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4.53 AVERAGE
4.53 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
I love this book and I love Anais Mitchell and I love Hadestown. Ugh. Such a great look into her process and life as a writer. She is so realistic in the way she talks about how frustrating and rewarding writing can be. And I love that some songs were complete inspiration all at once and others took years to complete—that some still don’t feel finished to her.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
does anyone else have a problem with being almost too introspective about certain things? with books, music, poetry, art, i love to analyze every aspect of a piece, draw connections and form new ideas off the sparks of creativity i get from the seeing the work of others. but, i do also worry that i sometimes overdo this, draw conclusions where there was never even a question, connect things that are entirely coincidental or that the artist just put in for convenience.
but, my fear that i was doing this for hadestown, analyzing where there was nothing to be analyzed, could not have possibly been more unwarranted.
it seems like anaïs mitchell somehow managed to interconnect every lyric, word, even note when she wrote this musical. anything that i felt oh so smart about “figuring out” before i read this, she expanded and exploded into something a million times more thoughtful and deep. lyrics that she took out because she said they were embarrassing in how bad they were, were some of the most brilliant lines i’ve ever read.
this book was so good, and definitely enhanced my hadestown experience even more. i know i’m never going to listen to any of the lyrics in the same way again. if you’ve ever loved or listened to hadestown, please read this, it’s breathtaking. plus, by buying this book you get to support the show, which is super crucial especially now, because by next june when they reopen, they’ll have been closed for fifteen months, and really need all the love and support we can give them!!!
some of my favorite outtakes from the show
a.k.a. the ones that apparently weren’t “good enough”... though if this isn’t good enough then there’s no chance for me lol. also i tried to put only a few but that didn’t work so... ;)
”it’s a tale of a love that never dies / it’s about someone who tries”
“this hungry young girl struck a match / and she lit a flame in that poor boy’s heart / wind didn’t want that flame to catch / but it caught...”
“orpheus was a poor boy / but he had a gift to give / eurydice knew how to survive / orpheus knew how to live”
“you have a way with words, don’t you? it’s too bad none of them are true”
“and young love, too, grew old”
“with what melody did you barter me / from the wicked underworld?”
“come and see the stars! / they’re fixin’ to fall / old man mars / taking venus to the ball”
“but don’t you see? / it’s different with me
different than who? / they thought they were different too!”
“i’m asking you to marry me / marry me / say ‘i do’ / i came all this way to ask you”
“oh, he said he’d shelter us / he said he’d harbor me / he said we’d soldier on / and then the war would bring us peace”
“even where the bricks are stacked / love is blooming through the cracks”
“it ain’t so much that the kingdom fell / it just got swept off it’s feet”
“a poor boy and a hungry young girl / walking single file / while the music played / brother, they looked for all the world / like they was walking down the aisle / on their wedding day”
(that last one was like a punch to the gut i did not come here to be attacked in this way)
...
happy pub day to this beauty!!
it arrived and is absolutely stunning!
...
how is it possible for me to be this excited about a book that’s literally entirely lyrics. lyrics that i’ve already entirely memorized, mind you. i’m not sure, but i’m pumped!! only four more days!
oh and here watch this if you haven’t fallen into the hadestown hole yet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qVXBxRXAPj0&t=73s (you’ll thank me later)
...
all i’ve ever known is how to hold my own
but now i wanna hold you, too
lol i need this
like really. you mean to tell me this is an entire book going in depth into every single song from this musical? me, a heartless soul, has cried real genuine tears over fan analysis of some of these lyrics and now i can get it straight from the author? it’s a dream, and a part of me is wondering if is this a trap that’s being laid for me? is this a trick that’s being played on me? i used to... oh sorry, oops, uhh didn’t mean to slip into that, my bad heh...
ANYWAY
once again, i really want this. i’m kinda annoyed because even though it says this released a few months ago, everywhere i looked online says it’s only available in october. until then i suppose.
i’m coming wait for me, i hear the walls repeating the falling of our feet and it sounds like drumming. and we are not alone, i hear the rocks and stones echoing our song, i’m coming.
...yeah didn’t mean to do that either my bad
(also if you can’t tell this musical is my lifeblood and every single person needs to go listen to it now. it’s not only a beautiful orpheus and eurydice retelling but features one of the best hades and persephone stories i have ever come across. and every single person in the show is an angel. and we need to show them support because right now, broadway is shut down and the entire show is on hold. ok thanks for coming to my ted talk.)
to the world we dream about, and the one we live in now
but, my fear that i was doing this for hadestown, analyzing where there was nothing to be analyzed, could not have possibly been more unwarranted.
it seems like anaïs mitchell somehow managed to interconnect every lyric, word, even note when she wrote this musical. anything that i felt oh so smart about “figuring out” before i read this, she expanded and exploded into something a million times more thoughtful and deep. lyrics that she took out because she said they were embarrassing in how bad they were, were some of the most brilliant lines i’ve ever read.
this book was so good, and definitely enhanced my hadestown experience even more. i know i’m never going to listen to any of the lyrics in the same way again. if you’ve ever loved or listened to hadestown, please read this, it’s breathtaking. plus, by buying this book you get to support the show, which is super crucial especially now, because by next june when they reopen, they’ll have been closed for fifteen months, and really need all the love and support we can give them!!!
some of my favorite outtakes from the show
a.k.a. the ones that apparently weren’t “good enough”... though if this isn’t good enough then there’s no chance for me lol. also i tried to put only a few but that didn’t work so... ;)
”it’s a tale of a love that never dies / it’s about someone who tries”
“this hungry young girl struck a match / and she lit a flame in that poor boy’s heart / wind didn’t want that flame to catch / but it caught...”
“orpheus was a poor boy / but he had a gift to give / eurydice knew how to survive / orpheus knew how to live”
“you have a way with words, don’t you? it’s too bad none of them are true”
“and young love, too, grew old”
“with what melody did you barter me / from the wicked underworld?”
“come and see the stars! / they’re fixin’ to fall / old man mars / taking venus to the ball”
“but don’t you see? / it’s different with me
different than who? / they thought they were different too!”
“i’m asking you to marry me / marry me / say ‘i do’ / i came all this way to ask you”
“oh, he said he’d shelter us / he said he’d harbor me / he said we’d soldier on / and then the war would bring us peace”
“even where the bricks are stacked / love is blooming through the cracks”
“it ain’t so much that the kingdom fell / it just got swept off it’s feet”
“a poor boy and a hungry young girl / walking single file / while the music played / brother, they looked for all the world / like they was walking down the aisle / on their wedding day”
(that last one was like a punch to the gut i did not come here to be attacked in this way)
...
happy pub day to this beauty!!
it arrived and is absolutely stunning!
...
how is it possible for me to be this excited about a book that’s literally entirely lyrics. lyrics that i’ve already entirely memorized, mind you. i’m not sure, but i’m pumped!! only four more days!
oh and here watch this if you haven’t fallen into the hadestown hole yet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qVXBxRXAPj0&t=73s (you’ll thank me later)
...
all i’ve ever known is how to hold my own
but now i wanna hold you, too
lol i need this
like really. you mean to tell me this is an entire book going in depth into every single song from this musical? me, a heartless soul, has cried real genuine tears over fan analysis of some of these lyrics and now i can get it straight from the author? it’s a dream, and a part of me is wondering if is this a trap that’s being laid for me? is this a trick that’s being played on me? i used to... oh sorry, oops, uhh didn’t mean to slip into that, my bad heh...
ANYWAY
once again, i really want this. i’m kinda annoyed because even though it says this released a few months ago, everywhere i looked online says it’s only available in october. until then i suppose.
i’m coming wait for me, i hear the walls repeating the falling of our feet and it sounds like drumming. and we are not alone, i hear the rocks and stones echoing our song, i’m coming.
...yeah didn’t mean to do that either my bad
(also if you can’t tell this musical is my lifeblood and every single person needs to go listen to it now. it’s not only a beautiful orpheus and eurydice retelling but features one of the best hades and persephone stories i have ever come across. and every single person in the show is an angel. and we need to show them support because right now, broadway is shut down and the entire show is on hold. ok thanks for coming to my ted talk.)
to the world we dream about, and the one we live in now
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
i would feel silly giving this less then 5 stars considering how much i cried while reading it. read it in one sitting while listening to the cast recording, meaning that i was learning about each song as i was hearing it. very spiritual experience, hence the tears. but it was very genuinely a super interesting insight into all the thought, collaboration, and work that went into the best musical ever made, argue with the wall (pun intended)
A really great insight into one of my favorite musicals. It was so cool to see how this art has evolved and the rationale behind changes between albums.
If I had to list out the shows that have had the biggest impacts on my life, Hadestown would certainly be at the top. And this book just amplified that even more. Of course, just reading the lyrics themselves reveal what pure poetry they are. But Anaïs’s commentary truly highlights this amazing journey. It’s perseverance and magic and hard work and luck and every inspiring thing you need. So if you’re a fan of this show…read this book. If you’re not a fan of this show…listen to the cast recording, and then read this book. It really takes the show to another level.