i agree with your ranking of Just for Once but not because i think its bad, because i think its way too long and unneeded to the plot line. it felt like they just wanted to give lauren a song tbh. in another musical it would be great and i guess its SUPPOSED to be in another musical but they couldve made it a lot shorter cuz it got a bit boring and repetitive. literally a minute in i was like "okay bring max in now idc" despite the fact that lauren slays. it also makes me wish that richie got his own soliloquy too :(((
i lowk agree that it’s pretty long but it’s sooo needed for the plot, with both richie and ruth (and max kinda) it goes into depth about their feelings and shows them so vulnerable and being themselves then having a terrible death, with richie it’s the “i’m happy to be alive” monologue and “im not a loser”, with ruth it’s just for once, for max it’s the “this is really special” and him showing remorse and kindness to the nerds. and going more in depth for just for once ruth reflects on how her life was wasted due to the bullying and anxiety reflected through the story of a middle aged woman (making it more sad how that’s who she, a high schooler, sees herself in) but while performing from the barbecue monologues she realizes that maybe she can do something great with her life then she becomes a victim of max (im so sorry i wrote so much i love talking about this)
So glad I’m not the only one that can’t get into just for once. Definitely for a lot of the reasons other people are saying, but my two big things are that it feels really out of place vibe wise, which I get that it’s supposed to be Ruth singing a song from a different musical, but to have it also be her I wasn’t song at the same time kind just alienates her story somehow. I also think (and this is a REALLY unpopular opinion XD) that it wasn’t the right song for Lauren. The big culmination moment where she’s singing “Just for once.. just for oooooonce” just doesn’t hit right cause where it sits in her register is what I would assume is the break between her mix/chest voice and her head voice so it comes out super fluffy and it just doesn’t really match the moment.
YES THANK YOU i adore lauren’s voice but it really doesn’t sit at a great place in her voice or she’s purposefully doing worse bc of the character. i really would’ve rather a REAL i want song ABOUT THE CHARACTER WE’RE WATCHING! her saying it through a song in universe is one thing but it just bugs me here bc it’s honestly stuff we already easily can see about her anyway, i don’t really learn anything about her from just for once that i didn’t learn BEFORE it
I absolutely love Dirty Dudes Must Die for the last 30 seconds or so but the main chunk of it feels clunky and also was not suited to Angela's voice. I know Angela can sing well but this entire show felt like it did her a disservice
I agree with Just for once a lot. I just can't get into the theming or story because the singing is intentionally bad. It sucks because so many people really like it and I just can't enjoy it
YES i feel like if it was only 1/3 of the song and actually singing to her abilities would’ve made me LOVE the song and want the full thing as an extra! it slows down the pacing so hard how it is currently tho
The talking is def a fair point of the summoning but I think one of the things I love about the song (beyond cool harmonies at the start) is it uses the hatchetfield motif so well. The summoning and then Nerdy Prudes/Dirty Dudes must die feel by far the strongest when it comes to instrumentals and carrying the shows theme.
If I'm honest, NPMD has by far the weakest music out of the hatchetfield musicals. The music and lyrics overall were just not as fine tuned and mostly forgettable. It felt like most of the singers were not used to their full advantage or even put at a disadvantage from how the music was written (Namely Angela and then also moments like when Curt and Corey sing together in Go Go Nighthawks). Several of the songs feel like early drafts that could have been reworked or honestly scrapped and while I really like parts of some, none of them had remotely the same emotional intensity as songs like Let It Out, Black Friday, Or What If Tomorrow Comes. I'm all for funny and unserious moments but NPMD lacks the contrasting moments and the heartfelt grounding that really let the other two shine. Even the characters felt weaker as a whole.
Im glad to see im not a complete outlier in my dislike of Just for Once, it's dead last for me too. However i CANNOT believe you put the summoning that low its my favourite 😂
Not the best ranking but I don’t like any of Peter and Steph’s songs. I think they’re boring 🥱 but you’re top two songs and dirty girl was your saving grace.
