In a nutshell: There’s great online marketing savvy to be had from Broadway and Hollywood show tunes. Here are 10 great songs you can listen to, learn from, and enjoy.
These 10 Show Tunes contain decades of good-old fashioned business savvy that transfer directly to online marketing, for commercial and advocacy organizations alike. All condensed into 39 razzle-dazzle minutes (and arranged alphabetically by title). I’ve added some commentary below to help you draw out the most salient online marketing and social media lessons. Listen, learn, and have fun!
1. Comedy Tonight
From A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. The original Broadway production opened in 1962 and ran for 972 performances. “Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone.” Offer your audience content that they can identify with while also surprising them and, as best you can, welcoming new members to your online tribe.
2. How to Succeed
From How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on a 1952 book of the same title by Shepherd Mead. The original Broadway production, starring Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee, opened in 1961 and ran for 1417 performances. This version is from the the 1995 Broadway revival with Matthew Broderick in the role of Finch. “How to apply for a job, how to advance from the mail room…this book is all that I need…How to Succeed.” It’s easy to make fun of self-help books, but we all know we’ve read them and learned from them. Be open to information, ideas, and inspiration from wherever they come.
3. I Believe in You
Also from How to Succeed in Business. “There you are, yes there’s that face, that face that somehow I trust.” Finch is singing to himself in the mirror. “You have the cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom of truth…oh, I believe in YOU.” Not much to explain here. As Seth Godin says, “No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.”
4. Razzle Dazzle
From Chicago, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and director/choreographer Bob Fosse. The original Broadway production opened in 1975 and ran for 936 performances, with Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, and Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn. “It’s all show business, kid…give ’em the old razzle dazzle…give ’em an act with lots of flash in it and the reaction will be passionate.” Content is king, but the king is dead if nobody notices. Of course this wonderful song is about cynical manipulation; on the other hand, it’s true: “Razzle dazzle ’em and they’ll make you a star.”
5. That’s Entertainment
From The Band Wagon, a 1953 film with music by Arthur Schwartz, lyrics by Howard Dietz, and a screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. “Everything that happens in life can happen in a show…you can make ’em laugh, you can make ’em cry. Anything, anything can go…The world is a stage, the stage is a world of entertainment.” In my classical mythology courses, I call this narratization and personification: taking thoughts, feelings, opinions, and ideas and changing them into stories about characters. It’s what drama does on stage or screen, and it’s also what the best online content does.
6. There’s No Business Like Show Business
From Annie Get Your Gun, with words and music by Irving Berlin and a book by the sister-brother team of Dorothy and Herbert Fields. The original Broadway production opened in 1946 and ran for 1147 performances. In online marketing as in show business, persistence pays off as long as you can deliver the goods: “Yesterday they told you you would not go far. That night you open and there you are. Next day on your dressing room they’ve hung the star—let’s go on with the show.”
7. They All Laughed
From Shall We Dance, a 1937 film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with songs by George and Ira Gershwin. This is actually a love song that uses technological innovation as its metaphor. “They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round…but oh, ho, ho, who’s got the last laugh now?” I thought you would enjoy this version from the original soundtrack, with four minutes of instrumental score while Fred and Ginger dance. But other recorded versions have many more verses, of which my favorite is probably, “They all laughed at Rockefeller Center, now they’re fighting to get in.” In online marketing as in love, you have to take risks for what you believe in and let history pass its verdict on your idea, product, service, or cause.
8. Think Pink!
From Funny Face, a 1957 film with songs by George and Ira Gershwin, written by Leonard Gershe, directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, and the incomparable Kay Thompson as Maggie Prescott, a fashion magazine executive. She knows she cannot simply discover the next big trend; she must create it herself! This song is a veritable MBA in marketing. “So turn a new page and let’s dig in, we can’t begin to paste or patch, we’ve really got to start from scratch—the first page must be an eye grabber.” No half measures for Maggie Prescott: “Pink for the pool, pink hygiene, pink love, and for the children, pink mischief.” See the entire world through the lens of your product, service, idea, or cause, and make the rest of the world see it that way, too. You can just listen to the song if you like, but to get the maximum educational benefit (and pleasure) from this one, you really need to watch the video:
9. We Can Do It
From the musical incarnation of The Producers (based on the 1968 film starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder), with words and music by Mel Brooks. The original Broadway production, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, opened in 2001 and ran for 2502 performances. This recording is from the 2005 film, also starring Lane and Broderick. Failed Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Lane) is convinced that he and his accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick) can make out like bandits with an intentional flop by betting against themselves, sort of like Morgan Stanley did leading up to the financial crisis of 2008. Bloom is convinced he’s a loser, but Max is having none of it: “Why you miserable cowardly wretched little caterpillar, don’t you ever want to become a butterfly? Don’t you want to spread your wings and flap your way to glory?” Max’s faith, of course, prevails over Leo’s doubt “Bloom, don’t you realize, there’s a lot more to you than there is to you?” That’s the kind of persistence, perseverance, and faith that you need to succeed in online marketing—preferably within the bounds of the law.
10. You Gotta Get a Gimmick
From Gypsy, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents. The original Broadway production opened in 1959 and ran for 704 performances. This recording is from the 2008 Broadway revival staring the legendary Patti Lupone as Mama Rose. In this song, three burlesque performers—Mazeppa, Electra, and Tessie Turaare—explain to Louise (about to embark on her first strip tease) the importance of innovation and conviction in any interaction with an audience. “You gotta get a gimmick if you wanna get ahead,” be it a bugle (Mazeppa), a set of electric lights (Electra), or a pair of diaphanous wings (Tessie). Of course, “gimmick,” like “razzle dazzle” (see #4 above), is calculated to emphasize the tawdry, superficial, cynically spectacular elements of performance. That’s the fun of the song. But innovation, conviction, and commitment to craft are real messages you can take away from Gypsy and apply to online marketing.