17 February 2008: Tarzan The Musical

I remember my first musical. It was a commercial: "Ah, Ah Kansas." I would run around on my little 2 year old legs and sing the jingle. This jingle was a manner of my happily expressing myself to the world. The jingle starts on the tonic, then moves upward to the minor seventh, and then resolves. Musicology suggests that this motif makes the user feel uplifted, then unresolved (the minor seventh causes this), and then resolved again. It is the key to substance. As I grew, musicals have this form. Mary Poppins uplifts, creates discomfort, and then resolves. The music reflects this. I started having season tickets to theatre at the age of 15. Theatre created a sense of escape that the Millennial generation often seeks. Its lyrics and stories are classic. The themes are often generationless. I ultimately want to promulgate the arts to the disenfranchised for many of these reasons. Today, I was listening to accubroadway and a song came on. It was a song that I knew I had to purchase. It was the song "Two Worlds," from Disney's Tarzan the Musical by Phil Collins. Tarzan is a paradescence of both freedom and struggle. Tarzan does not fit in either world. However, he is seemingly free. The song title reflects this irony. The cover of the song is green, representing lush and natural. The logo is a papyrus font which reminds me of wood and the jungle. Beyond the cover, I started listening to the music.

The music starts with an open drone, much like bagpipe, with solo male tenor. The tenor is always the hero. A bagpipe is almost always played outside. The drone reminds one of the constancy of life. A bird caws, reminding the listener that they are in the jungle. Finally, a tribal drum beat starts. Two solid chords with the guitar. Suddenly, the listener is no longer alone. He is unified with the world. The entrance of the piano represents European cultural influences. The world is no longer wild, but structured. However, the tribal drum beat still continues. I am attracted to this drum beat. As I continue to seek acceptance (as many Millennials do) and try to fit in, there is a part of me that wants to be different. To be me. Without cultural influences and resistance. That is why I am drawn to this drum beat and this song in a way that I have not been to other songs. The lyrics to this chorus sing as follows:

Put your faith in what you most believe in
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lifes we see

Put your faith in what you most believe in
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lifes we see

I am at a crossroads. Maybe I don't have to pick. Maybe there is a new path for me that I seek. As a marketer for Tarzan The Musical, I should use this message to target young teenagers and their parents. Teens face this crossroad of conformity. They also will relate to the Tarzan and Disney message in a positive way. They do not have to pick. It is not either/or but rather and/but.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3KA8KiNTNg