Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| jcstar |
Don't Cry For Me, ArgentinaHas anyone ever noticed that the lyrics to this song don't make any sense whatsoever?When I was in EVITA, the entire cast tried to figure out what Rice is saying, but we had no clue. Just a question. Andy. |
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| thewordisno |
They're not nearly as bad as what I consider the champion:
One from A Chorus Line Please, from what I gain, the song is about a woman who can walk, and apparently her walking turns you on. Awful lyrics... |
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| Mara |
Now Eva Peron had every disadvantage
You need if you're gonna succeed No money, no cash No father, no bright lights There was nowhere she'd been At the age of fifteen Lyrics from "On this Night of a Thousand Stars" WHAT?? lol |
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| Ghost |
What's so strange about that? It makes perfect sense. |
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| Mara |
Sorry for being an idiot, but I don't understand the first two lines - I should have just posted those. Is it supposed to be ironic? | ||||
| Jordan |
The lyrics from Don't Cry For Me Argentina are almost entirely lifted from a REAL speech Eva Peron made on that balcony! | ||||
| Set_Buildin_Dad |
That's interesting trivia. I never knew that. maybe it made more sense in Spanish. |
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| reedzee |
People such as politicians, musicians, etc. who have had a rough time growing up tend to be more well-liked. Her rough childhood allowed Eva to relate more to the citizens of Argentina in that time period. That's one of the reasons the people of Argentina loved her so much. It's kind of like how some people seem to idolize 50 Cent because he was shot in the face. 
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| Jordan |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxeoKd4HCjM around 3 minutes shows an excerpt from a speech given on the Casa Rosada http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOKvFlG4lHI Shows around the 6 minute mark Eva's tomb with some very familiar words on it. |
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| WelshGal05 |
Hello to you all. I am new here.
This is quite an interesting question, and many people have asked it. I think the best person to ask, is the one who wrote it "Tim Rice". He talks about it in an interview that I found and this is what he says. "MT: "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" has become a classic now. Can you share with us some of your memory of the day you wrote the lyrics of such a powerful song. How did the song come to life? Tim Rice: The lyrics were written over a period of time, it was quite a difficult one to get right. The title came almost at the very end. The title would cause a lot of problems because we just didn't know what to call the song, and we briefly flirted with the idea of trying to make it a song that would work out of context, that could be taken as a love song as well. It had some terrible titles like "It's Only Your Lover Returning" and also "My Wild Days". There exists a version of Julie Covington's on one of Andrew [Lloyd Webber]'s compilation CDs where her version of the song singing "it's only your lover returning" and it just doesn't work. It's exactly the same in every other respect, same lyrics, same orchestration, the same vocal. But when you got a bad title, it kills the song. In the end, the line "don't cry for me Argentina" was used elsewhere in the show very early on, and everybody thought that was a nice line, so we made that the title of the song. The song in itself almost doesn't make sense. I mean, "Don't cry for me Argentina" is a whole song but in a way, it's not meant to, it wasn't written as a song, it was written as a scene in a show. It's meant to be a string of political clichés, sounding pretty, and not really saying very much. But it kind of worked, bizarrely, it worked as a song out of context. So, in the end, we got the hit we originally tried for in the wrong way. |
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| adamjthompson |
Well, what it means is: Eva Peron had a disadvantage everywhere she needed an advantage if she wanted to succeed. The song states it kinda backwards. |
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| LaGataNegra |
"Eva Peron had every disadvantage you need if you're gonna succeed"Many success stories start out with severe disadvantages. You could say the troubled childhood is the proximate cause of overachievement. If Oprah Winfrey hadn't grown up abused, in poverty, would she have had the drive within her to be as successful as she is? Poverty, trauma, and pain are not requirements for success, but they are certainly motivators. That's how I read that line.
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is a confused song, kinda like a political speech. I see it as a woman trying to endear herself to the people. Kissing their feet in a way, trying to convince them that she is just like them. DCfMA is Evita's "Jenny From the Block". Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got, I'm still Jenny from the block. I'm Argentina. I always will be. |
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| Beagle On Stage |
This is how I interpret it. It makes perfect sense to me.
"Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," by Tim Rice "Don't Call out for Me, My Brothers and Sisters," by Beagle It won't be easy, you'll think it strange When I try to explain how I feel That I still need your love after all that I've done You won't believe me All you will see is a girl you once knew Although she's dressed up to the nines At sixes and sevens with you It will be difficult to explain my thoughts without looking like I'm condescending to you. You'll think I'm full of it, some ridiculous Cinderella story come true. But I'm still the same person I always was - you can still see the "old" me regardless of how well I may be able to clean up. I had to let it happen, I had to change Couldn't stay all my life down at heel Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun So I chose freedom Running around, trying everything new But nothing impressed me at all I never expected it to I couldn't allow myself to be limited by the lot that I was given in life. So I tried everything to find my place in the world. I went through a wild time for a while on my search for where I belong. But I guess I always knew that the glamour of celebrity life wouldn't have any real value. Don't cry for me Argentina The truth is I never left you All through my wild days My mad existence I kept my promise Don't keep your distance Don't call out for me, my brothers and sisters, as though I don't understand you and am not thinking of you. I've always been just as you are now. Even though I've risen above my difficult past just as I dreamed of formerly, don't allow that to come between us. And as for fortune, and as for fame I never invited them in Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired They are illusions They are not the solutions they promised to be The answer was here all the time I love you and hope you love me It is not my intention to do be doing this for my own gain, to be a celebrity of some kind, even though it may look that way. All of that is vain and meaningless, it doesn't prove anything or solve any problems. What really matters are my roots - you. I love you and hope you won't think I've sold you out. Don't cry for me Argentina The truth is I never left you All through my wild days My mad existence I kept my promise Don't keep your distance Don't call out for me, my brothers and sisters, as though I don't understand you and am not thinking of you. I've always been just as you are now. Even though I've risen above my difficult past just as I dreamed of formerly, don't allow that to come between us. Have I said too much? There's nothing more I can think of to say to you. But all you have to do is look at me To know that every word is true. Am I just rambling on and on? I guess I've said my peace. And you only have to look at my past to know that I sincerely care about you. |
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| santtu |
Yes, and I see the line "Don't cry for me, Argentina" sort of a plea "don't feel sorry for me" but she's really saying "please feel sorry for me!!" The way I see the whole lyrics is that she's trying to explain her actions to the people without apologizing for anything, in a false "I never asked for this to happen to me! I just had to be me!" sort of way. |
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| operafantomet |
Ooooh, this one was nice - thanks for posting it. |