Harper Listening Report #2 Promises, Promises

Promises, Promises was produced in 1968 with music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal
David, and book by Neil Simon and was based on the film The Apartment. It was nominated
for Best Musical at the 1969 Tonys, but lost to 1776. The Original Broadway Cast recording
features Jill OHara and Jerry Orbach. The 2010 revival of Promises, Promises featured Kristin
Chenoweth and Sean Hayes and included new songs and a slightly different orchestration for
previous songs with an altered order. The show is a musical comedy with a very stereotypical
musical theatre sound. Some of the music has a very jazz feel and the prominent use of the brass
and percussion sections seems to stem from a big band influence. The choir then adds another
texture to the orchestration, making it kind of hard to peg down as any one genre. To me, the
closest Promises, Promises comes to a specific genre is smooth jazz (it feels a lot like elevator
music at times.) The song most representative of this jazz vibe is the ensemble number Turkey
Lurky Time. The close harmonies and very quick tempo are reminiscent of the Andrew Sisters,
a jazz staple. This style is later broken in the ballads in the show, such as Ill Never Fall in Love
Again where instead of boisterous brass and a distracting melody, theres a simple acoustic
guitar with minimal percussion accompaniment behind the vocalists. This drastic contrast to the
rest of the show causes this song to stand out as the softest moment in the show and truly
resonate with the audience. (Although it is not in the Original Broadway Cast Recording, I feel it
is worth noting that in the Revival there is a Reprise to this number that begins acoustic and
transitions into a big band number, serving as a final musical conclusion to the show.) The ballad
Whoever You Are utilizes strings in an orchestral way (rather than a big band way) and a piano
accompaniment rather than a percussion line; so, while it isnt as tender as Ill Never Fall in
Love Again, it makes a great impact and stands alone as the sole power ballad of the show. (In
the Revival the song A House is Not a Home was added, which is also a power ballad very
similar to Whoever You Are and has a similar message of Fran needing a man in her life, the
new song was added to give the end of Act 1 a strong moment for Fran and is later reprised by
Chuck in Act 2.) The song also ends with a sole piano line and the very last chord is only one
note, leaving the listener with a seemingly unresolved melody and an uneasy feeling, which is
the most prominent emotion that the character experiences during the song. Another number that
fits into a slightly different mold is She Likes Basketball. While it still has a large percussion
part, its felt in three and therefore sounds like a waltz, which is extremely appropriate in the
situation as the character Chuck is romanticizing about Fran and waltzs are usually associated
with romance. Later in the show, after Chuck is freed of his job under Mr. Sheldrake, he sings the
titular song Promises, Promises which contains a similar triple feeling to She Likes
Basketball. While Promises, Promises does not feel quite like a waltz, it reminds the listener
of the previous song and the feeling of elation the character felt in that moment and connects
those two moments in Chucks life when he was the happiest. All four of Chucks solo songs are
rather upbeat, in fact his only ballads are duets with Fran, which says a lot about his character
and shows the audience that the only thing that truly affects him is Fran. While Chuck has his
signature style, Frans songs feel more like popular music than jazz, which separates her
character (a waitress) from the rest (businessman, who undoubtedly have more money and are
members of a different social class.) Jill OHara in the Original Broadway Cast adds to this
distinction with her very unique voice quality. In the year 1969 Burt Bacharach won a Grammy
Award for Best Musical Theatre Album for the Original Cast Recording of Promises, Promises,
beating out that years Tony Award winner, 1776.