 1996 Broadway production, the song was performed by Idina Menzel as Maureen and Fredi Walker as Joanne. [1]

Contents

Rent is inspired by the opera La Boheme , and the lyrics of the first verse of "Take Me or Leave Me" are based on that of the La Boheme aria "Quando m'en vo'". [2] [3]

Film version

"Take Me or Leave Me"
Single by Idina Menzel and Tracie Thoms
from the album Rent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2005 (2005-09-23)
Studio
Genre Show tune
Length3:51
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Jonathan Larson
Producer(s) Rob Cavallo
Rent soundtracksingles chronology
"Seasons of Love"
(2005)
"Take Me or Leave Me"
(2005)
Idina Menzel singles chronology
"Seasons of Love"
(2005)
"Take Me or Leave Me"
(2005)
"Defying Gravity"
(2007)

In the 2005 film adaptation, "Take Me or Leave Me" is performed by Menzel, reprising her role as Maureen, and Tracie Thoms as Joanne, since Walker-Browne was considered too old for the role. [4] Remixes of the song were released on April 11, 2006. [5]

Track listings

Remixes digital EP [5]
No.TitleLength
1."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Radio)3:36
2."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Mixshow)6:44
3."Take Me or Leave Me" (Jackie and Jorio Club Mix)7:17
4."Take Me or Leave Me" (Gabriel D. Vine's Big Band Disco Remix)6:19
5."Out Tonight" (performed by Rosario Dawson) (Mark!'s Redux Club Remix Edit)4:55
6."Light My Candle" (performed by Rosario Dawson) (Monkey Bars Remix)6:29
Remixes CD maxi single [6]
No.TitleLength
1."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Radio)3:35
2."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Remix)8:35
3."Take Me or Leave Me" (Gabriel D. Vine's Big Band Disco Remix)6:16
4."Take Me or Leave Me" (Jackie and Jorio Club Mix)7:09
5."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Dub)9:55
6."Out Tonight" (performed by Rosario Dawson) (Mark!'s Redux Club Remix)8:30
7."Light My Candle" (performed by Rosario Dawson) (Monkey Bars Remix)6:27
Remixes 12" [7]
No.TitleLength
1."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Remix)8:35
2."Take Me or Leave Me" (Tracy Young Dub)9:55
3."Take Me or Leave Me" (Gabriel D. Vine's Big Band Disco Remix)6:16
4."Take Me or Leave Me" (Jackie and Jorio Club Mix)7:09
5."Out Tonight" (performed by Rosario Dawson) (Mark!'s Redux Club Remix)8:30

Charts

Chart (2005–06)Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [8] 25
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 32
US Hot Dance Singles Sales ( Billboard ) [10] 10

Performances and covers

Menzel has performed the song on a few concerts and tours, including the Barefoot at the Symphony Tour, Idina Menzel: Live at Radio City, Idina Menzel: World Tour, as a duet with randomly-chosen audience members. [11] She also performed the song at the end of a curtain call for If/Then in 2014. [12]

The song has been covered numerous times, with The Atlantic calling it a "modern musical theatre staple". [13] Darren Criss and Aaron Tveit covered the song on a Skype conversation to promote Elsie Fest. [1] In 2016, Anika Larsen and Keala Settle performed the song for From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Orlando, in support of the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. [14] It was covered on the TV series Glee , by the characters Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) in the episode "Comeback". Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic praised the cover as the highlight of the episode. [13]

Charts (Glee version)

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [15] 60
US Billboard Hot 100 [16] 51

Related Research Articles

<i>Rent</i> (musical) American rock musical based on La Bohème

Rent is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson. Loosely based on the 1896 opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa, which in turn is based on the 1851 novel Scenes of Bohemian Life by Henri Murger, it tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan's East Village, in the thriving days of the bohemian culture of Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idina Menzel</span> American actress (born 1971)

Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress and singer. Particularly recognized for her work in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence, powerful mezzo-soprano, and reputation as one of the most influential stage actors of her generation. Having achieved mainstream success across stage, screen, and music, her accolades include an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for three Drama League Awards, and four Drama Desk Awards. In 2019, Menzel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was named a Disney Legend in 2022.

"Seasons of Love" is a song from the 1996 Broadway musical Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. The song starts with an ostinato piano motif, which provides the harmonic framework for the cast to sing "Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes". The main instruments used throughout the song are piano, vocals, guitar, organ, bass and drums.

"Defying Gravity" is the signature song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003. It is mostly a solo sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba, with two small duets at the beginning and in the middle of the song between Elphaba and her friend Glinda, and a chorus part at the end in which the citizens of Oz sing.

<i>Rent</i> (albums)

Rent (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is an album of music from the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning 1996 musical Rent. It is produced by DreamWorks with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. The album is a 2-disc (in its CD format) collection of every song from the musical; some small segments of narration and spoken dialogue from the play are not included in the recording. The collection ends with a studio-recorded rearrangement of the song "Seasons of Love" featuring Stevie Wonder. The album was recorded by the original Broadway cast of RENT and was released on August 27, 1996. A second one-disc album was released in 1999 containing highlights from the original cast album.

<i>I Stand</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Idina Menzel

I Stand is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Idina Menzel and was released on January 29, 2008. The album was produced by Glen Ballard, who co-wrote most of the songs with Menzel.

<i>Rent</i> (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2005 soundtrack album

Rent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2005 musical drama film Rent, based on Jonathan Larson's 1996 Broadway musical of the same name, in turn based on Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera La bohème. The musical numbers performed by the cast including Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Tracie Thoms and Rosario Dawson. The soundtrack to the film was released by Warner Bros. Records on September 23, 2005.

"We Need a Little Christmas" is a popular Christmas song originating from Jerry Herman's Broadway musical Mame, and first performed by Angela Lansbury in that 1966 production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Criss</span> American actor, singer, and songwriter

Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series Glee (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018). He has also appeared on Broadway and in film and has released several musical albums.

"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the forty-sixth overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States. It features the return of Shelby Corcoran to the show to direct a rival glee club at William McKinley High even while New Directions, the current club, is having trouble recruiting members. Shelby also wants Quinn and Puck, the biological parents of her adopted daughter Beth, to be a part of Beth's life. The director of New Directions, Will Schuester sets up a "booty camp" for the less capable dancers in the club, and auditions for the school musical, West Side Story, begin.

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

Keala Joan Settle is an American actress and singer. Settle originated the role of Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, which ran on Broadway in 2013, and was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2016 she was in the original Broadway cast of Waitress portraying Becky. In 2017, she portrayed Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, in the musical film The Greatest Showman. The song "This Is Me" from the film, principally sung by Settle, won the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. On January 27, 2019, Settle sang "Seasons of Love" in Fox's Rent: Live.

<i>If/Then</i> Musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt

If/Then is a musical with a libretto by Brian Yorkey and a theatrical score by Tom Kitt, directed by Michael Greif. It tells the story of a 38-year-old woman named Elizabeth who moves back to New York City for a fresh start.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let It Go</span> Song from Disneys 2013 film Frozen

"Let It Go" is a song from Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film Frozen, whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The song was performed in its original show-tune version in the film by American actress and singer Idina Menzel in her vocal role as Queen Elsa. It was later released as a single, being promoted to adult contemporary radio by Walt Disney Records in January 2014. Anderson-Lopez and Lopez also composed a simplified pop version which was performed by actress and singer Demi Lovato over the start of the film's closing credits. Disney's music division planned to release Lovato's version of the song before Menzel's, as they did not consider Menzel's version a traditional pop song. A music video was released separately for Lovato's version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idina Menzel: Live at Radio City</span>

Idina Menzel: Live at Radio City was a concert by American singer-songwriter and actress Idina Menzel at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York on June 16, 2014. In the wake of the success of Disney's popular animated film Frozen (2013), in which Menzel starred as Elsa, Menzel announced in April 2014 that she will be headlining a one-night-only concert at Radio City Music Hall on her break from her eight shows a week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Stand tour</span> 2008–09 concert tour by Idina Menzel

The I Stand tour was a tour taken by American actress and singer Idina Menzel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idina Menzel: World Tour</span> 2015 concert tour by Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel: World Tour was a concert tour by actress and singer Idina Menzel.

Broadway for Orlando is a charitable initiative to provide support to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

"This Is Me" is a song performed by Keala Settle for the film The Greatest Showman. It was released on October 26, 2017, by Atlantic Records as a promotional single from The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and the official lead single on December 8, 2017. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 75th Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards. It was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Christmas: A Season of Love</i> 2019 studio album by Idina Menzel

Christmas: A Season of Love is the second Christmas album by American singer and actress Idina Menzel. It was released through School Boy and Decca Records on October 18, 2019, and includes duets with Billy Porter, Menzel's Frozen costar Josh Gad, Ariana Grande and Menzel's husband Aaron Lohr. Menzel's duet with Grande, "A Hand for Mrs. Claus", is an original song by the composers of the Frozen soundtrack, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, while Menzel wrote the original song "At This Table" with Jonas Myrin about "inclusion during the holiday season". The album also features a solo recording of the Rent song "Seasons of Love" and the Ladino Hanukkah song "Ocho Kandelikas", which was preceded by a home recording of Idina with her son Walker during Hanukkah. In promotion for the album, Menzel has embarked on a three-city concert tour set mainly on the East Coast, including a stop at New York City's Carnegie Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Season of Love Tour</span> 2019 concert tour by Idina Menzel

A Season of Love Tour is a concert tour by actress and singer Idina Menzel in support of her second holiday album Christmas: A Season of Love. The tour is only performed in 3 cities on the East Coast of the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 Nussbaum, Danielle (August 28, 2015). "See Darren Criss and Aaron Tveit duet 'Take Me or Leave Me' from 'Rent'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  2. Sherrell, Kat (2016). Experiencing Broadway Music: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 175. ISBN   9780810889019.
  3. Nisbet, Ian (2011). "Transposition in Jonathan Larson's RENT". Studies in Musical Theatre. 5 (3): 225–244. doi:10.1386/smt.5.3.225_1.
  4. Billey, Catherine (September 4, 2005). "Nine Years in the Life". The New York Times . Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Take Me or Leave Me - EP by Rent on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 11 April 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  6. "Take Me or Leave Me" Remixes (CD booklet). Warner Bros. Records. 2006. 42922-2.
  7. "Take Me or Leave Me" Remixes (CD booklet). Warner Bros. Records. 2006. 42922-0.
  8. "Idina Menzel Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  9. "Idina Menzel Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  10. "Dance Singles Sales: May 13, 2006" . Billboard . Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  11. Foundas, Scott (June 17, 2014). "Concert Review: Idina Menzel at Radio City Music Hall". Variety . Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  12. Schlossberg, Mallory (April 22, 2014). "Idina Menzel Sings "Take Me Or Leave Me" With the 2 Luckiest 'Rent' Fans Ever — VIDEO". Bustle . Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Fallon, Kevin; Brown, Meghan; Burns, Patrick (February 16, 2011). "'Glee': When Cancer, Cattiness, and Justin Bieber Combine". The Atlantic . Atlantic Media Company . Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  14. Dale, Michael (July 25, 2016). "VIDEO: Anika Larsen and Keala Settle Belt RENT's 'Take Me Or Leave Me' For FROM BROADWAY WITH LOVE". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  15. "Glee Cast Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  16. "Glee Cast Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2018.