Background[]
Insights[]
Fans of movie musicals might know about something called the "I Wish" number. In many movies and Broadway shows, it's the main character's first song, in which they express the hope that will set the story in motion. Host Ira Glass explains it, and plays a few examples. (7 minutes) #film/film making
Listing[]
Introduced in the This American Life (podcast), episode #259[]
- Snow White (movie)
- I'm Wishing (song) performed by Adriana Caselotti. The songs in the film were written by Frank Churchill, Larry Morey and Leigh Harline. The musical score was composed by Paul J. Smith and Leigh Harline.
- Little Mermaid (movie)
- Hunchback of Notre Dame (movie)
- Wizard of Oz (movie) Somewhere Over the Rainbow (song)
- Fiddler on the Roof (movie) Match Maker, Match Maker, Make Me a Match (song)
- Funny Girl (movie)
- My Fair Lady (movie)
- Into the Woods (movie) with six characters each singing their I Wish Songs.
- Brittany Spears movie, Cross Roads, begins with an I Wish Song