374 PART 3 | FROM WORLD WAR I THROUGH WORLD WAR II
timing section text comments0:00 introduction Four soft string chords help the fi rst singer fi nd her
opening pitch. In a stage production, these chords
would underscore the last line of spoken dialogue.
0:05 verse 1 Why do they think
up...16 bars: The two characters exchange taunting phrases.
The sprightly tempo broadens at end, signaling that the
important part of the song is approaching.
0:36 chorus 1 a Don’t throw
bouquets at me...4 phrases of 4 bars each: 3 varied statements of a six-
note motive, each beginning with an ascending leap;
phrase 4 is a sinking chromatic line.
1:02 a' Don’t sigh and gaze
at me...The melody differs from the fi rst a only in the last
phrase, which now rises to the tonic.
1:27 b Don’t start collecting
things...8 bars, beginning with an inversion of the opening
leap.
1:42 a" Sweetheart, they’re
suspecting
things...8 bars: Shortened a, a variant of phrases 3–4, with one
statement of the opening motive, followed by the most
emphatic statement of the title phrase.
2:03 verse 2 Some people
claim...A return to the lighter mood of verse 1, with the
alternation of singers reversed.
2:34 chorus 2 Don’t praise my
charm too much...Curly sings new lyrics. The singer’s breath control is
particularly evident at 3:31.
note This recording from the 1979 Broadway revival uses the original 1943 orchestrations by Robert
Russell Bennett.genre: Broadway show tune
date: composed 1943; recorded 1979
performers: Christine Andreas and
Laurence Guittard, vocals, with studio
orchestra
meter: duple
form: verse and aa' ba" chorusWHAT TO LISTEN FOR- informal, folksy tone of verse, in contrast
to soaring lyricism of chorus - expanded proportions of chorus:
16 + 16 + 8 + 8, instead of usual 32 bars - Broadway-style vocal production,
non-operatic yet able to project without
electric amplifi cation
Listening Guide 15.3
“People Will Say We’re in Love,” from Oklahoma!
CD 3.4 RICHARD RODGERS AND OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN IIListen & Refl ect
- When Rodgers collaborated with Hart, he wrote the music fi rst and Hart fi tted lyrics to
music. With Hammerstein, lyrics generally preceded music. Write out the lyrics of “People
Will Say We’re in Love.” Do they behave on the page like poetry? Why or why not? What
features make these words particularly appropriate for singing?
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