MovieChat Forums > Mame (1974) Discussion > I don't really get the song 'Mame'

I don't really get the song 'Mame'

posted 10 years ago by felipenor
4 replies | jump to latest

I love the song "Mame", it might as well be my favorite song from the musical, but I still have a hard time trying to understand how those lyrics fit in the story. Mame wins the hunt and gets the fox, and then people who've known her for a day start singing sentences like:

"You've made us feel alive again"

"You make the cotton easy to pick"

"You came, you saw, you conquered
And absolutely nothing is the same"

So basically everyone thinks she is sensational and unforgettable just because she caught the fox? It seems this song was written as a big homage to Mame (the kind you usually do at the end of the story), but then Herman didn't know where to fit it. What do you guys think?

[–] Harold_Robbins 10 years ago

"but then Herman didn't know where to fit it."

Herman didn't even want to write it, feeling pressured to come up with another "Hello, Dolly!" He mentions in the TV documentary that the song is actually a tongue-in-cheek spoof.

"In my case, self-absorption is completely justified."

[–] felipenor 10 years ago

So what you mean is that the lyrics were poorly done on purpose?

[–] Miro101 10 years ago

I think the point is that the lyrics were intended satirically--they were meant to be "over the top," as a hyperbolic, self-aware homage to the kind of great-lady showstopping numbers of which "Hello, Dolly" is the prime example.

[–] bedrock1960 8 years ago

The title number is what is known as a "great lady" number - the plot takes a rest while the entire company sing the praises of its female star. It is a common device in musical comedy - a short list would include the title song from LEAVE IT TO JANE (1917). "Wild Rose" from SALLY (1920), the title song from RIO RITA (1927) and "My Darlin' Eileen" from WONDERFUL TOWN (1953). In more recent years, Jerry Herman became the unofficial king of Great Lady numbers like HELLO DOLLY, "When Mabel Walks Into the Room" from MACK AND MABEL. Whether or not the lyrics "make sense" or are germane to the storyline is of minimal importance. I know it's almost impossible for younger people to comprehend, but there was a time when not every moment in a musical was relevant. Sometimes there were scenes in which the cast simply kicked up its heels and performed an infectious and rousing number devoid of character exposition. That's one of the reasons they were called musical comedies.