Y - yvonne elliman, i don't know how to love him (single), from andrew lloyd webber gold: the definitive hits collection (2001)

ummmm. it's fair to say this was the only artist on my ipod beginning with 'y'. i considered cheating and pretending that i had cat stevens' stuff listed as yusuf islam, but i don't, so instead i've elected to see the fun side of things and indulge myself in a lengthy discourse about  just how much i love show tunes.

if the popularity of 'glee' has taught us one thing, it's not some moralistic tale about being nice to geeky kids.  it's more important than that: glee has taught us how many of us deep down are show tune addicts. admit it, just as much as you love hearing gaga done by a bunch of nerdy high school kids you also love hearing them do tunes from les mis. and, while it may have taken rachel berry and co to illustrate just how many of us secretly love that shit, i have always embraced my intense enjoyment of show tunes.

i think my mother is responsible for this. i was an '80s kid, and grew up at a time when 'cats', 'starlight express' and the quintessentially lloyd-webber ''the phantom of the opera' were enjoying the height of their popularity. i recall mum having a double cassette tape (oh yes!) of the phantom of the opera, and playing it, well... regularly. as kids we saw productions of 'cats' and 'jesus christ superstar' by the dunedin operatic society - i loved that music then, and i unashamedly love it now. my love of show tunes is shared by a close friend and former flatmate, who sees it as utterly appropriate to include "mr mistoffelees", "any dream will do" and "the phantom" itself on a playlist for a party. in fact i'm convinced it is this friend who is responsible for the presence of these songs on my ipod.... many a happy hour has been spent youtubing cats on broadway with my flatmates and cackling with, well, glee, at how excellent the tunes are. you might argue that i need to get out more; i'd just laugh and suggest you need more show tune glory in your life.

and let us not limit our enjoyment of show tunes to sir andrew himself, oh no! i do recall once (okay maybe more than once) being wooed by a boy who sat down at a piano and began to play the entire score of 'chicago'. there was also a time where i believe the same boy pulled out the big guns with 'les mis'.  i used to belong to a facebook group entitled "and WHY can't my life be a musical?!"... perhaps these brief glory days of drunken show tune slurring were the closest i'm going to get. but given my propensity to sing and dance (both badly) at the drop of a hat, well..... watch this space.

tomorrow is 'z' day and rather than go off on some tangential rant i might see if i can arrange a guest post...