The Songs

I. Turning Points

Songs from shows that defined and expanded the very concept of a Broadway Musical as an art form (and, for better or worse, a business) over the past 120 years.

“Give My Regards to Broadway,” Little Johnny Jones (1904)
“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” Show Boat (1927)
“Oklahoma!,” Oklahoma! (1943)
“Tonight (Quintet),” West Side Story (1957)
“Cabaret,” Cabaret (1966)
“Hair,” Hair (1968)
“The Ladies Who Lunch,” Company (1970)
“Ease on Down the Road,” The Wiz (1975)
“At the Ballet,” A Chorus Line (1975)
“Memory,” Cats (1982)
“Seasons of Love,” Rent (1996)
“He Lives in You (Reprise),” The Lion King (1997)
“Satisfied,” Hamilton (2015)
“Inner White Girl,” A Strange Loop (2022)

II. Songs Everybody Should Know

Songs that are required listening for every animal, vegetable, or mineral.

“I’m Just Wild About Harry,” Shuffle Along (1921)
“I Got Rhythm,” Girl Crazy (1930)
“Summertime,” Porgy & Bess (1935)
“There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949)
“Luck Be a Lady,” Guys and Dolls (1950)
“I Could Have Danced All Night,” My Fair Lady (1956)
“Send in the Clowns,” A Little Night Music (1973)
“Time Warp,” The Rocky Horror Show (1975)
“Tomorrow,” Annie (1977)
“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” Dreamgirls (1981)
“One Day More,” Les Misérables (1987)
“Defying Gravity,” Wicked (2003)

III. Notable Creatives

The essential creators we should learn about and celebrate before moving on to other topics.

“Anything Goes,” Anything Goes (1934)