[This piece was originally posted at Bitch Flicks.]
“Why should a woman who is healthy and strong/blubber like a baby if her man goes away/weepin’ and a-wailin’ how he’s done her wrong/that’s one thing you’ll never hear me say.”
These are strong words from Laurey Williams in Oklahoma!, a young woman who’s just overheard that her romantic sparring partner, Curly McLain, is attending the box social dance with someone else. She declares, “What do I care about that?” and then launches into “Many a New Day,” leading all of the other women in an ode to independence from those heartbreakers who aren’t worth their time.
The song is catchy, spirited, inspiring – and total bullshit. For it’s not long until Laurey is right back to crying over Curly, flirting with Curly, and eventually marrying him.
“Many a New Day” falls under the category of songs I like to call “Hear Me Roar…Sort Of” numbers. These songs are obligatory feminist-ish productions where female characters pay lip service to the idea of being independent and strong, but it’s not long before they’re running back into the arms of the men they previously decided weren’t good enough for them.
Nellie Forbush has one of these numbers in South Pacific, the irrepressibly catchy “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair.” (Skip to the 2:40 mark in this video) here.
Nellie is declaring her intention not to have anything more to do with Emile de Becque. Her willpower lasts right until Emile comes back and woos her some more. Then she launches into “A Wonderful Guy” with twice as much enthusiasm and fervor as she did the previous song (here).
Eliza Doolittle also has a “Hear Me Roar…ish” song in My Fair Lady, tearing down Professor Higgins with some bitingly witty put-downs in “Without You” (here).
Of course, the ending has her returning to Professor Higgins and seeming to want to reconnect with him. The ending is more ambiguous than the conclusions of Oklahoma! and South Pacific, but one gets the sense that those two crazy kids are going to make it work.
Now, not all of these “Hear Me Roar…ish” songs are presented in the same context. No one is disappointed when Nellie Forbush decides not to want to wash that man right out of her hair, because Emile de Becque is a catch and a half. Besides, all throughout “I’m Gonna Wash That Man,” she sounds like she’s trying to conform to her friends’ opinions and convince herself of something she doesn’t really want to do in the first place, and it’s not until “A Wonderful Guy” that she follows what’s true to her heart. In that case, Nellie going back on her big independence number doesn’t feel like a betrayal of character at all.
Laurey Williams, on the other hand, makes me shake my head in dismay. I’m so proud of her when she decides to forget about Curly, and so disappointed when she runs crying into his arms half an hour later. I’m mostly disappointed because Curly is one of the worst human beings in all of musical theater, who tries to convince his romantic “rival” through song to kill himself, who has a duet with a would-be rapist and still comes off as the creepier of the two characters.
Mostly, though, I’m curious about the reasons behind writing these “Hear Me Roar…ish” songs, especially the two numbers from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals. If the women are just going to end up with the men they’re declaring independence from, what’s the point of these songs at all? Did Rodgers and Hammerstein realize in both cases that they didn’t have a big musical number for all of the women in the show, and write these songs to give their female chorus members something to do? Did they decide that three solo songs and two duets for Mary Martin were not enough, and want to give her yet another number? (If that’s the case, I really can’t blame them for that, because Mary Martin is made of magic.)
Or is there something else at work here? Is it possible that these songwriters felt an internal struggle between some feminist instincts and typical musical theater conventions? The “Hear Me Roar-ish” numbers are so catchy and irresistible, it’s almost like the composers and lyricists knew that women of the future would belt them in the shower after a bad breakup.
I wonder if we hear the “I am independent woman!” songs, followed immediately by the “Just kidding, let’s get married!”, because of internal conflicts on the part of the songwriters. Maybe they like feisty, independent women who voice their opinions, but they like conventional happy endings just as much, and that’s why Laurey and Nellie change their minds so quickly.
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It’s interesting you bring this up because the Lizzie Bennett diaries had a very similar moment recently in episode 50 (I started watching after your last blog and ended up watching it all in a couple of days). The only difference is (apart from the lack of singing) is that Lizzie seems genuinely not to mind, so much so that she is actually surprised by this. Her confession of not caring seems natural and it doesn’t feel like she is trying to convince anyone that she doesn’t care.
Just thought I’d share an example of it done right. Hope it is ok that it wasn’t a song example.
No, that’s fine. I haven’t seen that episode yet but I plan to catch up soon and I’ll tell you what I think.
Great article, but I think your starting point is off a bit. The problem you raise is a valid one but it’s not a feminist issue. These stories represent a general idea of women’s way of thinking which may seem misogynist but unfortunately is a very accurate portrayal of the dependent woman. It seems a feminist issue because we’re talking about independence and women making decisions and refusing to accept less than what they deserve but actually it’s psychology that, though not as apparently but can affect men too not only women.
It’s a common story arc, much like a princess & prince myth and let’s face it musicals aren’t out there to contain Earth-shattering wisdom and new philosophies. I admit it would be nice to see some diversity in musicals too as well as in other representations of women in popular culture but first women needed to make different decisions in real life too. Yes, artistic representation can help a lot in shaping opinions but it’s useless unless women start to rethink their choices too. Especially since as I mentioned earlier, that’s not a feminist question, that is making people (men & women alike) realize that clinging to people who’re not good for them is worse than being alone.
—Spoilers if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice —
Well, yeah — but that’s what was in the book — and we know that she really does not care (and will not end up with GW.
Interesting thing about My Fair Lady is that in G.B. Shaw’s play Pygmalion Elizas declaration really MEANS something (she does not stay with Higgins and marries Freddy), but when the play was adapted, the ending was changed so it would be … what? “Better?” More of a happy ending? More like all the other musicals? (Of course, when I was 12 and first read Pygmalion I was crushed by the ending, but still…)
What I don’t like is this idea that in order to be a feminist, you can’t feel deeply upset over romantic rejection. Why? Why do you have to protest so hard that “I don’t need a man” to prove feminist credentials? I’m a heterosexual woman. I’m attracted to men. And if one that I like rejects me, it’s gonna HURT. And if I weren’t het, I’d be attracted to other women, and one of them might hurt me, and it will hurt and I’ll have feelings about it. I hate this idea that you can’t subscribe to the reality of romantic rejection hurting in order to be a feminist.
I don’t like that idea, either. Good thing I didn’t say it, then. Or anything close to that.
Just saw this reply. I never meant to imply that you did? I was…piggybacking on the topic at hand, I suppose. It was a commentary on “independent woman, roar” type musical numbers.
All right, I’m sorry for snapping at you in that case. I get a fair amount of trolls and sometimes my point gets misinterpreted, and I thought that’s what you were doing.
I’ve always taken numbers like that to be wishful thinking more than anything else: women who are having feelings and are NOT over their lovers/boyfriends/exes, but who wish that they were. Or that they could be. I think in times of feeling helpless or not in control it’s pretty normal to try and regain some of that, and the natural way to do that in musical theatre is through song.
That said, there does seem to be a lack of the opposite–women who acknowledge they’re emotional over a break-up but who then get over it.
Yeah, I definitely think that’s what Nellie is doing in “I’m Gonna Wash that Man…” and what Laurey is doing in “Many a New Day,” but I’m not sure why Eliza suddenly comes back and disavows her independence except that the plot says she has to.