"Soliloquy" is a 1945 song composed by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

, with lyrics by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

, written for their 1945 musical ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'', where it was introduced by John Raitt. Gordon MacRae performs the song in the 1956 film version.

Song narrative

The now jobless

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

barker Billy Bigelow, the antihero of the musical, sings this seven-and-a-half-minute song just after he has learned he is about to become a father. In it, he happily daydreams over what it would be like to be a father to a boy, but midway through the song, he realizes that it could turn out to be a girl. The song immediately becomes more tender, as he begins to like the idea. At song's end, he considers that a girl needs the very best a father can offer, and decides to get money to provide for her. It is this idea that spurs him on to help his criminal pal Jigger Craigin in committing a robbery, an act which ultimately leads to personal disaster for Billy.

Performance and recording

The song is extremely unusual in that it requires the singer to sing solo (and occasionally speak) for a full seven and a half minutes, in the manner of an operatic

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

, without the benefit of an accompanying choral group "taking up the slack", as is usually the case in long musical numbers (e.g. "

Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical '' Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, ...

"). The lengthy song " Glitter and Be Gay", from

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

's ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'', makes a similar requirement of the soprano performing it.

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

had recently become a father when he recorded "Soliloquy" for the first time on May 28, 1946. With the time limitation of about 3:30 on a 10-inch 78 rpm record, his 7:57-long recording was released on Columbia's Masterwork label (the classical division) as two sides of a 12-inch record.

Notable recordings

Cast and studio albums feature John Raitt,

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American‐Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canad ...

, Robert Merrill, Gordon MacRae,

Alfred Drake Alfred Drake (October 7, 1914 – July 25, 1992) was an American actor and singer. Biography Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Bro ...

, Michael Hayden and Samuel Ramey as Billy. Other recordings include the following: *

- '' The Concert Sinatra'' (1963), '' A Man And His Music'' (1965), '' Sinatra 80th: Live in Concert'' (1995) * Sammy Davis Jr. - ''Mr. Entertainment'' (1961) * Anthony Warlow - ''Centre Stage'' (1990) * Mandy Patinkin - ''Mandy Patinkin'' (1989) * Thomas Hampson - ''Leading Man: The Best of Broadway'' * James Barbour - ''Broadway in Concert'' (2007) * Bryn Terfel - ''Something Wonderful'' (1996) * Brian Stokes Mitchell - "Simply Broadway" (2012) *

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

- '' Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' (SWBC-11707) (1977) * Joshua Henry - ''"Carousel" on Broadway'' (2018)

Appearances in other media

Mark sings snatches of the song to Rachel in ''

Heartburn Heartburn is a burning sensation felt behind the breastbone. It is a symptom that is commonly linked to acid reflux and is often triggered by food, particularly fatty, sugary, spicy, chocolate, citrus, onion-based and tomato-based products. Ly ...

'' after learning she is pregnant with their first child. The song is also featured in Season 1 Episode 7 of '' Only Murders in the Building''.

References

Songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals Frank Sinatra songs 1945 songs Songs with music by Richard Rodgers Songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II {{Show-tune-stub