As someone who walks around a lot, I find that I always need to have a good playlist of songs with a good rhythm to walk to. I have discovered that, unsurprisingly, songs about work, or songs that are sung while the characters on stage are working, always set a great rhythm for walking, or doing anything else that requires that sort of pace.
One of my favorite things to do with showtunes is assemble compilations of songs on various topics, and work songs are definitely something worth discussing. What I find fascinating is that letting characters sing while working, or sing about their work, brings music to something that is usually quite trivial, and possibly even boring.
It’s not surprising when a character sings about love, sadness, or some huge dilemma they’re having: traditionally, musical numbers in musicals serve the purpose of soliloquies, allowing moments of insight into the characters’ minds and thus providing a space for the characters to express their thoughts and feelings.
Singing about something as simple as their job, however, allows for an entirely different function of musical numbers. While it’s always true that a song number can be used for heightened emotions and drama, songs about work prove that the opposite is possible as well — songs dramatize the everyday aspects of the characters’ lives, and bring musicality and a brand new rhythm to the traditionally mundane sides of life.
I’m sure that just reading a discussion on work songs, you have already come up with some examples for yourself. Now that I’ve outlined why I find those songs so interesting, I present to you, my personal top 10 work songs… Which also make a great playlist for walking places, doing chores, or turning any other mundane task into an epic musical number.
1. “The Pajama Game/Racing With the Clock” (The Pajama Game)
Talk about setting a good rhythm to work! Most of The Pajama Game is set in a factory, which in and of itself is a cool exploration of the workplace as a place where music can, and does happen. This song, however, really sets you to work. All of the “hurry up!”s set the song’s pace, and you find yourself racing with the clock yourself as you listen to it.
2. “Look Down/Prologue” (Les Misérables)
Okay… I didn’t say all of those songs would be happy. Given, of course, the context of the show, “Look Down” from Les Mis really brings dull, repetitive, hard work to the extreme. While it’s practically impossible to relate directly to that song, it’s still a great example for a work song. And — speaking from experience — huffing “look down, look down, don’t look ’em in the eye” to yourself during your 8am walk to school on a Monday is, actually, quite appropriate. I feel you, Valjean. I do.
3. “In The Heights” (In The Heights)
The title song from In The Heights is a great way to depict not only the process of working, but also how the characters get there: in the early morning, Usnavi’s song is slower and it only picks up its pace as he starts making coffee and people start coming in, leading to sales bit in the song. The “$1, $2, 1.50, 1.69–” portion of the song is a perfect example of the character’s work rhythm and the way he starts his fast-paced day as he takes on his stop-and-shop work routine.
4. “Stars Look Down” (Billy Elliot)
This is probably one of my favorite showtunes of all time. While it’s not exactly a work song, the characters are united by sharing the same job, which is one of the central points of the musical as a whole. “Stars Look Down” deals with solidarity and unity, which are vital to the work force in the musical, and when those harmonies kick in, it’s impossible not to connect to the mine workers and metaphorically march with them.
5. “Coffee Break” (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying)
Now that we’ve reached the middle of this top 10, it’s time for a coffee break. Of course, coffee breaks are a vital part of the work day in any job, and “Coffee Break” from H2$ is a great example of a song that depicts that part of every working person’s day. Even if it is slightly melodramatic, there’s something about the lyrics “if I can’t take my coffee break, something within me dies” which is just… true. Take a coffee break now!
6. “Everybody Say Yeah” (Kinky Boots)
Now, there’s a song about people who really love what they’re doing. While the song literally describes the process of creating shoes, it’s also a celebration of the workers’ passion for their job, and as such, has a fantastic rhythm which inevitably gets you motivated and give your own work, and your mood, a great boost. Even though, I mean — they all do realize they’re talking about shoes, right?
7. “The Speed Test” (Thoroughly Modern Millie)
This has the perfect rhythm for everyday work. It’s tap portion of the song is meant to sound like typewriter keys is perfect if you need to be typing things. But be careful, you may find yourself typing to the tap rhythm, thereby getting it in your head for the rest of the afternoon!
8. “Franklin Shepard Inc.” (Merrily We Roll Along)
One of my personal favorite things about Stephen Sondheim’s writing is the unique way in which he handles rhythms, making the lyrics and melody of the song work in perfect tandem, as equal, complimentary components of the song. In “Franklin Shepard Inc”, the character’s words and onomatopoetic sounds get mixed with the melody to produce a hectic depiction of his working lifestyle and the process of his work.
9. “Sounds While Selling/Thank You Madam” (She Loves Me)
Similarly to “In The Heights”, this song from She Loves Me describes the process of selling products and communicating with various customers. The overlapping voices of the salespeople serve to depict the hectic nature of their job at the perfumery, while everyone’s “Thank you, please come again” unites them and shows what all of their work is about: good customer service, and making sure that everything at the shop runs smoothly.
10. “Little Priest” (Sweeney Todd)
…what? It is, practically, a work song. They’re cooking! Making pies! Not all jobs are dull office jobs, am I right? On a more serious note, just like “Franklin Shepard Inc.”, “Little Priest” is a great example of Sondheim’s fantastic way of dealing with rhythms, and setting pace in an unique way, which both underscores and highlights the characters’ work.
Honorary Mention: “9 to 5” (9 to 5)
In all honesty, not one of my absolute favorites. It seemed ridiculous, however, to write a whole article on work songs, and not include a song about office jobs, and working 9-to-5. So, there’s that as well. What a way to make a living.