"Good Morning Baltimore" is the opening number of the 2002 musical Hairspray. Written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, it is performed by the protagonist, Tracy Turnblad, and alludes to the distinctive beat and vocal effects ("oh-oh-oh") of The Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby".[1][2]
In the 2007 film, Tracy, played by Nikki Blonsky, blinks her eyes in time with the music at the beginning of this number.
Synopsisedit
Tracy Turnblad wakes up to a new day in Baltimore, and sings about everything she encounters on the way to school. She dreams of being a star. The song "takes us through Tracy’s morning routine, for instance, hitching a ride with the garbage man when she misses the bus for school."[3]
The opening number "Good Morning, Baltimore" tells us everything we need to know about the protagonist. She is a goddess of optimism. Although she lives in a society in which she is considered "plump," Tracy sees herself as beautiful. Moreover, she believes there is beauty in subjects that most would deem ugly. During the song she croons, "The rats on the street / All dance around my feet." She also greets the denizens of Baltimore, including a drunk and a flasher. In her eyes, they are kindred spirits. The song also reveals her ambitious nature. Her main dream is to become a dancer on the Corny Collins Show, a local television show featuring attractive teens from Tracy's school.
This is the exuberant beginning of the story. The young and rotund Tracy dreams of a time when she can dance on her favorite TV show. Despite being criticized for her weight and looked down upon for her radical views on race, Tracy is a bright optimist. In this song, she welcomes another day in her beloved Baltimore, Maryland. The tone of the song is lightly satirical, as the movie shows some of the more unsavory aspects of the city, including the rats and roaches. Tracy sings of her aspirations and hunger for life, knowing there is something out there waiting for her.
Critical receptionedit
BroadwayReviewed said "'Good Morning Baltimore' from the musical Hairspray is one of the most well known songs from the broadway show. Not only does everyone love this show tune, but it is an awesome song to represent the city. It is positive, funny and a bit quirky, just like Baltimore." It adds the song "is the perfect way to open the show because it isn’t just funny, but it is a fun song to sing. It walks you through the city and you even somewhat feel like you are actually there when she is describing it."[6] Talkin' broadway described the song as "lovably cheesy 1960s pop".[7] Common Sense Media said this "infectious song...sets the cheery tone" of the rest of the 2007 film.[8] Similarly, CinemaBlend explains "The song immediately sets the toe-tapping tone for the rest of the film".[3]
Repriseedit
A reprise is performed by Tracy as she is imprisoned for protesting. The lyrics are changed to show Tracy's loneliness and love for Link.
Referencesedit
^Heller, Dana (2011). Hairspray. John Wiley & Sons.
^Shewey, Don (2002) [2002-10-01]. "Broadway's biggest do". The Advocate: 62–63.
good, morning, baltimore, opening, number, 2002, musical, hairspray, written, marc, shaiman, scott, wittman, performed, protagonist, tracy, turnblad, alludes, distinctive, beat, vocal, effects, ronettes, 1963, baby, contents, production, synopsis, analysis, cr. Good Morning Baltimore is the opening number of the 2002 musical Hairspray Written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman it is performed by the protagonist Tracy Turnblad and alludes to the distinctive beat and vocal effects oh oh oh of The Ronettes 1963 hit Be My Baby 1 2 Contents 1 Production 2 Synopsis 3 Analysis 4 Critical reception 5 Reprise 6 ReferencesProduction editIn the 2007 film Tracy played by Nikki Blonsky blinks her eyes in time with the music at the beginning of this number Synopsis editTracy Turnblad wakes up to a new day in Baltimore and sings about everything she encounters on the way to school She dreams of being a star The song takes us through Tracy s morning routine for instance hitching a ride with the garbage man when she misses the bus for school 3 Analysis editAbout com examines the song s themes 4 The opening number Good Morning Baltimore tells us everything we need to know about the protagonist She is a goddess of optimism Although she lives in a society in which she is considered plump Tracy sees herself as beautiful Moreover she believes there is beauty in subjects that most would deem ugly During the song she croons The rats on the street All dance around my feet She also greets the denizens of Baltimore including a drunk and a flasher In her eyes they are kindred spirits The song also reveals her ambitious nature Her main dream is to become a dancer on the Corny Collins Show a local television show featuring attractive teens from Tracy s school Answers com adds further insight 5 This is the exuberant beginning of the story The young and rotund Tracy dreams of a time when she can dance on her favorite TV show Despite being criticized for her weight and looked down upon for her radical views on race Tracy is a bright optimist In this song she welcomes another day in her beloved Baltimore Maryland The tone of the song is lightly satirical as the movie shows some of the more unsavory aspects of the city including the rats and roaches Tracy sings of her aspirations and hunger for life knowing there is something out there waiting for her Critical reception editBroadwayReviewed said Good Morning Baltimore from the musical Hairspray is one of the most well known songs from the broadway show Not only does everyone love this show tune but it is an awesome song to represent the city It is positive funny and a bit quirky just like Baltimore It adds the song is the perfect way to open the show because it isn t just funny but it is a fun song to sing It walks you through the city and you even somewhat feel like you are actually there when she is describing it 6 Talkin broadway described the song as lovably cheesy 1960s pop 7 Common Sense Media said this infectious song sets the cheery tone of the rest of the 2007 film 8 Similarly CinemaBlend explains The song immediately sets the toe tapping tone for the rest of the film 3 Reprise editA reprise is performed by Tracy as she is imprisoned for protesting The lyrics are changed to show Tracy s loneliness and love for Link References edit Heller Dana 2011 Hairspray John Wiley amp Sons Shewey Don 2002 2002 10 01 Broadway s biggest do The Advocate 62 63 a b Alexandra Calamari July 20 2007 Hairspray Retrieved August 4 2015 Wade Bradford An Analysis of Songs and Themes in Hairspray About com Education Retrieved August 4 2015 Meaning Behind the Fun Hairspray Soundtrack List Answers com Archived from the original on February 16 2015 Retrieved August 4 2015 Showtunes about the USA 4 Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray BroadwayReviewed com BroadwayReviewed com Retrieved August 4 2015 Talkin Broadway Review Hairspray Retrieved August 4 2015 Hairspray 2007 Retrieved August 4 2015 nbsp This 2000s song related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Good Morning Baltimore amp oldid 1075314152, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
