{"id":8725,"date":"2026-02-13T01:57:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/?p=8725"},"modified":"2026-02-13T01:57:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:57:59","slug":"love-songs-in-broadway-musicals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/?p=8725","title":{"rendered":"Love Songs in Broadway Musicals"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Valentine\u2019s Day tomorrow, it is the perfect moment to turn to one of Broadway\u2019s most enduring traditions: the love song. Musicals have always used romance as a driving force. Love songs heighten drama, deepen character, and give audiences a moment to swoon. Nearly every show includes at least one, and the variety is astonishing. They can be soaring ballads or playful duets, joyful declarations or aching laments, and sometimes all of these appear within the same show.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take \u201cWhat I Did for Love\u201d from <\/span>A Chorus Line<\/span><\/i>. Many people know it as a romantic ballad, especially because the film adaptation presents it that way. Onstage, the song is something quite different. It is a heartfelt tribute to the dancers\u2019 devotion to their craft. It reminds us that love on Broadway is not always romantic. Sometimes it is about passion, sacrifice, and identity. \u201cFar From the Home I Love\u201d from <\/span>Fiddler on the Roof<\/span><\/i> carries a similar emotional weight. Hodel sings not only about joining the man she loves, but also about leaving behind everything familiar in the shtetl of Anatevka.<\/span><\/p>\n

Duets remain one of the most beloved ways to express love in musicals because they allow characters to share the stage and reveal their feelings in real time. Classics such as \u201cAll I Ask of You\u201d from <\/span>The Phantom of the Opera<\/span><\/i>, \u201cAs Long as You\u2019re Mine\u201d from <\/span>Wicked<\/span><\/i>, \u201cIf I Loved You\u201d from <\/span>Carousel<\/span><\/i>, and \u201cDo I Love You Because You\u2019re Wonderful\u201d from <\/span>Cinderella<\/span><\/i> showcase the emotional power of two voices blending together. Not all duets are straightforward. \u201cPeople Will Say We\u2019re in Love\u201d from <\/span>Oklahoma!<\/span><\/i> is a playful example of romantic denial. \u201cUnworthy of Your Love\u201d from <\/span>Assassins<\/span><\/i> is a duet as well, although each character sings about a different person. \u201cIt Only Takes a Moment\u201d from <\/span>Hello, Dolly!<\/span><\/i> stands out as an ensemble-driven moment that celebrates the feeling of falling in love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Solo love songs are equally important in the Broadway tradition. These numbers often give performers a chance to step into the spotlight and reveal a character\u2019s inner world. Solos tend to be more introspective or melancholy, although there are many joyful exceptions. \u201cCan\u2019t Help Lovin\u2019 Dat Man\u201d from <\/span>Show Boat<\/span><\/i> and \u201cA Wonderful Guy\u201d from <\/span>South Pacific<\/span><\/i> radiate warmth and optimism. \u201cIn Buddy\u2019s Eyes\u201d from <\/span>Follies<\/span><\/i> sits somewhere in the middle, tender on the surface but layered with complexity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Broadway also excels at heartbreak. Male-driven laments such as \u201cIf I Can\u2019t Love Her\u201d from <\/span>Beauty and the Beast<\/span><\/i>, \u201cMarry Me a Little\u201d from <\/span>Company<\/span><\/i>, \u201cI\u2019ve Never Been in Love Before\u201d from <\/span>Guys and Dolls<\/span><\/i>, and \u201cBe Careful, It\u2019s My Heart\u201d from <\/span>Holiday Inn<\/span><\/i> reveal vulnerability in characters who might otherwise hide it. Female solos such as \u201cOn My Own\u201d from <\/span>Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/span><\/i>, \u201cHopelessly Devoted to You\u201d from <\/span>Grease<\/span><\/i>, \u201cLove, Look Away\u201d from <\/span>Flower Drum Song<\/span><\/i>, and \u201cI Get a Kick Out of You\u201d from <\/span>Anything Goes<\/span><\/i> capture the ache of longing, unrequited affection, or love that refuses to fade.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether your Valentine\u2019s Day calls for something joyful, wistful, or heart-wrenching, Broadway offers a love song for every mood. These examples represent only a small portion of a tradition that has shaped musical theatre for more than a century and continues to evolve with every new show that steps into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Kathryn McElfresh<\/p>\n

Staff Reporter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Valentine\u2019s Day tomorrow, it is the perfect moment to turn to one of Broadway\u2019s most enduring traditions: the love song. Musicals have always used romance as a driving force. Love songs heighten drama, deepen character, and give audiences a moment to swoon. Nearly every show includes at least one, and the variety is astonishing….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Love-Songs-in-Broadway-Musicals-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}