Seasons of Love
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Seasons of Love is the most celebrated song from the 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 number of minutes in a calendar year).
Both in the musical and in the 2005 film, the song is performed by the entire cast. The main question asked is, "How do you measure a year?" Various answers are suggested, from units of measure ("inches", "miles"), to everyday events ("cups of coffee") to abstract concepts ("laughter", "strife"). In the chorus, the song reaches the conclusion that love is the only proper measure of a year in a human life.
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[edit] Jonathan Larson
Jonathan Larson actually intended for Seasons Of Love to be performed symbolically as a song at Angel's funeral[citation needed]. Its occurance in the musical is at the beginning of the second act and references recent past events or the events to come, see below. We hear the song twice throughout the second act (once as the opener and once after Take Me Or Leave Me) before hearing it in its last incarnation as background to I'll Cover You: Reprise and Angel's eulogy.
The first time the musical Rent was ever performed on stage, Jonathan Larson had just died. The cast decided to sit in chairs onstage and sing through all the songs he had written, in his memory. When they reached the energetic "La Vie Boheme" however, they gave up, and started dancing as well.
[edit] Lyrics
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In Tom Collins' part in the first half of the song, reference is made to various characters and parts of the story.
- "The truths that she learned" could refer to April (Roger's ex-girlfriend) learning that she is HIV-positive or Mimi discovering the same about Roger.
- "The times that he cried" could refer to Roger's tears at the end of the musical or Collins' at Angel's death.
- "The bridges he burned" could refer to Roger burning his bridges with Mimi by moving to Santa Fe, or Benny burning his bridges with his former roommates (Mark, Roger, Collins, and Maureen).
- "The way that she died" could refer to April, who died by suicide before the storyline began, but more likely refers to Angel's death since it is Angel's lover who is singing and Angel's death is foreshadowed elsewhere in the song (see below).
An alternative artistic view on these lyrics suggests that the song could completely refer to Angel. For example:
- "The truths that she learned," could refer to Angel learning that she is a woman, or that she too learned that she was HIV-positive.
- "The times that he cried," could refer to the fact that when Angel is not in drag she is a he, and he could be crying about the injustices s/he has had to face in the world.
- "The bridges he burned," could refer to the family ties that Angel broke when she started to dress in drag.
The second half of the song modifies the question to, "How do you figure a last year on earth?" This question foreshadows Angel's death from AIDS; the plot of Rent encompasses the last year of his life. It also highlights the uncertainty of life in general, emphasizing Rent's carpe diem philosophy of living as though there were "no day but today".
[edit] Alternate Versions
As well as the 1996 Original Cast Recording a number of different versions are on record. Along with the OCR soundtrack is an alternate versions of Seasons of Love featuring Stevie Wonder who sings (and improvises upon) the part usually sung by Joanne's character (remarkably at the same pitch).
The version of the song on the film soundtrack also slightly differs. There is a slightly sharper timbre to the instruments and the solo parts are ever so slightly altered melodically, including different vocal embellishments.
To avoid confusion, in the musical, "Seasons of Love" is performed in two parts, the first at the beginning of Act II with the reprise following a few numbers later. The second part (Seasons of Love B) follows "La Vie Boheme B,". In the film version Seasons of Love is still performed in two parts, but features at the start of the film with the cast performing it on a theatre stage. In the reprise the song plays as a backdrop to a documentary style film about New York life made by the character Mark. Selections from "Seasons of Love" were also used in several of the film's trailers and other promotional material.
Many musical theatre groups and performance groups often cover this song however no known major artist has been known to record a cover (excepting the Stevie Wonder version).
The song was also used as an opening performance piece in the talent show Philippine Idol.
