La Vie Bohème

"La Vie Bohème" (French: The Bohemian Life) is a song, which is broken into two parts ("La Vie Bohème A" and "La Vie Bohème B"), in the musical Rent. The song is a celebration of bohemianism, especially the type present in the 1980s Alphabet City, Manhattan, and begins with a mocking of the character Benny's statement that "Bohemia is dead".^[1] In between the two halves of the song is an interlude featuring a romantic duet with Roger and Mimi ("I Should Tell You"), during which they each learn that the other is HIV+ and tentatively decide to begin a relationship together. In the stage musical, the second part of this song opens with a brief dialogue between Maureen and Joanne in which Joanne tells of the riot in the lot. The song then continues with the celebration of bohemianism from the first part of the song. Like the first part, the second part of La Vie Bohème lists many ideas, trends, and other symbols of bohemianism. It is a song featuring the characters of Rent holding a toast to bohemianism and shouting out what/who inspires them such as jazz poet Langston Hughes and counterculture-era comedian Lenny Bruce.

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