You know that feeling when a song just rips your heart out and stitches it back together at the same time? That’s basically the legacy of the Moulin Rouge song Come What May lyrics. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to stand on a Parisian rooftop and belt your lungs out, even if you can't hit a high note to save your life.
Most people think this was just another "jukebox" addition to Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 glitter-bomb of a movie. Honestly? They’re wrong. While the rest of the film is a chaotic, beautiful mess of Nirvana, Madonna, and Elton John covers, "Come What May" is the lone survivor—the only original song written specifically for the project. Or was it?
Actually, there’s a bit of a "technicality" there that almost cost the song an Oscar.
The Weird History You Probably Didn't Know
Here’s the thing: "Come What May" wasn't actually born in the Moulin Rouge. David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert originally penned it for Luhrmann’s previous flick, Romeo + Juliet (1996).
It didn't make the cut back then. It sat in a drawer, waiting for the right moment. When Christian and Satine needed a "secret song" to signal their love in front of the villainous Duke, Luhrmann dusted it off. Because it was technically written for a different movie, the Academy disqualified it from the Best Original Song category. Total bummer, right? But in the long run, a gold statue doesn't really matter when you've created the most requested wedding song of the early 2000s.
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What the lyrics are actually saying
The lyrics are simple. Maybe that’s why they work. You’ve got these two people in a "spectacular, spectacular" world of artifice and glitter, and they’re trying to find something real.
The opening line sets the vibe: "Never knew I could feel like this / Like I've never seen the sky before." It’s that classic "first love" blindness. But then it shifts into something more desperate. Christian and Satine use these words as a code. Every time they sing it, they aren't just performing for the crowd; they’re whispering to each other, "I’m still here, and I still love you, no matter what happens with the Duke."
- The Verse: Focusing on the "suddenness" of love.
- The Chorus: The "dying day" promise.
- The Bridge: The "no mountain too high" imagery (okay, a bit cliché, but Ewan McGregor sells it).
Why Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman’s Vocals Matter
Let's be real for a second. Neither Ewan nor Nicole are "professional" singers in the Broadway sense. And that is exactly why the Moulin Rouge song Come What May lyrics land so perfectly.
If you had a technical powerhouse singing these lines, it might feel a bit... cold? Polished? Instead, you hear the breathiness in Nicole Kidman’s voice. You hear that raw, slightly strained power in Ewan McGregor’s tenor. It feels like two people who are actually in love, not two people trying to win a Grammy.
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There are two versions of the track out there, by the way. The "Single Version" is more of a pop ballad with a David Foster sheen. It’s clean. It’s pretty. But the "Film Version"? That’s the one with the grit. It follows the emotional arc of the scene where the orchestra swells and the stakes are life and death.
The Lyrics: A Breakdown of the Emotional Core
If you're looking at the Moulin Rouge song Come What May lyrics, you’ll notice a recurring theme of time.
"Seasons may change, winter to spring / But I love you until the end of time."
It’s ironic because, as we all know (spoiler alert for a 25-year-old movie), Satine doesn't have much time. She’s dying of consumption. When Christian sings about loving her "until my dying day," he thinks he’s talking about a distant future. Satine knows that day is right around the corner. It turns a standard love song into a tragic countdown.
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Common Misconceptions
Some fans think the song is a cover of an old 19th-century poem because the movie is set in 1899. Nope. It’s purely a 90s/00s creation. Others confuse it with the song from the Broadway musical. While the Broadway version (starring Aaron Tveit) is incredible and technically superior in terms of vocals, it loses a bit of that "indie film" intimacy that made the original so special.
How to use this song today
Honestly, "Come What May" is the ultimate "us against the world" anthem. Whether you're putting it on a playlist for a long drive or (let's be honest) singing it in the shower, the power is in the commitment.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of Montmartre:
- Listen to the "Film Version" vs. the "Soundtrack Version." Notice the different vocal takes—the film version is much more theatrical.
- Check out David Baerwald’s other work. He’s a brilliant songwriter who brings a lot of melancholy to his music.
- Watch the "Elephant Love Medley" right before. It provides the cynical context that "Come What May" eventually breaks through.
The song basically teaches us that even in a world built on "show business" and lies, having one truth—one person, one song—is enough to make the world seem like a "perfect place." Even if it's only for a few minutes before the curtain falls.
To get the most out of your Moulin Rouge experience, try listening to the original demo tracks if you can find them; they reveal how a simple ballad transformed into a symphonic masterpiece through Baz Luhrmann’s maximalist lens.