MY ANALYSIS OF THE SOUNDTRACK OF ‘THE GREATEST SHOWMAN’

‘The Greatest Showman’ is a movie starring Hugh Jackman, Zendaya and Zac Efron. It was released in 2017. It is based on the life of P.T Barnum of the Barnum and Bailey Circus and the star attractions. The soundtrack was penned Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The movie is very entertaining for those who like musicals or a well-knit plot in general.

Track 1- This Is Me [ Keala Settle and cast] 

This track is an empowering song about the celebration of being unique. The song tells us of how some people struggle to get accepted in society unless they hide their true selves. It also tells us that we can be ourselves and not care what the people think of us. Its main theme is self-acceptance.  It includes lyrics like:

“I am not a stranger to the dark

Hideaway, they say

Cause we don’t want your broken parts”

“But I won’t let them break me down to dust

I know that there’s a place for us

For we are glorious”

“I am brave, I am bruised

I am who I’m meant to be

This is me”

 

Track 2- A Million Dreams [Ziv Zaifman, Hugh Jackman, and Michelle Williams] 

This song is about the dreams and ambitions of a kid about his future. It’s about hope, imagination, optimism and a positive outlook on life. The song says that the world is what we want it to be. And if we work for our dreams, it would come true. The lyrics include:

“I close my eyes and I can see

A world that’s waiting up for me

That I call my own”

“They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy

They can say, they can say I’ve lost my mind

I don’t care, I don’t care so call me crazy

We live in a world that we design”

“However big, however small

Let me be a part of it all

Share your dreams with me”

Track 3- The Greatest Show [Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, and Zendaya and cast] 

This song is about putting up a show with talented people who are also outcasts. It also encompasses the idea of the whole movie, including Barnum’s dreams, the relationship of Anne Wheeler and Philip Carlyle and more. The song has an upbeat tune and a peppy beat. It invites us to the world of Barnum and his circus of ‘freaks’ and his life. Its lyrics include:

“Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for

Been searching in the dark, your sweat soakin’ through the floor

And buried in your bones there’s an ache that you can’t ignore

Takin’ your breath, stealin’ your mind

And all that was real is left behind”

“So tell me do you wanna go

Where it’s covered in all the colored lights

Where the runaways are runnin’ the night

Impossible comes true, it’s takin’ over you

Oh, this is the greatest show

We light it up, we won’t come down

And the sun can’t stop us now

Watchin’ it come true, it’s takin’ over you

Oh, this is the greatest show”

Track 4 – Come Alive [Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Daniel Everidge, Zendaya] 

This song is about helping others to understand that we don’t need to see how others are going to react to our actions and our decisions. This song encourages us to discover new aspects to everyday life and use our imagination to transform something ordinary to something extraordinary. Its lyrics include:

“When the world becomes a fantasy

And you’re more than you could ever be

‘Cause you’re dreaming with your eyes wide open

And you know you can’t go back again

To the world that you were living in

‘Cause you’re dreaming with your eyes wide open

So, come alive”

“I see it in your eyes

You believe that lie

That you need to hide your face

Afraid to step outside

So you lock the door

But don’t you stay that way”

Track 5- The Other Side [Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron] 

This song is a situational song. This song is sung to help Barnum convince Philip Carlyle, a wealthy person to be his partner and join him in running his circus.  This song has the underlying meaning that we can break free from social barriers and be themselves and do what the want to do. Its lyrics include:

“Right now, right now

I put the offer out

I don’t want to chase you down

I know you see it

You run with me

 And I can cut you free

Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in

So trade that typical for something colorful

And if it’s crazy, live a little crazy

You can play it sensible, a king of conventional

Or you can risk it all and see”

“Don’t you want to get away from the same old part you gotta play

Cause I got what you need

So came with me and take the ride

It’ll take you to the other side”

 

Track 6 – Never Enough [Loren Allred] 

This song is about dissatisfaction with life, hence the title ‘Never Enough’. It is sung at a point in the film when many characters face a turning point in their lives. Its lyrics include:

 “I tried to hold my breath

Let it stay this way

Can’t let this moment end”

“All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the night sky

Will never be enough, never be enough

Towers of gold are still too little

These hands could hold the world but it’ll

Never be enough, never be enough”

“Never enough

For me”

 

 Track 7 – Tightrope [Michelle Williams] 

This song is about an air of uncertainty faced by Charity, the wife of Barnum while he his busy with his circus. It also refers to a circus tightrope. Its lyrics include:

“Some people long for a life this simple and planned

Tied with a ribbon”

“But I’d follow you to the great unknown

Off to a world we call our own”

“We’re walking a tightrope

High in the sky

We can see the whole world down below

We’re walking a tightrope

Never sure, never know how far we could fall

But it’s all an adventure

That comes with a breathtaking view

Walking a tightrope”

Track 8- From Now On [Hugh Jackman and cast]

This song is about picking up the pieces after something tragic happens and to go on in life. It gives us the lesson that no matter what happens in life we must find a way to go on and move forward stronger. Its lyrics include:

“When the glitter fades and the walls won’t hold

 Cause from then

Rubble

What remains

Can only be what’s true

If all was lost

There’s more I gained”

“From now on

These eyes won’t be blinded by the lights

From now on

What’s waited now starts tonight”

“And we would come back home

Home again”

Track 9- Rewrite The Stars[ Zac Efron, Zendaya]

This song is about controlling one’s fate and not letting fate control it or tell them otherwise. This is a duet between two characters on two sides of a political barrier. One is optimistic, and says that we can control our fate. While the other is realistic and says that we can’t change the circumstances surrounding them. Its lyrics include:

“You know I want you

It’s not a secret I try to hide

I know you want me

So don’t keep saying our hands are tied

You claim it’s not in the cards

And fate is pulling you miles away

And out of reach from me”

“You think it’s easy

You think I don’t want to run to you

But there are mountains

And there are doors that we can’t walk through”

“I know you are wondering why

Because we are able to be

Just you and me

Within these walls

But when we go outside

You’re gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all”

“How do we rewrite the stars

  Say you were meant to be mine

Nothing can keep us apart

Cause you are the one I was meant to find.”

 

This is my analysis of the songs in the soundtrack of the greatest showman.  I haven’t included the reprises of ‘Never Enough’ and ‘A Million Dreams’ because it has the same meaning as the original. I hope you like it and gain more insight into the songs in the movie