The Greatest Showman Soundtrack REIMAGINED

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http://instagram.com/p/BqPctUknpyK

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www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/11/16/greatest-showman-how-pop-culture-punchline-became-years-best-selling-album/1979552002/

Per RIAA, the original album of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN has already earned 2 X Platinum status -- meaning that it has sold more than 2 million copies in the USA alone!

Release Date
Previous Certification(s) | Date(s)
Category
Type
Certified Units
Genre


December 8, 2017

2x Multi-Platinum | August 15, 2018
None
Standard
2 Million
SOUNDTRACK

Platinum | March 27, 2018

Gold | January 29, 2018

[jo]

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Hoping there is renewed or new interest in the movie and the original soundtrack!

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Sometimes I'm not sure if the interest in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN from him is real … or a tad patronizing

Maybe I am all wrong... and he just wanted to relate it to the Reimagined HAMILTON recording


Jo

[jo]

Because the film actors were not only singing and dancing -- they were acting out their emotions!


And because the songs were originally written to support the storytelling ( advance the story and enhance character development), they cannot be taken out of context...or they lose their total appeal!


Did you see the tears well up in Hugh's eyes as he started singing FROM NOW ON...the longing on Zac's face as he declared his love in REWRITE THE STARS… or the hurt on Keala's face as she realized that they are still shunned (THIS IS ME)? Or the pride in the oddities's faces and body language as the RingMaster exhorted them to COME ALIVE? Or the joy of celebration as they responded to Hugh's pride in his GREATEST SHOW, the circus? Or the poignancy on Michelle's face as she shares her love for her Man ( TIGHTROPE)... or the diva feeling after Rebecca realized she held the audience in the palm of her hand ( NEVER ENOUGH) ... or the joy in young Barnum's face as he showed young Charity a look into his fantasies (A MILLION DREAMS)? Many have praised the singing...and the dancing -- but this troupe were also excellent actors! All the talents were on display in each musical number and full-on drama in non-musical scenes! Even the daughters displayed their emotions very openly!

Vive la difference!


Jo

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/BqctJYkhW20

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An interview with Pasek and Paul --

www.wvpublic.org/post/european-union-hopes-ban-single-use-plastic-2021#stream/0

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit www.npr.org.


SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

"The Greatest Showman" is a visual feast.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE GREATEST SHOW")
ENSEMBLE: (Singing) Whoa.


PFEIFFER: The movie portrays the early life of P.T. Barnum, founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. And it's filled with bearded ladies, giant strong men and acrobatic feats by strange humans and exotic beasts. It also features Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya. But the real star is the music.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE GREATEST SHOW")
HUGH JACKMAN: (Singing) Don't fight it. It's coming for you, running at ya. It's only this moment - don't care what comes after. Your fever dream - can't you see? - getting closer. Just surrender 'cause you feel the feeling taking over.


PFEIFFER: The film's soundtrack is the best-selling album of the year - more than 2 million copies sold. Now a new version has arrived that seemed designed to keep those sales chugging.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE GREATEST SHOW")
PANIC! AT THE DISCO: (Singing) So tell me. Do you wanna go where it's covered in all the colored lights, where the runaways are running the night? Impossible comes true...


PFEIFFER: It's the same song, but this cut appears on the new CD called "The Greatest Showman: Reimagined." On the new disc, bands like Panic! At The Disco and artists like Kelly Clarkson take over singing duties for the original cast.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE GREATEST SHOW")
PANIC! AT THE DISCO: (Singing) Oh, this is the greatest show.



PFEIFFER: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are the producers of this new batch of songs. And they co-wrote the original songs for the musical. Welcome to you both.
BENJ PASEK: Thanks for having us.
JUSTIN PAUL: Thank you so much.


PFEIFFER: Benj and Justin, what made you think that the world needed to hear these songs again in new versions?
PASEK: You know, we were really excited when we were hearing the response to the songs and the music very early on. It's definitely an album that families are playing with their kids and that kids are singing with their parents. And then we started to see lots of artists would write about the songs online. Artists like Kelly Clarkson or - we always wanted to have the songs covered. And this felt like a really, really fun way to get to include some of our favorite artists who seemed to be fans of the music.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NEVER ENOUGH")
KELLY CLARKSON: (Singing) Towers of gold are still too little. These hands could hold the world, but it'll never be enough - never be enough for me. Never, never...



PFEIFFER: You mentioned kids and families. I have an 8-year-old niece. And I visited her recently. And she kept belting out these songs. And then we watched the movie together, and I kind of got it. I mean, they're very singable. You want to belt them out. Do you have a theory for why that original soundtrack has been as popular as it is?
PAUL: (Laughter) You know, I think the spirit of the film was that we were creating something for families to enjoy, something that everyone could access, something that was hopeful. And we're really proud of that.
PASEK: They're really not cynical. It really is a collection of songs that celebrates dreaming, that celebrates not what the world is but what the world could be. And sometimes we just want to sing. We want to believe that humanity is good and that the world is going to be better if we believe that it can be. And I think that that message has really resonated.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NEVER ENOUGH")
CLARKSON: (Singing) But it'll never be enough...


PFEIFFER: Was there also a very pragmatic marketing reason, you know, the sort of - this commercial opportunity to keep selling more albums of these great songs but with bigger name artists?
PAUL: All these sort of ancillary iterations of the songs and everything is sort of a way to keep the movie alive. And I think, hopefully, maybe brings in people who might never have heard of the movie or might never have want to see it. But then they suddenly see, oh, I'm a fan of Ty Dolla $ign. And Ty Dolla $ign is singing a song from this film. So I should check it out.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE OTHER SIDE")
MAX AND TY DOLLA $IGN: (Singing) Don't you wanna get away to a whole new part you're gonna play 'cause I got what you need. So come with me and take the ride. It'll take you to the other side.



PFEIFFER: How much work did you put into the new songs versus that you left the new artists to kind of retouch and make their own?
PAUL: We really ran the gamut in terms of what our involvement was. At certain moments, something like "The Other Side" - we knew we wanted to keep the theatricality of it. Something like "Rewrite The Stars" with James Arthur and Anne-Marie - the decision was - hey - we want to make something that could really feel like it could be on the radio today.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "REWRITE THE STARS")
ANNE-MARIE: (Singing) No one can rewrite the stars. How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart. And I'm not the one you were meant to find.



PFEIFFER: I get the sense that you've almost cracked the code for the recipe for prize-winning songs that are really soaring and really emotional. People just want to belt them out. And, you know, even before this project, your songwriting has won a Golden Globe, an Oscar, a Grammy. Do you feel like you have the recipe for how you send shivers down the spine or bring tears to the eye and create so much feeling with music?
PASEK: I wish that we had any sort of recipe. But thank you for saying that. I think, for us, we really are guys who came from the world of theater. And so everything that we develop is really a collaboration with directors and actors and writers. And I think, really, what's responsible is a combination of so many different elements.
PFEIFFER: P!nk is one of the musicians on the new album.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A MILLION DREAMS")
P!NK: (Singing) Close my eyes and I can see a world that's waiting up for me that I call my own.



PFEIFFER: How much help does she need to find her voice or to strike the right notes in the song she did which was "A Million Dreams?"
PAUL: I think we acted like she needed help, which required us to be in the studio with her. I'm sure she didn't think she needed any help at all. And, in fact, she didn't.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A MILLION DREAMS")
P!NK: (Singing) They can say - they can say it all sounds crazy. They can say - they can say I've lost my mind.


PAUL: We certainly didn't come in there saying, hey, you need to try more this way and punch this forward. We walked out of there saying, why are you not in our world? Why are you not doing Broadway shows? You're a storyteller. You're an actress. It was mind-blowing to get to watch her craft the song and make it her own.


(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A MILLION DREAMS")
P!NK: (Singing) 'Cause every night I lie in bed. The brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keeping me awake.


PFEIFFER: Do you like any of these new songs better than the originals, if you can be honest about that?
PASEK: (Laughter) We can't answer that.
PAUL: No. They really are of two different worlds. You know, I think nothing for us will replace that original soundtrack. They live as one with the film. These new versions were really intentionally created for listening. You know, you throw on one of your favorite artists and hear their interpretation of the song. I think we look at them in two different columns. And that allows us to love all of our children equally.


PFEIFFER: That's Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting duo and the producers behind the new CD "The Greatest Showman: Reimagined." Benj and Justin, thank you so much.
PASEK: Thanks so much.
PAUL: Thanks for having us. Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FROM NOW ON")
ZAC BROWN BAND: (Singing) And from now on, these eyes will not be blinded by the light. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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[jo]

PFEIFFER: Do you like any of these new songs better than the originals, if you can be honest about that?


PASEK: (Laughter) We can't answer that.

PAUL: No. They really are of two different worlds. You know, I think nothing for us will replace that original soundtrack. They live as one with the film. These new versions were really intentionally created for listening. You know, you throw on one of your favorite artists and hear their interpretation of the song. I think we look at them in two different columns. And that allows us to love all of our children equally.

"The songs live as one with the film!"

Exactly! Because the songs were written to advance the story and to enhance character development. There is complete context, which is not present in the cover songs as they relate to the story of Barnum and his troupe. Also, on an artistic level, the original artists were not only singing but were also acting out the emotions as they relate to the storyline or the character.

Unlike covers of other pop songs, the two versions for each song for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN are not very comparable. The songs cannot simply be interpreted in the original soundtrack as the original artist might want to. The artist has to sing it with the storyline or the character in mind. Whereas two pop artists doing different interpretations of one song, depending on their personal choices and their singing styles, may come out as individualized versions.


Jo

[jo]

Well...well...well

My copy of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED came and I immediately opened the booklet that went with the recording to find out if Hugh Jackman, who started it all, even gets a tiny mention to acknowledge what he has done to bring this movie to life...and from which the reimagined album takes life!

None at all!

*It is executive produced by Justin Paul and Michael Gracey!

*FOX Music execs/staff are acknowledged.

*It is basically the same musical ensemble as in the original soundtrack who are acknowledged

*Imagery, not from the movie, but from the artistic sketches requested by Gracey, are used.



Had Jackman/Efron/Zendaya/Williams/Settle - who acted their roles superbly and did full justice with the singing requirements, not done their artistic commitments to the fullest -- would there have been a successful movie or soundtrack! As Justin Paul said in an interview when asked which he prefers of the two versions -- the soundtrack and the movie live as one!

Btw, on the cover of the booklet, there is a hint of Jackman in the iconic pose with the troupe of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN... and that's it!

They couldn't spare one sentence to acknowledge what Hugh Jackman has done for (t)his 8-year project!



Hmmmm … $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

No wonder Hugh seemed a bit half-hearted about this and did not endorse the cover album until it was ready for release.


Sorry -- but my copy of the album is going to the backburner, pristine and unplayed


Jo

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PFEIFFER: Do you like any of these new songs better than the originals, if you can be honest about that?
PASEK: (Laughter) We can't answer that.
PAUL: No. They really are of two different worlds. You know, I think nothing for us will replace that original soundtrack. They live as one with the film. These new versions were really intentionally created for listening.

So, why has there been no acknowledgement of the contributions of the original artists? Their work ( singing/dancing/acting) gave life to the songs and to the storyline. The songs became memorable because of their artistic interpretations! Don't they even merit a sentence in that entire booklet?


Jo

[jo]

Also posting this on this section, as it seems part of Keala's recovery from a very serious health issue is her work on this album --

Nov 28, 2018 9:40:22 GMT -5 jo said:

Keala suffered a very serious health issue around the time of the Oscars 2018 --


people.com/health/keala-settle-greatest-showman-stroke-week-before-oscars/


Hope she has recovered from the surgery...and taking all the necessary steps to minimize any recurrence, if it can be prevented.

Keep your spirits high, Keala! We are with you all the way!


Jo

[jo]