"I Want" Song: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

''And I want it'' '''NOW'''|'''[[Queen]]'''}}

 

 

 

If written badly, however, the lyrics may convey only the vaguest sense of longing that allows nearly anyone in the audience to associate with the hero by proxy, but doesn't establish enough to motivate the plot. This gets even worse if the hero doesn't actually do anything to achieve their dreams, but happens to stumble into something big later. A lot of writers realize this, because the I Want Song is the single biggest target for a [[Dark Reprise]]. If there isn't a song specifically for the most unhappy part of the hero's life (usually halfway through Act II), it will be a [[Dark Reprise]] of their earlier song. Alternatively, if / when they achieve their goal, they may sing a triumphant reprise of their I Want song upon doing so at the very end of the story.

 

== Anime and Manga ==

 

 

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjIssqHQJ6o "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"], from ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]]''.

*** There's also [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAsHtz_mb1g "More Than A Dream"] from ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]] III: A Twist in Time''. Inverted with the [[Tear Jerker]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q27LQFVAuEk reprise], where Cinderella resigns herself to the fact that her dreams might never come true after all.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtP60NmDKqc "In a World Of My Own"], from ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Disney film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (becomes a case of [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]).

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLn9IMNPxG4 "I Wonder"], from ''[[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Sleeping Beauty]]''.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGoXtSw0Ias "Part of Your World"] from ''[[The Little Mermaid]]''. However, the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgA2xo0HYrE reprise] is arguably the most famous scene in the entire movie.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeDPySP4nIw "Belle (Reprise)"] from ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]''.

*** Also in the musical version and later added into the special edition DVD is a rare "mass I Want Song", where all the enchanted objects sing about being [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MetM68Lr9U8 "Human Again"].

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv1HX80u5x4 "Jack's Lament"] in ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' is more or less one of these. Jack is famous and adored in his role as the Pumpkin King, but craves fresh change and meaningful inspiration. The song's less upbeat and more sorrowing than the standard. Some of Jack's later songs also fit.

*** Especially "What's This" which even climaxes with the line "I want it! Oh ,I want it! Oh, I want it for my own!"

*** Actually, the song is about just that - she wants that feeling of not knowing what's coming. She doesn't know what she wants, she just knows she wants it to come, and she wants it to be a surprise, unexpected, something to discover. If she knew what she wanted, she might as well {{spoiler|marry Kocoum}} and be done.

*** One of Animaniacs' funniest parodies was their Pocahontas parody, with the song "Just The Same Old Heroine" parodying the predictability of this trope.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEOFQAJAcss "Out There"] from ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''.

*** Also [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iECANaKSWUA "God Help the Outcasts"], except with pathos instead of excitement.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5jDlLJPz1A "Go The Distance"] from ''[[Hercules (Disney film)|Hercules]]''.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiLOVazwnWM "Reflection"] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm3ijOVsraA "A Girl Worth Fighting For"] from ''[[Mulan]]''.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DfTzlHte3U "I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme)"] and from ''[[Treasure Planet]]''. It was made by John Reznick of The Goo Goo Dolls.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljdAYTH5QSY "Almost There"] from ''[[The Princess and the Frog]]'' could be considered a subversion, in that Tiana is singing not that she wants something, but rather that she's close to getting it because she's worked hard to earn it.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYFPlyWUXIM&feature=related "When Will My Life Begin?"] from ''[[Tangled]]''. Rapunzel sings about how she longs to see the world beyond her tower.

*** Also, "I've Got A Dream" is another [[Crowd Song|Crowd Want Song]]. The thugs at the Snuggly Duckling sing about all the very non-violent dreams they have.

* The song from ''[[Quest for Camelot]]'' the top quote refers to is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgI3eSzBaHo "On My Father's Wings"], performed by [[The Corrs]].

** ''Barbie Princess and the Pauper'' has [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5RnUetL_eg "Free"].

* "City of Light" from ''[[The Brave Little Toaster]]''.

* In ''[[Cannibal! The Musical]]'' the heroes sing a song about what they want in life called "That's All I'm Asking For".

* ''[[Fame]]''! I'm gonna live forever!

* "One Day I'll Fly Away" from [[Moulin Rouge]]

* The title character in ''[[Muriel's Wedding]]'' borrows some of the greatest hits of [[ABBA]] for this.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

** One episode reveals that he REWROTE this song from one his mean brother would sing when they were kids about all of Joxer's flaws (cowardly, weak, etc...). I'm not sure what the original version of hte song would fall under in that case (an inverted [["The Villain Sucks" Song|Villain Sucks Song]] maybe?)

** Buffy actually gets TWO I wants: this one and "Something to Sing About".

** Spike's "Rest in Peace" is a subversion. What he wants is Buffy, but he goes through the entire song trying (badly) to convince us he has no interest in her.

{{quote|I never wanna hear you say

I want it that way }}

{{quote|I want a chickenwire cage with [[If I Can't Have You|all (my) old ex-es in it in my attic]]<br />

[[Yandere (disambiguation)|Where I can take them out once in a while and give them each a kind pet on the cheek]]<br />

** Mitch's "The Lonesome Fuhrer" is a bizarre one: It's ''[[Adolf Hitler]]'' singing that he ''wants to be a cowboy''!

* The song "There's Gotta Be More To Life" is of Stacie Orrico portraying various people, a trashy teen mom, a boring business woman, an unhappy waitress, a thief, a secret spy etc.. and they all are desiring something better than the life they're living.

* "Northwest Passage" is about wanting to find the titular sea route through the NWT/ Nunavut island chains.

* "World Is Mine" by [[Vocaloid|Hatsune Miku]].

*** That one is also rather dark; Seymour is basically saying that he wants someone/something else to get him out of Skid Row, and that he'd give anything to get it. [[Deal with the Devil|Then Audrey II comes along...]]

**** Really, "Feed Me (Git It)" is this all over.

* "Corner of the Sky" from ''[[Pippin]]'' has the protagonist promises not to settle for the ordinary and to [[Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life|search for a higher state of fulfillment]]. His big dreams are a wild goose chase, keeping him from the important things in life. The deranged attempt at a [[Bright Reprise]] in the final scene leads to spectacular failure.

** "Extraordinary" from the same show is nominally an [["I Am" Song]], but Pippin's trying to convince himself he's as great as he aspires to be is obviously delusional.

* And who could forget "Tomorrow" from ''Annie''?

** As well as the opening number, "Maybe".

{{quote|'''Rosabella:''' We've been going home every night, kinda ''wanting'' something... but wanting what, Cleo?

'''Cleo:''' ''Wanting'' to soak my feet! Come on, dream girl. (She exits.)

* "Great Big Stuff" from ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' ([[The Musical]]), although it's really more about the character's greed than anything.

* "The Wizard and I" from ''Wicked'' - Elphaba wants to be accepted and praised in spite of her strange appearance (i.e. green skin).

** "Popular" is a subversion, as Galinda tries to convince Elphaba of what she should want rather than what she does want.

* "Some People" for Rose and "If Momma Was Married" for June and Luise, both from ''[[Gypsy]]''.

* "With One Look" ''and'' "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from ''Sunset Boulevard''.

* "All That's Known" from ''Spring Awakening''.

** It could be argued that a good majority of the songs in [[Spring Awakening]] are "I Want" Songs- "Mama Who Bore Me" is "I want to be treated like an adult", "Touch Me" is "I want sex/physical intimacy", and "I Don't Do Sadness" is "I want to be free from my neuroses."

* Each act in ''[[Into the Woods]]'' begins with "I Wish". The one in Act 2 is more of a [[Dark Reprise]].

* ''Keating!'' has "I Remember Kirribilli" and "It's Time" for Keating, and John Howard's [[Villain Song]] "Power".

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xifh9rVMgk8 "Ruler of the Land"], where Keating sings about what he wants Australia to be like under his leadership, also fits.

* "Far And Distant Places" from the ''[[Atlantis Musical]]''.

* A version where the person singing is neither the Villain nor the protagonist is found in [[Young Frankenstein]] [[The Musical]] in the song "Please Send Me Someone".

* Leo and Lucille Frank, from ''Parade'', each get one in "How Can I Call This Home" and "What Am I Waiting For?" respectively. Another example of the focus being not on a specific objective but rather a dissatisfaction and uneasiness with life as it is.

* "I Hope I Get It" for the entire cast of ''A Chorus Line''.

* The Elton John musical ''[[Aida]]'' has "Enchantment Passing Through" for Aida and Radames, which gets a [[Dark Reprise]] in the second act.

* ''Copacabana'' has "Just Arrived", which is all about Lola's desire to be a star in New York.

* "Oh, To Be A Movie Star" from ''Passionella'', part of the musical ''The Apple Tree''.

** [[Stephen Sondheim]] fans might be more familiar with his version, "Truly Content".

* ''[[Sweet Charity]]'' has several -- "There's Got To Be Something Better Than This" is a straightforward I Want Song, "Baby Dream Your Dream" is a bittersweet example, and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" can be considered an I Want as well.

* "Much More" from ''[[The Fantasticks]]''.

* Both leads in [[The Music Man]] get their own: "The Sadder But Wiser Girl for Me" for Professor Hill and its [[Distaff Counterpart]] "My White Night" for [[Hot Librarian|Marian the Librarian]]. Ironically, they both end up falling in love with someone exactly opposite from the sort of person they each claim to want.

* Several from [[How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying]]:

** "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm" is Rosemary's.

** "Rosemary" becomes one for the two of them - Finch has finally figured out that he loves Rosemary, and his proposal causes her to reciprocate.

* "Freeze Ray" from ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]]''. "A Man's Gotta Do" was turning into one as well - before Captain Hammer hijacked it in the middle of the first verse and turns it into an [["I Am" Song]].

** "Everything You Ever" is a dark subversion as it as about Billy getting everything he wanted {{spoiler|except Penny, and as a result everything else just leads him to a spiral into disaster and a total transformation into Dr. Horrible.}}

* In [[A Very Potter Sequel]], Hermione has "The Coolest Girl". She's tired of being the object of derision and scorn. She wants people to treat her like a person, and realize that she's a lot cooler than they think she is.