A Story Powered by Song

I saw the sun begin to dim

And felt that winter wind

Blow cold

A man learns who is there for him

When the glitter fades and the walls won't hold

'Cause from then, rubble

One remains

Can only be what's true

If all was lost

Is more I gain

'Cause it led me back

To you

From now on

These eyes will not be blinded by the lights

From now on

What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight

Tonight

Let this promise in me start

Like an anthem in my heart

From now on

I drank champagne with kings and queens

The politicians praised my name

But those are someone else's dreams

The pitfalls of the man I became

For years and years

I chased their cheers

The crazy speed of always needing more

But when I stop

And see you here

I remember who all this was for

And from now on

These eyes will not be blinded by the lights

From now on

What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight

It starts tonight

And let this promise in me start

Like an anthem in my heart

From now on

And we will come back home

Home, again!

From now on!

These eyes will not be blinded by the lights!

What's waited till tomorrow starts tonight!

It starts tonight!

Let this promise in me start

Like an anthem in my heart

From now on!

And we will come back home

Home again!

I've been singing for more than fifteen years now.  And I must admit, my classical training has also made me a snob to certain kinds of music, especially those that would come off as too “mainstream.”  And yet, I think that only a very numb human being who has seen “The Greatest Showman” and has heard its songs were not affected by them.

Today, I write about the song “From Now On,” which was one of the songs performed in the latter part of the movie.  Written by the musical genius that is the duo of Justin Paul and Benj Pasek (also behind the mesmerizing music of Lala Land), From Now On caught my snobbish attention even before the movie was shown.  I remember seeing on Youtube a video of the rehearsal where Hugh Jackman stood in front of producers.  Because he had just gotten surgery, he was there quite literally as a warm body while Broadway singer Jeremy Jordan sang.  I cannot put my finger on it but the emotion was just so palpable while watching that video.  The arrangement of the song, of course, was designed to elicit emotion, but there was just a certain genuineness that drew me to it.  I’ll admit, it got me playing that song over and over during my walks to school last January, and also got me to watch the movie.

Going beyond the initial awe, I have come to realize that From Now On is a masterpiece of storytelling for two main reasons. First, the words were written in a way that is direct yet poetic.  You knew exactly what was going on in context of the movie and the storyline.  Second, the musical elements – melody, harmony, orchestration, vocal arrangement – all converged to tell the story that transcended the words.  From Now On is a story that, to me, was powered by music from various perspectives.

Let’s start looking at the character in this story.  PT Barnum, the story’s hero played by Hugh Jackman, is the proponent of the Circus Act that enchanted thousands, but also came crashing down with a tragic fire.  You could see him in a bar, seemingly sulking in his failure, while the people who worked in the Circus with him surrounded him.  PT Barnum at this point, is definitely feeling the regret of his actions (neglecting his circus crew for an international act that went around the US on tour).  He begins singing the words recounting the events that led to the tragedy, which he apparently blames on himself.  He sings about seeing the people who are there for him after everything is lost.  This renewed support is also enlivened by a sense of hope when he begins the chorus, saying that from now on, his eyes will no longer be blinded by light.  He gains more momentum in the scene and song and sings about what’s most important – coming back home again. 

Another perspective that is interesting to look at is the journey that PT Barnum had prior to this song.  The song begins with a recount of what was a clear mistake in his life.  The words talk about his neglect of people around him.  And once that was established, there was a smooth but clear transition to a sense of realization.  This is very visible in the words like “if all was lost, is more to gain because it led me back to you.”  The journey of our fallen hero continues with the song transitioning to a sense of hope.  The words become more positive than ever and so does the music.  This is most evident in the thicker texture of major chords that are embellished with extravagant orchestration (yes, 32^nd notes all over the place on what sounded like either a viola or a cello) and glorious gospel choir in the background.  The story just unfolds gradually and ever so clearly that as the entire journey throughout the words go, I am able to visualize colors while listening.  It just gets brighter and more hopeful.

Finally, From Now On does what many songs do well – it resolves.  It ends the song with a more subdued feel overall, but more importantly, ends with the words “and we will come back home, home again.”  It was a clear resolution in terms of music, words, emotions, and story.  PT Barnum’s roller coaster ride of discovering a gimmick that worked with the public, getting sidetracked by a Swedish opera diva, and experiencing tragic loss now ends with him coming back home to where it matters the most.

The second aspect I wanted to look at was the music.  I did not study music, but I did not need my fifteen years of classical singing to decide that this was a genius musical product.  And I think the magic happened because the music fell into place exactly where it should be and at the exact right time.

Listening to the melody of the song, there’s no doubt that it is one that stuck.  And considering that this was a musical set on screen, there was a definite need for a catchy melody (I remember in January humming this song multiple times throughout the day).  But what made this extraordinary is the fact that the melody, through its character and feel, helped tell the story.  The use of the E major was easy, but for the writers, I think it was a deliberate choice.  A major scale makes a song sound happier.  The intervals that brought together the iconic refrain (“and we will come back home, and we will come back home.  Home again.”) simply sounds inspiring.

Then there’s the arrangement.  There are two aspects of how this song was arranged that I have gotten very drawn to – the orchestration and the vocal backup arrangement.  The song begins with a very soft and almost mute instrumentation at the beginning.  The chords and instruments gradually build up as the story unfolds. And by the time we reach the refrain and he is singing lyrics of hope, the instruments tell the same story.  As I mentioned earlier, a cello (or maybe a viola) embellishes the instrumentation throughout the chorus repetitions.  Then there’s the gospel choir.  I’ve sung in choirs before and we all know that the most emotionally connected choirs are those who sing gospel.  I thought that this was genius for the writers.  Once the refrain is first sung, a gospel choir accompanies Hugh Jackman. This simply strengthens what he says, making it sound like there’s a lot of conviction.  Also, there’s the aid to the story that the people whom he realized mattered to him were there backing him up.  And then the refrain repeats and repeats. As it does, the gospel choir texture thickens with harmony of thirds and then fifths.  This just raises the musical storyline to a climax.  And then it goes down and diminuendos as PT Barnum’s character begins to tell the story’s end.

There’s a lot to be said about The Greatest Showman.  A lot of people loved it.  Many critics hated it.  Some musicians thought it was a sellout.  In the end, a song such as From Now On was written and performed to have an effect on listeners.  It aimed to tell a story.  And it did exactly that and more.

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