25th Annual Putnam Cnty Spelling Bee - The I Love You Song 

It's heart breaking to think that Olive's idea of "highly unrealistic" is both her parents together telling her how much they love her

The way she sings, "mama, mama, mama' is slightly more childish sounding than the rest of her singing and it just reminds you that we're witnessing a child, a child who dreaming of parental love. Whenever she says it I start to break down, it's just heartbreaking.

I always felt Olive was the main character of the show and that this song was the show's climax, more so than the face-off between Barfée and Olive that comes after. Out of all the show's very clever and touching numbers, this one definitely hits the deepest.

This is tragically beautiful. No child should have to imagine what it's like for their parents to love them.

Was shocked when me and my friends came to the conclusion that Olive's mom isn't really in India, and left the family after getting pregnant with another man's baby, explaining her "9-month spiritual quest." Pretty much, Olive is NEVER seeing her mama again.

Her vibrato and resonance on the “how I wish you were...” just before the parents come back in hits me in the chest every time. Celia is able to place the emotion in every lyric of this song. Her phrasing exemplifies true understanding of music and lyric together.

wow I have so many feelings about this song ugg 1) can we take a moment to appreciate the gift to this earth that is Celia Keenan-Bolger 2) this may just be me but the lyrics "I think dad is angry ma, and I do not know what to do/Mama mama mama, shanti shanti and om/I think he takes out on me what he wants to take out on you" suggest that Olive's dad is abusive ;o; 3) I ALWAYS CRY WHEN SHE SAYS "highly unrealistic, wildly fanciful." AT THE END. IT ADDS SO MANY LAYERS OF SADNESS TO THE SONG I CANNOT EVEN 4) The line/chord from 4:55-4:59 is such an eargasm to me like wow this song makes me an emotional mess but we're not even doing the full thing in my production and I'm still very mad

I just saw a production last night where during Olive's solo, her mom and dad went to the back of the stage were they were silhouetted against lights and reenacted an argument, Olive's mom's packing to leave, and Olive's dad throwing Olive's mom to the ground an aaaaaah it was terrifying and wrecked my heart but sooooooo good. Thanks for the upload, the original is perfection

I was assistant director to this show in high school, and while blocking this scene NO ONE could keep it together. We had such talented singers for our production, its insane how emotinal this is when you really *feel* it every night.

The combination of "Blame it on your Daddalee and Mammalee / ‘Cause depression runs in our family" is a odd and off-kilter rhyme, and catches people off guard in the middle of an emotional song. Finn/Lapine have similar such rhymes in other shows they've done ("Falsettos")

At one moment I couldn't tell if the actor playing Olive's father was facing her or her mother when he sang "I love you", which actually adds a whole new level of complexity to this already deep and emotional song. I think the lighting actually conveys the both the strain of Olive's family life and how she wishes things to be, quite well. I might be over-analyzing this or I might not, either way I love this song.

I can't believe someone videoed this back when cell phones weren't common. Nothing hits like that original cast. They really got it right. Olivia and her mother are perfect.

I just played Barfée in a production of this and we had to freeze on the risers while they were signing this song, and about half way through I looked over to the girl playing Shwartzee and we were both in floods of tears. Such a beautiful song

My question is why do people always laugh during the beginning like ITS NOT FUNNY

Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Olive's dad is a huge abusive asshole. He is obviously not giving Olive the love she needs, but I don't think that's because he doesn't want to. Ik that sounds weird but hear me out. I agree with many theories that Olive's mom is not in India, or if she is in India it's kind of a situation where she left with the intention of forgetting her life and family in the US and starting over completely. Nonetheless, she has definitely left her husband and child for good. I suppose her dad knows this and hasn't had the guts to tell Olive yet. But he knows and of course, he is depressed and angry (remember, depression runs in the family), as anyone would be in this situation. He probably has to take on more work than he had previously had as a newly single parent in order to support Olive and himself financially. This is why I presume he can't come to the Bee. Not because he doesn't care, but because he truly is held up. I suppose the stress of working so much plus his bad mental state causes him to "take out" his anger on Olive. I like to think he's never hit her, but he does enough to scare her a lot. Perhaps he breaks things, yells at her when she asks for things because he is so tired etc. Of course no parent should make their kid believe that the concept of being loved is a chimerical one, however I don't think Olive's dad doesn't love her. I think their whole family situation is just impossibly difficult and sad as heck :(

The moment you learn the unconfirmed theory -but I think it's true- that Olive's mom isn't in India, that it is Olive's fantasy to cover up abuse or infidelity or just her plain running away, every lyric means so much more.

Greatness! they sound exactly like they do on the cast recording , true talent.

This song is a gut punch.

I’m playing Olive Ostrovsky for my High School and this song always gets me and I get really emotional about it when we reherse it because I understand it, not to get all sappy but my family isn’t exactly a tight-knit one(William Finn pun intended), so preforming this will be an emotional experience.

Dang, that's a G flat she's belting.

The thing I love most about this song is how it comes from practically nowhere in the show. In the beginning of the song, the audience is like, "wait should we laugh?" and as it goes on everyone's just blown away.

i thought olive's mom and dad were just saying they loved her but theyre fighting, theyre trying to prove each one loves olive more than the other and proving that neither really loves her as much as she deserves

This song is so beautiful! I cry every time I hear it. I'm playing Rona (who plays Olive's mother in this song) in a production of Spelling Bee at Berkeley Playhouse and I'm so excited to be able to sing this song!

Undoubtedly one of the best trios in the musical theatre canon.

I've listened to this song more times than I can count, and you know, EVERY SINGLE TIME I still want to just bawl from 4:55 on....so heart wrenching, and the harmonies are just breathtakingly gorgeous. Not to mention the superb vocals. WOW.

"I think dad takes out on me what he wants to take out on you." What do you guys think that line means? Is it as simple as physical abuse or is it more complex, like neglect or bitterness or simply sadness?

in the production I was in (I was Logainne) they had me, barfee, olive and her parents all sing the last "I love you" all together which I thought made it even more sad :( I was lowkey crying backstage the whole time

I saw Spelling Bee the night after it opened on Broadway so I had little to no knowledge of the show/songs other than I loved William Finn and James Lapine....and I did love the show and laughed up a storm but I remember thinking that I wanted a big William Finn ballad....then this epic came along. I was stunned by its beautiful melody and harmonies and the acting involved was very strong. It got a standing ovation that night. It is one of the best songs written for the theatre.

I can't listen to this song without tearing up. SO BEAUTIFUL.

@lemonjuice0450 They aren't her "real" parents. She asks for a definition of her word and it's "fanciful, wildly unrealistic." These are her imaginary parents who love and dote on her whereas her real parents ignore her. The characters that act as her imaginary parents are the two most comforting adults involved in the bee. She turns them into her imaginary parents.

@TwilightsSecrets Ok. It's the original off-broadway cast, the same as the original Broadway cast. they are quite obviously not lip-synching because it is filmed in the theatre. Also, as you can hear at 5:03, Olive's voice strains a little bit (perfectly understandable) which is evidence that it's a live performance as in a cast recording they would have re-recorded that. These are the people that are on the CD recording, so their voices are going to be the same. The sound is simply lagging.

Oh God I love this song. It's so intense, and it builds so well. I love Olive's belt. Such a solid belt.

this performance becomes so much more touching and raw when you realize that celia’s (olive) mother passed three years before this performance.

Does anyone notice towards the end where olives mom and dad are singing and instead of singing I swear it’s true I love you with olives mom, olives dad sings maybe it’s true? Really sets the tone on how olive comes to the conclusion that her mom loves her but she’s trying to convince her dad he loves her. Such a well thought out song.

how did these tears get on my face

4:28 and on. Oh My GOD! Amazing!

My head canon is that Olive's mom abandoned her and her father, and forfeited her parental rights, and Olive's father doesn't know how to break it to Olive, so he just tells her a partial truth. He tells her that her mom is in India, but he doesn't tell Olive that her mom is never coming back. And the dad, is having to bare all the weight and financial responsibility of being a single father, with no child support from Olive's mother. He is so angry and frustrated at the situation that he doesn't filter it in front of Olive, and he gets upset with her over little things, and spends all of his time working just to keep then afloat. He doesn't prioritize Olive's happiness. He probably works two jobs, and just wants to sleep when he comes home. He would like to be at the spelling bee, but he can't risk making his boss unhappy by leaving work early. Olive can't see any of this, she just see's her father being emotionally distant, and his bittnerness at the situation.

This song makes me an emotional mess every time I hear it... So why do I keep watching and watching this video?? I can't stop myself.

I’m playing Rona and Olive’s mom right now and uh- HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS

Few songs can send shivers down my spine - this one is an immediate. The harmonies are beautiful, the lyrics incredible, this show is so wonderful.

I remember seeing this for the first time and I was dead silent during this song, I was so shocked to hear people laughing in this lol

I thinks its because the show has been nothing but jokes and nonstop hilarity up until that point that they're just confused and not sure what to do. So, they sometimes assume that this song will be like the others and then interpret things incorrectly.

I don't think enough people realize that this is one of the two most important songs in the play

As a child who's parents have been separated for so long, the interaction between the parents at 4:36-4:45 breaks me every time, what a masterpiece.

THEY BETTA SANG!!!!

That chord at 4:57...Goddamnit. Gets me every time.

I’m playing Olive and I have my own family issues so I’m expecting to cry during this song. Edit: Didn’t have tears come out at the show because I felt numb. But I did cry during rehearsals. The actor playing Olive’s Dad wasn’t there that day, and Olive’s Mom was singing so when I looked to my left, the actor wasn’t there. The cast in the audience started singing to “fill in”. I started bawling, because I know what it’s like to feel the presence of one parent whilst feeling the absence of the other. And people trying to fill in for the empty void, but it’s just never the same.

When I was in this show, I played Logainne, and I'd have to go into the green room during this song, otherwise I'd start crying and wouldn't be able to do the following scene.

i love reading the comments on these videos because none of my theater friends have never even heard of this musical so it sort of makes me feel better lol. i wanna do it at my high school so bad but none of teachers know anything about it soooo :(

After the mother said, "Because depression runs in our family" people laughed. Why, that's not funny

I've been casted as Olive's dad in my high school musical. THIS VIDEO IS A WHOLE YEAR OLDER THAN ME

It's 2019 already and I still watch this video so often. Absolute feels everytime. This is why I love theater so much. 😭😭😭😭😭

4:58 - Eargasm.

4.56 onwards is one of the most incredible moments in theatre I've ever heard :D

I cry every. single. time.

Celia is an amazing talent. This song is one of the best songs written for the theatre.

The blend between Olive and the mom at 5:35 is RIDICULOUS. The harmony sends chills up my extremities every time!

@lemonjuice0450 who cares, its called color blind casting. if he has the talent then who gives a hot damn.

This is the only thing that makes me cry every time I hear it without fail. Bill Finn is a complete genius.

It's a serious moment in a very funny show. It gives the show balance and depth.

@lemonjuice0450 The real reason is because this is a small ensemble show where almost everyone doubles as other smaller roles. I wouldn't consider this color-blind casting as I think any of the roles could be almost any race. The director probably thought this actor was better suited for this song. And who's to say that Olive doesn't have a "black" father? I don't see a problem with it at all.

There are actually a couple of different theories about Olive's mother. Having another baby is one, while I've also heard that she couldn't take the abuse and ran away, or she went insane (depression runs in the family...) due to the abuse and that's why she left. It makes more sense; what kind of mother would abandon her child with an abusive dad?

What gets me every time, is that how she imagines this. It just makes my cry.

I love this song! I wish I could play Olive, but I'm a guy, so...yeah XD maybe I could play the dad in the future @_@

I play this character in my school musical. This really helped me. Also, isn't this from the original Broadway cast?

i love this song it makes me want to cry.

i just realized this is the original molly aster and i’m sobbing even harder

I'm auditioning for Olive, anyone have any tips for helping me get cast as her?

this song always makes me cry. I heard this song at my schools play and I had to look it up! it's such a great and meaningful song!

@TaylortheTuckerGirl That's awesome! Like I said, I can kind of agree with you on Olive. I've always thought in the original cast lineup she lacked the level childishness the others had. Olive is kind of an anomaly in the show anyway... she's an exceptionally serious character and this song is also exceptionally serious in the context of the whole show.

Those harmonies at the end never fail to give me chills

@TwilightsSecrets ?? This is the original cast.

just the fact the she entire show is so freaking hilarious and ridiculous and this.song. (in my opinion) is possibly one of the saddest show-tune tracks ever is what makes this song so hard to listen to

It clearly says he does. "I think he takes out on me, when he wants to take out on you."

I am pissed at the people that laughed at the “depression runs in our family” line.

can we talk about how gorgeous celia is

@Vampyr789 Olive's mom is away for 9 months in India, and her dad is supposedly coming later. She took the bus to get to the bee. At this point, Olive gets word that her dad won't make it, and she's devastated; this is the one thing she cared about enough to want her parents to be a part of it, and they let her down again. This song is the dream sequence in which her parents are abundantly affectionate towards her, and towards each other.

this video is older than me by 5 months and 22 days

I played Barfée for a showing of Putnam County, and I still remember the first show we did and I almost teared up when we did this song, so damn powerful, and the Olives I worked with were so incredibly talented

@jessicamshannon so they were liping it..? wow

I'm not entirely sure why people are laughing, especially at the "'cause depression runs in the family" part... that part hit home most for me. Beautiful song, and I will be playing piano for it in a couple weeks.

Can u post "I speak Six Languages"?

My school is about to perform it's final night.. in a freeze.. this song always brings chills down my spine... Amazing job Sarah as the Mum!

the first time i heard this song, i wept. oh im gay by the way! x

Well it just happened.

One of my favorite show tunes.

This is one of my favorite songs! Such a fun and hilarious musical; so great to watch!

The harmonies in this song just KILL ME

i love the realization of the two girls that the guy joined in. it happened at the same time, and it was PERFECT!!!

Such an underrated song and show overall

absoloutely spine-chilling! fabulous. incredible voices. i love lisa howard so much, and celia keenan bolger is fantastic as well. beautiful song, beautiful talent!

oh my god. these singers are so incredible!!!

@eatsomewalnuts i met her today!

@blankeyboy279 original broadway cast

OBC????

This isn't an off-broadway cast. This is the cast I saw on broadway...incredible song!

@thefloorisdown There's an accented aigu.

goosebumps! I miss being on stage

4:56 gives me CHILLS! That harmony is SO AMAZING.

Is this the OBC?