"Tomorrow" is a

show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

from the musical '' Annie'', with music by

Charles Strouse Charles Louis Strouse (June 7, 1928 – May 15, 2025) was an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to the Broadway musicals ''Bye Bye Birdie'', ''Applause (musical), Applause'', and ''Annie (musical), Annie''. Backgrou ...

and lyrics by Martin Charnin, published in 1977. The number was originally written as "Replay" (The Way We Live Now) for the 1970 short film ''Replay'', with both music and lyrics by Strouse.

Composition and lyrics

In 1972 Strouse, and Thomas Meehan began working on a musical based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strips, '' Annie''. Strouse contributed a reworked version of "Replay" as "Tomorrow". "Annie" took until 1976 to reach BroadwayCast Changes, Rewrites and More: From Yesterday to 'Tomorrow,' Annie's History on Stage and Screen , Playbill
/ref> and during that time Strouse reworked "Replay" again for possible use in what became " Charlie and Algernon", a musical version of Daniel Keyes's ''

Flowers for Algernon ''Flowers for Algernon'' is a short story by American author Daniel Keyes, which he later expanded into a novel and adapted for film and other media. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of ''The Magazin ...

'' with book by playwright David Rogers although it was not ultimately used. " The song has always been prominently featured in productions of the musical throughout its history: several variations of the song were performed in the original 1977 Broadway production, including being the show's finale. Its lyrics are repeated as a personal motto by the character of Annie in Thomas Meehan's 1980 novelisation. It was the entry and concluding credits score for the 1982 film adaptation; an a capella version of the song was performed by Aileen Quinn as Annie during the scene at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

where Annie and Warbucks meet

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. The song pronounces an optimistic view of life through its main themes and the phrases 'hang on until tomorrow' and 'when I'm stuck with a day that's gray and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin nd say. It appears to be in unison with another song in the score, " You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile", which again pronounces the importance of smiling, though in a much lighter and cheerful tone.

Pop culture references

* On the September 27, 2012 episode of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'', twelve year-old singing contestant Jordyn Foley performed "Tomorrow."

References

External links

* {{Authority control Songs with music by Charles Strouse 1977 songs Songs from musicals Barbra Streisand songs Songs with lyrics by Martin Charnin Grace Jones songs Me First and the Gimme Gimmes songs Little Orphan Annie

Composition and lyrics

Pop culture references

See also

References

External links