Best Song from “Rent”
Jonathan Larson’s Rent premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop on January 26, 1996. The modern rock-opera take on Puccini’s La Boheme instantly captivated critics and audiences alike, bringing much-needed attention to the devastating AIDS crisis, inner-city class warfare, drug addition, and featuring bold and unabashed queer characters and storylines. While Larson tragically died the night before the show debuted, his masterpiece would go on to run on Broadway for 12 years, win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical, gross hundreds of millions of dollars, and create a whole new crop of Broadway stars out of much of its original cast. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the ground-breaking show, so join the Great Pop Culture Debate as we attempt to name the Best Song from Rent.
Songs discussed: “La Vie Boheme,” “Will I?” “Today 4 U,” “Out Tonight,” “Rent,” “One Song Glory,” “Goodbye Love” “What You Own,” “Take Me Or Leave Me,” “Santa Fe,” “Without You,” “Tango: Maureen,” “Seasons of Love,” “Another Day,” “Light My Candle,” “I’ll Cover You”
Join host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD panelists Bob Erlenback, Curtis Creekmore, and Joelle Boedecker as they discuss and debate 16 of the most powerful songs from this modern Broadway classic.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
For the warm-up to this episode, in which we discuss all the other songs from Rent that didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: “La Vie Boheme” (1) vs. Will I?” (4)
Match-Up 2: “Today 4 U” (3) vs. “Out Tonight” (2)
Match-Up 3: “Rent” (1) vs. “One Song Glory” (4)
Match-Up 4: “Goodbye Love” (3) vs. “What You Own” (2)
Match-Up 5: “Take Me Or Leave Me” (1) vs. “Santa Fe” (4)
Match-Up 6: “Without You” (3) vs. “Tango: Maureen” (2)
Match-Up 7: “Seasons of Love” (1) vs. “Another Day” (4)
Match-Up 8: “Light My Candle” (3) vs. “I’ll Cover You” (2)
Why don’t you just listen to the whole Original Broadway Recording? Here it is for you:
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panelists: Bob Erlenback, Curtis Creekmore, Joelle Boedecker
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
