Valentine

Welcome to Musical Theatre Mondays

Hi, friends!

Sorry that things have been slow on the blog side of things. I’ve been doing a major crunch on novel writing, and when that happens, all of the other balls tend to drop for a little while.

But while I was talking with my fellow serial killers yesterday (you’ll hear it next week!) we discussed moving more of my love of musicals into the Substack—you’ll hear about some ideas for events soon.

But, in the meanwhile, I thought I’d do a weekly spot on some of my favorite songs from musicals. This is an idea that I’ve shamelessly stolen from my theatre mentor, Janet Miller, who had a habit of sharing obscure cuts weekly on Fridays.

But it’s Mondays, so I’m making it my own. :)

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We are going to, in my traditional fashion, start things off extremely sad, extremely fast.

I could lie and say that I’m doing this because I want to contravene the idea that musicals are all about happy people singing and prancing about—an idea that’s probably valid with the golden age of musicals (Think Sound of Music or South Pacific.) Nor is it just about hyper 20-somethings facing the cruel realities of life with anger and sex (Hair, RENT).

Nor is it always happily ever after.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Today’s song is (alas) somewhat obscure, from the musical Remission by Preston Max Allen. Preston’s best-known musical is the amazing, stabby, and incredibly peppy We Are The Tigers—which I’m sure we’ll talk about eventually.

But, I wanted to start with this song, because it’s still close to it’s titular day.

This is “Valentine”, sung by Meghann Fahy:

This is, in my book, the best kind of love song, a sad one.

One of my favorite things about this recording is, in particular, is the audience starts laughing after the first line—but the laughter doesn’t last for long. It uses that humor to edge into a deeper sadness.

It’s the side of love that nobody wants to talk about. But, sometimes, we have to. And those of us who’ve lived it, appreciate it.

I still remember the first time I heard this, completely by accident, about two years ago. I stumbled across it on YouTube, and was completely blown away.

Oh, my heart.

And it's so strange to think that I should meet somebody
Someone who fills the space you left so deep behind
And it's so strange to leave a flower
On your memory

And say, I miss you every year
My valentine
Oh, what I'd give to have you here
My valentine