good for you lyrics dear evan hansen lyrics

Admittedly, there are standout lines, such as in the chorus of the now iconic “Waving Through a Window.” The words “On the outside always looking in / Will I ever be more than I’ve always been? / ’Cause I’m tap, tap, tapping on the glass / I’m waving through a window” have become the poignant refrain of a generation of bullied youth, and are especially resonant in the era of coronavirus-based self-quarantine. Their phenomenal score, which critic Steven Suskin has called “one of the strongest… in years,” is marred by lyrical platitudes, cliches, and conveniences. This is not the case, however, in “Dear Evan Hansen,” with lyrics also by Pasek and Paul. In all cases, music and lyrics work together toward a common goal, accomplishing more together than they could separately. Lofty echoes from winds and strings underscore the frivolity of the lyrical conversation. Some are funny, clever, and topical: In “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” Rolf spends the entire song warning Liesl about the dangers of the title age before satirically justifying his expertise by explaining that he is “seventeen going on eighteen,” so she can trust him. Some songs are moving: “Here you are, standing there, loving me / Whether or not you should / So somewhere in my youth or childhood / I must have done something good,” Maria gushes in “Something Good,” with Rodgers’ chromatic melody bringing a shadow of tentativeness to Hammerstein’s humbly beautiful words of affection.

One particularly appropriate example is “The Sound of Music,” a personal favorite. Great canonical musicals, exemplified by the collaborations between composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist and book writer Oscar Hammerstein II, use the nexus between music and text to house character development, plot propulsion, and thematic exploration. Still, lyrics are a central component of a well-crafted musical. In the angst-ridden “Good for You,” for example, an urgent septenary meter reflects that Evan is running out of time to rectify a soon-to-be-broken relationship with his mother. The electrifying Act One finale “You Will Be Found” gets a special shout-out in Isherwood’s review, but even the less well-known songs are just as powerful. Perhaps more importantly for the musical theater genre, the score, a product of the writing duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (of “Dogfight,” “The Greatest Showman,” and “La La Land” fame), pushes the story forward in every bar. When he fakes a friendship with a suicide victim, his lies spiral into a wide-reaching social media movement of which he is the ambivalent star. Evan is a lonely teenager struggling with mental illness. Undoubtedly, Steven Levenson’s brilliant book for the musical tells a unique and topical story.

But New York Times writer Charles Isherwood’s praise is telling: He commends the smash hit for its “haunting score… matched by a book of equal sensitivity.” He does not comment on the lyrics. Dismissing countless rave reviews would diminish the credibility of arts criticism in general, which is probably a bad move for an art critic. Outright rejecting the show that won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and more would be too sacrilegious for any self-respecting musical theater devotee to bear. It’s impossible to argue that “Dear Evan Hansen” is bad.

Good for you lyrics dear evan hansen lyrics