The oldest running musical in history didn't survive on a diet of pyrotechnics or massive dance numbers. It survived because of a wooden platform, some confetti, and a handful of melodies that feel like they’ve existed since the dawn of time. When you sit down to listen to the songs from The Fantasticks musical, you aren't just hearing a 1960s off-Broadway score. You're hearing the DNA of modern musical theater.
Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt did something weird here. They took a simple story—two fathers faking a feud to get their kids to fall in love—and layered it with a score that shifts from sugary innocence to absolute, jagged cynicism. It’s a trip. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle that a show this small, with such a tiny orchestra (usually just a piano and a harp), managed to outlast every glitzy production on the planet.
The Haunting Simplicity of Try to Remember
If you know one song from this show, this is it. It’s the gateway drug. Most people think "Try to Remember" is just a sweet, nostalgic ballad about the month of September. It’s played at graduations and funerals and grocery stores. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, it’s pretty dark. Jerry Orbach, who originally played El Gallo, delivered it with a sort of weary wisdom that suggests the "mellow" days he's singing about are gone forever.
The song functions as a frame. It asks the audience to use their imagination, which was a radical move in an era of big-budget realism. By the time the song returns at the end of the show, the context has shifted completely. You've seen the characters get beaten down by the world. Now, the "deep September" isn't just a time of year; it's a state of mind where you finally understand that life isn't a fairy tale.
Much More Than a Simple Love Song: Metaphors and Madness
While "Try to Remember" gets the glory, the rest of the songs from The Fantasticks musical are where the real complexity hides. Take "Much More." It’s the quintessential "I Want" song before that was even a standardized term in theater. Luisa, our heroine, sings about wanting to be special. She wants to see "much more" than just her backyard. It’s frantic and breathless.
Then you have "Metaphor."
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It’s a duet between the two lovers, Matt and Luisa. They are young, pretentious, and deeply in love with the idea of being in love. They compare themselves to the moon and stars in a way that’s intentionally over-the-top. Schmidt’s music here is lush, but Jones’s lyrics are poking fun at them. You're meant to laugh at how dramatic they are, even as you're swept up in the melody.
Then the tone shifts.
The first act ends with "Happy Ending," which is a total lie. It’s upbeat, bright, and sounds like a traditional musical finale. But the second act immediately deconstructs that happiness. The fathers, who seemed like lovable eccentrics, start bickering in "Plant a Radish." This song is a gem of cynical advice. They argue that children are harder to raise than vegetables because at least with a radish, you know what you're getting. "You can depend on a radish," they sing. It's funny, sure, but it's also a biting commentary on the frustration of parenting.
The Darker Side of the Score
A lot of modern listeners get caught off guard by "It Depends on What You Pay." For years, this was known as "The Abduction Song" (and in even earlier versions, it used the word "Rape" in the archaic sense of "to seize and carry off"). It’s a vaudevillian number where El Gallo lists the different types of staged kidnappings he can provide for a fee.
The song is uncomfortable. It’s supposed to be.
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It highlights the artifice of the fathers' plan and the transactional nature of the "romance" they are trying to manufacture. In recent years, many productions have updated the lyrics to remove the "R" word to better suit modern sensibilities, but the core of the song remains a cynical look at how we package "adventure" for a price.
Why the Minimalist Instrumentation Works
Most musicals today have twenty-piece orchestras or backing tracks that sound like a stadium concert. The songs from The Fantasticks musical do the opposite. They rely on the harp.
The harp gives the score a celestial, dreamlike quality. It makes the world feel fragile. When Matt goes off to see the "real world" and gets brutalized in "Round and Round," the music becomes chaotic and dissonant. The contrast between the delicate harp and the harsh lyrics about the world's cruelty is what gives the show its teeth.
You don't need a wall of sound when you have a melody as strong as "Soon It's Gonna Rain." This song is the peak of Schmidt's ability to write a tune that feels like it's being whispered in your ear. It’s intimate. It creates a "hush" that most Broadway shows can't achieve with a million-dollar sound system.
The Evolution of the Lyrics
Tom Jones was a poet, basically. He didn't just write rhymes; he wrote imagery. In "They Were You," the realization that the lovers reach isn't that they are perfect for each other, but that they have both been hurt and that their scars make them real.
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"I can see you. You are you."
That’s a heavy line. It’s the moment the masks come off. The musical journey of these characters is mirrored perfectly in the transition from the flowery, metaphorical language of Act I to the stark, simple declarations of Act II.
How to Approach the Score Today
If you're a performer or just a fan, don't treat these songs like museum pieces. They aren't meant to be "pretty" in a sterile way. They are meant to be felt.
The best versions of these songs happen when the singers lean into the imperfections. When El Gallo sounds a little tired. When Luisa sounds a little too desperate. When the fathers sound genuinely annoyed.
The songs from The Fantasticks musical work because they acknowledge that growth is painful. You "try to remember" the innocence because you can never actually go back to it. You can only carry the memory of it into the "mellow" days of your older, wiser life.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Performers
- Listen to the Original 1960 Cast Recording: Jerry Orbach’s performance is the gold standard for a reason. His phrasing on "Try to Remember" teaches you everything you need to know about subtext.
- Analyze the Harp Part: If you’re a musician, look at how the harp provides the rhythmic drive for the show. It’s not just "background fluff"; it’s the heartbeat of the production.
- Compare the "Abduction" Lyric Variations: Look at how the script has evolved since 1960. It’s a masterclass in how theater adapts to changing cultural norms without losing its central theme.
- Focus on the Silence: When performing these songs, remember that the "space" between the notes is where the emotion lives. Don't over-sing. Let the simplicity of the melody do the heavy lifting.
- Read the Source Material: Check out Edmond Rostand's play Les Romanesques. Seeing where the lyrics originated helps you understand the satire that Jones and Schmidt were aiming for.